The mysterious word צויתי in Parshiyot Tzav and Shemini |
There is a mysterious word that appears but twice in the entire Torah, and both times in Vayikra (Leviticus)– once in Parshat Tzav and once in the subsequent parsha Shemini.
This word is צֻוֵּֽיתִי (TZUVEITI) “I have been commanded’.
וּפֶ֩תַח֩ אֹ֨הֶל מוֹעֵ֜ד תֵּשְׁב֨וּ יוֹמָ֤ם וָלַ֙יְלָה֙ שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֔ים וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֛ם אֶת־מִשְׁמֶ֥רֶת יְהֹוָ֖ה וְלֹ֣א תָמ֑וּתוּ כִּי־כֵ֖ן צֻוֵּֽיתִי׃
You shall remain at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting day and night for seven days, keeping God’s charge—that you may not die—for so I have been commanded.
וַאֲכַלְתֶּ֤ם אֹתָהּ֙ בְּמָק֣וֹם קָד֔וֹשׁ כִּ֣י חׇקְךָ֤ וְחׇק־בָּנֶ֙יךָ֙ הִ֔וא מֵאִשֵּׁ֖י יְהֹוָ֑ה כִּי־כֵ֖ן צֻוֵּֽיתִי׃
You shall eat it in the sacred place, since it is your due, and that of your sons, from God’s offerings by fire; for so I have been commanded.
Vayikra 10:13. (Shemini)
Another verbal anomaly (and spelled the same way as צֻוֵּֽיתִי) is the word צִוֵּֽיתִי (TZIVEITI) which means “I (Moshe, not God) have commanded”.
Vayikra 10:18 (Shemini)
What these three usages have in common is the absence of any mention of God as the source of these commands, even if God does seem to be implied when the word צִוֵּֽיתִי is used as there is no other apparent commander one can think of.
But when the word is צִוֵּֽיתִי it is clearly Moshe speaking on his own authority. This, too, would seem unlikely because he would, otherwise, never speak on his own authority without referencing, however obliquely, God as the author of the command. One also wonders why Moshe is using the past tense when there is no record of him having ever uttered this command before.
The normal usage when declaring a command from God is אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֥ה יְהֹוָ֖ה (Which God has commanded) or כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֖ר צִוָּ֥ה יְהֹוָֽה (as God has commanded). For example:
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר משֶׁ֔ה זֶ֧ה הַדָּבָ֛ר אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֥ה יְהֹוָ֖ה תַּֽעֲשׂ֑וּ וְיֵרָ֥א אֲלֵיכֶ֖ם כְּב֥וֹד יְהֹוָֽה
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר משֶׁ֜ה אֶל־אַֽהֲרֹ֗ן קְרַ֤ב אֶל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֨חַ֙ וַֽעֲשֵׂ֞ה אֶת־חַטָּֽאתְךָ֙ וְאֶת־עֹ֣לָתֶ֔ךָ וְכַפֵּ֥ר בַּֽעַדְךָ֖ וּבְעַ֣ד הָעָ֑ם וַֽעֲשֵׂ֞ה אֶת־קָרְבַּ֤ן הָעָם֙ וְכַפֵּ֣ר בַּֽעֲדָ֔ם כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֖ר צִוָּ֥ה יְהֹוָֽה:
וְאֶת־הַחֵ֨לֶב וְאֶת־הַכְּלָיֹ֜ת וְאֶת־הַיֹּתֶ֤רֶת מִן־הַכָּבֵד֙ מִן־הַ֣חַטָּ֔את הִקְטִ֖יר הַמִּזְבֵּ֑חָה כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶת־משֶֽׁה
שׁ֣וֹק הַתְּרוּמָ֞ה וַֽחֲזֵ֣ה הַתְּנוּפָ֗ה עַ֣ל אִשֵּׁ֤י הַֽחֲלָבִים֙ יָבִ֔יאוּ לְהָנִ֥יף תְּנוּפָ֖ה לִפְנֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה וְהָיָ֨ה לְךָ֜ וּלְבָנֶ֤יךָ אִתְּךָ֙ לְחָק־עוֹלָ֔ם כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֖ר צִוָּ֥ה יְהֹוָֽה:
It should be noted that when the words צֻוֵּֽיתִי and צִוֵּֽיתִי are used the command pertains to a specific location, i.e. the entrance to the Mishkan or the precise spot where a kohen must eat of a particular offering. However when the usage is כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֖ר צִוָּ֥ה יְהֹוָֽה the command is regarding. a procedural detail, i.e how something should be done.
Does this explain the disparity? Not to my satisfaction. But perhaps it implies a certain obsessive/compulsiveness Moshe may have had regarding locations and their significance that went beyond what God Himself may have specified.
Any suggestion would be most welcome.