With my wife’s birthday around the corner and our 18-year-old daughter in Israel, I came up with the perfect gift. I sent her to Israel to visit our daughter. As excited as she was to go to Israel and to see our daughter; I think she was just as happy to be out of the snowy wintry cold that has gripped Toronto. As her flight date approached, I would have thought that her excitement and anticipation would have increased. Instead the anxiety of “what to pack” replaced some of that excitement. Over the years, when I watched her go through the internal debates on the merits of which skirts, which dresses and what sweaters to bring, I used to grow impatient and aggravated. Perhaps packing clothing is fundamentally easier for me. I focus on the reason for wearing the clothes. I don’t focus upon whether or not I like a particular article of clothing or anticipate a desire to wear a specific article of clothing. So this time as my wife’s anxiety increased, I just attempted to disengage. Amazingly enough, the stress of her packing remained essentially confined to my wife. The stress and the anxiety didn’t spread to me or the kids. If she asked me if something fit, I answered. When she needed me to bring down her suitcase, I did. When she needed me to help with laundry, I did. Because I essentially stayed away from her packing the suitcase, I didn’t have to experience her concerns about what to pack.
This Shabbat, we read from Parshah Tetzaveh, and in it, we learn about the uniform of the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest. Just like last week’s Parshah was a series of instructions on the way in which a physical space becomes beautified and holy, Parshah Tetzaveh offers a series of instructions on the way in which a certain individual’s physical appearance is beautified, and glorious. From head to toe, we are told that each item of the Kohen Gadol’s priestly uniform is made of fine linen, valuable stones, gold, cotton silk turquoise wool to name just a few of the ingredients. Certainly, we could understand the Parshah from a superficial perspective but to do so would be to misunderstand a deeper and perhaps more powerful message. We live in a society where “clothes make the man”, clothes define who and what we are. However, Parshah Tetzaveh teaches us something radically different. Instead of clothing making us look sharper, slimmer, better proportioned, what if clothes could express our intelligence, our emotional health, our sense of decency, the holiness that exists within our soul and the degree to which that holiness is expressed. What would such clothes look like? Such clothes would have to express the degree to which we have permitted God into our lives. Such clothes would have to express the holy magnificence of God’s presence within our lives.
The Torah is very clear as to the reason for such highly decorative, highly ornate clothing. V’Kidashti et Ohel Mo’Ed v’Et Ha’Mizbeach V’Et Aharon v’Et Banav Akadesh L’Chahen Li – I shall sanctify the Tent of Meeting and the Altar; and Aaron and his sons shall I sanctify to minister to Me V’Shachanti B’Toch Bnai Yisroel V’Hayiti Lahem L’Elohim I shall rest My Presence among the Children of Israel , and I shall be their God (Ex. 29:44-45). God’s presence will make the Tent of the Meeting holy. In other words, God’s presence will make a particular space holy. Rabbi Ovadiah Sforno (15/16th Century Italy) explains that God rests among us in order to accept with favor our prayers and service. However, God resting his Presence is not enough. The Kohanim and ultimately the rest of us need to recognize that this is our God and we need to act appropriately. We can never take God’s proximity for granted. Therefore Aaron and his son’s, serving on behalf of the people, must achieve a higher degree of holiness compared to the rest of the people. This higher level of holiness must exist both inside and outside. Any inconsistency renders the Kohen Gadol impure. If the clothes become physically dirty, then he is momentarily impure. If his heart wanders, if his mind is elsewhere, or if he has not completely given of himself to the service to God on our behalf, then he is momentarily impure as well.
Judaism strives to create opportunities where the physical world seamlessly connects to the spiritual world. In the realm of time; Shabbat is a designated day when the physical seamlessly knits together with the spiritual world. However, even in the course of a regular day, we can wear our spiritual clothing: prayer, Kashrut, study, and simple acts of kindness (Gemilut Chasadim) and make sure that these spiritual clothes match our external clothes. Sometimes it is very easy to lose sight of what matters. Frequently we focus on the outside. As my wife was almost finished packing, she asked me about an article of clothing. I smiled before I responded and she answered herself. Her answer stunned me. She explained that she wouldn’t take that particular article of clothing because she was going to Israel to visit her daughter and spend time with her. Nothing else really mattered. With that answer, there was no more anxiety and we all were excited for her birthday journey to Israel.
Peace
Rav Yitz
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