Parasha Tzav
In this week’s parasha, parasha Tzav, G-d commands the Jewish people: “An eternal flame should always be kept burning on the altar; it should never be extinguished.”
In the Holy Temple, there was a special chamber where hot coals were kept burning, so that the fire on the Alter could be relit whenever necessary. The fire on the altar was where all the sacrifices should be made, and it was a commandment from Hashem that it should always remain lit.
When G-d commanded the Jewish people to build the Tabernacle in the desert, He said: “And I will dwell within them.” Shouldn’t the verse have said, “I will dwell within it”? It says “them” to teach us that every Jewish person is like a miniature Temple. Every Jew must always have a fiery love for G-d in his heart, just like the fire, which burns all the time on the altar.
In the same way, we Jews should always feel a deep love for G-d, even if we are on a level of Shabbat .
What do we mean by “a level of Shabbat”?
On Shabbat, we wish each other Shabbat Shalom. The Hebrew word Shalom comes from the root of the Hebrew word whole and complete (shaleim). We feel complete on Shabbat. We relax and we do not worry about our weekday work, acting as if it were completed.
On Shabbat, we are also given an extra Shabbat soul that helps us pray better, learn better, and understand G-d’s holiness better. But a Jew on the level of Shabbat might get distracted, and he might ignore the his true feeling within his Neshama. So G-d reminds him of the “eternal flame… even on Shabbat.” The burning love for G-d in our hearts should never relax. Keep Inspiring the Jewish Future !
Shabbat Shalom My Fellow NCSYers,
Lior V. Facher