Tetzaveh Shabbat Zachor Exodus 27:20- 30:10 Maftir Deuteronomy 25:17-19

Tetzaveh Shabbat Zachor Exodus 27:20- 30:10 Maftir Deuteronomy 25:17-19 Parashat Tetzaveh continues G-d’s instructions on how the Israelites should worship in the desert. It opens with a description of the pure olive oil needed to light the ner tamid – the eternal light. Several midrashic riffs on this text compare olive oil to the Jewish people. According to Exodus Rabbah, like olives that are beaten and crushed to produce oil, Jews have been beaten and imprisoned and produce repentance. Just as olive oil does not mix with water, the Jewish people stay distinct even when among other peoples. Just as olive oil provides a beautiful light, the Jewish people are meant to be a light unto the nations. The narrative moves on from the ner tamid to the clothing of the High Priest. Some of the text is reminiscent of the instructions for the mishkan – elaborately detailed descriptions of ornate and precious items. Strikingly different, though, are the descriptions of the khosen mishpat – the Breastplate of Decision – and the mysterious urim and thummim. The breastplate has 12 different precious gems adorning it – one for each of the 12 tribes. It is sort of an ancient birth stone system, where your gem is determined not by when you were born but by what tribe you were born to. The urim and thummim were placed in the breastplate and together they were used to make decisions and/or determine G-d’s will. But what were the urim and thummim? We don’t know. With all the details of garments and items of worship, these two are merely named. We know only that they would fit in the breastplate and that they were used for decision making. Was the author of this portion of the Torah ignorant of what they were, so he couldn’t describe them? On the hem of the high priest’s robe there are pomegranates – presumably appliques or embroidery – alternating with gold bells. The bells are not just decoration, though. They are there to make a sound. The text says that the sound must be heard when the high priest comes into the sanctuary v’lo yamut – and he won’t die. The suggestion is that it is dangerous, even deadly, to enter the sanctuary without the sound of the bells announcing his entrance. Is this a relic of an earlier concept of G-d, a Deity who not only needs to bell a priest to know if he’s coming, but one who would be so startled by being sneaked up on that He would kill the High Priest? Or is there some other danger? Notes in The Jewish Study Bible suggest that this is a reference to an old belief that demons lurk in thresholds but can be scared away with noise. On the other hand, a midrashic explanation says that the sound of the bells atoned for any lashon harah – evil speech – committed by the High Priest, allowing him to enter in a pure state. The Torah reading continues with the initiation ceremony for Aaron and his sons, involving the blood of a ram spread on the right ear, right thumb, and right big toe. After the initiation, the text continues with instructions for Aaron and his sons, the kohanim, concerning the sacrifices in the mishkan – the portable worship space. Detailed descriptions of the procedures for sacrificial offerings are delineated. After a lengthy treatment of the particulars of the sacrifices, the text says v’Shachanti btoch bnei Yisrael v’hayiti lahem l’elokim – and I will dwell among the people of Israel and I will be to them a G-d. The reward for all this attention to detail is G-d’s presence. The parasha ends with descriptions of Aaron’s annual sacrificial responsibilities for atonement of the people’s sins – the basis of the High Priest’s Yom Kippur responsibilities in the Temple. Many commentators point out that Tetzaveh is the only parasha from Moses’ birth through the book of Numbers that doesn’t mention Moses by name. In the Paneach Raza, 13th century sage Isaac ben Yehuda HaLevi suggests that this is a result of Moses’ reluctance to go to Pharaoh to plead for the Israelite slaves’ release. In Exodus 4:14 we read that G-d became angry with Moses, and said that Aaron would accompany him. The Paneach Raza says that at that moment, Moses lost his chance to be the kohen, and that responsibility was given to Aaron and his sons. Therefore this parasha, which focuses so much on priestly duties, omits even Moses’ name. Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks sees the absence of Moses in this parasha as illustrative of the dichotomy between priest and prophet in Jewish tradition. He argues that the role of each is essential to Judaism and that Aaron and Moses represent all priests and prophets to follow. To emphasize the essential role of the kohen, of holiness, in Jewish theology, Aaron stands alone in this parasha. “Moses the prophet,” he says, “dominates four of the five books that bear his name. But in the parasha of Tetzaveh, for once it is Aaron, the first of the priests, who holds center stage, undiminished by the rival presence of his brother. For whereas Moses lit the fire in the souls of the Jewish people, Aaron tended the flame and turned it into an ‘eternal light’.” The special Maftir for Shabbat Zachor reminds us of the treachery and brutality of Amalek, who ambushed the Israelites when they were exhausted and weak and killed the most vulnerable of them. The Torah commands us, paradoxically, to never forget to blot out all memory of Amelek. Haftarah I Samuel 15:2-15:34 It is Shabbat Zachor, one of four special Shabbatot in the weeks before Pesach. Shabbat Zachor is always the Shabbat before Purim. Both its special maftir and special haftarah deal with Amalek. In the haftarah G-d, through the prophet Samuel, tells Saul, the first Israelite king, that he is to exact revenge on the Amalekites. Saul is told to kill all of the Amelekites – men, women, children – as well as all their animals. Saul amasses an army and indeed wipes out the Amalekites, except for their king, Agag, whom he captures alive. He also spares the best of the animals. Because Saul doesn’t follow the word of G-d explicitly, his kingship is revoked. Samuel kills Agag himself, hacking him into pieces and saying “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless.” The text is brutal, and also puzzling. How can Agag’s mother be alive to be childless, when all the Amalekites were killed? Also, Haman – the villain of the book of Esther – is said to be an Amalekite and a descendant of Agag. How did that happen? .

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