SEDRAH SELECTIONS PARSHAS TZAV 5765 BS"D

Ch. 6, v. 6: "Lo sei'o'feh chometz" - It shall not be baked leavened - The only exception to this rule is the two breads brought on Shovuos. They are chometz. The reason for this is because Shovuos is the day we received the Torah. The angels were not ready to have the heavens relinquish the Torah. Moshe pleaded the case for humanity to have the Torah by asking, "Do you angels have an evil inclination?" Since chometz symbolizes the evil inclination we make an exception on Shovuos and bring breads that are "chometzdik." (Kli Yokor)

Ch. 6, v. 13: "Zeh korban Aharon uvonov .. b'yom himoshach oso" - this is the offering of Aharon and his sons .. on the day of his anointment - Every Kohein must bring a meal offering, called "minchas chavitin," on the day of his inauguration. The Kohein Godol brings this offering every day, and it is offered half in the morning and half in the afternoon.

Abarbanel offers 9 reasons for the Kohein Godol bringing it every day.

1) By bringing an offering daily he will repent daily. As the spiritual leader of the generation and its representative in the Beis Hamikdosh, he must be in top spiritual form. Before he can serve as the agent to cleanse others of their sins, he himself must be cleansed (gemara Sanhedrin 18).

2) This will spur others on to bring offerings when they have sinned, as they will surely take a lesson from him.

3) This will keep sinners from being reluctant because of shame, to bring sin-offerings.

4) This will keep poor people who can only afford to bring a meal offering from being reluctant to bring their offerings, as the Kohein Godol himself brings a daily meal-offering.

5) This will bring the feeling of humility into the heart of the Kohein Godol, as his offering is the same as a poor person's.

6) Since he and his descendants will consume the meal-offerings of the bnei Yisroel daily, he must bring his own daily and have it burned in its entirety, to symbolize that his eating of others' is not to stuff his belly, but rather to serve as a form of burning/consumption of their offerings similar to that of the altar.

7) To serve as a daily thanks for receiving numerous "matnos K'hunoh" benefits, not only in the Beis Hamikdosh, but also from throughout the land

8) To make up for the possible shortfall of an incomplete "kmitzoh" portion for the altar

9) To guarantee on a twice daily basis, morning and afternoon, that public and private offerings are brought - The "korban tomid" is the public offering, and the "minchas chavitin machatzisoh vaboker umachatzisoh bo'erev" is the private offering.

Mayonoh shel Torah offers that although a regular Kohein only brings this offering on the day of his inauguration the Kohein Godol is expected to raise himself daily, to grasp new levels of service of Hashem. Thus he goes through a daily inauguration, as his office of Kohein Godol is a new greater responsibility daily.

Ch. 6, v. 14: "Murbeches" - Rashi translates this as totally boiled. Ibn Ezra offers that it either means soft or quickly prepared.

Ch. 7, v. 2: "Yish'chatu es ho'oshom" - they shall slaughter the guilt-offering - Rashi says that this refers to a guilt-offering of the "tzibur." This is most puzzling, as the gemara T'muroh 14a says that we find no "oshom shel tzibur." Because of this difficulty the Maharsha"l says that our text of Rashi is incorrect, and it should say "l'fi SHELO motzinu." However, the Avnei Neizer says that in the days of Ezra the "eil tzone al ashmosOM" (Ezra 10:19) was brought for many people sinning (commentators say that they sinned with a "shifchoh charufoh"), a special ruling called "horo'as sho'oh." This explains why Rashi expresses himself with "l'fi shemotzinu," - because we FIND, and not "l'fi she'yeish," - because there is. This actually took place. (Chayei Yitzchok)

Ch. 7, v. 8: "V'haKohein hamakriv es olas ish ore ho'oloh asher hikriv laKohein lo yi'h'yeh" - And the Kohein who brings a person's oloh offering the hide of the oloh that he brought for the Kohein to him it shall be - The words "asher hikriv laKohein" seem superfluous. These words teach us that not only does the Kohein who processes the "oloh" keep the hide when it is the offering of a Yisroel or Levi, but even if it is the offering of another Kohein, "asher hikriv laKohein," it belongs to the Kohein who did the service. (Nachalas Zvi)

Ch. 7, v. 12: "Im al todoh yakri'venu" - If as a thanksgiving he will offer it - The gemara Brochos 54b derives from verse in T'hilim 107 that for any one of four circumstances one should bring a "korban todoh," one who has survived a trip through an ocean, or a desert, or recovered from illness, or has been released from incarceration. Tur Sh.O. O.Ch. #219 offers an allusion to these four from the words "v'chol haCHaYYiM yoducho seloh." CH is "Chovush," Y is "Yisurim," Y is Yam, M is Midbor.

One might wonder why these four are required to give thanks in the form of a sacrifice, and why not a person who was totally spared of these risky situations. Tiferes Y'honoson answers that if a person was placed into a compromised position it is an indication that he should have died either, in prison, from his disease, at sea, or in the desert. Hashem's saving him is done at the expense of his future actions being scrutinized. We find that after Avrohom was saved by the war against the four kings he was very concerned about his actions, as per the M.R. 44:4. Hashem assured him that all is fine, "Al tira Avrom" (Breishis 15:1). This is why the verse says that when offering a "korban todoh" it must be done with care and complete heedfulness, "lirtzone'chem tizbochu" (Vayikra 22:29).

Ch. 8, v. 30: "Va'yikach Moshe mishemen hamish'choh" - And Moshe took of the anointing oil - From the simple order of our verses it seems that Moshe first burned the parts of the second ram and then anointed. However, in parshas T'tza'veh (Shmos 29:21) it seems that the order is reversed. The Ramban answers this question.

Ch. 8, v. 33: "Lo seitzu shivas yomim" - Do not go out for seven days - This is not to be taken literally. Rather, it means that they should not involve themselves in any other pursuit. At night, when nothing was required of them, they left to take care of their personal needs. This is similar to the command to reside in a Sukoh for seven days. We may leave to pray with a quorum, etc. Ibn Ezra says that they were even allowed to leave during the day if a great need arose. He mentions the opinion of a wise sage who says that a deep pit was dug and they stayed there. Residing in the pit reminded them that they were bound to stay there the whole time. The Ibn Ezra says that this is most unlikely.

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See also Oroh V'Simchoh - Meshech Chochmoh on the Weekly Parsha and Chasidic Insights