Exodus Cycle Two Tetzavah 27:20 to 30:10

Tetzavah

Tetzavah begins with a command.…Now you will command the Israelites...the imperfect tense. Still, we can feel the stringent tone. We can feel a command to command, the exponential growth of that same action. So the question is, where does it stop? I mean, formed from two, is there an eternal stretch of commands, inward, outwards, upwards, downwards, mirroring one to the next? Are there generations after generations of verbal boundaries being formed? So why are they here, beginning such an exquisite parasha? Clearly to contain the kinetic energy that propels us into the radiance beyond the concealment. Clearly light/fire can’t blossom up to the divine without its proper food and… containment.

It would be nice if we could leave it at that…with the sureness that we have the alchemic equation for enlightenment. It would be sweet. In fact, I don’t think I’d be writing this. I’d be too enlightened. The problem is there’s conflict. Big conflict. In short, we need protection from the very boundaries that enable this ultimate blossoming. Too much exponential growth of any boundary (and in my opinion especially of the command) spawns the other side. Call it what you will. Evil. The yetzer harah. The sitra atra. It’s there and it’s dark. It’s the human nastiness that pervades the most caring bonds. What we need therefore is continual alchemy, a constant re-evaluation of the spiritual balance of the ner tamid within our hearts.

So first, let’s look at the food for the flame. In Tetzavah we have the offerings, the sprinkled blood, the rams , the bulls, the bread, the robe, the settings on the robe, the breastplate, the ephod. We have sapphire, topaz, the names of the 12 tribes of Israel carved into them. We have a forehead plate that reads holy to God, an opening in the robe for the head. All of this and more…each detail…each experience… is within the ner tamid, fertile in its beauty, rising like the incense from the altar.

Now, let’s look at the containment. Much of it is concealed. Like I said, when you place an idea within an idea you are creating a concealed eternal action. Often in Torah we see two of the same words following each other to expound upon the meaning. In Tetzavah line 29:37 the root word kadosh is repeated four times. We read kadosh kadoshim (holy of holies). The mizbach after consecration clearly becomes the core structure of an eternal spiral of love and sanctity. The power of that spiral is transferred to the idea of containment if we take the word command and place it into that same contstruct.

Let’s look at the idea of containment within the ner tamid (27:20). The oil…its source food…is pounded. It’s an odd concept…oil being pounded. It’s easy to say that it isn’t the oil…it’s the olives. But we’d be crossing the grammatical boundary. The question arises then, why pound oil? Well, if the ner tamid is the eternal radiance then the oil would be the material to make it happen, something ethereal and raw, pure that still needs purification, that comes from a place so holy that it remains beyond good and evil. So, in my opinion we pound the metaphorical oil to crush and press out any remnants of evil within its viscosity. We enforce necessary boundaries on the very source of our flame.

Now, if we look at the oil more we see quite clearly one more strong reason for containment. With references to both purity and radiance, the oil poses one of the biggest challenges we face as we evolve as human beings. Because the truth is this: That which is splendid is not necessarily pure and that which is pure is not necessarily splendid. Radiance can evoke anger and a lack of control while purity can dissolve into nothing. Contained in one point though they strengthen each other. There is both humility and love/fire, respect and expansion. The whole idea of limitation becomes swallowed into the very name of God. The light becomes so great radiance and purity become distinct and merged….and we become merged within it.

In the end, I think, containment must be seen as a gift. The question remains though how to be in command of the commands. One way, no doubt is to keep those offerings going strong. The more we pray and meditate the more we will push intuitively and carefully to new frontiers. Concealment helps us to do this. We can’t reach as far if we keep thinking about the boundary or even worse, fear it. We want to pay attention to detail and honor the beings around us…even the animals we sacrifice…keeping the heart sacred. We want to honor our ancestors, wear sacred garments. garments on garments that mirror each other and balance the commands upon commands. We want to not just speak consecrated but act consecrated. We want a construct of creation, one that makes alchemy possible, bringing the essence of the divine into our mundane reality. We need a firm belief even if it borders on magic and embraces myth. We need to sharpen our vision of the voice of God, let it be the fine knife that cuts to the point of the flame that shines through disappointment…that rises way above the innards and fat and guttural and frightening behavior patterns of human beings today.

So, with Purim here let’s move right to the edge: Rather than pound the oil of the ner tamid…let’s soak within it. Let’s trust in our innate awareness of commands without getting stuck in them. Let’s not get caught in either the radiance or the purity…let’s not burn out of control or fade into the ether…but remain in the merge of both. And since we trust and see, let us reach so far that the boundaries are pushed beyond our wildest dreams and turn our pain into joy and our closed hearts into gateways. May our actions be the offering. May we treat others with rightful respect and compassion. May we be adoring of God. May we realize that our ultimate protection from evil is our joy, our rising light, our constant prayers, and the ner tamid that sparks from our eyes as we reflect daring new heights of eternal love.