Even a king can take joy in performing menial work

Leviticus 6:1-8:36

Jeremiah 7:21-8:3, 9:22, 23

Shabbat HaGadol

Malachi 3:4-24

by Rabbi Stephen Pearce

"Please take the garbage out, dear!"

As many times as this request is uttered in millions of households, so too, is the litany of responses -- ahem, excuses -- offered for why a particular moment is just not the right one:

"Honey, I'm tired; let the kids do it." "I'll do it later." "Don't you see how I'm dressed? Do you want me to ruin my business suit?" "I'll do it in the morning." "I'll do it when the can is full."

Parashat Tzav provides an ancient account of the taking out of the garbage -- with an interesting twist, one that provides an important lesson in humility:

"This is the ritual of the burnt offering: The burnt offering itself shall remain where it is burned upon the altar all night until morning, while the fire on the altar is kept going on it. The priest shall dress in linen raiment, with linen breeches next to his body; and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar and place them beside the altar. He shall then take off his vestments and put on other vestments, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place" (Leviticus 6:1-4).

Who took out the garbage in the ancient Temple? The priests did, dressed in priestly finery (Exodus 28:39-40). While the chore of taking out the Temple garbage might be better suited for a custodian than a Kohen, this lowly task teaches that every job, from the ones that afford the greatest esteem and reward to the most menial jobs done by unskilled laborers, is important.

The chore of ash removal is not the only reminder that the priest had to be considerate of the poor and the needy. The ancient ceremony of exhibiting the lechem hapanim -- literally, the bread of the Face (also called the shewbread) -- involved the weekly changing of 12 loaves of carefully arranged bread on a table set in front of God's altar (Lev. 24:5-6, Ex. 25:23-30 and 40:22-23).

The previous week's loaves were given to the poor because the priests alone were permitted to eat from the sacrifices and always had enough to eat. In the midst of their plenty, with sated appetites, the priests passed the table set with peasant bread made from the simple ingredients of flour and water.

This reminded them of people who did not have the opportunity to share their good fortune, who sat at tables set only with humble, plain bread.

The recognition that all are equal in the sight of God and that even those who have attained success in life need to be mindful of those less fortunate is illustrated in this story:

At his coronation, a king who was once a slave promised his concerned royal court, "Do not worry; I will never forget that I am king."

But the king immediately puzzled his subjects by ordering the construction of a securely locked, windowless hut in the royal courtyard. From time to time, the king would go inside for a few minutes, exit and lock the door. While the people were curious, none of them ever learned of the hut's treasured contents.

Every year the king issued a new law:

Every slave would be set free after six years of service. Slaves should be paid for the work they did. They could buy their freedom with the money they earned. No one had the right to own anyone else.

Years later, the king's minister asked, "What are you guarding so closely in that little hut?"

"Inside are my most treasured possessions," the king responded. He opened the door and ushered the minister inside. When he came out, the minister scratched his head and said, "I see only a slave's loincloth, worn sandals and crude tools."

"That's right," said the king. "These are my most treasured possessions, because when I became king, I made a promise that I would never forget that I was king. But at the same time, I made a promise to God that I would never forget that I once was a slave."

Mishnah Yoma (2.2) relates that often the priests were so anxious to perform the task of removing the ashes of the sacrifice that a lottery had to be held to determine who would receive this honor.

Thus, if the tradition teaches that even kings and priests should clamor to do menial work to remember the importance of humility, and that all people are equal in the sight of God, then we, who are not of a priestly or royal class, also ought to remember this, especially the next time we are asked to take out the garbage!