Come Wash The Night Time Clean (John Barlow & Bob Weir - "Cassidy")

          Typically, at this time of year, we focus on cleaning our house as part of our family’s Pesach preparations. Each child is expected to go through their respective closets and drawers and begin purging, eliminating clothes that don’t fit, any trash that didn’t get into a trash can on the initial attempt, as any crumbs that may have found their way upstairs into their bedrooms. The Pesach/Spring cleaning forces each of us to simplify and lighten our footprint. Lately, we have noticed that our attention upon “cleaning house” has expanded to another house and another resident who has been engaged in house cleaning. While he probably isn’t preparing for Pesach, the President has been "cleaning house" as well. Since Purim, the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico resigned, White House Communications Director Hope Hicks resigned, National Economic Council Director Gary Cohen left the White House because of his disagreement with the President over tariffs, the President’s personal aid John McEntee was fired, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was fired, and FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe was fired.  I know that we haven’t finished cleaning for Pesach. When the President commented that he was close to having the Cabinet that he has always wanted; it seems that he isn’t finished cleaning for Pesach either. Lucky for him, there is still time to for him to clean before Pesach. Yet there is a huge difference between cleaning for Pesach, and “cleaning house”.   

This week’s Parsha is Tzav. It is also Shabbat HaGadol, the Shabbat that immediately precedes Chag HaPesach, the Passover Holyday. Like last week’s Parsha, Parsha Tzav focuses upon Korbonot (offerings). While last week we read of God’s commanding Moshe to teach the laws of Korbonot (Offerings) to B’nei Yisroel, this week we read of God commanding Moshe to teach the laws of Korbonot (Offerings) to Aaron and his sons. The Parshah concludes with instructions for Aaron and his sons to remain outside of the camp for seven days. These are the seven days required for spiritual and to some degree, physical preparation. The Priests must remain outside of the camp because they are in the process of purifying themselves for this extremely sacred and vital position, Kohen Gadol.

Besides Moshe, the Kohen Gadol was the most vital role within Israelite society. It was the Kohen Gadol that served as a vehicle for the common person to draw closer to God. When the common person or the king needed to atone, they would bring a sacrifice to God. However, it was the Priest that had to check for blemishes. It was the priest that had to slaughter the animal in a very precise way. It was the priest that had to sprinkle the blood.  Later on, it was the priest who became the “spiritual advisor” to the king. Unlike any other position, the priesthood was based upon lineage and was promised by God to Aaron for eternity (or as long as there was a Temple). Yet as important as this was for the welfare of B’nai Yisroel’s relationship to God, the Priest was eternally reminded of the importance of humility within a leader. V’hotzi et a Hadeshen el Michutz La’Machaneh el Makom Tahor-“and he shall bring the ashes to the outside of the camp, to a pure place (Lev 6:4).” The Kohen (the Priest) is, arguably, the most important position within the community, and he has to shlep the ashes out from the Mishkan. What’s even more amazing is what the Talmudic tractate Yoma teaches. The Talmud explains that the priests were so anxious to take out the ashes that a lottery system had to be introduced to pacify all those who wanted this “honor”. Anyone could have been commanded to take out the ashes. Why the Kohanim (the Priests)? Like all other aspects of the sacrificial process, the priests’ sole concern was the Temple and everything about the Temple. No task was below the priest. No aspect of the Temple remained untouched or unaffected by the Priest. The Sefer HaChinuch, a 13th-century work enumerating and explaining all 613 Mitzvot explains that Terumat HaDeshen is a positive commandment. The priest removes these ashes daily, and in doing so, he is enhancing the Mizbeach (the altar) and beautifying it to the best of his ability. Rashi adds that the priest would wear old clothes and nice his daily Priestly Vestments or his Holiday Vestments to do this type of menial work. All agree that the Kohen was never thought to be too important for such a lowly task.

So what can we learn from Parsha Tzav, and the Priest’s most menial of tasks? First, we learn just how vital it is for leadership, of any kind, to roll up its shirtsleeves and do some of the dirty work. After all, if leadership is unwilling to “to get dirty” for a greater purpose, then the purpose must not so great. Also if the leadership is unwilling “to get dirty”, why should anyone else “get dirty”? Effective leadership is not only about convincing others to act; it is about one’s observance of the same rule. No matter how important we think we are, we always should be reminded to take out the ashes. We need humility in order to remind us of where we fit in, and who we are. Possessing this humility gives us credibility when dealing with anyone. Possessing this humility reminds us of how we should treat others as well as how we wish to be treated. By participating in the preparations, by cleaning up and throwing out the garbage; we remind ourselves that Judaism is about the individual fitting into the community. Hopefully, my kids will begin to appreciate the importance of throwing out the garbage.

Peace & Chag Kasher v’ Sameach,

Rav Yitz

There Are Times When You Can Beckon, There Are Times When You Must Call (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Built To Last"))

Well, our 17 year old daughter passed her driver’s test. Certainly, I am proud of her accomplishment, but I feel compelled to inform everyone that they should just be wary when they take to the roads. Besides driving lessons, I thought it was important for her to learn a few things that the driving instructor would not teach her. Living in Toronto, I thought it was important for her to learn how to handle a car going into a skid on ice and snow. So during the winter, I took her to a parking lot where she did “doughnuts” and handled a skid on snow and ice.  I thought it is important that she can change a tire, so when the weather warms up a bit, I will teach her how to change a flat tire. However the most important thing to teach her about general car maintenance is to putting gas in in the car. When I asked her if she knew how put gas in the car she casually replied, “Yes, I tell you to fill it up the car with gas like mommy tells you”. Needless to say, that wasn’t the answer I was looking for. Like a car, Judaism also has a gas tank, actually Judaism has two gas “tanks”. For Judaism to function, both tanks need to be filled.  For most Jews in the non-orthodox world, the “ethical tank” is the primary tank; but the “ritual” tanks is what needs filling. For most Jews in the Orthodox world, the “ritual tank” is the primary tank; but sometimes it’s the “ethical tank” that needs filling. For many of us, this is an either/or proposition, as if Judaism separated these two tanks. The "ethical" and the "ritual" is not like milk and meat needing separation. To the contrary, for Judaism to work, the "ethical" and the "ritual" need to be integrated. This concept of Judaism is by no means unheard of. In fact, a superficial reading of a Talmudic Midrash from the Tractate Shabbat 31a supports this multi-tank theory. A potential convert asks the great sage Shammai to teach him the entire Torah while standing upon one leg. Shammai abruptly dismisses him. The potential convert then seeks the great sage Hillel and makes the same request. Rather than dismissing him, Hillel responds, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow man. This is the entire Torah, all of it; the rest is commentary. Go and study it.” (Shabbat 31a). Certainly we could understand this Midrash as a preference of the ethical to the ritual. However, the brevity of Hillel’s statement implies that ethical and ritual are linked.

This week’s Parsha is VaYikrah, the first Parsha of the Book of Leviticus, -Sefer VaYikrah. Unlike the first book of the Torah, Bereishit (Genesis) and the first part of Shmot (Exodus) which was written in a narrative form, and the second Part of Shmot which listed laws as well as the instructions for building the Mishkan (the Tabernacle); the Book of Leviticus focuses upon the Priestly class and their responsibility within Jewish biblical society. VaYikrah does not focus upon a story, nor laws that are geared towards B’nai Yisroel. Rather the laws are aimed at the Leviim, their responsibilities, the precise manner in which sacrificial offerings are made, the requirements for offerings, the requirements for the Leviim as well as the requirements for B’nai Yisroel in order to bring offerings. From Parsha VaYikrah and for that matter the entire book, we derive numerous ethical teachings all of which is necessary for a people and a society to achieve a sense of holiness. We derive the importance that Judaism cannot be just about the “letter of the law” but there must be some ethical value behind the letters. After God “calls” out to Moshe, we read the list and the details concerning Korbonot-sacrifices. Which animals should be sacrificed, how many, for which reason, who is obligated, and how to do it. Again God reminds of the purpose of “sacrifice”. The word Korbon (sacrifice) connotes “approach”. This is based upon the three-lettered Hebrew root KaReiV, which means approach. We make sacrifices as a means of approaching God.

After reading this litany of detailed minutia, we might lose sight of the purpose of sacrifice. Korbon (sacrifice) is not only a means of approaching God; it is a means of approaching our fellow man.  The end of the Parshah reminds us of this. Nefesh Ki Techeteh U’Ma’Alah M’Al B’Adonai V’Chichesh Ba’Amito “God spoke to Moses saying: If a person will sin and commit treachery against God by lying to his comrade….” (Lev.5:21-25). We draw closer to God via our fellow man. Unethical behavior towards our fellow man affects our relationship to God. Unethical behavior renders us impure and adds a blemish to our character and to our spirit. We know that God only accepts blemish free offerings. If we are spiritually impure, because of unethical behavior, how can we hope to approach God? Like the great sage Hillel implied, the Parshah demonstrates that the Ethical and the Ritual are linked. Both aspects form a symbiotic relationship with each other. Together they form Torah. Separation of the Ethical and the Ritual leaves the individual and Torah incomplete. However, struggling and, hopefully, integrating both allows the individual to approach God as well as others through dignity and respect.

For those only concerned with ritual, at the expense of the ethical, they are only driving around on a half a tank of gas. For those only concerned with the ethical at the expense of ritual, they are also driving around on a half a tank of gas. A half a tank of gas is equivalent to observing only half the Torah and behaving only partly Jewish. The object is to be Shalem, complete or whole. God called out to Moshe, and instructed him to teach B’nai Yisroel that Ethical and Ritual behavior must be integrated in order to form a Holy community. Thousands of years later, Parshah Vayikrah teaches the same lesson. We continue in our struggle to integrate the Ethical and the Ritual. Both are required in order to live life with a full tank, for a warm and meaningful relationship to oneself, to our fellow man, and to God. As our daughter takes to the road, hopefully she is prepared enough and aware enough to make sure that when she drives my car, she won’t wait until the gas tank light calls out to her in order to begin looking for a gas station and then wonder how to fill it up. Hopefully she will be a complete safe driver for the sake of my insurance and all those with whom she shares the road.  

Peace,

Rav Yitz