This Shabbath is called Shabbath haGadhol—“The Great Shabbath”—as it precedes Pesaḥ. The perashah that coincides with this Shabbath in the year 5773 is Ṣau (“Command”).
In Wayyiqra’ 6:6, the Eternal—praised be He—commands the priests to keep the fire of the altar burning continually throughout the night. The Eternal, blessed be He, commanded the people of Yisrael to build a miqdash so that He might dwell among them. As we have seen, the phrase “among them” can also be read as “within them.” Each Yisra’eli is like a small sanctuary for the Eternal. The Holy and the Holy of Holies may be seen as representing the heart (emotion) and the mind (thought), respectively—while the outer altar corresponds to the mouth (expression).
The Psalmist said:
“He who offers offerings of praise honors Me, and to the one who sets his path straight I will show the salvation of God” (Mizmor 50:23),
and also:
“Accept, I pray You, Aḏonay, the freewill offerings of my mouth, and teach me Your judgments” (Mizmor 119:108).
The voluntary offerings are the ‘oloth (ascensions), which are completely consumed upon the altar. The Blessed One commands Aharon to keep the fire burning all night long, so that the ‘oloth may be consumed. When comparing the Psalms and Prophets regarding this command, one might infer: if our mouths represent the outer altar, then we ought to be praising the Creator—blessed be He—unceasingly.
The physical Temple was destroyed because our people lost their sense of vision and understanding regarding the offerings. King Dawid said:
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and humbled heart, O God, You will not despise” (Mizmor 51:17).
The prophets of Yisrael rebuked the leaders of their generations for false piety and for bringing offerings without kawanah (intention). The prophet Hoshea envisioned a time when Yisrael would be without a Temple. He prophesied that the offerings of the Temple would be replaced with “the offerings of our lips” (Hoshea 14:3).
Today, when we confess our weaknesses, we are “offering” a qorban ḥaṭṭa’t or asham. When we praise the Eternal through song, poetry, and music, we are “offering” a qorban leTodah (thanksgiving offering). And when we engage in hitbodeduth—spontaneous meditation and secluded prayer—we are “offering” a qorban ‘olah.
The best time to meditate and speak intimately with the Creator is during the night, as the Psalmist said:
“When I remember You upon my bed, and meditate on You in the night watches” (Mizmor 63:6),
and:
“I remembered my songs in the night; I meditate in my heart, and my spirit inquires” (Mizmor 77:6).
In this time when we no longer have a physical Temple, it is the duty of every Yisra’eli to offer tefillah. The Sages of old composed prayers to establish a daily structure of service independent of the Temple. Later, Se‘adyah Ga’on arranged these prayers into a siddur. The Shema‘ and the Shemoneh ‘Esreh remain obligatory.
In Pirqé Aboth, the Sages teach that one should not make their prayers mechanical. So how can we fulfill our obligation to pray with free will? Every offering in the Temple was accompanied by a qorban ‘olah. Likewise, the “offering” of our lips—when accompanied by our daily obligatory prayers—is the ‘abodah, the service of the Eternal, that Heaven now asks of us.
Just as He commanded the priest to keep the fire burning continuously, so must we offer voluntary prayers continuously.
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing before You, Aḏonay, my rock and my redeemer!”
(Mizmor 19)