A Thought on Parshas Tzav

"...tzav es Aharon v'es banav..." "...command Aharon and his sons..." (6:2) This week, the Gan again takes a more midrashic approach in understanding our verse. He focuses on how the Torah here states that HaShem's commandment regarding the parsha's sacrificial rites was directed to Aharon, and his sons. In so many verses, the instruction goes to "the sons of Aharon" or at times simply to "the Kohanim." Our verse focuses directly on Aharon, the father, and then on his sons, and the Gan notes this. What is the message of our verse, with its altered focus? The Gan finds a midrash: Moshe declared before HaShem: Ribbono shel Olam, Master of the Universe, is the well despised but its waters are valued? You address the sons of Aharon yet never address Aharon himself! How can it be that You choose the waters of the well - the sons of Aharon - yet you overlook the great well itself - Aharon their patriarch? Do You mean to reject Aharon as if he is devalued? In the midrash, Moshe continues. "You have shown honor to the trees, as we have been taught that all types of trees can be used for the fire on the altar, except for olive wood and grapevine wood". Now, on that part of the midrash, the Gan needs to offer an explanation to make clear Moshe's point. He observes that there must be a reason that the wood from olive trees and grapevines is not used on the altar. There is no indication in the Torah that such wood is invalid on the altar. The Torah commands only that we have "atzei ma'aracha" but does not write conditions or limits as to the types of wood to be used. We would assume from this that when the Torah instructs us to use wood for the fire altar that this includes olive and grape wood too. All wood types, then, are given equal "honor" by the Torah's use of the generic term. Our Sages have taught, however, that all wood is valid except for those two types because there is a special role that olive trees and grapevines serve! Olive trees yield the oil which is used in many Temple rituals. Grapevines yield wine which has widespread ritual usage. Therefore, it is precisely because the products of those trees is so valued, that we are not allowed to burn their wood. Olive and grape wood is given great honor because of the products they produce, and rather than viewing them as unfit for the altar, they are actually too precious to be burned on the altar! Nonetheless, the Torah does not state that they are excluded from the category of "firewood", thereby giving them honor because they are the "parents" of a precious product. This gets them "included" in the verse, so to speak, because they should not be dishonored in any way. The bottom line, explains the Gan, is that when the Torah speaks about the wood of the altar fire, it explicitly does NOT exclude i.e. reject or despise, the olive wood and grapevine wood. That wood is not shamed or singled out by the verse because in fact it has an importance of its own, which is a higher purpose than that of being used for fire. It is a source for the oil which goes into the mincha offerings and a source of the wine which is in the nesachim offerings. Those offerings have an even greater value than the firewood used in incinerating them. Therefore, argued Moshe, Aharon needs to be mentioned, if not for his own sake but in the merit of his having been the "well" or source which produced the Kohanim! Why is his name omitted from the verses in VaYikra? He should be comparable to the olive wood and to the grape wood which is not dishonored by the Torah. The midrash goes on to say that HaShem told Moshe that his logic was accurate, and for this reason, in our verse, the commandment is given to Aharon, and then to his sons. Although the service in the Mishkan and later in the Batei Mikdash was done by the Kohanim, i.e. the tribal segment of priests, Aharon's name is included here to signify that he is the honored source for the entire concept of Kahuna. Wishing you an inclusive good Shabbos haGadol. D Fox