Parshah Summary – P’sha
The parshah opens with God instructing Moses to command (Tzav) Aaron and his sons regarding their duties and rights as kohanim (priests) who offer the korbanot (animal and meal offerings) in the Sanctuary. The fire on the altar must be kept constantly burning at all times. Upon the altar, the Olah (Ascending) offering is burned completely. Also burned are the veins of fat from the Shlamim (Peace offerings), the Hatat (Sin offering), the Asham (Guilt offering), and a handful of grain that is separated from the Minkhah (Meal offering). The kohanim eat the meat of the Sin and Guilt offerings, and the remainder of the Meal offering. The Peace offering is eaten by the one who brought it, except for specified portions given to the kohen. Aaron and his sons remain within the Sanctuary compound for seven days, during which Moses initiates them into the priesthood.
Torah of Awakening
צַ֤ו אֶֽת־אַהֲרֹן֙ וְאֶת־בָּנָ֣יו לֵאמֹ֔ר זֹ֥את תּוֹרַ֖ת הָעֹלָ֑ה הִ֣וא הָעֹלָ֡ה עַל֩ מוֹקְדָ֨הֿ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֤חַ כׇּל־הַלַּ֙יְלָה֙ עַד־הַבֹּ֔קֶר וְאֵ֥שׁ הַמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ תּ֥וּקַד בּֽוֹ׃ Command Aaron and his sons, saying: This is the torah of the Olah (Ascending) offering: The Olah offering shall remain upon the pyre upon the altar all night until morning, and the altar’s fire shall be kept burning upon it… - Vayikra (Leviticus) 6:2 Parshat Tzav
In the days of the Baal Shem Tov, it once happened at the conclusion of Yom Kippur that the sky was particularly cloudy. The moon was completely obscured, preventing the Baal Shem from making the Kiddush Levana – the Sanctification of the Moon that is said after Yom Kippur. He sensed that the welfare of his people somehow depended on his making the blessing that night. Determined, he stood beneath the night sky, concentrating his mind to cause the clouds to disperse, but with no success. He eventually accepted his failure as what needed to be, and retired to his room. His disciples, however, knew nothing of his sadness and had begun to dance around the house in ecstatic celebration. Eventually their revelry burst through the door into the Baal Shem Tov’s room, and in their mad ecstasy, they took him by the hand and drew him into the dance. As they danced, the Baal Shem noticed – the sky had cleared and the waxing moon beamed brightly! The Baal Shem made the brakha (blessing) and wept in gratitude that the danger had been averted.
On the surface, this story is about joy and the power of community to lift our burdens of sorrow. But on a deeper level, the Baal Shem Tov’s response to his failure in controlling his situation demonstrates a wise and practical path for dealing with life’s challenges. This path consists of three phases, which we could call: acceptance, surrender, and affirmation. The words “acceptance” and “surrender” are often used interchangeably, but they are distinct. Acceptance is a choice: when our situation is unacceptable, we can step back from the cycle of emotional resistance by simply deciding, “this is what is happening, I must accept it.” Acceptance doesn’t mean approval and it doesn’t mean the absence of sadness or anger; it only means that our intellect has come into harmony with reality, that we have stopped struggling intellectually against the truth of the moment. The practice of acceptance is represented by the letter ו vav, which means “and” – we say “yes and” to whatever is, because it is. In the story, acceptance the first phase of the Baal Shem Tov’s response, when he acknowledges his inability to move the clouds with his mind and retires to his room. “Surrender,” on the other hand, happens by Grace; it is when our clinging to things being other than the way they are drops away, and a new joy can sprout. Surrender is represented by the letter מ mem, which means “water,” hinting at the way water simply takes the shape of the vessel that holds it. We cannot force ourselves to surrender, but we can open ourselves to its possibility through acceptance. In the story, surrender is represented by the disciples bursting into his room and drawing him into the dance. The disciples come to the Baal Shem Tov of their own accord, but he is susceptible to them because he has ceased his struggling with the clouds. Acceptance was his choice; surrender came by Grace. From this perspective, the miracle of the clouds finally parting, allowing for the blessing on the moon, points not to the supernatural, but to the power of how we perceive what happens. After all, we can notice: the clouds were bound to clear eventually. The significance of this moment is how the event was received by the Baal Shem: in the wake of his surrender and letting go, the very thing that eluded him came on its own; this was the fruit of letting go – the transformation from lack to fulfillment, from loss to gratitude… הָעֹלָ֡ה עַל֩ מוֹקְדָ֨הֿ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֤חַ כׇּל־הַלַּ֙יְלָה֙ עַד־הַבֹּ֔קֶר – The elevation offering itself shall stay on the flame upon the altar all night until morning… If we want to “elevate” our relationship with disappointment and failure, we must become aware of our tendency to resist during the “night time” of our challenges; we must make the decision to accept, and to then remain alert – to keep the “flame” of our awareness burning so that we do not revert to our unconsciousness, all through the “night” until the “morning” – that is, until surrender comes to us. This is the first stage. הוֹצִ֤יא אֶת־הַדֶּ֙שֶׁן֙ אֶל־מִח֣וּץ לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה…הַכֹּהֵ֜ן – The priest… shall carry the ashes outside the camp… Then, after we have accepted and “burned” through any negativity by being present with it, we must let go of the ashes. We cannot force ourselves to surrender, but in being present with our resistance, it transforms. At this point, we must remain present so as to not resurrect the negativity; don’t keep it alive by creating more mental stories; remove it from your space. This is the second stage. וּבִעֵ֨ר עָלֶ֧יהָ הַכֹּהֵ֛ן עֵצִ֖ים בַּבֹּ֣קֶר בַּבֹּ֑קֶר – and the priest shall feed wood to (the burning flame), from morning to morning… But then, when the “morning” comes in the wake of surrender, we’ve got to continue burning the fire of Presence, rather than practice only when things are challenging; this is daily meditation. It is not difficult, but it takes an initial commitment to break through the inertia and establish it as a habit. אֵ֗שׁ תָּמִ֛יד תּוּקַ֥ד עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ לֹ֥א תִכְבֶּֽה׃ – a perpetual fire shall be kept burning on the altar; it should never be extinguished… This is the point of meditation: that through persistence over time, through the cycles of acceptance, surrender and affirmation, we can develop an אֵשׁ תָּמִיד aysh tamid, a perpetual Presence that burns brightly through both the day times and the night times of life. This is the letter ש shin, the practice of moment to moment attentiveness. In this week of Shabbat Tzav, the Sabbath of Connection, may we connect these three phases – accepting challenge and failure when it happens, letting go of negativity so that we may be drawn back into the Dance of Life, and coming to bless the holiness of each moment, regardless of whether our fortune is “waxing” or “waning.”
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1 Comment
Ronald Kafker
3/30/2024 05:18:59 pm
Many thanks for your teaching Leave a Reply. |
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