Reply To: Short & Sweet

Tzav: Serving Whom?

The Parsha opens with the Mitzva of תרומת הדשן, which simply understood means to clean off the מזבח from the ashes of yesterday’s Korbanos. Yet this seemingly lowly act is given as a mitzva, and the Kohen must perform it while wearing his special בגדי עבודה.

Based upon Rabbeinu Bachya, we can offset eh following explanation. It is very easy for a Kohen, or for anybody who is engaging in avodah Hashem in the public eye, to make a massive mistake. Our Avodah can easily stop being about Hashem, and become only about ourselves. “Look at me and all that I have accomplished” is a terrible attitude to go through life with, and that doesn’t change if the accomplishments that feed one’s ego happen to be spiritual in nature.

Therefore, the Kohen is commanded to put on his best בגדי כהונה, and take out the garbage. Nobody would pride themselves on cleaning ashes. The only motivation the Kohen has to do this Avodah, and to wear the בגדי כהונה to emphasize that it is an Avodah, is because they want to do what Hashem wants them to do. This drives home the point that the Avodah is for Hashem, not for the glory of the one performing it.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום