When only the best will do

Tetzaveh

Exodus 27:20-30:10

Précis: The parasha continues with a description of ritual items in the Tabernacle, including oil for the lamp, priestly clothing, the ephod, breastplate, robes, plate, and miter. Aaron and his sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar are designated as Priests and are consecrated with sacrifices and ceremony. The parasha concludes with a description of the daily sacrifices and incense to be offered at the Tabernacle.

Ex. 27:20  “And you will command the Israelite people to bring to you pure olive oil beaten for the light, to burn regularly.”

          It’s interesting to note that we are commanded to use only “pure” olive oil for illumination in the Menorah. (As an aside, I’ve learned much from my daughter the chef about the various kinds and uses of olive oil, and it would seem to me that the Bible here is really talking about the best quality cold-pressed fresh extra-virgin olive oil!)

            But back to the verse cited here. In another aspect of ritual worship described in the Bible, we are not asked to use “pure” flour for the offerings associated with its use. This difference, as usual, came to the attention of the Sages. One suggestion was that worship ritual in the Mishkan (and then subsequently in the Temple) was that the rule is contrary to how one uses these substances at home. There, we use the best flour available for our bread, and the cheapest oil for illumination of lamps. After all, how lamp oil tastes is irrelevant. This is the reverse of Mishkan and Temple practice. To the Sages, the Menorah was a symbol of wisdom and Torah; flour represented the mundane world.

           The importance of this ancient analysis has something to tell us about the importance of priority setting. We often tend to look for the “best” or “finest” in material things; our fascination with gourmet foods and fine clothing is quite natural in this regard.  But we all too often settle for the easiest, the sufficient, or the good enough in the realm of spiritual matters.

            As an individual who does indeed relish fine food, well-made items of all kinds, and the occasional sip of a great single malt, I am not one to suggest that living an ascetic or austere life is what the Sages were telling us with this midrash. But if we devote more than the minimum, more than just the basics to our inner lives, we can achieve a greater balance between the material and the spiritual, and balance is a very Jewish virtue.