The Importance of Ritual

Tetzaveh

Ex. 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, Eliezer 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.

Exodus 29:39. “One lamb shall you offer in the morning, and the second lamb you shall offer in the afternoon.”

            Lord  Rabbi Jonathan Sacks has noted (Mosaic 2/19/16), that the Sages of the Talmud offer four different opinions on which verses are the most important in Torah. Three are of little surprise: “Love your neighbor,” “Hear O Israel the Lord is our God,” and “Man is made in the likeness of God.”  The fourth is this verse! Sacks suggests that it represents the Jewish ideal of regular ritual.

            To many outsiders, and to many Jews, the Jewish obsession with ritual seems strange, a relic of antiquity, and devoid of any religious meaning. This is certainly so during the readings about Temple rituals which have not been observed for almost 2,000 years. A common complaint heard from younger generations is that much of what they see of Judaism is rote ritual which, to them, has lost any emotional context.        

            Modern human beings, regardless of their particular faith, have adopted what we might call an “extraordinary” view of religious experiences. We feel it when something unusual overwhelms us. It is usually something outside of the normal, be it the birth of a child, the view from a mountaintop, a forest vista, or being part of a cheering crowd. Most of us have had such transcendent experiences.

            Sacks reminds us that theses are, in fact, merely experiences. They may remain imprinted in our memory, but they are not part of everyday life. What makes life “real” are those daily rituals in which we engage. Jewish tradition has developed what Sacks calls a “choreography of holiness” to be performed every day. While most of us ignore those elements of ritual which do not engage our spirits, we should not forget the important contribution which Judaism has made to the world: living our lives, interacting with others, caring for the stranger, engaging in ethical business practises, all based on rituals inspired by a sense of holiness.