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This week in Parshat Tzav, we begin to learn more of the many details surrounding how sacrifices were offered in ancient Israel.  In Leviticus 6:3-4 we read, “The priest shall dress in linen raiment, with linen breeches next to his body; and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar and place them beside the altar.  He shall then take off his vestments and put on other vestments and carry the ashes outside the camp to a pure place.”

“Why were the ashes treated with such reverence?” the Etz Hayim Torah Commentary asks.  And the answer given is, “It symbolizes the idea that what was holy yesterday must be treated with respect today as well.”  In other words, if something is holy, no matter what it has been through, it remains holy and deserving of respect.

As human beings, each of us, created b’tzelem Elohim – in God’s image, is holy.  There are times we may feel as though we have been through the fire, and we come out feeling less holy.  There are times we feel we have made sacrifices, or we have sacrificed ourselves or our principles in certain situations, and in the end, we feel less holy.  This week’s Torah portion reminds us that no matter what we have been through, no mater what we have experienced, in the end, even if we are not as whole, we are as holy as we began.

- Rabbi Shana Nyer