This D’var Torah should be a Zechus L’Ilui Nishmas my sister, Kayla Rus Bas Bunim Tuvia A”H, my mother Chaya Rochel Bas Dovid Tzvi (Hareini Kaparas Mishkavah), my maternal grandfather Dovid Tzvi Ben Yosef Yochanan A”H, my maternal grandfather Dovid Tzvi Ben Yosef Yochanan A”H, my paternal grandfather Moshe Ben Yosef A”H, my paternal grandmother Channah Freidel Bas Avraham A”H, my uncle Reuven Nachum Ben Moshe & my great aunt Rivkah Sorah Bas Zev Yehuda HaKohein,
It should also be in Zechus L’Refuah Shileimah for:
-My father Bunim Tuvia Ben Channa Freidel
-My grandmother Shulamis Bas Etta
-MY BROTHER: MENACHEM MENDEL SHLOMO BEN CHAYA ROCHEL
-Mordechai Shlomo Ben Sarah Tili
-Noam Shmuel Ben Simcha
_R’ Simcha Yitzchak Ben Mirela Yudka
-Chaya Rochel Ettel Bas Shulamis
-It should also be a Z’chus for an Aliyah of the holy Neshamos of HaRav HaGa’on V’Sar HaTorah Shmaryahu Yosef Chaim Ben HaRav Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky A”H, Dovid Avraham Ben Chiya Kehas—R’ Dovid Winiarz ZT”L, Miriam Liba Bas Aharon—Rebbetzin Weiss A”H, as well as the Neshamos of those whose lives were taken by terrorists (Hashem Yikom Damam), COVID-19, and other tragedies.
-It should also be a Z’chus for success for Tzaha”l as well as the rest of Am Yisrael, in Eretz Yisrael and in the Galus.
בס”ד
פרשת צו
“Holy Janitors”
פַּרְשַׁת צַו teaches us about the rules and procedures for bringing קָרְבָּנוֹת in the מִשְׁכָּן and in the בֵּית הַמִקְדָשׁ. (Yes, just like there are procedures in the classroom, there are procedures in the בֵּית הַמִקְדָשׁ.)
The very first עֲבוֹדָה that was done each day in the מִקְדָשׁ was a procedure called the תְּרוּמַת הַדֶשֶׁן. Every morning, a כֹּהֵן would go up to the מִזְבֵּחַ and clean away all of the ashes from yesterday’s קָרְבָּנוֹת.
Question: Why is תְּרוּמַת הַדֶשֶׁן a holy עֲבוֹדָה? It’s just a clean-up job. Why did a כֹּהֵן need to do it? Why couldn’t they just hire a janitor or a maid to do the job?
Answer: תְּרוּמַת הַדֶשֶׁן teaches us an incredible lesson. Cleaning up is not just for janitors! It is a huge מִצְוָה for even the holiest people!
Until the מִזְבֵּחַ was clean, the קָרְבָּנוֹת could not be brought. When we leave a room messy, nobody can use that room to Daven properly, to learn properly, or to serve ה׳ properly. When we clean up after a meal or a party, not only is it a חֶסֶד for everyone else and a great קִידוּשׁ ה׳, but we get credit for every מִצְוָה that the room is used for!
We should be excited to do such a מִצְוָה. In fact, the חַכָמִים teach us that the כֹּהַנִים were so excited that they used to make races and raffles to decide who got to do the תְּרוּמַת הַדֶשֶׁן each day!
Let us try to be “תְּרוּמַת הַדֶשֶׁן” Jews and be the ones to get the special מִצְוָה of cleaning so that other people can do מִצְווֹת. Have a wonderful שַׁבָּת!
Rabbi Eisenberg, Grade 3