PARSHAS TETZAVEH, EXODUS 27:20–30:10

PARSHAS TETZAVEH, EXODUS 27:20–30:10

Among other things in the Parshah we learn:

· The Menorah is to have an everlasting flame fed by pure olive oil, tended by Aaron, burning from morning to evening.

· The priestly garments are described as well as those of the Kohen Gadol.

· Instructions are given for the initiation of Aaron and his four sons.

· Instructions are given for the construction of the golden altar on which the incense will be burned.

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At 27:20 the Parshah begins,

 “וְאַתָּה תְּצַוֶּה אֶת-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְיִקְחוּ אֵלֶיךָ שֶׁמֶן זַיִת זָךְ כָּתִית--לַמָּאוֹר:  לְהַעֲלֹת נֵר, תָּמִיד

“And you shall command the children of Israel, and they shall take to you pure olive oil, crushed for lighting, to kindle the lamps continually"

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In Parshat Tetzaveh at 28:17-20 we learn that the Kohen Gadol wore a breastplate called the חֹשֶׁן. It contained 12 precious and semi-precious jewels, representing the twelve Tribes.  If you are wondering what the identity of individual gemstones in High Priest’s breastplate are, forget it.  Take it from me - No one living today really knows.  There is only speculation. 

From a mineralogical perspective I have a good idea as to what they may be, and a better idea as to what they are not, but only from the view point of mineralogy or better yet gemology. There are 3,500 known minerals in the world at large.  Minerals are naturally occurring chemical compounds.  The mineral that we are most familiar with is  halite better known as salt.  It is the chemical compound sodium chloride. 

Gems on the other hand are minerals that are rare.  There are only about 15 or so of them.  In addition to being rare, gemstones are durable, relatively hard and certainly beautiful.  Gemstones are categorized as either precious of semi-precious.  Precious gemstones are very rare and very hard.  Semi-precious gemstones are less rare and somewhat softer.  They are both beautiful; take on a polish and or have a natural luster. 

Diamond, Emeralds, Sapphires, Rubies, Garnet. Spinel, Jade, Peridot and Topaz are considered precious gemstones.  Aquamarine, Amber, Lapis, Opal, Turquoise, Zircon and several varieties of Quartz are considered semi-precious gemstones.

Of the many varieties of quartz that are considered semi-precious I’m sure you are familiar with several of them: Colorless quartz is called Crystal; purple is Amethyst; pink is Rose; gray is Smokey; white is Milky, yellow is Citrine; banded is Agate, orange is Jasper and Carnelian, and black (sometimes with white stripes) is Onyx.

In my opinion the Children of Israel obtained the gemstones for the breastplate from their Egyptian neighbors or found the more common varieties in the dessert.  Those obtained from their Egyptian neighbors were either native to Egypt or originated at a locale that traded with Egypt.  In terms of precious gemstones I would eliminate Diamond, Emerald, Spinel and Jade because they occur at locations too far away from Egypt.  And Diamonds were only “invented” many years later in India.  As to the semi-precious gemstone choices, although beautiful, I would eliminate Amber, Lapis, Opal and Turquoise because they are too soft and not durable enough.  I'm not sure about Zircon.

I’m not sure which of the remainder gemstones would have been chosen.  Because of their Hebrew names, I’m most comfortable with Sapphire, סַפִּיר and Jasper יָשְׁפֵה.  Sapphires and Rubies have the same chemical composition.  Where there are Sapphires there is a likelihood of also finding Rubies.  Peridot and Topaz are found in Egypt.  All this is speculation and certainly the rest are up for grabs.  

Onyx, שֹּׁהַם in Hebrew is often associated with the Tribe of Joseph.  Perhaps a pale yellow stone such as Topaz is representative of the Tribe of Asher known for its olive oil or a pale blue aquamarine should stand for the sea-going trading Tribe of Zevulun.  All this is speculation, but it does give you much to talk about at your Shabbos table.
 But one thing is for sure: Whether represented by precious or semi-precious stones all the Children of Israel are treasured by Hashem.

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At 28:30 Hashem says:

“And you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Tummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart…”

וְנָתַתָּ אֶל-חֹשֶׁן הַמִּשְׁפָּט, אֶת-הָאוּרִים וְאֶת-הַתֻּמִּים, וְהָיוּ עַל-לֵב אַהֲרֹן

What are the Urim and Tummim?

Urim and Tummim are elements of the חֹשֶׁן, the breastplate worn by the If important matters. The Urim and Tummim are not defined, but traditionally they are a parchment containing the Names of God, which would cause the stones of the breastplate to light up with messages.  “Urim and Tummim” comes from the Hebrew words for light and perfection.

Rashi explains that when the Jewish People needed to know something of great import, the Urim and Tummim could be consulted to reveal the will of God.   There was a special name of God that was written and placed in the fold of the breastplate through which the breastplate illuminated and answered the question. The Urim and Tummim were often consulted throughout Biblical times, but went missing after the destruction of the first Temple in 586 BCE.

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One of the most moving portions of a synagogue service is when the Priests, the Kohanim, bless the congregation.  This was originally done by Aaron and his four sons in the Mishkan.  In synagogues today prior to the actual blessing, the Kohanim stand before the congregation and recite a prayer in that they are commanded to bless the people with love:

Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with the holiness of Aharon and commanded us to bless His people, Israel, with love.

וצונו לברך את עמו ישראל באהבה

If באהבה is an object of a preposition, then the Kohanim are bestowing on the congregants the blessing of love.  If באהבה is an adverb, then the Kohanim are giving their blessing lovingly.  It is a beautiful and meaningful service.

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Moshe is not mentioned in Parshas Tetzaveh. The Parsha is devoted to Moshe’s brother Aaron and his fellow Kohanim. Traditionally the overall role of the Kohen is to instruct us Jews regarding the Torah. They were our teachers. They carried the Law.

At 28:30 Hashem says:
וְנָשָׂא אַהֲרֹן אֶת-מִשְׁפַּט בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל-לִבּוֹ, לִפְנֵי יְהוָה--תָּמִיד.

“…and Aaron shall bear the law of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually.”

Over the course of time, however the Kohen’s role has become at most a ceremonial one; it has been greatly diminished. We have picked up the slack, something foreseen by Hashem.

Consider Exodus 19:6 -
וְאַתֶּם תִּהְיוּ-לִי מַמְלֶכֶת כֹּהֲנִים, וְגוֹי קָדוֹשׁ

“And you shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation…”

While once we were instructed by the Priests, now we have become as Priests and are expected to instruct the peoples of the world in righteous compassion and moral justice (paraphrasing from Rabbi Riskin’s words).

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In Parshat Tetzaveh we learn that the Kohen Gadol wore two stones on his shoulders on which were engraved the names of the Tribes. These are the Shoham Stones....what are they?

Shoham is commonly thought to be a semi-precious gem called onyx. Onyx is either solid black or black with white stripes. It is mentioned in Sefer Bereishis (2:12) in conjunction with B'dellium, another mysterious substance: B'dellium may be a resin for making perfume or incense.

וּזְהַב הָאָרֶץ הַהִוא, טוֹב; שָׁם הַבְּדֹלַח, וְאֶבֶן

הַשֹּׁהַם

"And the gold of that land is good; there is the b'dellium and the onyx stone"

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At 28:31-43 we learn about the clothing worn by the Kohen Gadol and by regular Kohanim:

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS REGARDING KOHANIM CLOTHING

by Esther Livingstone,  YEARNING FOR & therefore learning about

THE BEIS HAMIKDASH!

1. How often did Kohanim who were fit for the day’s

avodah immerse in a mikveh during their week in the Beis

Hamikdash?

2. For the first avodah of the day, the terumas hadeshen,

did a Kohen wear his regular garments?

3. How many garments did an ordinary Kohen -Kohen

hedyot- wear?

4. What were these garments and what are they called in

the Torah?

5. In what order were these items put on?

6. What did the ketones/tunic look like?

7. From where do we learn that the ketones must be

exactly tailored to the kohen’s height – neither too long nor

too short?

8. Could there be anything separating the Kohen’s garments

from his body?

9. Of what material was the avnet/sash made?

10. Were there limitations on wearing it?

11. What happened if there was a tear or stain on any of

the Kohen’s garments?

12. What was then done with these trousers, sashes and

tunics?

13. Did the Kohanim and the Kohen Gadol wear the same

type of turban?

14. Did the 24 mishmarot wear each other’s garments; and

where were the garments stored?

1. They immersed in the mikveh daily, in the morning.

2. No, he wore garments of a lesser quality, but they were still made of

linen. (Rambam Hil. Temidin U’mussafin 2:10).

3. He wore four garments. (Vayikra 16:4)

4. Michnasayim-breeches/trousers until the knee (Shemos 28:42); ketonestunic

(Vayikra 16:4); avnet/sash (Shemos 29:9); migba’at-turban (Shemos 29:9).

5. First the michnasayim, then the ketones, then the avnet and lastly the

migba’at.

6. It looked like a long shirt that went down to the Kohen’s heels.

7. From the unusual usage of the word mido -which can mean his robe or

his measurements- in place of ketones in Vayikra 6:3. (Rashi)

8. No, as this would invalidate his avodah. (Rambam, Hil. Klei HaMikdash

10:6)

9. It was made of a mixture of wool and linen -something normally

prohibited under the mitzvat lo ta’aseh of sha’atnez! (Shemos 39:29)

10. Yes. It was only allowed to be worn when the Kohen did the avodah.

(Rambam, -Hil Bigdei Kehuna 1 & 11)

11. It was then unfit to be used, and avodah done while wearing it would be

invalid. (Shemos 28:2 “ le’chavod u’letiferes”) (Rambam-Hil Bigdei Kehuna 4)

12. They were used to make petilot/wicks which were lit during the nights of

the Simchas Beis Hashoeva and used for the daily lighting of the menorah! (Rambam-

Hil. Bigdei Kehuna 6)

13. The Rambam says they both wore turbans formed from linen strips that

were 16 amos long, but they were wrapped around the head differently. Others say

otherwise. (Rambam Hil Klei Hamikdash, Bigdei Kehuna 19)

14. No, they didn’t. Each mishmar had four separate built-in wall cupboardsone

for each type of garment. Each one was labelled, there were 96 in total, and they were kept locked when the mishmar was not there. (Beis Hamikdash B’Yerushalayim).

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Tetzaveh is almost exclusively about the Priesthood.  They were our religious leaders.  On the other hand Moshe is representative of our civil leadership.  At the same time Moshe is regarded as our greatest Prophet.  A question then arises as to our Prophetic leadership.  Rabbi Sacks compares the roles of the Priests and the Prophets:

Priests and Prophets were very different in their roles, despite the fact that some Prophets, most famously Ezekiel, were Priests also. The primary distinctions were:

1. The role of Priest was dynastic, that of Prophet was charismatic. Priests were the sons of Aaron. They were born into the role. Parenthood had no part in the role of the Prophet. Moses’ own children were not Prophets.

2. The Priest wore robes of office. There was no official uniform for a Prophet.

3. The priesthood was exclusively male; not so prophecy. The Talmud lists seven women who were Prophets: Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Huldah and Esther.

4. The role of the Priest did not change over time. There was a precise annual timetable of sacrifices that did not vary from year to year. The Prophet by contrast could not know what their mission would be until God revealed it to them. Prophecy was never a matter of routine.

5. As a result, Prophet and Priest had different senses of time. Time for the Priest was what it was for Plato: the “moving image of eternity,”[3] a matter of everlasting recurrence and return. The Prophet lived in historical time. Their today was not the same as yesterday and tomorrow would be different again. One way of putting this is that the Priest heard the word of God for all time. The Prophet heard the word of God for this time.

6. The Priest was “holy” and therefore set apart from the people. He had to eat his food in a state of purity, and had to avoid contact with the dead. The Prophet by contrast often lived among the people and spoke a language they understood. Prophets could come from any social class.

7. The key words for the Priest were tahor, tamei, kodesh and chol: “pure”, “impure”, “sacred”, and “secular”. The key words for the Prophets were tzedek, mishpat, chessed and rachamim: “righteousness”, “justice”, “love”, and “compassion”. It is not that the Prophets were concerned with morality while the Priests were not. Some of the key moral imperatives, such as “You shall love your neighbour as yourself,” come from priestly sections of the Torah. It is rather that Priests think in terms of a moral order embedded in the structure of reality, sometimes called a “sacred ontology.”[4] Prophets tended to think not of things or acts in themselves but in terms of relationships between persons or social classes.

8. The task of the Priest is boundary maintenance. The key priestly verbs are le-havdil and le-horot, to distinguish one thing from another and apply the appropriate rules. Priests gave rulings, Prophets gave warnings.

9. There is nothing personal about the role of a Priest. If one – even a High Priest – was unable to officiate at a given service, another could be substituted. Prophecy was essentially personal. The Sages said that “no two Prophets prophesied in the same style” (Sanhedrin 89a). Hosea was not Amos. Isaiah was not Jeremiah. Each Prophet had a distinctive voice.

10. Priests constituted a religious establishment. The Prophets, at least those whose messages have been eternalised in Tanach, were not an establishment but an anti-establishment, critical of the powers-that-be.