Shemos, 27:20: “And you will command the Children of Israel that they will take for you pure olive oil, pressed for illumination, to kindle a lamp continually.”
Baal HaTurim, 27:20: “[It does not mention] Moshe in this Portion, which is not the case in the whole Chumash from the time that Moshe was born, there is no Portion in which he is not mentioned. And the reason is because he said, “please erase me from Your book which You wrote”, and the curse of a Scholar is fulfilled even [when it is done] with a condition. And it was fulfilled here [in that his name is not mentioned in this Portion]. Furthermore, this Section talks about the function of the Kehunah and the Kehunah Gedolah was [supposed to come] from Moshe, but because he refused to do the shlichus haMakom (on behalf of HaShem), it was taken from him, and given to Aaron. Therefore, Moshe’s name is not mentioned in this Section, because [it would cause him] pain.”
Parshas Tetzaveh is the only Parsha in the entire Torah from the birth of Moshe Rabbeinu to not mention Moshe by name. The Baal HaTurim reveals the source for this anomaly: In the following Parsha of Ki Sisa, Moshe pleads with HaShem to forgive the Jewish people for the heinous sin of the Golden Calf. Moshe then adds that if HaShem refuses to forgive them, then his name should be erased from the entire Torah. HaShem did ultimately forgive the people, but there is a principle that when a great person makes a conditional curse, the curse will be fulfilled in some form, even if the condition does not take place. In this instance, Moshe’s name was not erased from the entire Torah, but from one Parsha, that of Tetzaveh.
The Baal HaTurim continues to offer an explanation of why Tetzaveh in particular was the Parsha in which Moshe’s name was hidden. He explains that when HaShem first instructed Moshe at the Burning Bush to redeem the Jewish people, Moshe steadfastly refused to go to such an extent that the Torah states that HaShem got angry with Moshe. When the Torah says that HaShem gets angry, there is normally a punishment that follows, yet the next verse does not openly indicate any punishment. HaShem merely tells Moshe that his brother, Aaron the Levi, is coming to greet him. One opinion in the Gemara explains that a punishment is alluded to in these words – HaShem was communicating that Moshe was supposed to be the Kohen Gadol and Aaron was supposed to be a Levi, but now Moshe would have that honor removed from him, and Aaron would be the Kohen Gadol.
The implication of the Baal HaTurim is that the omission of Moshe’s name is a kind of punishment, yet this is very difficult to understand. Moshe displayed unfathomable mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice) to have his name removed from the whole Torah in order to save Klal Yisrael. Accordingly, why was he punished by having his name removed from an entire Parsha?
One answer is that this was not a punishment per se, but rather a result of Moshe’s self-sacrifice. He was willing to give up everything to save the Jewish people, and consequently he did ‘suffer’ the omission of his name in Parshas Tetzaveh.
However, Rav Gedaliah Schorr zt”l offers an alternative explanation. He suggests that the omission of Moshe’s name is not a negative consequence at all, rather the lack of a name implies a higher level of chibah (love) between HaShem and Moshe Rabbeinu. He cites Chazal as saying that the Parsha begins with a ‘vav’ – ‘v’atah tetzaveh’ – the vav is a letter of connection, which in this context implies that HaShem was saying to Moshe, “you and I are together”. He further states that a name gives someone an identity separate from HaShem, but that Moshe reached such a high level of self-nullification that there was no separation between him and HaShem. In a similar vein, the Birkas Avraham notes that a name indicates something in the physical world, but a Malach does not have a true name of identification, as in the case of the Malach that told Yaakov Avinu ‘why do you ask of my name’? So too, Moshe attained the elevated level of spirituality that he did not have a name, at least for one Parsha.
Rav Yissachar Frand shlit”a makes an interesting point: There are two places where the Torah mentions accolades about Moshe. One place is in Parshas BeHaalosecha where HaShem extolls Moshe’s great humility. The other place is in Parshas V’zos HaBracha, where the Torah relates Moshe’s final obituary and his achievements. Seemingly, these are the only two places where the Torah provides testimony to Moshe’s greatness. However, argues Rav Frand, the Baal HaTurim is teaching us that there is a third passage that speaks volumes about the character and qualities of Moshe Rabbeinu – in Parshas Tetzaveh. The praise is the fact that Moshe’s name is not mentioned in the entire Parsha. This is a tribute to Moshe’s great Mesiras Nefesh.
Moshe was willing to give up everything for the Jewish people. Needless to say, the level he reached is unattainable for us, but each person on their level can try to find some way in which they can give up a little bit of time, effort or money to help others.
We learn from Moshe that ultimately, a person will only gain by doing this, with the ultimate reward – enhanced closeness to HaShem.
SHORT VORT, Rabbi Moshe Kormornick. Published by Adir Press. $9.99 in stores worldwide and online here
Whether you are looking for something meaningful on the Parsha, an uplifting thought for Yom Tov, or have been asked to speak at a Simcha – “Short Vort” is the book for you! With over 140 incredible short vorts packed with stories and valuable life messages, you will never be lost for something inspiring to say.
Rabbi Moshe Kormornick is a popular writer whose words are enjoyed by thousands of readers every week.
