Pure Intentions…

In Parashat Tzav, instructions for offerings continue, as well as instructions for what the priests should offer to G!d. Rather than allowing Aaron and his sons to simply be covered by the offering of the people, G!d asks for an intentional act of offering even by the intermediary for the people. The importance of expressing thanks, devotion, repentance, and love for G!d is important for people at all levels of authority, in any given position, and with any level of imbued or assumed closeness to the Creator.

The parsha ends with the presentation and anointing of the priests. Although this ceremony was laid out previously, now Aaron and his sons are given the responsibility formally to care for the service of worship for the Hebrew people. The ceremony and their vestments represent the purity which G!d expects of them and of the offerings and service of the people.

We don’t bring animal offerings or any other food to be burned on an altar today, although we often name other gifts as offerings, whether we believe they are for our community or our Creator. What is attached to these offerings, these gifts? In any given religious setting, we are often exhorted to examine our intentions, our underlying motivations. Can these intangible aspects in the “background” of our service bring a pure reason to what we offer?

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After a fun evening celebrating Purim at Adath Israel (where I played with their klezmer krew!), I hosted a Purim Seudah at the end of Purim/beginning of Purim Shushan. We had a joke Kiddush, joke Torah (with satirical news blurbs), krazy and unexpected food (like a blue-colored orange cake), and gilded dekorationz. This Purim was fabulous!

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Komps kaos keeps krawling. I am working on reading and determine how I will approach my project- based exams, while trying not to freak out about the test I will take!