Aaron — Words of Torah (my blog!) — Rabbi Amy Josefa Ariel (she/her)

Tending Our Flames: Tetzaveh, Exodus 27:20 - 30:10

However we make sense of this, tending these lamps is our job. You see, it isn’t only Aaron and his descendants who are priests. Back in Exodus 19:5-6 we learn that we are to be a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. Elevating one another’s light? That’s up to us. So I want to invite us to read it this way: We are the lamps and we are the ones charged with tending them. It is not our job to create sparks of life. It is our job to nurture life sparks for one another so that each and all of our flames can rise.

TORAHAmy ArielFebruary 28, 2023Tetzaveh, 5783, 2023, ner tamid, eternal flame, Aaron, kingdom of priestsComment

The Eighth Day

SHMINI (LEVITICUS 9:1 - 11:47)

According to our sages, there is a fundamental difference between the light of the first seven days and the light of the eighth day. For seven days, the light is the illumination God spoke into existence. On the eighth day, God taught humanity how to make light. It is the light of our partnership with God in the work of creation.

TORAHAmy ArielApril 9, 2018eighth day, shmini, mishkan, Aaron, Moses, Havdallah, seven, JudaismComment

A Priest Walks Into The Tabernacle

TETZAVEH (EXODUS 27:20−30:10)

It feels so foreign, the story of needing special cloth and fur, of gold and silver, crimson and purple and blue linen and embroidery, special stones, layers of covering to connect with God. The ornamental clothing of the Priest is described in this parsha in dramatic and exacting detail.