25: Tzav
Welcome to TLDR Torah: a synopsis of the weekly parsha based on Robert Alter’s translation, plus a question to spur your Shabbat dinner (or any!) conversation.
Parsha Tzav (Leviticus 6:1-8:36)
TLDR:
Based on verbal feedback and page views by this small but loyal TLDR readership, it appears that most people would prefer not to read about sacrificial rituals. Alas, this week Tzav descends deeper into the details.
The parsha covers how the priests should burn the sacrifices, change their clothing, eat their portion of the offering, and sprinkle the blood of animals on the alter… wake up!
I’d like to point out three themes drawn from Alter’s footnotes that you can focus on in the event your mind wanders as you read about how the semolina should be prepared in a grain offering.
Theme 1: Contagion. Referring to objects touching the grain offering, the Torah writes, “Whatever touches them shall become holy.” We’ve been told many times before that unholy objects transfer their unholiness, but it works both ways. Holy objects also transfer their holiness. [Note: others interpret the clause as a requirement for the priest to be holy, i.e. “Whatever touches them shall be holy.”]
Theme 2: Containment. If you’re worried about contagion, then you’ve got to find ways to separate the holy and unholy. The priests have to remove ashes, the dung, and other “unclean” elements of the sacrifice outside the tabernacle.
Theme 3: Parallelism: In the final part of the Parsha, Moses performs an elaborate ritual of placing blood on Aaron’s earlobe, right hand, and right foot. The physical alter is smeared with blood in a similar way. It’s potentially a purposeful mirroring to connect humans with holy physical objects.
Question:
Do you treat any objects you interact with as holy? To be clear, it’s different than treating an object (say, a Torah scroll) with reverence. For something to be holy, you’d assume that holiness is being transferred to you. And if you can’t identify with the “holy” aspect, consider the same question about lucky objects and whether you need to touch them, see them, or, for Harry Potter, drink them.