One of the kohain’s jobs in the Mishkan 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 did not have to be done every day.
Although this cleanup was something that had to be done out of necessity anyway, the Torah gives it the status of the actual service itself. The service was not considered to be complete until everything was cleaned up, and only the kohain was allowed to do this cleanup. This serves as a lesson that one should never feel that a mitzvah involving less than dignified labor is beneath his dignity.
The kohanim were also obligated to make sure the altar had enough wood to remain burning at all times. The fire represented the Torah, and its indestructibility throughout time. Indeed, this fire remained kindled throughout the existence of the Mishkan, over 100 years.
The Torah also explains who was allowed to eat the different sacrifices. Parts of each sacrifice, most significantly the blood and certain fats, were burned on the altar. It is interesting to note that these parts could not be eaten anyway, so no part of the animal was being “wasted” by offering 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 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.
Other sacrifices, such as the peace offering, and the thanksgiving offering, which included forty loaves of bread, were also eaten by the family and friends of the person bringing the sacrifice, although the kohain got his share from them, too. These could be eaten anywhere in Jerusalem; however, they could only be eaten by people who were ritually pure.
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 anointing 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.
“…On the seventh day, when the king’s heart was gladdened with wine…” (Esther 1:10)
Rav Ya’akov Kaminetzky was once invited to a kiddush on Shabbos after services. “What is the occasion?” he asked the host.
“A kiddush doesn’t need an occasion,” the man replied, “After all, it says in the Megillas Esther ‘on the seventh day’, which is Shabbos, ‘the king’s heart was gladdened’, meaning G-d, the King, is happy; and it concludes ‘with wine’—meaning that G-d’s happiness is reason to celebrate with wine.”
Reb Ya’akov shook his head, “If the king refers to G-d, then wine must refer to the wine of Torah, meaning we must celebrate with Torah. If the celebration is merely with alcohol, the king can only refer to King Achashveirosh.”
Did You Know..
One should begin studying the laws of Pesach thirty days before the holiday, which is actually on Purim.
On Erev Pesach, it is customary for a firstborn son to fast, commemorating the miracle that the Jewish firstborn were saved in Egypt. However, the Rabbis understood that it might be difficult to enter Pesach on an empty stomach, especially considering the obligation to eat matza and drink four cups of wine that night. They thus allowed a dispensation to eat at a mitzvah feast, such as a circumcision, or a Pidyon Haben, or a siyum, the party celebrating the completion of a tractate of Talmud.
If one’s firstborn son is a minor, the father should either fast or attend the siyum.
When Erev Pesach falls on Shabbos, the fast is observed on Thursday and not Friday, so that one does not enter Shabbos while famished.
