Torah Trivia for Parshah 20. Tetzaveh (Questions Only)
1.) From what material is the oil for the kindling lamps made?
2.) What are the names of Aaron sons; and when are his sons initially introduced within the Torah?
3.) What are some differences between the respective fabrics from which the curtain partition of the Mishkan, the entrance screen of the Mishkan, and Aaron's ephod are made?
4.) 1.) How many stones are included within Aaron's ephod, and what is inscribed on each stone; and 2.) Which stones are excluded from Aaron's breast plate: a.) carnelian, b.) chrysolite, c.) emerald, d.) turquoise, e.) sapphire, f.) amethyst, g.) jacinth, h.) agate, i.) crystal, j.) beryl, k.) lapis lazuli, m.) jasper, n.) cubic zirchonia, o.) opal, and/or p.) flint?
5.) Where are the Urim and Thumim placed, and what are the Urim and Thumim?
6.) What items are included within the robe that is worn underneath Aaron's ephod?
7.) What is engraved upon Aaron's gold medallion; and where, upon Aaron's body, is he commanded to wear this gold medallion?
8.) 1.) Which items are excluded from being described within Aaron's entire set of prescribed Holy garments: a.) breastplate; b.) ephod; c.) robe; d.) fringed tunic; e.) headdress; f.) sash; and/or g.) linen breeches; and 2.) which items are excluded from being described within the entire set of prescribed Holy garments of Aaron's sons: a.) tunics; b.) sashes; c.) turbans; and/or d.) linen breeches?
9.) 1.) What items are directly utilised as the sacrifices made to ordain Aaron and his sons; and 2.) what is the process to prepare Aaron and his sons for ordination (described within this Parshah)? (list)
10.) Within the ordination sacrifices specifically described within this Parshah, what directly happens to each respective part of 1.) the bull, 2.) the 1st ram, 3.) the 2nd ram, and 4.) the bread?
11.) Who is allowed to eat from the ordination sacrifice, and what is to happen to any left-overs: a.) everyone is allowed to eat it, and leftovers are packaged into separate containers and donated to Meals on Wheels; b.) everyone is prohibited from eating it, and leftovers are to be burned; c.) only Aaron and his sons may eat it, and leftovers are to be salted and stored away; d.) only Levites are able to eat it, and left-overs automatically evaporate like smoke; and/or e.) only foreigners are able to eat it, and there is an absence of any left-overs because only the exact amount needed is regularly provided, much like manna?
12.) From what material is the incense altar made; where is it placed; and what material difference does the incense altar have from the Ark of the Covenant?
Torah Trivia for Parshah 20. Tetzaveh (with Answers)
1.) From what material is the oil for the kindling lamps made?
Answer: "You shall further instruct the Israelites to bring you clear oil of beaten olives for lighting for kindling lamps regularly." (Shemot 27:20).
2.) What are the names of Aaron sons; and when are his sons initially introduced within the Torah?
Answer: "You shall bring forward your brother Aaron, with his sons, from among the Israelites, to serve Me as priests: Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron." (Shemot 28:1); Aaron's sons are first introduced within Parshah Va'era (Shemot 6:23).
3.) What are some differences between the respective fabrics from which the curtain partition of the Mishkan, the entrance screen of the Mishkan, and Aaron's ephod are made?
Answer: Like both the entrance screen and the curtain partition of the Mishkan, Aaron's ephod is made with blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine twisted linen; like the entrance screen of the Mishkan, and however distinct from the curtain partition, Aaron's ephod is made without the design of cherubim (although there is the description of some design worked within Aaron's ephod); and Aaron's ephod is apparently distinguished from both the cloth partition and the entrance screen in that Aaron's ephod is also made with gold thread (Shemot 28:6, compared respectively with Shemot 26:31, 36).
4.) 1.) How many stones are included within Aaron's ephod, and what is inscribed on each stone; and 2.) Which stones are excluded from Aaron's breast plate: a.) carnelian, b.) chrysolite, c.) emerald, d.) turquoise, e.) sapphire, f.) amethyst, g.) jacinth, h.) agate, i.) crystal, j.) beryl, k.) lapis lazuli, m.) jasper, n.) cubic zirchonia, o.) opal, and/or p.) flint?
Answer:
1.) "Then take two lazuli stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel: six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth." (Shemot 28:9 - 10);
2.) The answer is: n.) cubic zirchonia, o.) opal, and p.) flint:
"Set in it mounted stones, in four rows of stones. The first row shall be a row of carnelian, chrysolite, and emerald; the second row: a turquoise, a sapphire, and an amethyst; the third row: a jacinth, an agate, and a crystal; and the fourth row: a beryl, a lapis lazuli, and a jasper."; with alternate descriptions of these stones including: ruby, topaz, diamond, amber, and onyx (Shemot 28:17 - 20).
5.) Where are the Urim and Thumim placed, and what are the Urim and Thumim?
Answer: "Inside the breastpiece of decision you shall place the Urim and Thummim, so that they are over Aaron's heart when he comes before the Lord." (Shemot 28:30); the Urim and Thumim are also described as instruments of Divination: "Thus Aaron shall carry the instrument of decision for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord at all times." (Shemot 28:30).
6.) What items are included within the robe that is worn underneath Aaron's ephod?
Answer: Aaron's robe is to be made of blue material, with a reinforced head opening, and with a fringe of blue, purple, and crimson pomegranates and gold bells on its hem:
"You shall make the robe of the ephod of pure blue. The opening for the head shall be in the middle of it; the opening shall have a binding of woven work round about--it shall be like the opening of a coat of mail--so that it does not tear. On its hem make pomegranates of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, all around the hem, with bells of gold between them all around: a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, all around the hem of the robe." (Shemot 28:31 - 34).
7.) What is engraved upon Aaron's gold medallion; and where, upon Aaron's body, is he commanded to wear this gold medallion?
Answer: Upon Aaron's gold medallion, there is the inscription: "ליהוה קדש;” Kadosh L'YHWH;" "Holy to God;" and it is to be worn on his forehead:
"You shall make a frontlet of pure gold and engrave on it the seal inscription: "Holy to the Lord." Suspend it on a cord of blue, so that it may remain on the headdress; it shall remain on the front of the headdress. It shall be on Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may take away any sin arising from the holy things that the Israelites consecrate, from any of their sacred donations; it shall be on his forehead at all times, to win acceptance for them before the Lord." (Shemot 28:36 - 38).
8.) 1.) Which items are excluded from being described within Aaron's entire set of prescribed Holy garments: a.) breastplate; b.) ephod; c.) robe; d.) fringed tunic; e.) headdress; f.) sash; and/or g.) linen breeches; and 2.) which items are excluded from being described within the entire set of prescribed Holy garments of Aaron's sons: a.) tunics; b.) sashes; c.) turbans; and/or d.) linen breeches?
Answer:
1.) The answer is: "h.)", all of the above items are described within Aaron's entire set of prescribed Holy garments (Shemot 28:4, 42);
2.) The answer is: "e.", all of the above items are described within Aaron's sons' prescribed Holy garments (Shemot 28:40, 42).
9.) 1.) What items are directly utilised as the sacrifices made to ordain Aaron and his sons; and 2.) what is the process to prepare Aaron and his sons for ordination (described within this Parshah)? (list)
Answer:
1.) "This is what you shall do to them in consecrating them to serve Me as priests: Take a young bull of the herd and two rams without blemish; and unleavened bread, unleavened cakes with oil mixed in, and unleavened wafers spread with oil-make these of choice wheat flour." (Shemot 29:1 - 2);
2.) "Lead Aaron and his sons up to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and wash them with water. Then take the vestments, and clothe Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, and the breastpiece, and gird him with the decorated band of the ephod. Put the headdress on his head, and place the holy diadem upon the headdress. Take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him. Then bring his sons forward; clothe them with tunics and wind turbans upon them. And gird both Aaron and his sons with sashes. And so they shall have priesthood as their right for all time." (Shemot 29:4 - 9);
"You shall then ordain Aaron and his sons. Lead the bull up to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and let Aaron and his sons lay their hands upon the head of the bull." (Shemot 29:9 - 10);
"Next take the one ram, and let Aaron and his sons lay their hands upon the ram's head." (Shemot 29:15);
"Then take the other ram, and let Aaron and his sons lay their hands upon the ram's head. Slaughter the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the ridge of Aaron's right ear and on the ridges his sons' right ears, and on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet; and dash the rest of the blood against every side of the altar round about. Take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle upon Aaron and his vestments, and also upon his sons and his sons' vestments. Thus shall he and his vestments be holy, as well as his sons and his sons' vestments." (Shemot 29:19 - 21);
"You shall take from the ram the fat parts-- the broad tail, the fat that covers the entrails, the protuberance on the liver, the two kidneys with the fat on them--and the right thigh; for this is a ram of ordination. Add one flat loaf of bread, one cake of oil bread, and one wafer, from the basket of unleavened bread that is before the Lord. Place all these on the palms of Aaron and his sons, and offer them as an elevation offering before the Lord. Take them from their hands and turn them into smoke upon the altar with the burnt offering, as a pleasing odor before the Lord; it is a gift to the Lord." (Shemot 29:22 - 25);
"You shall take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in the sacred precinct; and Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting." (Shemot 29:31 - 32);
"Thus you shall do to Aaron and his sons, just as I have commanded you. You shall ordain them through seven days, and each day you shall prepare a bull as a purification offering for expiation; you shall purify the altar by performing purification upon it, and you shall anoint it to consecrate it." (Shemot 29:35 - 36);
"For there I will meet with you, and there I will speak with you, and there I will meet with the Israelites, and it shall be sanctified by My Presence. I will sanctify the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and I will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve Me as priests. I will abide among the Israelites, and I will be their God." (Shemot 29:42 - 45).
10.) Within the ordination sacrifices specifically described within this Parshah, what directly happens to each respective part of 1.) the bull, 2.) the 1st ram, 3.) the 2nd ram, and 4.) the bread?
Answer: "Take a young bull of the herd and two rams without blemish; also unleavened bread, unleavened cakes with oil mixed in, and unleavened wafers spread with oil--make these of choice wheat flour. Place these in one basket and present them in the basket, along with the bull and the two rams." (Shemot 29:1 - 3);
1.) "Lead the bull up to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and let Aaron and his sons lay their hands upon the head of the bull. Slaughter the bull before the Lord, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and take some of the bull's blood and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; then pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. Take the fat that covers the entrails, the protuberance on the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat on them, and turn them into smoke upon the altar. The rest of the flesh of the bull, its hide, and its dung shall be put to the fire outside the camp; it is a purification offering." (Shemot 29:10 - 14);
2.) "Next take the one ram, and let Aaron and his sons lay their hands upon the ram's head. Slaughter the ram, and take its blood and dash it against all sides of the altar. Cut up the ram into sections, wash its entrails and legs, and put them with its quarters and its head. Turn all of the ram into smoke upon the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord, a pleasing odor, a gift to the Lord." (Shemot 29:15 - 18);
3.) "Then take the other ram, and let Aaron and his sons lay their hands upon the ram's head. Slaughter the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the ridge of Aaron's right ear and on the ridges of his sons' right ears, and on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet; and dash the rest of the blood against every side of the altar round about. Take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle upon Aaron and his vestments, and also upon his sons and his sons' vestments. Thus shall he and his vestments be holy, as well as his sons and his sons' vestments." (Shemot 29:19 - 21);
3./4.) "You shall take from the ram the fat parts--the broad tail, the fat that covers the entrails, the protuberance on the liver, the two kidneys with the fat on them--and the right thigh; for this is a ram of ordination. Add on flat loaf of bread, one cake of oil bread, and one wafer, from the basket of unleavened bread that is before the Lord. Place al these on the palms of Aaron and his sons, and offer them as an elevation offering before the Lord. Take them from their hands and turn them into smoke upon the altar with the burnt offering, as a pleasing odor before the Lord; it is a gift to the Lord." (Shemot 29:22 - 25);
3.) "Then take the breast of Aaron's ram of ordination and offer it as an elevation offering before the Lord; it shall be your portion. You shall consecrate the breast that was offered as an elevation offering and the thigh that was offered as a gift offering from the ram of ordination--from that which was Aaron's and from that which was his sons'--and those parts shall be a due for all time from the Israelites to Aaron and his descendants. For they are a gift; and so shall they be a gift from the Israelites, their gift to the Lord out of their sacrifices of well-being." (Shemot 29:26 - 28);
3./4.) "You shall take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in the sacred precinct; and Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. These things shall be eaten only by those for whom expiation was made with them when they were ordained and consecrated; they may not be eaten by a layman, for they are holy. And if any of the flesh of ordination, or any of the bread, is left until the morning, you shall put what is left to the fire; it shall not be eaten, for it is holy." (Shemot 29:31 - 34);
4.) "Now this is what you shall offer upon the altar: two yearling lambs each day, regularly. You shall offer the one lamb in the morning, and you shall offer the other lamb at twilight. There shall be a tenth of a measure of choice flour with a quarter of a hin of beaten oil mixed in, and a libation of a quarter hin of wine for one lamb; and you shall offer the other lamb at twilight, repeating with it the grain offering of the morning with its libation--a gift for a pleasing odor to the Lord, a regular burnt offering throughout the generations, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting before the Lord." (Shemot 29:38 - 42).
11.) Who is allowed to eat from the ordination sacrifice, and what is to happen to any left-overs: a.) everyone is allowed to eat it, and leftovers are packaged into separate containers and donated to Meals on Wheels; b.) everyone is prohibited from eating it, and leftovers are to be burned; c.) only Aaron and his sons may eat it, and leftovers are to be salted and stored away; d.) only Levites are able to eat it, and left-overs automatically evaporate like smoke; and/or e.) only foreigners are able to eat it, and there is an absence of any left-overs because only the exact amount needed is regularly provided, much like manna?
Answer: The answer is a combination of "b.)" and "c.)": only Aaron and his sons may eat it, and leftovers are to be burned (Shemot 29:31 - 34).
12.) From what material is the incense altar made; where is it placed; and what material difference does the incense altar have from the Ark of the Covenant?
Answer: The incense altar is made of acacia wood and gold (Shemot 30:1 - 3);
"Place it in front of the curtain that is over the Ark of the Pact--in front of the cover that is over the Pact--where I will meet with you." (Shemot 30:6);
Both the altar of incense and the Ark of the Covenant are made with acacia wood and gold; in addition to difference of shape and size, the Ark of the Covenant includes the shape of cherubim, whilst the incense altar includes horns; and the incense altar includes a molding, whereas such is absent from the Ark of the Covenant (Shemot 30:1 - 5 compared with Shemot 25:10 - 16).
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Discussion Questions:
Why do Aaron, and his sons, become the High Priests, rather than Moshe and his sons? Is this an explicit or implicit consequence of Moshe having a Midianite wife (outside from the tribes of Israel)? What are the dynamics within the distinct leadership, and hierarchy, between Moshe and Aaron, with Moshe as the High Prophet, and as Aaron as the High Priest, and his sons inheriting such leadership? It seems as though Moshe remains the "high leader," particularly because he continues to instruct Aaron and the tribes of Israel; however, the implications regarding the distinct paths of Moshe's and Aaron's respective progeny suggests some limitations, and even contradictions, regarding such "monarchical rule;" is there any legitimacy within this observation, and what are some additional considerations regarding the nature of this leadership, and what are the significant lessons that these dynamics provide historically, contemporarily, and continually?
Is there any significance regarding which tribes of Israel are located on which shoulder of Aaron's ephod (left or right shoulder); or is this simply a logistical arrangement?
Within Aaron's breastplate, there are 12 different types of stones, 1 designated for each tribe of Israel; is there any significance regarding which stone is designated for each specific tribe of Israel? What are the implications of each of these designations and connexions? And there also seems to be some differences in how these stones are contemporarily described; what are the cause and the implication of these differences?
What is the esoteric and intrinsic meaning and significance regarding the sacrifices made during the ordination process of Aaron and his sons? What is the meaning/significance regarding each part of the body, and the process for each, within the sacrifice? What makes the odour pleasing? Amidst an understanding that sacrificing some of an individual's material prosperity is intended to tangibly demonstrate respect, appreciation, and praise of Adonai, is such material sacrifice actually necessary? How does this practise compare with the practise of asceticism, as well as with the principle of moderation? Is it possible to manifest such esoteric connexion through additional means? What is the nature of such esoteric connexion, as described within the Torah, before consumption of flesh is described within the Torah, and how can such esoteric connexion be appropriately maintained amidst the contemporary practise of veganism? Are there any vegetarians who travel within the wilderness towards Eretz Israel?
How does the ordination of Aaron and his sons compare with the ascension of Yosef, and the respective "rites of passage" for Avraham, Yitzak, Yaakov, and Moshe?
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