The Missing Name of Moses There is one portion of the Torah where Moses' name is absent. From his birth until Deuteronomy (which is written in Moses' voice), every Parsha mentions his name except for this one. When Moses insisted that G-d forgive the Jewish people for the sin of the golden calf, Moses stated: ״And now, if You forgive their sin. But if not, erase me now from Your book, which You have written." The Baal Haturim explains that the words of the righteous have an effect, therefore Moses' "erase me now from your book" are fulfilled within this week's portion. But why was Moses' name removed specifically from this portion? The portion of Tzevah focuses on the priests. The portion begins with the unique eight garments of the high priest and four garments of the other priests and concludes with a detailed description of the seven-day inauguration of the priests. Yet, while the focus is on the priests, Aaron and his children, the portion emphasizes in multiple places the role of Moses in preparing Aaron for his task ("And you bring near to yourself your brother Aaron", "You shall make holy garments for your brother", "And this is the thing that you shall do for them to sanctify them to serve Me", are but a few of the references). The priests were dedicated to spirituality and divine service in the temple. The danger, however, was that the priest might forget that his task was to inspire and influence all Jewish people, including, and perhaps especially, those who seem distant, insensitive, and apathetic to holiness and spirituality. The Torah, therefore, emphasizes that specifically Moses, who was prepared to sacrifice his spiritual state, having his name erased from the Torah, due to his unwavering love, commitment, and dedication to the Jewish people, could inaugurate the priests to their position. For they could serve in the temple only once they internalized the example of Moses and appreciated that the goal of their holiness was not for their own spiritual advance but rather to affect each and every Jew. Adapted from the teachings of the Rebbe, Lekutei Sichos 21 Tezaveh 1
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