This week’s parsha is Tzav, which means ‘command’. G‑d instructs Moses to command Aaron and his sons regarding their obligations as kohanim who offer the korbanot (sacrifices) in the Sanctuary. Chapter 6 verse 5 says:
Which translates to “and the fire on the altar shall burn on it; it shall not go out. The kohen shall kindle wood upon it every morning.”
The Talmud (Eruvin 63a) explains that even though the fire descended from heaven on to the Altar, it is a mitzvah to add to it a humanly produced fire.
This means that when G-d creates something, we are meant to maintain and improve it. When I was in high school, I was a madricha for my synagogue’s religious school. I helped in the second grade classroom and the teacher emphasized that our students should be partners with G-d. The example she always used was that she wanted M&Ms. She would stand in front of the class and ask G-d to give her M&Ms. The students would laugh and then she would explain. G-d gave her life, gave her a brain, gave her the ability to learn and get a job, and eventually gave her the ability to earn money to go out and by herself some M&Ms. Again, G-d created us, gave us this initial opportunity, and it is for us to take what we have and make something out of ourselves and the world. We can use our capabilities that G-d granted us, and work to make the world a better place.
As our Chassidic masters say “This is a rule that applies to all areas of life: the gifts of life are bestowed upon us from Above, yet it is G-d's desire that we add to them the product of our own initiative.”
Alisa Baron is a student at UT