PARSHAT TETZAVE - THE ELEVENTH COMMANDMENT - THOU SHALT DO!

[TorahZionist]

BS"D

YESHIVAT HARA'AYON HAYEHUDI
Jerusalem, Israel
HaRav Yehuda Kreuser SHLIT"A, Rosh Yeshiva

PARSHAT TETZAVE
10 Adar I 5768/15-16 February 2008


THE ELEVENTH COMMANDMENT - THOU SHALT DO!

The Torah continues in our parsha to teach us the laws of the Priestly
service in the Tabernacle. After telling us in detail of the make-up of the
Tabernacle and of its vessels, the Torah now goes on to teach us about the
holy clothing worn by the Priest. In fact, the next three weeks will also
discuss the Tabernacle - making a total of five parshiyot that deal with
this topic.

One may ask: Why does the Torah spend so much time on a topic that is
irrelevant, since the Tabernacle will not be coming back anymore, for the
Tabernacle which followed the Jewish people throughout the forty years in
the desert and entered with us into the Land of Israel, was taken down for
the last time when the Temple was built in Jerusalem. As is known, the
Torah, with its 613 commandments, is eternal, and even the commandments
which deal with the sacrificial service, which unfortunately have not been
fulfilled for the past 2000 years, when the Temple is rebuilt they will once
again be relevant, but the Tabernacle is gone for good, never to return.
Why, then, does the Torah spend so much time dealing with it, much more that
many relevant daily topics?

Our parsha opens up with the answer: "And you shall command the children
of Israel that they shall bring pure olive oil for the light, to cause the
lamp to burn always." The key phrase here is: You shall command, i.e., an
action that needs doing. In fact, the common denominator that runs
throughout all of these parshiyot that deal with the work of the Tabernacle
is: You shall do. This theme you find over and over again - so much so, that
in last week's parsha alone the Torah says it 140 times! One hundred and
forty times Hashem commands us to do actions, make things, produce. You
shall build a menorah, you shall build the altar, you shall build the table,
and our parsha continues this theme by starting off with: You shall command.

One must be totally unconnected spiritually not to understand what
Hashem wants from us in these parshiyot, for it is crying out to us. The
Torah, more than anything else, is a book of deeds, of commands. One does
not stay home and wait for Tefillin to be placed on him; rather, he gets up
and does it. One does not stay home and hope that he will have food to eat
on the Shabbat day; rather, he prepares it on Friday and then he has what to
eat on the Shabbat. In this world one must perform - as our Rabbis taught
us - today to do them (the commandments), and tomorrow (in the next world)
to receive the reward.

This is the reason that the dealings of the Tabernacle are included in
our Torah, even though their day has gone. It is to teach us the importance
of actions and fulfilling the word of G-d. The Rabbis teach us: "I (Hashem)
will not enter into the heavenly Jerusalem until the Jews first enter the
earthly Jerusalem." The fire of the altar does not come down from heaven,
until first Aharon the High Priest lights it below. This is clear to every
thinking person. Interesting, though, when it come to the commandment of
living in the Land of Israel, then we all have excuses from here to
eternity: Wait for Messiah, it's not the right time, when it comes to
building the Temple, that's not our deed to do - Let G-d build His own
House!, etc. etc. etc.

Understand well: All the commandments of the Torah are for us to do.
That is why they are called commandments, for it is up to us to do them. All
aspects of the Torah are for us to do - from Tefillin, to Shabbat, to the
Tabernacle, to the Temple, to living in the Land. Let us act, for this is
what Hashem requires from us. Actions speak louder than words!

With love of Israel,
Levi Chazen


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