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Why does the Torah (תורה) place the Korban Tamid in Parashas Tetzaveh, separated from all other sacrifices? The shiur develops the yesod that the Korban Tamid is not merely a daily offering but the very foundation of our relationship with Hashem (ה׳)—the mechanism that brings Hashraas HaShechinah. This directly addresses the challenge of low self-esteem: recognizing that Hashem adjusts Himself to relate to us in physical terms reveals our immense potential and elevates even our physical existence toward kedushah.
Rabbi Zweig opens with a fundamental difficulty: Why is the Korban Tamid mentioned in Parashas Tetzaveh, which discusses the construction of the Mishkan, when all other korbanot appear elsewhere? The korbanot miluim make sense because they inaugurate the Mishkan, but the Korban Tamid seems out of place. Furthermore, Rashi (רש"י) brings a machloket regarding the pasuk stating that Hashem (ה׳) will speak "asher ivaeid lecha sham" — does this refer to the Mizbeach HaNechoshes (where the Korban Tamid is brought) or to the Ohel Moed (as stated earlier in Parashas Terumah)? Why would the Torah (תורה) repeat this information in a cryptic manner if it was already stated clearly? To answer these questions, Rabbi Zweig presents a Midrash cited by the Maharal and the Ba'al Ein Yaakov discussing "klal gadol baTorah" — the fundamental axiom of Torah. Rabbi Akiva says it is "v'ahavta l'reiacha kamocha," but Ben Azzai challenges this: what if someone doesn't like himself? Ben Azzai offers "zeh sefer toldos adam" instead. A third opinion identifies the klal gadol baTorah as "es hakeves echad taaseh baboker v'es hakeves hasheini taaseh bein arbayim" — the daily Korban Tamid. How can a mitzvah (מצוה) that no longer exists be the fundamental principle of Torah?
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Shemos 29:38-42, Parashas Tetzaveh
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