The kohain (priest) had many responsibilities in the Temple. One of his jobs was to separate a shovelful of ashes each morning from the remains of the previous day’s offerings. This was deposited on the floor near the altar. When the ashes would begin to pile up, the kohain would don special clothes and remove the ashes outside of the camp. This removal was not necessarily done every day.
Although this cleanup was something that had to be done out of necessity anyway, the Torah equates it with the rest of the Temple service. The service was not considered complete until everything was cleaned up, and only the kohain was allowed to do this cleanup. The lesson learned from this is that one should never feel that a mitzvah involving less than dignified labor is beneath one’s dignity.
The Torah also discusses who is allowed to eat the various sacrifices. Parts of every sacrifice, most significantly the blood and certain fats, were burned on the altar. It is interesting to note that the Torah prohibits these parts to the Jew anyway, so no part of the animal was being “wasted” by bringing the sacrifice. Certain sacrifices, however, such as the olah (burnt offering), were completely consumed on the altar (except for the skin, which was given to the kohain as payment).
Parts of other sacrifices, such as the sin offering, the guilt offering, and the meal offerings, could only be eaten by the male kohanim and only in the Temple area. Aside from being payment to the kohain for his service in the Temple, this eating would also serve as atonement for the person bringing the sacrifice.
The family and friends of the person bringing the sacrifice also ate other sacrifices, such as the peace offering and the thanksgiving offering, although the kohain received his share from these, too. These offerings could be eaten anywhere in Jerusalem; though they could only be eaten by people who were ritually pure.
The thanksgiving offering was brought on four different occasions:
- upon crossing the sea,
- upon traveling through the wilderness,
- upon recovery from a serious illness, and
- upon release from capture or imprisonment.
The latter part of the portion discusses the ceremony of inaugurating the family of kohanim for their service. The ceremony, which involved special sacrifices, immersions in the mikveh, and the annointing of Ahron and his sons, would take place over the seven days prior to the dedication of the Tabernacle. The final inauguration of the Tabernacle took place on the first day of Nissan.
“…May all my chametz be nullified like dust of the earth ...” (Passover liturgy)
Rav Bentzion Abba Shaul overheard a man nullifying his chametz before Pesach, rendering it like dust. “I am not certain that you have properly fulfilled this mitzvah,” he told the man.
“Why not?” the person asked in surprise.
The Rav replied, “At the conclusion of our prayers we say each day ‘May my soul be like the dust of the earth.’ This is a directive to be humble. Yet I have seen how upset you become when you feel your honor has been slighted. From the concern you show for your honor it would seem that you value dust quite a bit! That being so, your equating chametz to dust does not really say too much!”
Did You Know..
The reclining at the Seder should be on a pillow, leaning to the left. Leaning in the air without a pillow or some other prop is not considered reclining. Women are not required to recline.
One reclines while drinking the four cups of wine and while eating the matza. The marror (bitter herbs) should not be eaten while reclining. If one drank the wine without reclining, the first, third, and fourth cup should not be drunk again, as it would give the appearance of drinking five cups. The second cup, however, which covers any drinking during the meal, should be drunk over again.
If one ate the matza without reclining, he should eat another piece of matza. The matza-marror sandwich, however, need not be eaten again.
