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 28:15, 17-21 we learn that the Kohen Gadol wore a breastplate called theחֹשֶׁן 

At 28:15, 17-21 we are instructed:

“….וְעָשִׂ֜יתָ ח֤שֶׁן מִשְׁפָּט֙”

15 - You shall make a Choshen of Judgment, …

17 - And you shall fill into it stone fillings, four rows of stones. One row: odem, pitdah, and bareketh; thus shall the one row be.

21 - And the stones shall be for the names of the sons of Israel twelve, corresponding to their names; [similar to] the engravings of a seal, every one according to his name shall they be, for the twelve tribes.

 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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At Reb Yitz’s weekly shiur on the Parsha, he brought out some very interesting commentary:

Aaron the Kohen Gadol was required to wear special garments when officiating in the Mishkan, particularly when he was in the Holy of Holies which was only on Yom Kippur.

In contrast, Moshe spoke with Hashem in the Holy of Holies at will and was not required to wear special clothing.

Going back to the time of Adam and Eve, before they sinned they did not wear any clothing at all.

Fast forwarding to Aaron’s role in perpetuating the Sin of the Golden Calf, perhaps there is a connection between his sinful behavior and the requirement for him to wear special clothing when entering the Holy of Holies. And if you consider Moshe to be unblemished, he could wear what ever he wanted when speaking to Hashem.

 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.

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The Haftarah portion is from Yechezkel (Ezekiel) Chapter 43.

It concerns a detailed account of the Prophet's vision for the third Temple.

בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ הַשְּׁלִישִׁיThe third Temple ‎, although it remains unbuilt, the notion of and desire for the Third Temple is sacred in Judaism, It is anticipated as the most sacred place of worship for Jews. The Chumash holds that prophets called for its construction to be fulfilled prior to, or in tandem with, the Messianic Age.

 

VAYAKHEL, EXODUS 35:1-38:20 , SHABBAT PARAH

 VAYAKHEL, SHABBAT PARAH

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VAYAKHEL, EXODUS 35:1-38:20 

In this week's Torah portion, Vayakhel,  Moses gathers the Jews and relays to them all the details regarding the construction of the Mishkan, its vessels, and the priestly garments.

 The actual construction and assembly is also described. This portion repeats many of the details described in the Parshaot of Terumah and Tetzaveh, in which Hashem instructs Moses regarding the assembly of all these objects.

 The Mishkan is erected, and Hashem’s Presence finds a dwelling space.

Today the Divine Presence manifests itself in the Land of Israel.

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Shabbat Parah, שבת פרה

Shabbat Parah, the Sabbath of the red heifer takes place in preparation for Passover.

Numbers 19:1-22 is read. It  describes the Parah Adamah ("red heifer") in the Mishkan as part of the manner in which the Kohanim and we Jews purified ourselves so that we would be able ("pure") to offer the Passover sacrifice. 

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I have a compulsion for which I apologize.  In the words of Rav Kook, the 1st Chief Rabbi of Israel: “I don't speak because I have the power to speak; I speak because I don't have the power to remain silent.”  

קְרָא בְגָ'רוֹן אַל-תַּחְשֹׂךְ, כַּשּׁוֹפָר הָרֵם קוֹלֶךָ; וְהַגֵּד לְעַמִּי פִּשְׁעָם, וּלְבֵית יַעֲקֹב חַטֹּאתָם

“Call with a בְגָ'רוֹן, do not spare, like a shofar raise your voice, and make known to My people their transgression, and to the house of Jacob their sins”. Isaiah 58:1.

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Parsha Vayakhel begins:

וַיַּקְהֵל מֹשֶׁה, אֶת-כָּל-עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

 “And Moshe assembled all of the congregation, the Children of Israel…”

You can see in the word וַיַּקְהֵל  the root of קהלה . It means assembly or community.

That is why Olim in my home town of Nahariya are the קהילת עולים נהריה , the Nahariya Olim Community.

 We also see the word עֲדַת, congregation. Many synagogues have  עֲדַת as part of its name, similar to  קהילה.

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In Parsha Vayakhel the Mishkan is finally constructed.

There are commentators who are of the opinion that the construction of the Mishkan parallels the construction of the universe.  And oddly enough there are commentators who find parallels between the Mishkan and the Jewish home.  

What do you think and why?

 

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In regard to the construction of the Mishkan at 35:1 Moshe begins.

אֵלֶּה, הַדְּבָרִים, אֲשֶׁר-צִוָּה יְהוָה, לַעֲשֹׂת אֹתָם

"… These are the things that the Lord commanded to make".

Moses then prefaces the discussion of the details of the work of the Mishkan with the warning to keep the Sabbath. By doing so he denotes that the work of the Mishkan does not supersede the Sabbath.

 

                                          

Moses then conveys Hashem’s instructions regarding the making of the Mishkan. The people donate the required materials in abundance, bringing gold, silver and copper; blue-, purple- and red-dyed wool; goat hair, spun linen, animal skins, wood, olive oil, herbs and precious stones.  

Would you believe, Moses has to tell us to stop giving!

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The Tabernacle in the Wilderness (illustration from the 1890 Holman Bible)

There is a 19^th century saying attributed to Lord Acton that goes as follows: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men..."

It would seem what is very much true now, was also true in the time of Moshe Rabeinu.   Moshe, our greatest leader, gives an accounting before the people of the gifts and donations brought by B’nei Yisrael in conjunction with the construction of the Mishkan.  For Moshe there is complete transparency. For Solomon in building the Temple there is enough information to condemn him for his travesty.

Psalm 24:3-4: “Who shall ascend into the mountain of the LORD? and who shall stand in His holy place?  He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart;  who hath not taken My name in vain, and hath not sworn deceitfully.”

This week’s parsha concludes with the Mishkan being completed. 

All its components are brought to Moses, who erects it and anoints it with the holy anointing oil.  Moses initiates Aaron and his four sons into the priesthood. A cloud appears over the Mishkan, signifying the Divine Presence, the Shekinah, has come to dwell within it.  

May it continue to do so.

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The Haftarah for the parashah when there is no special Sabbath is for Sephardi Jews: 1 Kings 7:40–50 and for Ashkenazi Jews: 1 Kings 7:51–8:21

Both the parashah and the haftarah report the leader's construction of the holy place—Moses' setting up the Tabernacle, and Solomon's building of the Temple in Jerusalem. Both the parashah and the Haftarah report that the builders finished the work:

"Moses finished the work”  in Exodus 40:33,וַיְכַל מֹשֶׁה, אֶת-הַמְּלָאכָה

‎ "So Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he wrought for king Solomon in the house of the LORD: in 1 Kings 7:40.וַיְכַל חִירָם, לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת-כָּל-הַמְּלָאכָה, אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה, בֵּית יְהוָה.

Do you see a difference?

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It could be that Hashem wanted his house to be constructed out of cedar wood and not out of stone as was Solomon's plan. Consider  2 Samuel 7: 2-7 :

2,3  -  The king (David) said unto Nathan the prophet: 'See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.'  And Nathan said to the king: 'Go, do all that is in thy heart; for the LORD is with thee.'

4,5,6  - And it came to pass the same night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying: 'Go and tell My servant David:  Thus saith the LORD: Shalt thou build Me a house for Me to dwell in?  for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.

7 - In all places wherein, I have walked among all the children of Israel, spoke I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed My people Israel, saying: Why have ye not built Me a house of cedar?

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Rabbi Beryl Wein comments on the Torah portion:

The book of Shemot that began with such high drama just a few months ago ends this week on a rather bland and apparently purely technical note. The Torah once more reviews and recounts for us the details of the construction of the Mishkan and an exact accounting of the material goods that were used. 

 

Through the ages, the commentators have dwelt long and hard on these parshiyot in the holy Torah, where every letter and word is eternal, in an attempt to justify this seemingly superfluous repetition. I will not attempt to review all of the different approaches to explain this issue. They are all satisfactory and yet somehow short of the mark as well. There is an obvious teaching that all of the commentators agree with that does derive from this review and repetition regarding the construction of the Mishkan. 

 

The Mishkan had the miraculous quality of being built exactly and unwaveringly according to its original plan. Many times in life people and institutions set out to create structures, organizations and policies that will be of great benefit to society upon completion. Rarely if ever does the finished product match exactly the plans and true intentions of those who initiated the project. 

 

All human plans and blueprints are subject to change, alteration and even to cancellation. The plans for the Mishkan, shrouded in the spirituality of God’s commandments, were not subject to such changes. Bezalel and Ahaliav and the Jewish people were complimented for their strict adherence to the original plans given to Moshe for the construction of the Mishkan.

 

Every detail of the construction of the Mishkan is reviewed in the parshiyot of this week. All builders are aware of the importance of detail in their work. A missing screw, nail or hook can lead to later disaster. This is true in the physical mundane life of people and is doubly true regarding the spiritual and moral character of a person and a community. Only in the completion of the details is the whole person or project seen. 

 

The measure of an artist, whether in pictures or music, is always in the nuances - in the details. The avoidance of shortcuts that invariably lead to shabbiness is the true hallmark of the gifted performer. Moshe lovingly records for us every piece of material that came together in the holy Mishkan. In Kabbalistic thought, every detail in the construction of the Mishkan is truly an influence on the general world at large. 

 

Though the Mishkan is no longer physically present with us, its lessons and greatness still abide within the Torah we study and in our value systems. By reading the Torah’s description of the Mishkan and studying the underlying principles that it represents, it gains life and influence within us individually and collectively. May we be strengthened by this eternal knowledge.

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Shabbat Parah, שבת פרה

Shabbat Parah, the Sabbath of the red heifer takes place in preparation for Passover.

Numbers 19:1-22 is read. It  describes the Parah Adamah ("red heifer") in the Mishkan as part of the manner in which the Kohanim and we Jews purified ourselves so that we would be able ("pure") to offer the Passover sacrifice.