Shalom Friends;
Our Parshat Tzav vort is being sponsored by Mutti and Michele Frankel of Ramat Beit Shemesh dedicated Lillui Nismas Michelle’s grandmother, Sandy Kramer’s mother Rachel (Rose) Bat Aharon Kahn and for the safety of the Chayalim as well as for the good health and security of kol Am Yisrael. To Mishpochat Frankel, many thanks for your sponsorship, and your continued kindnesses.
You can celebrate a Simcha — a birth, a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, a Chassuna or other Simcha event in your life, or commemorate a Yahrtzeit of a loved one, or for whatever other reason by sponsoring a Parshat HaShevua.
Please forward to your relatives and friends and encourage them to subscribe, and hopefully to sponsor a Parshat HaShevua. And please be in contact with me with any questions, or for further details.
Best Regards,
Moshe Burt
olehchadash@yahoo.com
skype: mark.burt3
Subscribe to the Israel and the Sin of Expulsion blog, to ask questions or to sponsor a Parsha Vort at: olehchadash@yahoo.com
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The Artscroll Stone Edition Chumash renders translation of the opening posukim of our Parshat:
“Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying: Command [Tzav] Aaron and his sons, saying: This is the law of the elevation [Olah] offering: It is the elevation offering [that stays] on the flame on the Mokdah [Altar, in this context], all night until the morning, and the fire of the Mizbeiyach should be kept aflame on it.” (Sefer Vayikra, Perek 6, posukim 1-2)
It’s interesting that Parshat Tzav is paired with Parshat Shemini, with Pesach and Chol HaMoed nestled in between the two Parshiyot. Further, the military document ordering the activation of reservists was coined “Tzav Shemonah.”
In Parshat Tetzaveh, the vort discussed the clothing worn by regular Kohanim — bigdei Kehunah, and the clothing worn by the Kohen Gadol — both the bigdei Kehunah and the bigdei Zahav citing commentary from Rabbi Herschel Reichman in his Sefer, “Living the Chassidic Legacy, Lessons Based on Shem Mishmuel. .
In our Parshat Tzav, Rabbi Reichman discusses the respective Kedusha of the Kohanim and the Levi’im, the connection of Shabbos to the Kedusha of the Kohanim and Levi’im respectively, and Kol Am Yisrael, as well as poignantly discussing Amalek’s hatred and lust for the eradication of the souls of Jews (pages 356 – 358, 362 – 364) :
The Avnei Neizer explains that Kohanim are internally focused and their avodah is performed privately. The Levi’im, on the other hand, are externally focused and their avodah is performed publicly. The Kohen represents a secret, hidden, holy power and sanctity. It is a very deep sanctity, hidden from view. The Kohen does not sing. He may say a few words to clarify his intentions before offering a particular korban. During the service of a korban mincha and during the ketores, there is no speaking at all. The Kohen walks with feeling, but with no outward noise. His devotions and Kedusha are private.
The Levi is just the opposite. He sings and plays instruments. Their choir must have had an amazing sound, as [they] sang together with the accompaniment of their instruments. Their form of service reflects their Kedusha, which has a visible form.
When the Kedusha of a certain object or person is an inner Kedusha, it should be covered and sanctified. On the other hand, outer Kedusha can be revealed, as befits its nature. Since the Kedusha of the Kohen is focused inward, it has to be covered with clothing, a uniform.
Since the Kedusha of the Levi is meant to be revealed, both seen and heard, Levi’im don’t need a [specific] uniform.
In Judaism, there is a value in hiding Kedusha. There is a type of Kedusha that is supposed to be private, not to be shown or displayed.
During the week, we experience both… our physical and spiritual sides. There are many action-based Mitzvot we do during the week…. The body does many good things during the week. This is an external expression of our responsibilities and holiness.
There are many times during the week when we are private. We pray in private and study Torah privately. We are a combination of external body and inner soul. But Shabbos, the Zohar says, is… all soul. On Shabbos, the body and its needs are toned down. We are not involved in Mitzvot of the body. We don’t wear Tefillin…. on Shabbos. Shabbos has no need for the body to put on Tefillin. It is completely focused on the Jewish soul, on our inner holiness (not the actions of the week).
The Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer draws a strange comparison…. The cup of Shabbos Kiddush is a good wine, but Amalek’s cup is filled with spoiled wine. What is the connection between these two cups?
Shabbos is an inwardly facing day, the day of the holiness inside the Jew. What is Amalek? Amalek is our enemy, and not just in a physical sense. It attacks the Jew on every level of Jewry’s existence. Amalek attacks us from the lowest to the highest level, on the levels of nefesh, ruach, and neshama. Amalek has deep power, attacking the Jew even on his deepest, holiest level.
Hashem always creates balance. “Zeh l’umas zeh asa Ha’K’Elokim” [Rabbi Reichman citing Kohelet 7:14]. Every good force in the world is counterbalanced by an equally powerful evil force. Jews have an Aaron HaKohen level, an inner level of private sanctity, endless in depth. Amalek has the same level in evil, one that is infinitely deep. Amalek is not fighting the Jew because it has some external problem with us, It doesn’t fight us because of land, like the seven Cana’anite nations… Amalek came to fight the Jews in the desert: B’nei Yisrael were not even headed towards the land of Amalek. The Amalekim had no alliance with even one of the seven nations.
Amalek is a fundamental enemy of the soul of the Jews. It resents the holiness of the Jew. It wants to deny and destroy it. This is the Hitler/Nazi [Y’Machsh’mam] ideology, which says that the Jew is the enemy of humanity. The Jew expresses kindness, which is weakness in Amalek’s eyes, because Amalek believes it [presumably weakness] only promotes defeat.
The hatred of Amalek for the Jews is very deep. It has nothing to do with anything external. It is internal, fundamental hatred and antagonism. In a certain way, Amalek is the opposite of Shabbos. If Shabbos is the Jewish day of internal, deep and profound Kedusha, Amalek has internally profound wickedness, contamination, and defilement. Shabbos is the day of the Kedusha of the holy soul of the Jews. Amalek represents the soul of… defilement. It is the opposite of Shabbos and of Aaron HaKohen.
Bearing in mind Rabbi Reichman’s commentary on the relationship between the internal Kedusha of Shabbos for the Jews and the deep internal wickedness of Amalek’s hatred for the Jews, it should be noted that each of the three major wars initiated by Arab forces, whether by Arab, Islamic nations or by the barbaric Islamic Gazan terrorist animals, against the nation of Israel all formally began on Shabbos.
**Note: The beginning of the 1948 Arab attack on modern-day, then nascent state of Israel began on 15 May, 1948 (5 Iyyar 5708) Shabbos Parshat Emor.
**The Yom Kippur War of 1973 (5733) began on Shabbos.
**The War of Simchat Torah (Shmini Atzeret in Chutz L’Aretz), also known as 7 October, began early on Shabbos morning in 2023 (5784).
May our government and military bring about the total and complete, Final and Decisive victory over Hamas, their 7 October so-called “civilians(sic)” collaborators and the entire terror cabal, B’Yad Hashem, and become Totally self-sufficient as to manufacture of military equipment and aircraft, weaponry, munitions — heavy munitions, as well as showing independence of actions responding to any threat, regardless of so-called “super powers.”
May we see, from here on, that border guard personnel at all points of possible danger are listened to and treated with respect and dignity. May we see, with Operation Roaring Lions — the joint action by our Chayalim and the United States against the Mullahs of what has been the Islamic Caliphate dictatorship controlling Iran, that Islam and its barbarous terrorist tentacles of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, as well as Qatar, Turkey and Pakistan and all who seek war against the Jews be totally eradicated, both in Israel’s neighborhood, as well as internationally, B’Ezrat Hashem. May we see a government of Israel secure in it’s foremost service of, and emunah in HaKadosh Borchu, B’Ezrat Hashem! And may we see the restoration of true unity within Am Yisrael. May these words come to fruition B’Ezrat Hashem.
May we, the B’nei Yisrael be zocha that our brethren — the refugee families from Gush Katif be permanently re-settled in Gush Katif, once the IDF, by the Yad Hashem, destructs and eradicates the wild beasts of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, all other terror entities, and if necessary Iran, and that our brethren be made totally whole — be totally restituted for all that was stolen from them, that the thrice expelled families of Amona be restored to their rebuilt homes and the oft-destroyed Yeshiva buildings in Homesh be rebuilt, as well as the buildings of Yishuv Elchanan, all at total government expense. May our Chayalim return from battle unharmed — physically, mentally and spiritually and may all of the remaining hostages brutally taken by the wild beasts of Hamas be liberated and brought home to their families. Baruch Hashem that our dear brother Jonathan Pollard is now in his sixth year at home in Eretz Yisrael and continues in a new chapter in his life. May Esther Yocheved bat Yechiel Avraham have an aliyah in Shemayim and may her spirit and memory continue to lift Jonathan to at least 120 years. May the MIAs be liberated alive and returned to us in ways befitting Al Kiddush Hashem — as with the return in April, 2019, via Russia, of the remains of Zachariah Baumel, the recent recovery of the remains of Tzvi Feldman as well as the recoveries of the remains of Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin from the Gaza War of ten years ago. May we have the courage and strength to stand up and physically prevent the possibility of Chas V’Challila any future eviction of Jews from their homes and prevent Chas V’Challila the handing of Jewish land over to anyone, let alone to enemies sworn to Israel’s and Judaism’s destruction and eradication. May we fulfill Hashem’s blueprint of B’nei Yisrael as a Unique people — an Am Segula, not to be reckoned with as with “the nations” and may we be zocha to see the Moshiach, the Ge’ula Shlaima, as Dov Shurin sings; “Ki Karov Yom Hashem Al’Kol HaGoyim”, the Ultimate Redemption, bimhayrah b’yamainu — speedily, in our time”, — Achshav, Chik Chuk, Miyad, Etmol!!!
Good Shabbos!
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Moshe Burt, an Oleh, is a commentator on news and events in Israel and Founder and Director of The Sefer Torah Recycling Network. He lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh.
Moshe is available for editing of English language documents, articles, manuscripts and more. Please be in contact with him at olehchadash@yahoo.com for your English language needs.
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