"Tumah, meaning impurity, is connected to the word atum, meaning sealed. The Jewish idea of impurity is something that seals us off from holiness......
Two-minute drill with Rabbi Dov Lipman: Parshat Tzav
Lipman, Rabbi Dov
"We learn the laws [in this week’s parsha] of the 'korban toda' which is the sacrifice giving thanks to G-d…. This sacrifice is different from all of the others - one had to bring massive amounts of food with it and [the sacrifice and extra food] all had to...
"The alef, written especially small in the word ‘vayikra’ in traditional Torah scrolls alludes ...in some deeper sense ... to God’s humility; for when God invited Moses to enter the Tabernacle, he could not because God’s glory filled the entire structure....
"When I refrain from carrying on Shabbos, I am making the statement, that not only is G-d Master over the physical world, but G-d is Master over social interaction. G-d is Master over history....
"Moses was teaching the people that in order to create a Sanctuary for God in this world, a place where man and God could meet and commune, it needed to be infused first and foremost with the holiness of Shabbat....
Broken: Why Breaking the Tablets Was Moses’ Greatest Accomplishment
Jacobson, Rabbi YY
"Moses did not break the tablets because he was angry and lost his control. Rather, the breaking of the tablets was the beginning of the healing process....
"Our Sages note that there is an allusion to Moshe’s demise in Tetzaveh, in that this is the only Torah portion (from the time of Moshe’s birth…), in which he is not mentioned by name....
"HKBH is with us and without His partnership with us, without His accompanying us on our everyday challenges, in our everyday needs, in our everyday occupations, then we wouldn’t have bread to eat from, we wouldn’t have success in our wars....
