T orah P ortion
Enthusiasm Makes All the Difference
Parshat Tzav
BY RABBI ELIEZER HIRSCH
PARSHAT TZAV is unique
on our calendar, because of
its proximity to both Purim
and Passover. In most years, it
falls on Shabbat HaGadol (the
Shabbat preceding Passover)
and, in a leap year like this
one, it falls immediately before
or immediately after Purim.

The Talmud explains that
during a leap year, Purim is
observed in the second Adar
instead of the first one so that
it will be closer to Passover
and, thereby, connect these
two holidays of “redemption.”
Tzav, which is uniquely linked
to both Purim and Passover, is
a fitting source to help us learn
how the holidays are connected.

The title of last week’s par-
sha, which begins a new book
of the same name, is Vayikra,
which means “[God] called.”
According to Rashi, this title
connotes warmth and close-
ness. Perhaps his interpreta-
tion is based on that parsha’s
description of sacrifices in the
tabernacle; as the Zohar notes,
the Hebrew name for sacrifice
Barrack Continued from Page 8
the tuition remission bene-
fit and retirement contribu-
tions will stay the same, and
that health care benefits will
remain equal to or better than
those at similar schools.

Representatives of teachers
union do not find the expla-
nation reassuring, said Minna
Ziskind, union co-president.

She said the information in
this email blast was not new
to the teachers, although it did
provide more details.

The teachers had received
a letter about the aforemen-
tioned raises, Ziskind said, but
it came with qualifications.

“We understand about
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM (korban) implies that animal
sacrifice is a vehicle through
which one can develop close-
ness (hitkarvut) to God.

At first glance, Parshat
Tzav (meaning “command”),
with its harsh name and crude
descriptions of these same sac-
rifices, appears to be the other
side of the coin — a harsh view
of this world, characterized
by fire, blood and death. In
that sense, Tzav is a reminder
that we must acknowledge the
painful and complicated real-
ity of this world.

But the two worldviews of
Vayikra and Tzav are not sim-
ply two sides of the same coin in
God’s universe; they are actu-
ally intertwined. Consider the
alternative meaning of the word
Tzav, which, according to Sifra,
is zerizut — enthusiasm and
excitement. The Talmud char-
acterizes Kohanim, the primary
characters in Tzav, as zerizim —
enthusiastic individuals.

If we see our world for what it
is, we may come to understand
that enthusiasm and harshness
are closely connected. We need
enthusiasm to deal with this dif-
ficult world, but in the process
of meeting its harsh challenges
and obstacles, we each develop
an identity and discover our
unique life’s purpose.

In the story of Purim,
Esther initially expresses her
fearful reluctance to approach
King Achashveirosh in order
to save the Jews. Mordechai’s
response is one of the most
startling verses in the entire
Torah: “We’ll find salvation
elsewhere, while you and your
father’s house will be lost.”
In other words, “We don’t
need you to save the Jews;
they will be saved one way or
another. The only question is
whether you will play a part in
that inevitable event.”
Esther was inspired to act
with enthusiasm instead of
fear, because she fully grasped
Mordechai’s point: It was not
up to her whether the Jews
would be saved, but she could
determine how the story would
unfold. In place of merely sur-
viving because Haman was
killed, we now have the beau-
tiful history and holiday of
Purim, all because of Esther.

Purim is adjacent to Passover on
the calendar because Mordechai’s
message to Esther holds a deep
insight about the Passover miracle
changing school environments
and wanting to have nimble
responses and a unified faculty
and all those other aspirations
that were mentioned in the let-
ter,” Ziskind said. “We think
that all of those things are pos-
sible, in fact, even more possi-
ble with a strong, committed,
stable faculty and with a col-
lective bargaining agreement.

Over 40 years, the school has
managed to adapt within hav-
ing a union structure. We can
continue to do that.”
Moving forward, Gordon
said in the email, the board
wants to ensure that teachers
maintain the ability to pro-
vide students with individu-
alized attention, position the
school to continue attracting
and retaining quality teachers,
maintain transparency and
parity with salaries and bene-
fits, and provide teachers with
the ability to give input.

Gordon concluded by saying
there would be a meeting for
faculty, senior academic admin-
istrators and board members
on March 18. More than two-
thirds of the board would be
present at this meeting, at the
request of the faculty.

The closed meeting took
place that evening at 7:30 p.m.,
while outside the school, more
than a dozen alumni and fam-
ily members showed up, many
bearing signs, to support the
teachers. Some of them wore
red, which teachers have also
been wearing on Fridays at
the school in support of the
union and as a nod to the Red
JEWISH EXPONENT
CAND LE LI GHT I NG
Mar. 22
Mar. 29
of freedom. If we read
the story of Exodus closely, we
find that Moses and the Jews were
initially desperate to find a path to
liberation from Egyptian bond-
age. But as time went on, they
realized that their freedom was
preordained, even if they knew
not when or how it would unfold.

As the Talmud teaches, God
determines the solution to a
problem before the problem
even exists. Once they became
confident that redemption was
inevitable, they could act with
such determination and alac-
rity that their bread had no
time to rise and thus became
matzah — the bread of libera-
tion. Even with their liberation
predetermined, the Jews had
a vital role to play. We, too,
with our unique capabilities,
can inspire ourselves and oth-
ers to make a significant dif-
ference in our individual lives
and ultimately, in our national
redemption. This could be why the
Talmud notes the similar spell-
ing of the words mitzvot and
matzot and tells us that the
mitzvah to guard the (shmura)
matzah, to ensure that it’s
baked quickly, is a lesson that
6:57 p.m.

7:04 p.m.

we should act passionately to
fulfill all mitzvot. In other
words, genuine mitzvot entail
much more than merely fol-
lowing commands by rote. A
true mitzvah is carried out with
genuine engagement, which is
also a vital factor in all our
meaningful endeavors.

That message brings us back
to this week’s parsha title, Tzav,
which is the root of both mitzvot
and matzot, making this par-
sha the perfect bridge to con-
nect Purim and Passover. Tzav
inspires us to face all the chal-
lenges that life throws our way,
not with despair or bitterness,
but with enthusiasm and energy,
rooted in our conviction that
each of us can make all the dif-
ference in the world. l
Rabbi Eliezer Hirsch is the founding
rabbi of Mekor Habracha/Center
City Synagogue in Philadelphia.

The Board of Rabbis of Greater
Philadelphia is proud to provide the
Torah commentary for the Jewish
Exponent. Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy
Google Maps screenshot
for Ed movement, a grassroots
campaign that has galvanized
teacher activism across the
country in states like West
Virginia, Kentucky, Colorado
and Arizona.

In a separate email to the Jewish
Exponent, Gordon explained why
the board sent the email blast.

“We sent the communica-
tion to parents and alumni ...

because we had not updated the
Barrack community since the
initial Joint Statement, and we
thought it made sense to do so
and to reiterate our desire and
intention to work jointly with
the teachers on a transition,”
Gordon said. l
szighelboim@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0729
MARCH 21, 2019
25