d’var torah
Humility a Component in
Serving God
Rabbi Claire Green
T Parshat Tzav
orah text is inscribed upon the
skin of a once-living creature.
Such a creature was once
asked to speak to God for us. Now it
carries God’s message to us.
Tzav is the second portion of the
Book of Leviticus, the book of the laws
of the priests, the kohanim. The tone is
that of a policy and procedure manual.
Not every Israelite had to understand
the minutiae. They just had to present
their appropriate beast since all catego-
ries of meaning — life and death, good
and evil, sacred and profane — were
mediated by this system of sacrifi ce
40 MARCH 30, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT
managed by the sons of Aaron. The
priests were specialists in this techni-
cal language of ritual, and this distinc-
tion from the other tribes of Israel was
an aspect of their holiness.
Oddly, the fi rst regulation of Tzav
concerns the end of the process. Each
morning the priest performs what the
Talmud calls the mitzvah of terumat
hadeshen, “lifting [and removing] the
ashes [of the daily whole burnt sacrifi -
cial off erings]” that burned on the altar
for the night.
What is more surprising is that
the priest has to clear away the
ashes himself. This nasty chore is not
relegated to the Tabernacle’s servant
class, the priests’ cousins, the Levites.
The priest must change out of the
splendid vestments, put on work
clothes and dispose of the ashes
personally. Lest the exalted priest get too big
for his linen britches, he must do dirty
labor. He should walk among the
people he serves and know something
of the life of those for whom he minis-
ters as he carries the ashes. He should
be reminded that his function, even
when robed in precious fabrics, is a
dual: serving God, serving Israel. And
the people, who see him at his task,
realize that the priest is like them, a
laborer on God’s earth, a person.
This reminds me of a scene from
the 1968 fi lm, “The Shoes of The
Fisherman.” Anthony Quinn’s charac-
ter, the newly elected pope, fi nds
himself overwhelmed by the trappings
of the papacy. He takes off his regal
papal vestments, sneaks out into
the night dressed as a simple priest
and, incognito, comes into touch with
suff ering souls. He meets them where
they are; he ministers to them.
The Torah lesson for priest and
people: Humility is a component of the
service of God. The priest is humble.
He does not think less of himself;
he thinks of himself less when he is
present to his people.
“The fi re on the altar shall be kept
burning, not to go out” (Lev. 6:5). The
priest’s job is not just to take away
what has been used up, but to improve
what has been left [by adding more
wood]. Humbling himself, he causes a
brighter fl ame upon the altar, refl ect-
ing the fervor of the people. Humility
extinguishes the negative in ourselves.
And what of us without the sacri-
fi cial cult? We have been awarded
by the ancient rabbis with that most
daunting gift: We are both priest and
people, responsible for our own spiri-
tual welfare. How empowering, and
how humbling!
How do we adorn ourselves and
our projects? How do we navigate
between humility and haughtiness,
elegance and extremism, commitment
and tired repetition, commandment
and contrivance? How do we keep in
touch with that spark of inspiration that
keeps us true and focused?
Whose responsibility is it to
maintain devotion and kindle sparks of
understanding? Today we rely on ourselves and each
other. What messages and images
keep the fi re going after the destruc-
tion of the Temple’s sacrifi cial cult? We
can be inspired by an image of ancient
devotion even if the people in the
image do not look like us. The creative
genius of rabbinic Judaism replaced
the message and messenger of the
sacrifi cial cult with the formula of study,
prayer and loving acts.
For us, the drudgery of the priest-
hood has some ironic resonance; the
glorious aspects are more remote. We
prize those moments in life when the
occasion, the place, the company, the
ritual evoke the sublime, the heightened
moment. But we had better not count
on these fl eeting moments for our spiri-
tual sustenance. Not every day is Yom
Kippur; not every occasion is b.mitzvah
or confi rmation, wedding or ordination.
We must see the potential for
holiness in the most mundane activi-
ties. Mostly, we fi nd ourselves taking
out the trash. Well, that too is holy. ■
Rabbi Claire Magidovitch Green,
who is the daughter and sister of
rabbis, never wanted UAHC Torah
Corps summer camp to end, study-
ing Torah and living with HUC-JIR
professors. The Board of Rabbis
of Greater Philadelphia is proud to
provide diverse perspectives on Torah
commentary for the Jewish Exponent.
The opinions expressed in this column
are the author’s own and do not
necessarily refl ect the view of the
Board of Rabbis.
calendar
MARCH 31–APRIL 6
FRIDAY, M A R C H 3 1
MONDAY, APRIL 3
Our hearts are heavy for people around
the world who have had their lives
uprooted by humanitarian, climate
and community crises. During March,
Night Kitchen Bakery will bake its
hamantaschen (chocolate, cherry,
poppy seed and prune). Ten percent of
sales will be donated to World Central
Kitchen. 7723-25 Germantown Ave.,
Philadelphia. Melrose B’nai Israel Emanu-El
Sisterhood invites the community to
join our weekly mahjong game at 7
p.m. Cost is $36 per year or free with
MBIEE Sisterhood membership. For
more information, call 215-635-1505
or email office@mbiee.org.
8339 Old York Road, Elkins Park.
PARSHA FOR LIFE
Join Rabbi Alexander Coleman, a Jewish
educator and psychotherapist at the
Institute for Jewish Ethics, at 9 a.m. for a
journey through the Torah portion of the
week with eternal lessons on personal
growth and spirituality. Go to ijethics.
org/weekly-torah-portion.html to
receive the Zoom link and password.
MUSICAL KABBALAT SHABBAT
Join Beth Sholom Congregation’s
Rabbi David Glanzberg-Krainin, Cantor
Jacob Agar and the band at 6 p.m.
for a musical Kabbalat Shabbat. The
community is welcome to attend.
Call 215-887-1342 for information.
8231 Old York Road, Elkins Park.
PJFM LINDY SPRINGFEST
Lindy SpringFest by Philadelphia Jewish
Film and Media returns for a weeklong
festival highlighting Jewish stories
from around the world. From March
25-April 1, the festival will showcase
films old and new, each with a unique
twist to bring memorable experiences
to the audience. For more information,
contact 215-545-4400 or
info@phillypjfm.org. S UNDAY, A P R I L 2
BEING JEWISH
Join Radical Aliveness Philadelphia at 5
p.m. for a Zoom discussion of how the way
we identify with being Jewish lives in our
mind, body and spirit. Using the principles
of Radical Aliveness and tools of Core
Energetics, we will explore the Jewish
identity and experience from multiple
perspectives. For more information,
contact jonathancgodfrey@gmail.com
or 323-309-8200.
MAHJONG GAME
BOOK CLUB
The Book Club of Congregations of
Shaare Shamayim will host its April
Zoom session at 7 p.m. Our book this
month is “The Masterpiece” by Fiona
Davis. For further information, or to
register for the book club program,
contact Lynn Ratmansky at the
synagogue office at 215-677-1600.
9768 Verree Road, Philadelphia.
WEDNE SDAY, AP RIL 5
COMMUNITY SEDER
Join Chabad Penn Wynne for an
inspiring community Passover
seder at 7:45 p.m. The only time
you will ever have to lift a finger
will be to raise your glass. All are
welcome. For more information and
reservations, contact 610-529-9011
or moshe@chabadpennwynne.org
or visitchabadpennwynne.org/seder.
7571 Haverford Ave., Philadelphia.
THUR SDAY, APRIL 6
CANASTA GAME
Ohev Shalom of Bucks County
Sisterhood invites the community to
a weekly canasta game from 1-3 p.m.
Open play is $4. Call 215-968-6755 for
more information. 944 Second Street
Pike, Richboro.
BETH AMI SEDER
Bring your friends and family to Temple
Beth Ami’s Passover seder at 7 p.m.
Join us for the second night of Passover
to share in a traditional kosher dinner.
If you have any questions or want
additional information, call
215-673-2511 or email
templebethami2@gmail.com. 9201 Old Bustleton Ave.,
Philadelphia. ■
COMMUNITY SEDER
ungvar/ AdobeStock
HAMANTASCHEN FOR HUMANITY
WEDN E S DAY, APRIL 6
Attend a community second night of Passover seder at Reform Congregation
Keneseth Israel led by Rabbi Benjamin David and Cantor Amy Levy with Rabbi
Leah Berkowitz and cantorial soloist Rebecca Schwartz from Congregation
Kol Ami. The seder starts at 6 p.m. Register at rcki.shulcloud.com/form/
seder23. 8339 Old York Road, Elkins Park.
social announcements
BIRTH CHLOE SAYER KIEFFER
Chloe Sayer Kieff er was born on Feb. 1 to Alexandra
(Ali) Sayer and Robert Kieff er.
She is the granddaughter of Doug Sayer, Honey
Bass, Pam and Bob Kieff er, and the niece of Bari
Grabowsky, Ricky Sayer, Lindsay Sayer and Crista
Kieff er.
Chloe’s fi rst name is in loving memory of her
great-grandfather, Coleman Sayer, and her Hebrew
name, Miriam, is in loving memory of her great-grand-
mother, Miriam Trachtenberg.
Courtesy of the Kieff er family
WEDDING BORNSTEIN-SKOP
Sharon and Jay Bornstein of Dresher announce the
marriage of their daughter, Lisa Holly Bornstein, to
Dr. Nolan Brett Skop, son of Deborah and Ronald
Skop of Succasunna, New Jersey.
The ceremony and reception took place at The
Logan Hotel on Nov. 12, 2022.
Jordan Bornstein and Brandon Skop served as
best men. Completing the wedding party were
Thelma Krefetz, grandmother of the bride, and Darcy
and Dawn Skop, sister and sister-in-law of the groom.
Lisa and Nolan reside in New York City.
Photo by Zach Blum of Asya Photography
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 41