From: Netvort@aol.com
Sent: Friday, April 02, 2004 2:40
AM
To: JoshHoff@aol.com
Subject: Netvort : parshas Tzav,
5764
Badge
of Honor
By
Rabbi Joshua (honorably known as The Hoffer) Hoffman
In memory of my
father, Yosef ben Isaac Hirsch, whose yohrzeit will be this coming Wednesday, 17
Nissan, the second day of Pesach. May his memory be a blessing.
The
Rambam writes that the order of Torah readings is arranged so that parshas Tzav
usually is read on the Shabbos preceding Pesach known as Shabbos HaGodol, the
great Shabbos. This is the halacha as recorded in the Shulchan Oruch, as well,
and it applies to all years except leap years, when an extra month is added to
the Hebrew calendar. On those years, parshas Metzora is read on Shabbos HaGodol.
One may ask what there is in this parsha, which deals mostly with sacrifices
brought in the mishkan and, later, in the Temple, that would lead to such a
juxtaposition, one that seems to have been specifically planned. Rav Yosef Dov
Soloveitchik, of blessed memory, suggested that the connection between parshas
Tzav and Pesach lies in the laws of kashering vessels, of purging them of their
halachic impurities. These laws, as they pertain to kodoshim, to utensils used
in the sacrificial service in the mishkan and later in the Temple, are recorded
in parshas Tzav (Vayikra 6:21) There are some peculiar laws of kashering vessels
that are shared by kodoshim and utensils being kashered from year-round usage to
Pesach usage, and these similarities, suggested Rav Soloveitchik, are the reason
for reading this parsha on the Shabbos before Pesach.
The essential
factor that makes utensils of kodoshim different from non-kodoshim utensils is
the fact that substances absorbed in kodoshim vessels are 'heteirah bala',
meaning that at the time of absorption, the substance being absorbed was
permissible to be eaten. For example, there is a Torah prohibition of nosar, of
consuming meat from a sacrifice after the allotted time for its being eaten has
passed. Nosar absorbed in a vessel during the process of cooking the korban-meat
is also forbidden to be consumed after that allotted time. However, at the time
it was absorbed, it was meat from a korban, parts of which were meant to be
eaten. In short, it was heteirah bala, an absorption of something permissible
that later becomes prohibited. Utensils used for chometz all year round which
one then wishes to kasher for Pesach are also in the category of heteirah bala,
and therefore share the same halochos as those of kodoshim vessels. Thus, one
need not wait 24 hours after previous usage in order to use such utensils for
kashering purposes. It is because of this common characteristic of heteirah
bala, says Rabbi Soloveitchik, that parshas Tzav is read on the Shabbos
preceding Pesach. However, this explanation does not help us when we come to a
leap year, on which, as we noted earlier, it is parshas Metzora which is read on
Shabbos HaGodol. It is possible to find a specific connection between the
phenomenon of tzora'as, a certain type of skin disease that is a divine
affliction for certain kinds of transgressions, and the nation's experience in
Egypt. For example, Pharaoh, according to the midrash, contracted tzora'as, and
killed Jewish babies to wash himself in their blood as a cure. However, I
would like to suggest a common theme in parshas Tzav and parshas Metzora that
relates to Shabbos HaGodol, as well.
Parshas Tzav begins with a
discussion of the mitzvoh of terumas hadeshen, of removing the ashes produced by
burned sacrifices from the altar. The kohein is commanded to wear his priestly
garments when performing this service, although at first blush one would think
that he would wear ordinary garments to perform such a seemingly unholy task.
Rabbeinu Bachya, in his commentary, writes that the lesson of terumas hadeshen
is that dignity comes from performing God's commands, no matter how
insignificant or lowly we may think the specific action is. The very fact that
it is God's command that we are doing gives the act dignity, and therefore
demands that it be done in a dignified manner, while wearing the priestly
garments. We may add that any ash that may happen to settle on these garments as
a result of the mitzvoh should be viewed, in fact, as a badge of honor. In fact,
Rabbeinu Bachya, in his commentary to parshas Ki Sisa, explains that the
'ornaments' that the Jews received at Mt. Sinai, and which they had to remove
after the sin of the golden calf, consisted of their outer garments that were
splattered with the blood of the covenant that Moshe sprinkled on them at Mt.
Sinai. This blood came from the korban which was brought as part of the nation's
process of collective conversion. Rather than viewing this clothing and filthy
and undignified, the people cherished it as a symbol of their dedication to God,
and mourned the need to remove them as a result of their sin. Similarly, the
stains that the kohein's garments received as a result of his performing the
mitzvoh of terumas hadeshen were a symbol of his service to God, and therefore
something to take pride in.
In some editions of the Pesach Haggadah, a
verse from the book of Yechezkel is cited: "And I passed over you and saw you
wallowing in your bloods, and I said to you, 'You will live by your bloods' "
(Yechezkel 16:6). The bloods referred to here, according to the midrash, are the
bloods of bris milah and the Pesach sacrifice - the korban Pesach. The nation
needed to perform these mitzvos in order to be worthy of redemption. Rav
Dovid Feinstein, in a recent shiur on the Haggadah, noted the use of the word
'wallowing," and explained that this graphic description of the appearance of
the people as a result of the mitzvos of milah and korban Pesach they performed
is deliberate, and carries special meaning. The very stuff of Jewish life, he
explained, is to do mitzvos that involve 'getting oneself dirty,' working with
the everyday things of life and elevating them to holiness. Thus, the Talmud
(Berochos 4a) records for us that King David said to God that while kings of
other nations sit with their groups in their glory, his hands are soiled with
blood, embryos and after-births, to permit a woman to have marital intimacy with
her husband. In other words, King David, in his capacity as an authority in
halacha, had to get his hands dirty with these articles in order to determine
the halachic status of the women who came to him with their questions. David
took this as a matter of pride, that, while serving as king, his focus was on
bringing the laws of Torah into everyday life. Soiling his hands in the process
served only to magnify the importance of what he was doing, just as the ashes on
the kohein's garment coming from the mitzvoh of terumas hadeshen were a badge of
honor. Shabbos HaGodol commemorates the day on which the Jews began to prepare
the animal they would use for the korban Pesach, and, so, it is appropriate to
read parshas Tzav, which holds a message similar to that of the one we have
noted in the korban Pesach, on Shabbos HaGadol.
Following our
explanation of the connection between parshas Tzav and Shabbos HaGodol, we can
understand how parshas Metzora also has relevance to that day. The halacha is
that even if an expert in the laws of tzora'as examines a person, piece of
clothing or house that may have tzora'as, and determines, based upon his
knowledge, that tzora'as indeed exists there, that state of tzora'as cannot be
declared until a kohein comes, views the situation, and makes the declaration.
Here, too, one may wonder, is it really consistent with the status of the kohein
to involve himself with viewing tzora'as? The answer is that it is exactly this
kind of activity through which the kohein demonstrates his dedication to God and
his commitment to bring the Torah and its laws into the life of the nation. In
this way, the kohein reflects the pride that was exhibited by the Jewish people
at Mt. Sinai, when they considered their blood-soiled clothing to be an
ornament, because the blood stains were part of the process of becoming a
kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
Correction : In last week's
Netvort, we explained a detail related to the bringing of the korban mincha
incorrectly. What actually was done was that the kemitzah - the fistful taken
from the offering - was burned on the altar, and the remainder of the korban was
given to the kohanim to eat.
Please address all correspondence to the
author (Rabbi Hoffman) with the following address - JoshHoff @ AOL.com.
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