TETSAVE_EXODUS XXVII:20-XXX:10
The previous chapters described the materials necessary for constructing the Mishkan and elaborated on the elements that would be located and used. Now, the Tora lists the garments that Aharon, Kohen Gadol, and the other Kohanim will wear while exercising their functions within the Mishkan. Although the person’s inner qualities are determinant, the sacred text emphasizes outer clothing, perhaps as the symbol of the authority it represents. Even today, the policeman’s uniform is his hallmark, while the crown and scepter symbolize a monarch’s authority.
The biblical narrative mentions that God made garments for the first couple after they ate the forbidden tree’s fruit. It can be assumed that, initially, the human being possessed intrinsic, intellectual, and spiritual characteristics which differentiated him from the rest of the creatures. But, after disobeying the only Divine instruction he had received, the human being demonstrated the fragility of his intellect and, therefore, required a superficial distinctive that separated him from the animal world. Indeed, man is the only creature who wears outer clothing.
The original differentiation, which probably consisted in the human capacity to conceive of God as the Creator of the universe, imposed on him an ethical conduct with which he would demonstrate his conscious willingness to serve God. This difference from the rest of the creatures was nullified, or at least minimized, by the disobedience of Adam and Chava. Failure to comply with the Divine instruction forced the use of an external symbol to distinguish the couple from the rest of the creatures.
In the case of Noah, the great survivor of the Flood, covering of the human body plays an important role. Drunk from too much wine, Noah is seen in his nudity or perhaps sodomized by his son Kena’an. Upon learning of the affront, his other sons, Shem and Yefet, cover the old father’s body with a sheet.
In another biblical episode, the badge Yosef receives from his father Yaacov is a robe of many colors that, in turn, produces the jealousy of his brothers and eventually leads to his sale to the Egyptians and the exile of the whole family. He repeats this deference Yosef received from Yaacov after revealing his identity to the brothers who had come to buy food in Egypt when he delivers five new sets of royal clothing to Binyamin, his brother of father and mother.
The people had an obligation to place Tsitsit in the four corners of their clothes, elements that should remind them of their relationship with God, and the obligation to live according to the instructions of the Mitzvot. They were to refrain from wearing Sha’atnez, clothing made of a combination of linen and wool, and, according to a tradition mentioned in the Talmud, cover their heads with a cap and a kippa. The Tefillin, the phylacteries, are perhaps the external symbol of greater relevance, the “ot,” the “sign” that should remind the Hebrew that his intellect, emotions, and decisive physical force must be at the service of God.
The Tora does not mention whether Moshe wore any unique clothing. Perhaps the spirituality that the great teacher of the Hebrew people had attained made an external element unnecessary because Moshe was the Adon Hanevi’im, the “Lord of all the Prophets“ who had experienced the most extraordinary closeness to God. While other prophets felt God’s presence during their sleep or in a blurred vision, Moshe spoke with God Panim el panim, “face to face,” the literary image that highlights the special relationship this great leader had with the Godhead. Ki karan or panav, the radiance of his face testified to this intimate relationship with the Creator.
Therefore, the unique clothing of the Kohanim continues an ancient tradition. Although it served to differentiate the Kohanim from the rest of the collective, perhaps its fundamental purpose was to make the Kohanim aware of their vocation. This fundamental task included representing the people during the service of the korbanot, the sacrifices. Although on the holiest day, Yom Kippur, the Kohen Gadol, had to beg forgiveness for his mistakes, he could not conclude the service without apologizing for the collective, for Am Israel.
MITSVA: TORA ORDINANCE IN THIS PARSHA
CONTAINS 4 POSITIVE MITZVOT AND 3 PROHIBITIONS
- Exodus 27:20 Prepare the luminaries of the Menora (candelabra).
- Exodus 27:41 Kohanim (priests) must wear special garments.
- Exodus 28:28 The breastplate (Choshen) should not be separated from the apron (Ephod).
- Exodus 28:32 Do not tear the apron (Ephod).
- Exodus 29:33 Eating the flesh of the atonement offering (Chatat) and the guilt offering (Asham).
- Exodus 30:7 Burn the incense.
- Exodus 30:9 Do not burn incense or offer sacrifices at the Golden Altar (Mizbe’ach Hazahav).
