Tzav, Zachor, Megillah

The parsha, Tzav, deals with the initiation of Aaron and his sons into the priesthood. A special status is conferred upon Aaron and his descendants. They are the ministers of the Hashem’s ritual. That status helps them ascend ,in the second temple period, to regency, That dynasty ultimately succumbs to assimilation.


The Megillah tells a story of ascendancy that is ambivalent about assimilation. The story emphasizes the futility of the attempt to assimilate ( Haman refers to the dispersed people), the danger of being different and the triumph of Jewish national pride. The Megillah story is also a reminder that Jews have implacable enemies (hence the relationship to parshath Zachor).


Part of what Jews bring to the word is the idea of the implacable enemy, both the external (Nazi, Amalek) and the internal ( greed, lust). Yet, we live with it and through it.