The Weekly Sedra – Parshas Tetzaveh

The Rebbe says:

1. At the conclusion of this week’s Torah portion, the Torah tells us about the Mizbe’ach Ha’za’hav (the Altar covered in gold).

2. Our Sages tell us that the Altar covered in gold, and the Altar covered in copper which the Torah told us about in last week’s Torah portion, cannot become impure (Tamei) no matter what touches it.

There are 2 reasons given as to why the Altars cannot become impure:

1) Rebbi Eliezer says that the Torah compared the Altars to earth and earth cannot become impure.

2) However the majority of the Rabbis say that the reason the Altars cannot become impure is because the Altars are covered with gold or copper and the covering is nullified to the inside, and since the inside of the Altars cannot become impure (because the inside is hidden) the outside which is nullified to it cannot become impure either.

(See the last Mishnah of Mishnayos Chagigah).

3. The Rebbe now points out that this rule of the Altars not being able to become impure, and the reasons for it, must have a practical meaning:

Of course we know that the Torah is everlasting. This means that: One- it has the same strength today as it had on the day it was given to the Jews on Mount Sinai, and Two- the depth of the Torah’s meaning is unlimited.

The explanations of the Torah are generally categorized into 4 parts: 1) The Pshat- the literal interpretation. 2) The Remez- the allegorical meaning. 3) The Drash- the homelitic meaning. 4) The Sod- the mystical meaning.

So far we know the literal meaning (the Pshat) of the law regarding the Altars not being able to become impure. Let’s now take it a step further into the metaphorical meaning (the Remez).

4. The Rebbe explains what the metaphorical meaning of the law is:

A Jew is like the Holy Temple because Hashem rests in every single Jew. Like Hashem said “Make for me a dwelling place and I will dwell in them” (Chapter 25, Verse 8), meaning in every single Jew. And just the temple had an Altar in it, every single Jew has an “Altar” in him. Meaning that there is a part of every Jew which can never become impure or detached from Hashem.

Now both opinions (Rebbi Eliezer and the majority of Rabbis) agree to this. Both opinions agree that a Jew has a core which can never become impure or unholy.

Their argument is this:

Rebbi Eliezer holds that a Jew’s whole being, even his outside, is constantly in a state of doing Hashem’s will. A Jew never sins!

And this is what Rebbi Eliezer means when he says that the reason an Altar cannot become impure is because it is like the earth; just like the earth is trampled on by everyone and does not have its own will, so-too the Jew does not have his own separate will other then Hashem’s will.

Rebbi Eliezer estimated every single Jew in this way because of his own great saintly way of life.

The majority of Rabbis however understood that every Jew is not on this level. On the contrary, the majority of Jews are not on this level. The Rabbis knew that on the outside sometimes a Jew becomes dirty and goes against the will of Hashem. But on the inside a Jew is always 100% holy and pure, and the outside is not the real Jew, the inside is the real Jew.

And this is what the Rabbis mean when they say that the reason an Altar cannot become impure is because it is only covered and the covering is nullified to the inside; just like a Jew who can indeed become dirty however this is only on the outside while on the inside he is constantly holy and pure, and the outside is nullified to the inside- the real Jew is holy and pure.

5. The lesson here is clear:

A Jew on the inside is always holy and pure no matter what he does. A Jew can never be torn away from Hashem no matter what he does. Bearing this in mind helps us realize who we really are- we are really G-d fearing Jews and no matter what we do Hashem is always waiting for us to with open arms to return to Him.

Translated and adapted by Shalom Goldberg. Taken from Likutei Sichos Chelek Gimmel.