Why Isn’t Moshe Mentioned in the Parsha?

Parshat Tetzaveh is the only Parsha in the Torah which takes place after Moshe’s birth yet doesn’t mention him.

The parsha begins with the words (Shmot 27:20):

Now you shall command B’nai Yisrael that they shall take for you pure, pressed olive oil for illumination, to kindle the lamp continually.

The Zohar on Parshat Pinchas explains:

When B’nai Yisrael sinned with the Golden Calf (Parshat Ki Tisa) Moshe said to God in his prayer (Shmot 32:32) “And now if you would but forgive their sin! But if not, erase me now from Your book that You have written.” Since Moshe requested to be erased from the Torah, he was erased from one parsha.

Rashi comments that Moshe said to erase him from the entire Torah, not just from one parsha so why does he end up being erased from one parsha and why specifically from Parshat Tetzaveh?

God did forgive B’nai Yisrael so why does he need to be erased at all?

The Rosh and Baal HaTurim explain:

If God didn’t forgive B’nai Yisrael for the sin of the Golden Calf then Moshe would have been erased from the entire Torah. However, since God did forgive them, God didn’t need to erase Moshe’s name from the whole Torah but He still needed to fulfill what Moshe had said so God erased Moshe’s name from Parshat Tetzaveh, the parsha that comes right before Parshat Ki Tisa. Moshe is erased from the last parsha that comes before the incident of the sin of the Golden Calf.

We see that the curse of a righteous person is still fulfilled even if it was said on condition and therefore God tried to be as lenient as possible when fulfilling Moshe’s declaration.

The absence of Moshe’s name in the parsha teaches us that we should be extra careful with the words that we use, even if they are said on condition, as there may be consequences later on.