Donate
The Rabbi Sacks Legacy
  • English
  • Français
  • עברית
  • English
  • Français
  • עברית
Life & Impact
Books & Audio
Videos
> Commentary > Festivals > Jewish Thought
> Articles > Broadcasts > Speeches > Podcasts > Conversations
> Teaching Resources > Quotes > Animations > Family Editions > Sacks Speakers > Global Community
> Books & Beyond Podcast > Global Day of Learning > Sacks Conversation > Annual Memorial Lecture > Sacks Scholars > Torah V’Chochmah
News & Updates
X (Twitter) Facebook Instagram YouTube WhatsApp Soundcloud LinkedIn TikTok
Donate
Subscribe
Life Books Videos News
 
Commentary Festivals Jewish Thought
Articles Broadcasts Speeches Podcasts Conversations
Teaching Resources Quotes Animations Family Editions Sacks Speakers Global Community
Podcasts Day of Learning Sacks Conversation Memorial Lecture Sacks Scholars Torah V’Chochmah

Search Results for tzav --- search

Tzav

Tzav continues the laws of sacrifices begun in the previous parsha, this time from the perspective of the priests performing the ritual. Rules are set out for burnt and grain offerings, sin and guilt offerings, and peace offerings, each with its own specific procedures. Details are then set out for the induction of Aaron and his sons into office, prior…

Tzav

Understanding Sacrifice

One of the most difficult elements of the Torah and the way of life it prescribes is the phenomenon of animal sacrifices – for obvious reasons. First, Jews and Judaism have survived without them for almost two thousand years. Second, virtually all the prophets were critical of them, not least Jeremiah in this week’s haftarah.[1] None of the prophets sought…

Understanding Sacrifice

…sacrifices – for obvious reasons. First, Jews and Judaism have survived without them for almost two thousand years. Second, virtually all the Prophets were critical of them, not least Yirmiyahu in the Haftarah for parshat Tzav. None of the Prophets sought to abolish sacrifices, but they were severely critical of those who offered them while at the same time oppressing…

Violence and the Sacred

Why sacrifices? To be sure, they have not been part of the life of Judaism since the destruction of the Second Temple, almost two thousand years ago. But why, if they are a means to an end, did God choose this end? This is, of course, one of the deepest questions in Judaism, and there are many answers. Here I…

The Thanksgiving Offering

The Summary This is an abridged version of the essay The Thanksgiving Offering, written by Rabbi Sacks in 2009. In Tzav we learn of the korban todah, the thanksgiving offering. Though we have been without sacrifices for almost two thousand years, a trace survives to this day, in the form of the blessing known as Hagomel: “Who bestows good things…

Left- and Right-Brain Judaism

The Parsha in a Nutshell Parshat Tzav continues the laws of sacrifices that we began to learn in last week’s parsha, but this time we learn about the requirements of the Kohanim who will be the ones actually performing the rituals. The laws of the burnt and grain offerings, sin and guilt offerings, and peace offerings, are all discussed, and…

Why Civilisations Die

…how, rather than clinging obsessively to the past, leaders like Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai thought forward to a worst-case-scenario future. The great question raised by parshat Tzav, which is all about different kinds of sacrifice, is not “Why were sacrifices commanded in the first place?” but rather, “Given how central they were to the religious life of Israel in Temple…

Destructive & Self-Destructive

The Parsha in a Nutshell Parshat Tzav continues the laws of sacrifices begun in the previous parsha, this time from the perspective of the Priests who are the ones performing the ritual. The laws of the burnt and grain offerings, sin and guilt offerings, and peace offerings, are discussed, each with its own specific method. How Aaron and his sons…

Why Were We Created?

…of his essays on Tzav he writes “I believe that this fugue between Torah and Haftara, Priestly and Prophetic voices, is one of Judaism’s great glories. We hear both how to act and why. Without the how, action is lame; without the why, behaviour is blind. Combine Priestly detail and Prophetic vision and you have spiritual greatness.” “I believe that this…

Posts navigation

Older posts
The Rabbi Sacks Legacy
X (Twitter)
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
WhatsApp
Soundcloud
LinkedIn
TikTok

Life & Impact

  • Biography
  • Timeline
  • Image Gallery
  • Tributes
  • Personal Reflections

Books & Audio

  • All Books
  • Book Indexes
  • Audiobooks
  • Music

Torah Teachings

  • Covenant & Conversation
  • Jewish Festivals
  • Jewish Thought

Morality & Ethics

  • Articles
  • Broadcasts
  • Speeches
  • Podcasts
  • Conversations

Resources

  • Teaching Resources
  • Sacks Speakers

Quotes

  • All Quotes

Family Editions

  • Covenant & Conversation: Family Edition
  • Ceremony & Celebration: Family Edition

Videos

  • All Videos
  • Animations

News

  • Latest News

Projects

  • Podcasts
  • Sacks Scholars
  • Torah V’Chochmah

Events

  • Global Day of Learning
  • Sacks Conversation
  • Memorial Lecture

About Us

  • The Rabbi Sacks Legacy
  • Board of Trustees
  • Global Advisory Board
  • Professional Team
  • Contact Us

Support The Rabbi Sacks Legacy

Help us continue sharing the teachings and ideas of Rabbi Sacks

Donate

Subscribe to our mailing list

  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

An earlier version of this website was dedicated in the memory of Brian Roden, Shmuel ben Benjamin HaCohen z”l.
The Rabbi Sacks Legacy Trust is a charity registered in the UK, charity number 1152781. The Rabbi Sacks Legacy Corp is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) registered in the USA, EIN No. 46-5102221.

© 1981-2025 The Rabbi Sacks Legacy Trust. All rights reserved.

By Fogarty+Patchett and Logic London