Parashat Tzav & Shabbat HaGadol 2025
Holy Repetition and Sacred Boredom
The ordinary is not the opposite of the holy; it is the doorway to it.”
(Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Jewish with Feeling)
This week’s Torah portion, Tzav, doesn’t come with dramatic miracles or fiery speeches. Instead, it offers a list of quiet, repetitive tasks: how to offer sacrifices, how to clean ashes, how to keep the fire burning. “A perpetual fire shall be kept burning on the altar; it shall not go out.” (Leviticus 6:6)
The fire doesn’t come from heaven. It comes from human hands. Every day. No matter the weather, the mood, or the season.
We live in a world that loves novelty. We crave inspiration. But most of Jewish life is not built on extraordinary moments. It’s built on rhythm. Waking up with Modeh Ani. Lighting candles every Friday night. Preparing for Pesach each year, even though we know the story by heart. The Talmud teaches: “A mitzvah that is done regularly becomes beloved.” (Sukkah 52b) The act itself, the doing, shapes the heart.
Shabbat HaGadol, the “Great Shabbat” before Pesach, is about preparation. Not just of our homes, but of our souls. Our ancestors didn’t leave Egypt in one night. Freedom came slowly. It required faith, repetition, and preparation.
Reb Zalman taught: “Repetition in spiritual practice doesn’t bind us—it frees us. It creates a container for the soul.”
Judith Plaskow reminds us that ritual should not be mindless. In ‘Standing Again at Sinai’, she writes:“We meet God in the regular rhythms of life, when we are willing to be present.”
The question isn’t whether we repeat. It’s how we bring ourselves into the repetition. Are we awake in it? Are we present?
One of the first priestly tasks in Tzav is to remove the old ashes before lighting the new fire. It’s a small detail—but a powerful one. Before renewal comes clearing. Before freedom comes reflection. Before Pesach, we look at what we carry, and what we’re ready to let go.
As Pesach draws near, may we find meaning not just in dramatic moments of liberation, but in the sacred rhythm of daily life. May we learn to bless what is ordinary. May we tend our inner fires with patience. And may our repetition be full of purpose and heart.
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Pesach Sameach!
