Tetzaveh תְּצַוֶּה - You Shall Command
Torah Portion: Exodus:27:20-30:10
Exodus 29:1–18
29:1 “This is the thing that you shall do to them to make them holy, to minister to me in the priest’s office: take one young bull and two rams without defect, 2 unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil. You shall make them of fine wheat flour. 3 You shall put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bull and the two rams. 4 You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall wash them with water. 5 You shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastplate, and clothe him with the skillfully woven band of the ephod. 6 You shall set the turban on his head, and put the holy crown on the turban. 7 Then you shall take the anointing oil, and pour it on his head, and anoint him. 8 You shall bring his sons, and put tunics on them. 9 You shall clothe them with belts, Aaron and his sons, and bind headbands on them. They shall have the priesthood by a perpetual statute. You shall consecrate Aaron and his sons.
10 “You shall bring the bull before the Tent of Meeting; and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull. 11 You shall kill the bull before Hashem at the door of the Tent of Meeting. 12 You shall take of the blood of the bull, and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; and you shall pour out all the blood at the base of the altar. 13 You shall take all the fat that covers the innards, the cover of the liver, the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar. 14 But the meat of the bull, and its skin, and its dung, you shall burn with fire outside of the camp. It is a sin offering.
15 “You shall also take the one ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram. 16 You shall kill the ram, and you shall take its blood, and sprinkle it around on the altar. 17 You shall cut the ram into its pieces, and wash its innards, and its legs, and put them with its pieces, and with its head. 18 You shall burn the whole ram on the altar: it is a burnt offering to Hashem; it is a pleasant aroma, an offering made by fire to Hashem.
Today’s Meditation:
In verse 11, Elohim says, “Kill the bull before Hashem.” You may visualize that they are just taking offerings to the altar and killing them. But, honestly, they are doing it all before Hashem. It’s like He watches the whole thing and is very pleased. If you think about it, most everything we do is right “before Hashem”. In a way that can be scary. Do we do things that are pleasing to Hashem? Or are we doing questionable things that we are not proud to do in front of Hashem? Give this some thought. Really, everything we do is before Hashem. It’s time to correct our lives if we are not doing good for Him.
Today’s Challenge:
When Aaron and his sons approach Hashem in the Tabernacle, they are first washed with water. Then they each put on special garments and ornaments. They wear headbands and belts. They are preparing to enter the Tabernacle. It is essential to be dressed in a special way. Can you imagine entering Hashem's presence and preparing yourself? Putting on special clothes and extras? It would undoubtedly be an exciting time.
That’s what we should think about every day. We are in the presence of Hashem when we pray. Are we ready to do so? Are we clothed in a special way—maybe spiritually and mentally? We need to be prepared to approach Hashem with pure and sincere thoughts. We need to wear special attire and be ready to approach Him in prayer. Let’s try to do that today for Him.
