spirituality >> Torah portion
•
As You
Pray 9..
... focus on your
action, speech
and thought.
Parshat Tzav, Shabbat HaGadol:
Leviticus 6:1-8:36; Malachi 3:4-3:24.
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A
s you read Parshat Tzav this
"May its blood be in place of his
coming Shabbat, you will
own blood, and its life in place of
learn about the details of the his life; may the major limbs of the
different categories of animal sacri-
sacrifice be in place of his own major
fices that our ancestors brought to the
limbs ..."
Temple in Jerusalem.
In the Ramban's vision, the offering
The parshah details which parts
are placed on the altar and which are
of an animal sacrifice is deeply felt. It
eaten, where the blood of the sacrifices also incorporates many aspects of our
is sprinkled in the Temple as well as
self — action, speech and thought.
The moment of sacrificing the animal
other details. Living at a time with-
out the Temple standing in
was not only a moment of
Jerusalem, it is reasonable
reflecting on a misdeed,
to ask, what role do the
but also an opportunity to
descriptions of the sacrifices
be brought close (the literal
listed in Parshat Tzav play
meaning of the word kor-
for Jews today?
ban in Hebrew is sacrifice
Rabbi Moshe ben
in English) to God on sev-
Nachman (Ramban), one
eral different levels.
of the giants of medieval
Our rabbis were wise to
Spanish Jewry, wrote mov-
transform the sacrificial sys-
ingly about the meaning
tem into our daily commu-
Rabbi Steven
of the sacrifices. Mile
nal services — Shacharit,
Rubenstein
the Torah details the sac-
Minhah and Maariv. Far too
rifice itself in the parshah,
often though, we are unable
Ramban incorporates the words of the
to experience the moment that Ramban
sages in filling in the details of what
describes.
happens in the process of sacrifice. In
There may be a variety of reasons
the following section, he is speaking
for our inability to feel the power of
particularly about sacrifices brought
our prayers. Perhaps one reason is that
after a person has sinned:
our prayers don't incorporate the three
elements of action, speech and thought
"... since human actions are
that Ramban sees reflected in sacrifice.
But they could. Thinking through
complete through the dimensions
of thought, speech and deed, God
our prayers, meaning what they say
commanded that when a person sins
and determining to translate our
and brings a sacrifice, he must lay his
prayers into specific action may pro-
duce more meaningful prayer overall.
hands upon it (corresponding to the
dimension of deed); and confess (cor-
When we recognize the possibility
responding to the dimension of speech); inherent in the act of prayer, we may
and burn in fire the innards and kid-
come to realize the true gift that our
neys (which are the organs of thought
tradition provides us.
and desire); and the legs (which rep-
Steven Rubenstein is rabbi of Congregation
resent the hands and feet of a person,
Beth Ahm in West Bloomfield.
by which he performs his work); and
splash the blood upon the altar (repre-
senting his own blood and life).
Conversations
"By doing all this, a person should
• Where and when do you feel
reflect that he has sinned against
most connected to your prayers?
God with both body and soul, and
• What specific action might you
that it would be proper to spill his
do prior to or after praying that
own blood and burn his own body,
might help fulfill the Ramban's
were it not for the grace of God who
words about action being part of
instead accepts a substitute and a
the process of sacrifice?
ransom in the form of this sacrifice.
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March 21 • 2013
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