At the beginning and end of this week’s parsha, the same word is used in two different mitzvoth performed in the mishkan. Read the first 2 psukim of the parsha (Shmot 21:20-21) and then towards the end, chapter 29: 38-46. Do you see a word repeated in both contexts?
Answer: tamid, which means “always”. In the Torah, however, it means even more than that. It refers to consistency. Every day, day in and day out, the menorah was lit. And every day, day in and day out, the korban tamid was offered – morning and afternoon.
There is a midrash which asks: What is the most important pasuk in the whole Torah?
What would you answer?
One Rabbi suggests the first pasuk of Shma: Hear O’ Israel the Lord our God, The Lord is One.
One Rabbi suggest: Love your fellow neighbor as thyself – the basis for so many mitzvoth.
But one Rabbi says Chapter 29 pasuk 39, from our parsha: One sheep you will offer in the morning, and one sheep you will offer in the afternoon!
How can this be the most important pasuk in the WHOLE Torah?
The answer is that this pasuk reflects the value of consistency, serving G-d and staying true to the values of Torah daily.
What have you done recently that you’ve been proud of that you wish you could do daily?
How can one routinize certain behaviors?
Why is it that “once-in-a-while” just isn’t enough for the beliefs and values in which we believe strongly?
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