APRIL 2 • 2020 | 39

Spirit
torah portion

C

an archaic, seemingly 
mundane verses regard-
ing cleaning the Temple 
be relevant to us today? Yes, and 
they teach us a most profound 
lesson for these trying times.
This week’
s portion 
begins with the first 
service performed each 
morning in the Temple: 
the removal of the ashes 
from the altar. 
Every evening, the 
remains of the previous 
day’
s offerings were put 
on the altar to be con-
sumed by the fire. In the 
morning, one shovel full 
of the resulting ashes was 
removed and placed in 
a pile next to the altar; 
when the pile got too 
big, the Kohen would take the 
excess ashes outside the Temple 
grounds.
Since the sacred garments of 
the Kohen would almost defi-
nitely get dirty while carrying 
the ashes, he would change 
beforehand into older, more 
worn priestly garments.
What’
s fascinating about this 
procedure is that one would 
expect the Kohen to change into 
shmatas, old rags, to do the dirty 
work of taking out the ashes. Yet 
he would do it while wearing his 
holy garments, albeit older ones. 
Why?
The Kohen is teaching us a 
fundamental principle about 
Divine service and about life.
When one thinks about 
t“Divine service,
” what typically 
comes to mind is a pristine, holy 
picture, far removed from the 
mundane world.
Judaism teaches us the oppo-
site. Divine service is not limited 
to a specific type of act; rather, 
it is defined by doing the job 

that God has reserved for us, 
whatever it may be. The Kohen, 
even when getting dirty while 
carrying ashes from the Temple, 
is doing a holy act of Divine ser-
vice, which demands the wear-
ing of his holy garments.
We are living in unusual 
times. Nearly the entire 
globe is on lockdown. 
Most of us are cooped up 
at home, feeling anxious, 
frustrated and isolated. “I 
don’
t have time for this! 
I don’
t have the patience 
and energy to deal with 
my spouse and kids all 
day! I don’
t enjoy being 
by myself!” are common 
thoughts right now.
But this is the situation 
God has put us all in, and 
this is clearly what He wants 
from us right now. That makes 
the time we are cooped up in 
our homes holy. This paradigm 
shift in perspective takes us 
from a place of deep frustration 
to one of calm.
We aren’
t meant to be some-
where else doing other things. 
We are meant to be at home, 
spending rare stress-free time 
with our loved ones and our-
selves. It’
s an opportunity that 
we simply never have. It’
s a 
chance to focus and invest in 
ourselves, our marriages and our 
children. 
The portion is teaching us 
that if we do what we are called 
to do at this time, if we do our 
best to create a positive and lov-
ing home energy during these 
unusual times, then it is truly 
a holy act, one that we and our 
family will fondly remember, 
forever. 

Rabbi Noam Gross works as an educator 
for the Young Professional Division of 
Partners Detroit.

A Change Of Focus

Rabbi Noam 
Gross

Parshat Tzav: 

Leviticus 

6:1-8:36; 

Malachi 3:4-

24. (Shabbat 

HaGadol)
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