Friday, 27 February 2026

Tzetl: Shabbos Tetzaveh & Zachor

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Good Shabbos!


Laws and Customs

This being the Shabbat before Purim, on which we celebrate the foiling of Haman the Amalekite's plot to destroy the Jewish people, the weekly Parshah is supplemented with the Zachor reading (Deuteronomy 25:17-19) in which we are commanded to remember the evil of Amalek and to eradicate it from the face of the earth.

"Parshat Zachor" is the second of four special readings added during or immediately before the month of Adar (the other three being "Shekalim", "Parah" and "Hachodesh")

Please click here to view the Yeshivah Shule Tzetel for Shabbos Parshas Tetzaveh, Parshas Zochor. Please click here to view the PDFs of Weekly Publications.



PARSHAH IN A NUTSHELL
Exodus 27:20–30:10
The name of the Parshah, "Tetzaveh," means "Command" and it is found in Exodus 27:20.

G‑d tells Moses to receive from the children of Israel pure olive oil to feed the "everlasting flame" of the menorah, which Aaron is to kindle each day, "from evening till morning."

The priestly garments, to be worn by the kohanim (priests) while serving in the Sanctuary, are described. All kohanim wore: 1) the ketonet—a full-length linen tunic; 2) michnasayim—linen breeches; 3) mitznefet or migba'at—a linen turban; 4) avnet—a long sash wound above the waist.

In addition, the kohen gadol (high priest) wore: 5) the efod—an apron-like garment made of blue-, purple- and red-dyed wool, linen and gold thread; 6) the choshen—a breastplate containing twelve precious stones inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; 7) the me'il—a cloak of blue wool, with gold bells and decorative pomegranates on its hem; 8) the tzitz—a golden plate worn on the forehead, bearing the inscription "Holy to G‑d."

Tetzaveh also includes G‑d's detailed instructions for the seven-day initiation of Aaron and his four sons—Nadav, Avihu, Elazar and Itamar—into the priesthood, and for the making of the golden altar, on which the ketoret (incense) was burned.


HAFTORAH IN A NUTSHELL
Parshat Zachor Haftorah

In connection with the holidays of Purim and Passover, our sages instituted that four special readings be read from the Torah on four different Shabbatot in addition to the regular Torah portions. When the special Parshat Zachor is read the Shabbat proceeding Purim, as is the case this week, we read a special haftorah instead of the above one.

I Samuel 15:2-34
This week's special haftorah discusses G‑d's command to destroy the people of Amalek. This to avenge Amalek's unprovoked attack on the Israelites that is described in the Zachor Torah reading.

Samuel conveys to King Saul G‑d's command to wage battle against the Amalekites, and to leave no survivors—neither human nor beast. Saul mobilizes the Israelite military and attacks Amalek. They kill the entire population with the exception of the king, Agag, and they also spare the best of the cattle and sheep.

G‑d reveals Himself to Samuel. "I regret that I have made Saul king," G‑d says. "For he has turned back from following Me, and he has not fulfilled My words."

The next morning Samuel travels to Saul and confronts him. Saul defends himself, saying that the cattle was spared to be used as sacrificial offerings for G‑d. Samuel responds: "Does G‑d have as great a delight in burnt offerings and peace-offerings, as in obeying the voice of G‑d? Behold, to obey is better than a peace-offering; to hearken, than the fat of rams. . . . Since you rejected the word of G‑d, He has rejected you from being a king."

Saul admits his wrongdoing and and invites the prophet to join him on his return home. Samuel refuses his offer. "The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you, today; and has given it to your fellow who is better than you." Samuel then kills the Amalekite king.


SAGES ON THE PARSHAH

And you shall command . . . (27:20)

Tetzaveh is the only Parshah in the Torah since Moses' birth in which Moses' name does not appear (with the exception of the book of Deuteronomy, which consists mostly of a first-person narrative spoken by Moses). The reason for this is that [when the people of Israel sinned with the golden calf,] Moses said to G‑d: "If You do not [forgive them], erase me from the book that You have written" (Exodus 32:31). This was realized in the Parshah of Tetzaveh, since the censure of a righteous person, even if made conditional on an unfulfilled stipulation, always has some effect.

(Baal HaTurim)

While Moses' name does not appear in the Parshah of Tetzaveh, Moses himself is very much present: the entire Parshah consists of G‑d's words to Moses! Indeed, the Parshah's first word is ve'atah, "and you"—the "you" being the person of Moses.

Indeed, the word "you" connotes its subject's very self, while a person's name is a more superficial "handle" on his personality. This means that Moses is more present in our Parshah—that is, present in a deeper, more essential way—than any mention of his name could possibly express.

This is fully in keeping with the Baal HaTurim's explanation (cited above). Because Moses was prepared to forgo mention of his name in the Torah for the sake of his people, he merited that his quintessential self—the level of self that cannot be captured by any name or designation—be eternalized by the Torah. It is this level of Moses' self that is expressed by his "nameless" presence in the Parshah of Tetzaveh.

(The Lubavitcher Rebbe)

And you shall command the children of Israel (27:20)

The word tetzaveh, "you shall command," also means "you shall connect" and "you shall bond." Thus the verse can also be read as G‑d saying to Moses: "And you shall bond with the children of Israel." For every Jewish soul has at its core a spark of the soul of Moses.

(Ohr HaChaim)

more

That they bring to you pure olive oil . . . to raise an everlasting lamp . . . from evening to morning (27:20–21)

These verses contain a paradox: "everlasting flame" implies a state of perptuality and changelessness; "from evening to morning" implies fluctuating conditions of lesser and greater luminance.

For such is our mission in life: to impart the eternity and perfection of the Divine to a temporal world, and to do so not by annihilating or overwhelming the world's temporality and diversity, but by illuminating its every state and condition—from "evening" to "morning"—with the divine light.

(The Lubavitcher Rebbe)

https://w2.chabad.org/media/pdf/68/mwcs685823.pd




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