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££The Seven Days of Consecration that when God “thought” to create the world “the thought of Israel
£The Seven Days of ConsecrationThe Seven Days of Consecration
arose first” (Bereishit Rabbah 1:4).
This correspondence between creation and Israel’s birth and
redemption is also unveiled in other ways by the mystical tradition.
The portion of Tzav describes in great detail the initiation of the
cohanim, the priests, that took place during the seven days of Israel’s slavery in Egypt (a county whose name in Hebrew connotes
preparation before the Tabernacle was finally dedicated on the a sense of narrowness or constriction) is analogous to the tzimtzum
eighth day, Rosh Chodesh Nisan, as discussed in the two previous preceding creation, while the exodus corresponds to the primordial
Torah portions. ray of light piercing the void (see “The Small Alef in Vayikra”
above). Israel’s redemption begins on Rosh Chodesh Nisan and finds
The Zohar (3:34b) relates the seven days of consecration to the its ultimate expression on Shavuot with the Giving of the Torah and
following teaching in the Talmud: “Seven things were created before the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are themselves
the world - The Torah, Repentance, the Garden of Eden, Gehenna, intrinsically linked to the ten utterances of creation, thus an even
the Throne of Glory, the Temple, and the name of Mashiach” deeper fundamental connection between “the day of the ten crowns”
(Nedarim 39b). The Zohar refers to these seven as “lights,” which it – the day that God invites Moses to enter the Tabernacle and gives
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then further corresponds to the seven lights of the menorah which Israel its first mitzvah – and creation is manifest.
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the High Priest would light every day in the Tabernacle.
The alef, written especially small in the word “vayikra” in
The Lubavitcher Rebbe asked why do we need to know about these traditional Torah scrolls, also connects creation and Israel’s birth,
seven pre-creation creations; how can this knowledge benefit our own as mentioned in the first section of Vayikra. However, it furthermore
service of God? His answer is that since a Jew’s divine service in alludes to the fact that Moses, who originally felt inadequate to fulfill
learning Torah and acting according to its dictates and teachings is the mission of redeeming Israel, was truly humble, so much so that
indispensable to the continuation of the world, it needs to follow the the Torah testifies that Moses was “the most humble person on the
pattern and dynamics of how God created and continually re-creates face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3). According to the Midrash, when
the world at every instant. Internalizing these seven concepts or God told Moses to write the word “vayikra,” Moses objected to God
“lights,” and all they represent, gives a Jew a proper world view and couching his invitation in endearing language and asked that the
orientation to life. (For an expanded treatment of these seven things word be written without an alef, so that it implied that God only by
see Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh’s HaMemad HaPnimi; Parshat Tzav). happenstance invited Moses. God told him that this was impossible

This simple yet profound insight personalizes and makes relevant as the heathen prophet Balaam would later be addressed in the
the Torah’s description of creation and the oral tradition’s deep Torah in that manner. A compromise of sorts was reached and God
insights into the Divine creative process, while also shedding light on allowed Moses to write the word with a small alef, to illustrate his
the reason the Torah contains such an abundance of detail regarding humbleness (Tosafot Harosh).
the Tabernacle, which was dedicated on Rosh Chodesh Nisan, the In some deeper sense, the small alef also alludes to God’s humility;
very day the world was created. Every detail of the Tabernacle - for when God invited Moses to enter the Tabernacle, he could not
its construction, consecration, and the service that took part there because God’s glory filled the entire structure. God, as it were, humbly
- gives us eternal spiritual as well as practical teachings in order contracted His infinite presence – alluded to by the small alef – to
to assist us in being partners with God in bringing creation to its allow Moses to enter. This contraction on God’s part to permit Moses
ultimate purpose of rectification and the redemption of all mankind. to enter the Tabernacle mirrors God’s initial act of tzimtzum which

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