28 Mar TZAV: CLEAN UP YOUR MESS

Parshas Tzav:
Rule Number
One: Clean Up
Your Mess
In this week’s
parsha we have the mitzvah of the
offering of the Korban Olah. Aharon
and his children are given the
tremendous responsibility of the
Temple Service. But the first thing
Aharon is instructed to do is, “And the
priest shall put on his linen garment
and his linen pants shall he wear on
his flesh, and take up the ashes to
which the fire had consumed the
elevating-offering on the altar, and lay
them down at the side of the altar”
[Vayikra 6:3].
There is a biblical command known
as “Terumas HaDeshen.” One of the
first things that had to be done every

morning as part of the service was to
remove the ashes of the wood and
offerings that had burnt the previous
night.
The Chovos HaLevovos, one of the
classic works on Ethics and Jewish
philosophy, says that the rational
behind this is that the Torah is
particularly careful that people should
not let things go to their head, lest they
become ba’alei gayvah and haughty.
Here, the Kohen thinks he is
something special — and in fact he is
something special. He is among the
select few who were chosen to do the
Avodas HaMikdash. The Torah,
nevertheless instructs him, “Take out
the ashes!” The Torah is very sensitive
to human emotions. Lest Aharon come
to think too much of himself, the
Torah tells him to begin his day by the

lowly task of taking out the ashes.
A number of years ago, it hit me that
the last thing I do on Erev Yom Kippur
is take out the garbage. Erev Yom
Kippur is a very special moment. We
have the Seuda Mafsekes. We bless
our children. Yet, last thing I always
do before I go to shul on Erev Yom
Kippur is take out the garbage.
I was struck with two thoughts: That
this really is what we all try to do on
Erev Yom Kippur — take out the
garbage in our lives. Secondly, when
one walks into Shul on Yom Kippur
wearing his Kittel, he may be tempted
to think of the loftiness of his station
– entering into Yom Kippur, enveloped
in Kedusha. One should always
remember however, he still has to deal
with such things as the garbage bags;
he still is a very human type of being,

and he should never forget that he has
to take out the garbage — he remain a
very real human being. He must eat,
and yes he must still take out the
garbage. If one thinks in those terms,
he will not let other things go to his
head.