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Parashat Tzav – 5786
March 25, 2026
Cantor Sandy Horowitz
The Chain of Command A D’var Torah for Parashat Tzav By Cantor Sandy Horowitz Sometimes we think about Torah on a macro level as the story of our people, our system of laws, the foundation of our heritage. Other times, we explore a particular theme or individual or delve into the weekly parashah. With this week’s Torah portion a single verse from Parashat Tzav stood out for me – in particular, a single word. At this point in our narrative Moses is undergoing the rituals, as commanded by God, of formally consecrating his brother Aaron and Aaron’s sons as priests. We read of three sacrificial offerings: First, Moses brings forth a bull for the sin offering and we read: וַיִּשְׁחָ֗ט וַיִּקַּ֨ח מֹשֶׁ֤ה אֶת־הַדָּם֙ “And it was slaughtered. Moses took the blood…” (Lev. 8:15) Moses then brings a ram for the burnt offering: וַיִּשְׁחָ֑ט וַיִּזְרֹ֨ק מֹשֶׁ֧ה אֶת־הַדָּ֛ם “And it was slaughtered....
Parashat Tzav -5785
April 7, 2025
Rabbi Susan Elkodsi (AJR '15)
A D’var Torah for Parashat Tzav By Rabbi Susan Elkodsi (AJR ’15) One of the beautiful and amazing things about Torah study is that every time I encounter a parashah, I see something I hadn’t noticed before. This year is no different. As I began reading Parashat Tzav, where Moses is told to command–Tzav–Aaron to keep a perpetual fire–an aish tamid–burning on the altar all night until morning, I noticed that this requirement is mentioned three times in the first six verses. I also noticed that not only does the Torah command us to eat matza brie, the “recipe” is included: עַֽל־ מַחֲבַ֗ת בַּשֶּׁ֛מֶן תֵּעָשֶׂ֖ה מֻרְבֶּ֣כֶת תְּבִיאֶ֑נָּה תֻּפִינֵי֙ מִנְחַ֣ת פִּתִּ֔ים תַּקְרִ֥יב רֵֽיחַ־נִיחֹ֖חַ לה’׃ “On a griddle, with oil, it is to be made, well-stirred are you to bring it, as baked crumbled-bits of grain you are to bring-it-near, a soothing savor for YHWH.” (Lev. 6:14, Fox Translation). Somewhere along the line I got the idea that verse 6:1,...
Parashat Tzav 5784
March 26, 2024
Rabbi Greg Schindler (’09)
Well everybody’s got a secret, son
Something they just can’t face
Some spend their whole lives trying to keep it
They carry it with them every step that they take
‘till one day, they just cut it loose
Cut it loose or let it drag ‘em down.
Bruce Springsteen, Darkness on the Edge of Town
Parashat Tzav 5783
March 27, 2023
Click here for an audio recording of this D’var Torah Constancy and Careful Guarding: How to Link the Jewish Past with the Future A D’var Torah for Parashat Tzav By Rabbi Mitchell Blank (’21) This coming Shabbat is the last one before Passover begins (Shabbat HaGadol) and the Torah reading this year falls on Parashat Tzav. Both Tzav and Exodus 12, the chapter that details Passover observance, emphasize the biblical world view that constancy of action (temidut) and careful guarding of ritual (shemira) are the glue linking past and future generations. The Rabbis endorse these paths to Jewish survival yet also understand that the ultimate guarantor of continuity in an ever-changing world is intergenerational peace. Passover, the time of our freedom and redemption, is davka the holiday our sages choose to accentuate that the most important mitzvah is to maintain Jewish continuity by children and parents being in dialogue. Parashat Tzav begins with particulars of Olat HaTamid, the daily burnt offering. Intertwined in these details is...
Parashat Tzav 5782
March 17, 2022
Click HERE for an audio recording of this D’var Torah A D’var Torah for Parashat Tzav By Rabbi Ariann Weitzman (’11) This week’s parasha begins with a command to offer an olah, a burnt offering. The olah was not offered to expiate guilt or express thanksgiving. No explanation is given for it, and unlike other sacrifices, no part of the olah was kept to feed the priests or the family who offered it. According to Leviticus Rabbah 7:3, ain ha’olah ba’ah ela al hirhur halev, the olah is only brought because of the doubts of the heart. Perhaps those doubts arise from a sense that we may have sinned and do not know it. Or perhaps, we have failed to express thanks and must rectify the omission. Or, alternatively, as I learned from my teacher, Rabbi Jill Hammer, the olah is offered as a result of personal fear, and the sacrifice is an effort to strengthen one’s relationship with God, to form a deeper bond,...
