Tzav – Command!

This week’s Torah portion, Tzav/”Command” is taken from Leviticus 6:8 – 8:36. It repeats
some of the laws already shared, but gives further details concerning the korbanot, the
animal and meal offerings. It is interesting to note that there are five different types of
offerings/korbanot listed. 1) Olah – an ascending offering 2) Minchah – meal offering 3)
Shelamim – peace offering 4) Chatat – sin offering 5) Asham – guilt offering. Each one has
its own purpose and rules regarding it. The parshah then closes out with the seven-day
consecration ceremony of Aaron and his sons as the Kohanim of YHVH! Before we truly
dive in, we must not overlook the significance of there being five offerings! There were five
Torah portions that detailed the construction of the Tabernacle as well! This number links
the significance of these – the offerings build upon the purpose of the Tabernacle.
Having previously looked at the significance of the number 5, let’s just refresh: 5
= ‫ ה‬by adding this letter as a suffix it feminizes the noun and allows it to be fruitful
and reproductive. But it is also interesting to note the significance of the “fifth part”.
In Genesis 47:24 – “And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the
fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own”. In Leviticus 5:16
(referring to the Asham/guilt offering) – “And shall add the fifth part thereto, and
give it unto the Priest: and the Priest shall make an atonement”. These offerings
represent one accepting seed – being made fruitful. There are two choices for what
type of seed though! You may either belong to Pharaoh with his seed within you, or
to YHVH by way of the Priest!

Romans 12:1 – “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable
service.”

Burnt Offering

Leviticus 6:8–9, 12-13

Command: Strong’s #6680 tsavah ‫ צוה‬to command, charge, give orders, to set up, also he
bound, united, or enjoined. These offerings would bind, unite, and enjoin something
together.

Burnt offering: Strong’s #5930 ‘olah ‫ עלה‬a whole burnt offering, ascent, stairway, steps
From #5927 ‘alah ‫ עלה‬to go up, ascend, climb; there are several words that are
cognates that help to make clear the significance of this olah offering!

Strong’s #5931 ‘illah ‫ עלה‬matter, affair, occasion, a basis for charges it employs in a
technical legal sense the cause for allegation, a basis for accusing someone.
Strong’s #5929 ‘aleh ‫ עלה‬leaf, leafage; first reference is Genesis 3:7 – “And the eyes of them
both were opened, and they knew that they [were] naked; and they sewed fig leaves
together, and made themselves aprons.”
The 2 letter root of ‘olah (‘ol) #5923 ‫ על‬yoke; from #5953 ‘alal ‫ עלל‬a verb meaning to
defile, make something unclean, unholy, or to desecrate it; cognate of #5954 ‘alal ‫ עלל‬to
bring in, to enter; often used of getting an audience with the king and entering into his
presence.

By tying this all together, the true intent of this ‘olah offering begins to unfold! It is for the
purpose of getting an audience with the King and entering into His presence! It takes one
in bondage (wearing a yoke), who has been defiled (made unclean, and desecrated),
adorned in fig leaves (compromised just like Adam and Eve), and allows this fallen bride
the chance to ascend in order to be enjoined, bound, and united with her Husband! Hence
the significance of keeping this fire burning – it shows the Bride’s continued desire to be
restored – the absence of this fire becomes a basis for accusing her of adultery!
Burning: Strong’s #4169 mowqedah ‫ מוקדה‬hearth; from #4168 mowqed ‫ מוקד‬a
burning mass, burning hearth; from #3344 yaqad ‫ יקד‬to brun, kindle, be kindled
*By dropping the vav (permissible when it functions as a vowel as it does in
“mowqed), backwards this word spells qedem (#6924) ‫ קדם‬East; from the root
qadam ‫ קדם‬to meet, come or be in front, go before  The Garden of Eden was in the
East, the location the Bride was placed to meet and come before her Groom!

Leviticus 1:11 – “And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward before YHVH”.
Side: Strong’s #3409 yarek ‫ ירך‬thigh, side, loin, base
*It’s the location of the seed, but it’s also the yarek/thigh that was cursed to rot if the
woman had been adulterous when she drank of the bitter waters

Northward: Strong’s #6828 tsaphown ‫ צפון‬north of direction, northward; from #6845

tsaphan ‫ צפן‬to hide, treasure, store up, to conceal

It is at this altar as we offer up ourselves as this ‘olah, burnt offering, a living sacrifice, that
it reveals (remember there are 5 offerings, the letter Hey means to reveal) what has been
stored up, hidden, and treasured within our hearts! If we have given the fifth part to
Pharaoh, then the bitter waters cause our thigh to rot! But if we have been faithful, this
becomes the place where the seed from the loins of YHVH enters in!!
*It is no accident that this is the very type of offering offered by Noah after the flood
– the bitter waters! Genesis 8:20 - Noah offers up an ‘olah offering representing
part of the Bride who has just survived the bitter waters, and now he prepares to
receive the seed of YHVH and be made fruitful!

Directly before the bitter waters are over (the flood), the dove brings back an olive leaf 
Genesis 8:11-12
Leaf: Strong’s #5929 ‘aleh ‫ עלה‬leaf, leafage; cognate of ‘olah!
Dove: Strong’s #3123 yownah ‫ יונה‬dove, pigeon; by dropping the vav  #3238 yanah ‫ינה‬
to oppress, suppress, treat violently, vex, do wrong

Olive: Strong’s #2132 zayith ‫ זית‬olive, olive tree

Connected to #2099 Ziv ‫ זו‬brightness

Pluckt off: Strong’s #2965 taraph ‫ טרף‬freshly picked, freshly plucked; from #2963 taraph
‫ טרף‬to tear, rend, pluck, to be torn in pieces
This is another rehearsal/shadow picture of the significance and purpose of the ‘olah
offering! The adulterous woman who has been oppressed in bondage (yanah) and covered
herself with the leaves (‘aleh), has them torn to pieces and rent from her (taraph) in order
for her original covering to be restored - the very brightness and light of YHVH (zayith)!

Further connecting this Torah portion and Noah, Noah stays in the ark after the dove
returns with the olive leaf 7 days. When the Priests are consecrated in preparation to begin
these sacrifices they as well stay 7 days at the door of the Tabernacle - Leviticus 8:33!

Consecration: Strong’s #4394 millu’ ‫ מלא‬setting, installation; cognate of #4392 male’ ‫מלא‬
full, fullness, that which fills; a pregnant woman is described as a full woman!
*The priests were to stay here until they had become full/pregnant with the seed of YHVH!
Just as Noah stayed in the ark for the same purpose, the seed of YHVH being placed within
him and his covering restored!

Significance of Isaac

With this understanding of the ‘olah, now we can truly understand why Isaac is prepared as
this burnt offering as well. Genesis 22:6 – “And Abraham took the wood of the burnt
offering, and laid [it] upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and
they went both of them together.”

Laid: Strong’s #7760 suwm ‫ שום‬to put, place, set, appoint, make, to set or make for a sign
*Cognate of #7762 shuwm ‫ שום‬garlic (one of the things that Israel longed for in Egypt
upon being delivered – an item that represents their adulterous longings for Egypt)

Isaac: Strong’s #3327 Yitschaq ‫ יצחק‬he laughs

From #6711 tsachaq ‫ צחק‬to laugh, mock, play, can have sexual overtones

Son: Strong’s #1121 ben ‫ בן‬son, children; from #1129 banah ‫ בנה‬to build, rebuild,
establish, cause to continue
Took: Strong’s #3947 laqach ‫ לקח‬to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, acquire, to marry, to take
as one would take a wife

The ‘olah offering becomes a sign, a mark, that the one who was adulterous and longed for
Egypt would be rebuilt and be taken in marriage as a wife in order for intimacy! Along with
the fire (remember the fire is to be continual, forever burning), he takes a knife. Knife:
Strong’s #3979 ma’akeleth ‫ מאכלת‬knife; from #398 ‘akal ‫ אכל‬to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
The gematria = 491, the same as luchot eben – tables/tablets of stone – the tablets which
would have the Torah/Ketubah/Wedding Contract written upon them! (An obvious
connection to the ‘olah offering which represents a bride returning to this Covenant.) The
bringing of Isaac becomes a shadow picture of how she would be restored and gain access
back to this Covenant, by way of Messiah and his death in order for her to be taken from
His side just as the first Eve was taken from the first Adam!
*Tying into this, the burnt offerings were offered upon the altar located “before the
door of the tabernacle” (Exodus 40:6). Door: Strong’s #6607 pethach ‫ פתח‬opening,
doorway, entrance; from #6605 pathach ‫ פתח‬to open, to carve, engrave  This is
the place where the Ketubah is carved and engraved upon the heart of the Bride!

Notice the phrase “and he took the fire in his hand”. A similar wording is used concerning
one of Ezekiel’s visions that gives us insight into the significance of this ‘olah offering for
our days! Ezekiel 10:2  Notice that this man is also clothed in linen (the required
garments of the Priest mentioned in Leviticus).
Coals: Strong’s #1513 gechel ‫ גחלת‬coal, burning coal, coals of fire, hot coals
It contains the 2 letter root of #2455 chol ‫ חל‬profane, common, used in
opposition to qodesh/holy! The priests were to teach the difference between the
two.

This individual who takes the coals in his hand, is the same one who is sent in 9:2-4 to put a
mark upon those who cry out against the abominations!
Forehead: Strong’s #4696 metsach ‫ מצח‬brow, forehead
*It has the same 2 letter root ‫ צח‬as the name Isaac!

In order to truly understand the significance of this event, one must understand the
customs associated with the Temple! The fire was to be always burning, meaning there
was a priest assigned to keep the fire burning throughout the night. When the High Priest
would arrive, this would be one of his first duties, to check to see that the fire had been kept
burning. If the fire had went out (because the priest had not kept it burning, instead
choosing to fall asleep), the High Priest would then go and find the priest (after stoking the
fire back up), taking some of the hot coals and light the priest’s garments on fire! This
becomes the analogy of what Ezekiel’s vision is about!
The coals taken from the altar are the coals that are scattered upon all those who
have allowed the fire to go out – all those without the mark upon them, all those that
have not brought the ‘olah offering represented by Isaac. These coals cause a
distinction to be made between the qodesh/holy and the chol/profane. It exposes
 those who have fallen asleep and allowed their fire to go out, no longer offering
themselves as a living sacrifice!

Revelation 16:15 – “Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed [is] he that watcheth, and keepeth his
garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.”

The state of your garment becomes the determining factor of how well you have kept and
guarded your altar! Leviticus 6:10 – “And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his
linen breeches shall he put upon his flesh”
Linen: Strong’s #906 bad ‫ בד‬linen, white linen
From #909 badad ‫ בדד‬to withdraw, be separate, be isolated; the notion of cutting
or tearing apart, and hence of dividing lies within this root
*Carries the same idea as that of the word taraph ‫ טרף‬from Noah and the dove  the
leaves (false covering) being torn and the covering of light restored

Garment: Strong’s #4055 mad ‫ מד‬cloth garment, measure; from #4058 madad ‫ מדד‬to
measure, to be measured

Breeches: Strong’s #4370 miknac ‫ מכנס‬underwear, drawers, trousers

From #3647 kamac ‫ כמס‬to store up, save

The state of our garments show whether or not we have been separate, allowing this false
covering of the fig leaves to be removed and our true covering of the light of YHVH
restored! It is by these garments that we are measured and determined whether or not we
are “saved” and marked to be spared from the judgment of the coals!

The gematria of the name of this portion sums up the two results brought about by these
offerings. Tzav = 96, the same as ‘amanah (#548) ‫ אמנה‬faith, support, sure, certain, a
covenant term, in other words a confirmation of the Covenant (stems from where we get
the term amen). The other word with this same gematria is nuwm (#5123) ‫ נום‬to be
drowsy, to slumber, to sleep. Within the gematria, we see the two ways this command/tzav
will affect us as individuals. We can choose to obey it, keep the fire burning, and be faithful
to the covenant that we have agreed to. The other option is to give in to the slumber and
sleep, allowing the fire to go out, and being lulled to sleep by the cares of this world and the
other husbands!
*It is interesting to note the connection between these 5 offerings – altars upon
which the fire has been kept burning, and the parable of the 10 virgins! Matthew
25:1-10 There were 5 wise who kept their lamps burning (kept the fire upon the
altar, the ‘olah offering ascending) and 5 foolish (whose fire went out). Five who
offered the fifth to YHVH and 5 whose fifth portion went to Pharaoh!