Tzav

Ukraine is on re. Images abound of charred homes, broken bridges, people burned by
war. The heart breaks. What will become of all the remnants? Where will the trauma get
lodged? Who will clean up the debris? And how? When the ames subside, what will we
do with the ashes?

During these wrenching mes, let us turn to a story of another ame to see what
becomes of its remains.

Parshat Tzav opens with an arres ng image of an altar ablaze:

֩‫ וַיְַדּבֵ֥ר ה אֶל־מֹׁשֶ֥ה ּלֵאמֹֽר׃ צַ֤ו אֶֽת־אַהֲֹרן֙ וְאֶת־ּבָנָ֣יו לֵאמֹ֔ר זֹ֥את ּתֹוַר֖ת הָעֹלָ֑ה הִ֣וא הָעֹלָ֡ה עַל‬
‫ַ כּל־הַּלַ֙יְלָה֙ עַד־הַּבֶֹ֔קר וְאֵׁ֥ש הַּמִזְּבֵ֖חַ ּתּ֥וַקד ּבֹֽו׃ וְלָבַׁ֨ש הַּכֹהֵ֜ן מִּדֹ֣ו בַ֗ד‬
‫ מֹוְקָד֨הֿ עַל־הַּמִזְּבֵ֤ח ׇ‬
ַ‫ ּומִֽכְנְסֵי־בַד֮ יִלְּבַׁ֣ש עַל־ּבְׂשָרֹו֒ וְהִֵר֣ים אֶת־הַּדֶׁ֗שֶן אֲׁשֶ֨ר ּתֹאכַ֥ל הָאֵׁ֛ש אֶת־הָעֹלָ֖ה עַל־הַּמִזְּבֵ֑ח‬
‫ וְׂשָמֹ֕ו אֵ֖צֶל הַּמִזְּבֵֽחַ׃ ּופָׁשַט֙ אֶת־ּבְגָָד֔יו וְלָבַׁ֖ש ּבְגִָד֣ים אֲחִֵר֑ים וְהֹוצִ֤יא אֶת־הַּדֶׁ֙שֶן֙ אֶל־מִחּ֣וץ‬
‫ לַּֽמַחֲנֶ֔ה אֶל־מָקֹ֖ום טָהֹֽור׃ וְהָאֵׁ֨ש עַל־הַּמִזְּבֵ֤חַ ּתּֽוַקד־ּבֹו֙ ֹל֣א תִכְּבֶ֔ה ּובִעֵ֨ר עָלֶ֧יהָ הַּכֹהֵ֛ן עֵצִ֖ים‬
ַ‫ ּבַּבֶֹ֣קר ּבַּבֶֹ֑קר וְעַָרְ֤ עָלֶ֙יהָ֙ הָֽעֹלָ֔ה וְהְִקטִ֥יר עָלֶ֖יהָ חֶלְבֵ֥י הַׁשְּלָמִֽים׃ אֵׁ֗ש ּתָמִ֛יד ּתּוַק֥ד עַל־הַּמִזְּבֵ֖ח‬
{‫ ֹל֥א תִכְּבֶֽה׃ }ס‬

1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 Command Aaron and his sons, saying,
This is the law of the burnt o ering: That is the burnt o ering which burns on
the altar all night un l morning, and the re of the altar shall burn with it. 3
And the kohen shall don his linen tunic, and he shall don his linen trousers on
his esh. And he shall li out the ashes into which the re has consumed the
burnt o ering upon the altar, and put them down next to the altar. 4 He shall
then take o his garments and put on other garments, and he shall take out the
ashes to a clean place outside the camp. 5 And the re on the altar shall burn
on it; it shall not go out. The kohen shall kindle wood upon it every morning,
and upon it, he shall arrange the burnt o ering and cause the fats of the peace
o erings to [go up in] smoke upon it. 6 A con nuous re shall burn upon the
altar; it shall not go out. (Levi cus 6:1-6)

The korban olah, or burnt o ering, was a sacri ce unique in that it was to be totally
consumed by re; none of it was to be eaten. Every night, throughout the en re night,
an animal would burn down to ashes on the altar, keeping the mishkan aglow

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© Institute for Jewish Spirituality 2021
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 con nuously. Bracke ng what might be our own discomfort with animal sacri ce, and
entering the mindset of the Torah in its own me and place, we can appreciate the
image: Even during the depths of nigh me darkness, there was always a li le
devo onal light ickering, ensuring that that hallowed space never ceased to be a place
of ac ve worship. “‫"אֵׁ֗ש ּתָמִ֛יד ּתּוַק֥ד עַל־הַּמִזְּבֵ֖חַ ֹל֥א תִכְּבֶֽה‬--A re burned incessantly on
the altar, never ex nguishing (Lev 6:6).

This constancy of burning devo on became, for Hasidic masters, an analogy for the
human heart on re with spiritual passion. The Baal Shem Tov himself, and later his
grandson, the Degel Machaneh Ephraim, ar culated this aspira on clearly:

‫ ואש המזבח תוקד בו היינו שיבער בלבו אש התלהבות הנ"ל על המזבח תמיד בכל עת‬
(‫ ד"ה וידבר‬,‫ פרשת צו‬,‫ )דגל מחנה אפרים‬.‫ובכל רגע‬

"And the re of the altar shall burn with it" (Lev. 6:2)--This means that in the
heart of every person a re of enthusiasm should burn. "On the altar
con nuously" (paraphrase of Lev. 6:6)--[means] all the me, at every moment.
(Degel Machaneh Ephraim, Tzav, "And the Lord spoke")

Like the korbanot (sacri ces) on top of the altar constantly a ame, a person should
hunger feverishly, relentlessly for the Divine. Her ardor must never be quelled and must
never be quieted.

Yet, despite this high-pitch presenta on of the ideal spiritual life, the Torah's descrip on
is far more complex. The great image of the altar on re is actually tempered by a strong
focus on the embers it generated. The ac on of interest is not only on top of the
mizbeach (altar), but also "etzel ha-mizbeach," beside it (Lev. 6:3). Our por on instructs
the kohen (priest) every single morning, rst thing in the morning, to move the scorched
ashes of those burned up animals to the side of the altar--gently, carefully, ritually. The
remnants of the overnight res on the holy altar had to be retained right next to the
altar. And there they would remain un l they built up overwhelmingly, at which point
the priest would move them to a pure place ("makom tahor") outside of the camp. This
repe ve, ritualized act, known as terumat ha-deshen, would be a central priestly
responsibility, one that anchored the priest's daily prac ce. Shoveling that grit from the
altar to the side of the altar was his rst act of service as he began each day of devo on.

The precise a en on paid to these ashes, and their conscious reten on, is striking. Why
hold on so tenaciously to these remains? The Sefat Emet, in the tradi on of the Hasidic
thinkers already men oned, sees in this willful juxtaposi on of re and ashes, an insight
into the nature of spiritual passion. He writes:

. . ‫ ידוע מדברי קדשו של הבעש"ט כי צריך להיות תמיד נקודה התלהבות בלב איש ישראל‬
‫ המזבח רמז על הלב… וכשהתלהבות הוא כראוי ממילא מחשבה רעה העולה על הלב‬.
‫ וע"י שנשרפת מחשבה זרה בהבל הלב בא‬.'‫ נשרפת בהבל הלב כהמס דונג מפני אש כו‬

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 ‫ פרשת‬,‫ ויקרא‬,‫ )שפת אמת‬.'‫ וז"ש על מוקדה כל הלילה כו' אח"כ וביער כו‬.‫ אח"כ אור חדש‬
(‫ תר"מ‬,‫צו‬

It is known from the holy wri ngs of the Baal Shem Tov that there must be a
point of passion in the heart of the Jewish person. . . the altar [of our verses]
signals to the [dynamics of] the heart. . . When enthusiasm is as it should be,
bad thoughts that arise in the heart naturally burn up "as wax melts before a
re" (Ps. 68:3). And through this burning of alien thoughts in the heart, a new
light emerges. This is why the verses [reference night before day]--"That is the
burnt o ering which burns on the altar all night" (Lev. 6:2) and then "The priest
shall kindle wood upon it every morning" (Lev. 6:5). (Sefat Emet, Levi cus, Tzav,
1880)ֿ

In other words, the re that burns inside of a person alive with religious fervor has a
tremendous capacity to consume "alien thoughts"--perhaps doubts or fears or regrets
that get in the way of piety. Ecsta c passion can quiet voices of uncertainty; compensate
for inklings of indecision; quash in ma ons of tempta on. In so doing, it can overcome
darkness and yield radiant light.

And yet, as our verses indicate, and as the Sefat Emet ampli es in another essay, our
mizbeach model does not actually ask us to rid ourselves completely of darkness.

‫ להראות כי נמצא למחשבה זרה ג"כ מקום אחר השריפה שנעשית‬.‫ ושמו אצל המזבח‬
(‫ תרמ"ב‬,‫ פרשת צו‬,‫ ויקרא‬,‫ )שפת אמת‬:‫אפר כנ"ל‬

"Put [the ashes] down next to the altar" (Lev. 6:3) to show that alien thoughts
also have a place a er the burning, a er they've been reduced to dust. (Sefat
Emet, Levi c:us, Tzav, 1882)

The pious act of terumat ha-deshen, of shoveling the detritus of ery consump on from
the center of the altar to its side, reminds us that the light does not, and need not, make
darkness disappear. It merely moves it from center stage to a more peripheral place, and
then honors it there. The altar juxtaposes re and ashes because our hearts too must
learn to contain and retain light and darkness. Not to ignore, throw away, or deny those
parts of ourselves that threaten passion, but to give them their place. If we can cul vate
an excitement that acknowledges boredom; a commitment that allows for aliena on; an
enthusiasm that makes space for malaise, we just might nd a more sustainable, more
integrated way to keep our res burning tamid, con nuously.

The Maggid of Mezerich was once asked how one can sustain passion for God. He
responded:

(‫ ד"ה וידבר‬,‫ פרשת צו‬,‫ )דגל מחנה אפרים‬.‫מי שצריך לאש מחפש באפר‬

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 "He who needs re should look in the ashes." (Cited in Degel Machane
Ephraim, Tzav, "And the Lord spoke")

In the embers of our burned out hearts lie the sparks to light our ames anew. So keep
them close, etzel ha-mizbeach.

Bifnim
1. “How do I respond to nega ve thoughts or emo ons?” is a ques on many of us
confront on a regular basis. In your own words, how would you paraphrase the
Sefat Emet’s answer? Do you nd his answer helpful? Why/why not?
2. In your own experience, when, if ever, do you experience the re of seeking or
clinging to the Divine? When, if ever, is it harder to cul vate that re? What do
you sense contributes to your ability to nurture the spark within?
3. Do you have a regular prac ce of terumat hadeshen, clearing away the ashes? If
so, what does it involve? If not, what do you imagine such a prac ce might look
like for you?
4. What might it mean for you to retain ashes “etzel ha-mizbeach,” not in the
center of your consciousness, but to the periphery?

Avodah-Prac ce–Rabbi Myriam Klotz

This week’s teaching invites us to prac ce cul va ng devo onal feeling, the warmth of a
loving heart centered in wisdom and love. At the same me, our teaching instructs us to
sustain mindful awareness of all that arises in the process that might be seen as an
impediment to our capacity to sustain the res of loving devo on. A natural tendency
might be to either seek to empty ourselves of thoughts, feelings or sensa ons that
distract, irritate, or otherwise impede our focus the ame of devo onal love in our
hearts, or, to place those impediments at the center and focus on them so much that we
feel “burnt out”, the ame ex nguished.

But our prac ce instruc on this week is to work with another response to those
thoughts, sensa ons or feelings that arise. We can no ce them, and choose to place
them at the periphery of our awareness, re-centering our focus on the altar of the
heart. As we neither repress nor indulge the di cult s mula on, we place our focus
not on that but on the warm ames of love at our heart center.

This week we’ll prac ce once in the morning and once in the evening, for 15 minutes.
As you open and close your day with this mindful devo on prac ce this week, imagine
that you are tending a sacred altar that is your heart’s spiritual devo on.

The prac ce: As you sit, allow yourself to breathe and se le into your seat. Close your
eyes if you are comfortable. Bring your a en on to your physical heart, just le of
center in your chest. As you breathe, no ce the rise and fall of the chest.

Imagine a re burning in your heart. See its orange, red, white colors. Feel its heat. Let
its warmth spread through your torso, your arms, your legs and up to your head. This

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 re represents all the love and passion you feel for God’s presence, or for wisdom, or
Love.
Allow your en re being to gaze upon these ames, and simply rest in this awareness.
Create space for any prayers to arise into your awareness as you come close to your
spiritual heart, and to your rela onship to the Mystery. Allow yourself to be bathed in
this Loving Presence; send this Loving warmth to other beings. Let your presence with
Presence simply be. Awareness aware of itself.

When —not if—you no ce a harsh, judgmental, irrita ng or unloving thought arise,

prac ce rst of all no cing it. Can you sustain focus on the image of res upon the altar
of your heart? On the energy of loving devo on? Or, does your a en on turn away
from your inten on and do you “look at” the intruding s mula on, lose focus on your
heart as you begin conversa on with that impeding s mulus? Or do you try to pretend
it’s not there, and perhaps a empt to push it down, as if denying its presence en rely?

See if you can acknowledge whatever it is that arises as you focus on the Love that
ames from the depths of your heart. If a harsh thought arises, prac ce acknowledging
it to yourself: “Oh-there is a voice of harsh cynicism arising. I see you, cynicism.” “Ah, I
feel fear arising and I see a fearful thought too. I see you, fear.” And with your next
breath, return your a en on to the devo onal prac ce of centering your awareness on
your heart. If in the next moment you no ce a feeling, for example, of being “burnt out”
—perhaps numbness, perhaps fa gue, perhaps coldness or a refrain of “I just don’t
care” (these are but place holders for what might arise for you)—prac ce no cing them,
no ma er how uncomfortable it might feel to do so. Turn to look at it, acknowledge it
rather than denying it. Then, from love, imagine placing this feeling to the side as you
return your a en on to the wise, loving heart that beats within. You don’t have to make
anything happen. Your presence, with the focal point of bearing witness to these res
on the altar of your heart, is the devo onal “o ering”. Again, if words or gestures of
prayer arise within you, allow them to be expressed and sustain a en on a er they
have passed.

As you conclude your prac ce, you might o er a prayer for peace in your heart, peace
for this world and for all who inhabit it. Shalom, peace, that holds all within it—fear,
hatred and the Love, Wisdom underlying all else —from periphery to center, and back
out again.

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© Institute for Jewish Spirituality 2021
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