Saving the Most Important For Last?

Parshat Tetzaveh

by Rabbi Avi Billet

The parsha ends with a seemingly out of place description of the commandment for making the small altar – the “mizbeach hazahav” – the golden, spice-burning mizbeach.

 Considering that the commandment for most of the Mishkan’s vessels and priestly garments have been completed, and the second half of the parsha focuses so much on the consecration of the kohanim (priests), one wonders why the holdout for this vessel? It should have been listed alongside the commandments for its neighbors in the Mishkan, namely the ark, the menorah, and the table!

 Not only is its placement alarming, but its function is also described in certain detail, while the function of every other vessel is limited to a passing verse in the midst of the focus on its construction. See, for example, 25:21 – “You place into the ark the testimony that I will give you.” And 25:30 – “It is on this table that showbread shall be placed before Me at all times.” For the menorah, nothing was mentioned in the commandment of its construction of how it was to function (though calling it a lamp and describing its oil cups does make it obvious). Though we do get a brief interlude about it at the beginning of Tetzaveh (27:20-21).

 But all of this pales in comparison to this (30:7-10):

“Aaron shall burn incense on [this altar] each morning when he cleans out the lamps. He shall [also] burn [incense] before evening when he lights the lamps. Thus, for all generations, there will be incense before God at all times. Do not burn any unauthorized incense on it. Furthermore, do not offer any animal sacrifice, meal offering, or libation on it. [Furthermore,] once each year Aaron shall make atonement on the horns of [this altar]. For all generations, he shall make atonement with the blood of the atonement sacrifice once each year. [This altar] shall be a holy of holies to God.” 

 We’re talking about do’s and don’ts, we’re talking about Yom Kippur, we’re talking about daily activity, and the future. The copper Mizbeach gets no discussion in Terumah of its functionality as a sacrificial altar. Of course those details will be articulated in the book of Vayikra. And while the details of the k’toret will be more spelled out in next week’s parsha (not waiting until the book of Vayikra), it still doesn’t belong here. The parshas of Terumah and Tetzaveh focus on the commandments to build – not the details of how things are to function. Let us recall “Na’aseh V’Nishma.” We will build it, and then we’ll hear and learn how it is all to be used!

 What makes this small altar unique is its role in the Mishkan, in contrast to the role of every other vessel. It is the indoor vessel with the highest usage traffic. And its function, much more than the static Aron (ark), and the used once-weekly Shulchan (table), and even the daily menorah, is much deeper than mere functionality or presence.

 There is a debate as to whether the instruction for the Mishkan pre-dated or was a response to the sin of the Golden Calf. In either case, the depiction of Aharon as being the one to burn the spices on the small mizbeach – though it could have been done by any Kohen, except for on Yom Kippur – is very telling.

 The Gaon of Vilna points out that all pieces of the Mishkan that were described beforehand need to be in place for God’s presence to rest on the mishkan, while the k’toret and the kesef hakippurim stand to bring about forgiveness for the Jewish people.

 The k’toret and its base for functionality are listed last because it will remain most clearly in memory. Yes, the instructions for the mishkan are important. And we will see them followed to the finest detail. However, the need for God’s Divine Presence to rest on and in the Mishkan is only important so that the small mizbeach can achieve its goal of bringing atonement for the people. That is the primary function.

 However, we must always remember the exortation of the prophet Yeshayahu 1:11 – when he said God is weary of sacrifices and even the smell of the flour offerings and k’toret, if they are meant to serve, in our own eyes, as replacements for good deeds, and for caring for one another.

 Let us suggest, therefore, that the small mizbeach comes last along with a few details of its functionality in order to serve as a reminder to everyone of that service which is so necessary, when we are otherwise so close to God and we can look to the kohanim to give us the edge we need to achieve atonement for bad deeds – such as, perhaps, the Golden Calf. (Note the mention of Aharon, who was so significantly involved in the Golden Calf episode.)

 Absent such a reality – of our being so close to God, yet so misguided – the k’toret mizbeach coming at the end serves as a different reminder to us, a reminder of what could be our ideal, were our living conditions different. If we merited to have a functioning Mikdash, the k’toret could serve as the medium for helping our forgiveness for our minor infractions come about.

 But when the last item in our memory is a simple solution for atonement in a Mishkan we are not privileged to have, we are reminded that we have much work to do in order to achieve a rebuilding of such an edifice. As Yeshayahu recommends, “Wash, cleanse yourselves, remove the evil of your deeds from before My eyes, cease to do evil. Learn to do good, seek justice, strengthen the robbed, perform justice for the orphan, plead the case of the widow.”

 When we learn to do that, perhaps the k’toret will be able to serve in its idyllic fashion once again.