Our Parashah this week is called Tzav, which means “command.” According to Google, this word conveys a sense of urgency, but it is not the same as “demand”. For example, “He demands respect” implies that someone who forcefully insists that others give him or her respect, even if we don’t want to, because he hasn’t earned it. On the other hand, “he commands respect” suggests that others are willing to respect him because of his qualities and position of authority. Some people accuse God of demanding our obedience, implying that we have no choice. That is the furthest thing from the truth, because God has given us “Free Will”. Anyone who has a relationship with Him understands that whatever He commands is for our good, but He gives us the choice to heed His commands or not. Our choices have consequences for which we are responsible. Our God is a loving father; He doesn’t lie in wait, hoping we will fail, then rejoice in punishing us. That is the essence of sadistic leaders who bully their people into submission.
Parents often say that there are no rules for raising their children. Actually, that statement is false. Our Father in Heaven provided us, His children, with His framework to help us in every decision we would ever have to make – The Ten Commandments. We have chosen to remove these life-giving principles from our homes, from our classrooms and from our courthouses, but we put them in our prisons. Is it any wonder that the world is falling into chaos and that our children are suffering the consequences?
Leviticus 7 states: “These are the Torah (not Law – they are Instructions) of the burnt offering (Olah), the Torah of the grain offering (Minchah), the Torah of the sin offering (Chataat), the reparation offering (Asham), the offering of ordination (Milu’im), and the offering of well-being (zebach Shelamim), which GOD commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, when commanding the Israelites to present their offerings to GOD, in the wilderness of Sinai.” As a reminder, last Shabbat we learned about five principal offerings: the Olah (Burnt Offering) signifies total surrender; the Minchah (Grain Offering) expresses simplicity and humility; and the Shelamim (Peace or Thanksgiving Offering) arises from our expression of gratitude that deepens our relationship with our God.
These offerings were meant to slowly focus our attention away from the rituals required to appease the pagan gods, using them to divert our attention toward the One God, who brought us out of Egypt, out of slavery. They refer directly to the first Three Commandments. Sadly, “out of Egypt and out of slavery” have been omitted by other religions that simply state, “You shall have no other gods.” This allows them to arrogantly declare, “My god is better than yours,” or “my leader is better than yours,” or “my rules outweigh yours; your book is old, mine is new!” That is why YHVH tells us, “Do not add and do not take away anything from My words.” The second of the three warns us not to make and worship any images of these gods because He is invisible. And third, we were not to take His words “in vain” or lightly, for that would divert our short journey to a long way home. What should have taken us eleven days to reach the Promised Land took us forty years! How many of us keep going around the same mountain of problems and never solve them? Can we expect different results while repeating the same behaviour time and again? God is telling us that we are no longer slaves, that we are “free to choose” between right and wrong, and that His Torah, His instructions, give us timeless examples for how to choose well. If we get caught up in the details of living in those days, we risk losing the principles that enrich our lives today. Yes, they can be interesting to read and to think about, but let’s not drown in them, for they open more questions than we have answers to. Our journey is not solely a quest for knowledge; it is a quest for Shalom.
Last Shabbat, we learned about the Asham (guilt or reparation offering). This applies to those who were confronted with guilt about some poor behaviour (unintentional), which caused them to wrestle with shame and were compelled to accept their responsibility and repair the damage. When we willingly push ourselves through this difficult process, we are inherently loving ourselves. That is what the middle Two Commandments are about. They command us to honour the Shabbat as well as our father and mother. What do these have to do with loving ourselves? When we set this special day apart from the rest of the week, we are acknowledging our trust in the One who gave us this day as a sign. We can “rest easy” knowing that He has our back. He doesn’t solve our problems, but little by little, we witness Him quietly maneuvering situations for our good. And when we can honour our Father in Heaven, we can honour our earthly father and mother who gave us life, even if they were not the best – the issue is “They gave us life!” That understanding brings healing and Shalom to our lives.
The Torah then introduces Chataat, emphasizing the repair and restoration of damaged relationships. These refer to the last Five Commandments about how to treat our neighbour, that is, every person we come into contact with. Are we treating them with insult and injury or with kindness and respect? Are we only interested in ourselves, or do we look for opportunities to do good for others? This attitude spreads like wildfire and fills us with light that helps extinguish darkness in this world. Which leads me to the next theme in this parashah…. Being “anointed” for service. The Hebrew word for anoint is mashiach. Aaron and his sons were “anointed.” Even the Tent of Meeting and all its furnishings used for service were anointed… all to fulfill their God-appointed “calling”. Each of us is called in the same way, only our roles differ.
Imagine that darkness and light are at either end of the pendulum, which swings between evil and good. Is the Torah teaching us to wait for a Mashiach, a saviour, to conquer the darkness? Later, in the book of Numbers, Moses would be confronted by Joshua, who complained that Medad and Eldad were prophesying in the camp. What did Moses tell him? “If only all of God’s people were prophets, and that GOD would put His Spirit on them!” Let’s not spend time having anxiety over the state of the world, which only God can fix. Let’s work on fixing ourselves, and the more of us who do that, the more the pendulum will come to its center… into balance because we are all connected. That’s when we have Shalom!
In Leviticus 7, there are several warnings about whoever disobeys certain ordinances, “…that person shall be cut off (karet) from his people”. I am so grateful to be a part of this community, She’ar Yashuv, as small a remnant as it is; to be part of a group of people with good values who want to do the right thing before God. There are so many today who are cut off and alone, who don’t feel safe! At the beginning of Chapter 8, God tells Moses to assemble the leaders of Israel at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, where he announces: “This is what GOD has commanded to be done.” Then he follows the instructions for Aaron’s ordination and that of his sons. They would remain in the Tent for seven days and nights, during which they would be taught by God how to cover (l’kaper) for the community. Living and being responsible in a community is essential for good health and prosperity, leading to Shalom. The community gave us purpose and protection. At that time, being cut off from the community led to death… that hasn’t changed.
We are warned throughout the Torah about the consequences of not heeding His commands. The Haftarah portion in Malachi 3 is very powerful. It reminds me of my life before and after my “great awakening.” Chapter 3:6 says: “ I will step forward to contend with you, and I will act as a relentless accuser against those who have no fear no (reverence) of Me: Who practice sorcery, who commit adultery, who swear falsely, who cheat laborers of their wages, and who subvert [the cause of] the widow, orphan, and stranger among us, said the LORD of Hosts. For I am GOD—I have not changed…” I was “unwittingly” involved in several things God warned us against, but since ignorance is no excuse, I had to experience the harsh consequences, like Malachi said: “You are suffering under a curse…you go on defrauding Me—your whole nation.
But then I read this part, “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, and let there be food in My House, and put Me to the test—said GOD of Hosts. I will surely open the floodgates of the heavens for you and pour down blessings on you; and I will banish the locusts from you, so that they will no longer destroy the yield of your soil; and your vines in the field shall no longer miscarry—said GOD of Hosts. And all the nations shall call you happy אִשְּׁר֥וּ (ashru) for you shall be the most cheifetz חֵ֔פֶץ desired of lands, said the LORD of Hosts.” (Cheifetz refers to the person in whom one takes delight). I took GOD at His word, and tested Him and…I don’t have enough words to express what GOD did for me and is still doing… pouring down blessings that leave me in awe! Those who knew me then and know me now can attest to the changes in my life.
Before we even think of the other nations calling Israel happy, let us ask ourselves, “Do the people around me regard me as being happy”? The meaning of the Hebrew word Ashrei is not a superficial cheerfulness but a deep sense of being blessed. That is what happens when we draw near to God, when we sense His continuous presence in our lives, and trust in His care, but we must walk an upright path. A relationship is two-ways and God is not a sugar daddy!
That, to me, is the purpose of the free-will offerings. God receives them with the joy of a father who desires to protect his children, to cover us (l’kaper) like a hen covers her chicks during a storm. That’s what Rabbi Yeshua was telling us in his parable of the Prodigal Son. When we recognize the extent of God’s love and protection, a sensation arises in us that makes our soul leap like a deer; it brings shockwaves of joy and deep shalom in contrast to the shockwaves of anger, hate, and anxiety.
God has given us free will so that we can choose… will we choose anger and anxiety, or joy and peace? If we choose the latter, we must put God and His Commandments first. Then we can step into the Spiritual Tent of Meeting for a proverbial seven days of ordination. (In Gematria, 7 represents wholeness, completion). This process leads to shining faces; as our Rabbi Yeshua told us, “Let your light so shine among men, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” He continues with, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Torah…” Anyone who teaches that is leading us on the wrong path…for the Torah is a tree of life …its ways are delight and all its paths are peace.
Shabbat Shalom