Scrollers Preview - Tzav 2013

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Parashat Tzav 2013

Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg

Leviticus can feel so foreign to us, and this Torah portion is no exception. Whereas in last week’s parasha we learned about the purpose of each type of sacrifice, this week we read more of a manual for the priests, outlining how to conduct the ritual of each sacrifice.

We learn which portions of the sacrifice are burned up completely, which portions the priests consume, and which portions the Israelite bringing the sacrifice would consume. This week we find the prohibition against consuming blood or fat, a rule we see repeatedly throughout the Torah. And we read the instructions for the ordination of the priests. The story of the first ordination of the first priests and the actual initiation of the sacrificial system will come in next week’s parasha.

Over the years, I have found that when I come back to these sections of Torah, I feel closer and closer to them. They make more and more sense to me the more I explore them. I also feel a sense of gratitude that we have this Torah which captures this ancient way our people had of connecting to God. Now that it’s gone, we at least have this record. So, as we study this week, I want us to try to wrap our heads around this ritual that no longer exists. Before judging it, I want us to try and understand this system and what it must have meant to those who participated in it and those who facilitated it.

Then, we will turn to the Haftarah from Jeremiah, who does judge this system very harshy and who asserts that God never meant for us to engage in sacrificial worship. Jeremiah opens by instructing the people to, “add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices and eat the meat!”, an act which would desecrate the sacrifices mentioned.

According to the introduction in Etz Hayyim:

. . . it is best to follow those commentators who regard Jeremiah’s words as an altogether ironic “instruction,” implying that the people may as well desecrate the burnt offering (olah) for all that it is worth, because God did not command them about burnt offerings or sacrifices during the wilderness sojourn.

So many questions!

Did God ever want us to worship through sacrifice? Is Jeremiah unaware of the book of Leviticus, or is he rebelling against it? Why did our people cling to this sacrificial system for so long, even as the prophets were announcing that God did not want them anymore?