Back in 1996, Rabbi Finman was asked to speak to the niece of one of his students. After spending many hours answering her questions, the woman gave Rabbi Finman her e-mail address. Rabbi Finman wrote the woman a note and included in it a short insight into that week's Parsha and a short Chasidic story.
Realizing that this was something no one was yet doing,, Rabbi Finman sent the missive to his mailing list of about 30 people. Requests from recipients friends came pouring in. The next week Rabbi Finman sent the e-Parsha to 100 people. Within a year more than 2000 people were receiving it. Today, more than 14,000 receive the e-Parsha weekly and the requests keep coming in.
Tzav 5896
VAYIKRA 5896
Vayakhel Pekudei 5786
Ki Sissa 5786
Titsaveh 5786
Tzav 5896
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The portion of Tsav, Leviticus 6-8, is a direct continuum of last week's portion and deals entirely with the sacrificial offerings. The verse states, "The fire shall burn continually on the altar, it shall never be extinguished." Chassidus explains that the sanctuary as it is described in the Torah, is an analogy for the individual's service to the almighty. Each of the different vessels in the temple and all of the services can be applied to our lives today.
There were two altars in the Temple, an outer altar used for sacrifices and an inner altar used for incense. The altar is analogous of a person's heart. The fiery love for G’d, described in Song of Songs, can never be extinguished. Our sages tell us that even though a person may sin and be very far from their roots, they are still Jewish. There still remains within them a "pilot Light" (Or if you would like to modernize the example, an "electronic ignition") that can always be ignited, rekindling the flame.
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It once happened on the eve of Pesach, that Reb Levi Yitschok of Berdichev (late 1700's) asked the village smuggler to procure three yards of fine Chinese silk (the border between Russia and China has been closed for more than 500 years). Within an hour, the Rabbi had the illegal silk in his hands. He then went and knocked on the door of a villager requesting a piece of pumpernickel. The townsman began sobbing uncontrollably at the Rebbe's request. How could the Rebbe suggest that he would have the forbidden foodstuff right before the holiday?! This scenario repeated itself several times. After many attempts to acquire a piece of pumpernickel, Reb Levik went to the synagogue, opened the doors of the ark where the Torah is kept and cried out to the Almighty, "Master of the Universe. The borders of this country are closed. Armed guards threaten to shoot any smugglers. Yet, in less than an hour, I was able to obtain contraband goods. Look at your people Israel. There are no borders, no guards, yet it behooves even the simplest of persons to violate any of your commandments. Is it not time to send the Moshiach?"
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