Tetzaveh (You are to command) Exodus/Sh’mot 27:20-30:10
Tetzaveh(You are to command)Exodus/Sh’mot 27:20-30:10
Haftorah Reading: Ezekiel 43:10-27
This Sabbath I have a few points I want to cover with you. I believe each of these points are spiritually relevant to our lives today. They should speak to each of us in our personal walk.
To begin, I want to share an example I read this week from a good friend who lives in Jerusalem. It concerned him buying olive oil for lighting his menorah on the Shabbat. According to scripture, pure pressed olive oil was used to light the candles in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple. This friend lights his Shabbat candles each Friday at sundown to welcome the Sabbath. As he was shopping for oil he found it would be much cheaper to buy sunflower oil or other substitutes for his menorah than pure pressed olive oil. Olive oil was double the price of sunflower oil. After thinking about it he decided to follow scripture and use what was prescribed there and not use a substitute.
Tetzaveh (You Shall Command) Ex. 27
Torah Portion: Tetzaveh (You are to order) Sh’mot (Exodus) 27:20-30:10
HafTorah: Ezekiel 43:10-27
New Testament: Philippians 4:10-20
Tonight we read the Torah section of Tetzaveh or “You Command.” Then we will celebrate the holiday of Purim which begins when Sabbath ends. There is one thing that is similar in each of these events. In this Torah section the name of Moses never occurs. It is the only section from Exodus 1:1 through the end of Deuteronomy that does not contain his name. In the book of Esther the name of G-d never appears. There was much discussion when both the Jewish canon and the Christian canon were adapted on if this book should be included or not, mainly because G-d’s name does not appear. However, as we read the book we can easily see G-d at work arranging events to save His people who are under threat of annihilation from the Persian Empire. They were being crushed under the weight of these threats.