[Avodah] Tzav — In Gratitude for the Miracle of Nature

[Cantor Wolberg]

1) Ex.6:6 "Aish tamid tukad al haMizbeach lo tichbeh"- "a permanent flame shall remain on the altar; It shall not be extinguished."  Rambam indicates that this is a positive commandment for a fire to be continuously burning on the altar, including Shabbat. Even though fire would descend from the heavens to consume the sacrifices, we are commanded to bring our own 'hedyot', common flame. 

The Sefer HaChinuch writes that the miracles Hashem does are always covered with a certain degree of 'teva', natural normality. The gematria of God's name "Elohim" is 86. "Hateva" which means nature also equals 86.  Rambam writes that meditating on the wonders of nature is one way we get to know God. This is a kabbalistic and mystical avenue through approaching God in a natural way. Even while splitting the Sea to allow the Children of Israel to escape the Egyptians, there was a strong eastern wind blowing (the natural component). So, too, in regard to the altar, we are commanded to ignite our own flame in order to camouflage the incredible miracle of the fire descending from the heavens, thus allowing nature to be included in the awesome event. Different people experiencing the same occurrence will walk away with different understandings of what has transpired. 

There is a beautiful illustration of this idea. Imagine a child born in the Midbar during the forty year travel to Eretz Yisrael. From the earliest days that he or she can remember, food, in the form of manna, is dropped from the heavens. To this person, that is not the least bit miraculous. It is as natural as natural can be. Fast forward, they enter Eretz Yisrael and the manna stopped falling. Joshua takes some seeds and places them into the earth — a seeming waste of the scant food they still had. If one were to look into the ground and see the seeds they would appear to be disintegrating and, at that point, appear totally useless. A few days later, when food begins to grow from the ground, this person, with wide eyed amazement, would scream IT'S A MIRACLE!!! Food from the ground — how unnatural! Clearly the wondrous Hand of Hashem is at work! 

Were we to see food falling from the heavens today, we would proclaim a clear miracle! We are accustomed to food growing from the earth. Is there really a difference between food coming from the ground or from the sky? The only difference is what we are used to. My definition of "old age" is having lost the ability to be amazed. As "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" so are "miracles." 

2) Among the sacrifices mentioned in this weeks parsha is the Thanksgiving Offering. The Medrash tells us that in the future all the sacrifices will be nullified, except the Thanksgiving Offering — for there is always need to give thanks. 

There is a beautiful insight in the Avudraham on laws and commentary on prayers.  When the shatz says Modim, the congregation recites "The Rabbis' Modim". Why is that? The Avudraham says that for all blessings in the Sh'moneh Esrei we can have an agent. For 'Heal Us', for 'Bless Us with a Good Year', and so forth we can have a messenger — the Shliach Tzibbur can say the blessing for us. However, there is one thing that no else one can say for us. We must say it for ourselves. That one thing is "Thank You". Hoda'ah has to come from ourselves. No one can be our agent to say 'Thank You.’ 

With this in mind, I wish to thank Micha Berger for all he does. It is also human nature to take many things for granted. It isn’t easy to do what he does and I don’t envy him. But I do admire what he does with humility.
Kol hakavod! May he continue for many, many years to come.

"A life without sacrifice or thankfulness is a life purely selfish.”           
rw
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