Presented by Howard Hian on April 8, 2017 – 12 Nissan 5777

Shabbat shalom.  On the Saturday before Passover, in anticipation of celebrating our freedom from slavery, the Rabbis named today Shabbat Ha-gadol, the Great Sabbath. The haftarah, from Malachi speaks of the “great day” when Elijah reappears foreshadowing the coming of the Messiah.  Some Jewish communities recite part or all of the Haggadah during Mincha services today.

Tzav is today’s Torah portion and translated “command.” It is the second sidra of Leviticus and repeats much of what we heard in Va-yikrah last week.  In addition, it provides instructions on how to tend the fire on the altar and how offerings are to be shared with the Priests and their families.  There are 9 positive and 9 negative commandments in the portion. Starting at Leviticus 8:1 – 5, God instructs Moses to assemble the whole community at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting for the priests’ ordination.   Moses brings forward Aaron and his sons, washes them and dresses Aaron in his vestments. Moses anoints and consecrates the Tabernacle and does the same to Aaron and his sons.  That’s a summary but let’s see what, as Paul Harvey used to say, is the rest of the story.

In Leviticus 8:14–15, Moses leads forward a bull for a sin offering, Aaron and his sons lay their hands on the bull’s head, and it is slaughtered.

Moses puts the bull’s blood on the horns and the base of the altar, burns the fat, the protuberance of the liver (whatever that is), and the kidneys on the altar, and the rest of the bull is burnt at some point outside the camp.  Sounds pretty straight forward until you think about it.

Think about the size of a bull and then picture blood spurting from a sliced artery in its neck, a huge animal thrashing about and bellowing in its death throws. There had to be blood everywhere. And, just after Aaron and his sons were so nicely cleaned up.

Next, imagine the evisceration and someone, probably Moshe, pulling the organs out of the still warm body.  Not a pretty sight.  There were no power saws, stun guns or modern carving utensils.  This had to be dreadful, messy work.  Now, back to the carcass.  It states it was BBQd outside the camp.  Who and how many dragged the dead, heavy bull out and when?  Imagine what the trail of blood look liked.  But wait, there’s more!  Moses then brings forward a ram for a burnt offering.   Aaron and his sons lay their hands on the ram’s head, and it is also slaughtered. Moses dashes the blood against the altar and burns the ram on the altar.  That’s a big fire on the altar to burn a fairly large animal.

But, it’s two down and one to go.  Moses then brings forward a second ram.  Aaron and his sons lay their hands again on the ram’s head, and it is also slaughtered.  So, we may have a bull and two rams lying dead on the floor at the foot of the Tabernacle gutted and bleeding.  Here in one of the holiest of places, where an ordination of the priests is taking place, we find a killing zone. Now perhaps the strangest part of all.  Moses puts some of the blood on Aaron and his sons, on the ridges of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. What in the world is going on?  Why these 3 spots?  Asked and unanswered!

Moses then burns the two rams’ tails, protuberances of the liver, kidneys, and right thighs on the altar, along with a cake of unleavened bread, a cake of oil bread, and a wafer as an ordination offering.   Tail, liver, kidneys and the right thigh.  Where did the good stuff go? That answer is coming.  Moshe then begins splattering blood about again.  Moses sprinkles oil and blood on Aaron and his sons and their vestments.  For this ram, Moses tells Aaron and his sons to boil the meat at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, eat it there, and remain at the Tent of Meeting for seven days to complete their ordination.  Boil the meat.  So, how big were the pots?  Do you think that a ram is easy to slice and dice raw with primitive tools?

Think about what it must have been like; no air conditioning, no fans, no coolers, no running water.

After carefully washing the vestments and themselves they are splattered time and time again with the blood of animals, ordered to cut them up further for meals and told to remain there for a week.  Can you imagine?  Caked with blood, they stayed there for 7 days?  This holy place must have reeked and been a bloody mess.

How many of you grew up in a city where there was a slaughter house?  Certainly, those of us from St. Louis or Chicago can remember the foul smell from miles around the site.

For me, this Shabbat should be renamed, with a tip of the hat to Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse Shabbat HaGadol.

Shabbat shalom & Chag Pesach sameach.