Parsha Tetzaveh 5767 — Is Something Amiss? Where’s Moshe?

A few years ago, Rabbi Wagensberg, in his Shiur on our Parsha, brought sources which gave possible explanations for the absence of Moshe’s name from the Parsha. He mentions the Ba’al HaTurim who stated that Moshe’s name is absent because of his response to Hashem after Cha’it HaEigel. When Hashem stated his intention to destroy B’nai Yisrael and start again creating a people from Moshe’s seed, Moshe responded that “If you do not forgive their sin, blot me out from the book which you have written.” (Midrash Says, Sh’mos, Tetzaveh, P.273) “The Midrash Says” goes on to state that “A Tzaddik’s words must take effect (even if the condition attached to them is not fulfilled). Hashem consequently erased Moshe’s name from Parsha Tetzaveh.” (Midrash Says, Sh’mos, Tetzaveh, P.273)

Rabbi Wagensberg also brought The Gr’a as a source, which it is said, stated that during the week of Parsha Tetzaveh, Moshe was niftar and we commemorate his Yahrtzeit. For that reason, Hashem has omitted Moshe’s name from the Parsha. However in Biblical Times in Eretz Yisrael, Torah was read in a 3 year cycle and not a 1 year cycle. It’s not possible that the Great Vilna Gaon would have overlooked this point. Obviously, something else is at work here.

He then proposes a possible answer as to why Moshe was not openly mentioned, but rather concealed — Nistar in our Parsha. Parsha Tetzaveh has 101 posukim. If one counts the inside, concealed letters of Moshe’s name (Mem, Mem; Shin, Yud, Nun; Hay, Aleph), You find Mem = 40, Yud = 10, Nun = 50 and Aleph = 1. Hashem, it seems, omitted Moshe’s name from the Parsha not out of anger for Moshe but maybe, out of anger at B’nai Yisrael who were far beneath Moshe’s level of Selflessness and Spirituality.

And it seems that throughout history from the death of the Tzaddik Metushelach which closely preceded the Mabul, the great flood, by a mere 7 days; through to our days when the deaths of a number of great Gedolim closely predated Oslo and, including Tzaddikim like Adir Zik, predated terrible events such that perhaps Hashem can’t bear to have the great Tzaddikim live to witness what Am Yisrael wreaks upon itself.

And another possible answer as to why Moshe Rabbeinu’s name is missing in our Parsha could be out of anger at B’nai Yisrael who were far beneath Moshe’s level of Selflessness and Spirituality. Perhaps Hashem is angry at an Am Yisrael who lacks collective “fire in the belly”, who lacks a loving compassion for their Jewish brethren and for Eretz Yisrael; our Biblical Jewish heritage and legacy. Perhaps collectively, we don’t want our land badly enough. Perhaps collectively, it’s each guy for himself and his own and to heck with Am Yehudi, to heck with “…that place; after all, it’s not my neighborhood at risk.” Not your community?? Not yet. But, “As sure as Hashem made little green apples and it don’t rain in Indianapolis in the summertime …”

Perhaps that lack of the mido of loving compassion for Jewish brethren extends among some to a lack of chessed — tzedaka. Hashem may be angry at the collective Am Yisrael for there are some of us who, when the Oni reaches out seeking financial help either for himself, or for the chessed project, the worthy cause he seeks to facilitate, he’s often subjected to responses like; “every time you see me you try to hit me up,” or why don’t you ask him (friend, acquaintance, etc.), ” or, after the two previous disparaging responses, the zinger — strike 3; “you’re coming on kinda strong.”

But it seems to this author that Hashem wants to see us put into practice and actuate our principles; to act beyond tefillah and learning in the Beis Medrash.

Seventeen months ago, the Am Yisrael was too busy fighting and hating each other and were too self-directed to care about the Klal and so 9,000 formerly productive, independent citizens are now in large part destitute, devoid of their property and possessions and dependent upon the chessed of many others, while Kassams continue raining down upon S’derot and Askelon threatening homes, lives and vital services. And the Arabs, the murdering Islamikazis have taken heart from the expulsion and from the Israeli military fiasco last summer in Lebanon and perceive our end as “the writing on the wall.”

We can act to manifest change. Just as it seems obvious that the Jews of Shushan put aside personal and familial issues for the sake of unity and Jewish survival, we too can collectively step up in unity with the game on the line. We are capable of deploying the Ukrainian model, in shifts, by roster and putting a 100,000 Jews in front of Knesset 24/7; not for how it might affect the mindset and actions of an Ehud Olmert or a Peres, Silvan Shalom, Mofaz, Gideon Ezra, etc. but for the rock-solid dedication and unity it would build amongst ourselves, like in the time of Mordechai and Esther and the Jews of the city of Shushan. I believe is the message this year behind our Parsha Tetzaveh.

May we be zocha in this coming year that our brethren — the refugee families from Gush Katif be permanently settled and be made totally whole, that our dear brother Jonathan Pollard and the 3 captive Chayalim and the other MIAs be liberated and returned to us and that we fulfill Hashem’s blueprint of B’nai Yisrael as a Unique people — an Am Segula, not to be reckoned with as with “the nations” and may we be zocha the Moshiach, the Ge’ula Shlaima, as Dov Shurin sings; “Yom Hashem V’Kol HaGoyim”, the Ultimate Redemption, bim hay v’yameinu — speedily, in our time”, — Achshav, Chik Chuk, Miyad, Etmol!!!