Parshas Tezaveh - A thought on the first Rashi

"And you will command the Children of Israel that they should take for you clear olive oil ..."
~ Exodus 27:20

Rashi points out that "clear" means "without sediment."

When I initially read this Rashi I said, in all my eloquence, "Duh."  Doesn't "clear" mean "without sediment?"
Then it occurred to me that oil can be clear with sediment settled at the bottom.

And that got me thinking - wouldn't that be good enough?

Perhaps Rashi is pointing out that the answer, in fact, is no.

It sure would have been easier, in the desert, with few tools, and little time, to simply comply with God's command by producing clear-enough oil.

But maybe, for that which matters most in life, we are asked to go the extra mile.  Even if few notice, even if it doesn't seem to be drastically different, we are taught that the difference between good and best is a degree of effort.

For whom, and for what, do we show that concern?




Guest posting by
Jeffrey L. Korbman
Campaign Director
Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest

Lech Lecha - Thoughts on the first Rashi

“G-d said to Abram, go ‘for yourself’ from your birthplace, from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.”  

Bereshis (Genesis) 12:1

Rashi focused on the phrase “for yourself”.  In Hebrew it is the word “Lecha.”

He wrote, “Go for yourself, for your pleasure, and for your benefit.  There, I will make you a great nation, whereas here [where you are now] you do not merit having children.  And furthermore, I will make your name known in the world.”

This is one of the most well known comments of Rashi in the Torah.  His focus on the word “Lecha” (“for yourself”) seems to be because it is superfluous.  G-d simply could have said “Go from your birthplace….”  or in the modern vernacular, “leave.”  What Rashi suggested is that this move for Abram had an agenda; one for him and a great impact on his progeny.  As a result of Abram’s leaving, the trajectory of mankind would forever change.

Rashi’s comment invites interpretation.  What strikes me is that moving from what’s familiar, indeed change in general, can be incredibly stressful and cause anxiety.  Change is hard, and few enjoy leaving what’s familiar.  Yet Rashi’s suggestion that it was for Abram’s benefit may also suggest that change can offer precisely what is necessary to grow, to see things anew, to have greater impact, and realize one potential.  In this way, it is not hard to see how proper change can affect our lineage after we are gone.

Abram’s advantage is that he was told to change environment by G-d.  For us, we must look to different voices and signs, often not as clear and succinct.  Are we open to those messages of change, or are we stuck in our own version of “Who moved my cheese?” day after day, year after year?

Guest-posting by

Jeffrey Korbman

Woodworker

Highland Park