Chazal quote a midrash that the reason why Moshe Rabbeinu’s name does not appear in the entire Parshas T’tzaveh is because after the sin of the Golden Calf, Hashem intended to eradicate the Jewish People and create a new nation out of Moshe’s descendants. Moshe begged on the people’s behalf and told Hashem, “And now, if You would just forgive their sin; but if not, erase me from Your book that You have written.” (Sh’mos 32:32). Even though Hashem did in fact forgive B’nei Yisrael’s sin as a result of his plea, Moshe was nevertheless erased from one parshah in the Torah, Parshas T’tzaveh. The lesson is powerful and unmitigating: A word is a word. When a person makes a statement, he must keep his word, no matter what happens or changes in any given situation. Once Moshe said, “Erase me from Your book” – meaning the Torah – Hashem held Moshe to his word, and did indeed erase him – but mercifully, only from one parshah.