Tzav
What is the meaning of our rituals?
Reflection by Or HaLev Teacher Rabba Dr. Mira Neshama Weil:
"In parashat Tzav, we read about a pagan-like rite that seems quite removed from our spiritual lives today.
In describing the way Aaron, the High Priest, and his sons are to perform sacrifices, the Torah says that after the animal has been slaughtered, some of its blood is to be placed on some parts of the priest’s body.
`Moses took some of its blood, and placed it on the cartilage of Aaron's right ear, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot` (Vayikra 8.23).
What can be the meaning of placing the blood of the sacrificed animal on these specific parts of the body? And why on the right side?
Rituals are pointers to deeper symbolism.
In the Jewish spiritual tradition, the right side symbolizes action. And for 1st Century commentator Philo from Alexandria, performing the ritual on the ear, hand and foot, is a reminder for us 'to be pure in words and actions and in our lifestyle; for words are judged by hearing, the hand is the symbol of action, and the foot of the pilgrimage of life.`
Jewish spiritual practices can help us purify our thoughts, words, actions, so that we can live from a place of awareness and intentionality. All we have to do is pay attention to the meaning that is already there.
Today, there is no temple, and so no sacrifices to perform. Avodah, divine service, has become prayer, and this has become the task of each of us.
Avodat halev, the service of the heart, is a mindfulness practice. Mindfulness practice is not just about sitting down and meditating. It is also about committing to ethical behavior in everyday life. For that, gestures and objects can become pointers of presence; and powerful reminders of our commitments to our values.
Most Jewish rituals can be such pointers, when we use them as such. When we infuse Jewish practices with meaning, our actions, ritualistic or ordinary, can become our mindfulness teachers."