A menial task? – Tzav
The Torah reading begins with a short one-word command, Tzav – “Command!” God tells Moses to command Aaron and his sons about clearing out the residue of the ashes on the altar.
How menial it seems! How can such petty detail be required of the priestly family? Moses complains to God (Vayikra Rabbah 7:1) and is told that this is a way of coming close to the Almighty.
Jump across the centuries and you find people telling the rabbi how menial all the detailed mitzvot are. There are such great ideas in Judaism, and here you have what some people can only call pettifogging detail – koshering chickens, clearing out the chametz, not turning on the lights on Shabbat…
Complain to the Almighty if you must, and what He tells you is that little things add up and make the daily observance of Judaism an engaging experience and a series of steps up the spiritual ladder.
