PHILOTORAH

TZAV-PARA

May HaShem protect our soldiers and the hostages; may He send Refu'ah Sh'leima to the many injured; may He console the bereaved families and
all of Israel, and may He end this war with success and peace for Klal Yisrael.



YERUSHALAYIM in/out times for TZAV - PARA

20 Adar Bet 5784 <> March 29-30, '24

6:22PM <> PLAG 5:40PM  <<>>  7:35PM <> R' Tam 8:15PM

For other locales, click on the Z'MANIM link



CALnotes

The TZAV Story

In all PLAIN years (P'shuta, 1 Adar, 12 months), TZAV is the Shabbat before Pesach, making it Shabbat HaGadol, for which there is a special haftara, pre-empting Tzav's regular haftara. That already covers 63.16% of the years. 12 of every 19 years.

Among the 7 different year-types of M'UBERET (2 Adar, 13 months) years, sometimes Tzav is Zachor (6.66%) and sometimes it's Para - as it is this year - (16.3%). 

Outside Jerusalem, that makes 86% of the time, Tzav's haftara is pre-empted. 14% of the years, the 'regular' haftara of Tzav is read. That's an average of about once in seven years.

In Jerusalem, Shabbat Purim is on Parshat Tzav in another year-type, bring the frequency of Tzav's haftara being pre-empted to 90%. That means that we (in Jerusalem) read the 'regular' haftara, on average, only once in ten years.

Average frequencies are misleading. Tzav-Para occurs, as mentioned above, 16.3% of years. Yet, the last time it happened was 5763, 21 years ago. Next scheduled Tzav-Para is three years from now, then three years later, then another three years later.


The PARA Story

Para can be paired with Ki Tisa (41.81% of the time), Vayakhel (3.31%), or Vayakhel-P'kudei (18.05%). Those are the occurrences in a SHANA P'SHUTA. In a SHANA M'UBERET, Para can be paired with Tzav (16.32%) or Sh'mini (20.51%).

Parshat Para is the Shabbat before Parshat HaChodesh, so there is never a break (hafsaka) between Para and HaChodesh.

Breaks in the sequence of the Four Parshiyot are between Sh'kalim and Zachor, or between Zachor and Para, or both.

When HaChodesh is on Rosh Chodesh Nisan (that happens 28.03% of the time), we bench Rosh Chodesh on Shabbat Parshat Para. When HaChodesh is the Shabbat before Rosh Chodesh Nisan, then we bench R"Ch on Shabbat Parshat HaChodesh (71.97%, this year included).

The Maftir of Para is the longest of the Four Parshiyot - slightly longer than HaChodesh and considerably longer than Sh'kalim and Zachor.



TZAV - PARA

25th of 54 sedras; 2nd of 10 in Vayikra

Written on 169.8 lines in a Torah (38th)

8 Parshiyot - 7 open and 1 closed

97 p'sukim - 36th (3rd in Vayikra) 

same as Shof'tim, which is a bit larger

Sources say that TZAV has TZAV (96) p'sukim. Our Chumashim have 97. Either one-off is acceptable for Gimatriya purposes, or there was a slightly different p'sukim-division way back then.

1353 words - 38th (3rd in Vayikra)

5096 letters - 38th (3rd in Vayikra)



MITZVOT

18 mitzvot; 9 positive, 9 prohibitions

The book of Vayikra has the largest number of mitzvot among the five Chumashim - 247, 40% of Taryag.

On the other hand, Vayikra is the shortest Book by far - in number of columns and lines in a Sefer Torah, number of p'sukim, words, and letters. This makes its mitzva stats even more impressive.



Aliya-by-Aliya Sedra Summary

[P> X:Y (Z)] and [S> X:Y (Z)] indicate start of a parsha p'tucha or s'tuma. X:Y is Perek:Pasuk of the beginning of the parsha; (Z) is the number of p'sukim in the parsha.

Numbers in [square brackets] are the Mitzva-count of Sefer HaChinuch AND Rambam's Sefer HaMitzvot. A=ASEI; L=LAV (prohibition). X:Y is the perek & pasuk from which the mitzva comes.



Kohen - First Aliya - 11 p'sukim - 6:1-11

[P> 6:1 (6)] After the preliminary descriptions of the different korbanot in last week's sedra, we now find the description of the daily service in the Mikdash.

After burning all night, the fires of the Mizbei'ach are tended first thing in the morning (before sunrise). This first task of the day is relatively less important than other tasks, although it was enthusiastically sought after by young kohanim who vied for the honor of performing this mitzva of T'RUMAT HADESHEN [131, A30 6:3]. The kohen performing this task would remove the ashes from the Mizbei'ach fires and place them beside the Mizbei'ach. He would then change into other garments (of a slightly lesser quality than those worn for "regular" Temple service) and take the ashes to a specific "clean" place outside the camp.

The fire of the Mizbei'ach was to burn always [132, A29 6:6] and was not allowed to be extinguished ever [133, L81 6:6].

[P> 6:7 (5)] The Torah next returns to the topic of the "meal-offerings", the MINCHA. A small amount of the flour-oil mixture and all of the frankincense (L'vona) was scooped up in the kohen's hand and placed on the Mizbei'ach to burn. The MINCHA was not to be made Chametz [135, L124 6:10] (there are exceptions to this rule, notably some of the Menachot - if they are even called Menachot - that accompanied the TODA offering, which therefore was not brought on Pesach - this is why we do not say MIZMOR L'TODA, T'hilim 100, on Pesach. The other exception is/are the SH'TEI HA-LECHEM, the two-loaves offering of Shavuot). 

The rest of the MINCHA is eaten by male kohanim on duty in the Beit HaMikdash at the time of the offering [134, A88 6:9].



Levi - Second Aliya - 22 p'sukim - 6:12-7:10

[P> 6:12 (5)] Each day, the Kohen Gadol is to bring a meal-offering of a tenth of an eifa of flour (plus oil & spice) - half in the morning and half before evening [136, A40 6:13]. This mincha was not to be eaten [137, L138 6:16], but rather was completely consumed on the Mizbei'ach.

[P> 6:17 (7)] The CHATAT [138, A64 6:18] was slaughtered in the same place as the "Olah" (viz. the north side of the Mizbei'ach). An integral part of a sin-offering is the eating of its meat by the kohen (kohanim) who brought it on behalf of the sinners.

SDT: Meshech Chochma points out that the kohen who dealt with the sacrifice is the one who should eat from it, because only he would know if his kavanot (thoughts and intentions) were correct or not. His eating of the sacrifice makes the statement that he indeed did and thought all that was required. (The punishment for a kohen intentionally eating of an invalid sacrifice - in this case, he being the only person who could know of its invalidity - is punishable by "death from heaven".) We see in this issue, a high level of accountability a person carries for his own actions.

On a different level, it's sort of like a Mashgi'ach certifying the kashrut of a restaurant - would he himself eat there? One would hope so.

Certain chata'ot, the blood of which blood was brought into the Mikdash, were not to be eaten [139, L139 6:23], but rather completely consumed on the Mizbei'ach.



Shlishi - Third Aliya - 28 p'sukim - 7:11-38

[P> 7:11 (17)] The Torah next discusses the Sh'lamim [141, A66 7:11], beginning specifically with the TODA. The animal sacrifice is accompanied by various types of wafers and cakes. Parts of the animal are burned on the Altar, parts are given to the kohen, and the remainder is to be eaten by the bringer of the korban, his family and friends. The korban must be eaten by midnight (actual deadline is dawn; midnight is required as a precaution against violation of the dawn deadline). It is forbidden to leave over any of the korban until morning [142, L120 7:15]; that which is left over must be burned [143, A91 7:17]. 

If the Sh'lamim is in fulfillment of a vow, it is eaten for two days, becoming NOTAR (forbidden leftover on the 3rd day).

Various notes:

The counterpart of the Korban Toda in our time - i.e. without a Beit HaMikdash - is BIRKAT HAGOMEIL. Admittedly, saying that b'racha in the presence of a minyan, usually at Torah reading, is a far cry from the involvement and expense of a Korban Toda. Nonetheless, we must be grateful to HKB"H when successfully recovering from an illness, when released from prison. As to journeying across an ocean or traveling through a desert - neither might be as dangerous as such experiences once were, but a person should consult a Rav in cases that might or might not require HaGomeil.

Interesting sidepoint: HaGomeil requires a minyan to answer AMEIN and respond with the traditional statement - the Gomeil-sayer not included. This is different from, for example, saying Kaddish, where the sayer(s) is included in the required minyan.

<> The difference in time-limit for eating of a TODA compared with a voluntary Sh'lamim has been discussed in various sources, and the idea seems to be that the TODA-bringer should include family and friends in the eating of the Toda with him. A shorter deadline for eating will encourage him to have more guests.

<> SH'LAMIM, usually translated into English as a Peace Offering, takes the word Sh'lamim to be related to SHALOM. Some say the name of the korban expresses the completeness of the offering, relating it to the word SHALEIM. It deserves this description because G-d (via the Mizbei'ach, so to speak) and the kohanim and the bringer of the korban all partake of it, as opposed to the other types of korbanot.

It is forbidden to eat PIGUL [144, L132 7:18]. Pigul is a type of invalid korban, where that which rendered the korban unfit for the Mizbei'ach was not something physical nor a mistake in the kohen's action, but rather an incorrect thought (kavana), of certain types. It is significant that improper thoughts alone can effect the status of a korban.

SDT: The most severe lapse in a kohen's kavana is one concerning time. A lapse regarding place of the eating of the korban, for example, still renders the korban invalid, but is less severe, punishment-wise. But, if the kohein has in mind to eat from the korban at a time when it is no longer allowed, then that mis-kavana renders the korban "Class-A Pigul" (made up term). 

This indicates that the sanctity of time is somewhat greater than the sanctity of place, which fits with our previous notions concerning the sanctity of Shabbat and the sanctity of the Mikdash.

From a long time ago - but memorable drasha by Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld z"l.

It is forbidden to eat of a korban that is tamei (ritually unclean) [145, L130 7:19]. This is punishable by makot. It is required to burn tamei korbanot [146, A90 7:19]. A person who is tamei who intentionally eats of a korban is liable to "koreit" ("cut off" by G-d).

Certain fats of kosher animals are forbidden to eat [147, L185 7:23]. This is the prohibition of CHEILEV. There are differences between the cheilev of a korban and that of a regular CHULIN (non-sacred) animal.

Eating blood of a bird or mammal is a capital offense (from Heaven) [147, L185 7:26]. Eating meat with blood still in it is a lesser offense, but nonetheless forbidden. This is why meat has to be "kashered", not just kosher.

SDT: Rashi teaches us that the specific mention of mammals and birds in the prohibition of blood teaches us that the blood of fish and kosher locust are not forbidden. Note that birds and mammals require sh'chita, and they are also the two classes of warm-blooded animals, as opposed to fish and insects - facts which may or may not be relevant.

On this note, what about the blood of a dolphin? Clearly, eating dolphin blood or dolphin meat with its blood is a no-no as far as kashrut is concerned. Not the question here. The question is, do we consider a dolphin to be a fish, because it lives its life in the water and swims like a fish (sort of), and has fins like a fish... or do we say that it is a mammal because it fits the modern definition of a mammal, the most significant characteristic being that it feeds its young with milk produced by the female of the species. What difference does it make? It isn't kosher either way. It doesn't have scales - so it isn't a kosher fish and it doesn't chew its cud (or have any hooves to be split or otherwise), so it isn't a kosher mammal. Was it created on the fifth day of creation or on the sixth? Does that make a difference and/or does that impact on the questions of the prohibition of blood and certain TUM'A and TAHARA issues that are different between fish and mammals?

All indications are that a dolphin (and a whale, and others) is considered to be among the fish on the issues of blood and tum'a. The fact that what we today call aquatic mammals breathe air with lungs and cannot get oxygen from the water via gills that they don't have, is not a factor for this issue of blood.

What about animals that spend most of their time in water but do come onto land for certain reasons? We'll leave the question of the seal and other animals for another time.

[P> 7:28 (11)] What follows are more details of the SH'LAMIM: what parts go on the Altar, what parts go to the kohen, etc. 



R'vi'i - Fourth Aliya - 13 p'sukim - 8:1-13

[P> 8:1 (36)] Having set down the rules, G-d now commands Moshe to take Aharon and his sons, the garments of the kohanim, the sacrificial animals, and the anointing oil, and perform the inaugural ceremonies for the Mishkan in the presence of the People, as Moshe was commanded to gather them. Moshe dresses Aharon in the garb of the Kohen Gadol, anoints him, the Altar, and the vessels of the Mishkan. He also dresses Aharon's sons.



Chamishi - 5th Aliya - 8 p'sukim - 8:14-21

A bull as a sin-offering is brought and Aharon and his sons "lean" on it. (This is a vital element of most personal korbanot. It facilitates a psychological identification with the animal and adds meaning to the act of the sacrifice.) Leaning (S'MICHA) is accompanied by confession (VIDUI) or words of praise to G-d, depending upon the type of korban. The bull was slaughtered and part of its blood was put on the corners of the Mizbei'ach and on its base. Parts of the bull were placed on the Mizbei'ach; the remainder was burned outside the camp.

The first of two rams was next offered, as an OLAH.

It is very important for us to understand that Korbanot were not "abra-cadabra, we're forgiven" offerings. It doesn't work like that. Never did. A Sin Offering, whipping by the Sanhedrin, even a death penalty, had to be accompanied by real T'shuva and Vidui. Without the heart in the korban-equation, the people were continually castigated by G-d for hollow meaningless acts and lip service. The ceremonies have deep significance and meaning, but the heart and soul of a person must truly be involved, otherwise the korban is less than nothing.



Shishi - Sixth Aliya - 8 p'sukim - 8:22-29

The second ram was then offered (as a SH'LAMIM called EIL HAMILU'IM) and several procedures, as specified in the Torah, were followed. Note: Moshe Rabeinu was an active participant in the 7-day inauguration period for the Mishkan. Thereafter, Aharon and his sons (and all kohanim) are the ones who perform the sacred service of the Mikdash.



Sh'VII - Seventh Aliya - 7 p'sukim - 8:30-36

Further anointing of Aharon, his sons, and their garments. Then Moshe told them to prepare part of the meat for eating with the accompanying cakes and wafers. That which was left over was to be burned. During the 7 inaugural days, the kohanim were not to leave the Mishkan; they remained there as honor-guards.

SDT: Rashi reminds us that in addition to this one-time isolation of 7 days, there were two other times the Kohein Gadol was isolated for a 7-day preparatory period. One is the week before Yom Kippur - this was every year, of course. And the other was for the preparation of the Para Aduma - this was once in a (long) while - Para Aduma was not a common event. This idea is alluded to by the words LA'ASOT (Para) and L'CHAPEIR (Yom Kippur). 

Aharon and his sons did all that G-d had commanded via Moshe.



Maftir - 2nd Torah - 22 p'sukim; Bamidbar 19

Parshat Para is read on the Shabbat before Parshat HaChodesh which presents us with the mitzvot of Korban Pesach, because the most common and important time for ritual purification on the part of most of the people was around the beginning of Nissan, as part of one's preparation to be in Jerusalem for Pesach and to bring and eat KP. Parshat Para from Parshat Chukat, contains the mitzvot of Para Aduma - that is, the preparing of the potion from the ashes of the Red Heifer, the general mitzva of the concept of ritual impurity from contact with a corpse, and the mitzva of purifying oneself with the Para Aduma potion.



Haftara - 33 p'sukim - Yechezkeil 36:16-38

S'faradim end 2 p'sukim earlier

The Haftara takes the concept (from the Maftir) of an individual becoming TAMEI and requiring purification with special water as an analogy for the people of Israel who defiled themselves with the sin of idolatry and other sins, and their (our) need for a purification process with "G-d's spiritual waters of the Torah".

[In Va'eira, we find G-d's promise to take us unto Him and then He will bring us to Eretz Yisrael; in the haftara, the order is switched.]

There is a "hard" message in this haftara, among others.

G-d expresses His great disappointment with the people of Israel. And He punished them (us) very harshly. But then He says that His name was being desecrated among the nations of our dispersion, because the nations mockingly asked about the great nation of G-d and how low it had sunk.

So G-d decides, so to speak, and announces that He will redeem the people of Israel, even if they (we) don't deserve it, for His own sake.

This is hard reproach, indeed. But rather than discourage us, it should spur us on to put the lie to this prophecy - so to speak - by being worthy of redemption on our own merit.

The last p'sukim refer to a multitude of sheep - for sacrifices... This is a reminder of the large number of sheep brought to Yerushalayim for Korban Pesach.

Bringing the Prophets to Life

Weekly insights into the Haftara
by Rabbi Nachman (Neil) Winkler
Author of Bringing the Prophets to Life (Gefen Publ.)

Para - 33 p'sukim - Yechezkeil 36:16-38 - S'faradim end 2 p'sukim earlier

The haftara we read on Shabbat Para is taken from the 36th perek of Sefer Yechezkel and, understandably, focuses upon the purity and impurity, TUM'A and TAHARA, the very theme of the special Maftir we read. The prophet's painful depiction of how Israel had "contaminated" the Holy Land and undermined its essential sanctity, can deflect the reader from appreciating the essential message that Yechezkel hopes to share. Throughout the year, the haftarot readings are meant to connect to a theme found in the weekly parasha or in a special Maftir read upon certain occasion. Due to that, the haftara chosen from the books of the nevi'im can be only a short selection taken from a larger prophetic message, and, as a result, does not present the navi's complete message.

And that is true about this week's haftara.

You will note that our reading starts in the middle of the 36th perek - at the 16th pasuk. It is there, in the middle of the prophet's message, where Yechezkel first speaks to Israel of their sins and debaucheries that polluted the sanctity of the land. He explains to the people that it was their immoral behavior that caused Hashem's wrath and led to their defeat and exile. And, exacerbating their behavior that had defiled the land itself was their actions in the exile that desecrated Hashem's name among the foreign nations.

These p'sukim of harsh criticism had always troubled me as being an improper message that was supposed to prepare us for the upcoming joyous celebration of the holiday of Pesach. This year, however, I was fortunate to read the approach of Rav Amnon Bazak, in his sefer: "Yechezkel: The Prophet Who Was Human" [My translation of YECHEZKEL: HANAVI SHEHAYA BEN ADAM] who explained the haftara segment of the perek in light of the entire theme of the chapter itself.

Rav Barak teaches that the chapter 36 is a one of Yechezkel's prophecies of redemption! He reminds us that the previous perek (35) was meant as an introduction to the following chapter - that of our haftara. This 35th perek opens with Hashem's warning to Har Seir, Mount Se'ir, predicting that it would be soon become decimated and desolate, as would the all the cities of Edomite nation. The punishments that would befall them are results of Edom's eternal enmity and hatred of Israel. This nevu'a was not, however, delivered directly to Edom but specifically to Israel. It was Hashem's assurance to His nation that the enemies of Israel would be humbled as part of the coming redemption of the Chosen People. 

And that is what the following chapter is about. Here, the 36th perek begins by addressing HAREI YISRAEL, "the Mountains of ISRAEL", depicting a glorious future for the Land of Israel and promising the reversal of her state of desolation to one of fertility and growth. Likewise, Yechezkel predicts the nation's return to her homeland, the rebuilding of her cities and the repopulation of her country.

It is only in the final section of this chapter, the "negative" part of our haftara, that the navi reviews the sins and iniquities that forced Israel into galut. The haftara's inclusion of the act of sprinkling the cleansing waters in order to purify the "defiled" nation, is what connects us to the theme of Parashat Para and why it was chosen to be read on this Shabbat. 

But it is essential to understand that this section was NOT the focus of Yechezkel's message to his and future, generations! The only purpose mentioning these "negatives" was to reinforce the fact that G-d, in His determination to prepare His people for the GE'ULA, would cleanse Israel from those sins, so that they would be deserving and worthy for their redemption.

And THIS theme is why we must realize that our haftara is not - in any way - an "improper" message for the weeks before Pesach. It is a detailed description of our future release from the galut subjugation - including the preparation that would precede it.

And, as such, our haftara is, in truth, the perfect prelude to the Festival of Freedom.



ParshaPix explanations


The fun way to go over the weekly sedra with your children, grandchildren, Shabbat guests


VAYIKRa-ZACHOR

<> and I count six Unexplaineds, one of which consists of two pictograms

The negated jar of Silan is for the prohibition of putting honey on a korban.

The letter SAMACH is for the leaning on certain korbanot that is a requirement.

Winnie the Pooh is standing on a package of 500 sheets of paper = POOH-REAM.

2 times 10 to the 5th power plus 10 to the 4th power is for the army that Shaul gathered to fight against Amalek - haftara of Zachor.

Symbolically, silver silver - a cryptic crossword puzzle type of clue. The symbol for the element Silver is Ag. Silver silver, then, is AgAg as in Agag king of Amalek.

Speaking of Amalek, there is a graphic of a lake with the metric equivalent of an AMA, giving us AMA-LAKE.

I think that's it.


TZAV - PARA

Fire on the Mizbei'ach always <> not to be extinguished <> Menachot (with few exceptions) are to be made with matza rules <> they may not be chameitz <> oven, frying pan, and deep fryer - three ways to prepare a Mincha (there are others) <> Kohein Gadol <> ear lobe, thumb, and big toe for various applications of blood or oil, for certain korbanot and procedures <> olive oil for anointing the kohanim, the Mishkan, and various furnishings in the Mishkan <> the turtle is a TZAV, but spelled differently from the name of the sedra, as signalled by the turtle's misspelling of Hi there <> Arthur Ashe, tennis star, is for the procedure of T'rumat HaDeshen, and then the proper disposal of the ashes from the Mizbei'ach each morning <> bicycle chain for the trop note SHALSHELET in the sedra - the fourth and last shalshelet in the Torah, the other three are in the Book of B'reishit <> oil can for the many applications of SHEMEN HAMISHCHA <> I count 3 Unexplaineds for Tzav, one of which is made up of 4 pieces <> The Para Aduma, of course <> Arthur Ashe is also for Parshat Para <> and 5 Unexplaineds for Para



In Memory of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z"l


Why Civilisations Die

Tzav

In The Watchman's Rattle, subtitled Thinking Our Way Out of Extinction, Rebecca Costa delivers a fascinating account of how civilisations die. When their problems become too complex, societies reach, what she calls, a cognitive threshold. They simply can't chart a path from the present to the future.

The example she gives is the Mayans. For a period of three and a half thousand years, between 2600BCE and 900CE, they developed an extraordinary civilisation, spreading over what is today Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Belize, with an estimated population of 15 million people.

Not only were they expert potters, weavers, architects, and farmers, they also developed an intricate cylindrical calendar system, with celestial charts to track the movements of the stars and predict weather patterns. They had their own unique form of writing as well as an advanced mathematical system. Most impressively they developed a water-supply infrastructure involving a complex network of reservoirs, canals, dams, and levees.

Then suddenly, for reasons we still don't fully understand, the entire system collapsed. Sometime between the middle of the eighth and ninth century the majority of the Mayan people simply disappeared. There have been many theories as to why it happened. It may have been a prolonged drought, overpopulation, internecine wars, a devastating epidemic, food shortages, or a combination of these and other factors. One way or another, having survived for 35 centuries, Mayan civilisation failed and became extinct.

Rebecca Costa's argument is that whatever the causes, the Mayan collapse, like the fall of the Roman Empire, and the Khmer Empire of thirteenth century Cambodia, occurred because problems became too many and complicated for the people of that time and place to solve. There was cognitive overload, and systems broke down.

It can happen to any civilisation. It may, she says, be happening to ours. The first sign of breakdown is gridlock. Instead of dealing with what everyone can see are major problems, people continue as usual and simply pass their problems on to the next generation. The second sign is a retreat into irrationality. Since people can no longer cope with the facts, they take refuge in religious consolations. The Mayans took to offering sacrifices. Archaeologists have uncovered gruesome evidence of human sacrifice on a vast scale. It seems that, unable to solve their problems rationally, the Mayans focused on placating the gods by maniacally making offerings to them. So apparently did the Khmer.

Which makes the case of Jews and Judaism fascinating. They faced two centuries of crisis under Roman rule between Pompey's conquest in 63BCE and the collapse of the Bar Kochba rebellion in 135CE. They were hopelessly factionalised. Long before the Great Rebellion against Rome and the destruction of the Second Temple, Jews were expecting some major cataclysm.

What is remarkable is that they did not focus obsessively on sacrifices, like the Mayans and the Khmer. With their Temple destroyed, they instead focused on finding substitutes for sacrifice. One was G'MILUT CHASADIM, acts of kindness. Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai comforted Rabi Joshua, who wondered how Israel would atone for its sins without sacrifices, with the words:

"My son, we have another atonement as effective as this: acts of kindness, as it is written (Hoshei'a 6:6), 'I desire kindness and not sacrifice.'" (Avot d'Rabi Natan 8)

Another was Torah study. The Sages interpreted Malachi's words, "In every place offerings are presented to My name", to refer to scholars who study the laws of sacrifice (Menachot 100a). 

"One who recites the order of sacrifices is as if he had brought them" (Taanit 27b)

Another was prayer. Hoshei'a said, "Take words with you and return to the Lord... We will "offer our lips as sacrifices of bulls" (Hoshei'a 14:2-3), implying that words could take the place of sacrifice. 

He who prays in the house of prayer is as if he brought a pure oblation. Yerushalmi, Perek 5 Halacha 1

Yet another was T'SHUVA. The Psalm (51:19) says "the sacrifices of God are a contrite spirit." From this the Sages inferred that "if a person repents it is accounted to him as if he had gone up to Jerusalem and built the Temple and the Altar and offered on it all the sacrifices ordained in the Torah" (Vayikra Rabba 7:2).

A fifth approach was fasting. Since going without food diminished a person's fat and blood, it counted as a substitute for the fat and blood of a sacrifice (B'rachot 17a). A sixth was hospitality. "As long as the Temple stood, the Altar atoned for Israel, but now a person's table atones for him" (B'rachot 55a). And so on.

What is striking in hindsight is how, rather than clinging obsessively to the past, leaders like Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai thought forward to a worst-case-scenario future. The great question raised by Parshat Tzav, which is all about different kinds of sacrifice, is not "Why were sacrifices commanded in the first place?" but rather, "Given how central they were to the religious life of Israel in Temple times, how did Judaism survive without them?"

The short answer is that overwhelmingly the Prophets, the Sages, and the Jewish thinkers of the Middle Ages realised that sacrifices were symbolic enactments of processes of mind, heart, and deed, that could be expressed in other ways as well. We can encounter the will of God by Torah study, engaging in the service of God by prayer, making financial sacrifice by charity, creating sacred fellowship by hospitality, and so on.

Jews did not abandon the past. We still refer constantly to the sacrifices in our prayers. But they did not cling to the past. Nor did they take refuge in irrationality. They thought through the future and created institutions like the synagogue, house of study, and school. These could be built anywhere, and would sustain Jewish identity even in the most adverse conditions.

That is no small achievement. The world's greatest civilisations have all, in time, become extinct while Judaism has always survived. In one sense, that was surely Divine Providence. But in another it was the foresight of people like Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai who resisted cognitive breakdown, created solutions today for the problems of tomorrow, who did not seek refuge in the irrational, and who quietly built the Jewish future.

Surely there is a lesson here for the Jewish people today: Plan generations ahead. Think at least 25 years into the future. Contemplate worst-case scenarios. Ask "What we would do, if…" What saved the Jewish people was their ability, despite their deep and abiding faith, never to let go of rational thought, and despite their loyalty to the past, to keep planning for the future.


Around the Shabbat Table:

Do you think society has now evolved to the point where it could survive indefinitely?

Why do you think finding alternatives to korbanot was key to the survival of the Jewish people?

What is something in your life that motivates you to continue striving for a great future?

Y'HI ZICHRO BARUCH



Message from the Parsha

Rabbi Katriel (Kenneth) Brander

Daniel Perez HY"D - the Living Bridge between Purim and Pesach

We find ourselves between the two holidays, Purim and Pesach, which differ greatly in their storylines. The opening story of the Jewish people puts God front and center. Nature-defying miracles, from the river turning to blood to the splitting of the sea, reflect the wondrous character of that moment in history. God is front and center, the prime mover of the story. It is no surprise that the name of Moshe does not appear in the Haggada (except for once in a later addition to the Haggada text, in a quote from the Torah). In our annual recounting of the story of the Exodus, it is God who took the people of Israel out of Egypt and any intermediaries are not recognized. 

Yet the opposite is true of the Purim story, among the final events recorded in Tanach, described by the Gemara (Yoma 29a) as SOF KOL HANISIM, 'the last of all the miracles'. In Megilat Esther, it is God who is absent; not a single explicit mention of the Divine can be found in the entire text of the megila, with the focus and even the megila's name fully featuring human actors. At face value, the story is merely one of political machinations, in which the human actors successfully orchestrate a plan to save the Jewish people. 

These two models of redemption, that of Pesach and that of Purim, are described in kabbalistic writing as IT'ARUTA DIL'EILA, 'awakening from above' and IT'ARUTA DIL'TATA, 'awakening from below'. On Pesach, it is God in the heavens who dramatically acts on our behalf, to bring redemption. But there are moments in our history, like Purim, which are marked by the awakening from below - what we might call bottom-up, grassroots redemption. These are moments when it is we the Jewish people who, inspired by the Divine, take matters into our own hands to bring redemption for our people. 

These two holiday episodes in our history share common elements of observance which join the experiences together. Both are celebrated through the shared quality of giving. For Purim, which we just celebrated, it was Matanot La'evyonim, giving gifts to the needy, not to mention Mishlo'ach Manot, spreading goodwill within the community through the exchange of food baskets.

Likewise, even before Pesach arrives, we have the mandate of Kimcha d'Pischa, the supplemental collection of charitable funds to assist those facing financial difficulties preparing for Pesach. What's more, the Seder opens with an invitation addressed to all those who are hungry; and the Korban Pesach itself was meant to be eaten only in a chavura, a gathering of people who partake together in the sacrifice and its accompanying festivities.

It would seem that both forms of redemption, IT'ARUTA DIL'EILA and IT'ARUTA DIL'TATA, take, as a prerequisite, our own willingness to look out for those around us. Only solidarity can direct us towards achieving our own redemption, and only unity can win over God's favor and divine intervention. Whenever we celebrate our redemption, our first and primary step must be to join together in community, creating a culture of unity and cooperation within Klal Yisrael.



PTDT - PhiloTorah D'var Torah

Good, solid Mashal... but

Rashi, based on the teachings of Rabi Moshe HaDarshan, makes a solid case for Para Aduma being a kapara (atonement) for the sin of the golden calf. He brings a MASHAL of a king who had a maidservant whose infant son soiled the palace; the king calls to the maid servant to clean up the mess her son made.

So too, the Para Aduma is called to clean up, to atone for, her son, the calf, who soiled the King's Palace.

Many details of the p'sukim are highlighted to flesh out the MASHAL. Conclusion: The Para Aduma is a kapara for Cheit HaEigel.

Just one problem. The potion made with the ashes of the Para Aduma serve to purify one who has become T'MEI MEIT, ritually defiled from contact with a dead body. Being TAMEI is NOT a sin. In fact, those who prepare a body for burial - the Chevra Kadisha - are performing a very special mitzva, and become Tamei in the process. So, as perfect as the MASHAL is, it seems to not fit - Why is it said that the Para Aduma is an atonement for the Sin?

To suggest an answer to this, let us ponder the reason that the Torah considers a corpse to be AVI AVOT HATUM'A - the highest source of spiritual impurity.

During one's lifetime, the GUF (body) and the Neshama (soul) are partnered. The body, as receptacle for the soul, should seemingly not be a source of TUM'A. Rather it should be an empty shell, perhaps like an eggshell or the peel of an orange, to be discarded, having fulfilled its function in this world. In the case of a human body - created in the image of G-d, proper burial, etc. is required. But why the TUM'AT MEIT?

The NESHAMA that is within us, is TAHOR. We acknowledge so every morning. In another MASHAL, the soul is compared to a princess; the body into which it enters is like a peasant. The King (HKBH) says to the peasant that He expects him to treat His princess (a NESHAMA is CHEILEK ELOKUT) like a princess should be treated. Not like a peasant treats a peasant wife.

In the context of the GUF-NESHAMA partnership, the body is charged with doing mitzvot and chesed, following G-d's laws enthusiastically. This is how the body is supposed to treat its NESHAMA. Every time a person sins, he has betrayed G-d. Since there is no person who is without sin, it is the GUF that accumulates marks against itself the results in it becoming a major source of TUM'A, when its soul departs. 

That being so, the concept that Para Aduma, which is used to purify one from TUM'AT MEIT, can be seen indeed to be a KAPARA for sin, in general, and for the Sin of the Golden Calf, in particular. PTDT



Walk through the Parsha with Rabbi David Walk

EXCITED ABOUT ROUTINE

Tzav

It is very clear from the beginning of this week's Torah reading that we're dealing with a very different kind of KORBAN (offering or sacrifice) than last week's parsha. Last week we began the book of Vayikra: When any of you presents a KORBAN (Vayikra 1:2). On the other hand, this week's reading begins, Command Aharon and his sons: This is the ritual of the burnt offering (6:2). Those are very different perspectives on the service in the Beit HaMikdash.

Last week we dealt with human desire to bring offerings; this week God demands offerings. Which scenario is correct? Well, of course both!

I have no idea which came first. In my personal approach to Judaism, I would like to posit that God has no need for our offerings, but allowed them because we displayed an urgency to show our affection in ways then acceptable to humankind. (Rambam: But the well-known custom which was common then, and the general mode of worship in which the Israelites were brought up consisted of sacrificing animals… It was in accordance with the wisdom and plan of God… that God did not command us to give up and to discontinue all these manners of service. For to obey such a commandment would have been contrary to the nature of man, who generally cleaves to what he is accustomed to; in those days.)

So, that, perhaps, Judaism will never return to animal offerings. The Third Temple might be Vegan?

On the other hand, one could construct a spiritual landscape where only through these specific offerings can we truly achieve a mystical connection to the Infinite. God, of course, doesn't require these offerings, but our souls require them to find connection to the Ineffable. In that case, obviously the Third Temple will include the entire panoply of offerings. 

Take your pick. But one thing is clear to me: Torah has both compulsory and voluntary paths. One can't choose to be a Kohen or Levi, but one can choose to be a rabbi or a doctor or a truck driver. One can serve God by teaching Torah or by farming the Land or by being a MENTCH.

Clearly, there are routes which are required and those which can be freely chosen. Warfare is clearly one of those areas in which the two options are definitively delineated. We have optional wars (MILCHEMET R'SHUT) and obligatory wars (MILCHEMET MITZVA). 

When a Jewish king or government decides that war is a good option for political or economic reasons, then there are many exemptions from military service (D'varim 20:1-9). On the other hand, when we are attacked, then this war which has been thrust upon us allows for no exemptions. 

As Rambam wrote: What is considered as MILCHEMET MITZVA? The war against the seven nations who occupied Eretz Yisrael, the war against Amalek, and a war fought to assist Israel from an enemy which attacks them (Laws of Kings & Wars, 5:1).

The Mishna is clear about when these exemptions can be claimed: In what case are all of these statements, with regard to the various exemptions from war, said? They are said with regard to elective wars. But in wars whose mandate is a mitzva, everyone goes, even a groom from his room and a bride from her wedding canopy (Sotah 8:7).

Clearly, in our modern context, the army has to decide who is helpful and who should stay home, but I can't understand anyone who claims to be observant applying for an exemption to military service today. We are under attack by a vicious enemy. No one should shirk.

But I want to get back to the parsha. On the verse, 'Command (TZAV) Aharon and his sons', the Talmud says: The school of Rabbi Yishmael taught that any place where it is stated: "Command", it is nothing other than an expression of galvanization both immediately and for generations (Kiddushin 29a).

I like that translation 'galvanize'. The Hebrew is ZIRUZ, usually translated as with alacrity or enthusiasm. This is like the famous expression ZRIZIM MAKDIMIM L'MITZVOT (Pesachim 4a).

The Chizkuni explains that it makes sense that the Torah would demand ZRIZUT for a chore like 'removing last night's ash from the Altar, or making sure that there was always an adequate supply of wood at hand on the Altar, it is human nature not to relate to this with exceptional haste'. Let's be honest (always the 'best policy'), it's hard to get enthusiastic about tasks which are regular and not exciting. 

I just had great enthusiasm for delivering SHALACH MANOT on Purim. It happens once a year and it's a lot of fun. But what about davening every AM? What about BENTCHING for lunch on Wednesday afternoon? It's hard to get the excitement level up for those routines.

Now we can understand and relate to what our great commentaries are getting at. The Torah went out of its way to shout TZAV at us for a daily grinding assignment. 

It is critical that we find ways of energizing those spiritual assignments which can become (God forbid) mundane or rote. Before SHACHARIT, I quote the Magen Avraham about saying that my prayers must fulfill V'AHAVTA L'REI'ACHA KAMOCHA ('love your fellow like yourself'), and then I try to think of someone or something specific who or which needs a prayer. You can come up with your own ideas to keep your davening fresh and relevant. 

This parsha carries that momentous message: Don't give in to boredom or ennui; keep the ZRIZUT, enthusiasm, eagerness, emotion and energy! 



Rav Kook Torah

by Rabbi Chanan Morrison <> www.ravkooktorah.com

Beyond Human Logic

Even Shlomo HaMelech, renowned for his profound wisdom, failed to grasp its meaning. "I thought I would attain wisdom", he admitted, "but it is distant from me" (Kohelet 7:23).

What was it that eluded Shlomo's powerful intellect? The Talmud in Nida 9a explains that he was referring to the PARA ADUMA, the red heifer whose ashes were used for ritual purification. The true meaning of this ritual is uniquely profound, beyond the grasp of the human intellect.

Why is this mitzva so difficult to understand?

Repairing the Sin of the Golden Calf

According to the Sages, the Para Aduma comes to atone for the Sin of the Golden Calf. The Midrash (Bamidbar Rabba 19:8) explains this by way of a parable: When the maidservant's son sullied the king's palace, it was his mother who needed to come and clean up the mess.

What exactly is the connection between the ritual of the Red Heifer and the Sin of the Golden Calf? After all, the golden calf was formed out of gold jewelry donated by the people; it was not born to a cow.

What was the essence of the Sin of the Golden Calf? Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi (Kuzari 1:97) and other medieval commentators explained that only when taking into account the unique spiritual level of the Jewish people at that time, does their action count as a grievous offense. For other peoples, not only would it not have been deemed a sin, it might have even been considered a meritorious deed.

The people's motivations were sincere. They did not wish to abandon God. On the contrary, they sought to remain close to Him. They created an image - the prevalent form of worship at that time, like a house of prayer nowadays - in order to have a tangible focal point toward which they could direct their offerings and prayers. Even those who erred by praying directly to the golden image did not reject God. They announced, "O Israel! This is your God, Who brought you out of Egypt" (Sh'mot 32:8).

If so, what was their mistake? They erred in their attempt to gain closeness to God through actions dictated by their own logic and reasoning. God specifically forbade this form of worship. The image they created - despite their good intentions - contradicted God's command, and it became a stumbling block for those who worshiped the Golden Calf as an actual idol.

Understanding God's Rule

Why did God forbid us from using our powers of reason to establish new mitzvot and modify existing ones, using methods that, according to our understanding, would allow us to become closer to God?

If we want to know what God wants, we need to examine His actions and the ways through which He governs the world. Theoretically, the percipient individual should be able to discern wonderful aspects of God's rule of the universe, and thereby understand His ways and Divine Will. This would work, had God organized creation in such a way that all paths leading to the final goal reflect Divine perfection. Then all aspects of the universe would provide an accurate understanding of God and His Will, allowing us to recognize the proper way to serve Him.

God, however, in His lofty wisdom, organized the universe differently. He decreed that purity might be the end result of impure paths. Even those means which contravene God's Will will lead toward the final goal. Thus it is impossible to deduce what God truly wants simply by observing the ways of the world. Our service of God can only be guided by those directives which God explicitly transmitted through His Torah.

Acknowledging Our Limitations

How is this connected to the purifying ashes of the Red Heifer? Purity and impurity are a function of closeness or distance from God. True purity is the ability to draw near to God and fulfill His Will. Death, on the other hand, is AVI AVOT HA-TUM'A, the primary source of impurity. Death is an example of a phenomenon in the world that is diametrically opposed to the genuine intention of God, Who desires life. A person noting the phenomenon of death could deduce the exact opposite of God's true intention in the world, concluding that God does not wish that His creations live.

How do we purify ourselves from the impurity of death? To correct the misleading impression of death, we need to recognize the limits of the human intellect in understanding God's rule in the world. By performing the ritual of Para Aduma, a mitzva that by definition transcends logic, we acknowledge the limitations of our intellect, and avoid the pitfall of inferring God's will from the phenomenon of death.

We can also understand why those who prepare the purifying ashes of the Red Heifer become defiled in the process. God's Will cannot be deduced from the ways of the world, only from the final goal; so too, the process of the Para Aduma generates impurity, and only the end result provides purification.

Sapphire from the Land of Israel. Adapted from Midbar Shur, pp. 317-320



Parsha Story

Stories and Parables from the famed Maggid of Dubno

by Rabbi Chanan Morrison

Role Reversal

Tzav

There was once a dockworker named Jack who had been forced to leave school at an early age in order to support his family. Jack, however, greatly valued the importance of Torah study. So he made an agreement with a promising young scholar, that he would help support the young man in return for sharing the merit of his Torah study,

The agreement worked fine until one day Jack decided that it was not enough just to support a Torah scholar. He wanted to study Torah himself! So he informed the young man that from now on, they were switching roles. Jack would take the scholar's place in the study hall, while the scholar would perform his job on the dock.

Of course, the results were disastrous. The scholar lacked the strength and stamina necessary to unload the ships at the harbor. Jack, on the other hand, barely knew the Hebrew alphabet. He found himself sitting and staring at the pages of the Talmud, until he nodded off to sleep on the bench in the yeshiva.

Kavana in Prayer

The Torah states that if the kohen has the incorrect intention when bringing an offering in the Temple, the offering is PIGUL and is invalidated. Prayer is a comparable form of serving God, one which also requires the appropriate intention or kavana. Prayers which are recited when one is distracted by stray thoughts is like an offering ruined by MACHSHEVET CHUTZ, extraneous thoughts.

A prayer without proper kavana is similar to the disastrous switch of the dockworker and the yeshiva scholar, Instead of the body doing its work while the mind concentrates on prayer, their roles are reversed. The lips mindlessly form the words of prayer, and the body sways with movements of prayer; but the mind is preoccupied with thoughts of the workplace...



Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher

Para Aduma - A Little Dab Will Do Ya

"He (the defiled person) shall purify himself (with the potion of the Red Cow ashes) on the third and on the seventh day, then he will become pure..." (Bamidbar 19:12)

The classic example of a CHOK (a Mitzva beyond human understanding), is the Red Cow, whose ashes are used to purify a person from defilement by a dead body. As Rashi notes, immersion in a MIKVEH is insufficient to remove the tum'ah conveyed by a dead body, even though MIKVEH is effective for many other types of TUM'AH.

As our verse describes, the purification process of the Red Cow ashes takes place on the third and the seventh day, when these ashes are mixed with water and sprinkled on the impure person. The Rambam (Para Aduma 12) rules that it is sufficient for the ashes to be sprinkled even just on the tip of one finger. This reminds me of the old Brylcreem commercial which said "A Little Dab Will Do Ya." Even one drop of Para Aduma potion causes purification to take full effect.

Despite being a CHOK, Rav Pam explains that Para Aduma contains a fascinating practical insight to everyday life. When the Torah requires immersion in a MIKVEH to remove impurity, EACH and EVERY part of the person's body must be immersed. Even if just one hair is not covered by the MIKVEH water, the entire immersion is invalid and must be repeated.

Yet, regarding the ashes of the Red Cow (called Waters of Purification), even if a tiny part of the body, like the fingernail is sprinkled, it is sufficient for the person to attain total purification. Why is there a difference between the power of the Para Aduma ashes to purify, as opposed to TOTAL immersion in a MIKVEH to become pure.

Rav Pam clarifies the difference between the purification of the Red Cow ashes verses the MIKVEH. Tum'ah is a symbol of sin and purification is a symbol of T'SHUVA. Ideally, a person should strive to become a complete Baal T'shuva for ALL his sins. Nevertheless, for the majority of people this can be extremely difficult, if not almost impossible.

Thus, instead of becoming discouraged and giving up altogether, one should at least attempt the lesser method of purification, symbolized by the Red Cow ashes. Let us attempt to improve in at least ONE aspect of our Mitzva observance and to correct at least one character deficiency.

This method will be one huge step in the right direction, as the Mishna in Avot states, "One Mitzva brings along another Mitzva." With G-d's help, one will STEP BY STEP bring significant changes in his Divine Service and Mitzva Performance. -ESP



CHIZUK & IDUD

Divrei Torah from the weekly sedra with a focus on living in Eretz Yisrael

Chizuk for Olim & Idud for not-yet-Olim

by Rabbi Yerachmiel Roness - Ramat Shiloh, Beit Shemesh

Vayikra 2018

Sacrifice in Life

This morning (6 years ago) I saw a new Pesach Hagada containing insights by Rav Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg zt"l, the author of the SRIDEI EISH and the last head of the Hildesheimer Rabbinical Seminary in Berlin. Although during his lifetime I had only one encounter with Rav Weinberg, my interest was piqued. As a young college student in the early 60s, I participated in a student exchange program, and thus found myself traveling through Europe. During this trip I had the occasion to spend a Shabbat at a kosher hotel in Montreux, Switzerland. Luckily, I was informed of the unique minyan for Mincha convening on Shabbat afternoon in a small shul adjacent to the apartment of this great Gaon. After Mincha, Rav Weinberg spoke of how Jews are commanded to live in this world and not try to escape into other spiritual realms as is true in other religions. He suggested that the Chassidic blessing given by Rebbes wishing one Hatzlacha both B'GASHMI'UT V'RUCHNI'UT, in worldly as well as spiritual matters, indicates that while striving for spiritual accomplishment one should be grounded in this world. I left the town immediately after Shabbat, and never had any more direct contact with Rav Weinberg till his Levaya in Jerusalem a number of years later in 1966.

The biography printed at the beginning of the new Hagada describes the events I remember from that unusual day. At the time, I was studying at Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav, and together with most of my fellow talmidim, I stood by the old Yeshiva building near Rechov HaNevi'im, waiting to accompany the Aron (coffin). Two prominent members of the Mizrachi Party, Dr. Zerach Wahrhaftig and Dr. Yosef Burg, (who had studied at the Hildesheimer Seminary), had arranged for the burial procession, and had planned its exact route towards the cemetery in Sanhedria.

However, Rav Yechezkel Sarna, had other ideas. The Rosh Yeshiva of the Chevron Yeshiva in Yerushalayim, who had once studied together with Rabbi Weinberg in Slobodka, was unwell. Although he had had been ordered by his doctors to stay in bed, he felt it was his responsibility to act.

Thus, the sick and elderly Rav made his way to the crossroads of Nevi'im and Straus. As the procession wound its way along HaNevi'im Street, Rav Sarna pointed straight ahead and directed his Talmidim not to turn in the direction of Sanhedria, but rather to lead the coffin to the cemetery in Givat Shaul: "The deceased will be buried in the grave prepared by me, next to Rav Eliezer Yehuda zt"l, the Rosh Yeshiva of Mir." "I know that the Gaon was close in his lifetime to many different circles of people", he later explained, "they all wished to be honored by the memory of the Gaon, and to bury him in their portion of the cemetery. And yet the Gaon was truly a man of Torah and Yir'a raised in the Beit Midrash." (-Curiously omitted was the fact that the Rav had received a Doctorate from a German University.)

 So it was that the battle of the living over the legacy, and body, of the deceased had been decided.

Many noted how the strange story of Rav Weinberg's Levaya, was a fitting end to a life which was full of twists and turns, often tragic and heart-breaking.

In a volume entitled LIFRAKIM, Rav Weinberg has the following to say on Parshat Vayikra and the notion of sacrifice: "All mankind, whether Jew or non-Jew, has a strong connection to sacrifice. We sacrifice today for tomorrow. Our days of youth for the days that come afterward." Man gives up something he possesses today for the hope of attaining something he considers more important.

Personal life as well as national life has its ups and downs. Indeed, Rav Weinberg's own life was anything but a straight upwards trajectory.

As Rabbi Yitzchak Blau points out, rather than focusing on the narrower meaning of the burnt offerings brought on the Altar, Rav Weinberg sees the sacrificial order as a symbol of the willingness to sacrifice in all realms of life.

When we think of modern-day tales of sacrifice, the story of the creation of Modern Israel comes to the fore. We all know that manifold sacrifices were - and continue to be - necessary in order to allow this country to thrive.

Rav Weinberg suggests that the ability and willingness to make sacrifice is the basis of man's humanity, separating mankind from the rest of the animal kingdom focused on their immediate needs as they claw at their prey. Without sacrifices there can be no advancement in science, in art, etc. 

Now (in 2024), we are witnesses to the ultimate sacrifices so many of our soldiers have made in Gaza for the people of Israel. May their memory be a blessing! 

This symbolic lesson of Parshat Vayikra, with its heavy focus on the importance and centrality of the sacrificial order, is very relevant to Aliyah as well.

There are many who, although having seriously contemplated Aliyah, are deterred by the heavy sacrifices involved. For some, the sacrifice would be most immediately, and acutely, felt economically, while for others the thought of Aliyah is synonymous with the heavy sacrifice involved in the weakening of close family ties and social connections.

The price may be real and even painful, but one thing must not be forgotten: If earlier generations would not have been willing to make sacrifices, and on a much larger scale (-imagine Aliyah sans airplanes, telephones or Zoom!) we would not be where we are today.

So, as we begin reading Chumash Vayikra  and celebrate the 73rd year (now the 76th) of the State of Israel - the question we ask is: When are you planning to join us here?

These weekly words of Torah wisdom can be found in my recently published book "Eretz Yisrael and Aliyah in the weekly Parsha". It can be ordered by calling 052-336-0553 or by ordering it on Amazon



Q&A

Reprinted from Living the Halachic Process by Rabbi Daniel Mann - Eretz Hemdah, with their permission [www.eretzhemdah.org]

Cleaning the House before Going Away for Pesach

Question: We plan to spend all of Pesach with family. Do we still need to clean for Pesach and do b’dikat chametz at our home or at our host's?

Answer: This response assumes you will not be going home during Pesach and that you realize it is not a detailed account of your Pesach preparations. Please do not make inferences from what we omit.

People are accustomed to using the procedure of mechirat chametz for the chametz itself, including the area of the home where the chametz is located, but not for entire homes. In truth, however, those who will be away may 'sell' their homes, rendering a full cleaning and bedika unnecessary. Just as one does not have to destroy chametz that he has sold and no longer owns, so too, he need not check a house that is no longer under his control. Some people have the minhag not to rely upon mechirat chametz for full-fledged chametz. The rationale includes the problems inherent in mechirat chametz. Furthermore, mechirat chametz was devised for people who will incur significant financial loss if they have to destroy their chametz, which is not the case for everyone. 

In some ways our issue is more lenient and in some ways more strict. Generally, we can say that the desire to avoid many hours of back-breaking work is reason enough for many to want to use a legitimate halachic device. There are, however, a few problems unique to this type of sale. First of all, whereas most people can seriously sell $100 worth of chametz and accept the possibility that the non-Jew will not sell it back, who would sell his house just to avoid checking it thoroughly for chametz? Consequently, selling the house raises questions about the seriousness of the transaction. In Israel, there is the additional problem of selling land to non-Jews. Therefore, it seems preferable to rent the house out for Pesach, rather than sell it. 

Another issue is that according to significant opinions, one should not circumvent the obligation of b’dikat chametz. However, the Chatam Sofer says that if one checks part of the house, he fulfills the obligation of b’dikat chametz of the night of the fourteenth of Nisan. In addition, there is the matter of timing. It is necessary to sell chametz before it becomes forbidden, which is late morning of Erev Pesach. In contrast, the obligation to check the house begins on the previous night, before mechirat chametz takes place. There is a dispute whether the intention to sell one's chametz the next day is sufficient to exempt him from bedika that night. (Remember, one's dealings with the rabbi are not to sell him the chametz but to appoint him as an agent to sell.) Therefore, it is preferable to find a rabbi who does an early sale or rental for this purpose (before the night of bedika; some call this a mechirat yud gimmel). The rabbi, aware that this is not the standard type of sale, should be able to guide you about other issues regarding your situation, which is difficult to do in this forum. Even if one does not want to rely on the concept of a sale, he should realize that cleaning for chametz in a place where he will not be eating does not require removing insignificant crumbs or scrubbing surfaces. 



OzTORAH by Rabbi Dr Raymond Apple z"l



FIRE FROM ABOVE, FIRE FROM BELOW

The sidra deals in detail with the fire on the Altar.

According to rabbinic teaching (Talmud, Yoma 21b), there was fire that came from Above as well as fire that was lit on earth with flames that danced upwards.

Looked at homiletically, this tells us that man and God, earth and heaven, constantly yearn for one another.

Man is nothing without God; whilst God, for His part, has a need for man. Otherwise He is a king without a kingdom, a ruler without subjects, a teacher without pupils, a doctor without patients, a lawyer without clients.

Biblical history is the account of the sometimes uneasy relationship between them. God is often disappointed in man; man has his moments when he feels disappointed in God.

The ideal is for both parties to the eternal covenant to work together and seek to satisfy each other, the model being the story in Sh'mot 19 of God descending, as it were, upon Mount Sinai and Moses ascending to the sphere of the Divine.



LIFE WITHOUT SACRIFICES

The Book of Vayikra is largely concerned with sacrifices.

So important was the sacrificial ritual in the Temple that one wonders how Judaism survived when the Sanctuary was destroyed. The question greatly exercised the Talmudic rabbis. The fact is that Temple or no Temple, Judaism did survive.

But the rabbis were concerned with a different issue: "now that we have no Temple, how can we obtain atonement?"

The Midrash Tanchuma gave a typical answer: "While the Temple stood, atonement came through the sacrifices; without the Temple, we have the Torah."

There are many such statements. How do we replace the sacrifices as a means of atonement? By having a humble spirit (Sanhedrin 43b). By doing kindly deeds (Avot D'Rabi Natan 4:5). By modesty within one's house (Tanchuma). By hospitality (Chagiga 27a). By controlling one's instincts (Sanhedrin 43b).

Some sages felt that we had an even better means of atonement than before: "Charitable deeds are better than all the sacrifices" (Sanhedrin 49b).

"Atonement" indicates "at-one-ment". Sacrifices, korbanot, from the Hebrew root for coming near, were not the only way to be at one with God. The same result could come from living a good and righteous life.

This does not mean that the sacrifices would be unnecessary when the Temple was rebuilt, but they would have to be accompanied by the sacrifice of the selfishness that gets in the way of a life with God. -OZ

Y'HI ZICHRO BARUCH



Sedra Highlight - Dr Jacob Solomon

Tzav

Zot HaTorah: This is the law of the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the installation offerings and the peace offerings, which G-d commanded on Mount Sinai… (7:37-38).

The words ZOT HATORAH, "This is the Torah" brings the details of the korbanot to the climax, to the finale. The Gemara explores the significance of that ZOT HATORAH: Resh Lakish claims that it teaches that learning Torah is on par with bringing korbanot. Rava goes further; those who study Torah accumulate such merits that they need neither burnt offering, nor grain-offering, nor sin-offering, nor guilt-offering (Menachot 110a).

Elsewhere, the Gemara takes this idea one stage higher. Being fully focused on Torah learning prevents sin from occurring in the first place. And when tempted to do the wrong thing, the Gemara counsels, take yourself to the Beit Midrash. Be part of its proceedings and the evil urge will crumble and disappear, even if it is "as strong as iron". For G-d created the evil urge, but He has also created the Torah as its antidote (Kiddushin 30b). 

In addition, the words ZOT HATORAH may possibly be interpreted as a limitation. For all these korbanot lack value if they are mere ritual or, worse, are offered in the spirit of saying sorry with no intention of doing teshuva at the same time. That is not Torah. The Torah of korbanot is only Torah when the rest of the Torah is heeded. Indeed, this idea fits in with the opening words of the regular haftara for the parsha (which we don't read this year, because it is pre-empted by the haftara for Para), with which the Navi Yirmiyahu brings in the name of G-d, and conveys a very different message about the korbanot:

"For I did not speak to your ancestors or command them about burnt offerings and sacrifices when I took them out of… Egypt." Rather, I commanded them: "Obey me, and I will be your G-d and you will be My people. Carefully follow the path I commanded you, so that things will go well for you" (Yirmiyahu 7:22-23).

Indeed, the tone of Yirmiyahu's words seem to indicate that the korbanot were not only worthless, but actually counterproductive, a source of harm rather than good. His words, with which the haftara concludes, contain a very different message from G-d Himself:

"The wise man should not glory in his wisdom, the warrior in his bravery, or the rich man in his riches. Rather, let those who wish to glory do so in knowing and understanding Me: for I am G-d who acts kindly, justly, and righteously on Earth. It is these things that please Me…" (9:22-23)

So bringing lavish offerings to the Temple is not necessarily an act of piety. It may be a pitiful attempt to make amends for one's neglect in keeping commandments (especially in human relations), in breach of failing to 'please' G-d in acting 'kindly, justly, and righteously' towards other people. And large lavish offerings can add insult to injury, no doubt giving the donor the opportunity of 'glorying in his riches' and subtly embarrassing those who cannot afford to bring offerings on such a lavish scale.

As explanation, the Dubno Maggid (1741-1804) brings the following parable. Reuven commissioned an architect to design his new family home. The architect returned with the diagrams for all the components; the walls, the plaster, the window frames, the balconies, the roofing materials and so on. Reuven was happy with the designs and told the architect to go ahead. 

Some time later, he returned to Reuven and told him that all was completed according to the designs ordered. Reuven went to inspect. Imagine his disappointment when instead of a new house, he saw neatly stacked assemblies of the house components, as ordered. 

By themselves, the parts were worthless. But put together, there would have been a house of great value. Similarly with the korbanot. By themselves, as Yirmiyahu emphasized, they were worthless. Only if Am Yisrael would behave in keeping with Torah values and teachings would the korbanot would have real meaning, would G-d see them as adding value. 

Similarly today. To a great degree, we live in a tick-box society. But tick boxes do not tell the whole story. In education for example, an experienced inspector might visit a school, tick all the boxes favorably and yet declare that this school has something fundamentally wrong with it that is beyond the tick box system to reach and to identify… Tick boxes are important, but they capture the substance only, not the intangible spirit that lies at the heart of whole venture.



Menachem Persoff - menpmp@gmail.com



In this week's Parsha we are commanded, three times within six verses, to keep the fires burning on the Altar (Vayikra 6:1-6).

Indeed, three separate fires were kept burning on the Altar constantly. These were 

(1) the large pyre upon which the offerings were burned; 

(2) the second pyre of the incense;

(3) the pyre for 'the perpetuation of the fire', from which burning wood was added to the large flame whenever necessary 

(Rashi on v.5; Yoma 45a).

Ramban points out that the law concerning the permanent fire that "should not be extinguished" included the night-time, meaning that the flame burned continually, day and night. Needless to say that our commentators saw in this positive command a homiletical message to all who wish to serve G-d.

Rav Kook says it most poignantly: "The thirst for godliness that burns in the heart like a tremendous storm-driven torch can never be extinguished. Indeed, if an individual smothers even one burning coal from a "material" altar, he is guilty of the command, 'Do not extinguish' (Z'vachim 90a). How much more so, then, if a Jew douses a flame from the spiritual altar, the beating heart of the Jew!"

To paraphrase the Rav: One must always add to that flame with intelligence, wisdom and understanding, with the light of Torah and that of the candle, which is the Mitzva, so that the burning fire (in his heart) will continually rise and be uplifted, giving him strength and willpower in every aspect of life from the highest, heavenly sphere to the lowest depths… What a profound message to take us into Shabbat! MP



The Daily Portion - Sivan Rahav Meir

Sen. Joe Lieberman z"l and Shabbat

Translation by Yehoshua Siskin

Joe Lieberman, one of the highest-ranking Jews in American politics, a pro-Israel senator and Al Gore's running mate (vice-presidential candidate) in the 2000 election, has passed away. It is important to remember Lieberman's unique voice within the Democratic party, which stood in sharp contrast to the opinions voiced by some party members today.

But I would like to focus on his other very significant, non-political legacy.

The last time I met him was in New York. His book, The Gift of Rest: Rediscovering the Beauty of the Sabbath, had just been translated into Hebrew and he explained how much this translation meant to him.

Lieberman said that he had written a book about Shabbat because he wanted to communicate to young Jews around the world that they don't have to give up their heritage in order to achieve the highest levels of professional success. In fact, he claimed, the opposite was true. His Sabbath observance, especially in the middle of an election campaign, only strengthened people's admiration for him as a man of principles and integrity.

But he also wanted young Israelis to understand this too: that on Shabbat, he wasn't "the honorable Senator", and not even Joe, but Yosef Yisrael ben Chanan, his name when he was called up to the Torah.

In his book, Lieberman describes how listening to the Shabbat Torah reading was especially meaningful for him because he knew that he wasn't listening to another political speech but to the words of God Himself. He writes how during the three Regalim (Pesach, Shavuot, and Succot), the Jewish people would travel to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, but we have the opportunity each and every week to welcome the Holy Sabbath directly into our kitchens and living rooms. 

Lieberman also points out that the prayer we recite at the Havdala ceremony is no less important than the Kiddush we recite Friday night, because of its powerful message that we learn to make distinctions in our lives and to adjust ourselves to different times and situations. 

And I think that, perhaps, this is the key sentence of his book: "When they ask me: How can you interrupt your work as senator to observe Shabbat every week? I respond: How could I manage to accomplish all the work I do as senator six days a week if I didn't stop to keep Shabbat?"

Lieberman passed away yesterday at the age of 82 before he had a chance to observe another Shabbat. But we have the opportunity to do so.

May his memory be a blessing.

To receive Sivan Rahav-Meir's daily WhatsApp: tiny.cc/DailyPortion



Dvar Torah by Rabbi Chanoch Yeres

to his community at Beit Knesset Beit Yisrael, Yemin Moshe

Graciously shared with PhiloTorah

Tzav

TZAV ET AHARON (6:2). Rashi points out that the word TZAV connotes diligence for now and for generations to come.

Rashi's statement is one of redundancy, if the command is one for the present then obviously it would always apply, even in the future. Why does Rashi feel the need to stress the application for the future if no indication to the contrary is present?

Furthermore, Rashi at the end of the Parsha is also very striking. The Torah writes "Aharon and his children did as G-d commanded through Moshe" (8:36). Rashi claims that the verse is praising Aharon that he did not deviate from what G-d commanded him. What is so unique about Aharon's behavior, all of us are expected to follow G-d's word without deviating even an iota? What are these two statements of Rashi teaching us and why do they buffer the Parsha from either end?

Rabbi C. Soloveitchik quotes famous verses of the Sh'ma in the Book of D'varim. "These words which I am commanding you today must remain on your heart." Rashi, quoting the Sifri, makes note that the Torah should be to you everyday as if it was just revealed to you for the first time. Be wary of boredom and of under-estimating the Torah.

We should consider the Torah everyday as if it was imparted to us for the very first time. We should not consider the Torah as archaic or antiquated. This could explain the expression of the word TZAV, diligence now and for the future.

The Torah is telling us that the kohanim should perform their work in the Mishkan with the same zeal and fervor as they performed at the outset of their position.

The last Rashi, perhaps, is also teaching us the very same idea. When performing a task commanded to us by the Torah, one must perform it with the same zeal and excitement as was demonstrated the very first time.

Aharon and his sons showed the same fervor on the seventh day as was shown on the first day. This is mentioned to praise them. To G-d, the extent of excitement of our daily actions are very meaningful. As it states in the Book of D'varim:

"Because you have served G-d with joyfulness and with gladness of the heart" (28:47).

Even during our trying times, we must continue with our passion and warmth. 



The Weekly 'Hi All' by Rabbi Jeff Bienenfeld

Parshat Para

The Talmud Yerushalmi (Megila 3:5) draws a comparison between the Four Chapters, ARBA PARSHIYOT, read in the weeks before Pesach and the Four Cups of wine at the Seder. To wit: Just as there can be no intervening Shabbat between Parshat Para and Parshat HaChodesh, the latter must follow immediately after the former, so too, one may not drink an additional cup of wine between the third and fourth cups.

How are we to understand the connection between these two seemingly unrelated halachic rulings? Other more rational explanations have been proposed for not allowing another glass of wine between the last two cups. Raavad and Mordechai are concerned lest it appear we are adding to the Four Cup limit at the Seder. Tos'fot (Pesachim 117b) is concerned that more than one cup of wine after the meal might blunt the taste of the matza whose presence should remain on the palate. However, the Yerushalmi's suggestion appears somewhat obscure. How are the Four Parshiyot relevant to the Four Cups?

Perhaps an answer can be found in another comment of the Yerushalmi (Pesachim 10:6). There, the reason given for not allowing another cup of wine is the concern that more wine - for obvious reasons - might prevent the Seder participants from appropriately concluding the Seder.  

Rashbam (Pesachim 99b) reminds us that the Four Cups of wine represent the four stages of Redemption. The first three (the end of the servitude, the Exodus itself, and the final destruction of Egypt at the Sea) resulted in the complete emancipation of the Jewish People from their Egyptian oppressors. At this point, it would seem quite natural for the people to celebrate with food and drink, and perhaps they did. The danger was that in their drunken stupor, both real and psychological (the thrill of freedom can indeed be quite intoxicating), they would forget that there was yet a final stage of redemption: the accepting of Gd's Torah at Sinai. Hence, to remind us that we cannot allow anything to distract and prevent us from reaching our Torah destination, there can be no drinking, no inebriation, between the 3rd and 4th glasses of wine. We must finish the Seder with the same solemnity and purpose, with the same spiritual exultation and sense of mission as we began on this exalted evening.

Something similar obtains subsequent to Parshat Para (the 3rd Parsha). The ashes of the Red Heifer had the mysterious spiritual capability to purify the individual from TUM'AT MEIT, the intense uncleanliness of a human corpse. This cleansing was a necessary prerequisite in order to eat from the Korban Pesach at the Seder. Imagine a person experiencing a total catharsis of body and soul. All impurity is purged. He feels elevated and fulfilled, overflowing with immense joy and rapture. Is there - can there be - anything beyond this? But there is; there's a fourth Parsha, Parshat HaChodesh, when we read, not about the individual, but about the birth of Knesset Yisrael, the great community of Israel. The danger here is this: An individual can become a captive to his own religious unsulliedness, intoxicated by the rarified air atop the great mountain of his own spiritual achievements. And in that glorious state of sanctimonious affirmation, forget, simply forget and choose to be oblivious to, the fact that there is still another Parsha, a final Shabbat before Pesach when the individual Jew is reminded by Parshat HaChodesh that he must join the greater whole, merge his individuality in and for the common good. Only thus, can complete redemption occur.

The challenge in this message is clear. It is not at all easy to take the experience of a newfound and boundless opportunity and immediately subjugate it to a Higher Authority. It is far more tempting to luxuriate in the abandon of unrestricted freedom than in heeding the Divine mitzva. So too, it is so much more comforting to allow your spiritual ego to convince you that you need not participate in the struggles and joys of the tzibur. "Who needs the extra responsibilities and communal burdens. I can do quite nicely on my own, especially after the cleansing ritual of the Para Aduma."

The tragic mistake in both scenarios is stopping short and never aspiring to reach the 4th Cup and the 4th Special Parsha. Our journey toward redemption is arrested. We become distracted, giddy with limitless freedom and self-righteous purity and fail to see the true "endgame" of our great destiny.

May the weeks ahead and Pesach itself encourage us to make the complete journey, finish our Seder with intimations of immortality and earn the realization of a Messianic era in our own lifetime. 



Afterthoughts - Yocheved Bienenfeld

V'HAYU HAD'VARIM HA'ELEH

The first passage of the Sh'ma tells us to love HaShem in various ways: B'CHOL L'VAV'CHA UVCHOL NAFSH'CHA UVCHOL M'ODECHA - "with all your heart, your soul, your means". It then continues and instruct us to follow the dictates of the Torah, to teach them to our children, to don Tefillin and to fulfill the mitzva of Mezuza, both of which remind us of the mitzvot of the Torah.

I had always seen this continuation of V'HAYU HAD'VARIM HA'ELEH as a list of requirements added to those at the beginning. Maybe I was wrong and it is actually telling us more. Certainly, these are requirements but, in addition, it could be a description of how we are to show V'AHAVTA - to show Gd we love Him. Beyond the opening list of B'CHOL L'VAV'CHA…, this is adding and saying: you also demonstrate your love of Gd by V'HAYU HAD'VARIM HA'ELEH - doing His mitzvot and teaching His Torah.

After all, we learn from Hoshei'a (14:3), which we read on Shabbat Shuva: K'CHU IMACHEM D'VARIM… "take with you, words". Isn't it possible that aside from the traditional understanding that D'VARIM means "words" - that we should verbally confess our sins as part of t'shuva; isn't it possible that D'VARIM refers to V'HAYU HAD'VARIM HA'ELEH, these things - the Torah and mitzvot is what you should bring with you to show your t'shuva? The Malbim says that K'CHU IMACHEM D'VARIM refers to T'SHUVA MEI'AHAVA, repentance that reflects your love of Gd, things that will serve as a merit, which is "mitzvot and good deeds" - things that are sourced in the Torah. This, then, is indeed, something that shows V'AHAVTA EIT HASHEM - how we love HaShem.

Although Rashi (Va'etchanan 6:6) does state that V'HAYU HAD'VARIM HA'ELEH is the AHAVA, I believe there is a little difference between what he says and what I am referring to. Rashi: "And what is the love spoken of in the previous verse? V'HAYU HAD'VARIM HA'ELEH; as a result of this (the words of the Torah) being on your heart, you become aware of the Holy One, Blessed is He, and attach yourself to His ways." Rashi tells us that the way to come to love HaShem is to follow the Torah, thus getting to "know" Him and cling to Him. 

What I am suggesting is rather how we can express that love. And so, even though the understanding of V'HAYU HAD'VARIM HA'ELEH in both cases is related to V'AHAVTA EIT HASHEM, their direction is different. Rashi = How to achieve that love; my suggestion = how to express that love. 



Gimatriya Matches

TZAV

GM The summary pasuk about the Korbanot is Vayikra 7:37 (from Parshat Tzav) -


This is the law for the burnt offering, for the meal offering, and for the sin offering, and for the guilt offering, and for the investitures, and for the peace offering.

That covers them all. The CHATAT and the ASHAM are definitely brought to atone (with sincere T'shuva) for various sins. Some of the OLAH (burnt offering) are also brought for non-fulfillment of positive commands and for thoughts of sin. We could say that a major factor of Korbanot is their role in the atonement process. So here's a Gimatriya-Match - Bamidbar 15:26 (in Parshat Sh'lach) -

The entire congregation of the children of Israel and the proselyte who resides with them shall be forgiven, for all the people were in error.

I guess we can say: RES IPSA LOQUITUR (the thing speaks for itself).

The gimatriya of each of these p'sukim is 2764.

27 is 3 cubed and 64 is 4 cubed. And the point? None.



PARSHAT PARA

GM The Parshat Para maftir is the whole perek 19 (22 p'sukim) in Parshat Chukat. The most significant statement with introduces us to the Para Aduma is (19:2) -

ZOT CHUKAT HATORAH

"the following is declared to be the Torah's decree"

The gimatriya of this phrase is 1532. Store that fact for later.

On this phrase, Rashi quotes the Midrash Tanchuma as saying:

Because the Satan and the nations of the world (and, sadly, many Jews, as well) scoff at Israel saying, What is this mitzva and what reason does it have, therefore it (Para Aduma, in this case) is called a CHOK, (and we say) it is a decree (from G-d) to me, and we do not question it.

T'hilim 49:2 -

"Hear this, all you peoples; hearken, all You inhabitants of the earth."

The gimatriya of this pasuk is 1532. Our statement to the scoffers - ZOT CHUKAT HATORAH...



RED ALERT!

Tzav-Para

by Rabbi Eddie Davis (RED) of the Young Israel of Hollywood - Ft. Lauderdale (Florida)

DIVREI TORAH

<> The first commandment in this sidra is commanding the Kohen to remove the ashes that have accumulated on the outside Altar. The Chovot HaLevavot notes that Hashem specifically commanded Aharon and his sons to remove the ashes every day, a seemingly menial task, in order to teach them humility. The greater a person is, the more he is obligated to realize how small he truly is. The tendency, obviously, is the reverse. With greatness comes haughtiness and arrogance. This sidra is dedicated to the work of the Kohanim in bringing the sacrifices of individual Jewish people who approach them in order to become closer to Hashem. The Kohanim feel important. They are the means for each individual to gain that closeness to the Almighty. Consequently, before detailing their responsibilities, the Torah commands them in the menial task that dirties their clothing and is quite janitorial in action. This was specifically meant to bring the Kohen off the pedestal, so to speak, and realize his function in the scheme of life.

<> The Torah stipulates that the Kohen changes his clothing in order to take the ashes outside of the camp. Rashi comments that this is not actually obligatory, but rather teaches us and the Kohen good manners, Derech Eretz, not to dirty the clothes that he had worn while serving at the Altar. Rashi continues in his commentary and draws his example from daily life: clothes that one has worn while cooking a stew for his master, should not be worn when the servant goes to pour a glass of wine for his master. To use the same logic: in the synagogue to dress as we do outside, to speak in the same brusque manner inside Hashem's house as outside, to wear the same garment for carrying out the ashes as we do for the service of the Altar, is not only an infraction of law, but a breach of good manners. We need to think of how we conduct ourselves inside the synagogue and outside the synagogue. We are required to conduct ourselves in an honest way, at all times taking in mind our position as servants of Hashem. Nevertheless we realize that there are certain tasks that we perform that are inappropriate for inside a synagogue and when we do them outside the synagogue we still have to conduct ourselves in a proper fashion even though we are dressed in a much more informal way.

<> Rabbi Mattis Weinberg of Yerushalayim states that the parsha of Vayikra is not concerned with sacrifices, per se, but with their affect on the soul of the donor who seeks closeness to Hashem. Consequently it starts with the heartfelt voluntary offerings and does not even mention the obligatory nature of the sin offerings dealt with at the end of the parsha. In this week's sidra, however, Parshat Tzav is concerned with objective laws of the sacrifices themselves, the province of the officiating Kohanim to whom these laws are directed. Now we are really talking about sacrifices and not so much the affect on the donor. When we think of the personal involvement of the donor, we should envision Avraham and the other Patriarchs when they offered sacrifices to Hashem. They truly wished to enter into the Divine proximity. Avraham in the Akeida story is offering Yitzchak as a perfect burnt offering, an Olah. There is a long drawn-out scenario of the human journey to get closer to Hashem. It is not only the description of what happened on top of the mountain, but it is the description in the three-day travel to that event. In the final analysis of that story, the physical body was preserved and yet man became much closer to God via the sacrifice. (Reminder: in that story the ram was sacrificed as a substitute for Yitzchak.)

<> From our parsha we see the Kohen as a very busy person when he ministers to Hashem as a go-between between man and God. We could look at the scene as if he were a master technician in the business of religion. The Torah, though, wishes to convey to us that the Kohen is not really a technician authorized to perform a service, but rather he is an integral part of the bringing of the sacrifice. This is seen by the various rituals involving action on the earlobe, thumb and toe of the Kohen, etc. as described in the parsha. So, too, the fact that Kohanim must eat of various offerings, indicating their integral involvement in the whole process. (Torah Tidbits, Phil Chernofsky)

<> As we get closer to Pesach, we need to note the treatment of sacrifices here and the Pesach sacrifice that we recall vividly on Seder night. The act of eating of the sacrifice is a very important function of the entire ritual. Eating is one of the most physical acts a person can do, but it is critical for a Jew to realize that this mundane act of eating needs to be infused with spirituality. Rav Kook zt"l, pointed out that by the recitation of Brachot and delivering Divrei Torah at the meal, a Jewish person elevates the mundane act of feeding his face to a Seudat Mitzva, a meal that honors Hashem. The sacrifices are all connected to the consumption of food, be it consumed by the Altar, by the Kohanim, and/or the donors. Partaking of the sacrifice constitutes perfect eating, meaning that it is a mundane act elevated by a religious standard. The closest we get to this is Seder night when representation of the sacrifice is at the table and so much of our Seder ritual involves itself with consumption of food. We are truly elevating our table to Altar status. Just as there is a great difference between people devouring food in a restaurant or on the street and those eating at a Shabbat table singing Zemirot, so too there is a great difference between eating at the Seder table and in the Beit HaMikdash. When we step back and look at this bigger picture of what eating a sacrifice is all about, we realize that man has been imbued with the ability of worshiping God through eating and sustaining himself in a mundane fashion. In this way we end up sanctifying the act of eating, and a human being reaches the heights of holiness through the most physical of all acts. (based on Rabbi Shlomo Aviner)



Questions by RED 

From the Text

1. To whom is this Parsha directed? (6:2)

2. Where are the ashes from the Altar placed before being taken out of the Sanctuary premises? (6:3)

3. Who gets to eat the meat of the Sin offering? (6:22)

4. Who was to witness the consecration of Aharon as Kohen Gadol? (8:4)

5. How long did the consecration ritual take? (8:33)

From Rashi

6. What clothing did the Kohen wear when he removed the ashes? (6:4)

7. How often did a regular Kohen bring a Meal (Mincha) offering? How often did the Kohen Gadol bring a Meal offering? (6:13)

8. What kind of animal was brought as a Guilt (Asham) offering? (7:3)

9. Who eats the meat of the Thanksgiving (TODA) offering? (7:14, 28-34)

10. How was Moshe going to "take" Aharon to consecrate him? (8:2)

From the Rabbis

11. Who may slaughter the animal brought as a Guilt (Asham) offering? (Sifra)

12. In the days of Mashiach, what kind of sacrifices will be brought? (Yefei Toar)

13. Who is required to bring a Thanksgiving (TODA) sacrifice? (Talmud)

From the Midrash

14. All kinds of wood are permitted to burn on the Altar, except two. Which two?

From the Haftara for Parshat Para (Yechezkel)

15. Why was the subject of Para Aduma (the Red Cow) read now, just after Purim?

Relationships

16.

a) Aharon - Itamar

b) Elazar - Chur

c) Yocheved - Tzipora

d) Pinchas - Gershom

e) Moshe - Kalev



ANSWERS

1. To the Kohanim

2. On the ground next to the Altar.

3. Every Kohen.

4. The entire congregation of Israel.

5. One week.

6. Older, previously worn Kohanic clothing

7. A regular Kohen brought one, on the first day of his career as a Kohen. The Kohen Gadol has to bring a Mincha every morning of his career.

8. Only from sheep.

9. Part is burned on the Altar; part goes to the Kohanim; and the rest goes to the owner.

10. Moshe was to convince Aharon to accept the position of Kohen Gadol.

11. Many different people such as women, converts, and non-Jewish slaves of Jews.

12. People will bring Thanksgiving offerings, but no Sin offerings will be brought because people will no longer sin. (Ed. note - subject to dispute)

13. One who survived a life-threatening crisis. (B'rachot 54b describes 4 such people: 1. One who survived a desert journey. 2. One who had a sea voyage. 3. One who had a dangerous imprisonment. 4. One who survived a serious illness.)

14. Olive and grape vines.

15. Because everyone had to be pure to bring the Pesach sacrifice.

16.

a) Father - son

b) First cousins

c) Mother-in-law - daughter-in-law

d) First cousins once removed.

e) Brothers-in-law