Blessing for the Study of Torah
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּ֒שָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לַעֲסֹק בְּדִבְרֵי תוֹרָה:
Baruch ata adonai, eloheinu melech ha-olam, asher kidshanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu la'asok b'divrei Torah.
Blessed are You, Adonai, Source of Enlightenment, Who sanctified us with mitzvot and commanded us to engage with words of Torah.
Outline of the Torah Portion
Leviticus 6:1-8:36
- Additional Instructions for the Sacrifices (6:1-7:38)
- Olah - The Offering of Ascent (6:1-6)
- Minchah - The Meal Tribute (6:7-16)
- Chatat - The Purgation Offering (6:17-23)
- Asham - The Reparation offering (7:1-6)
- Postscript for Minchah, Chatat, and Asham Offerings (7:7-10)
- Shleimim - The Wellbeing Sacrifice (7:11-21)
- Proscriptions regarding Fat and Blood (7:22-27)
- Postscript for Shleimim (7:28-36)
- Summary (7:37-38)
- Ordaining the Priests (8:1-36)
- God Commands Moses (1-3)
- Moses Ordains the Priests (4-30)
- Seven Days of isolation (31-36)
Summary
Tzav begins by providing additional instructions, specifically for the priests, regarding the sacrifices first introduced in Vayikra. The parashah then pivots towards the ordainment of the priests, a ritual that concludes in the next parashah, Shmini.
Keeping the Fires Burning
Jacob Milgrom, Leviticus (Fortress: Minneapolis, 2004), 67.
The elimination of the altar's ashes takes place in two stages, their removal to the side of the altar and, afterward, their removal outside the camp. The two-stage removal stems not from ritualistic considerations but from more pragmatic ones. All acts involving the altar are eo ipso rituals and require the priests to wear their sacred vestments. Conversely, all acts taking place outside the sanctuary are profane and hence bar the wearing of sacred vestments. Thus, it is simply the priest's need to change his clothes that has resulted in separating the ash removal into two parts, its removal from the altar and its removal outside the camp.
Rabbi Gerald Kane, "Don't Let the Fire Go Out!" ReformJudaism.org, 1999.
By instructing the priests to put on their finest clothing for the removal of the ashes from the altar, the Torah seems to emphasize the need for the priests to pay close attention to what might appear to be the most inconsequential details of their special work.
Tamara Eskenazi and Andrea Weiss, ed., The Torah: A Women's Commentary (URJ Press: New York, 2008), 596.
The fire both consumes the offerings and cleanses the altar from any leftover meat.
Jacob Milgrom, Leviticus (Fortress: Minneapolis, 2004), 68.
The requirement for a perpetual fire (v. 6) stresses the importance of maintaining the fire even if the sacrifices are totally consumed. This prescription, found in other cultures as well (e.g. the ancient Greeks), may stem from the mundane necessity of keeping the fire burning during days on which kindling one was difficult. But a more likely explanation is indigenous to Israel's priestly circles. The sacrifices offered up at the inauguration of the public cult were consumed miraculously by a Divine fire (9:24), and it is this fire that is not allowed to die out so that all subsequent sacrifices might claim Divine acceptance.
Questions for Study
- Why, do you think, does the Torah emphasize the need to change clothes as part of removing the ashes? What might we infer from this instruction?
- What, do you think, the perpetual flame upon the altar represents?
Blood and Guts
(כב) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ (כג) דַּבֵּ֛ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר כׇּל־חֵ֜לֶב שׁ֥וֹר וְכֶ֛שֶׂב וָעֵ֖ז לֹ֥א תֹאכֵֽלוּ׃ (כד) וְחֵ֤לֶב נְבֵלָה֙ וְחֵ֣לֶב טְרֵפָ֔ה יֵעָשֶׂ֖ה לְכׇל־מְלָאכָ֑ה וְאָכֹ֖ל לֹ֥א תֹאכְלֻֽהוּ׃ (כה) כִּ֚י כׇּל־אֹכֵ֣ל חֵ֔לֶב מִ֨ן־הַבְּהֵמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר יַקְרִ֥יב מִמֶּ֛נָּה אִשֶּׁ֖ה לַיהֹוָ֑ה וְנִכְרְתָ֛ה הַנֶּ֥פֶשׁ הָאֹכֶ֖לֶת מֵֽעַמֶּֽיהָ׃ (כו) וְכׇל־דָּם֙ לֹ֣א תֹאכְל֔וּ בְּכֹ֖ל מוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶ֑ם לָע֖וֹף וְלַבְּהֵמָֽה׃ (כז) כׇּל־נֶ֖פֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר־תֹּאכַ֣ל כׇּל־דָּ֑ם וְנִכְרְתָ֛ה הַנֶּ֥פֶשׁ הַהִ֖וא מֵֽעַמֶּֽיהָ׃ {פ}
*(אין פרשה בספרי תימן)
(22) And יהוה spoke to Moses, saying: (23) Speak to the Israelite people thus: You shall eat no fat *fat I.e., hard, coarse fat (suet); cf. 3.3–5. of ox or sheep or goat. (24) Fat from animals that died or were torn by beasts may be put to any use, but you must not eat it. (25) If anyone eats the fat of animals from which offerings by fire may be made to יהוה, the person who eats it shall be cut off from kin. (26) And you must not consume any blood, either of bird or of animal, in any of your settlements. (27) Anyone who eats blood shall be cut off from kin.
(ג) וְהִקְרִיב֙ מִזֶּ֣בַח הַשְּׁלָמִ֔ים אִשֶּׁ֖ה לַיהֹוָ֑ה אֶת־הַחֵ֙לֶב֙ הַֽמְכַסֶּ֣ה אֶת־הַקֶּ֔רֶב וְאֵת֙ כׇּל־הַחֵ֔לֶב אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־הַקֶּֽרֶב׃ (ד) וְאֵת֙ שְׁתֵּ֣י הַכְּלָיֹ֔ת וְאֶת־הַחֵ֙לֶב֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עֲלֵהֶ֔ן אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־הַכְּסָלִ֑ים וְאֶת־הַיֹּתֶ֙רֶת֙ עַל־הַכָּבֵ֔ד עַל־הַכְּלָי֖וֹת יְסִירֶֽנָּה׃ (ה) וְהִקְטִ֨ירוּ אֹת֤וֹ בְנֵֽי־אַהֲרֹן֙ הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חָה עַל־הָ֣עֹלָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר עַל־הָעֵצִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר עַל־הָאֵ֑שׁ אִשֵּׁ֛ה רֵ֥יחַ נִיחֹ֖חַ לַֽיהֹוָֽה׃ {פ}
(3) Then present from the sacrifice of well-being, as an offering by fire to יהוה, the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is about the entrails; (4) the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, that is at the loins; and the protuberance on the liver, which you shall remove with the kidneys. (5) Aaron’s sons shall turn these into smoke on the altar, with the burnt offering which is upon the wood that is on the fire, as an offering by fire, of pleasing odor to יהוה.
(יג) יַרְכִּבֵ֙הוּ֙ עַל־[בָּ֣מֳתֵי] (במותי) אָ֔רֶץ וַיֹּאכַ֖ל תְּנוּבֹ֣ת שָׂדָ֑י וַיֵּנִקֵ֤הֽוּ דְבַשׁ֙ מִסֶּ֔לַע וְשֶׁ֖מֶן מֵחַלְמִ֥ישׁ צֽוּר׃ (יד) חֶמְאַ֨ת בָּקָ֜ר וַחֲלֵ֣ב צֹ֗אן עִם־חֵ֨לֶב כָּרִ֜ים וְאֵילִ֤ים בְּנֵֽי־בָשָׁן֙ וְעַתּוּדִ֔ים עִם־חֵ֖לֶב כִּלְי֣וֹת חִטָּ֑ה וְדַם־עֵנָ֖ב תִּשְׁתֶּה־חָֽמֶר׃
(13) [God] set them atop the highlands,
To feast on the yield of the earth;
Nursing them with honey from the crag,
And oil from the flinty rock, (14) Curd of kine and milk of flocks;
With the fat of lambs,
And rams of Bashan, and he-goats;
With the fat of wheat—
And foaming grape-blood was your drink.
(יח) וּקְח֧וּ אֶת־אֲבִיכֶ֛ם וְאֶת־בָּתֵּיכֶ֖ם וּבֹ֣אוּ אֵלָ֑י וְאֶתְּנָ֣ה לָכֶ֗ם אֶת־טוּב֙ אֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם וְאִכְל֖וּ אֶת־חֵ֥לֶב הָאָֽרֶץ׃
Jacob Milgrom, Leviticus (Fortress: Minneapolis, 2004), 74.
Without exception, the suet of a sacrificial animal belongs to God; for this reason, if anyone eats the suet, even if the animal died naturally and can no longer be offered on the altar, it is as if that person had encroached upon Divine property and is subject to Divine sanctions.
Questions for Study
1. Why, do you think, the Torah prohibits a particular fat from the Israelites?
2. Why blood?
3. What might we learn from each proscription?
יִתְגַּדַּל וְיִתְקַדַּשׁ שְׁמֵהּ רַבָּא. בְּעָלְמָא דִּי בְרָא כִרְעוּתֵהּ וְיַמְלִיךְ מַלְכוּתֵהּ בְּחַיֵּיכוֹן וּבְיוֹמֵיכוֹן וּבְחַיֵּי דְכָל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּעֲגָלָא וּבִזְמַן קָרִיב, וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן.
יְהֵא שְׁמֵהּ רַבָּא מְבָרַךְ לְעָלַם וּלְעָלְמֵי עָלְמַיָּא:
יִתְבָּרַךְ וְיִשְׁתַּבַּח וְיִתְפָּאַר וְיִתְרוֹמַם וְיִתְנַשֵּׂא וְיִתְהַדָּר וְיִתְעַלֶּה וְיִתְהַלָּל שְׁמֵהּ דְּקֻדְשָׁא. בְּרִיךְ הוּא. לְעֵלָּא מִן כָּל בִּרְכָתָא וְשִׁירָתָא תֻּשְׁבְּחָתָא וְנֶחֱמָתָא דַּאֲמִירָן בְּעָלְמָא. וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן.
עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעַל רַבָּנָן. וְעַל תַּלְמִידֵיהוֹן וְעַל כָּל תַּלְמִידֵי תַלְמִידֵיהוֹן. וְעַל כָּל מַאן דְּעָסְקִין בְּאוֹרַיְתָא. דִּי בְאַתְרָא קַדִּישָׁא הָדֵין וְדִי בְכָל אֲתַר וַאֲתַר. יְהֵא לְהוֹן וּלְכוֹן שְׁלָמָא רַבָּא חִנָּא וְחִסְדָּא וְרַחֲמִין וְחַיִּין אֲרִיכִין וּמְזוֹנֵי רְוִיחֵי וּפֻרְקָנָא מִן קֳדָם אֲבוּהוֹן דְּבִשְׁמַיָּא וְאַרְעָא וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן.
יְהֵא שְׁלָמָא רַבָּא מִן שְׁמַיָּא וְחַיִּים עָלֵינוּ וְעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן.
עוֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו הוּא יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם עָלֵינוּ וְעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן.
Yitgadal v'yitkadash sh'meih raba. B'al'ma di v'ra chiruteih, v'yamlich malchuteih b'chayeichon uv'yomeichon uv'chayei d'chol beit yisra-eil, ba-agala uvizman kariv, v'imru amein.
Y'hei sh'meih raba m'varach l'alam ul'al'mei al'maya.
Yitbarach v'yishtabach v'yitpa-ar v'yitromam v'yitnasei v'yithadar v'yitaleh v'yithalal sh'meih d'kudsha b'rich hu, l'eila min kol birchata v'shirata tushb'chata v'nechemata, da-amiran b'al'ma, v'imru amein.
Al yisra-eil v'al rabanan, v'al talmideihon v'al kol talmidei talmideihon, v'al kol man d'as'kin b'orayta, di v'atra hadein v'di v'chol atar va-atar. Y'hei l'hon ul'chon sh'lama raba, china v'chisda v'rachamin, v'chayin arichin, um'zonei r'vichei, ufurkana, min kodam avuhon di vishmaya, v'ara, v'imru amein.
Y'hei sh'lama raba min sh'maya, v'chayim tovim aleinu v'al kol yisra-eil, v'imru amein.
Oseh shalom Oseh shalom bimromav, hu b'rachamav ya-aseh shalom aleinu v'al kol yisra-eil, v'imru amein.