Parashah Insights

by

Rabbi Yaakov Hillel

Rosh Yeshivat Ahavat Shalom

Parashat Tzav

Retaining the Sanctity of the Bet HaMikdash

The Tabernacle and the Temple

And they will make for Me a Sanctuary and I will dwell among them (Shmot 25:8). And Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying, command Aharon and his sons, saying, this is the law of the Burnt Offering. It is the Burnt Offering on the flame, on the Altar, all night until the morning, and the fire of the Altar should burn on it (Vayikra 6:1-2). Speak to Aharon and his sons, saying, this is the law of the Sin Offering. In the place where the Burnt Offering is slaughtered shall the Sin Offering be slaughtered, before Hashem. It is the Holy of Holies. The Cohen who does its Sin Offering will eat it. It will be eaten in a holy place, in the Courtyard of the Tent of Meeting (Vayikra 6:18-19). The parshiot from Terumah until the end of the Book of Shmot deal with the construction of the Tabernacle and its sacred utensils. The Book of Vayikra is about the laws of the sacrifices offered there. The importance of the Tabernacle and the Temple lay in their being an earthly dwelling place for the Divine Presence (Shechinah). It is Hashems Will to rest His Presence in the lower world, as we learn from such verses as:

 You have established a place for Your dwelling, Hashem (Shmot 15:17). And they will make for Me a Sanctuary and I will dwell among them (Shmot 25:8). And I will put My Sanctuary among you (Vayikra 26:1). For so said the lofty and mighty One, Who dwells forever and His Name is holy: I dwell elevated and sanctified, but I am with the oppressed and low of spirit, to give life to the spirit of the lowly and give life to the heart of the oppressed (Yeshayahu 57:15). For Hashem chose Zion, He desired it for His dwelling place (Tehillim 132:13). The ultimate purpose of the services in the Temple was to bring satisfaction to the Al-mighty, as it says, A pleasing fragrance, a burnt offering to Hashem (Shmot 29:18). For the Jewish people, the sacrifices had the enormous benefit of atoning for their sins. As our Sages tell us, no one ever slept overnight in Jerusalem with the guilt of a sin still hanging over him. The Tamid sacrifice in the morning atoned for sins committed at night, and the Tamid in the evening atoned for sins committed during the day (Pesikta Rabbati 15).

Instead
In our times, we no longer have any of these great spiritual advantages. The Bet HaMikdash was destroyed, our nation was exiled from its land, and we are far, far from home. Bereft of the Temple, the Cohanim, and the sacrifices, we have lost everything. And yet, the sacred words of our Sages provide us with strength and encouragement. They tell us that even in our own poor times, submerged in the depths of the exile, all is not lost. Hashem has given us sacred entities which take the place of the Altar and the sacrifices, retaining the status of the Temple. They mention three main categories: From the day the Temple was destroyed, the Holy One, blessed be He, has nothing in His world other than the four cubits of halachah (Berachot 8a). When the Temple existed, the Altar would atone for man. And now that the Temple no longer exists, mans table atones for him (Menahot 97a). The prayers were instituted to correspond to the Tamid sacrifices (Berachot 26b). With these teachings, our Sages instruct us about how we can compensate in some measure for what we lost with the destruction of the Temple. Let us try to understand how these three can replace the Temple and the sacrifices.

In the Bet Midrash

From the day the Temple was destroyed, the Holy One, blessed be He, has nothing in His world other than the four cubits of halachah. What are the four cubits of halachah, and what makes them worthy of being the resting place of the Shechinah in our times? The four cubits of halachah are any place where a Jew learns Torah. Our Sages teach us that the effort we exert in learning can take the place of the suffering of exile (Zohar, vol. I, p. 27a). We find this principle in the life of our Forefather Yaakov, who sent his son Yehudah ahead to Egypt to prepare the way before the familys arrival (Bereshit 46:28). Rashi, citing the Sages (Bereshit Rabbah 93:3), tells us that Yehudah went ahead to establish a yeshivah in Goshen. Yaakov knew that by laboring in intensive Torah study, his children would be able to spare themselves the suffering of servitude in Egypt. The Tribe of Levi, who engaged solely in Torah, were in fact never enslaved (Shmot Rabbah 5:16). This is why the Jews exiled in Babylon willingly accepted the yoke of the Oral Torah with the same eagerness as the acceptance of the Written Torah at Sinai, as we learn from the verse, They fulfilled and accepted [the Torah] upon themselves and on their descendents (Esther 9:27; see Shabbat 88a). They realized that now that they were in exile, their only refuge from its harsh decrees would be the proverbial four cubits of halachah (see Tanhuma Noah 3). Our Sages define Torah study specifically as the four cubits of halachah because every individual has his own personal space his own four cubits (see Rambam, Hilchot Sheluhim 3:7). If he stands himself squarely in the four cubits of halachah, he makes his personal space a place apart, dedicated to the sanctity of the Torah and safe from negative foreign influences. The term four cubits also alludes to the four levels of understanding in Torah study: pshat, remez, drush and sod (Introduction to Shaar HaMitzvot, p. 1a).1 Rav Hayyim Vital relates that his teacher, the Arizal, explained every Talmudic topic he learned in six different ways, with an additional seventh explanation in keeping with Kabbalistic teachings (see Shaar HaMitzvot, Parashat Vethanan, p.33b). The Torah scholar who learns Gemara on all four levels will be secure within the protective walls of Torah, its four cubits.

Pshat: literal meaning of the text. Remez: proofs of explanations of Torah opinions based on allusions to Scriptural verses. Drush: explanations based and developed upon Scriptural verses and teachings of the Sages. Sod: esoteric interpretations of Torah unrelated to literal meaning.

The Tabernacle and the Temple were built to serve as a dwelling place for the Divine Presence on earth. With the destruction of the Temple, the Shechinah now has another resting place: wherever a Jew learns Torah, the Divine Presence is there with him. The present day bet midrash takes the place of the Bet HaMikdash. We find this concept in our Sages teaching (Avot 3:6), Rabbi Halafta ben Dosa of Kfar Hananyah says, ten who sit and engage in Torah, the Divine Presence dwells among them, as it says, G-d stands in the Divine congregation (Tehillim 82:1). How do we know that this is so even of five? As it says, And His group is founded on earth (Amos 9:6). And how do we know that this is so even of three? As it says, He will judge in the midst of judges (Tehillim 82:1). How do we know that this is so even of two? As it says, Then those who fear Hashem spoke to one another, and Hashem listened and heard (Malachi 3:16). How do we know that this is so even of one? As it says, In every place where My Name is mentioned I will come to you and bless you (Shmot 20:21). The other two teachings cited above relate to the two types of sacrifices offered in the Tabernacle and the Temple. One was the Olah sacrifice (Burnt Offering) which was totally consumed on the Altar. The entire sacrifice went up to Heaven, with no part of it eaten by either the Cohen who handled it or the individual who brought it. The Tamid sacrifice offered twice daily was an Olah. There were also sacrifices of which man was permitted to partake. The Hatat (Sin Offering), Asham (Guilt Offering), and Shalmei Tzibbur (Peace Offerings for the community) were consumed in part by the Cohanim, while the one who brought the sacrifice consumed part of other types of Shelamim sacrifices. Let us try to understand the connection between these two kinds of sacrifices, mans table, and prayer.

Elevated Eating
Our Sages discuss the importance of mans table. Consumption of food in sanctity and purity, with the intent of serving Hashem, corresponds to the sacrifices which were consumed by man. Rabbi Shimon says, three who ate at one table and did not say words of Torah on it are as if they have eaten from sacrifices to dead idols, as it says, And all the tables were full of vomit and excrement (Yeshayahu 28:8). But three who ate at one table and did say words of Torah on it, are as if they have eaten from the table of the Omnipresent, blessed be He, as it says (Yehezkel 41:22), And he said to Me, this is the table which is before Hashem (Avot 3:3).
4

Apparently, it takes more than eating kosher food with the requisite blessings before and after to qualify as the table of the Omnipresent. This mishnah appears to be the source of the Arizals explanation of the verse (Mishle 19:2), Also without wisdom the nefesh (soul) is not good (Sefer HaLikutim, Bereshit 1, p. 1). Why does the verse say Also without wisdom, implying an additional factor not explicitly mentioned? And why is it not good specifically for the nefesh to be without wisdom? The Arizal explains that the ultimate purpose of our service of Hashem is the process known as birur (retrieval). After Adam, the first man, sinned, all the worlds became a confused mixture of good and evil. Sparks of holiness fell and were dispersed throughout the world. All created beings, including inanimate objects, plant life, animal life, man, and other levels of Creation, contain sparks of holiness which are their life force. Some of these holy sparks fell to the impure forces known as the kelipot, literally husks, giving them life as well. By fulfilling mitzvot, the sparks of holiness are retrieved from the Forces of Impurity, uplifted, and rectified. The same is true of our consumption of food. By eating, we retrieve and elevate the holy sparks contained in the food, raising them to a higher level of sanctity. Eating is itself a process of separating the nutrients from the wastes. On a spiritual level, the act of eating separates the sparks of holiness in the food from the Forces of Evil and impurity in the physical world, and causes them to ascend to their original position in the Higher Worlds. A mitzvah done here in the lower world awakens the higher sources of that mitzvah in the spiritual worlds, causing an influx of blessing and bounty to all levels of Creation (Zohar, vol. I p.162; see Shaar HaMitzvot, Parashat Ekev, Bbiur Kavanat HaAchilah, and Parashat Behar, p.25b)

Nefesh, Ruah, and Neshamah

Generally speaking, there are three levels of holiness, corresponding to the three levels of mans spiritual essence, which together compose the souls complete structure. Mans physical composition also corresponds to these three levels. The nefesh, the lowest level, is in the liver, the lowest point in the body. Ruah, one level higher, is in the heart, which is in the middle of the body. Neshamah, the highest level, is in the brain. Corresponding to these are three levels of impurity, known as hurricane (ruah searah), a great cloud (anan gadol) and a blazing fire (esh mitlakahat), with nogah surrounding it (Yehezekel 1:4). There is a connecting level between the levels of sanctity and the levels of evil called kelipat nogah. The kelipat nogah is

part good, part evil, linking it to both sanctity and impurity. Depending on us, it can go either way, to good or to evil. When we do a mitzvah, or eat with proper intent, we elevate the sparks of holiness from the three levels of evil to the three levels of sanctity, with nogah as the conduit between them. The process can go the other way as well. For example, if we eat only to satisfy our lust for food, we drag the sparks deeper down into evil. If we eat properly, with intent to do a mitzvah, and with blessings and words of Torah as an integral part of the repast, we elevate the sparks to higher levels of sanctity. Kabbalistic intents (kavanot) in eating retrieve the sparks of holiness from the three levels of impurity by means of the kelipat nogah, and elevate them to the third and highest level, called neshamah. In order to fix them permanently in the realm of sanctity, the sparks must be elevated at least two levels, to nefesh and ruah. Otherwise, if they are raised only to the level of nefesh, the spiritual elevation will not last, and they will fall back to the Forces of Impurity. As we learn from the verse, and a soul (nefesh) which sins (Vayikra 4:2, 5:17, 5:21), the low level of nefesh is dangerously close to sin, and from there, a fall is imminent. The Arizal explains there that the actual consumption of kosher food, with the proper blessings recited before and after eating, raises the sparks to the first level, that of nefesh. Words of Torah spoken at the table raise them to the second level, that of ruah. Those who are familiar with profound Kabbalistic intents in eating can elevate them to the third level, neshamah. With this in mind, we can understand the source of the Arizals explanation of the verse, Also without wisdom, the nefesh is not good. Most of us lack the esoteric knowledge to imbue our eating with the profound Kabbalistic intents which would raise the sparks of holiness in our food to the lofty level of neshamah, achieving complete, perfect rectification. However, we are capable of learning Torah at the table, elevating them to the second highest level of ruah. If we lack even this element, we are left only with the lowest level of nefesh and the nefesh is not good. Nefesh on its own, without the wisdom of Torah learning, is not good. The spiritual elevation to the first level alone will not last, and the sparks will fall back to the Forces of Impurity. The Arizals explanation of the verse is based on the mishnah in Avot: Three who ate at one table and did not say words of Torah on it are as if they have eaten from sacrifices to dead idols. If the only elements of sanctity in their meal were the kashrut of the food and the recitation of the required blessings, without the additional benefit of words of Torah spoken at the table, the food was raised only to the level of nefesh, where it will not last; it will fall back down to the Forces of Impurity. This is why our Sages say that a meal eaten on its own, without words of
6

Torah, is as if it comes from the Forces of Impurity, making it equivalent to eating of sacrifices to dead idols. But three who ate at one table and did say words of Torah on it, rectifying and elevating it to the level of ruah, are as if they have eaten from the table of the Omnipresent, blessed be He, equivalent to eating sacrifices from Hashems Altar. We can interpret the verse, For not on bread alone does man live, rather by all that emerges from the Mouth of Hashem will man live (Devarim 8:3) in keeping with this teaching of the Arizal. For not on bread alone does man live means that bread alone, the basics of eating kosher and making blessings on the food, will only elevate the holy sparks in the food to the level of nefesh, which is precarious and temporary. It follows that the one eating is being nourished from the source of death, the impure forces, and not from the forces of sanctity, which are the source of life. Nefesh will not be enough to keep us alive spiritually. For that, we need what emerges from the Mouth of G-d, namely words of Torah learned at the table. Torah elevates the sparks of holiness to the level of ruah, where they can continue to exist and ascend on high. This is how man will live in the spiritual sense. If our meals are accompanied by Torah, we are considered to have eaten sacrifices from Hashems Own Table, bringing down bounty and abundant blessing to the world. As we see, then, in our times mans table atones for him, achieving the rectification formerly accomplished by the sacrifices. Eating from a pure and kosher table, where the food is elevated by words of Torah, is equivalent to the atonement of eating from the sacrifices which were consumed in part by the Cohanim and the owners when the Temple existed (see Shaar Ruah HaKodesh, Bkavanat HaTaanit, p. 6b).

For His Sake

The prayers were instituted to correspond to the Tamid sacrifices. The Tamid was entirely consumed on the Altar, ascending to Heaven with no physical benefit to man. Prayer, like these sacrifices, is for the sake of the Al-mighty, directed exclusively to G-d. As our Sages said, prayer is among those entities which are at the height of the world (Berachot 6b). Viewed superficially, prayer would seem to be a means for man to request his own needs from Hashem, but that is not its main purpose; prayer is principally for Hashems honor, not mans wants (see Avodat HaKodesh by Rabbi Meir Gabbai;

Shelah HaKadosh, Helek HaAvodah, Chapter 2; and Nefesh HaHayyim, Shaar Alef, Chapter 9). Rabbi Natan Shapiro explains this concept. He writes that one who does not know how to pray according to Kabbalistic intents in order to rectify the Higher Worlds, serves the Al-mighty for the sake of reward. When he prays, he has nothing in mind beyond the simple meaning of the words. Bless us and heal us and remember us for life are no more to him than plain, literal requests for these blessings. The more effort he puts into his prayers, the more fervently he is beseeching G-d for his own personal needs and wishes. The same is true of his mitzvot. He waves a lulav on Sukkot to prevent harmful dews from destroying the crops, and nothing more. His prayer and fulfillment of the commandments of the Torah is based strictly on anticipated payment for services rendered. One who is familiar with the wisdom of Kabbalah is aware of the deeper significance of the blessings. When he prays bless us and heal us and the like, he is not making requests for himself; his intent is for the different types of influx bestowed upon the higher spiritual worlds by these blessings. He serves the Almighty like a son serving his father and mother. His service of Hashem is perfect and complete; it derives from love, not from the desire for personal benefit and reward. One who merits this level is fortunate indeed (Introduction to Pri Etz Hayyim). At the highest level, then, prayer is for the sake of the Al-mighty, to rectify the Higher Worlds and thereby bring about an increased revelation of the Al-mightys light, and not for any personal benefit (see Shaar HaMitzvot, p.1b, for a fuller discussion of this concept). Rabbi Hayyim of Volozhin discusses the parallel between prayer and burnt offerings entirely consumed on the Altar. He cites our Sages words concerning Hannah, the mother of the great prophet Shmuel: And [Hannah] prayed to (literally on) Hashem (I Shmuel 1:10). She flung words at Heaven (Berachot 31b). Hannah, bitter over her extended childlessness, stated her case forcefully, even harshly: what was the use of her being created a woman if she had no children? The Nefesh HaHayyim presents a different slant. True, Hannah was suffering over her barrenness, but in her prayers she did not ask for a child to satisfy her own longings. Instead, she flung words at Heaven, relating her pain to Hashems pain, as it were. If she was suffering, then Hashem was suffering along with her, and this was her primary concern. She prayed, Give me a child. End my suffering so that Your suffering will also end. The Gemara goes on to say, Eliyahu flung words at Heaven, as is written (I Melachim 18:37), And You turned their hearts back and Hashem conceded to Eliyahu. Eliyahu prayed that there not be a desecration of Hashems Name; his concern was the honor of the Al-mighty.
8

Our Sages teach that Hashem is anguished over the anguish of His children: I am with him in sorrow (Hagigah 15b, citing Tehillim 91:15). Hannah prayed not for an end to her own personal sorrow and pain, but for an end to the resulting pain of the Shechinah. We find this concept in another teaching of our Sages: One who involves the Name of Heaven in his suffering, his livelihood is doubled. When we have problems, we should pray not only for ourselves, but for the sorrow of the Divine Presence, which shares in our anguish. This is similar to the principle that if one requests mercy for his fellow man, and he needs the same type of mercy himself, he will be granted mercy first (Baba Kama 92a; see Nefesh HaHayyim, Shaar Bet, Chapters 11-12 for a lengthier discussion of this topic). In Selihot, we ask that Hashem help us in the merit of the righteous, among them innocent schoolchildren who learn Torah, and those who gave up their lives to sanctify His Name. We conclude, however, with the most important request of all: Do for Your sake. It is this request that has the most power, which guarantees our prayers a favorable response. We ask not for ourselves and our own problems, but for the sake of the Divine Presence, which suffers when we suffer. This is the meaning of our Sages teaching that our prayers correspond to the Tamid sacrifices. Our prayers should be like the Tamid: just as the sacrifice went directly and completely to Heaven, with no benefit to man, prayer should be directed solely to the honor of the Al-mighty, and not to our own concerns. Even in our years of bitter exile, we can still retain the spiritual benefits of the Tabernacle and the Temple. These sacred Houses of G-d were the dwelling place of His Divine Presence on earth. Today, we have instead the bate midrash, where the Divine Presence rests on Jews engaged in Torah study. In the past, we gained atonement from the sin offerings and guilt offerings of which the Cohanim partook; The Cohanim ate [of the sacrifice], and the owners gained atonement (Pesahim 59b). Today, the table where we eat food permitted by the Torahs laws, accompanied by blessings before and after, as well as words of Torah, is a source of atonement. In the Tabernacle and the Temple there were Olah sacrifices, consumed entirely on the Altar, strictly in Hashems honor with no benefit to man. Even today, we can still serve Hashem at this lofty level, through our prayers. By dedicating them solely to the Al-mighty as a means of bringing greater spiritual perfection to the world, rather than focusing on our own needs, we bring a sacred offering dedicated purely to Hashem.

This essay contains divre Torah. Please treat it with proper respect.
9