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Tetzaveh

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Tetzaveh, Tetsaveh, T'tzaveh, or T'tzavveh (תצווה — Hebrew for "you command,” the second word and first distinctive word in the parshah) is the 20th weekly Torah portion (parshah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the eighth in the book of Exodus. It constitutes Exodus 27:20–30:10. Jews in the Diaspora read it the 20th Sabbath after Simchat Torah, generally in February or March.

olives

Summary

God instructed the Israelites to bring Moses clear olive oil, so that Aaron and his descendants as High Priest could kindle lamps regularly in the Tabernacle. (Ex. 27:20–21.)

a pomegranate

God instructed Moses to make sacral vestments for Aaron: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a gold frontlet inscribed “Holy to the Lord,” a fringed tunic, a headdress, a sash, and linen breeches. (Ex. 28.) God instructed Moses to place Urim and Thummim inside the breastpiece of decision. (Ex. 28:30.) God instructed Moses to place pomegranates and gold bells around the robe’s hem, to make a sound when the High Priest entered and exited the sanctuary, so that he not die. (Ex. 33–35.)

a bull

God laid out an ordination ceremony for priests involving the sacrifice of a young bull, two rams, unleavened bread, unleavened cakes with oil mixed in, and unleavened wafers spread with oil. (Ex. 29.) God instructed Moses to lead the bull to the front of the Tabernacle, let Aaron and his sons lay their hands upon the bull’s head, slaughter the bull at the entrance of the Tent, and put some of the bull’s blood on the horns of the altar. (Ex. 29:10–12.) God instructed Moses to take one of the rams, let Aaron and his sons lay their hands upon the ram’s head, slaughter the ram, and put some of its blood and put on the ridge of Aaron’s right ear and on the ridges of his sons’ right ears, and on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. (Ex. 29:19–20.)

God promised to meet and speak with Moses and the Israelites there, to abide among the Israelites, and be their God. (Ex. 29:42–45.)

God instructed Moses to make an incense altar of acacia wood overlaid with gold — sometimes called the Golden Altar. (Ex. 30.)

In early nonrabbinic interpretation

Exodus chapter 28

Josephus interpreted the linen vestment of Exodus 28:5 to signify the earth, as flax grows out of the earth. Josephus interpreted the ephod of the four colors gold, blue, purple, and scarlet (Exodus 28:6) to signify that God made the universe of four elements, with the gold interwoven to show the splendor by which all things are enlightened. Josephus saw the stones on the High Priest's shoulders in Exodus 28:9–12 to declare the sun and the moon. He interpreted the breastplate of Exodus 28:15–22 to resemble the earth, having the middle place of the world, and the girdle that encompassed the High Priest to signify the ocean, which went about the world. He interpreted the 12 stones of the ephod in Exodus 28:17–21 to represent the months or the signs of the Zodiac. He interpreted the golden bells and pomegranates that Exodus 28:33–35 says hung on the fringes of the High Priest’s garments to signify thunder and lightning, respectively. And Josephus saw the blue on the headdress of Exodus 28:37 to represent heaven, “for how otherwise could the name of God be inscribed upon it?” (Antiquities of the Jews 3:7:7.)

In classical rabbinic interpretation

Exodus chapter 27

The Mishnah posited that one could have inferred that meal-offerings would require the purest olive oil, for if the menorah, whose oil was not eaten, required pure olive oil, how much more so should meal-offerings, whose oil was eaten. But Exodus 27:20 states, “pure olive oil beaten for the light,” but not “pure olive oil beaten for meal-offerings,” to make clear that such purity was required only for the menorah and not for meal-offerings. (Mishnah Menachot 8:5; Babylonian Talmud Menachot 86a.)

A midrash expounded on Exodus 27:20 to explain why Israel was, in the words of Jeremiah 11:16, like “a leafy olive tree.” The midrash taught that just as the olive is beaten, ground, tied up with ropes, and then at last it yields its oil, so the nations have come and beaten, imprisoned, bound, and surrounded Israel, and when at last Israel repents of its sins, God answers it. The midrash offered a second explanation: Just as all liquids commingle one with the other, but oil refuses to do so, so Israel keeps itself distinct, as it is commanded in Deuteronomy 7:3. The midrash offered a third explanation: Just as oil floats to the top even after it has been mixed with every kind of liquid, so Israel, as long as it performs the will of God, will be set on high by God, as it says in Deuteronomy 28:1. The midrash offered a fourth explanation: Just as oil gives forth light, so did the Temple in Jerusalem give light to the whole world, as it says in Isaiah 60:3. (Exodus Rabbah 36:1)

Exodus chapter 28

A Baraita explained why the Urim and Thummim noted in Exodus 28:30 were called by those names: The term “Urim” is like the Hebrew word for “lights,” and thus it was called “Urim” because it enlightened. The term “Thummim” is like the Hebrew word tam meaning “to be complete,” and thus it was called “Thummim” because its predictions were fulfilled. The Gemara discussed how they used the Urim and Thummim: Rabbi Johanan said that the letters of the stones in the breastplate stood out to spell out the answer. Resh Lakish said that the letters joined each other to spell words. But the Gemara noted that the Hebrew letter Tsade was missing from the list of the 12 tribes of Israel. Rabbi Samuel bar Isaac said that the stones of the breastplate also contained the names of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But the Gemara noted that the Hebrew letter Teth was also missing. Rav Aha bar Jacob said that they also contained the words: “The tribes of Jeshurun.” (Babylonian Talmud Yoma 73b.)

Exodus chapter 29

The Mishnah explained how the priests carried out the rites of the wave-offering described in Exodus 29:27: On the east side of the altar, the priest placed the two loaves on the two lambs and put his two hands beneath them and waved them forward and backward and upward and downward. (Mishnah Menachot 5:6; Babylonian Talmud Menachot 61a.)

Exodus chapter 30

The Mishnah taught that the incense offering of Exodus 30:7 was not subject to the penalty associated with eating invalidated offerings. (Mishnah Zevachim 4:3; Babylonian Talmud Zevachim 42b.)

Commandments

According to Maimonides and Sefer ha-Chinuch, there are 4 positive and 3 negative commandments in the parshah:

(See, e.g., Maimonides. The Commandments: Sefer Ha-Mitzvoth of Maimonides. Translated by Charles B. Chavel, 1:34–35, 37, 42–43, 101–02; 2:81, 85–86. London: Soncino Press, 1967. ISBN 0-900689-71-4. Sefer HaHinnuch: The Book of [Mitzvah] Education. Translated by Charles Wengrov, 1:377–95. Jerusalem: Feldheim Pub., 1991. ISBN 0-87306-179-9.)

Ezekiel (painting by Michelangelo)

Haftarah

The haftarah for the parshah is Ezekiel 43:10–27.

Both the parshah and the haftarah in Ezekiel describe God’s holy sacrificial altar and its consecration, the parshah in the Tabernacle in the wilderness (Ex. 27:1–8; 29:36–37), and the haftarah in Ezekiel’s conception of a future Temple. (Ez. 43:13–17.) Both the parshah and the haftarah describe plans conveyed by a mighty prophet, Moses in the parshah and Ezekiel in the haftarah.

File:Gustave dore morte Agag.jpg
The Death of Agag (illustration by Gustave Doré)

On Shabbat Zachor

When Parshah Tetzaveh coincides with Shabbat Zachor (the special Sabbath immediately preceding Purim — as it does in 2006, 2007, and 2009), the haftarah is:

On Shabbat Zachor, the Sabbath just before Purim, Jews read Deuteronomy 25:17–19, which instructs Jews: “Remember (zachor) what Amalek did” in attacking the Israelites. (Deut. 25:17.) The haftarah for Shabbat Zachor, 1Samuel 15:2–34 or 1–34, describes Saul’s encounter with Amalek and Saul’s and Samuel’s tretament of the Amalekite king Agag. Purim, in turn, commemorates the story of Esther and the Jewish people’s victory over Haman’s plan to kill the Jews, told in the Book of Esther. (Esther 1:1–10:3.) Esther 3:1 identifies Haman as an Agagite, and thus a descendant of Amalek. Numbers 24:7 identifies the Agagites with the Amalekites. Alternatively, a Midrash tells the story that between King Agag’s capture by Saul and his killing by Samuel, Agag fathered a child, from whom Haman in turn descended. (Seder Eliyahu Rabbah ch. 20; Targum Sheni to Esther 4:13.)

Further reading

The parshah has parallels or is discussed in these sources:

  • Psalms 29:2 (holiness of God); 77:21 (Moses and Aaron); 93:5 (holiness of God); 99:6 (Moses and Aaron); 106:16 (Moses and Aaron); 115:10, 12 (house of Aaron); 118:3 (house of Aaron); 133:2 (anointing Aaron).
  • Josephus. The Wars of the Jews, 5:5:7. Circa 75 C.E. Reprinted in, e.g., The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition. Translated by William Whiston, 708. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Pub., 1987. ISBN 0-913573-86-8.
  • Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 3:6:1–3:10:1. Circa 93–94. Reprinted in, e.g., The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition. Translated by William Whiston, 85–95. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Pub., 1987. ISBN 0-913573-86-8.
  • Mishnah: Zevachim 4:3; Menachot 5:6, 8:5; Keritot 1:1; Tamid 7:1; Kinnim 3:6. Land of Israel, circa 200 C.E. Reprinted in, e.g., The Mishnah: A New Translation. Translated by Jacob Neusner, 705, 743, 750, 871, 889. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988. ISBN 0-300-05022-4.
  • Tosefta: Sotah 7:17; Menachot 6:11, 7:6, 9:16. Land of Israel, circa 300 C.E. Reprinted in, e.g., The Tosefta: Translated from the Hebrew, with a New Introduction. Translated by Jacob Neusner, vol. 1: 865; vol. 2: 1430–31, 1435, 1448. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Pub., 2002. ISBN 1-56563-642-2.
  • Exodus Rabbah 36:1–38:9. 10th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., Midrash Rabbah: Exodus. Translated by S. M. Lehrman, 3:436–57. London: Soncino Press, 1939. ISBN 0-900689-38-2.
  • Saadia Gaon. The Book of Beliefs and Opinions, 2:11; 3:10. Baghdad, Babylonia, 933. Translated by Samuel Rosenblatt, 125, 177. New Haven: Yale Univ. Press, 1948. ISBN 0-300-04490-9.
  • Rashi. Commentary. Exodus 27–30. Troyes, France, late 11th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., Rashi. The Torah: With Rashi’s Commentary Translated, Annotated, and Elucidated. Translated and annotated by Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg, vol. 2, 375–421. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1994. ISBN 0-89906-027-7.
  • Maimonides. Guide for the Perplexed, 1:25; 3:4, 32, 45, 46, 47. Cairo, Egypt, 1190. Reprinted in, e.g., Moses Maimonides. The Guide for the Perplexed. Translated by Michael Friedländer, 34, 257, 323, 357, 362, 369. New York: Dover Publications, 1956. ISBN 0-486-20351-4.
  • Zohar 2:179b–187b. Spain, late 13th Century.
  • Thomas Hobbes. Leviathan, 3:34, 40, 42. England, 1651. Reprint edited by C. B. Macpherson, 431, 503–04, 572, 585. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Classics, 1982. ISBN 0140431950.
  • Thomas Mann. Joseph and His Brothers. Translated by John E. Woods, 382. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. ISBN 1-4000-4001-9. Originally published as Joseph und seine Brüder. Stockholm: Bermann-Fischer Verlag, 1943.


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