Portion 25 of 54 · Leviticus
צַו
Tzav
The same offerings from the priests' side: who clears the ashes, who eats what, and a fire that must never go out.
Start by reading it
Leviticus 6:1–8:36
3 chapters. About 12 minutes at an unhurried pace.
Paired reading from the prophets: Jeremiah 7:21–8:3; 9:22–23
What happens
- 01
The priest carries the ashes out himself, in ordinary clothes, before dawn.
- 02
The fire on the altar is to burn continually and never be allowed to die.
- 03
Which parts of each offering the priests eat, and which are entirely given up.
- 04
Aaron and his sons are ordained over seven days, and stay in the tent the whole time.
The thing most people walk past
The high priest takes out the bins
The first duty of the day is removing yesterday's ashes. The most senior religious figure in Israel starts by cleaning up. The text puts it first for a reason.
One verse to carry
Fire shall be kept burning upon the altar continually; it shall not go out.
Read as a picture of anything that only stays alive because someone quietly keeps tending it.
A question to sit with
A fire that is never allowed to go out has to be fed at three in the morning too. What in your life is like that?
There is no answer key. This is the part you take with you.