Torah Commentary - Tzav
*Commentary courtesy of Menahem Me-Zahav
Our Sidrah – the second Sidrah in the Book of Leviticus is dedicated to the Kohanim. Its name is obtained from the 2nd Passuk: “Tzav - Convey the command (of God) to Aaron and his sons” (Leviticus 6:2). The Hebrew word “Tzav” reminds us of another, well known word: “Mitzva”. Both words are derived from the same root “Tzaveh” (Zade, Dalet & Hei). The meaning is therefore, that God tells Moses to teach the Kohanim all the Mitzvot that they will be performing when fulfilling their duties. The duties are related primarily to the offerings made daily in the Sanctuary.
Summary of the various offerings
They were listed previously. They fully occupied the Kohanim almost every day.
a. The Burnt (“Olah”) offering: Was tendered by a person who felt guilty over a wrong, that he
may have committed. With the sacrifice he was expressing his remorse, and a wish to do right in the
future.
b. The Meal (“Mincha”) offering: Was given by a person who felt guilty, but could not afford an
animal sacrifice. The Meal offering consisted of flour mixed with oil and frankincense (“Levonah”).
c. The Thanksgiving (“Todah") offering: Was an expression of appreciation by its donor to God
for some good that had come to him (IE: Recovering from disease, being released from prison,
returning unharmed from a grueling voyage through the desert or the sea, etc.).
d. The Sin (“Chatat”) offering: Was presented by a person, who unknowingly misbehaved. At a
later time, he found out, that his wrong doings, did harm someone else. It goes without saying, that
before he brings the offering, he must apologize to the person whom he (unknowingly) harmed.
e. The Guilt (“Asham”) offering: Was an offering by a person who had willfully transgressed and
wanted to ‘come clean’ before God. “And the Kohen shall make atonement for him and he shall be
forgiven” (Leviticus 5:26).
What can we learn from the ancient offerings?
After the destruction of the Second Temple (68 CE) the offerings were replaced by Personal Prayer to God. The Individual Prayer, mostly in the synagogue, makes up an important part of our lives. Prayer is regarded by the Rambam (12th Century CE) as “The best way to obtain Nearness to God”. The following question arose: Do the offerings that have no place any more in our lives, still have some meaning for us today? One of the many answers goes as follows: The last offering mentioned in our Sidrah is the offering of Shelamim. The Word Shelamim originates from the root Shalem (Shin, Lamed & Mem) as does the word Shalom. By mentioning the Shelamim as the last of all the offerings, the Torah teaches us how much it values The Shalom:
“Shalom – Peace, is the culmination of all blessings and it should be the most important pursuit of all mankind” (Rabbi Meir 2nd Century CE).
Strict Prohibition against the Consumption of Blood.
The Torah considers the blood of the animal as the essence of its life. Having been given permission to eat meat for our own sustenance, we are however ordered to treat the blood with dignity. “And you should not consume any blood of an animal or a bird” (Leviticus 7:26). The blood must be covered with sand (Deuteronomy 7:24).
In order to remove all traces of blood from the meat before eating, it must be soaked in water (30 min) and then salted (60 min) prior to cooking (Law of Kashrut).
The 7 days of consecration for the Kohanim.
The Sidrah concludes with Moses instructing the newly ordained Kohanim to camp outside the Sanctuary at its entrance, for 7 days and 7 nights. It will validate their commitment. “And Moses told Aaron and his sons: You shall not leave the Sanctuary for seven days…for your consecration will require seven days…And you shall camp out at the entrance to the Sanctuary, day and night, for seven days,
and you shall watch God’s Watch” (Leviticus 8:33&35).
The Shalshelet
Among all the tropes in the Torah, the Shalshelet is probably the most intriguing.
First of all, it presents a real challenge to the Torah Reader (The Ba’al Koreh).
Secondly, there are only 4 times, that we can find a Shalshelet in the Torah.
Here they are:
1st time: Genesis (19:16) over the word “VaYitmahama” - Lott was “slow” in leaving Sodom (That was
about to be destroyed by God).
2nd time: Genesis (24:12) over the word “VaYomar” - Eliezer “spoke” to himself /and to God about the
expected wife for Isaac).
3rd time: Genesis (38:8) over the word “VaYemaen” - Joseph “refused” the seduction by his
owner’s wife.
4th time Today: Levitikus our Sidrah of Tzav (8:23)
over the word “VaYishchat” - Moses Made the offering to God.
Please see the explanation in the Note, at the very end
- - - - - - - - - -
There are 2 Scrolls of Torah taken out today. The 1st Scroll is for the Sidrah of Tzav.
It is then lifted and dressed (Hagbaha & Gelilla). Afterwards, the following section, regarding Shabbat Parah is read from the 2nd Scroll.
- - - - - - - - - -
Special Maftir for Shabbat Parah, Numbers 19:1-22.
This is the 3rd of the 4 special Shabbats preceding Pessach פסח. The special reading describes the offering of a Red Heifer - Parah Adumah. Its ashes are to be used in purifying a person who (for example) had touched a dead animal, etc.
There have been many attempts to come up with a logical explanation, to the ritual of the Parah Adumah. Since no one could come up with a proper answer, it was agreed that this particular command is an order of God, that cannot be questioned. The Midrash tells that even King Solomon, known to be, the wisest man on earth, could not explain this command of God.
The linkage to the Holiday of Pessach may be explained as follows: The ritual of the Parah Adumah, reminds us of a purification ritual that our ancestors performed in the weeks preceding Pessach. It was their way to prepare themselves for the holiday.
The purification ritual serves as the linkage to our Haftarah (next).
Special Haftarah for Shabbat Parah: Ezekiel 36:16-38.
Ezekiel was among the prominent Jews who were forcibly brought to Babylonia with “The exile of King Yehoyachin” (598 BCE). Most of the remaining Jewish people were exiled at the destruction of the Temple (586 BCE). They joined the ones already in the Babylonian exile.
In our Haftarah, The Prophet Ezekiel the great consoler, promises his Jewish brethren that God will soon restore them to their own land. God will then purify them and they will be holy again: “I (God) will take you from among the nations and I will gather you from among the nations, and I will bring you back to your own land. I will then sprinkle pure water upon you and you shall be pure…And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers” (Ezekiel 36:24-25 & 28).
The purification (by God) of the Jewish people in the Special Haftarah, is the linkage to the purification ritual, which is mentioned in today’s (above) Special Maftir reading.
Below we can see how the trope Shalshelet looks like:
Note: ֓
The Shalshelet. (continues)
The Hebrew meaning of the word Shalshelet, is “A Chain”. It looks however more like a saw with 3 teeth.
The symbolism of the Shalshelet is usually explained, in that the person involved, happens to be struggling with his inner anxieties, causing him to undergo some hesitation in his actions.
The above is definitely true with the 3 people (Lott, Eliezer & Joseph) who are each “honored” with a Shalshelet, in the Book of Genesis.
When it comes to Moses (in our Sidrah), things are different. Moses is currently involved, in probably one of the most important acts of his life. He is following God’s detailed instructions for the opening of the Sanctuary (Which was just completed).
Moses has just directed the dressing of the (5) new Kohanim with their special clothes. He then prepared the altar, sacrificed 2 offerings and is just in the middle of sacrificing the 3rd offering (which will require a long, and detailed procedure). It is all performed by Moses personally (As can be read in Leviticus in the full chapter 8). At this very moment, Moses may have been trying very hard to memorize, the proper order of God’s instructions, thus causing him to slow down, for a split second.
This may have been the purpose of the Shalshelet, in our Sidrah.
There are other opinions as well.
