Readings for Saturday, February 24, 2024
Tetzaveh (Command or
Instruct)
27:20-30:10 Shemot (Exodus)
Tetzaveh is the eighth sedrah in the Book of
Shemot (Exodus). The sedrah
takes its name from the second Hebrew word in the first verse of the reading. “And you shall command (Tetzaveh) the
children of Israel….” Last week in
Terumah we read the instructions for building the Tabernacle and the Ark. This week we read about those who will be
responsible for using and maintaining these holy precincts - the Priests or
Kohanim. Tetzaveh divides into four
basic parts. It opens with instructions
concerning the Oil for Lighting (27:20-21).
It then shifts to The Clothing for the Priests (28:1-43) followed by The
Ordination of the Priests (29:1-46). The
sedrah ends with instructions concerning The Altar for Burning Incense
(30:1-10). Some scholars contend that
the material contained in this sedrah was inserted centuries after the events
described were supposed to have occurred.
They contend that this was an attempt by the Priestly Class officiating
at the Temple in Jerusalem to provide themselves with a lineage that would
justify their position. The pageantry of
the Priesthood described in this sedrah is difficult for many modern Jewish
readers to comprehend. The garments, the
bells, the incense, etc. are things that many of us relate to practices in Rome
or Canterbury and not to Judaism. While
many of our customs and ceremonies are derived from those of the Priests,
probably a majority of American Jews would have difficulty actually seeing them
implemented in our time. Fortunately
several of the Chumahism in use today provide ample notes about the literal
meaning of the text as well as graphics depicting the vestments of the Kohanim.
Although God
addresses Moshe in the sedrah, Tetzaveh
is the only weekly portion from Shemot through Devarim that does
not mention him by name. Two reasons are
offered. One is that this omission is a
tribute to Moshe’s humility. Tetzaveh is
devoted to the Kohanim and this is Aaron’s turn to be in the spotlight. A second explanation has to do with the death
of Moshe. According to some, Moshe died
on what is now the seventh of Adar. This
date always falls within the week when Tetzaveh is read; hence the absence of
his name.
Oil For Lighting (27:20-21)
The sedrah
begins with what appears to be a bit of unfinished business from last
week. Last week the Israelites were told
about making the Menorah. This week they
are told about the kind of oil to be used and the instruction for kindling the
lights. From this source, among others,
has come many customs about kindling lights that we follow today. These include the “Ner Tamid” or Eternal
Light that we find over the Ark, the candles we burn at the start of Shabbat,
the Havdalah Candle, the candles lit at the start of each Festival, the
Chanukah lights and the Yahrzeit Candle.
Light and fire have traditionally been connected with the presence of
God. Unfortunately, in the 20th
century light and fire have taken on another meaning for the Jew as well. The haunting words of Eli Weisel’s The
Night show that God can also be absent in the fire and the light it
provides.
The Clothing for the Priests (28:1-43)
The entire
chapter is devoted to describing the vestments of the Kohanim. They include a Breastplate, an Ephod, a Robe,
a Tunic, a Turban, a Sash, Breeches and a Headplate. The Ephod was to be made of gold, blue,
purple and scarlet threads. These are
popular colors for the various coverings later used in the synagogue or
shul. A bell was attached to the Robe so
that people would know when the Kohan Gadol was moving in and out of a holy
place. A reminder of this bell can be seen
in the bells that are attached to the crown or crowns on each Torah
scroll. The Breastplate contained two
stones - The Urim and the Tumim. They
were used as a type of oracle. How they
functioned is not quite clear. There are
few references to their use in the TaNaCh.
From a modern point of view, the breastplate used in covering the Sefer
Torah is a reminder of this priestly garb.
The Headplate is another example of wearing a reminder of God and his
law on our forehead. The Rosh (the
tefillin worn on the forehead) is said by some to be a reminder of this piece
of priestly garb. The Breeches are worn
as a sign of modesty. Remember the
earlier commandment about not exposing oneself when leaving an altar. From a modern perspective, these special
vestments may be seen as God’s way of telling us that performing His rituals is
not a casual business and that casual dress is not appropriate. Just as the Kohanim dressed in special attire
when performing their duties in the Tabernacle and the Temple, so we wear
special items such as the Tallit and dress in our best clothes for such events
as Shabbat and Holiday services. Before
we carry this too far we should note that just because the Kohanim performed
their rituals barefooted does not mean we should stop wearing shoes at Temple
Judah.
The Ordination of the Kohanim (29:1-46)
The sedrah now
describes the seven days of ceremonies and sacrifices that will comprise the
ordination of the Kohanim. Moshe is
responsible for performing the various anointings and sacrifices. Those being consecrated are Aaron and his four
sons - Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
While all of them will be Kohanim, only Aaron will be Kohan Gadol. In a later reading Nadab and Abihu will be killed
by God for taking “strange fire” into the Tabernacle. Why is God commanding all of this? As the text states, He is commanding all of
this because “I the Lord am their God, who brought them out of the land of
Egypt.” The description of these
ceremonies concerning the Kohanim end with the same words that started the
Sinaitic Revelation, also called the giving of the Ten Commandments. This symmetry would indicate that regardless
of how we might view all of this, the author(s) of the Torah, may have seen the
Commandments, the Tabernacle, the Ark and the attendant rituals as vital parts
of God’s plan to make the Israelites a holy nation, a nation of priests.
The Altar For Burning Incense (30:1-10)
The sedrah ends
with the instructions for building one more altar. Some commentators wonder why the instructions
for building this altar were not included earlier with the other items that
were in the Tabernacle. Like the other
items last week, this altar was portable complete with rings and poles. The burning of incense must have been of great
importance. As proof of this, consider
the following. First, this particular
altar was placed just outside the curtain in front of the Holy of Holies. Secondly, traditional Jews recite these words
(30:7-8) every day in a part of the Morning Service called Ketoret or Incense
Offerings.
Themes:
Commandments
98. The commandment to kindle a lamp
(menorah) in the sanctuary (27:20-21).
99. The specification of special garments to
be worn by the priests (28:4-5).
100.
The
commandment that the High Priest’s breast piece should not come loose from his
ephod (28:28).
101.
The
requirement to include a binding in the opening for the head of the High
Priest’s robe to prevent tearing (28:32).
102.
The
prohibition against others’ eating the special food set aside for the priests
(29:32-33).
103.
The
commandment that the priests burn aromatic incense at the sanctuary (30:7).
104.
The
prohibition against offering sacrifices on the sanctuary’s altar of gold (30:3
and 30:9).
From Biblical
Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
The Moral Message of the Two Altars
The sedrah of
Terumah described the building of an altar of copper. The sedrah of Tetzaveh concludes with the instructions
for making the altar of gold on which incense was to be burned in the
Sanctuary. The Torah is relevant to all
Jews and all times, but what is the contemporary application of this passage? We have no Temple and no altar. Seemingly these laws have nothing to tell us
in the present. But this is not so. There are two kinds of Temple - one that can
be destroyed and one kind that cannot be destroyed. As we know from our history the Temple that
can be destroyed refers to the brick and mortar constructed in Jerusalem. The one that cannot be destroyed is the
Temple within each Jew, where he or she still performs his or her service in an
inward reflection of the service of the Sanctuary. What follows is an explanation of how one of
the laws about the altar can be translated into an important principle about
the Jewish soul.
In the Mishnah,
it states that the altar of gold and the altar of copper did not require ritual
immersion because they could not become impure.
According to Rabbi Eliezer, this was because they were considered to be
like the earth (which cannot become ritually unclean). The other Sages held that it was because the
altars were plated with metal. The metal
covering was considered subsidiary to the inner structure (which was made of
shittim wood), and this could not become unclean. Since the Torah can be interpreted on four
levels, we know that the laws about these altars have more than just a literal
significance. Otherwise, they could not
speak to the generations who live without the Temple and the altars. There are amongst Jews, men of copper and men
of gold. Those who are rich in spiritual
worth are like gold: their every act is like a precious coin. The poor in spirit are the copper coins of
the religious life. But every Jew,
however he behaves inwardly or outwardly, preserves intact at the heart of his
being an essential desire to do G-d’s will - a spark of faith, sometimes
hidden, sometimes fanned into flame. The
previous Lubavitcher Rebbe said: “A Jew
does not want, nor is he able, to be torn away from
G-dliness.” This spark is where the
altar of the Jew’s inner Temple is to be found.
On the altar, burnt offerings were brought. They were animals, consumed by a fire from
G-d. And this happens within the
Jew. The sacrifice is of himself. The animal is his “animal soul,” his
egocentric desires. And the fire which
consumes him is the fire of the love of G-d Whose undying source is the spark
of holiness at the essential core of his soul.
Whether a Jew belongs to the ”altars of gold” or is one of the “altars
of copper,” as long as he reminds himself that essentially he is an altar where
the fire of G-dly love consumes the “animal soul” of his self-centered
passions, he cannot become impure.
Excerpted from Torah
Studies (p.124-127), a compendium of talks by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson
The Role of Aaron
Aaron plays
many roles throughout the saga of the Exodus and the Wandering in the
Desert. These roles, and the reasons for
them, have been an on-going source of discussion for us since we began studying
together. This week’s sedrah raises the
question as to why God commanded Moshe to transfer the position of Kohein Gadol
to Aaron. Some contend that the transfer
was a form of punishment because Moshe had at first refused to return to Egypt
as the messenger of God. Others contend
that it was not punishment at all but rather an acknowledgement of Moshe’s role
in the divine plan. Moshe was the
intermediary between God and the Children of Israel. As such he was on too high a plan of
spirituality to deal with the more mundane matters of life, which is part of
the role of the Kohein. Furthermore,
Moshe was too busy teaching the laws of God to the Children of Israel to have
time to fill the role of Kohein. So for
both of these “practical reasons” Moshe had to relinquish the position. Considering the role Aaron had played in
confronting Pharaoh, he was the logical choice.
After all, when the text said, Moshe spoke to Pharaoh; it was actually
Aaron who was doing the speaking.
However, Moshe had to proclaim that Aaron was to be Kohein Gadol or the
people would not have accepted him in that role. That is also the reason for the seven days of
instruction. It validated the proclamation
in the eyes of the people.
Eating and the Jewish
People
From the
earliest days of the Jewish people to modern times, food and its consumption
have been a recurring theme. From
Abraham feeding the three visitors on their way to Sodom and Gomorrah to the
Broadway monologues of Jackie Mason, it is eat, eat and eat some more. Tetzaveh provides food for thought on the
subject of eating. In this week’s
portion we read, “And they (Aaron and his sons) shall eat those things with
which atonement was made” (29:33).
According to the Talmud, this
means that while the Priests eat the offerings, atonement is granted to those
who brought the offering. The Torah
verse and the subsequent Talmudic commentary have given rise to a variety of
tales on the subject of fasting and the importance of eating as enjoyable
pleasure in which people indulge. Here
are a couple of examples which hopefully will provoke thought and commentary
the next time you eat, or do not eat, a meal.
A famous sage
asked his students, “How is it possible nowadays for a man to offer a sacrifice
to a pagan god?” When none answered, he
continued. “If a man withholds himself
from eating because of anger; or if a man is commonly considered to be a
scholar and a tzaddik, and though he is hungry he refrains from eating in order
that those around him should consider him saintly and abstemious - then such a
man is offering a sacrifice to a pagan god.” In other words, eating is a
good thing to do. If you forgo a good
thing for a bad reason, than you are acting in manner that is anathema to
Judaism and the Lord.
A man
complained to his Rabbi. “We are told
that if a man fasts for the requisite number of days, the Prophet Elijah will
reveal himself in person to the person.
I have fasted for that many days and more and yet Elijah has not
appeared.” The Rabbi replied with a
story. The Baal Shem Tov got into his
horse-drawn coach and began a long journey.
The horses were used to pulling the coach from town to town. At each town, they would stop and they would
be fed in the manner in which men feed their horses. But this was one of those magical trips where
the Baal Shem would seem to fly through the air defying the laws of time and
space to reach the destination. As they
appeared to pass by town after town and nobody fed them, the horses began to
wonder. At first they thought they had
become magical horses. When they
continued to pass through the air without feeling tired, they began to think
that maybe they were not horses at all.
Instead they were angels. But
when they arrived at their destination, the horses were taken to the stable and
given bags of feed. The horses attacked
the bags of feed in the manner of real horses.
“And so it is with a person who fasts, and already imagines himself to
be an angel worthy of being visited by Elijah, the prophet. What counts is that when he has completed his
fasts, and is confronted by food, he should not attack it like a horse, because
then he remains the same horse that he always was.”
During the week
a man divided his time between earning a living, praying and studying the holy
books. He barely ate at all and he ate
so quickly that he actually spent more time making the blessing over the bread
and reciting the Grace After Meals than he did in eating. But on Shabbat, each meal was a long,
leisurely affair. There was food and
drink in abundance, but not one word of Torah was spoken. One Shabbat, a visiting sage joined the man
for the meal after the morning service.
When he saw all the others were busy eating, he saw what he thought was
a golden opportunity to provide a discourse on the reading of the week. As the sage opened his mouth to begin
speaking, his host thrust a piece of challah into his mouth. When the sage opened his mouth again to
speak, his host thrust a piece of fish into his mouth. Each time the sage opened his mouth, he found
it filled with food. Finally he gave up
and ate his meal. After Shabbat, the
sage asked his host why he behaved as he did.
The man replied as follows, “We are taught that a man should fill his
days with an occupation, prayer and study to avoid the evil inclination. We are to do these things with total
concentration. But on Shabbat, we are
told that we should enjoy the bounty of our table as well engage in prayer and
study. If we are to pray, study and work
without distraction, should we not also enjoy the bounty of the table in the
same manner? So on Shabbat, we eat
without speaking of Torah so that we will not be distracted. For if we spoke of Torah during the meal,
then surely we would stop eating and then we would not be observing the Shabbat
in the prescribed manner.”
Environment Matters
This week’s
reading reminds us again that there is a difference between liberation and The
Exodus. Liberation means being freed
from bondage. Exodus means leaving the
place where you have been living. So why
didn’t God force the Pharaoh to free the Israelites and then let them stay in
Goshen? “And they shall know that I am
the Lord and their God, who brought them out from the land of Egypt that I
might abide among them” (29:46). While
God is everywhere, He knew that the Israelites were going to need a change of
scenery if they were going to be able to learn to live according to his
commandments. He knew that the
environment does have an impact on human behavior. That has led to the admonitions about
avoiding certain places lest you be tempted to follow the wrong path. It also led to the tale of the sage who
spurned an offer of great wealth if he would move to a new town because it was
not a place where Torah was studied.
Showing Who’s Boss
In describing
the attire of the Kohanim (Priests), this week’s portion says “You shall make
them girdles” about which the Talmud says, “The girdle of the Kohanim atones
for the sinful thoughts” (Tractate Arachim).
This interpretation has given rise to the following story.
“A man once
came to Reb Dov Ber, the Maggid Mezritch with the complaint that he was unable
to clear his mind of the sinful thought that bothered him constantly. The Maggid told him to go to Zhithomer and
visit with an innkeeper named Reb Ze’ev.
The man followed the Maggid’s command, but by the time he had arrived at
the Reb Ze’ev’s inn, it was late at night and the building was locked. The man knocked repeatedly but there was no
answer. As he stood outside freezing in
the cold he called out, “How can you people have no pity on a fellow Jew who is
stranded outside on this winter’s night?”
No word was heard from the inn.
No one came to unbolt the door.
At daybreak, the door opened as it always did. The freezing visitor who had survived the
night entered and stayed at the inn for a few days. But Reb Z’ev did not ask him any questions, a
fact that puzzled the man sent by the Maggid.
“Why,” he asked himself, “did the Maggid send me here?” Finally, the man decided to leave for
home. Before departing he told Reb Z’ev,
“The Maggid sent me to visit you - but I don’t know why.” Reminding the visitor about the locked door
that had kept him out of the inn, Reb Z’ev said, “I’ll tell you why the Maggid
sent you here. He wanted you to learn
from me that a man is the master of his house, and whomever he does not want
inside he simply does not admit.” (Based
on the writings of Rabbi Shlomo Yozef Zevin, of Blessed Memory.)
Rabbi Hirsh and Tetzaveh
On Saturday,
February 13, 1897 Emil G. Hirsch who served as Rabbi at Temple Sinai in Chicago
preached the sermon at Temple Beth-El in New York. He based his talk on Chapter 28 of the Book
of Exodus which was part of the Torah reading for that day. Hirsch was considered a radical by some so
this excerpt from his talk which appeared in the New York Times, provides a
fascinating window into the mind of one of the leaders of the Reform Movement
during the last decades of the 19th century and the first decades of
the 20th century.
“What is the real function of religion
in life? What is the real position we Jews should occupy with respect to our
religion?
“The chapter read this morning flavors
of archaeology, and has initiated us into the mysteries of priestly millinery,
but we are to discover what the lessons therein mean. Each chapter of the Bible has its
significance. The first injunction is to
bring ‘pure and clean’ oil to light the lamp to the Lord. In the Bible, oil, olive oil especially, is
the great healing element. To anoint
with oil was to offer healing influences. Religion is the conciliatory, the soothing
element, and it is to soothe us and modify our pride.
“God has made humanity as He has made
the world. As there are all phases of
nature, so there are all phases of society, and they are all bound together in
the realization of the plan formed by the Almighty.
“In order to extract oil from the olive
the fruit must be crushed, pressed, and lacerated. As is the olive, so is Israel. Destined to be prosecuted and placed over oil
and the light, and must give to the world a religious conception of the
universe. If Israel had a religion only
for itself, I would say that it is time it should disappear from the world. But Israel has furnished the text which all
preachers preach to-day. All the ethics
of to-day are flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bone. It is Israel who is lighting the lamp, for
which he has furnished the oil, not for his own good alone, but for the good of
the world. The light of Israel’s ethical
religion must shine forth from the cover, from the evening until the full dawn
of morning.
“Oil does not mix with water. The Gulf Stream in the ocean, whose waters are
distinct from the waters of the sea, is a phenomenon, akin to Messianic Israel.
The one influences navigation, the other
the world, yet they will not mix, but remain always distinct. Israel is still the oil. It cannot mix with the waters. It must stand alone.
“Jewish Theology may be the theology of
the world, but Jewish ethics are not entirely the ethics of the world, and we
cannot yet lay down the burden which has been placed upon our shoulders. So long as there is darkness on the earth,
Israel will be the Messiah for the world - Israel, anointed with this oil to
dispel the darkness and living the light. Then, and not until then, will Israel’s
mission on earth be completed.
“That is the Israelite’s conception of
religion and that is the Israelite’s duty on earth. He is the priest, the Messiah, and shall lead
upward and onward. That is what the
Prophet had in mind when he exclaimed, ‘I, Jehovah, have not ceased to be, nor
you, Israel, have not ceased to be.’”
For more about Rabbi Hirsch see
http://americanjewisharchives.org/publications/journal/PDF/1952_04_02_00_martin.pdf
Priest: From Power to Pawn
In his
commentary on Tetzaveh, Lord Jonathan Sacks, the former Chief Rabbi, points out
that this week the Priests move from being marginal figures into a central role
of leadership based on heredity. The
ancient Israelites had several different leaders, each with a unique function -
Prophets, Kings, Priests - to name the three major ones. The Kingship effectively ended with the
Babylonian Exile. Prophecy came to an
end with Malachi sometime around 450 BCE.
The position of Priests is the only one to carry on into the Common
Era. Unfortunately, the position of High
Priest became a political football as different leaders competed to use what,
in the days following Judah Maccabee became a way for temporal leaders to rule
the Jewish state. Sometime during the
last century before the Common Era the Priesthood ceased to be the institution
described in this week’s portion. The
rituals performed by the High Priests which were supposed to reinforce right
behavior and bring them closer to God became, from a theological point of view,
a nullity. In other words, all of those
sacrifices, all of those priestly incantations, etc. had to have been rejected
by HaShem since they did not conform to the rules states in the Torah nor were
they offered by those designated by Him.
The Priesthood is gone - a distant memory brought to mind only when we
are calling the first Aliyah to the Torah.
But the lesson of leaders who use religion for political purposes or
religious leaders who use their position for political or personal gain are as
valid today as they were when the Priests betrayed the Priesthood and the
temporal leaders co-opted the role of High Priest in the days of the Second
Commonwealth.
Haftarah
43:10-27 Ezekiel
The Man:
“Ezekiel lived during the last days of Jerusalem and received
inspiration from the utterances of Jeremiah, his elder contemporary. Ezekiel prophesied in
The Message: This week’s short haftarah comes from the
second half of the book of Ezekiel.
These are the prophecies uttered to the exiles in Babylonia designed to
give them the hope for the future. For
once, the text provides us with definitive information about the time of the
events. “In the twenty-fifth year of our
exile, the fourteenth year after the city had fallen, at the beginning of the
year, the tenth day of the month - on that very day of the month - the hand of
the Lord came upon me and He brought me there.” (40:1). In other words, he was speaking in 572 B.C.E.
The date of the utterances may be
specific, but as we shall see the meaning of these verses remains opaque to say
the least. Ezekiel describes the
construction of an Altar, which will be used in the re-built Temple. He also describes the dedicatory
ceremonies. Finally, he informs us that
in the
Theme-Link:
Both the sedrah and the haftarah deal with the construction of dwelling
places for God. One is the Mishkan and
the other is the
Copyright;
February, 2024; Mitchell A. Levin
2/18/16
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