Tzav (parsha)

Tzav, Tsav, Zav, Sav, or in Biblical Hebrew Ṣaw (צַו – Hebrew for "command," the sixth word, and the first distinctive word, in the parashah) is the 25th weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the second in the book of Leviticus. It constitutes Leviticus 6:1–8:36. The parashah is made up of 5,096 Hebrew letters, 1,353 Hebrew words, and 97 verses, and can occupy about 170 lines in a Torah scroll (סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה, Sefer Torah).

Jews read it the 24th or 25th Sabbath after Simchat Torah, generally in March or early April.

The parashah teaches how the priests performed the sacrifices and describes the ordination of Aaron and his sons.

Readings

In traditional Sabbath Torah reading, the parashah is divided into seven readings, or עליות, aliyot.

First reading – Leviticus 6:1–11

In the first reading (עליה, aliyah), God told Moses to command Aaron and the priests about the rituals of the sacrifices (קָרְבָּנוֹת, karbanot).

The burnt offering (עֹלָה, olah) was to burn on the altar until morning, when the priest was to clear the ashes to a place outside the camp. The priests were to keep the fire burning, every morning feeding it wood.