A Mirror of His Parent

Parshas Tzav

Posted on June 7, 2002 (5778) By Rabbi Dovid Green | Series: Dvar Torah | Level: Beginner

 

There is an interesting midrash concerning this week’s parsha. Moshe, in writing down the Torah at G-d’s dictation, noticed something strange. Nowhere in the Book of Leviticus in the description of priestly functions up to now is his brother Aharon referred to directly. Repeatedly the instructions referred to “the children of Aharon.” Why is this?

According to the midrash, Moshe pleads to G-d on behalf of his brother in the following way; “L-rd, is it possible that you hate the well, but love the water that flows from it?” [Meaning; “How can You hate Aharon by refusing to refer to him, but still love his sons?”] G-d, according to the midrash does not say: “you’re being hypersensitive. I’m not annoyed at Aharon!” In fact, He responds: “very well, because of your plea, I shall relent.” In the very next verse which begins the parsha it says: “G-d spoke to Moshe saying, command Aharon and his sons thus…” (Levit. 6:1). G-d’s annoyance is over!

This is a strange midrash! What is the reason for G-d’s annoyance? We know Aharon was a righteous person. If it was the Sin of the Golden Calf, we know that Aharon had already repented for that. Further, G-d Himself had subsequently appointed him High Priest. Why should He so that with one He was annoyed with?

The explanation, I think, is as follows. There is repentance, and there is repentance. One may repent for a sin according to all the rules, and there could still be something missing. That is that the cause of the sin is still intact in his personality, and has not been changed. Maimonides explains that the final step in repentance is to effect a change in one’s self that would make him like another person, and not the one who had previously sinned. It means that he has refined himself to such an extent that such behavior is beyond him now.

Perhaps Moshe understood G-d’s displeasure with Aharon in the following way. Aharon had indeed gone through all the technicalities of repentance for the Sin of the Golden Calf, and was therefore qualified to be High Priest. Perhaps Aharon had not yet completed this final step, and that was responsible for G-d’s continued ire.

How do Aharon’s sons compared to the water from the well come into this? Maimonides makes a fascinating comment regarding child-rearing. He says that a child is much more perceptive than we would give him credit for. A child can intuitively understand what his parent’s want from him. Even if the parent should say “I want such and such from you,” a child will realize if this is not in accordance with the parent’s deepest wishes, and act according to his intuitions.

Moshe was saying, in effect: “see how wonderful Aharon’s sons are! It must be due to their carrying out the desires of Aharon’s deepest nature. That proves that Aharon has carried out the final step of repentance.

Even though G-d knew of Aharon’s worthiness, He was not willing to consent to fully accept Aharon. There was still one detail left; Moshe’s prayer on Aharon’s behalf. Prayer is the bottom line for any endeavor to succeed. Even after everything had been accomplished humanly, there was still the need to pray to G-d on Aharon’s behalf.

Moshe’s unselfish behavior is an example for us all. He was more concerned for his brother Aharon than even the status he himself was standing to lose. Let’s take his example to heart, and may we merit the blessing of “one who prays on another’s behalf, and he needs the same thing, is answered first.”

Good Shabbos!

 

Pie From the Sky

Parshas Tzav

Posted on March 20, 2013 (5773) By Rabbi Naftali Reich | Series: Legacy | Level: Beginner

At the conclusion of each Passover my children always ask me to reward them for their strenuous efforts in packing away all the Pesach utensils with a late night (early morning!) trip to the pizza store. I have pretty much resigned myself to this annual ritual. The store is invariably packed and I don’t relish standing on line for half an hour for a poorly baked pizza pie. However, the alternative of dealing with disgruntled kids who have been counting on the post-Pesach treat is not too exciting either. (In life we do have to pick our battles.)

 

Last year, standing in a line that stretched way beyond the door got me wondering. Can it be that the yearning for pizza is so strong that it prompts people to go to such extraordinary lengths to obtain it as soon as the festival is over? Could there perhaps be something deeper here than meets the eye here?

 

In the Shulchan Aruch there is actually an opinion (follow by many Sephardic Jews) to eat chometz immediately after Pesach. Thus, many have the tradition of preparing the havdalah ceremony over a glass of beer. It’s striking that on Pesach itself we are forbidden to ingest even a crumb of chometz; and the prohibition of eating chometz is exceptionally stringent. Yet, after Pesach we are encouraged to eat chometz right away. But if it is so spiritually toxic, shouldn’t we gradually re-acclimate ourselves to eating something so dangerous?

 

Chometz is indeed considered spiritually toxic on Pesach. The commentaries explain that flour and water are the two most basic staples that enable life. They signify the material dimension of our lives. Taken in abundance, they encourage the ego to expand. We become inflated and lose the correct perspective of who is the source of our material prosperity. The matzah puts matters into perspective, reminding us of our obligation to surrender our desires while answering to a higher authority.

 

By removing ourselves from chometz and eating matzoh during Pesach, we are detoxifying and rebuilding our depleted spiritual antibodies, while fortifying our immune system so that we can re-engage the ‘real world’ and thrive in it. But immediately after Pesach, we celebrate having been ‘detoxified,’ ready and able to ingest chometz without being harmed by it.

 

The experience of Pesach should be felt as a process of rebirth as Hashem’s servants, similar to the process geirim undergo. Whereas we previously served our own egos, or bent our principles to align with the wishes of others, we now have been re-educated to subjugate ourselves to Hashem alone.

I once stayed with a close friend in the hospital while his mother underwent a bone marrow transplant. After she was transferred from recovery to a patient room, we visited her. As soon as we entered the ward, we had to put on surgical gowns and masks and go through a complete disinfection process. When we finally stood outside her room, we could only communicate with her through a thick pane of glass. Her white cell count was so low and her immune system was so fragile that any germs could prove fatal. The doctors wanted to ensure that the new marrow and blood had grafted into her system and the white blood cell count was beginning to rise. In the meantime, it was critical to maintain a totally sterile environment.

 

A couple of days later when her count began to rise, we were allowed to open the door and communicate with her through the doorway. It was a fantastic feeling when at the end of the week we were able to stand right by her bedside and talk with her face to face. She was in recovery mode and her immune system was becoming stronger. This was cause for rejoicing. The operation had been successful!

 

On Pesach we experience a delicate operation of a spiritual sort. Mitzrayim is connected to the word “meitzar,” oppressive straits. During the year, we are all imprisoned to some degree by external forces and inner drives that alienate us from Hashem. Pesach affords us the life-giving opportunity to rise above our enslavement, to free ourselves for seven days from the insidious poisons that invade our system. Upon the conclusion of Yom Tov it is a great simcha when we can demonstrate that the operation was successful – we are “detoxed” and have been blessed with a new lease on life spiritually. We can eat chometz and engage the physical in a state of harmony with our neshomoh.

 

“Next customer!” the fellow at the counter called, returning me to the hub-hub in the pizza store. Yes, the half-baked pizza did look a bit more attractive as the fellow whipped his pizza slicer around the pie and slapped the box in front of me. May we all be granted a good “detox” over Pesach, enabling us to live on a more elevated and sanctified plane of existence. Next year in Jerusalem!

Wishing you a Chag Kosher V’somayach.

Sincerely

Rabbi Naftali Reich

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