Daphna Levin-Kahn – Head of Jewish Studies High School

Sweeping the Sheds & Ordinary Clothes 
The Kohanim and The All Blacks

Parashat Tzav, Vayikra (Leviticus) Chapters 6-8,פרשת צו

Adam Ezekiel, Director of Students, gave a wonderful motivational speech in our High School assembly on Tuesday, the messages of which meld beautifully with our Torah portion for this week’s, Parashat Tzav.

In his presentation, Adam spoke of several rituals and habits that the All Blacks practised as part of their routine, that led them to be one of the most successful teams of all time. One of these practises included “sweeping out the sheds”, which the All Blacks players do every time, even though they could give this menial job to other “lesser” employees.

In our parasha this week, God speaks to Moshe and instructs him on the duties that the Kohanim were to perform in the Temple. The Kohanim, the Priests directly descending from Aaron (the first Kohen Gadol, High Priest), had the holiest positions within the Temple, led by the Kohen Gadol. Other, less holy but still sanctified duties were performed by the rest of the Levites, the larger tribe from which Aaron and the Kohanim descended.

The holy duties of the Kohanim included carrying out the many sacrifices that were required each day, the pinnacle of religious practice for the B’nei Yisrael at the time, dressed in their white linen finery. Yet the very first task a Kohen had to carry out every day was to dress in “ordinary clothes” and clear away the ashes from the previous night’s sacrifices. The Talmud (Yoma 23) talks about how the Kohanim even fought for the honour of performing this seemingly lowly task!

As with the All Blacks ritual, this was intended to ensure that humility was a daily practice for the Kohanim, that they did not lose sight of or see themselves as overly superior to the “ordinary people” of B’nei Yisrael. This also served to demonstrate to all that holiness can be found within the mundane.

Shabbat Shalom