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If you have ever been to Israel, you have probably marveled at how the words and expressions that you know from your study of Torah or Tanach come to life in modern Hebrew. During a visit to the biblical petting zoo you encounter רחלים and עיזים, the lambs and goats from Sefer Bereishit. If you go shopping you may be looking to buy בגדים, clothes, the very same term used to describe what the priests wore – בגדי כהונה– or maybe you are looking to purchase כלים, utensils. Similarly, phrases from the Torah have become everyday idioms in conversational Hebrew. For example, when Yaakov specified to Lavan that he would work an additional seven years specifically for Rachel, he said ברחל בתך הקטנה, for Rachel, your youngest daughter, so that there should be no confusion or room for deception. In modern Hebrew, this same phrase is used to mean “explicitly.” Likewise, the expression הבל הבלים that we know so well from Kohelet is used in modern Hebrew to mean “complete nonsense” or “something that has no basis.” Generally, modern Hebrew finds its origins in Biblical and Talmudic sources. This gives the modern Hebrew language a continuity with ancient Hebrew and connects our history with the modern state, linking our past with our present. However, not everyone is happy about these connections. Some take offense at what they see as the general process of secularization in modern-day Israel, with modern Hebrew being one example of this process. There are some Chasidic groups who refuse to speak Hebrew for this reason, viewing it as a holy language that should not be used for everyday mundane conversation, and choose to converse in Yiddish instead. In modern Hebrew, words that once referred to religious symbols and practices have been appropriated to describe mundane, secular phenomena. For example, the word קרבן, sacrifice, which appears numerous times in this week’s parsha, refers to a victim of a crime or tragedy in modern Hebrew. תרומה, the term that refers to the portion of one’s harvest given to the kohanim, or alternatively to gifts made to the Mishkan, today describes any donation made to a charitable organization, or any type of non-monetary contribution that someone has made to a project. Similarly, the word חשמל, which appears in Sefer Yechezkel (1:4) in the depiction of the prophet’s vision of the heavenly workings, is the term in modern Hebrew for electricity. There is an interesting example of one such term, whose Biblical meaning and reference have been transformed in modern Hebrew, in this week’s parsha. In Parshat Tzav we read about the culmination of the building of the Mishkan. Before the Mishkan opens to the public and is ready for the daily services to begin, there are שבעת ימי המילואים, seven days of preparation preceding the dedication of the Mishkan. These seven days involved gathering the people together, washing and anointing Aharon and his sons, dressing Aharon in the special priestly garments, Aharon bringing a series of sacrifices to the altar, a second sprinkling of blood and oil, and finally the kohanim eating from the sacrifices. Through this process, Aharon and his sons were sanctified for their work in the Mishkan. During the seven-day preparation period, Aharon and his sons were not allowed to leave the Mishkan. According to many medieval Jewish commentaries, the series of actions described above were repeated daily on each of the seven days, a kind of repetitive training for the kohanim before officially starting their work. What exactly does the wordמילואים mean in this context? The expression מלאו ידיהם, fill their hands, refers to a process of consecration or investiture for their specific role in divine service. This term describes the period and process by which the kohanim move from an ordinary state into a state of kedusha in preparation for their service in the Mishkan. Some of you may have heard the wordמילואים a lot lately. In modern Hebrew, מילואים refers to army reserve duty. After completing their mandatory service in the Israeli army, soldiers continue to be called up yearly to train with their units so they are continuously prepared for combat. In the current war, “Iron Swords,” there has been a massive call-up of over 300,000 reserves from Israel and around the world to fight to defend the State of Israel and its inhabitants.
How did reserve duty come to be called ?מילואים In 1948, the year that the State of Israel was founded, David Ben-Gurion, the first prime minister of Israel, announced the formation of reserve forces for the newly-formed Israeli army, which would be called in as needed to support the regular troops. In looking for a word to describe these forces, Ben-Gurion, who was well-versed in the Tanach, chose the term עתודות המילואים, borrowing the term from our parsha. In time, the wordעתודות was dropped and people referred to reserve duty simply as מילואים. This is a good example of a term from Chumash, which describes a sanctified religious service, being transformed by modern Hebrew into something seemingly mundane and secular – army reserve duty! I think a meaningful understanding of the link between the two can be found in the innovative thought of the first Chief Rabbi of Palestine, Rabbi Abraham Isaac Hacohen Kook (1865–1935). Rabbi Kook, one of the fathers of Religious Zionism, had a very different take on the Zionist movement than most rabbis of his time. Although many of the early Zionists and founders of the State of Israel were ardent secularists, Rabbi Kook saw their desire to return to the land of Israel as an expression of a deep, unconscious religious longing within them. He did not draw sharp distinctions between that which is holy and that which is secular, but instead believed that within each and every Jew lay sparks of divine holiness that seek connection with G-d. Thus, Rabbi Kook viewed the early secular Zionists – who made daily sacrifices to return to the land of Israel, settle it, and cultivate it – as being driven by an inner holy, divine spark. He was greatly impressed by their willingness to make personal sacrifices for their ideals and goals, and respected their concern for the collective good. Our reserve soldiers, who dedicate time each year to prepare for their army service and the protection of the State of Israel, both represent and serve עם ישראל, and in that sense they share a lot in common with theכהנים who represented and served on behalf of עם ישראל in the Mishkan. Each needs a period of preparation to get ready for their important national service, one that requires dedication and personal sacrifice. In that sense, the term מילואים seems an appropriate choice to describe those who set aside time each year to prepare themselves for active duty in defense of the modern State of Israel and its people. We pray for a quick and victorious end to the war, a complete and safe return of all our hostages, a refuah shleimah for our wounded, comfort for those who have lost family members and friends, and lasting peace in the region.
ה' עוז לעמו יתן, ה' יברך את עמו בשלום |
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