Dear Friends,
I only met my maternal grandfather once; he died when I was young. Yet, the enduring story of him is unforgettable: he was a pharmacist in Brooklyn during the Depression, and he lost everything – giving away merchandise to customers who needed drugs, but who could not pay for them. My grandfather kept a tab but crossed off the debts and lost whatever he had. To him, doing his work superseded his fiscal sensibility. He felt commanded…
There long have been jokes that the 613 commandments in the Torah are not mere “suggestions,” but they are commands. God did not give us the “Ten Suggestions,” but rather the “Ten Commandments.”
Thus, when we find a commentary to the opening word of this week’s Torah portion which suggests otherwise, it is noteworthy. Our portion is called “Tzav,” which literally indicates, “Command!” God said to Moses, “Tzav - Command Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the law of the burnt offering…’” (Lev. 6:2)
Yet, in the definitive commentary of Rashi, our medieval French commentator par excellence, we read, “The term ‘Tzav’ only denotes ‘encouragement.’” Really?! Can the commentator demote a command not only to a mere suggestion, but even more, to just an encouragement?
Why?
Rashi continued, citing the Talmudic sage, Rabbi Simeon, saying, “Especially must scripture encourage in the place where there is a loss of money – when the priest does not derive benefit.”
Aha!
Rashi taught a vital lesson! He argued simply that it is difficult, if not impossible, to command a priest to perform a function, to offer a sacrifice, when the priest will suffer hardship. Not all priests were, or would be, affluent or even have sufficient for their family. Yet, their position reflected a calling, a job for which the community had a rightful claim on their behavior, like a pharmacist in Brooklyn during the Depression.
Hence, Rashi indicated, sometimes a command must be treated as but a suggestion, because one command one to give something when one’s hand is empty, or to do something when one hasn’t the wherewithal. Ultimately, Rashi’s interpretation is incredibly progressive and benign: ask only of one to give and do what one is capable of doing and giving.
“Da lifnai mi atah omeid – Know before whom you stand…” Sometimes, it may be a poor priest, or a pharmacist with empty shelves!
Shabbat Shalom, and Hag Kasher Sameah – for a Happy Passover!
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
I only met my maternal grandfather once; he died when I was young. Yet, the enduring story of him is unforgettable: he was a pharmacist in Brooklyn during the Depression, and he lost everything – giving away merchandise to customers who needed drugs, but who could not pay for them. My grandfather kept a tab but crossed off the debts and lost whatever he had. To him, doing his work superseded his fiscal sensibility. He felt commanded…
There long have been jokes that the 613 commandments in the Torah are not mere “suggestions,” but they are commands. God did not give us the “Ten Suggestions,” but rather the “Ten Commandments.”
Thus, when we find a commentary to the opening word of this week’s Torah portion which suggests otherwise, it is noteworthy. Our portion is called “Tzav,” which literally indicates, “Command!” God said to Moses, “Tzav - Command Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the law of the burnt offering…’” (Lev. 6:2)
Yet, in the definitive commentary of Rashi, our medieval French commentator par excellence, we read, “The term ‘Tzav’ only denotes ‘encouragement.’” Really?! Can the commentator demote a command not only to a mere suggestion, but even more, to just an encouragement?
Why?
Rashi continued, citing the Talmudic sage, Rabbi Simeon, saying, “Especially must scripture encourage in the place where there is a loss of money – when the priest does not derive benefit.”
Aha!
Rashi taught a vital lesson! He argued simply that it is difficult, if not impossible, to command a priest to perform a function, to offer a sacrifice, when the priest will suffer hardship. Not all priests were, or would be, affluent or even have sufficient for their family. Yet, their position reflected a calling, a job for which the community had a rightful claim on their behavior, like a pharmacist in Brooklyn during the Depression.
Hence, Rashi indicated, sometimes a command must be treated as but a suggestion, because one command one to give something when one’s hand is empty, or to do something when one hasn’t the wherewithal. Ultimately, Rashi’s interpretation is incredibly progressive and benign: ask only of one to give and do what one is capable of doing and giving.
“Da lifnai mi atah omeid – Know before whom you stand…” Sometimes, it may be a poor priest, or a pharmacist with empty shelves!
Shabbat Shalom, and Hag Kasher Sameah – for a Happy Passover!
Rabbi Douglas Kohn