Keep the Fire Burning

I'm sitting at my computer trying to collect my thoughts on the Parsha and Purim and out of the corner of my eye I see the moon rising up over the mountain range that makes up part of the Appalachian Trail. They say that we won't see a moon like this for another twenty years. As all my friends know, I love the moon, weeks before my conversion I dreamed of the name Amaris, I had never heard it before and I did some digging. It is of Hebrew origin and means G*d has said, promised by G*d, or word of G*d. Ironically in Latin and Spanish it means child of the moon. On that note I'll take a break, I am heading out the valley to an amazing open space where I go to see shooting stars. The whole valley is laid out in a beautiful display of HaShem's Glory. Bb, bw, cfn.

Ironically as I drove out the valley the moon was hanging large and low on the horizon, it was beautiful to see. I turned the car around and as I parked a huge cloud bank rolled in and hid the moon. It looked like the pictures you see of the great nebula's. Although I couldn't see the moon I knew it was there, it was hidden, yet tangible. It is a lot like the lesson we learn from Purim and the story of Esther, although G*d is not mentioned specifically in this historical account we feel His Presence. IF we nurture our relationship with our Creator we don't get nervous when He is not in sight. "He is , He was, He always will be with us".

Beloved,in last week's parsha we learned about the five pathways to connect to HaShem. These are spiritual in nature, dependent on symbolic acts. Through the korban olah, the korban minchah, the korban shelem, the korban chatat and the korban asham, HaShem gave us pathways to approach His Heavenly Throne.

We asked Moses not to require us to hear or experience the voice of HaShem directly, we sought a mediator. Moses was the first, Aharon and his sons were the next in line. In this week's parsha Tzav we learned about the korbanot from a different perspective, the perspective of the Kohanim. Tzav is about the privilege of the kohan to act as HaShem's visible representative on earth. It is about the responsibility of the kohan to keep the approach to the alter pure, to keep its fire burning and to keep its holiness intact. The kohanim were keepers of the holy flame, they did not kindle the fire, that fell from heaven, they were responsible for keeping the fire burning, to never let the fire go out.

We have been called a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. Beloved, it is now all of our responsibility to keep the fire burning until Moshiach comes. May it come swiftly and soon in our days.

Time is flying by so fast, I am desperately trying to hang on to each moment. Today is the first day of spring, it is also just thirty days till Passover, so much to be done, in our homes and in our hearts.

The mitzvot are another pathway to a closer connection with our Creator.
Enjoy the teaching below, Elisheva Amaris

Making Connections: The Message of Mitzvos
Tzav; Leviticus 6:1-8:36;

By Eli Touger
Adapted from
Likkutei Sichos, Vol. VII, p. 30ff;
Vol. VIII, p. 232ff; Vol. XXXII, p. 1ff

To Leap a Chasm

From the earliest ages, men have been aware of a reality beyond the material a reality which transcends man's senses and intellect. And yet, that very awareness is confounding, for this spiritual reality is on a higher plane than we can comprehend.

Some kinds of religious practice attempt to resolve this difficulty by attempting to reach beyond our limited world. There are, however, two fundamental difficulties with these approaches:

a) Since spiritual reality is by definition above our conception, how is it possible for man to relate to it?

b) Moreover, otherworldliness runs contrary to G-d's intent. G-d brought our world into being for a reason, and a fixation on going beyond that purpose implies a rejection of it.

Invitation From Above

Judaism offers a different alternative. A bond can indeed be established between the material and the spiritual, but the initiative must be G-d's.1 G-d has "reached down" into our world to give us a means whereby we can relate to Him and, by so doing, elevate our environment. This is the purpose of the mitzvos.

What difference does it make to the Holy One, blessed be He, whether one slaughters an animal from the front or the back? The mitzvos were given solely to refine the created beings."2

Most of the mitzvos involve material things.3 In and of themselves, these entities are of little importance to G-d. Nevertheless, in order to give mankind a means by which to relate to Him, He attaches importance to these entities. Moreover, the bond established with G-d through the fulfillment of His mitzvos permeates our environment, and the entities used in this observance are subsumed in this spiritual connection.

To explain by way of analogy:4 An intellectual lives in the realm of thought; his life centers on ideas and concepts. A simple water carrier will not attract his attention. It's not that he looks down on him, or views him negatively. The two simply seem to have nothing in common. There seems to be no way that the water carrier can relate to the intellectual; he does not have the capacity. Nor does what preoccupies the water carrier hold any interest for the thinker.

If, however, the intellectual asks the water carrier for a drink and the water carrier obliges, their connection is made clear.

The gap between the Creator and the created is far greater than that separating the water carrier and the intellectual, and yet G-d asks us a favor: "Perform My mitzvos." The very word mitzvah (????) hints at this relationship, for it shares a root with the word tzavsa (????), which means "bond."

Three Approaches

There is a deeper dimension to the above concept. It is G-d's command not man's fulfillment of it which establishes a connection between the two. Man has the choice to obey or disobey, but by giving him a command, G-d has already entered his world. If man chooses to fulfill the command, he affirms the connection, and if he refuses, he denies it. But regardless of man's decision, G-d has already established a relationship. Man's option lies in the extent of his willingness to recognize and develop that bond.

Herein lies a connection with the weekly Torah reading, Parshas Tzav. The name Tzav means "command," and is taken from the opening verse:5 "And G-d spoke to Moshe: 'Command Aharon..' "

Throughout the Torah, three terms are used to introduce a commandment: emor "tell," dabber "speak to," and tzav "command." All three terms communicate G-d's will, but the term tzav is most closely related conceptually as well as etymologically to the concept of mitzvah explained above.

The terms "tell" or "speak to" appear to leave the option in the hands of the listener. Yes, he has been given a directive, but the tone used implies that he has a choice. He has been told what he should do, but the decision whether to do it or not remains his.

When, by contrast, the word "command" is used, the implication is that the matter is imperative.6 In these instances, the initiative which G-d has taken is so encompassing that it propels man toward fulfillment of the charge.

Strength in the Center

This concept can be amplified by combining teachings from Midrashic and Kabbalistic sources. Emor, translated as "tell," is associated with gentle speech,7 while dabber, translated as "speak to," is associated with harsh tones.8 In the Kabbalistic arrangement of the Sefiros the ten spiritual realms which connect G-dliness with worldliness there are three pathways, or vectors. The right vector is associated with kindness, and the left vector with harshness. Tzav is associated with the middle vector a balanced approach which combines these two extremes.

For example, mercy (one of the attributes of the middle vector) represents a fusion of kindness (from the right vector) and judgment (from the left vector). Kindness implies a willingness to give without consideration of whether the recipient is worthy. Judgment, by contrast, involves a scrutiny of the recipient to evaluate his worthiness.

Mercy takes the nature of the recipient into consideration, yet may grant him assistance although he is not worthy. Acting out of mercy, one gives because one has established an inner connection to the recipient and provides for his benefit.

How is it possible for two opposite tendencies to be combined in a single attribute? The middle vector implies the action of G-dliness on opposite thrusts.9 It is able to bring about a synthesis between different approaches. In doing so, it conveys unbounded influence to even the lowest levels.10

The mitzvos associated with the word tzav reflect this synthesis. They relate to the transcendent dimension of G-d, and penetrate to the inner dimension of man, binding the two in comprehensive unity.

Service for His Sake

The above concepts are reflected in the subject of this week's Torah reading: the sacrifices offered in the Sanctuary, and later in the Beis HaMikdash.

The implications of sacrificial worship are above our understanding. Human intellect cannot appreciate why G-d would desire the slaughter of an animal or the burning of flour on an altar. By way of explanation, our Sages tell us11 that G-d says: "It is pleasurable before Me that I gave a directive and My will was done."

There are mitzvos which bring benefits that are readily appreciated, and others whose benefits we cannot comprehend.12 The sacrifices, however, are not for man's sake at all, not even to train him in obedience. They are for G-d's sake. Thus the Torah refers to them13 as Lachmi, "My sustenance," implying that G-d needs this spiritual service, as it were.

Why does G-d "need" sacrifices? Only to provide man with a means of connecting to Him in a complete way.14 When a person brings a sacrifice, the emphasis is not on his commitment to G-d's will, but that "My will was done." A person sees himself as no more than a medium by which G-d's will can be carried out.

The complete performance of all the mitzvos, and particularly the sacrifices, will take place only in the Era of the Redemption. As we say in our prayers:15 "Bring us with joy to Zion Your city, and with everlasting joy to Jerusalem Your sanctuary. There we will offer to You our obligatory sacrifices. in accordance with the command of Your will."

FOOTNOTES
1. Shir HaShirim Rabbah, commenting on the Song of Songs 1:3, speaks of the material and the spiritual as discrete planes. Synthesis between them became possible only because G-d said: "I will take the initiative," and gave the Torah to man. See the essay entitled "What Happened at Sinai" (Timeless Patterns in Time, Vol. II, p. 91ff) where these concepts are explained.
2. Bereishis Rabbah 44:1.
3. There are certain mitzvos, e.g., the love and fear of G-d, which involve service within our hearts and souls. These, however, represent a distinct minority; the overwhelming proportion focus on deeds. Moreover, even the mitzvos which deal with thoughts and feelings must be fulfilled in a manner which affects our bodies. Our hearts must beat faster because of the love of G-d, and the physical phenomena associated with fear must accompany our awe of Him (Sefer HaMaamarim 5697, p. 215 and sources cited there).
4. Sefer HaMaamarim 5698, p. 52.
5. Leviticus 6:1.
6. This does not mean man's free will is taken from him. He still has the choice to fulfill the mitzvah or not. Nevertheless, when a mitzvah is communicated using the term tzav, the command itself spurs man to its observance.
7. Mechilta and Rashi, commenting on Exodus 19:3, Sifri and Rashi, commenting on Numbers 12:1.
8. Makkos 11a; Sifri and Rashi, loc. cit.
9. In Kabbalistic terminology, "the middle vector ascends to the inner dimension of Kesser." See Sefer HaMaamarim 5707, p. 150ff, where this concept is discussed.
10. To refer again to Kabbalistic terminology: "The middle vector extends from one end to the other" (op. cit.).
11. Rashi and Toras Kohanim, commenting on Leviticus 1:9.
12. See Ramban, commenting on Leviticus 19:19, who explains that even the chukim, mitzvos which we cannot explain, are Divine decrees with sublime rationales that will bring us benefit. See also the comments of Ibn Ezra to Exodus 20:1, and Rambam, Moreh Nevuchim, Vol. III, ch. 26.
13. Leviticus 21:6, 8, 17, 21 et al.
14. See Sefer HaBahir, sec. 46, which states that the Hebrew word for sacrifice, korban (????), shares a root with the word karov (???), meaning "close." The sacrifices bring our people and each individual close to G-d.
15. Mussaf service for Festivals, Siddur Tehillat HaShem, p. 259. See Hemshech VeKocha 5637, ch. 17ff.