Parshas Tetzaveh 5775
In the beginning of this week’s parsha Moshe is told to command the Bnei Yisrael to bring him pure olive oil to use for the menorah (27:20). This is puzzling: Moshe was not a kohen and therefore would not be the one to prepare or light the menorah. Why was it necessary for him to receive the oil? The Ramban suggests that it was Moshe’s task to make sure the oil was sufficiently pure, but this doesn’t really answer the question. Was there no one in Klal Yisrael who knew how to assess the quality of olive oil? It seems as though Moshe is being connected to the mitzva of lighting the menorah, even though it is a task that belongs to others.
In another few verses this same question recurs, when Moshe is commanded to bring Aharon closer so that garments would be prepared for the kohanim (28:1-2). What is Moshe’s role here? He wasn’t the tailor, as in the next verse he commands “those wise of heart” to prepare the bigdei kehuna. Why did Moshe have to bring Aharon close to him for this? It seems here as well that Moshe was commanded to be a part of the avoda of the kohanim, which in fact had nothing to do with him. Moshe was a levi, not a kohen!
R’ Chaim Shmuelevitz answers based on Midrash Tehillim, which speaks of two “goods” in the verses (Tehillim 133:1-2): “Behold, how good and how pleasant is the dwelling of brothers in unity. Like the good oil on the head, running down upon the beard, the beard of Aharon…” The two expressions of “good” refer respectively to the joy felt by Aharon and by Moshe. When Moshe anointed Aharon, both of them were happy over Aharon’s meriting to become the Kohen Gadol. In fact, Moshe was so happy that he felt as if he himself was being anointed. We find similarly when Moshe first merited prophecy at the Burning Bush that he tried very hard to cause Hashem to appoint Aharon to redeem Yisrael instead of him (4:13). In the following verse, Hashem assured Moshe that Aharon had the exact same thought. Aharon was setting out to greet Moshe and rejoicing in his heart (i.e., he wasn’t merely putting on a smile and keeping his envy to himself). This attitude, explains Rav Shmuelevitz, explains why Moshe was directly involved in these central avodas of the kehuna, because for Moshe it was as if he himself was becoming the kohen gadol — so great was Moshe’s sense of gladness for his brother, and so clean it was of any trace of selfish emotions.
The Ramban views the above as an ideal to be pursued not only by brothers but all Jews (Vayikra 19:18), and notes that this should apply in all spheres of life. When a fellow Jew has more money than me, I should be happy for him. Whatever my fellowman’s success, whatever is his cause for celebration—this should be my own personal cause for celebration.
The ideal relationship between Jews is that of Dovid and Yonassan — a love that overrides any personal interests or ambitions. Yonassan was the heir apparent to the throne, yet he recognized that Dovid was worthy of this and saw in him only a friend. This is how Hashem wants all our relationships to be.
Once, a man asked Rav Zelig Pliskin how he could be happier. He was beset with difficulties and his mood was generally bleak or worse.
“If you want to feel happy all the time, work on feeling happy about all the good things that happen to other people. Feel their joy as if it is yours. The jealous person only loses, and while the neutral person isn’t hurt by the success of others, he has nothing to be happy about either. If you want to get more happiness out of life, this is the way: work on feeling happy for others.”
This is one lesson we can learn from Moshe’s involvement in the mitzvos of the kehuna. Rav Gedalia Shor offers a different approach, based on Shmos Rabba 37:4. There, we see that the commands concerning the bigdei kehuna and olive oil for the menorah went via Moshe because he possessed the power of Torah, and it is the power of Torah that infuses the kohanim with the spiritual energy to perform their avoda in the best way. Rav Shor cites Sotah 44a, where the Sages expound on a verse (Mishlei 24:27) to teach that only after dedicating oneself to study of the written and oral Torah can one’s deeds be truly illuminating. Torah study imbues deeds with a special light, and cleanses them of any negative intent. To bring one’s deeds to a state of perfection, they must have the power of Torah. This idea is conveyed by Moshe — as the symbol of Torah — being involved in the preparation of the bigdei kehuna and the oil of the menorah. The power of Torah is what makes a kohen’s avoda complete.
Harav Tzvi Weissfish recounts that his rebbe, Harav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, served as an example of how Torah study purifies and illuminates one’s deeds. Rav Elyashiv had a list of 15 families whose financial situation was particularly difficult, and although he had no resources of his own, he was moser nefesh to obtain donations for them. Once, Rav Elyashiv was approached by one of his close family members, who was in dire financial straits. This relative asked Rav Elyashiv if perhaps this one time he could use some of the money that had been donated for the poor because he himself was clearly in need.
R’ Elyashiv apologized and explained, “this money was given to me for poor families, but the donors did not have any intention that the money would be for me. If I would give you some of this money, it would be as if I’m taking it for myself. I have to be clean of any personal gain.” Concludes Rav Weissfish, this level of purity of intent was something Rav Elyashiv achieved only through his great toil in Torah study.
Rav Elyashiv was able to recognize when a Jew had reached this high level of being free of selfish motives and intents. He would say that the reason he joined Rav Shach in leading the generation was because he saw that Rav Shach was a man who had no selfish motivations; kevod haTorah was the only thing that concerned him. “To such a person I can’t refuse,” he would say.
May the power of Torah illuminate and purify our actions!
Exciting news! Rabbi Krieger will soon be publishing a sefer featuring the “best” of the weekly Parsha sheet. If you would like to share in this celebration, please go to www.bircas.org for further details.