This week’s portion, T’zav – literally, “[you shall] order them” – is a direct continuation of last week’s portion. It is also read, this year, at the same time we all celebrate the holiday of Purim. My two short comments will therefore follow that format, respectively.
I. Jeremiah: Back to Basics
In many cases, when a principled debate erupts between two strong parties neither would tend to publicly yield their stand – even ever so slightly – for fear that this narrow waiver would start a snow-ball effect, ending in losing the entire debate. That is one reason – among many – that the Middle-East peace negotiations have been stuck for so many years. This is also the main reason why all settlement negotiations in civil trials – either state or federal – are confidential. No one would know whether (or to what extent) a party was willing to let go of their clearly-stated stand.
Last week, I discussed in length the compromise that God (through Moshe) struck with the People of Israel, allowing them to worship Him through a series of well-orchestrated, highly detailed rituals that would enable them to satisfy their ever-lasting need to feel, see, smell, touch, and taste their worship. I am talking, of course, on the rituals of offerings.
This week’s portion is a direct continuance of that compromise. God sets up, in great details, the exact manners by which He should be worshipped. The problem, though, is the fear that this kind of worship would become the center of the Emu’nah (the belief) in God, rather than a mere accompanying ritual to the belief itself, which is – and always has been – the epicenter of the Jewish faith.
Alas, that yielding – ever so slightly – towards the people’s needs may be what, ultimately, has led to eradication of the Emu’nah over the years. And the people had to be reminded, time and again, that it is not the offering that matters, but rather the belief itself – back to the First Commandment (“I am the Lord your God”), back to the basics. To present this argument, allow me to quote (somewhat in length) from this week’s Haftara citing one of our greatest orators of all times, Prophet Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah):
[And God said:] I have NOT spoken to your forefathers and I have NOT ordered them on the day I freed them from the land of Egypt on the notions of sacrifices and offerings. But rather I have commanded them but this one thing: “Listen to my voice, and I shall be your God, and you shall be my people. And you shall walk in all the ways I have commanded and you shall be better for that.” But they have not listened, nor have they lent their ear to me, and they have formed their own groups, following their evil hearts and instincts, and they went backwards instead of forward. [And this is true] from the day your forefathers have left the land of Egypt to this very day. And I have sent upon you all my slaves – the prophets – every single morning I have sent them; but they have neither listened to me nor lend me their ear, and they have stiffened their necks and became worst than their fathers. [Jeremayah 7:22-26]
To cap this wonderful recitation, Yirmiyahu reminds us (in one of his most famous statements):
So said our Lord: Let not the wise man brag about his wisdom; and let not the brave man brag about his bravery; let not the rich man brag about his richness; for by this those who brag should brag: Find wisdom and know me, for I am the Lord who performs justice, law, and charity in the land – for these are the ones I have wished for. So said the Lord. [Jerrmiah 9:22]
Indeed, Yirmiyahu brings us back to the basics. And it’s good to be back.
So much for the offerings.
II. The Lessons of Megilat Ester
Megilat Ester – the most famous of all five Megilot, and thus simply named in Hebrew “the” Megila – is unique in many respects. First, God is never mentioned in the entire Megilah, and in fact He does not seem to play any role in it. That, in turn, led to the great argument of whether this book should be included within the 24-book Jewish cannon; and once it has been – why, and for what purpose. Second, the Megilah can be read as a feminist manifesto – queen who refuses her husband (the king)’s orders; a jewish woman who uses her charms to become a queen and then to influence the king, etc. – all great stories, but somewhat “foreign,” in their approach, to the rest of the canon. And finally, the notion of revenge by the Jewish people – killing 57,000 of “the people who hated them” (Esther 9:16) is also quite exceptional, at least in scope. These, as well as other phenomena, have led several scholars to question the “biblical” function of the Megilah.
Despite these legitimate concerns, I think the text itself may offer plenty of clues to suggest that the Megila is a part and parcel of the canon. For example, the very opening verse mentions “seven and twenty and a hundred” states (on which the king ruled); that same number happens to be the exact length, in years, of the life of Sarah, our first matriarch, which is mentioned in the opening verse of the portion bearing her name (Chayey Sarah). Similarly, the last verse in the Megila notes that Mordechai has turned into the “Mishne La’Melech” (Second-only to the King) – the exact same title, and the same rank, achieved hundreds of years earlier by Joseph in Egypt. Chapter 2 of the Megilah opens with the statement: “some time afterwards” (Est. 2:1) – the exact textual tool used to introduce two of Abraham’s most famous encounters with God (Cf. Gen. 15:1 and Gen. 22:1). And there are many other examples. To be sure, all those may be merely textual coincidences; then again, the odds for such frequent similarity are not that high.
Let us assume, then, that the beautiful story about the beautiful (and charming) Jewish woman, her smart uncle, and the turn of luck – is an integral part of the Jewish religion (without a question mark). What does it say about the Jewish religion? What does it say about God? Should we always mention Him explicitly to be reminded of His everlasting presence and affect on your life?
Perhaps some things are better left unsaid.
Shabbat Shalom & Happy Purim
Doron
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