Rabbi Roodyn

The fashion industry makes up a considerable part of the economy with aggressive marketing aimed at selling people an image rather than just functional garments. Like it or not, clothes occupy an important part of our lives and we often go to great pains to make sure we are dressed appropriately for the occasion.

Parshas Tetzaveh goes into great detail discussing the bigdei kahuna, the clothes that the kohen gadol and the regular kohanim had to wear when serving in the mishkan and beis hamikdash. These clothes are described as being lekavod uletifares, for glory and splendour. The idea behind these special clothes is not only that the kohanim should be set aside from the rest of the people, but that there should be a ‘wow’ factor when encountering the kohen gadol. The mishkan is meant to be a place that inspires people to greater heights and impressive aesthetics have the ability to do that.

However the clothing of the kohanim in general and the kohen gadol specifically goes far beyond  the superficial. The sefarim hakedoshim on the pasuk of umido bad, say that as well as putting on the special garments, the kohanim had to develop middos, character traits that were fitting with their special status in society. For example in wearing the choshen breastplate with the names of the shevatim, the kohen gadol is actually carrying  the weight of the Jewish nations, its needs and challenges. In G-d’s temple, the priests don’t just have to look the part, they have to be the real thing!

These parshios of the Mishkan are not just an interesting historical account that will be once again relevant with the coming of Moshiach. Rather, the messages of these parshios is timeless. Just like the kohanim, the clothing that we wear should both reflect the message that we wish to project and also remind us of that message so that we actually become who truly we wish to be.

Wishing you a good Shabbos