D'var Torah

This past Sunday, I dropped by Cantor Allen Leider’s Mussar class and happened to enter right when they were discussing a profound question: “What is your soul’s true path?” We talked about it for a while, everyone pondering what their soul is uniquely meant to do in this world. We had nurturers, teachers, guides, and celebrators. The discussion drove me to see this week’s Torah portion, Titzaveh, in a new light.

In this portion, the Israelites are commanded to bring olive oil and light a ner tamid, or eternal light, above the sanctuary (Exodus 27:20-21). The ner tamid is meant to remind us of the light that Torah brings to our world and to never let it go out. It also reminds us of our special spark we hold within us, and the commandment to keep that spark aflame even in times of distress. When I was thinking about my soul’s true path in Cantor Leider’s class, it came down to thinking about what fuels the spark that always stays lit within myself and remembering to nurture that flame.

Later in the portion, Aaron and his sons go through a complex ritual of ordainment as priests. They must wear special vestments in certain colors decorated with the fruits and grains of the region. They slaughter a few different animals in specific ways as a gift to God. And then, perhaps most oddly, they must place the blood of a sacrificial ram on their right earlobe, right thumb, and right big toe.

You might ask why this very strange ritual might bring me back to the deep discussion in Cantor Leider’s Mussar class. He was encouraging us to think about our soul’s true path. But what do we do once we have discovered it? I might encourage us to think back to this ritual that Aaron and his sons go through when they enter a holy realm. The blood of the ram is meant to remind them to act in a sacred way in all aspects of life — that they should listen with respect and care, that they should reach out their hands to others, and that they should walk humbly on this earth.

As we think about our soul’s true path, may we act in this way as our ancestors did so that we may bring our light into the world around us.

Shabbat shalom,

Cantor Rachel Rhodes