Leadership and Service

Rabbi Mark S. Diamond
Executive Vice President
The Board of Rabbis of Southern California


Parshat Tzav: Leviticus 6:1-8:36

Haftarah for Shabbat HaGadol: Malachai 3:4-24Farklempt is a Yiddish word that has no proper English translation. Think of farklempt as a unique combination of feeling excited, anxious and "choked up" all rolled into one. Comedian Mike Myers breathed new life into farklempt in his charming "Coffee Talk" routine on Saturday Night Live. Farklempt is how I feel whenever this week's Torah portion (Tzav) falls on the special Shabbat before Passover (Shabbat HaGadol). It was twenty-seven years ago on this very Shabbat that I delivered my senior sermon at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York.

For those who are unfamiliar with this hallowed rite of passage, the senior sermon is a rabbinical student's "coming of age" as he/she prepares for ordination. As I stepped to the dais of the Seminary's Unterberg Auditorium, I gazed upon the faces of the faculty and students in the synagogue that Shabbat morning. My classmates who had already delivered their sermons were quietly cheering me on. Other rabbinical students who had yet to endure this ritual were taking mental notes for their own sermon preparation. As for the professors seated in the first rows of the auditorium, their facial expressions told it all. What homiletical insights could I offer that they didn't already know? What ancient or modern sources could I share that they had not already explored? Who was I to presume to teach Torah to these giants of Jewish scholarship?

Somehow, I survived this academic and spiritual ordeal, as had generations of rabbis before me. As I review notes of the speech, I trust that my youthful hutzpah and idealism are tempered by the underlying veracity of the sermon's message. I share these excerpts twenty-seven years later with the hope and prayer that the words remain timely and relevant for leaders in our own day and age:

Parashat Tzav opens with a description of the ritual known as terumat ha-deshen (taking up the ashes): "The priest shall dress in linen raiment, with linen breeches next to his body; and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar and place them beside the altar" (Lev. 6:2-3).

In his comment on this verse, Rashi asks why the Torah uses the unusual expression mido vad to describe the priest's clothing. Mido kemidato, says Rashi. The Torah calls the raiment mido vad to teach that it must be made to the priest's measure.

One of Rashi's super commentators, Toldot Yaakov Yosef, expands upon his teaching. He notes that anyone who serves God is, in a sense, a kohen (priest). The people are called bigday kehuna (priestly clothing) since they are like the priestly garments. Hence, mido kemidato; there should be nothing separating the people and the priest.

The next verse of the Torah portion reinforces this theme: "The priest shall then take off his vestments and put on other vestments, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place" (Lev. 6:4). Why were the priests commanded to perform this seemingly tedious and menial work each morning? Surely they could have ordered servants or hired laborers to take care of this chore. 

Not so, according to Rav Simha Bunam, a great Hasidic master: "This ritual is intended to remind the priest of the simple, worldly matters of the people when he enters the holy and awesome Temple. Therefore, the Torah commands thekohen to take off his vestments and to put on other vestments. He must change into everyday clothes and occupy himself with mundane chores, in order to remember to pray for the simple, ordinary needs of the people."

The ritual of terumat ha-deshen may be seen as more than a menial task intended to beautify the Temple. This detailed procedure brought the priests closer to the cares and concerns of the people whom they served. The removal of the ashes of the previous day's sacrifice ensured that the kohanim engaged in ordinary chores just like the masses. This one simple ritual united the kehuna and the bigday kehuna -the religious leaders and their followers.

All of us who aspire to be leaders or serve as leaders in our community can glean a critical lesson from this Torah portion. A true leader must never lose touch with those whom he/she serves. A true leader must pay careful attention to the spiritual and physical welfare of the people. May we always be mindful of the cares and concerns of the people we lead. May we be blessed with thinking minds and sensitive hearts to carry out this sacred task.