This week’s Torah portion, Tetzaveh, is the only one after Moshe Rabbeinu’s introduction that does not include his name. That absence is not an accident. Tradition has noticed, pointed to it, and derived meaning from it. What does it mean when a leader disappears from the text, when the one we rely on so deeply is suddenly absent?

The presence of Moshe permeates the Torah. It is called “Torat Moshe,” the Torah of Moses, after all. His presence is so central that even a temporary absence, like when he ascends Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, is unbearable to the people. And now, his name is missing from this portion? It’s meant to shake us. It should.

But Moshe is not absent. The parashah begins with the word “v’atah” —“and you. (

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)