Parashas Tetzaveh
Torat Moshe: A Journey With The Ger [Toshav / Tzedek / Shaar]
Rabbi David Katz
In Parashas Tetzaveh we become acquainted with the sublime
beauty latent within the priesthood; from the Breastplate and her exquisite
stones, Aaron and sons, along with their unique sanctity, all the way to the
Priestly garments and their mystical flare that captures one’s imagination of
how a day in the Temple may appear. With obvious overtones of the Priesthood
and its innate beauty, one must not however, lose sight of the inherent Torah
within the articles of the Parsha, and the Priesthood in particular. The
Priests as we find out, are garmented with many adornments, with the least of
them being a “sash”; yet we are about to see how the humble sash will serve to
be the impetus of revealing the Torah of Moses in a Parsha of Torah that
contains “Torah” to the exclusion of Moses! [Moses’ name is left out of the
Parsha] The sash of the Priesthood will not only reinstate Moses, but it will
provide the vehicle of the Torah journey of the Ger from Sinai, well into the
Messianic Age.
Parashas Tetzaveh 29:9 makes a simple and subtle statement
along the lines that Aaron and his sons are to wear sashes. Notice that the
verse does not clarify any more on this point; not the color, fabric type,
“who” etc., we are simply told that they adorn a sash. We find a very similar
scenario in Ezekiel 44:17, as it states that the Priests shall wear a sash that
is not made of wool, rather linen. One can say that this is where the journey
of the Ger and his Torah begin, even if in its infancy.
The Bible Commentator “Radak” makes a commentary of this
Ezekiel verse while referencing the Talmud in conjunction with our Parsha
verse. He simply states, that due to the nature of the predicament of the
“priests” [as opposed to High Priest he points out] in our Ezekiel verse, one
must conclude that the Prophet is giving a new Torah Law for the future based
on apparent contradictions concerning the sash. The Radak states that “Torat
Moshe” clearly states that the sash is made of wool, while the Prophet states
that it is linen. Thus we have a known Law for this World and a prophetic new
reality for the World to Come in God’s Third Temple. Only we have one problem –
the Torah never made mention of either linen or wool!
The Radak is in fact referencing the Talmudic discourse on
the matter that illustrates various opinions of the Rabbi’s as to the ultimate
reality of the sash. The minority opinion claims that we are to render all
situations as told over by the Prophet, and thus no contradiction is raised,
and matters shall remain simple and unchanged. The preferred Law however goes
not like Ezekiel, the old custom was to wear wool, and thus in the future a new
law condition will be rendered as such
that the priests will wear linen. This general premise is rather unalarming and
somewhat benign, that is until he calls the view from the Talmud under the
pretense of Torat Moshe, and we have well established that the Torah written by
Moses lacks description on this matter.
The answer to resolve this difficulty, we can turn to the
Radak in another location, this time Malachi, where he defines the term “Torat
Moshe” as per the Prophet’s words there.
The Radak there in two distinct parts categorizes Torat
Moshe as the Book that contains written components that we are to do, along
with the following statement: [paraphrased] “Just Like” “That” he was commanded
on Mt. Sinai…is not like those that say, “this sounds like the time it was
given”; [the true nature of Torat Moses] comes with explicit commentary and/as
a mystical section – this is a sufficient answer [to those who misunderstand
Torat Moses to be only the Chumash, to the exclusion of Torah over time that
continues until the Coming of the Messiah (which is the literal theme of
Malachi on this point); thus the Talmud’s view of the sash can properly be justified
as Torat Moses, as it was rendered along these guidelines. * The superfluous
word “that” in the Hebrew, serves for the Radak to freely associate the Hebrew
equivalent of “Just Like”; this allows for the Radak to have the grounds to
properly define Torat Moses, a gesture given by the Torah by its additional
word “that”, which stands for analysis]
Through the Radak’s difficulty in Ezekiel and clarification
in Malachi, along with his methodology, we can begin to understand the Ger and
his journey in a surreal new way.
Now that the Torah was commanded at Chorev/Sinai, the Radak
explains that time and its extension, when realized as a spiritually aided
mechanism into Torah, essentially stretches the command session practically
until the Coming of the Messiah. The Radak justifies by saying “just like” –
the commentaries and their mystical nature, are just like the actual coming of
the command. From this we see two introductions to the Ger, and interestingly
enough, by association, the tools from the Ger helps understand the Prophetic
definition of Torat Moshe!
When we analyze the phrase “just like” [commanded at Sinai]
is a subject of pilpul, the spice of Torah, the understanding a matter within a
matter. Phraseology, fill in words, etc. are all Oral traits that began with
Shem, and are implemented as purely Oral terms/phrases, that are a natural
pilpul [node] that contain multiple and numerous mental pathways to encapsulate
a highly complex idea with a rather simple phrase that barely has a pulse to
beat to! This is the beauty of the Torah of Shem [and consequently the Ger – by
inheritance], that a simple everyday tongue and one that is totally Oral [and
rather difficult to define], provides the backbone of the Oral Torah, and
therefore Torat Moshe!
To provide insight into this concept, and clarity on this
point [“just like”] – try to think of all of the different permutations and
different ways of constructing “just like” quietly in the mind. [Using creative
pathways in simple Oral speech as pilpul/spice is called Amrei Binah – words of
understanding; the Torah is filled with them much like Dark Matter to Matter.]
The words just like can contain north of 5-7 different and unique intentions
that provide unique definitions to the Radak; put them together, and we have a
viable platform for explaining how Torat Moshe extends beyond just the moment
he stood at Mt. Sinai – for the extended Torah is Just Like he was commanded.
- Just – Righteous; Like –
[and] similar to
-
Just Like - practically the
same
-
Just Like – New avenues of
command just like the old
-
Just like – as if….they
were commanded then
With a soft mind, we can hear that as laws are explained ongoing,
they may become clearer to the time that is most relevant [like a Ger today who
stands just before the prophesied Third Temple], and therefore are just like
the original [moment and] command given to Moses at Sinai.
For the Ger this is most important, for he is only a Noahide
based on his Faith that reaches the moment that Moses was commanded –
literally. Based on that fact alone, the words of the Radak may resonate the
most loudly with the Gerim! As the Ger must reach Sinai in the command form, if
we are to say that he has no portion beyond the Written Law and a strict
adherence to Moses’ command on Sinai only, is a contradiction to the Radak.
Thus when we take the Radak to form, the Ger relies on the extension of Torah
as a command unfolding, for the path that the Ger walks is still being
clarified, and therefore commanded – Just Like it was commanded to Moses. For
the Ger, this is the only way he may walk a path of righteousness, and the Radak
has stood to validate the Torah Learning for the Ger.
The Even HaEzra commentary to Devarim 31:12 makes a
fascinating discovery, as he elaborates that the Ger has a unique ability and
method to learn the entire Torah, when learned through the unfolding of Time,
particularly with the inclusion of Shabbat, and with intent of making Jewish,
[as opposed to Judaism] the parts of his soul that still may need to turn to
God, through the study of Torat Moshe not surprisingly enough. The Ger is
unique in that he receives Kindness from God in this way, when ingested from a
culture of Wisdom; the Torah therefore enters the Ger only through Wisdom, and
not through a base indulgence, i.e. he has and uses time to absorb Torat Moshe
[which is how Torat Moshe is defined by the Radak].
The Even HaEzra gives a
special distinction status to the Ger, in that he says a hybrid Ger
Tzedek/Toshav exists – one that is Toshav and open to Tzedek; he shall have the
ability to learn the whole Torah over time with Wisdom, as opposed to a closed
Ger Toshav, of whom only once every seven years and in only in the Land shall
he learn Torah beyond the basic command – by his own volition of having
rejected a semblance of Tzedek.
Thus the more the Ger adheres to the essence of Torat Moshe,
he becomes what the Torah has in mind for Mankind in a unique way. He has the
opportunity to sanctify Torat Moshe in a way that is a Blessing to him
specifically, and as we have pointed out earlier, the Ger and his journey in
Torah provides the world with the vessels of grasping the essence of Torat
Moshe [even if only by association; for through the sash, we find a
simultaneous track of the Ger, and all parties culminate equally to reveal the
true nature of the Torah].
It is absolutely established that there shall be one Torah
for Mankind, and the Ger and the Jew share in this Torah, the Torat Moshe. However
one can make notice, that Moses’ name is left out of the Parsha, for having told
Hashem “take me out of your Book” – to which the Arizal says was the portion of
Moses’ soul that was a reincarnation of Shem. One can equally recall that there
is no Parsha “Shem” [from Noah to Lech Lecha], and thus the Torah of Shem
remains obscure because of this. The message is that even though the Ger
inherits his Torah genes from Shem [and Noah, who were one spiritually], he
takes his roots in Torat Moshe.
Torat Moshe is the one Torah that we can all
take part in , one that includes the pilpul, the commands of the Ger [post
literal Sinai, in alignment to the essence of Torat Moshe]; the Torah of Shem
is absolutely absorbed into Torat Moshe, and ironically is most easily
expressed through vessels of the Ger.
A Ger who learns Torah [Torat Moshe] is likened to the High
Priest, how much more fitting are these words now, that we have begun with a
lowly and ordinary sash, only to find the beauty of Torah through the Gadlus
[high mentality] of the Ger! Parashas Tezaveh is truly the Torah of the
Priestly garments, and just as a sash made the Torah of Moses come back to life
in a Parsha that seemed to have forgotten him, how much more wonderful is the
Torah of Hashem that did not forget the other, just like the High Priest, the
Ger, the remnant of Shem’s Torah, one who can fully come to life, through the
Torat Moshe. How fitting, for it is The Ger who extends to see the Coming of
the Messiah, a Redemption that we all yearn for, and perhaps no one yearns more
for Ezekiel’s sash, than the Ger, who simply seeks for his journey to bring him
home and grant him his priestly life, that dates way back to Shem and shall eternally come from the Torah of Moshe.
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This Coming Week: The Ger In-Depth In Text
