This week's Portion, Tzav, describes in detail the procedures which the priests (Aaron and his sons) are to follow in offering up different types of sacrifices brought to the Mishkan by the children of Israel. God commands the priests that sacrifices be offered in a very specific manner; that these offerings are Holy.
God commands Moses to clothe Aaron and his sons in the priestly garments, to anoint them "to function as priests for YHWH" (Leviticus 7:35)*, and to offer a sacrifice for them.
God also commands Moses to anoint the Mishkan. This sets the stage for Aaron and his sons to officially assume the duties of the priesthood and to officiate over the sacrificial rituals which God has commanded the Israelite community to observe.
We, the descendents of the ancient Israelites, hear Parshat Tzav chanted in a synagogue where we offer prayers in a service led by a Rabbi and a Cantor. The Mishkan, the sacrificial offerings, the priestly officiants have been replaced as Judaism has evolved. Still, we gather together to dedicate ourselves to following God's commandments and to strengthen one another.
We study Tzav's account of sacrifices and the priestly role to understand the teachings which we can apply in a world vastly different from the wilderness of the Mishkan. As always, the teachings are there.
Among the phrases that are repeated in Tzav is God's warning that if a person in an impure state should eat the sacrificial meat or if any person should eat blood from a sacrificial animal, "...that person will be cut off from his people." (Leviticus7:20-21, 25-26).* This repetition calls our attention to this dire consequence and emphasizes the essentially communal nature of Judaism. In the time of the Mishkan, to be "cut off" from one's people meant to be left to wander alone in the wilderness, without the protection and support of the community and without proximity to God's Presence which filled the Mishkan. One who was "cut off" would most likely die.
Tzav teaches that from its earliest inception, Judaism was not meant to be a religion of solitary contemplation and individual worship. While we may each develop a personal connection with God, we affirm our faith and declare our belief in The Eternal as a community.
Together we pray:
"Sh'ma Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu..." - "Hear Oh Israel, Adonai is OUR God..."
"Baruch Ata Adonai Eloheinu v'eilohei avoteinu v'imoteinu..." - "Blessed are You Adonai OUR God, God of OUR fathers and OUR mothers..."
"Avinu Malkeinu..." - "OUR Parent, Our Ruler..."
"Aleinu l'shabeach laadon hakol..." - "WE must praise Adonai..."
From the ancient to the "_nu."
The "_nu" ending of such Hebrew words as Eloheinu, Avoteinu, Aleinu means "our" or "we." The "_nu" in the prayers that we offer up today recalls God's warning in the first moments of Jewish communal worship as described in Tzav - We must follow God's commandments or risk being "cut off."
One further note-
In the coming weeks as we prepare for Pesach, be mindful of the teachings of Tzav. Re-examine the wrongdoing of the "wicked" child in the Haggadah who asks, "Whatever does this service mean to you?" and in so doing, "...excludes himself or herself from the community and rejects a major principle of faith.."**
Following God's commandments with "our people" keeps us spiritually alive, always.
Shabbat Shalom - Rest and Renew
*From Commentary on the Torah by Richard Elliott Friedman
**From A Different Night: A Family Participation Haggadah by Noam Zion and David Dishon
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