FRANCE STREET TORAH STUDY
SATURDAY, 3/19/11, 10 am-noonish
Torah Portion: Tzav (Leviticus 6:1-8:36)
Haftarah: Jeremiah 7:21-8:3; 9:22-23
Neal & Ann’s House
(707.933.9430 for directions)
“Tzav” means “command.” It’s the same root as “mitzvah” which, though sometimes translated as “connection” or “good deed,” carries the contextual connotation of “sacred obligation.” (These aren’t necessarily exclusive meanings.)
Of course, “obligation” implies “breach.” Most of Judaism’s breaches are classed as mistakes — error — mark-missing. But mistakes are not necessarily a bad thing, according to Reb Patrick from the “jungerfrummen” website PunkTorah (http://punktorah.org/):
“…Let us take a moment and consider where where we may have missed the mark. What have we done, not in the past year, not in the past month, not even in the past week, but today! Where have we missed the mark today? Were we angry with a loved one? Did we curse at another driver on the road? Did we ignore the needs of those suffering around us? Did we act in frustration or deceit?
“Think about these things and realize that in our mistakes is the power to repair. Through these mistakes lie the power to not only repair what we have broken, but to help repair others as well.
“Hashem has given us a gift, not of being able to miss the mark, but of being able to realize where we have missed, step back up to the line, and aim again. And in this time, I pray we all hit the bullseye.”
(Read more: Parshah Tzav)
From his mouth to G?d’s ears.
Shabbat shalom,
Neal.