הֶחָזֶה וְהַגֵּרָה הֶחָזֶה בְּאֶחָד וְהַגֵּרָה בִּשְׁלשָׁה שְׁתֵּי יָדַיִם בִּשְׁנַיִם
For the breast and the neck, the breast [is carried] by one [priest] and the neck by three [priests]. The two forelegs [are carried] by two [priests].
We continued exploring how many priests carried the various parts of the bull as it was preparing to be offered on the altar. We learned today one priest carries the breast, three carry the neck and two carry the forelegs. Interestingly, the pshat of the text is hands, though forelegs feels more exact.
I’m going to follow the lovely lead of our teachers this week and play a numbers game. I’m hearing Who Knows One in my head. Who knows שְׁלשָׁה / shlosha / three? In addition to being the number of forefathers, three is also the number of foundational things the world stands on according to Perkei Avot. (See today’s HOTS for more on that!) Interestingly, three plays an important role in Jewish ritual moments. What comes immediately to mind is the Priestly Blessing, which has three distinct components. And my favorite! In halachah, if a person does something three times, it’s considered a chazakah / presumption. For example, when a person takes upon themselves a mitzvah they had previously not done before and does it three times (puts on tefillin three days in a row, for example), that person now has a chazakah to keep doing that mitzvah.
I want to echo what has risen up so far this week around the importance of community and collaboration. It’s beautiful to think about how we can come together to create communal ritual that would have been unavailable to us to do alone. Learners also lifted up today the challenges that come with how roles are assigned, and how people in power choose to recognize peoples’ need for connection and closeness over choosing folks for ritual roles who hold some degree of power, or who have materially contributed in some way. May we continuously seek to widen our perspective, inviting more folks into our own rituals.