Parshat Tzav....Perpetual Fires

Do you remember the Peter Yarrow song, with the refrain,” Don’t let the light go out?”  He didn’t write it about Parshat Tzav, but in a way, its theme could have been related to this week’s Torah portion.  In this second portion of the book of Leviticus, Aaron the priest is told, “  A perpetual fire shall be kept burning on the altar, not to go out.”

Why keep a fire burning continuously?  Is it about symbolizing the ever-lasting presence of G-d as we do now with the Ner Tamid in our sanctuary?  Or Is it about being aware that life demands constant sacrifices for which we must be prepared? Or is it a reminder that we have to keep our inner fires, our passions, for perfecting this world alive always?

I remember thinking as a young adult, that so many Jews before me had struggled for the ability to remain Jewish.  They consciously made sacrifices in order to keep the light burning so it could be passed on to future generations.  In my case it was not only individuals who were unknown to me or even those who were distantly related to me.  It was also relatives with whom I had a direct connection.   I was quite aware that my grandfather Katz left his family in Lithuania and fled to Scotland to avoid conscription in the Russian army, where he knew his chances of remaining a committed and observant Jew were slim to non-existent. In Scotland he pursued smicha (ordination as a Rabbi) and became trained as a shochet (a ritual slaughterer). He took his passion for Jewish living to America where he served as the religious leader of small communities in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia, and ensured that his own family understood the values inherent in Judaism. I imagine that there are many Jewish families that have similar stories to tell their children about individuals who made personal sacrifices to keep the light of Judaism glowing for future generations.

Tonight we will retell the story of Megillat Esther. It is a story that bears repeating year after year but especially this year.  Esther was quite assimilated as a Jewess.  She made her way into public life without having to make anyone aware of her heritage.  It was only upon the prodding of her uncle, Mordechai, that she finally stepped forward to plea for the well-being of her people by unmasking the dastardly plot of Haman.  What sacrifice did she make by revealing her identity?  She risked her life, and acknowledged that she would try to save her people even if it meant she might die in the process.

Why do I say the story bears repeating especially this year?  It is because I believe we too must be willing to say that there are reprehensible plans that exist in the world today against Jews.  The Israel bashing which is done so skillfully in our media, on our college campuses, by churches calling for the boycott, divestment, and sanctions against Israel, and by political groups that would want one to believe that the Jewish nation is a pariah is truly just the New and Improved form of Anti-Semitism.  It is even being adopted by our own children who somehow do not equate the abandonment of Israel with their inability to keep the light burning.  Somehow I wonder if assimilation or self-hatred is to be the wind that attempts to blow out the candle.  

When lies are promulgated against the Jewish people will we make the necessary sacrifices to keep our “fire” lit?  In the words of Peter Yarrow:

Don't let the light go out
It's lasted for so many years
Don't let the light go out
Let it shine through our love and our tears

What is the memory that's valued so highly
That we keep it alive in that flame?
What's the commitment to those who died
That we cry out they've not died in vain?

We have come this far always believing
That justice would somehow prevail
This is the burden, this is the promise
This is why we will not fail

Don't let the light go out
It's lasted for so many years