Even trash can be holy.

Tzav

Leviticus 6:1-8:36

Précis: The parasha begins with Adonai ordering Moses to command (“tzav”) Aaron and his sons concerning burnt offerings. Requirements for the daily offerings, directions for the meal offerings, instructions for guilt-offerings and thanksgiving offerings are described. The parasha then describes the initial sacrifices of the Tabernacle made by Aaron and his sons following their consecration to service by Moses.

Leviticus 6:1-6 "This is the Torah of the burnt-offering... The fire on the altar shall be kept burning, not to go out: the priest shall burn wood upon it each morning… perpetual fire shall be kept burning on the altar, not to go out."

In the first several readings of Vayikra, we struggle to find relevance to the modern day. In these verses, one hint may be observed: we read three times in six verses about fire that is not to be extinguished. What is this “fire?”  To the Sages, fire is a metaphor for life, for Torah, and for redemption. The eternal light (ner tamid), replicated in our sanctuaries, reminds us of the continuity of God’s presence among us, even today.

A task spoken about in these verses is the removal of the prior day’s ashes, done early in the morning before the daily morning sacrifice. The ashes were not merely tossed out with the trash; they were the remains of a holy act, and retained sufficient holiness so that they were treated with respect. So precious were theses ashes that a priest (cohein) himself had to take care of this sacred residue, and not a custodian of the Temple grounds. According to Mishnah (BT Yoma 22a), ash removal was seen as a high honor. We read the following there:

Originally whosoever desired to remove [the ashes from] the altar did so. If they were many, they would run and mount the ramp [of the altar] and he that came first within four cubits obtained the privilege....It once happened that two were even as they ran to mount the ramp. One of them pushed his fellow who fell and broke his leg.

When the court saw that they incurred danger, they ordained that the ashes of the altar be cleared only by a lottery.

It’s perhaps ironic that the prize being fought over so intensely was the right to sweep away a pile of ashes. In this vein, there is a Chasidic story about a young and ambitious scholar who came to his learned rabbi in distress. “Rabbi!” he cried. “I come home from the yeshiva an hour before Shabbat, and the table is not set, the children are not bathed, the house is a mess! How can I study when I have such problems? What should I do?” The rabbi responded, “Grab a broom!”

This story reminds those of us engaged in service to Jewish institutions that whatever the task, we are engaged in holy work. And, as the Sages of the Talmud teach us, we don’t reach God by shoving somebody else out of the way.