Parshas Tetzaveh
Clothes Make the Man
If it is true that clothes make the man, it is apparently doubly true that
clothes make the kohen, especially the kohen gadol - the High Priest of
Israel. The description of the garments to be worn by the kohanim and the
kohen gadol during their hours of service in the Temple is specific,
detailed and inspirational. Each of the garments has a specific purpose
aside from the obvious one of clothing the kohen. The garments described
were meant to be a source of honor and glory, not only to those who wore
them but for the Temple and for the service of the God of Israel as well.
Because of this purpose, the great commentators to the Torah searched for
the symbolic, even mystical, meanings and lessons represented by the
priestly garments. For, apparently, to understand the message of the
garments of the priests would allow for a greater understanding and
appreciation of the entire concept of service to God as defined by the
Torah.
The Torah describes not only the garments of the priests and of the kohen
gadol but also outlines the order of dress for the installation of the
kohen gadol into his lofty public position. The Torah points out that, of
necessity, the lower part of the body must first be covered. In the
process of dressing, the final piece of clothing that the kohen gadol
donned was the tzitz - the golden plate which bore the name of God in
relief upon it and which the kohen gadol tied to his forehead. The lesson
here is simple and obvious and certainly not limited to the kohen gadol or
to the Temple service. The lesson is that one should not proclaim one's
own godliness, to flaunt the name of God, so to speak, brazenly on one's
forehead, unless one is certain that the lower part of one's body - one's
everyday, mundane, human behavior is covered with the proper ethics and
modesty that the Torah ordains. There are many who rush to place the tzitz
on their forehead but there are few who realize that in order to be
entitled to do so all of the other pieces of clothing of one's life need
be covered properly and in good moral order.
The Talmud teaches us that the tzitz had the power to bring about enormous
forgiveness for the public sins of Israel. It could restore purity and
holiness to the Temple and its public worship and sacrificial service. By
proclaiming openly Israel's loyalty and dedication to the service of the
Lord, the tzitz clearly delineated the priorities in the both the public
and private sectors of Jewish life. Worn properly by the right person -
the true kohen gadol, who is the heir of Aharon not only genetically but
morally and spiritually as well - the tzitz became a statement of the
Jewish dedication to the service of God and man and the pursuit of
holiness in human life. But again, a tzitz worn by a person who is
otherwise improperly clothed is of little value. All of Jewish history
proves the accuracy of this conclusion.
Finally, the idea of proper dress, dress that brings honor and glory to
those who wear clothing and to the society that views that clothing, is
central to Jewish life and values. Clothes that are provocative, that are
vulgar and insulting to others, that are physically immodest and meant to
attract anti-social response, are all frowned upon by Jewish tradition.
There need not be specific uniforms in the Jewish street (though I must
admit that Jews apparently love to wear specific uniforms to identify
themselves and their attachment to a particular group) but modest, clean,
attractive dress should be the rule for our society. In that sense,
perhaps we can all agree that clothes do make the Jew.
Shabat Shalom.
Rabbi Berel Wein
Text Copyright © 2004 Rabbi Berel Wein and
Torah.org.
