Tzav – Page 2 – Peninim on the Torah

וישחט ויקח משה מדמו ויתן על תנוך אזן אהרן הימנית

Sruly Schnair In Tzav, 5780

And (Moshe) he slaughtered (the ram), and Moshe took from the blood and put it on Aharon’s ear. (8:23)

Moshe Rabbeinu was concluding his brief tenure as Kohen Gadol. Soon, his older brother, Aharon HaKohen, would be invested in the Kehunah Gedulah, High Priesthood, with his descendants following him as Kohanim. Moshe slaughtered the ayil ha’miluim, inauguration ram. It was a Korban Shelamim, Peace-Offering, with this service serving as the conclusion of the process by which the Kohanim were consecrated for their new role in Jewish life. In this pasuk, the word vayishchat, “and he slaughtered,” has the trop, cantillation mark, shalsheles, a sign which rarely appears in the Torah and which gives great emphasis to the word upon…

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צו את אהרן ואת בניו לאמר זאת תורת העולה

Sruly Schnair In Tzav, 5780

Command Aharon and his sons, saying: This is the law of the Elevation/Burnt offering. (6:2)

Previously,commandment/instructions concerning the korbanos, offerings, were introduced with the less-emphatic term, emor, “say,” or dabeir, “speak.” The word, tzav, command, implies that the Kohanim are being urged to be especially ardent in performing the service of the Korban Olah with alacrity. Chazal teach that this exhortation (tzav) must be repeated constantly to future generations. Furthermore, this introduction is especially relevant whenever a monetary loss (such as the Korban Olah in which the Kohanim receive nothing of the korban, since all of the meat is burned) is involved. If money (or the loss thereof) plays such a significant role in the…

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צו את אהרן ואת בניו לאמר זאת תורת העולה

Sruly Schnair In Tzav, 5780

Command Aharon and his sons, saying: “This is the law of the Elevation /Burnt offering.” (6:2)

When a commandment regarding the korbanos, offerings, was presented to the nation/Kohanim/Priests, it was introduced with the word v’amarta, “and you shall say,” or dabeir, “speak.” This is the first time that the emphatic term tzav, command, is employed. Chazal teach, that in circumstances which involve a loss of money greater urgency is required, so that the Kohanim act zealously in the performance of their duties and that they transmit this urgency and need for zealousness to the ensuing generations. (The commentators render a number of explanations which shed light on the monetary loss associated with the Korban Olah, Burnt-Offering….

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אש תמיד תוקד על המזבח לא תכבה

Roberto Szerer In Tzav, 5778

Fire shall be kept continually on the Altar; it shall not go out. (6:6)

In the standard calculation of the Jewish day, daytime follows night. We daven Maariv, the Evening Service, hence ushering in the new day. Shacharis, the Morning Service, is actually the second service of the day. In the Mikdash, Sanctuary, it was the reverse, with evening following daytime. The way of the world is that the symbolic evening precedes the symbolic day. This means, explains Horav Nissen Alpert, zl, that (most often), before man is privy to “light,” to see what becomes of his toil and labor, he must sit it out in “darkness,” wait in hope that his efforts will…

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אם על תודה יקריבנו

Roberto Szerer In Tzav, 5778

If he shall offer it for a Thanksgiving-offering. (7:12)

a Korban Todah, Thanksgiving-offering, to express his gratitude to Hashem and as a manner of declaration that he acknowledges that no one other than Hashem saved him. Hakoras hatov, recognizing the benefits/good that we receive from others, is a critical mitzvah, quality, which defines a human being. One who is a kafui tov, denies the good that he receives, is deficient in humanness. It is a never-ending mitzvah which one cannot completely repay, because we do not know the complete extent of the benefit and consequences that we have received. Indeed, Horav Moshe Aharon Stern, zl, explains that it is…

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זאת התורה לעולה למנחה ולחטאת ולאשם ולמלואים ולזבח השלמים

Roberto Szerer In Tzav, 5778

This is the law of the Elevation/burnt-offering, the meal-offering, the sin-offering and the inauguration offering, and the feast peace-offering. (7:37)

There are three forms/categories of korban, offering/sacrifice. This means that individuals from varied backgrounds and circumstances determine the category of korban which they offer. Horav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, zl, explains the following Chazal (Midrash 3:5) which relates that King Agripas, who was quite wealthy, approached the Kohen in charge of the daily service and said, “I want to bring one thousand Olos (burnt-offering) today. I do not want anyone else to occupy the Mizbayach, Altar, other than me.” (Essentially, one thousand korbanos would preclude anyone else from bringing a korban.) Along came a poor man, and, in his hands, he…

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השיבה שופטינו כבראשנה

Roberto Szerer In Tzav, 5778

Hashivah shofteinu k’varishonah. Restore our judges as we had originally.

In the brachah of Hashiveinu, Return us, we asked Hashem for personal, individual teshuvah, return. Each Jew should find it in his heart to realize that he is distant from where he should be, from where Hashem wants him to be. The blessing of Hashivah shofteinu, Restore our judges, our leaders, is a plea for collective teshuvah, for all of Am Yisrael, wherever they may be spiritually, physically, geographically distant from Eretz Yisrael, to all come together as one nation, under Hashem, serving Him in a unified and united manner. We understand that it is all about leadership – from…

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והרים את הדשן... ושמו אצל המזבח... והוצא את הדשן

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Tzav, 5777

He shall raise the ashes and place it next to the Mizbayach… He shall remove the ashes. (6:3,4)

The avodah in the Mishkan/Bais Hamikdash followed a daily routine. It was a clearly defined, Divinely-ordained, unchanging pattern of service. It began with the Terumas HaDeshen, the removal of the sacrificial ash from the previous day’s offerings, followed by the placing of wood, so that the fire on the Mizbayach, Altar, continued to burn. The first sacrifice of the day, as well as the last sacrifice, was the Korban Tamid. Tamid means consistent, which is a perfect way to describe the Korban. It was a constant. When activities are carried out in a particular order, unchanging, repeated daily, it might…

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ופשט את בגדיו ולבש בגדים אחרים

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Tzav, 5777

He shall remove his garments, and he shall wear other garments. (6:4)

Rashi observes that changing garments is not a chovah, obligation, but rather, proper conduct, so that the Kohen does not sully his clean vestments. It makes sense that the garments which one wears in the kitchen when he is cooking a pot of food for his master will not be the same garments that he will wear when serving his master. It just takes seichel, common sense. Thus, he dons other garments which are inferior to his vestments. How often do we read Rashi’s commentary and not incorporate it into our lifestyle? Upon serving the King/Master, one wears “different” clothes…

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זאת תורת החטאת

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Tzav, 5777

This is the law of the sin-offering. (6:18)

Sin is relative in the attitude of the sinner with regard to the sin; and in the status of the sinner which, commensurate with his position, demands a higher standard in his demeanor and attitude. The Korban Chatas, sin-offering, was brought as penance following the commission of an aveirah b’shogeg, inadvertent sin. One wonders altogether why penance is required. It is not as if the person had acted maliciously. Everybody errs. Nobody is perfect. Horav Moshe Soloveitchik, zl, (Zurich) likened this to a person carrying a package of inexpensive glasses. If, once in a while, a glass slips out of…

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וישחט ויקח משה מדמו ויתן על תנוך אזן אהרן הימנית

And (Moshe) he slaughtered (the ram), and Moshe took from the blood and put it on Aharon’s ear. (8:23)

צו את אהרן ואת בניו לאמר זאת תורת העולה

Command Aharon and his sons, saying: This is the law of the Elevation/Burnt offering. (6:2)

צו את אהרן ואת בניו לאמר זאת תורת העולה

Command Aharon and his sons, saying: “This is the law of the Elevation /Burnt offering.” (6:2)

אש תמיד תוקד על המזבח לא תכבה

Fire shall be kept continually on the Altar; it shall not go out. (6:6)

אם על תודה יקריבנו

If he shall offer it for a Thanksgiving-offering. (7:12)

זאת התורה לעולה למנחה ולחטאת ולאשם ולמלואים ולזבח השלמים

This is the law of the Elevation/burnt-offering, the meal-offering, the sin-offering and the inauguration offering, and the feast peace-offering. (7:37)

השיבה שופטינו כבראשנה

Hashivah shofteinu k’varishonah. Restore our judges as we had originally.

והרים את הדשן... ושמו אצל המזבח... והוצא את הדשן

He shall raise the ashes and place it next to the Mizbayach… He shall remove the ashes. (6:3,4)

ופשט את בגדיו ולבש בגדים אחרים

He shall remove his garments, and he shall wear other garments. (6:4)

זאת תורת החטאת

This is the law of the sin-offering. (6:18)

YEARS

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