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Parsha Tzav – Is Anyone Born Better?

March 26, 2015 by Russell McAlmond

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This week’s parsha of Tzav describes the Jewish priestly class of kohanim.  Being a kohanim was passed down by the father, not the mother, patrilineally not matrilineally.  Other human cultures had royal families where power was passed down to successive generations simply by accident of birth.  Even today, we have the leader of North Korea who took power from his father and claimed it based only on his lineage, not his competency.  Are people really born to be better than other people?  Does our lineage define us as Jews and human beings?

The fact is that all human beings deserve equality of respect for being human.  No human is better than another, no  human is worse – there are no super-humans and no sub-humans.  Everyone falls on the same horizontal line of respect simply for being human.

The Mishna states that we were “created as individuals” so that one could not declare, “My father is better than yours.”  In reality, our lineage does not make us a better or worse individual.  Human history has clearly shown that some people born into royal families have been terrible leaders with severe problems.  There is no ‘royal’ gene that makes every descendent of royalty an inspiring leader.  As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated, we should be judged by the “content of our character” not by the traits of our birth.  Character is created by our individual thoughts and actions, it is not genetic.  Character is an individual trait, not a group trait.

Applying this standard of equality to the Jewish community there are not ‘better’ Jews or ‘worse’ Jews – there are Jews.  It is good that there is no longer a need for a Jewish priestly class and animal sacrifices.  Modern Jews are egalitarian and believe in the equality of all people including the members of our tribe.  It doesn’t matter who your parents were, what your skin color is, your gender type, or any other feature or trait determined by your birth – you are an individual.  We welcome all individual Jews to our tribe and will give them the same respect that all other members have.

We are all wonderful and unique individuals who deserve equal respect for being human.

 

Filed Under: Jewish Text (Torah/Haftarah/Talmud) Tagged With: convert to judaism, convert to judaism online, darshan yeshiva, Equality, human, kohanim, matrilineal, mishna, online conversion, Parsha Tzav, patrick "aleph" beaulier, patrick aleph, patrilineal, punktorah, rabbi beaulier, rabbi patrick aleph beaulier

Parsha Tzav: Seriously Dude! Another Way Too Short Dvar or Have I Told You Lately That I Love You? (Lev. 6:1 – 8:36)

March 10, 2014 by Jeremiah

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Parsha Tzav is the continuation of Torah’s listing of which offerings require this or that and how those offerings should be ceremoniously carried out. Oh and once the list of offerings is complete Moses clothes Aaron and anoints him and his sons as Judaic Priests.

Tzav does not teach us anything new, but what it does do is reiterate important lessons. Making amends and how we present our outward selves are lessons already touched upon within Torah. So why the repeat and why not combine Vayikra and Tzav into one portion? The answer is simple, only people study Torah and its no secret that everyone likes to be reminded of things. This week as you meditate on and study Tzav look through your spiritual spy glass as you would in search of positive reinforcement. Its like being told by someone special that they love you over and over again.

What verbal and non-verbal reinforcement helps you to be a better Jew? Share in the comments below or send me a message: Jeremiah@punktorah.org Twitter: @circlepitbimah

Filed Under: Community Member Blogs, Jewish Text (Torah/Haftarah/Talmud) Tagged With: Circle Pit The Bimah, convert to judaism, convert to judaism online, darshan yeshiva, jeremiah satterfield, Leviticus, online conversion, Parsha Tzav, parshah tzav, patrick "aleph" beaulier, patrick aleph, punktorah, rabbi beaulier, rabbi patrick aleph beaulier

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