Parshat Tzav
There are times when understanding the message of the navi is difficult for those living centuries after the word of Hashem was given to the people. This haftarah, taken from Sefer Yirmiyahu, is a perfect example. Our parsha begins with the words “Tzav et Bnei Yisrael, Command Bnei Yisrael.” What was Moshe to command them? The laws of korbanot, sacrifices. The Torah details the different ritual procedures for each type of offering and then sums up the section by stating (7:38): “(This is the law) that Hashem commanded Moshe at Har Sinai upon the day that he (Moshe) commanded Bnei Yisrael to offer their sacrifices to God in the wilderness of Sinai.”
Our haftarah opens by quoting the words of Yirmiyahu (7:22): “For I did not tell your ancestors nor command them about burnt offerings or sacrifices the day I took them out of Egypt.” It seems clear that this prophetic selection directly contradicts the bulk of the Book of Vayikra and the very theme of our parsha! We wonder why, of all possible choices that Chazal could have selected, they chose this contradictory one. Interestingly, I believe that we can find the key to solving the puzzle in the haftarah we read just last week.
Allow me to explain.
When Shaul defended his decision to allow his soldiers to take the finest sheep and cattle from the spoils of Amalek, he explained to Shmuel that they were desired by the nation simply because the soldiers wished to sacrifice to Hashem. Shmuel responded by expressing one of the most essential understandings of our belief: “Does Hashem prefer burnt offerings and sacrifices over heeding His command?” Sacrifices must reinforce obedience—not replace it!
Yirmiyahu Hanavi reaffirms that belief in this haftarah selection, i.e., that God does not eschew the sacrificial rite but rather regards it as a component of living a moral and upright life, a life that must revolve around caring for others and obeying all of Hashem’s dictates. The prophet’s message was essential for his pre-Churban generation when false prophets ridiculed the warnings of Yirmiyahu by pointing to the many sacrifices offered by the people in the Temple that, the navi claimed, God would destroy. To these people, Yirmiyahu reasserted that lack of obedience to God could not be repaired by sacrificial ritual alone. True service of Hashem lay in moral behavior, kindness and justice.
Today’s message is a difficult one, indeed, more fitting for the weeks preceding Tisha B’Av, as it lists in detail the many shortcomings of Israel and the resultant punishments. It is no wonder that the final verses of hope are taken from the end of the next perek, Chapter 9, the same verses that close the haftarah of Tisha B’Av, for, having read these chapters, we too need a message of comfort, hope and consolation.
By Rabbi Neil N. Winkler
Rabbi Neil Winkler is the rabbi emeritus of the Young Israel of Fort Lee and now lives in Israel.
