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Shabbat Shalom. Our parasha for this week is Tzav, which translates to “Command” and covers Leviticus 6:1-8:36. Parasha Tzav is also the very first parasha I ever gave a commentary for at Shema, almost 16 years ago to the day on March 27, 2010. It was also my very first time preaching.

Continuing from last week, we have the five different types of offerings and the specific procedures for the priests in offering them to the Lord.

The burnt offering is described first. We read how the priests were to remove and dispose of the remains of the offering. We are also instructed that the fire on the altar was never to be extinguished. This fire symbolized our continuous devotion to the commands of Adonai.

The grain offering is described next, and only a small portion of this offering was for the Lord. The rest of this offering was made into unleavened cakes for the priests, and it is emphasized that no leaven was allowed. This is because leaven is often used throughout God’s Word as a symbol for sin. So, this offering’s unleavened nature emphasized its sinlessness and holiness.

We continue with the rules for the sin or purification offering. Anything that touched this offering was considered holy and had to be properly handled afterwards. Clothing had to be washed properly, clay pottery had to be broken, and any bronze vessels used in its preparation must be scoured and rinsed. The idea of kashering, cleaning kitchen items used for cooking kosher meals, comes from this passage.

The guilt or trespass offering, given to make restitution, is described next, and details are given on what types of fat were not to be consumed by the priests. The final offering is the peace or thanksgiving offering. Anyone who wanted to give this sacrifice was to bring cakes of bread, some made with and some without yeast. It is made extremely clear in this passage that anyone who offers or partakes of this offering while in a state of sin and uncleanliness is to be exiled.

In Leviticus 6 and 7, we see the seriousness of offering sacrifices to the Lord. These sacrifices are commanded in careful detail. The Lord rightly demands that we treat Him and His commands with the utmost respect and attention. Disrespecting Adonai by offering sacrifices, according to how we feel, brings great judgment. This will be demonstrated with Aaron’s sons in a few chapters.

Our parashah ends with the actual anointing and installation of Aaron and his sons as priests. Moses led Aaron and his sons forward with the bull for the Sin Offering, Two Rams, and a basket of unleavened bread. In front of the people, Moses washed them with water and dressed Aaron in his priestly garments. Moses then sacrificed the animals in the prescribed manner and anointed the entire tabernacle, the priestly garments, Aaron, and his sons. Aaron and his sons were instructed to stay in the tent of meeting for seven days and consider the seriousness of their priestly calling. After this period of contemplation, their ordination was complete.

Parasha Tzav is rightly named “Command”. It is very clear the seriousness and detail that went into the Lord’s commands for our people.

There is a temptation when read parashas like Tzav, to think to ourselves “so what?” To think that these commands have no relevance for us today, since none of us are part of the Aaronic priesthood operating under the Mosaic Covenant.

But part of our people’s covenant with Adonai was that if we would obey His commandments, we would become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Peter refers to this calling in 1 Peter 2 and calls Messiah’s Community of Jews and Gentiles a royal priesthood and a holy nation as well. So we may not be offering animal sacrifices on an altar, but the principles and lessons of Tzav are eternally relevant.

So, what should we take away from parasha Tzav? I have two thoughts to share this morning.

First, we need to accept that only the Lord, the source of all holiness, can teach us the right way to be holy and experience atonement for our sins. The Mosaic Covenant was not a covenant where we made up our own rules, and the same is true of the New Covenant through Messiah Yeshua.

Despite the popularity of so-called spirituality, we must accept the truth that we are not God. We must come to our Creator on His terms not our own. In the time of the Torah, that was through the sacrificial system based on the Mosaic Covenant. Today it is through the sinless sacrifice of Messiah Yeshua, our Passover Lamb. As we read in Acts 4:12, there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Second, parasha Tzav emphasizes the detail that went into every aspect of the Mosaic Covenant. These details remind us that serving the Lord is not something casual or optional. The Lord demands our full attention, the first and the best of our lives; He cannot be an afterthought or at the bottom of our To-Do list.

Parasha Tzav demands we contemplate our own service to the Lord. To ask hard questions like, “Are giving the Lord our first and best?” “Are we approaching Adonai on His terms or our own?” “Do we still have zeal, passion for the Lord, or is our fire in danger of going out?”

May the Lord enable each of us to rightly understand the answers to these questions in our lives. May He draw us back to Himself if we allow our attention to wander. May the fire of the Lord’s Temple be in our hearts, so that our zeal and our connection to Him are never extinguished, but shine brightly in a world desperate for His light.