Lev. 6:1-8:36
Précis: The parasha begins with Adonai ordering Moses to command (“tzav”) Aaron and his sons concerning 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 offerings of the Tabernacle made by Aaron and his sons following their consecration to priestly service by Moses.
Lev. 6:1-8:36
Précis: The parasha begins with Adonai ordering Moses to command (“tzav”) Aaron and his sons concerning 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 offerings of the Tabernacle made by Aaron and his sons following their consecration to priestly service by Moses.
Lev. 6:6 “A perpetual fire shall be kept burning on the altar, not to go out.”
What is the symbolic meaning of the perpetual fire? Some Sages suggest it is a symbol of our perpetual devotion to God. In the modern idiom, “keep the fires burning’” (trivia: title of an REO Speedwagon song from the 80’s) was a plea for continuing to “help one another keep strong.”
These last weeks, we have seen unprecedented demonstrations by a broad range of Israelis protesting PM Netanyahu’s efforts to reduce the power of the Supreme Court, making Israel's governing structure much more like the totalitarian regimes of Turkey or Hungary. After he fired his defense minister for stating that the protests were endangering Israeli security (because they included threats by IDF personnel to refuse to serve if the proposal continues), the protests intensified. Netanyahu has said he will “table” the idea and seek a “compromise.” Meanwhile, there is talk of civil war in the Jewish State.
Bret Stephens reported in the New York Times on 3/29/23 that Israeli writer Amotz Asa-El of the Shalom Hartman Institute pointed out that ancient Israel endured 12 civil wars, beginning with the war between the tribe of Benjamin and the rest of Israel (Judges 19-21) and ending with the fighting among the Jewish militias in Jerusalem during the revolt against the Romans. “That’s an average of roughly one war every four generations,” he said.
Israel is celebrating its 75th Anniversary this year as an independent Jewish State. Will our ancient history repeat itself?
We in the galut must “keep the fires burning” to help our Israeli brothers and sisters remain strong and free. American support of Israel over the past decades has been based on our “shared values,” including justice, equality, and democratic rule. Netanyahu’s proposals threaten the continuity of these “shared values” and thus undermine the relationship between the United States and Israel and the security of Israel, while simultaneously increasing the divisions within Israeli society.
A perpetual fire shall be kept burning as a reminder that we must keep each other strong.
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