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Obligation – A poem for Parsha Tzav

There is a light and it never goes out.
[additional-authors]
March 26, 2026
Artur Debat/Getty Images

Tzav — Command (Leviticus 1:1–5:26)

Tzav – as in Mitzvah
as in commandment
as in, it is our obligation
to be holy.

It is not enough
to pick up trash
and feel good about it.
We are commanded

to be the kind of people
who pick up trash
regardless of how
it makes us feel.

Community service credit
is not our end goal
Personal holiness credit is.
Have you checked your account?

There is a light
and it never goes out.
We are the keepers
of this light.

Not its owners –
It’s keepers… The light
is for everyone.
Do your part.

That’s an order.


Rick Lupert, a poet, songleader and graphic designer, is the author of 29 books including “God Wrestler: A Poem for Every Torah Portion.” Visit him at www.JewishPoetry.net

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