. Tzav: Preservation

Tzav: Preservation

This week's parsha begins with the ritual of removing the ashes from the altar. The final product, what you end up with, after all that killing of animals, sprinkling of blood and burning. It is a pile of ash. The ritual consists of taking it to the dump. This work is also sanctified.

Starting the day cleaning up the leavings of yesterday's celebration brings perspective to the day's activities.  Another day will be spent in leaning, slaughtering,  blood sprinkling and burning, and tomorrow morning, the ashes will be cleaned away. 

That cycle is broken.  Jews have not offered animal sacrifices for thousands of years. But we preserve the texts that describe the performance, we preserve a past that is long scattered ashes. 

The destruction of the temples and their service are the focus of traditional collective morning.  The scope of the  loss that is mourned in the fasting cycle that culminates on Tisha Ba'av is not openly mentioned; but the loss of the temple is clearly stated. It is dangerous to confront the prevailing hegemon with tears for the loss of political power. Sorrow for the loss of ritual passes with much less suspicion ( at least in modern times). 

We hide loyalty to a power other than the government  in the  Kedusha, the apex of the communal prayer. The last phrase  in that cunning text is 

Gd will reign forever; Your God, Zion, throughout all generations!

A political power that overrides the temporal is recognized. The implication is that ultimate loyalty is pledged to Gd. Can the ruler trust such a divided loyalty? 

In the modern world, this faith in the greater power  has a degree of acceptance in a modified form. Although national interests are recognized as legitimate, certain acts - war crimes - are forbidden under all circumstances. 

Today is Sushan Purim, the celebration of the (temporary) victory of Esther over Haman's genocidal plot. We relate Haman to Aagag, the king of Amalek in the time of Samuel and Saul.  The Torah reading connected to Purim is about Amalek.  Amaleks's behavior is described in Parshat Zachor, the portion of Deuteronomy read on the Shabbath before Purim:

וַיְזַנֵּ֤ב בְּךָ֙ כׇּל־הַנֶּחֱשָׁלִ֣ים אַֽחֲרֶ֔יךָ וְאַתָּ֖ה עָיֵ֣ף וְיָגֵ֑עַ

how, undeterred by fear of God, he surprised you on the march, when you were famished and weary, and cut down all the stragglers in your rear.

Amalek was the first war criminal. They slaughtered non-combatants. Every party to the conflict shares a fear of Gd. This common Gd, demanding a modicum of civility ( a very low bar) is generally acceptable.

I imagine that many died guarding the temple and its service from the invaders.   What were they really  defending? Not the cycle of ash collection.