Tzav: following orders

The parsha is called  "command". It consists of orders concerning the initiation of Aaron and his sons into the priesthood.  The protocols for several offerings are reviewed as part of the initiation instructions.  The national  prohibitions on eating blood and mesenteric fat are introduced and then the Cohanic initiation ceremony is described, with a return to the mandatory voice.

When is it appropriate to command?  In the parsha, the word tzav ( command) is used to instruct Moshe in speaking to the Cohanim.  When speaking to the people, the consequences of violation are stated, no word of command.  Perhaps orders are appropriate when speaking to the committed, those who have already deeply  accepted the hierarchy and have a role within it.  Now, just following orders  has a slightly different meaning.  One in a position to receive certain orders is identified as a functionary in the system.  The orders are a way to efficiently accomplish an acknowledged goal.  Everybody has a job: some give orders to give orders, others give orders to people who carry them out.  The acceptance of the position makes for complicity.

When speaking to the populace, pronouncing laws that are not intuitive to most people, explaining the legal consequences is often the best one can do. The result is similar to the tzav, ordering, but the relationship to the system is different, it is acceptance, it is passive.  The law is a warning and the goal of the project is not clear.  The law is followed as a buy-in to the system as a whole,

The parsha is dealing with the initiation: the Cohanim to the Priesthood, the people to the dietary restrictions.  Bu how do we, born into the  large set of ancient rules, interpreted and evolved over millenia, relate to them?  We call them Mitzvoth, a word rooted in tzav.  Do we imagine ourselves volunteer soldiers? or are we following the membership bylaws?

Vayikra: the offerings

Vayikra: the offerings

Vayikra introduces a few fundamental types of oferngs. Two, the olah and shlomim are described in detail and the chatoth uses the more detailed descriptions as a reference.  What do these offerings mean?

The olah, the burnt offering contains the idea of ascent, like Aliya.  The burning in fire is its essence.  The carcass of the animal ( not the skin) is entirely consumed by fire.  I is sometimes called a holocaust  offering.  From that appellation I derive the idea that Gd rewards the total destruction.  There is, perhaps, also a phoenix aspect to the olah. The spirit rises from the ashes.  The olah was the first of the daily offerings.  It fed the fire upon which all of the subsequent offerings were brought.

The shlamim was a feast, with portions  of fat set aside for the altar ( to be burned), portions to be gifted to the Kohen and the remainder eaten, within the time limit, by the donor and her guests,  It is a party, and Gd is invited. It is a peace offering, a small gift to the Divine, and somehow, repayment is expeted.  Gd may be infinite, but you can still have lunch with the boss.

The chatas is an expiation offering,  A sin has been recognized and the  the invisible forces need to be appease.  The chatath is a most holy offering, holier than the olah or shlamim The chatah musters the Kohanic force and the altar to come to the aid of the sinner.  The chatath is slaughtered in the location  designated for the olah’s slaughter and the fats for the altar are like those of the shlamim, and the meat is eaten by the Kohen. 

The earliest men offered sheep and grain.  Sometimes the offering was accepted. Sometimes it was rejected.  The rejection story, the story of Cain, includes strong encouagment for improvement.  Cain picked killing his competitor instead.  Strong motivation to do it right

Pikudei: assignment

Pikudei: assignment

This week's parsha is Pikudei: the  accounting of the Mishkan. How much precious material is turned into sacred objects. How bulk is distributed into specifics. 

Prior to its usage in this weeks parsha, the word  פקד (Pokad) is used 8 times.  The first refers to Gd  considering  Sarah. Sarah had accompanied Abraham on the dangerous journeys and had cooperated with him in misleading their hosts about their relationship.  She had sacrificed her pride by giving her maidservant to Abraham so that  he could have a son.  Now it was time for Sarah's compensation, she had acquired enough of the capital of the downtrodden to rate Divine consideration which meant the fulfillment of her dream 


 The next 5  usages of פקד all refer to Gd remembering to redeem Israel.  This is the expression  of  the faith of  Joseph that ends the Genesis. Joseph sees the Israelites trapped by economic shakles in Egypt, but he imagines that, at the right time, Gd will recall the promise to the patriarchs and redeem Israel and bring them to the Promised land.  פקד becomes the password  for the human redeemer, Moshe

 Moshe repeats Joseph's words in his  testimony of  the burning bush to the elders of Israel in Egypt.  The generation of Moshe understand  these words better.  They understand the degradation of slavery that has been imposed upon them   Now they, like Sarah, have a claim for reparations. They have paid their dues.  Slavery in Egypt is not their mission

The next two  mentions of פקד refer to Gd calling the people to account for their sins of idolatry,  The first  is in the context of the 10 commandments.  The second is part of the statement of (ambivalent) forgiveness after the Golden calf, the words that follow the 13 attributes of mercy that we call on in the days of fasting and the days of judgement.  They are the terrifying word that we do not say: that the sins of the parents are visited upon the children.  The accounting works both ways.  Gd compensates for suffering and  repays the betrayal that is idolatry, even onto the  third generation.

Then comes our parsha, the accounting of the Mishkan.  Which פקד is this? It seems like simple  accounting: making sure that everything adds up, nothing is pilfered, ; material is converted to objects.

 Everything is used for its intended purpose, all missions are fulfilled. 

All missions are fulfilled

Vayakheil: portable

Vayakheil: portable

The various pieces of the Sanctuary are described. The ark and its cover, the table, the menorah, the spice alter, etc.  Every object has rings for staves, so it can be transported.  Portability is an important property of these sacred objects. 

This mishkan, described in the parsha, was to accompany the people in their wanderings, until they entered the land and ( centuries later) a permanent home was found. But the holy objects were the same.  The ark, housing  the tablets from Sinai, always had the staves in place, ready for transport.

In the Nature podcast this week, there was a report on "How do you know where you are when you’re not moving." The point was: the regions of the brain that remember how to get somewhere are understood better than the mechanisms involved in knowing that you are there and orienting to the arrival.  Perhaps this is reflected in the emphasis on transportability in the holy objects.  They are always, potentially, on the move, adapting to new circumstances

The State of Israel changes everything. It means that the people have arrived, wandering is now voluntary.  Do the wanderers adapt to the settlers?  Do the settlers wander further?

The mishkan was built by those who were Chacham lev: wise of heart. Wise with a heart.  Wise like the heart.  The heart pumps out measured potions of blood at regular intervals, about every second.  But the heart adapts to circumstances of demand and rest.   Perhaps the builders of te mishkan imbued the objects with these qualities: constancy and adaptability.