Parashat Tzav April 12, 2025
Shalom Aleichem,
Blessings, peace unto you and of course, chag pesach sameach to you this week from the internet synagogue to you and your home synagogue. No one likes to be bossed around, but Hashem (Yahweh) certainly did to Moses, …the Hebrew word “Tzav” is “command”. Hashem certainly was the boss, and did a lot of bossing with Moses, we have so much to learn, remember, to follow and….obey the Tzav! Jews, Christians, no difference, all are called to obey the commands.
Also, this begins a special time. חַג פֵּסַח שַׂמֵחַ is when we say in Hebrew chahg pesach semeach, we are saying it as Chahg Sa-MAY-Ach in how we pronounce it (happy holidays), yet specifically “pesach” is passover. Happy passover! In the Americas it runs from Nisan 15-22, for most of you that simply means April 12-April 19, 2025 is passover this year. It begins before sundown Saturday. Unleavened bread. Try not to have yeast and yeast containing products or sodas with corn syrup (it’s a grain). In simplest form, we are supposed to eat matzo and abstain from eating wheat, barley, rye, spelt, and oats for the eight days of Passover use “kosher for passover” matzo, etc. Put a red ribbon around your doorframe like we showed in last weeks blog (https://mountainmajestyministries.com/parashat-vayikra-7-nissan-5785/). Pray that if a war breaks out with Iran after this weekend, that you have your red ribbon, to ask Hashem to let the darkness and evils or smoke and fallout for that matter, “Passover” your home, just like the plagues passed over in Egypt. Shown below for example only, and we are not promoting any brand over another, we have for our home synagogue Yehuda Matzos, Kosher for passover, from Israel. It is heart-breaking to see pastors of Christianity and “modern churches” mislead their flocks, but Hashem never ordained “easter”, it is 100 percent pagan and foul, Mathew 15: 3, Mark 7:13. Instead of easter eggs, many followers of Hashem use pieces of Matzo bread hidden through the house instead for the kids to have fun hunting for. To the believers we say, pesach is to remember coming out of Egypt, but considering easter, don’t forget to come out of Babylon too doing what our faiths ancestors did in Israel instead.
Shabbat HaGadol, is the Shabbat before passover, so Friday night is the once a year Shabbat HaGadol. On our Torah portions this week, we see that Hashem is instructing Moses: “Command (Tzav צַו) Aaron and his sons, commanding: This is the law of the burnt-offering.’” (Leviticus 6:8–9).
In breaking this down to our modern application, as we dont expect you to do any burnt offerings in your living room, but know that when you light your shabbat candles tonight, you are keeping the basic Shabbat commands, plus the priest commands to always keep the fire burning. Hashem, in turn through Moses, commanded the Israelites priesthood (lineage of Aaron) to observe their rights and duties as the kohanim (priests), who in Parashat Tzav are commanded to always keep the fire on the altar burning and never to extinguish it. (Leviticus 6:13).
Torah Portions;
Leviticus 6:1–8:36;
Ezekiel 36:16-36;
1 Corinthians 15:1–58
For your home synagogue shabbat, do your candle lighting, then do your home Synagogue Minchah מִנְחָה – “Meal Offerings”, then do your Shabbat time doing your Shelamim שְׁלָמִים – “Peace Offering”, as well Chatat חַטָּאת – “Sin Offering”, Asham אָשָׁם – “Guilt Offering”, and in remembrance of him that did all these for us, and with us.
We recommend following the news to stay alert if US or Israel looks likes it’s a go to strike Iran, stay safe and remain vigilant for protestors and antisemitic vendettas, but otherwise, remember the reasons for passover, to have it all “passover”.
B’shalom,
asst.rabbi@mountainmajestyministries.com