A Bima-Ready D’var Torah Every Week
12 Adar 5781
Parashat Tetzaveh
Hiding in Plain Sight
Torah Portion: Exodus 27:20-30:10
Haftarah Portion: Ezekiel 43:10-27
Shalom!
The ISJL Taste of Torah periodically features contributions from members of the ISJL Staff. This week's drash comes from Margo Wagner, a second year Education Fellow.
The ISJL Taste of Torah periodically features contributions from members of the ISJL Staff. This week's drash comes from Margo Wagner, a second year Education Fellow.
We usually read this week’s Torah portion, Tetzaveh, around the time of Purim. Yet the parashah and the holiday don't seem to have much in common. In the Torah portion, Aaron becomes the High Priest and his sons become the High Priest’s assistants. This parashah delves into intricate detail about the special garments worn when fulfilling sacred duties in the Tabernacle, the holy dwelling place for God. Purim, on the other hand, celebrates a story of courage and perseverance to save the Jewish people from destruction. However, is it a mere coincidence that Purim falls during Parashat Tetzaveh, or is there a deep connection threaded between the lines of the scrolls?
Reading beyond the text reveals a unique connection that enhances the meaning of this week’s parashah and the holiday of Purim: both texts are missing prominent figures that are usually present. In Parashat Tetzaveh, Moses’s name is nowhere to be found. However, in every other chapter of the Torah from Exodus through Deuteronomy, Moses is mentioned. Similarly, in the book of Esther, God is not mentioned once throughout the entire scroll. As we read between the lines of both texts, we can realize that although God and Moses may not appear explicitly, we can feel their presence through the actions of others.
Tetzaveh is all about Aaron—Moses’ brother—as God appoints him to become the high priest. Although Moses is not mentioned by name, it seems there are a couple verses where God is not speaking to Aaron, but to Moses. God says, “You shall further instruct the Israelites to bring you clear oil of beaten olives for lighting, for kindling lamps regularly” (Exodus 28:1). Here, God talks about the ner tamid, the Eternal Light, being lit. This example, among others, where Moses is referred to as “you,” is put into context by the 16th-century commentator Moshe Alshich, who states, “All fulfill themselves through [Moses]. Through the commandments that [Moses has] transmitted to Israel… [the Israelites] are enabled ‘to cause the lamp to burn continually’—symbolizing the spiritual illumination of eternity which they would not achieve without [Moses]… This goes for the Jewish people as a whole.”i Alshich presents the idea that, although he is not mentioned by name in this parashah, Moses’ leadership clearly had a huge role in cultivating and forming the Jewish people. The lack of Moses’ name doesn’t mean he is absent; Moses’ great leadership skills enable God to give responsibilities to the other Israelites. Here, Moses leads by example, stepping back to give Aaron and the other Israelites an opportunity to step up and joyfully connect to God on their own merit and on their own terms. Therefore, we see that through Aaron becoming a high priest, and other Israelites having a role in lighting the eternal flame, Moses’ presence is known.
The narrative of a seemingly-absent presence that appears through others’ actions rings true in the Purim story as well. The scroll of Megilat Esther does not mention God once. However, “God’s presence is revealed through Mordechai’s conviction and Esther’s courage. God’s presence is revealed in the triumph of good over evil, in the flawed but ultimately responsible actions of human beings.”ii In the Megillah, God also takes a step back as Moses did. In this case, God’s presence is discovered through Esther and her courageous actions to save the Jewish people, through Mordechai and his strong beliefs, and through people’s actions to overcome evil. This shows that God manifests within us, and even though God appears to be absent from the pages of the Megillah, God is present through the events that unfold in the story. Furthermore, Purim is a great example of how we can take a dark situation and, through our actions, turn it into a joyous celebration.
We can also notice the pattern of missing figures or feelings in our everyday lives. Both of these textual instances help us to understand that, although there are forces in life we cannot see in front of us, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t there. A presence—even unseen and unperceived—can be powerful. Each of our actions can influence someone else down the road, enhancing our lives generation to generation.
After months of a pandemic and in new or continued times of crisis, we may struggle to see or notice the joy or joyful moments during difficult or stressful times. When we can’t be together in person, sometimes loved ones or joyful moments that are out of sight are also out of mind. However, the Purim story and Parashat Tetzaveh show us that we can feel their presence through our own actions. We can create those moments of joy. We can treat the someone’s presence as a gift. We can honor people we miss by exhibiting the traits that they exude. For example, if someone who is not near you often exudes joy when they are around, create joyful moments in their honor. Even through absence, perhaps we can find joy through spreading kindness, smiling at our neighbors, or partaking in activities that make us happy. We can find joy and create joyful moments for ourselves and for others around us. As we dress up at home during a pandemic to celebrate Purim and read Parashat Tetzaveh on our couches, may we notice the presence of something or someone that does not seem to be present, but could just be hiding in plain sight.
Reading beyond the text reveals a unique connection that enhances the meaning of this week’s parashah and the holiday of Purim: both texts are missing prominent figures that are usually present. In Parashat Tetzaveh, Moses’s name is nowhere to be found. However, in every other chapter of the Torah from Exodus through Deuteronomy, Moses is mentioned. Similarly, in the book of Esther, God is not mentioned once throughout the entire scroll. As we read between the lines of both texts, we can realize that although God and Moses may not appear explicitly, we can feel their presence through the actions of others.
Tetzaveh is all about Aaron—Moses’ brother—as God appoints him to become the high priest. Although Moses is not mentioned by name, it seems there are a couple verses where God is not speaking to Aaron, but to Moses. God says, “You shall further instruct the Israelites to bring you clear oil of beaten olives for lighting, for kindling lamps regularly” (Exodus 28:1). Here, God talks about the ner tamid, the Eternal Light, being lit. This example, among others, where Moses is referred to as “you,” is put into context by the 16th-century commentator Moshe Alshich, who states, “All fulfill themselves through [Moses]. Through the commandments that [Moses has] transmitted to Israel… [the Israelites] are enabled ‘to cause the lamp to burn continually’—symbolizing the spiritual illumination of eternity which they would not achieve without [Moses]… This goes for the Jewish people as a whole.”i Alshich presents the idea that, although he is not mentioned by name in this parashah, Moses’ leadership clearly had a huge role in cultivating and forming the Jewish people. The lack of Moses’ name doesn’t mean he is absent; Moses’ great leadership skills enable God to give responsibilities to the other Israelites. Here, Moses leads by example, stepping back to give Aaron and the other Israelites an opportunity to step up and joyfully connect to God on their own merit and on their own terms. Therefore, we see that through Aaron becoming a high priest, and other Israelites having a role in lighting the eternal flame, Moses’ presence is known.
The narrative of a seemingly-absent presence that appears through others’ actions rings true in the Purim story as well. The scroll of Megilat Esther does not mention God once. However, “God’s presence is revealed through Mordechai’s conviction and Esther’s courage. God’s presence is revealed in the triumph of good over evil, in the flawed but ultimately responsible actions of human beings.”ii In the Megillah, God also takes a step back as Moses did. In this case, God’s presence is discovered through Esther and her courageous actions to save the Jewish people, through Mordechai and his strong beliefs, and through people’s actions to overcome evil. This shows that God manifests within us, and even though God appears to be absent from the pages of the Megillah, God is present through the events that unfold in the story. Furthermore, Purim is a great example of how we can take a dark situation and, through our actions, turn it into a joyous celebration.
We can also notice the pattern of missing figures or feelings in our everyday lives. Both of these textual instances help us to understand that, although there are forces in life we cannot see in front of us, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t there. A presence—even unseen and unperceived—can be powerful. Each of our actions can influence someone else down the road, enhancing our lives generation to generation.
After months of a pandemic and in new or continued times of crisis, we may struggle to see or notice the joy or joyful moments during difficult or stressful times. When we can’t be together in person, sometimes loved ones or joyful moments that are out of sight are also out of mind. However, the Purim story and Parashat Tetzaveh show us that we can feel their presence through our own actions. We can create those moments of joy. We can treat the someone’s presence as a gift. We can honor people we miss by exhibiting the traits that they exude. For example, if someone who is not near you often exudes joy when they are around, create joyful moments in their honor. Even through absence, perhaps we can find joy through spreading kindness, smiling at our neighbors, or partaking in activities that make us happy. We can find joy and create joyful moments for ourselves and for others around us. As we dress up at home during a pandemic to celebrate Purim and read Parashat Tetzaveh on our couches, may we notice the presence of something or someone that does not seem to be present, but could just be hiding in plain sight.
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Shabbat Shalom! Margo Wagner ISJL Education Fellow |
i. Alshich qtd. in Nehama Leibowitz, "Tetzaveh 2," in Studies in Shemot (Exodus), trans. Aryeh Newman (Jerusalem: Eliner Library, Dept. for Torah Education and Culture in the Diaspora, the Joint Authority for Jewish Zionist Education, 1996), 526.
ii. Lisa D. Grant, “Contemporary Reflection,” in The Torah: a Women's Commentary, Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, editor; Andrea L. Weiss, associate editor (New York: WRJ, Women of Reform Judaism & URJ Press, 2017), 492.
ii. Lisa D. Grant, “Contemporary Reflection,” in The Torah: a Women's Commentary, Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, editor; Andrea L. Weiss, associate editor (New York: WRJ, Women of Reform Judaism & URJ Press, 2017), 492.
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