Rabbi Jon’s Reflection on This Week’s Torah Portion
3.29.2024
Tzav 2024: The Downside of Being Commanded
A short reflection on Tzav (Leviticus 6:1-8:36)
How often have you been “commanded” to do something? We are “asked” to do something or “told” to do something but infrequently does anyone come to us and say “I command you to….”. It’s a word used by gods and kings and is seldom taken lightly. Command, though, is exactly what this Torah portion focuses upon. God tells Moses to command Aaron and his sons regarding rules of sacrifice. Moses is neither a god nor a king, yet he is told to command others. It is a powerful word, one that implies a shackled listener, one who is forced to do as commanded. Given that Aaron has little to no emotional reaction throughout the entire Torah, it is no surprise that he takes the command and acts upon it. He does it without thinking, without questioning, and without reflecting.
Here’s the problem with commands that are followed blindly, they lead to zealotry, and zealotry leads to placing the goal of the command above all else. In the case of this week’s Torah portion, Tzav, we see that there were times when the priests were commanded to to take action. A selection of Talmud speaks of zealotry in the temple, and it does so in a negative manner. It seems the idea of “command” led to inhumane acts.
As we read in Talmud Yoma 23a, “Our Rabbis taught: It once happened that two priests were equal as they ran to mount the ramp and when one of them came first within four cubits of the altar, the other took a knife and thrust it into his heart.
Rabbi Zadok stood on the steps of the Hall and said: Our brethren of the house of Israel, hear ye! Behold it says: If one be found slain in the land... then thy elders and judges shall come forth... On whose behalf shall we offer the heifer whose neck is to be broken, on behalf of the city or on behalf of the Temple Courts? All the people burst out weeping.
The father of the young man came and found his son still in convulsions. He said: 'May he be an atonement for you. My son is still in convulsions and the knife has not become unclean.'
[His remark] comes to teach you that the cleanness of their vessels was of greater concern to them even than the shedding of blood.”
In this story, two Priests are competing to make a sacrifice to God. In order to win the honor, one slaughters the other. Those around them, including the father of the man who was stabbed, are more concerned with the sacrifice than the loss of human life. This piece of Talmud teaches us that zealotry has the potential to lead to acts that are unholy.
While it is appropriate to take actions which help others, if we take these actions solely in order to prove our own zealotry then we are on a path that is destructive not just for ourselves but also for society. When we find ourselves moving forward blindly, we need to consider our motivation and realize that helping others is a community goal, not for individual glory. May we remember to work together towards goals that are holy. Let us always question and reflect and then act in harmony with those around us.
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TZAV SUMMARY FROM THE URJ
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The five sacrifices that the priests are to perform are described. (6:1-7:38)
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Limitations on the consumption of meat are delineated. (7:17-27)
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Details about the ordination of Aaron and his sons as priests and the preparation of the Tabernacle as a holy place are given. (8:1-36)
For more information on this Torah portion go to: https://reformjudaism.org/torah/portion/tzav
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