Making Sense of the Sedra: Tzav

What are the lessons that we learn from the service in the Mishkan and Beit Hamikdash and the many laws of korbanot (often translated as sacrifices) that our sedra Tzav, and the whole book of Vayikra (Leviticus) speaks of?

Our Rabbis describe the times we live in now as “hester within hester” (hiddenness within hiddenness). Although amazing things take place every moment, our hearts can sometimes be so blocked that we remain unmoved and forget that it is God who is running it all. We forget to stop and ask ourselves what is happening to us and why, individually and collectively? Does it matter that we will never truly be able to understand God’s reasoning?

When we read about the korbanot this week, for me, it serves as a reminder that Korban is often mistranslated as sacrifice.  The root of the word korban is karov, the Hebrew word meaning ‘to come close’. Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888, Germany) explains that the one who brings the korban ‘deserves to have a close relationship with God.’

Following the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash, tefillah (prayer) has replaced sacrifices.

Rabbi Yitzchok Kirzner (1951-1992, America) teaches, that “the purpose of prayer is not to change God’s will – rather, it is an opportunity to transform ourselves. Our prayers enable us to open our hearts to enable self-reflection and introspection, thus being a way for us to engage in a conversation with God and build a relationship with Him.”

Whether we receive what we have ‘asked for’ or not, is not the point. Each prayer is a rung on the ladder of connection.  Even though we may not understand the reasons why we are not always given what we pray for, this seeming refusal can be out of love too. Living in our world of hester and physicality makes this even harder to internalise, but if we pause, we can appreciate that approaching prayer with this mindset will help us to develop a heartfelt closeness and connection to God

May we all be blessed to approach our tefillot in this way, with genuinity, a desire for personal growth and closeness to the Master behind the world of hester, God! This is a lesson I personally take away from this week’s sedra.