This week's Torah portion is called Tetzaveh, which means commandment. It is a continuation of the previous portion, where the Torah details the various tools involved in the Kohanim's service in the Sanctuary (Mishkan). Now, the Torah describes in great detail the garments the Kohanim wore, both the High Priest (with his eight garments) and the ordinary priests (with four garments).
Even though we will need these clothes and other tools again with the imminent return of the Messiah, we are currently unable to make them due to a lack of, for example, tjelet, a type of turquoise used to dye wool for making cloth and clothing. Therefore, as we did last week, we must find messages for everyday life within the verses.
One of the unique aspects of this parashah is that it is the only one in the entire Torah, from the birth of Moses onward, where Moses' name is not mentioned even once. Although he is constantly referenced, since most of the commandments in this section are Divine commands to Moses, his name does not appear at all.
Our sages explain that the reason for this is that, after the sin of the Golden Calf, God offered Moses the opportunity to annihilate the Jewish people and create a new nation himself. Moses responded that if God did not forgive him, He should erase him from His Book (see Exodus 32:32). Although God forgave Moses' response, our sages say that the curses of a sage, even if conditional, are fulfilled, and that is why we find in this parashah that Moses' name was erased from the Torah.
One of the practical lessons we can learn is the extent of sacrifice for another Jew: even if it means setting aside the most important thing in life, as the Torah itself was for Moses—hence its name, "Moses' Torah"—he was still ready to set it aside for the benefit of another. And not only for the benefit of a "good person," so to speak, but even for the sinners of the Golden Calf, one of the worst transgressions in the history of the Jewish people.
Now, one might think that such devotion to one's fellow human being could only be found in Moses, but not in an ordinary person like oneself. Our sages explain that there is a spark, so to speak, of Moses' soul within each person, which gives each individual the capacity and strength to emulate the attitudes of the quintessential shepherd of the Jewish people. And also, there is a reflection of Moses in each generation, revealed in its spiritual leader, who teaches and guides us according to the particular challenges of our time. With that energy and potential, we can successfully face and overcome internal and external difficulties in observing the Torah and the Mitzvot.