TORAH SPARKS ניצוצות תורה
פרשת צו – שבת זכור
PARASHAT TZAV – SHABBAT ZACHOR
March 19, 2011 – 13 Adar II 5771 – י"ג אדר ב’ תשע"א
Annual: Leviticus 6:1 – 8:36 (Etz Hayim, p. 613; Hertz p. 429)
Triennial: Leviticus 6:1 – 7:10 (Etz Hayim, p. 613; Hertz p. 429)
Maftir: Deuteronomy 25:17 – 19 (Etz Hayim, p. 1135; Hertz p. 856)
Haftarah: 1 Samuel 15:2 – 34 (Etz Hayim, p. 1281; Hertz p. 995)
Prepared by Rabbi Joseph Prouser
Baldwin, New York
Opening with the divine command that a flame be kept burning on the altar in perpetuity, parashat Tzav includes a more comprehensive and detailed review of the sacrifices already introduced in the opening chapters of Leviticus: additional laws concerning burnt offerings, daily meal offerings from both the high priest and the other priests, laws of the expiatory sin and guilt offerings, offerings of well-being and of thanksgiving. Expanding ritual responsibility from the priesthood to the general populace – and in so doing, anticipating the content of coming chapters in parashat Shemini – all Israelites are forbidden to eat the fat or blood even of permitted animals.
Again emphasizing the sacred role of the people Israel as a whole, at God’s command Moses gathers the entire community of Israel at the entrance of the Tent
of Meeting. Moses washes Aaron and his sons and dresses them in the prescribed
priestly vestments. The tabernacle and altar and its ritual accoutrements all are anointed with sacred oil, further initiating the regimen of Israelite sacrificial worship. The altar is sanctified with a bullock and rams, and the ordination of the priests, including Aaron, is signified by the sacrificial blood put on their ears, thumbs, and toes. Through this dramatic ritual, biblicist Baruch Levine observes, “the person being purified was treated literally from head to foot,” dedicating his entire being to his sacred endeavor. Philo, the first-century Jewish writer and historian, commented further on the specifics of this ceremony of ordination: “The fully consecrated must be pure in words and actions and in life; for words are judged by hearing, the hand is the symbol of action, and the foot of the pilgrimage of life.” The newly ordained founding priests of Israel are consecrated by the sacrificial blood and sacred oil sprinkled on them, as was the altar at which they will serve God and God’s chosen people. The installation of Israel’s cultic leaders culminates in a weeklong process: “You shall remain at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting day and night for seven days, keeping the Lord’s charge – that you may not die – for so I have commanded” (8:35).
Theme #1: “Fire in the Holy!”
“A perpetual fire shall be kept burning on the altar, not to go out.” Leviticus
6:6
Derash: Study
“The thirst for God, which burns and rages with a powerful flame in the
heart – it is forbidden to extinguish. If one who extinguishes an ember on the altar in the physical world violates the prohibition ‘A perpetual fire shall be kept burning on the altar, not to go out,’ how much more so one who extinguishes an ember of the higher spirit on the spiritual altar – the Jewish heart. Furthermore, one must continue to add to the flame … with sound reasoning, wisdom and understanding, the light of Torah and the illumination of God’s commandments, so that the ember will grow and flame will rise, achieving new heights of power and intensity…” Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook
“The fire shall not be extinguished, even when the Israelite camp is in transit.” Jerusalem Talmud, Yoma 4:6
“As long as a person is at home carrying on a daily routine among relatives and friends, it is not so easy to stray from the straight path into sin. The
discipline of daily living, coupled with the ever watchful eyes of those
around us, keep us from improper conduct. But when we travel far from home the situation is entirely different. We meet only strangers; there is no one in whose presence we are constrained to be circumspect… At such times it is probable that we will go astray and take the path of evil… ‘A perpetual fire shall be kept burning on the altar’ – The fire of love and fear of God must be kept burning at all times upon the altar of the human heart,
‘not to go out, even when in transit.’ That divine spark must not be permitted to go out even when we are far from home.” Ha-Derash V’ha- Iyun
“Other council fires were here before ours.” Moses Shongo, Seneca
Medicine Man
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” William
Butler Yeats
“The most tangible of all mysteries — fire.” James Henry Leigh Hunt
Questions for Discussion
Compare the interpretation of the Jerusalem Talmud – expanded upon by Ha-Derash
V’ha-Iyun – to the relationship of diaspora communities (Jewish communities “in transit”) to the state of Israel and Zionist activity. How can we as individual Jews – and we as congregations – “add to the flame with sound reasoning, wisdom, and understanding”? What meaningful and constructive contributions can we make to the Zionist cause?
How different are our personal religious standards and patterns of observance at home and “in transit”? Is there not an irony in the observation of Ha-Derash V’ha-
Iyun? Would it make more sense to aspire to a higher standard away from home,
where we contribute to establishing a community ethos, rather than in the privacy of our own household and family circle? Kashrut at home, for example, can (especially for those not directly involved in the selection, purchase, and preparation of food)
lack specific consciousness, and be observed by default. Isn’t kashrut in transit a more mindful spiritual undertaking? What religious and moral fundamentals are especially critical when we are on the road?
Applying Moses Shongo’s axiom to the altar suggests that the perpetual flame was a reminder that we are heirs to a longstanding tradition. We need not reinvent the
wheel or kindle a flame entirely de novo. How do we balance contemporary spiritual
needs and the values of the society around us with the counsel of our predecessors? What weight do we give to precedent and received tradition? How do we best acquaint ourselves with the insights of earlier Jewish council fires?
Leigh Hunt observes that fire is an apt symbol for the mysterious. What mysteries are suggested by the perpetual fire of the altar? Is mystery a desirable aspect of
contemporary Judaism? What religious responses are demanded by acceptance of
the elusive, recognition of the insoluble mystery?
Apply Yeats’ poetic insight to our verse. What would it mean to have a symbol of religious education – and, specifically, fire as a symbol of Jewish education – as a
perpetual presence on the altar? How do we ignite this fire in our children? Our
students? On the college campus? In our own hearts?
Theme #2: “Assembly Required”
“Assemble the whole community at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.”
Leviticus 8:3
Derash: Study
“This is one of the instances where a small area accommodated a
disproportionately large group of people.” Rashi; Vayikra Rabbah 10:9
“The whole community: The tribal leaders and the elders.” Ibn Ezra
“It is as we join with others, in a way that only human beings can, in shared engagement to a common vision, that we find ourselves in the presence of another presence that is the final source of our hopes and intentions, and
that undergirds and sustains them.” Judith Plaskow
“We are born in relation, we live in relation, we die in relation. There is, literally, no such human place as simply ‘inside myself.’ Nor is any person, creed, ideology, or movement entirely ‘outside myself.’” Carter Heyward
“A community is not worthy of respect which does not insist upon the right to be heard touching its own affairs, but surrenders the right of judgment and decision to a company of men, however wise and benevolent, who substitute their own opinions and wishes for the convictions and determinations of the whole people.” Rabbi Stephen S. Wise
“A community needs a soul if it is to become a true home for human beings. You, the people, must give it this soul.” Pope John Paul II
Questions for Discussion
What critical lesson does Rashi offer our congregations? Is he suggesting that the gathering at the Tent of Meeting described in our verse somehow was miraculous?
Compare to Pirkei Avot 5:7. What can we do to make our congregations similarly expansive in their hospitality and inclusiveness?
Rabbi Wise and Ibn Ezra seem to offer diametrically opposed understandings of our verse. What might have motivated Ibn Ezra’s seemingly elitist approach? Imagine each exegete defending his position to his colleague across the centuries. What happy medium or accommodation might they have reached, if any? Or is each simply a product of his times?
What is the soul of our community? Of a specific congregation? Of the Conservative movement? How do we or should we contribute to providing this soul? How can we make our communities into true spiritual homes?
Judith Plaskow and Carter Heyward both are prominent feminist theologians. How do their remarks differ from each other? How do they work together to illuminate
the significance of our verse? How does each speak directly to the specific needs
and challenges of Jewish life and Jewish theology?
How do we find the proper balance between our individual spiritual journeys and the needs and demands of the community and our own need for communal Jewish
experiences? How are we to respond when our own beliefs or patterns of observance
are at odds with communal standards and styles? What does the individual Jew owe a local congregation, such personal differences notwithstanding? What does the congregation owe the individual Jew, the question of affiliation notwithstanding?
Historic Note
March 19, 2011, Shabbat Zachor, recalls the ruthless attack on Israel by the
tribal people of Amalek, the prototypical perpetrator of anti-Semitism, and anticipates the observance of Purim, commemorating the genocidal designs of Amalek’s descendant Haman. On March 19, 1943, Haj Amin al- Husseini, the exiled mufti of Jerusalem, marked the birthday of the prophet Mohammed with a broadcast from Rome to the Arab world. Haj Amin used the occasion to incite anti-Jewish hatred. His speech included a pledge from German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop that “the obliteration of what is called the Jewish national home is a basic tenet of German policy.” Halachah L’Maaseh
13 Adar (or, in a leap year, 13 Adar II) typically is observed as the Fast of
Esther, recalling the three days Esther fasted before interceding with Achashverosh on behalf the imperiled Jewish people. When other fasts (Asarah b’Tevet, Shivah Asar b’Tammuz, Tisha b’Av) fall on Shabbat, the
observance is postponed to Sunday. When 13 Adar (or Adar II) coincides
with Shabbat, however, as it does this year, the fast of Esther is observed on the Thursday before Purim, because Sunday is Purim and fasting would be both prohibited and out of sync with the biblical event being commemorated. (See Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim 550:3; 696:3.)