Parashat Tetzaveh
11 Adar 5786 / February 28th, 2026
By Robert
Franklin
This Week’s Readings:
Torah: Exodus 27:20 –
30:10; Deuteronomy 25 :17-19
Haftarah: 1 Samuel 15:2-34
Brit Chadashah: Luke 16:14-15, 20:1-8
As
we all know, life can get extremely busy. Sometimes it feels like you are
drowning under a myriad of different things. Kids, housework, job work, family
obligations, can sap you of time to yourself to relax and study. Sometimes for
extended periods of time. I have found myself being forced to prioritize stuff
like making sure my daughter is fed over stuff like taking an extra shower at
night. This can of course mean that you cannot spend as much time focusing on
G-d. And when this happens, we are forced to prioritize too. Not just putting G-d over secular activities, but prioritizing
worshipping G-d over other religious activities such as studying the Bible.
Thankfully, I believe that G-d is aware of this and will not judge us too
harshly, as long as we are prioritizing the important stuff.
In
the Torah portion, we are treated to a veritable laundry list of instructions. This
is of course not uncommon in the Torah and really puts into perspective what is
really important. I am not saying we should ignore the proper way to dress the
Kohen, or that it is unimportant. All of it comes from G-d, but it can
certainly be overwhelming trying to remember and follow all of it. What G-d
ultimately wants is to be close to each and every one of us. And so, when the
going really gets tough, that is what we should prioritize.
In
the Haftarah portion, we get a good example of what happens when you don't prioritize
the big things. King Saul ignores a direct order from G-d to kill the king of
the Amalekites and dispose of their cattle and treasures. I think this is
notable because of the reasoning here. Saul does not kill the king of Amalek
because he respects him as a fellow monarch, and he is afraid of his people
turning against him if they are not properly compensated with the good stuff
for the Amalekites. Saul got all of the small details right. He campaigned, he
defeated the Amalekites decisively, he planned to make appropriate sacrifices
to G-d. But he did not listen to what G-d had really asked of him. He missed
the forest for the trees.
The Brit
Chadashah portion deals with a group of people who were essentially
experts at focusing on the small things while missing the big things G-d asks
of us; the Pharisees. I could have used almost any passage here. The Pharisees
of course get a bad rap, and I always try to give them the benefit of the doubt
when I talk about them. I don't think they were all corrupt lovers of money who
saw religion as nothing more than following every obscure command in the Torah
while ignoring what G-d was telling them. But, I do think that there was a
sense of complacency and corruption within their ranks. One gets the sense from
reading about them that they are prioritizing the day to day minutia of the
Torah, as well as political machinations over what G-d wants them to focus on.
I am sure that they did truly follow all of the laws set out by G-d, more so
for the obscure ones with less day to day application. But I think we can all
see the danger in putting the explicit details of the Kohens garments over our prioritizing
a genuine relationship with G-d.
So
as hard as it can be, when you are stressed and busy, take a step back and
focus on what really matters in your relationship with G-d. If it is becoming
stressful to get through certain prayers or to read as much as you want to,
then take a step back. Doing it to do it isn't healthy and isn't what G-d
wants. You can get back to it when life inevitably slows down again, even if it
takes what seems like forever to get there.