Tuesday, March 24, 2015

#3 Tzav

Parshat Tzav seems  like it's a repetition of Parshat Vayikra. It repeats the korbanot and their halachot. However, the order of the korbanot is different in Parshat Tzav and Parshat Vayikra. In Parshat Vayikra the order reads as follows: olah, mincha, shlamim, chatat, asham. In Parshat Tzav the placement of the korban shlamim moves from third to last so that the order now reads as follows: olah, mincha, chatat, asham, and shlamim.
Why re-list the korbanot and why change the order?
Ramban says that the repetition and change in the order hints at the subject being addressed in the two sections. Parshat Vayikra addresses Bnei Yisrael, the people, while Parshat Tzav is directed toward the kohanim. This is seen from the opening pesukim of each parsha. Parshat Vayikra opens with Moshe addressing the People:"Speak to Bnei Yisrael and tell them, if an individual among you wishes to offer a korban to God, then..." (Vayikra 1:2)



Are there any other reasons why it is redundant? Are there any others reasons why the order is different?

Monday, March 23, 2015

#2 Tzav

Perek ו׳ pasuk ה׳ says:

5And the fire on the altar shall burn on it; it shall not go out. The kohen shall kindle wood upon it every morning, and upon it, he shall arrange the burnt offering and cause the fats of the peace offerings to [go up in] smoke upon it. הוְהָאֵשׁ עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ תּוּקַד בּוֹ לֹא תִכְבֶּה וּבִעֵר עָלֶיהָ הַכֹּהֵן עֵצִים בַּבֹּקֶר בַּבֹּקֶר וְעָרַךְ עָלֶיהָ הָעֹלָה וְהִקְטִיר עָלֶיהָ חֶלְבֵי הַשְּׁלָמִים:
ה׳ could bring His own fire from שמים upon the מזבח, so why did He have the כהנים kindle the fire every day?

The Sefer HaChinuch writes: “When God decides to perform a tremendous miracle, He does His best to disguise it and make it appear as if it is a regular occurrence…We find that at the splitting of the Red Sea, the verse wrote that a strong wind blew, in order to give in the appearance of a natural phenomenon. This is also the reason why God commanded the Kohanim to light the fire on the Alter even though it descended from heaven, in order to disguise the miracle in the cloak of the mundane.”

What are other reasons why Hashem commanded the kohanim to make the fire, rather than lighting it Himself?

#1 Tzav

Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering: That is the burnt offering which burns on the altar all night until morning, and the fire of the altar shall burn with it. בצַו אֶת אַהֲרֹן וְאֶת בָּנָיו לֵאמֹר זֹאת תּוֹרַת הָעֹלָה הִוא הָעֹלָה עַל מוֹקְדָה עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ כָּל הַלַּיְלָה עַד הַבֹּקֶר וְאֵשׁ הַמִּזְבֵּחַ תּוּקַד בּוֹ:
This word, tzav, is a strange word that the Torah uses. Why is it used here?

Rashi says the word is often used to express the urging of someone to do something- particularly fulfilling a certain mitzvah.

What's another meaning of the word tzav and why is it used here?

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

#2 Vayikra

Why do people have the custom to begin learning Chumash with Vayikra instead of Bereishit?


#1 Vayikra

Why is there a small "aleph" in the first word of this week's parsha?

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

#4Vayakhel Pikudei- Why repeat?

This week's parshiot discuss the details pertaining to the building of the mishkan. However, all of this has been mentioned just a few parshiot ago. What is the detailed repetition in Vayakhel pekudei trying to teach us?

Sunday, March 8, 2015

#2- Vayakhel/Pikudei- Time vs. Space

Why in ויקהל is the mitzvah of Shabbos juxtaposed to the building of the Mishkan?
Rashi (quotes Mechilta) says that these two are put together to show that even something as important as the building of the Mishkan doesn’t push off the mitzvah of Shabbos.
The Rav also gives an idea and says that throughout the Torah we see concepts of the Mikdash and Shabbos together. For example, “שבתותי תשמרו and מקדשי תיראו”. He continues to say that these ideas are intertwined and represent two sanctuaries. Shabbos which is bound by time and the Mikdash which is bound by space. One can’t just walk away and leave Shabbos, but one can get up and walk out of a sukkah, which is bound by its place. This idea of these sanctuaries being connected shows that there are two different levels of kedusha (time and space) that can often be seen together.
What are some other reasons why the mitzvah of Shabbos is said next to the building of the Mishkan?

#1 Vayakhel/Pikudei- Mishkan Mishkan?

21These are the numbers of the Mishkan, the Mishkan of the Testimony, which were counted at Moses' command; [this was] the work of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the Kohen.
 
כאאֵלֶּה פְקוּדֵי הַמִּשְׁכָּן מִשְׁכַּן הָעֵדֻת אֲשֶׁר פֻּקַּד עַל פִּי משֶׁה עֲבֹדַת הַלְוִיִּם בְּיַד אִיתָמָר בֶּן אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן:
In the very beginning of parshat vyakel we see these pasukim which is talking about the mishcan Moshe says Mishcan twice one right after the other. But why? Why does Moshe say it twice?
Rashi answers that it is an allusion to the fact that the bet hamkidash will be destroyed two times.
What are other explantions to why the mishkan is written twice?
Are there other places in the torah that also allude to the destruction of the bet hamikdash?