Below is a collection of Parashat Tzav resources created by The Lookstein Center staff or contributed to the site by Jewish educators.
This is a growing collection. Check back soon or write to us at content@lookstein.org if you didn’t find what you’re looking for.
DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Question #1: Among the korbanot (sacrifices) in Parashat Tzav, we learn about the Korban Todah, the thanksgiving offering. This was a way people could say thank you to God for different important events in their life, for example, recovery from an illness, or arriving home safely after a difficult or dangerous trip. Nowadays, we still remember this korban (sacrifice) with a special prayer, called Birkat Ha’Gomel. In this manner, the Torah teaches us the importance of gratitude. Look around you and give a special thank you to someone. Think about what has happened recently that you would like to say thank you to God. How does saying “thank you” make you feel?
Look inside the text (Vayikra 7: 12),
אִם עַל תּוֹדָה יַקְרִיבֶנּוּ וְהִקְרִיב עַל זֶבַח הַתּוֹדָה חַלּוֹת מַצּוֹת בְּלוּלֹת בַּשֶּׁמֶן וּרְקִיקֵי מַצּוֹת מְשֻׁחִים בַּשָּׁמֶן וְסֹלֶת מֻרְבֶּכֶת חַלֹּת בְּלוּלֹת בַּשָּׁמֶן- If he offers it for thanksgiving, he shall offer together with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes with oil mixed in, unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes of choice flour with oil mixed in, well soaked.
Question #2: If you were out playing and got yourself and your clothes really dirty, would it be important to change into different clothes to eat dinner? To go to school? To go to synagogue? Why? In this week’s parasha, we read that even the priests had different clothes for different tasks.
Look inside the text (Vayikra 6:3-4),
וְלָבַשׁ הַכֹּהֵן מִדּוֹ בַד וּמִכְנְסֵי בַד יִלְבַּשׁ עַל בְּשָׂרוֹ וְהֵרִים אֶת הַדֶּשֶׁן אֲשֶׁר תֹּאכַל הָאֵשׁ אֶת הָעֹלָה עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וְשָׂמוֹ אֵצֶל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ: – The priests had one set of clothes which they used when they performed the service of the sacrifices, but when they needed to take out the ashes they first changed their clothes.
וּפָשַׁט אֶת בְּגָדָיו וְלָבַשׁ בְּגָדִים אֲחֵרִים וְהוֹצִיא אֶת הַדֶּשֶׁן אֶל מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה אֶל מָקוֹם טָהוֹר- It would not be fitting to serve God in the same clothes as they make dirty as they remove the ashes and take them outside.
Question #3: The Torah provides an incredibly detailed description of how Moses dresses Aaron and prepares him for his role. It feels a little like a slow-motion scene of dressing a bride before her wedding. What is it about details that make such a difference in our experience? How does it make you feel when you know that someone invested a lot of thought in the small things? How do we know when we are focusing too much on the small things and not enough on the big things?
Question #4: Much of this parasha describes the same things that are already mentioned in the previous one, with the main difference being that ParashatVayikra focuses on the sacrifices from the perspective of the people while Parashat Tzav presents the perspective of what the kohanim (priests) need to know. The question of the need to know is an important one in matters of security but raises important issues in other areas of life. Should the internal ethics governing the medical community be shared with the masses? What should parents hide from their children or their aging parents? What kind of culture do we create when some people in the same organization know more than others?