Have you ever realized that there’s someone you see all the time, whether at the gym, the coffee shop, or in Shul every Shabbat, but you don’t really notice them until one day they’re not there?
Their presence was so consistent that they blended into the background until their absence suddenly makes you aware of how much they were a part of your routine. We find ourselves thinking about them more now that they are missing than when they were present.
This week’s Torah reading, Tetzaveh, presents a striking example of this idea. For the only time since Moses was introduced in the Torah, his name is completely absent from the text. Week after week, Moses is the central figure in our story, always mentioned by name. Then suddenly, in Tetzaveh alone, he is missing.
But is he really gone?
The truth is, Moshe’s absence is not a disappearance at all. The Parsha still speaks about him. His role and presence remain. The only thing missing is his name. This teaches us that a person’s true presence is not defined by how often their name is mentioned but by the lasting imprint they leave behind.
This idea becomes even more powerful when we consider that Tetzaveh is always read around the 7th of Adar, the Yahrzeit of Moses, which happens to be today. When a righteous person leaves this world, their physical presence may no longer be here, but their true essence becomes even more accessible. Their teachings, their influence, and their spirit remain, not just in memory, but in the way they continue to actively shape our lives.
Just like the person we only truly notice when they are absent, Moshe and the "Moshe" of our own time, are more present than ever before. Their impact, no longer confined to a physical form, is now everywhere, waiting for us to recognize it.