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Topics in this digest: Tetzaveh
5764 The Temple was not a place that had “casual Friday’s.”
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The Temple was not a place that had “casual Friday’s.” This week’s
parsha, Tetzaveh, tells us of all the finery the High Priest, the Cohen
Gadol, would wear while going about his official duties. We learn
the details of the breastplate, the ephod, the robe, the embroidered coat,
the mitre, and the girdle. We are also told that to be a Cohen is
hereditary, and furthermore, we are told that the garments that are for
Aaron shall be for his sons after him. In chapter 29 verse 30 it
says, regarding a son who has taken over from Aaron: “He will wear
them for seven days. Hacohen, the priest, in his place from his sons.”
Rashi is great at spotting grammatical difficulties. So when he
analyzed this sentence, he noticed that there does not appear to be a verb
in the sentence. Every sentence needs a verb, so Rashi comes to the
somewhat curious conclusion that “Cohen is a verb.” The word we
normally translate as priest, Rashi says is actually not a noun, but a
verb. So, according to Rashi, the proper translation of this phrase
is “the one who Cohens in his place,” or the one who “priests” in his
place, or perhaps a little more elegantly, the one who serves in his
place.
In Hebrew there is often a connection between nouns and verbs; they are
often variations on the same root. In Hebrew as in English, we
converse conversations and argue arguments.
Perhaps the ultimate example of this concept is reflected in one of my
favorite book titles, a book by Rabbi David Cooper: “God is a Verb.”
The implication being we really should NOT speak of God as a noun, as an
object, but rather we should speak of “Godding.” A concept worth a
lot of consideration, but for another time. Today I’d like to go
back to exploring the implications of Rashi’s statement that Cohen is a
verb.
The implication of Cohen being a verb is that it’s not who your parents
are, or what you’ve accomplished, that determines “who you are;” rather,
it’s what you DO. Doctors doctor. Lawyers lawyer. If
you’re not practicing law, are you really a lawyer? Or are you a
“latent lawyer,” someone who could lawyer, but doesn’t?
When we think of our lives, we often think of our accomplishments in the
past tense. I have a degree from XYZ university; I started a program
to do “x.”
The message from this weeks’ parsha is that who we are is a verb, not a
noun; and what’s more, the verb is in the present tense. It’s not
what we’ve done in the past, it’s not where we went to school, and it’s
not who we are related to that determines “who we are.” It’s what we
do.
I’ve thought about this relating to my work. Instead of saying I’m a
rabbi, I would say “I rabbi.” There are many different aspects of
what it means “to rabbi.” It includes teaching, preaching,
counseling and leading.
This idea extends way beyond our professional lives: it also includes the
descriptions we apply to ourselves in our personal lives. Instead of
thinking of yourself as so and so’s husband, or so and so’s wife, what
would it mean to say “I husband,” or “I wife?” What are some of the
things that go into this activity of “spousing?”
“Spousing” means doing a lot of things—it is a very active role. It
means caring, loving, sharing, nurturing, growing. It means not just
having shared a ceremony in the past, but sharing a life in the present.
The question of who is a parent is one that society has had to face in
recent years as all sorts of new ways of having children have become
possible. There is no longer necessarily any connection between the
source of the genetic material, the womb a fetus matures in, and the
people who raise the child. A sperm donor may be the source of
genetic material, but Rashi might suggest he is not a father because he
does not engage in the activity of “fathering.” To be a father means
to be a verb—to be engaged in “fathering.” To teach, to love, to
play, to hug, to discipline, to support.
This idea—to think of yourself as a verb—can inspire us to give more
thought to some of the many roles we each play in life, and to remind us
that it’s not enough, for example, to say “I’m a parent” because of
something you did in the past—but rather we need to think about the things
we do today. And Rashi’s comment—that Cohen is a verb—applies to all
of us. The Torah tells us we are to be a nation of Cohanim—a nation
of those who serve God and work to make the world a better place.
May we all be strengthened in our efforts to fill this role, and all of
our other roles. Amen.
It is a great mitzvah to serve God with
great joy, always...R. Nachman of Breslov
Rabbi Barry Leff
Beth Tikvah Congregation
9711 Geal Road
Richmond, BC V7E 1R4
phone: (604) 271-6262
fax: (604) 271-6270
web: www.btikvah.ca
email: rebbarry@yeladim.org
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