Parshas Tzav

Supplies

Tube sock

Stuffing

8 small clear rubber bands

6 Black pompoms

2 Googly eyes

Black tissue paper

Brown tissue paper

Pink felt

Black or dark pink sharpie

Scissors

Paintbrush

Tacky glue

Specialty Item Shopping List

Instructions

1. Cut off about 2-3 inches of the top of the tube sock.
2. Stuff the sock with stuffing, ensuring it’s evenly distributed. Fold the top of the sock in to hide any protruding edges.
3. To create hands, feet, and ears, take a piece of sock & stuffing, pinch it, then tie a rubber band around it. Use two sections for the feet, two for the hands, & two for the ears.
4. Glue the googly eyes onto the face. Cut black tissue paper into small squares. Scrunch them into balls.
5. Glue the scrunched ball spots around the cow. Use brown tissue paper to make horns & glue them near the ears on top of the cow. Glue the seam shut.
6. Glue 2 pompoms together & create 4 pairs. Then, attach each pair to one of the hands and legs to serve as hooves.
7. Cut a small oval from pink felt for the mouth. Glue below the eyes. Add features with a marker.
8. What are you going to name your Cow Stuffie?

Imagine

You lived in the times of the Mishkan or Bais Hamikdash. If someone had done something wrong (an aviera), they would seek to make up for it through the process of Teshuvah, by bringing up a Karbon. They would be required to first examine the animal and make sure that it had no defects. For example, it couldn’t be sick, blind, or missing a limb. Only then could it be offered up on the fire of the Mizbeach. Burning the Karbon represented the act of throwing away and burning that part of their nefesh habahamis that led them to commit the aveirah.

Delving Deeper

Nowadays we aren’t able to bring physical Karbanos, since we don’t have a Bais Hamikdash. However, the process of the Karbanos still takes place within each one of us, inside our hearts. Hashem made us with 2 very different parts – a Neshama, which is a piece of Hashem, and a Nefesh Habehamis, an animal soul. This animal within us only thinks about its own needs, what feels good and pleasurable.

Just as a physical animal was brought as a Karban, we can also bring the animal part of ourselves as a Karban to Hashem. Similar to the way the animal had to be checked for any blemishes, we too can look inside ourselves and see if there is anything we have done that needs a little fixing.

Just like the animal was put into the fire of the Mizbeach, we too can set our animal souls on fire with the love of Hashem. This means that we can still enjoy things like an animal knows how to, but instead of doing it just for ourselves, we can do it for Hashem. For example, when you eat a delicious snack, instead of just appreciating the yummy taste, you can think about how eating this snack is going to give you the energy to Daven, help your mommy, or learn Chumash at school.

Point to Ponder

How can we apply the concept of bringing our “Nefesh Habahamis” as a Karban to Hashem in our daily lives?