Tzav: Orders

This parsha consists of instructions to the incipient Kohanim ( priests) and ends with their elaborate inauguration ceremony.

Tzav means command.  A command is an order given with an expectation of fulfillment. The command assumes a relationship of unquestioning obedience. The recipient of the demand is enthralled to the commander. The military is a common representation of this process. The order of the superior officer must be followed, regardless of the understanding of the lower ranking soldier or a penalty will ensue. We also see this in medicine. Nurses and technicians are duty bound to carry out doctor’s orders; patients are expected to follow doctor’s instructions.

In the contemporary world, these bonds of chain of command have been loosened.  There are human rights that soldiers may not violate, regardless of their orders. There are limits to what can be commanded. Nurses are expected to exercise their own knowledge and education to question doctor’s orders which may be in error.  How does this impact on Divine commands?

In this parsha, Aaron and his sons become insiders.  They are the actors in the Temple drama. The proper performance of the service takes precedence over how they feel or what they think. The director, and outside eye, arranges the scene so that the audience is enlightened, regardless of how the actors  feel. The show must go on and the audience must be moved. The contract implies that the director is the superior officer. Aaron and his sons are entering into that contract.

 

The parsha starts:

צַ֤ו אֶֽת־אַהֲרֹן֙ וְאֶת־בָּנָ֣יו לֵאמֹ֔ר זֹ֥את תּוֹרַ֖ת הָעֹלָ֑ה הִ֣וא הָעֹלָ֡ה עַל֩ מוֹקְדָ֨הֿ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֤חַ כׇּל־הַלַּ֙יְלָה֙ עַד־הַבֹּ֔קֶר וְאֵ֥שׁ הַמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ תּ֥וּקַד בּֽוֹ׃

 

Command Aaron and his sons thus: This is the ritual of the burnt offering: The burnt offering itself shall remain where it is burned upon the altar all night until morning, while the fire on the altar is kept going on it.

 

Ramban comments:

ולפי דעתי מה שאמר (ויקרא ו׳:ו׳) אש תמיד תוקד על המזבח לא תכבה מצוה לכהנים בקיום האש

In my opinion, that which He said, Fire shall be kept burning upon the altar continually; it shall not go out, is a commandment directed to the priests to keep fire burning continually upon the altar,

 

Ramban  (based on additional evidence) invests sanctity into the fire.  The continuity of the fire is a significant issue that the Kohen must attend to. We, who have matches and lighters, cannot appreciate how difficult it was for the ancients to start a fire. This difficulty probably imparted a greater appreciation for  the miracle that is fire and its control. This altar fire was special, and its continuity preserved a connection with the initiating fire.

The continuity of fire is a conceptual endurance. The materials – the fuels and the oxygen from air- that  create the fire are not the same from moment to moment, much less over days, weeks, years and centuries. Fire is intrinsically a thing of continuity, it is a self sustained chemical reaction that produces heat and light.  On the altar, it is ready to consume.  The logs and burnt offerings feed the fire and  keep it going – ready to consume the next sacrifice.

The next verses instruct the Kohen on the removal of the ashes – what is left after the fire has done its work on the fuel.  The Kohen, himself, in uniform, must remove the rubbish. Had this command not been issued to the Kohen, I imagine this job would have been delegated, perhaps to a Levite, perhaps to an immigrant. The sanctity of the altar is emphasized. Dignity is not the job of the Kohen. The job of the Kohen is obedience.  This is part of a set up for what is to follow ( the death of  Nadav and Avihu).

 

The end of the parsha describes the instillation rite. After donning the uniform and anointment with the spiced oil,three animal sacrifices are brought. A chatoth, and olah and a miluim. The ritual shares features with the rite that is performed at the end of a Nazirite term ( Chatoth, olah, shlomim) and it has features that are echoed in the purification  of the cleaned Tzoraath victim – the blood on the ear, thumb and toe of the  supplicant. The initiation ritual was a graduation, a  celebration of accomplishment like the successful Nazerite; and it was an elevation to a purer state  like the cured Tzoraath victim.

Businesses, hospitals, armies  and the theater cannot function without people following orders. This approach that allows and demands that orders be questioned is new ( as a widely accepted approach). Will it work out? How will it evolve?

 

Vayikra: Regret and Expiation

 

 

This parsha begins the description of the sacrificial rite, the rituals that slaughter cattle, sheep, goats, pigeons and doves; or offer flour, baked goods, wine, oil and frankincense. Thes are ceremonies that make use, primarily , of the large altar in the courtyard of the temple. Sacraments are performed by the priests, Aaron and his sons.

These practices are so distant they seem to belong to some other, more primitive, religion. Jews wouldn’t do such wasteful things. The animals have monetary value. They have the value of being animate; they share so many characteristics with humans.  Taking the life of an animal is a significant act, bordering on the forbidden; doing it for a ritual that does not produce a tangible benefit is despicable, certainly not Jewish as we understand it now. But the book of Vayikra ( Leviticus) is canon. It is part of the annual cycle of review of the text that is the shared core of our heritage.  What does it mean now?

The Talmud is the distinctively Jewish tradition. It defines the permitted and the forbidden in practicable detail.  Although it was  compiled in the fourth and fifth centuries of the common era, hundreds of years after Jews stopped doing the sacrificial rite, one sixth is dedicated to the specifics  of the sacrificial practice ( the section Kodshim) and one sixth explicates the  details of ritual purity ( Teharoth) required for the Temple rituals. The memories of altar practices are carried forward.

 

The parsha starts with the directions; not really enough detail to know how to perform the ritual ( the Talmud provides that), but an outline,  including the animal species and the special role of blood and omental fat. It is only at the end of the parsha that motivations are addressed. Does this arrangement mean that the reason for these activities is unimportant? Perhaps the motivation is obvious.

 

One approach to these rites is that they are instructions for how to please Gd. No further incentive is necessary. Abraham’s binding of Isaac as a (near) burnt offering is the paradigm.  These things are done because they are commanded.  The fewer questions, the better. Adherence to the instructions is the value. The supplicant is gifting an entity that can not be understood but  it can be pleased  by these unusual activities. They do not need to make sense.

The first sacrifices of Abel and Cain were instinctive modes of interaction with the Gd of creation. When the flock increased, when the crop flourished, it was only right to offer a portion to the force that made this happen.  When Abel did it  properly, Gd showed pleasure; when Cain skimped on the offering, he suffered the pain of rejection. From the first, Cain was told that all he need do was improve his performance. Taking out the competition seemed a better alternative at the time.

The end of the parsha describes some specific types of offerings, the variable offering and the guilt offering, but introduces them with the reasons that they are given.  Failure to testify, contamination by death or disease, or violating an oath  prompt an offering of some kind. It may be a sheep or a goat for the well off, birds for the crafty, wheat flour for the poor. This variable sacrifice requires sacramental action, but the details are not as important.  It is not a fixed fine.

 

One common thread to these sins that motivate a variable sacrifice is a lack of residual evidence.  When the rite is performed, there is no physical object to attest to the offense. This ritual is an expression of regret and an act of expiation.

 

  Unauthorized  use or theft from the sacred requires a very specific animal, a ram, and it must be valued at 2 shekel. This expiation requires the payment of a fixed fine. This sacrificial ram ( the species that replaced Isaac)  is brought in addition to the restitution, which, in turn, is supplemented by a 25% surcharge payable to the Kohen. This asham offering is clearly a penalty for violating the unexplained instruction, and the ram is a reminder of the value of following those instructions exactly.

 

The parsha ends with the  asham that is to be brought for fraud or theft from another person. The penalty is identical to that exacted from one who misappropriated the sacred. The restitution and 25% surcharge is, of course, paid to the wronged individual. The ram is again the sacrifice. The interactions among people are also Gd’s business.  Cheating another person is a violation of Gd’s rules, and Gd deserves an apology. Make sure it is all done according to specifications!

 

 

 

 

 

Vayakheil-Pikudei: the dream

This week’s double parsha outlines the construction of the Mishkan, the portable temple. It is the culmination of the four and one half parshioth that end the book of Exodus. Terumah and Titzaveh outlined the plans. Vayakheil tells of the production and the pieces are assembled in Pikudei.  It is a story of project management. It has the satisfying ending of completion.

The pieces that are to be assembled are praised as being done in accordance with the Divine instructions

וַיַּ֨רְא מֹשֶׁ֜ה אֶת־כׇּל־הַמְּלָאכָ֗ה וְהִנֵּה֙ עָשׂ֣וּ אֹתָ֔הּ כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה יְ

 

And Moshe saw all the work, and, behold, they had done it as the Lord had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moshe blessed them.

 

Following instructions is the value that is emphasized. Was there room for creativity? Yes, but strictly within the bounds set by the instructions. This is the essence of formal education. No one questions the source of the instructions or the accuracy of their transmission. Such questions do not belong in the  context of this text. They are more valid, more necessary, in our everyday lives.

 

 

The reading ends with the erection of the mishkan, an Ikea-like process of fitting together pieces fabricated to specifications. How satisfying it is  when they all fit.

 

Finally, the cloud hovers over the sanctuary and the glory of Gd fills the space. Not even Moses can enter the sanctuary now, it is occupied.

 

The last three verses of the book of Exodus say that the cloud that hovered over the כְב֣וֹד (Kavod – the glory,honor, heaviness) of Gd,  would guide the  Israelites in their travels through the desert, and, presumably, to the Holy Land, the place of rest. The cloud would guide the tabernacle, the journey was directed by the Gd, the tabernacle chased after the guiding cloud.

 

From this ending it seems that it would have been more appropriate if Bamidbar ( “in the desert”, rendered as Numbers in King James) were the next book, since it deals with the travels. Actually, Vayikra ( Leviticus) follows. Vayikra is a description of the sacrificial rite and the laws of the purity required for its performance. The human and animal interaction with the tabernacle needed to be explicated. The sacrificial rite  gives a comprehensible  purpose to this huge investment of materials and labor.

 

Now, the tabernacle is completed. It is right on time for the first anniversary of the Exodus. It is the first of Nissan, the month that is starting this week. Nissan is a milestone is the preparation for Passover, the celebration of the Exodus.

 

 The pieces are made, they fit together. But as a description, there is not difference between the plans, the construction, and the assembly.  To us, it is all an imagined thing. And it is gone. As a testament to Gd’s presence and guidance, that seems to have faded quickly. The sacrificial function is what remained… until 2000 years ago. Since then, it has all been less substantial than a cloud… it has been a dream. I prefer the dream of Divine guidance which I take to mean  enlightenment over the sacrificial rite - the constant test of obedience.  Perhaps my preferences need to be put aside.

 

 

KiThisah: Love

 

KiThisah: Love

 

As a narrative, this week’s parsha is the climax of the Torah.  The drama of the Exodus, the Sinai revelation, the prophecy of Moses, the priesthood of Aaron, the inept confusion of  the Israelites, the wrath and mercy of Gd -  all move together to propel the relationship forward.

The parsha starts with the poll tax. The purpose was to count the men eligible for military service. But counting the individual men generates the problem of considering each individual’s strengths and weaknesses. The coins are a “ransom”

וְנָ֨תְנ֜וּ אִ֣ישׁ כֹּ֧פֶר נַפְשׁ֛וֹ

Transferring the count to a fungible, anonymous coin gives the needed information and avoids the surveillance  with the opportunities for exploitation it affords. The data is de-identified. This avoids the emotional aspects, the favoritism, and the accusations.

The parsha then moves to the more sensual aspects of the Temple service. A laver, an instrument to wash, is commanded to prepare the priests for the service. Interaction with the Temple requires that the priests be clean, appealing. The sensual aspect of this kiyor/laver are reinforced by a verse that appears later ( Exodus 38:8)

וַיַּ֗עַשׂ אֵ֚ת הַכִּיּ֣וֹר נְחֹ֔שֶׁת וְאֵ֖ת כַּנּ֣וֹ נְחֹ֑שֶׁת בְּמַרְאֹת֙ הַצֹּ֣בְאֹ֔ת אֲשֶׁ֣ר צָֽבְא֔וּ פֶּ֖תַח אֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵֽד׃ {ס}        

 

And he made the laver of brass, and its pedestal of brass, of the mirrors of the (women) assembling, who assembled at the door of the Tent of Meeting.

 

These were the mirrors used by the people to adorn themselves, to make themselves appealing and lovely. In biological evolutionary terms, these mirrors, from which the instrument of preparatory sanctification was made, were used for mate selection.  They had a love function.

The next two sections deal with  incense, the sense of smell that we, as animals, use to determine desirability. It is the sense that translates into approach or avoidance, attraction or revulsion. It is such a primal sense, talking about it is difficult and uncomfortable. Incense and perfume are as close as we can usually come to confront this driving force.

This section (defined as a section by the drama that follows) ends with the commandment to keep the Sabbath. The implication is that the work of constructing the Temple was to cease for the Sabbath. The Talmudic definition of the activities that are forbidden on the Sabbath (often mistakenly  abbreviate as “work”) relate to the activities involved in building the Temple and this connection may be established here. The Sabbath is the law of benevolence, it demonstrates Divine caring; and insists that we love ourselves and others by having a day of freedom.

Now we are ready for the great scene. Moses is (perceived as?) late. The  delayed, hence unfulfilled, expectation leads to a flood of thoughts that culminate in:

-כִּי-זֶה מֹשֶׁה הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱלָנוּ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם, לֹא יָדַעְנוּ מֶה-הָיָה לוֹ.

This is usually translated:  for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him.'

 

This is a proper idiomatic interpretation, but translating the words it could also mean: ‘Moses, we [never]understood what was with him’

Regardless, the gap in understanding between the people and Moses was now appreciated. If Gd really loved the people, Gd would have assured Moshe’s timely arrival; if Moses really loved the people, he would not make them suffer waiting.

This statement is a justification for the request:

'Up, make us a god who shall go before us;

The people felt that they needed something to go before them. They wanted an object to receive their love and loyalty. They felt abandoned by the object they had dreamed of: some manifestation of the love of Moses and Gd. The energy and emotion they had built up needed an outlet. They had love and no where to manifest it. The people were not necessarily a part of the relationship; maybe it was just between Moses and Gd. They would foster  a new bond.

 

Aaron cleverly demands jewelry, he lets the people know that this new relationship will challenge all of the old ones. Do you really want to do this?  The unfortunate answer is… YES. The  golden calf emerges.

This appears to be a wake-up call. Gd seems prepared to destroy this עַם־קְשֵׁה־עֹ֖רֶף הֽוּא “stiff necked people”

I think that “stiff necked” means determined; the people were  set upon having an object to love, and if the old system did not work, they would make a new one. Love conquered too much.

Moses appeases Gd . He returns to the people, sees their revelry and, like a television forsaken spouse, breaks something, the tablets,( the dishes.). He lashes out at the infidelity.

Much of the remainder of the parsha is the mysterious love interaction between Gd and Moses: Revelations and things that must stay hidden. This spiritual erotica is hidden and tucked away to be brought out in prayers of supplication on the most special of occasions.

 

Love is strong(er than death).  Direct it carefully.  

 

Tetzaveh: the evolution of ritual

Tetzaveh: the evolution of ritual

Tetzaveh deals with active ritual, people ( mostly Priests) doing things in deference  to Gd.

In the previous parsha, a structure centered around the Tablets that Moses brought down from Sinai was described. The altar, the sacrificial place, is presented as an addendum to the courtyard ( the annex) to this shrine. The ritual aspect served the archival.

 The first sentences in Tetzaveh  instruct the people to provide pure olive oil that the Priest uses to light the menorah/candelabra every evening. An interaction of sponsors (the taxed people) and the actor (the Kohen/priest) is established. This is completely in keeping with the materials supplied until now for the the constructions described in Teruma; and the source of materials for the priestly vestments described in Titzaveh.

  Up until now, there was no human interaction with the temple and its courtyard.  The table, with the show-bread, implied that someone would eat the matzoh on display;  the menorah/candelabra  implied  that it would be lit and illuminate the sanctuary; the altar in the courtyard suggest that some form of burnt offering is coming. Now, the delegation of Aaron and his descendants as those assigned to light the  menorah is the beginning of  Israel's representative  spirituality; The ritual as theater.

The Priestly costume, which takes up most of the parsha, is a necessary part of this process.  The High Priest/Kohen gadol  carries the names of their tribes, engraved in  gems, on his shoulders.  The oraclular breastplate displays the tribal names.  These objects announce the Kohen Gadol's representative role. The priests bring the concerns and sins of the people before Gd through ritual. 

The mishkan complex served two purposes.  It was the repository for the tablets with their numerous layers of protection. In the courtyard, the altar stood. The public service on the altar (and the more hidden rituals surrounding the menorah and show bread) were the scenes for action.

The  ritual  lasted longer than the museum. In the second Temple, built by Ezra  and Nehemia during the Persian hegemony after the tablets had been lost, the sacrificial rite continued. The hiatus in the sacrificial practice, lasting70  years (between the first and second temple), asserted the tie between the locus of the temple, what had become holy spot, and the sacrificial rite.  These rituals could be performed only at the place where the temple had stood in Jerusalem. The previous history of location independence, established by the moveable Tabernacle, and  reinforced by the move from Shilo to Jerusalem, had been negated. Real estate had become pre-eminent.

Surviving as a people for 70 years without the animal sacrificial rite also weakened this ceremony’s hold on the nation. There was now enough distance to question the process.  Investing the activity in a representative was not enough.  The Talmud (Taanith 26(4)) describes a democratization of the ritual; a method for  public participation was  added - the Ma'amodoth.

 

וְכִי הֵיאַךְ קׇרְבָּנוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם קָרֵב וְהוּא אֵינוֹ עוֹמֵד עַל גַּבָּיו?

But how can a person’s offering be sacrificed when he is not standing next to it?

 

Local, non-Cohanic representatives, along with Levites in Jerusalem, were now  a part of the ritual…for as long as it lasted. The representatives of the people would fast and read from Genesis at the time of the sacrifices.  Time became the detail that prescribed ritual.  This was a gateway to prayer

   When the second temple was destroyed, only (private) prayer and the congregational reading of the Torah remained as devotional acts. The meaning of the temple and its rites were distilled to these activities at the edge of comprehensibility. We are left with a remnant of the process that captures its essence.