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The following is from RSRH's commentary on this week's Parsha.<br><br>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=4><b>6: 2
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Command Aharon and his
sons as follows: This is the teaching with regard to the ascent offering:
It is an ascent offering upon the place<br>
where the offerings are burned upon the altar throughout the night until
the morning, when the altar fire shall be rekindled upon it.<br><br>
</i></b></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>The Jewish perception
is the antithesis of the heathen perception.<br>
Not in the resignation of night does the Jew sense God’s power.
Rather,<br>
in clarity of thought, in creative action that conquers worlds, in
the<br>
upright posture of daytime endeavor — precisely in these does he
attain<br>
closeness to God. The light of his clear intellect, the force of his
free<br>
will, the creativity of his endeavors — indeed, the whole of his
free<br>
personality standing tall throughout the day — all these were given
to<br>
him by the grace of the Creator. For the one God has granted man a<br>
share of the infinite outpouring of His Intellect, a share of His holy
free<br>
Will, a share of His creative Power which dominates the world. Thus<br>
God has raised man beyond the bonds of the physical world, set him<br>
upright, and made him master of the world — in order that he serve<br>
God in it. In the very carrying out of a day’s work, a man fulfills
the<br>
Will of God.<br><br>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>In the heathen perception,
the day is a struggle of mortals against the<br>
power of the gods. To the Jew, day means serving God, and through
his<br>
work he brings God
satisfaction</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>. <br><br>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=4><b>6: 4
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>He shall then take off his
garments and clothe himself in other garments and take the ashes out of
the camp to a pure place.<br><br>
</b></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>Trumas Hadeshen </i>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>begins the
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>avodah
</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>of the new day by
recalling the </font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>avodah<br>
</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>of the previous day.
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Hotzaas
Hadeshen</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>, on the other
hand, signifies that, at the<br>
same time, the Jewish nation must begin its task anew each day. The<br>
start of every new day summons us to set out upon our task with full<br>
and fresh devotion as though we had never accomplished anything
before.<br>
The memory of yesterday’s accomplishments must not inhibit today’s<br>
performance. Thoughts of what has already been accomplished<br>
are likely to choke off all initiative for new accomplishments. Woe
to<br>
him who is smug with satisfaction over his past achievements, who
does<br>
not begin the work of each new day as though it were the very first<br>
day of his life’s work!<br><br>
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