Parshah Summary – P’shat
The parshah opens with the commandment (Tetzaveh, “you shall command”) that the Children of Israel should bring pure olive oil to kindle the Ner Tamid – the “everlasting flame” of the Menorah, which Aaron is to kindle each day, “from evening till morning…”
The priestly garments, to be worn by the kohanim while serving in the Sanctuary, are then described: 1) the ketonet – linen tunic; 2) the mikh-nasayim – linen breeches; 3) the mitznefet or mig-ba’at – linen turban; and 4) the avnet – a long sash wound above the waist. In addition, the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) wore: 5) the efod--an apron-like garment made of blue, purple, and red-dyed wool, linen, and gold thread; 6) the hoshen—a breastplate containing twelve precious stones inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; 7) the me-il—a cloak of blue wool, with gold bells and decorative pomegranates on its hem; and 8) the tzitz—a golden plate worn on the forehead, bearing the inscription “Holy to Hashem.” The parshah also describes instructions for the seven-day initiation of Aaron and his four sons—Nadav, Avihu, Elazar and Itamar—into the priesthood, and for the making of the golden altar, upon which the ketoret (incense) was burned.
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
וְאַתָּ֞ה תְּצַוֶּ֣ה אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְיִקְח֨וּ אֵלֶ֜יךָ שֶׁ֣מֶן זַ֥יִת זָ֛ךְ כָּתִ֖ית לַמָּא֑וֹר לְהַעֲלֹ֥ת נֵ֖ר תָּמִֽיד׃ You shall instruct the Children of Israel to bring you oil of olives, pure, crushed for illumination, to kindle a continuous flame… - Shemot (Exodus) 27:20, Parshat Tetzaveh
Someone once told me that she hadn’t done anything of value in her life, that she had messed up so much that her life was worthless. I encouraged her to notice that those were unhelpful thoughts, that she didn’t have to “buy in” to those thoughts.
“But it’s TRUE!” she insisted. “What is true,” I said, “is that those thoughts are present, the feelings that come with those thoughts are present, the sense of your body breathing right now is present, the sound of my voice is present… that is TRUE.” She started to relax a little bit, barukh Hashem, because as we know, she could have punched in the mouth instead. When a person is captivated by thoughts and feelings, it is not always helpful to point it out; one has to be ready for that kind of pointing. We may or may not be able to help another person get free from the web of ego, but there is one person we can always help – and that is ourselves. Notice: there is, right now, an Absolute Truth, and that is the Truth of whatever is arising in your experience, in this moment. The point of this Truth, however, is not necessarily the experience; the point is noticing that you are noticing; the point realizing that you are the awareness that notices. When you can see clearly – here is a thought, here is a feeling, here is a sensation – then there can be this profound shift in your identity: you are not trapped by any thought or feeling. You are the openness within which this moment unfolds. This is freedom from the constriction and angst of ego, represented by Mitzrayim, slavery in Egypt. And from this perspective of inner freedom, then you can easily inquire: is this or that thought helpful? Is this or that thought destructive? Spiritual teachings often come in diametrically opposed pairs. There’s a teaching of the Hasidic master, Rabbi Simkha Bunim, that everyone should carry two slips of paper, one in each pocket. On one should be written, “I am but dust and ashes,” (Genesis 18:27) and on the second, “For me the world was created.” (Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin, 37b) As one goes through life, one should develop the wisdom to know when to take out which slip of paper. Could there be more diametrically opposed messages? How could both these statements be true? The point is, our thoughts are not “true” or “not true,” they are either useful or not useful. From a spiritual point of view, they are useful if they move us from ego to freedom, from resistance and resignation to acceptance and empowerment. This is important. Yes, acceptance means letting go and letting things be as they are (“I am but dust and ashes.”) But that doesn’t mean passivity or weakness; often, it means the acceptance of responsibility (“For me the world was created.”) This moment, this situation, as it is right now, is. How shall we respond? Shall we turn away, deny and ignore? Or, shall we address this moment as it is and step up to what must be done? This too is acceptance, this too is freedom – not freedom from responsibility, but freedom from resistance to accepting the responsibility that has come to you. There is a hint in this verse: וְאַתָּ֞ה תְּצַוֶּ֣ה אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְיִקְח֨וּ אֵלֶ֜יךָ שֶׁ֣מֶן זַ֥יִת זָ֛ךְ כָּתִ֖ית לַמָּא֑וֹר לְהַעֲלֹ֥ת נֵ֖ר תָּמִֽיד: You shall instruct the Children of Israel to take for you oil of olives, pure, crushed, for illumination, to kindle a continuous flame... On the literal level, this is an instruction for operating the Menorah, the ritual lamp in the Mishkan, the Tabernacle in the wilderness. But on a deeper level, there is an interesting feature about this verse: on one hand, the olive oil is being used to kindle a flame, but on the other hand, the flame is called ner tamid – a continuous flame – implying that it’s already burning. This is a wonderful metaphor for consciousness. On one hand, as human beings, we are already conscious. The oil is already burning so to speak – the ner tamid, the continuous flame of our consciousness, is the space within which these words are being perceived right now. The question is, are you conscious of your consciousness? You are already aware, but are you aware that you are the awareness? שֶׁ֣מֶן זַ֥יִת זָ֛ךְ כָּתִ֖ית לַמָּא֑וֹר... Olive oil, pure, crushed for illumination… To wake up from the dream of ego, to become aware on this deeper level, we have to purify awareness from its identification with thoughts and feelings; this is זָךְ zakh – “crushed.” Like the olive, there’s a hard pit at the core; that’s the ego. How do we do this? Be the loving Presence that surrounds your ego. No need to try to get rid of it – that’s just more ego! Instead, accept the fullness of your experience as it is, resistance and all, feelings and all, without “adding to the story” – without “buying in,” so to speak. לְהַעֲלֹ֥ת נֵ֖ר תָּמִֽיד – to kindle the continuous flame… In other words, by accepting the moment and fully feeling your feelings, you illuminate the awareness that is already there, causing it to burn more brightly, liberating it from being trapped in the forms of thoughts and feelings, yet also present with your thoughts and feelings – this is meditation, represented by the first letter, א aleph…
Read past teachings on Tetzaveh HERE
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