Tetzaveh תְּצַוֶּה - You Shall Command
Exodus: 27:20-30:10
Reading #5 - Exodus 29:19–37
My Thoughts:
Hashem is getting His priests ready for the Tabernacle. It is important to anoint the ears (so they may hear clearly), the thumb (so that their actions will be good) and the foot (to anoint the path of wherever they go). Everything Hashem does is intentional and not random. Sacrifices and clothing are so important in getting ready for service to Hashem. That is why all these instructions are given so that this very special place has people who are prepared in special ways to go before Hashem. It is a very privileged time to be in the Tabernacle. And as we will see soon, if the priests are not following instructions they will not be allowed to enter. Same for our lives. If we are not following His instructions (Laws) we will not be able to “enter” into eternal life.
Challenge:
They spend seven days atoning the altar and getting it ready (verse 37). They are preparing the altar and making it holy for sacrifice. I think about us praying as a sacrifice and the space we pray in. Is it “holy” space? In other words, is it set apart and special for your prayer time? I have a place in my living room that I like to pray in every morning. I put some pictures of Israel and the Temple. That kind of makes it a special place. Maybe you could think of a way to make your prayer space a special place. Add a picture, candle, worship music or anything that you have to make it special. We don’t have the Temple right now, but we can still have a special place to “meet” with Hashem. Try it, you will really love being in your prayer time!
Reading #5 - Exodus 29:19–37
29:19 “You shall take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram. 20 Then you shall kill the ram, and take some of its blood, and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and on the tip of the right ear of his sons, and on the thumb of their right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot; and sprinkle the blood around on the altar. 21 You shall take of the blood that is on the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron, and on his garments, and on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be made holy, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him. 22 Also you shall take some of the ram’s fat, the fat tail, the fat that covers the innards, the cover of the liver, the two kidneys, the fat that is on them, and the right thigh (for it is a ram of consecration), 23 and one loaf of bread, one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer out of the basket of unleavened bread that is before Hashem. 24 You shall put all of this in Aaron’s hands, and in his sons’ hands, and shall wave them for a wave offering before Hashem. 25 You shall take them from their hands, and burn them on the altar on the burnt offering, for a pleasant aroma before Hashem: it is an offering made by fire to Hashem.
26 “You shall take the breast of Aaron’s ram of consecration, and wave it for a wave offering before Hashem. It shall be your portion. 27 You shall sanctify the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the wave offering, which is waved, and which is raised up, of the ram of consecration, even of that which is for Aaron, and of that which is for his sons. 28 It shall be for Aaron and his sons as their portion forever from the children of Israel; for it is a wave offering. It shall be a wave offering from the children of Israel of the sacrifices of their peace offerings, even their wave offering to Hashem.
29 “The holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him, to be anointed in them, and to be consecrated in them. 30 Seven days shall the son who is priest in his place put them on, when he comes into the Tent of Meeting to minister in the holy place.
31 “You shall take the ram of consecration and boil its meat in a holy place. 32 Aaron and his sons shall eat the meat of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, at the door of the Tent of Meeting. 33 They shall eat those things with which atonement was made, to consecrate and sanctify them; but a stranger shall not eat of it, because they are holy. 34 If anything of the meat of the consecration, or of the bread, remains to the morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire. It shall not be eaten, because it is holy.
35 “You shall do so to Aaron and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded you. You shall consecrate them seven days. 36 Every day you shall offer the bull of sin offering for atonement. You shall cleanse the altar when you make atonement for it. You shall anoint it, to sanctify it. 37 Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and the altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar shall be holy.
