| ב"ה וּפָשַׁט אֶת בְּגָדָיו וְלָבַשׁ בְּגָדִים אֲחֵרִים וְהוֹצִיא אֶת הַדֶּשֶׁן אֶל מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה (ויקרא ו, ד) He shall then take off his garments and put on other garments, and he shall remove the ashes to outside the camp. (Vayikra 6:4) Kohanim Without Borders One of the daily tasks in the Mishkan was to clear the ashes from atop the altar and dispose of them outside the camp (in Temple times, outside Jerusalem). Although this task was not an actual part of the Temple service, and the kohen assigned to the job was required to change into clothes of lesser value (so that his priestly garments did not become soiled), no kohen ever hesitated to do this job (see Rambam, Laws of Temidim Umusafim 2:14). The Jewish people are "a kingdom of kohanim" (Shemos 19:6), and our duties mirror the services performed by the kohanim in the Temple. Their willingness to do any task, even if it required leaving the camp, teaches us that we must not differentiate between our responsibility to our fellow Jews "within the camp" and those who are "outside the camp." We must not say, "I will devote myself to the spiritual needs of those who are already living a Torah life, but the people who are not yet Torah-observant I will leave to others who are more suited to the task." The service in the Mishkan and Beis Hamikdash teaches us that this approach is mistaken. The same kohanim—indeed the very same kohen (Rashi on Vayikra 6:4)—who took part in the Temple service would happily take the ashes outside the camp. Like the kohen, we must be ready and willing to change "garments," i.e., to engage a fellow Jew on his level, even if he is still a long way from living a life of Torah and mitzvos. —Likutei Sichos vol. 37, p. 6, ff. 33 | |
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