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ShareMake sacral vestments for your brother Aaron, for honor/dignity and splendor/beauty.
The Torah singles out beauty in parashat Tetzaveh: “You shall make holy vestments of sanctity for Aaron your brother, for glory (Kavod) and splendor (Tifareth).”
In the prior parasha, Terumah, Moses gathered in all the gifts of the people.
Now, the next step in building the sacred community through the project of creating the Mishkan, was to clothe the priests with special garments. The key aspect of these holy vestments was that they should be beautiful. Plato places beauty among the highest goods: the True, the Good, and the Beautiful. Each are essential aspects of the good life, and as medieval philosophers would later describe, reflect the character of God.
- What role does beauty play in Jewish life?
- Where do we especially emphasize the role of beauty, and what does that say about our values?
- How can we cultivate moments of proximity to beauty that enrich our spiritual and Jewish lives?
היא שצוה הכהנים ללבוש בגדים מיוחדים לכבוד ולתפארת ואז יעבדו במקדש, ... וזאת היא מצות בגדי כהונה שמונה בגדים לכהן גדול וארבעה לכהן הדיוט וכל עת שישרת הכהן בפחות ממנין בגדיו המיוחדים לו באותה העבודה או ביותר מהם עבודתו פסולה ויתחייב על זה מיתה בידי שמים רוצה לומר למחוסר בגדים שעבד. וכן מנוהו בגמרא (סנהדרין פ"ג) בכלל מחוייבי מיתה בידי שמים. ולא בא בכתוב זה בבאור, אבל בא בכתוב וחגרת אותם אבנט והיתה להם כהונת עולם ובא הפירוש בזמן שבגדיהם עליהם כהונתם עליהם אין בגדיהם עליהם אין כהונתם עליהם והוו להו זרים והרי נתבאר זר ששמש במיתה. ואמרו בספרא וישם עליו את החשן פרשה זו למדה לשעתה ולמדה לדורות למדה לשרת יום יום ולשרת יום הכפורים. בכל יום משמש בבגדי זהב ביום הכפורים בבגדי לבן. וכבר בא בספרי שלבישת בגדים אלו היא מצות עשה, והוא אמרם מנין שאין אהרן לובש בגדים אלו לגדולתו אלא כמו מקיים גזרת המלך שנאמר ויעש כאשר צוה ה' את משה כלומר לבישת הבגדים. ואע"פ שהם בתכלית היופי שהם מזהב שהם וישפה וזולתם מהאבנים הטובות והיפות לא יכוין בהם היופי אלא לקיים הצווי שצוה השם יתעלה למשה לבד והוא שילבש בגדים אלו תמיד במקדש. וכבר התבארו משפטי מצוה זו כלם בזבחים ביומא ובסוכה. (ואתה תצוה, כלי בית המקדש פרק י'):
He commanded the priests to wear special garments for glory and adornment, so they can then serve in the Temple. ... And this is the commandment of the priestly garments - eight garments for the high priests and four for an ordinary priest. And anytime the priest serves with less than this number of special garments, or more than them, his service is disqualified and he becomes liable for death at the hands of the Heavens - meaning for the one was lacking clothes and served. And likewise did they count him in the Gemara (Sanhedrin 83b) as one of those liable for death at the hands of the Heavens. And this explanation does not appear in Scripture. But what does appear in Scripture is, "and you shall gird them with sashes [...] and they shall have priesthood" (Exodus 29:9). And the explanation appears - when their garments are upon them, their priesthood is upon them; when their garments are not upon them, their priesthood is not upon them, and they are outsiders (non-priests). ... "'And he placed the breastplate upon him': This section was learned for its time and for [all the] generations; for the daily service and for the Yom Kippur service. [However] every day he serves in the golden garments; and on Yom Kippur, in the white (linen) garments. And it already appears in the [Sifra], that wearing these garments is a positive commandment. And this is their saying (Sifra, Acharei Mot, Chapter 8:10).
"From where [do we know] that Aharon did not wear the garments for his aggrandizement, but only to fulfill the decree of the King? As it is stated, 'and he did as the Lord commanded Moshe' - that is to say, the wearing of the garments." And even though they are the utmost in beauty - given that they are from gold, onyx, jasper and the other precious and beautiful stones - he should not have intention [in wearing them,] for their beauty, but rather only to fulfill the command that God, may He be exalted, commanded Moshe. And that is that he always wear these garments in the Temple. ...
The Garments were required for leading the Avodah, the sacred worship. See Masekhet Sanhedrin. A priest would be liable for death by heaven if he did not have the appropriate sacred clothing. Yikes!
לכבוד ולתפארת שיהיה נכבד ומפואר במלבושים נכבדים ומפוארים, כמו שאמר הכתוב כחתן יכהן פאר (ישעיה סא י), כי אלה הבגדים לבושי מלכות הן, כדמותן ילבשו המלכים בזמן התורה, ... : והמצנפת ידועה גם היום למלכים ולשרים הגדולים, ולכן אמר הכתוב בנפול המלכות הסר המצנפת והרם העטרה (יחזקאל כא לא), וכן כתוב וצניף מלוכה (ישעיה סב ג), וכך יקראם הכתוב פארי המגבעות (שמות ל״ט:כ״ח), וכתיב פארי פשתים יהיו על ראשם (יחזקאל מד יח), שהם פאר ושבח למכתירים בהם והאפוד והחשן לבוש מלכות, כענין שכתוב והמניכא די דהבא על צוארך (דניאל ה טז). והציץ נזר המלכים הוא, וכתיב (תהלים קלב יח) יציץ נזרו. והם זהב וארגמן ותכלת, וכתיב (שם מה יד) כל כבודה בת מלך פנימה ממשבצות זהב לבושה, וכתיב (דניאל ה טז) ארגוונא תלבש והמניכא די דהבא על צוארך. והתכלת גם היום לא ירים איש את ידו ללבוש חוץ ממלך גוים, וכתיב (אסתר ח טו) ומרדכי יצא מלפני המלך בלבוש מלכות תכלת וחור ועטרת זהב גדולה ותכריך בוץ וארגמן, והתכריך הוא המעיל שיעטף בו:
ועל דרך האמת, לכבוד ולתפארת, יאמר שיעשו בגדי קדש לאהרן לשרת בהם לכבוד השם השוכן בתוכם ולתפארת עזם, כדכתיב (תהלים פט יח) כי תפארת עזמו אתה וכתיב (ישעיה סד י) בית קדשנו ותפארתנו אשר הללוך אבותינו, וקדשנו הוא הכבוד ותפארתנו תפארת ישראל, ועוד נאמר (תהלים צו ו) עוז ותפארת במקדשו, וכן לפאר מקום מקדשי ומקום רגלי אכבד (ישעיה ס יג), שיהיה מקום המקדש מפואר בתפארת, ומקום רגליו, שהוא מקום בית המקדש, מכובד בכבוד השם. וכן ובישראל יתפאר (שם מד כג), שיהיה מראה ומיחד בהם תפארתו, וכן אמר למטה גם בבגדי הבנים כלם לכבוד ולתפארת (שמות כ״ח:מ׳), ואמר בקרבנות יעלו על רצון מזבחי ובית תפארתי אפאר (ישעיה ס ז). והנה המזבח רצונו, והכבוד בית תפארתו.
AND THOU SHALT MAKE HOLY GARMENTS FOR AARON THY BROTHER FOR SPLENDOR AND BEAUTY — this means that he be distinguished and glorified with garments of distinction and beauty, just as Scripture says, as a bridegroom putteth on a priestly diadem. For these garments [of the High Priest] correspond in their forms to garments of royalty, which monarchs wore at the time when the Torah was given. ... Therefore Scripture says with reference to the fall of the kingdom [of Judah], The mitre shall be removed, and the crown taken off. Similarly it is written, and a royal diadem. Scripture also calls them the ornamented high caps, and it is further written, They shall have linen ornamented [caps] upon their heads, which are for the beauty and glory of those that are adorned with them. The ephod and the breastplate are also royal garments, just as it is written, and thou shalt have a chain of gold about thy neck. The plate [around the forehead, which the High Priest wore], is like a king’s crown. Thus it is written, ‘yatzitz nizro’ (his crown will shine). Furthermore, [the High Priest’s garments] are made of gold, blue-purple, and red-purple [which are all symbolic of royalty]. ... As for the blue-purple, even to this day no man will lift up his hand to wear it except a king of nations, and it is written, And Mordecai went forth from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a ‘tachrich’ (robe) of fine linen and purple — the tachrich being a robe in which the wearer wraps himself.
By way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings of the Cabala,] majesty is to kavod (glory) and to tiphereth (splendor), the verse thus stating that they should make holy garments for Aaron to minister in them to the Glory of G-d Who dwells in their midst, and to the Splendor of their strength, as it is written, For Thou art the Glory of their strength, and it is further stated, Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised Thee, meaning [“the house of] our Holy One” which is the Glory, and “of our Splendor” which is the Splendor of Israel. And it is further stated, Strength and beauty are in His Sanctuary, and similarly, To beautify the place of My Sanctuary, and I will make the place of My feet glorious — meaning, that the place of the Sanctuary will be glorified by the Splendor, and the place of His feet, which is the place of the Sanctuary, will be honored by the presence of the Glory of G-d. And in Israel will He glorify Himself also means that in Israel He will show and designate His Splendor. Likewise He says further with respect to the garments of all of Aaron’s sons, that they are for splendor and for beauty. Of the sacrifices He also says, they will come up with ‘ratzon’ (‘will’ — acceptance) on Mine altar, and I will glorify My glorious house. Thus the altar is His Will and the house of His Glory is the Splendor. ...
In Judaism, the central role of Beauty is focused upon Avodah, the Temple worship, and today, the role of communal worship.
Whereas in ancient Judaism, people lavished wealth on the Temple. Following the loss of the Temple, the focus returned to the prayer leader, or Shaliakh Tzibbur. Let's examine some of the laws pertaining to Shelikhei Tzibbur, the prayer leader of a community.
דין מי הראוי לירד לפני התיבה.
ש"צ צריך שיהיה הגון ואיזהו הגון שיהא ריקן מעבירות ושלא יצא עליו שם רע אפי' בילדותו ושיהיה עניו ומרוצה לעם ויש לו נעימה וקולו ערב ורגיל לקרות תורה נביאים וכתובים:
The laws regarding who is appropriate to go down before the ark
The leader must be one who is fit. Who is "fit"? One who is free of sin; who has never had a poor reputation, even in his youth; who is humble; who is acceptable to the nation; who is skilled at [liturgical] chanting; whose voice is pleasant; who is accustomed to reading Torah, Prophets, and Writings (i.e. biblical text).
פוחח [עבדי ישעיה ערום תרגם עבדי ישעיה פחח] והוא מי שבגדו קרוע וזרועותיו מגולים לא ירד לפני התיבה:
A "pocheiach" [[as in the verse] "...my servant Isaiah has gone naked" - and it is someone who whose clothing is torn and his arms are exposed - may not go down before the ark.
Is the practice of bringing songs, and soulful singing always beautiful? Obviously, that depends on the quality of the singing, and the participation of those present. What if it simply gets "too long?"
A prayer leader who lengthens the prayer so that people will hear his pleasant voice: if it was because of the joy in his heart that he gives thanks to God, may He be praised, in pleasantness, a blessing shall come upon him. And this as long as he prays with weighty intention and stands in dread and fear, but if he intends to make his voice heard and rejoice in his voice, behold this is detestable. And in any case, anyone who lengthens his prayer [when serving as the leader] is not acting properly because of burdening the congregation.
It seems that the purpose of the singing matters in determining whether or not it is acceptable. This would seem to show that the purpose of the beauty we introduce into our prayers must be to lift our hearts toward God, and not to do provide a display of our musical virtuosity.
If there is no person that fits these qualifications, we should pick the one that has the most knowledge and good deeds in the community. Gloss: And if there was here an ignoramus who is an elder and his voice is pleasant and the people want him and [also] a 13 year old who knows what he is saying and his voice is not pleasant, the younger one takes precedent (Mordekhai, Chapter 1 of Chullin). One who has committed a sin unintentionally, for example, who killed a person accidentally and returned in repentance is permitted to be leader, but if he did it intentionally [he may] not, in that in any case a bad name has gone out regarding him prior to the repentance.
It seems that the focal point of Jewish approach to Beauty, is Avodah, or worship of God. In the Torah, this focusses upon the clothing of the priests. In the days of the Temple, many people lavished expensive gifts upon the Temple in order to make it beautiful. In the era of the synagogue, we have striven to imbue our prayers with beauty. Indeed, we can see the focus on beauty in how our major law code, the Shulkhan Arukh requires the Shaliakh Tzibbur, or prayer leader to have a pleasing voice, a good relationship with the congregation, good clothing, and even a beard that brings him honor from the community (Orach Chayim 53:6), understanding of what he/she is saying, and in depth Jewish learning.
Jews have not focused our beautification efforts on building beautiful buildings. Instead, we have focused our love of beauty in the practice of prayer. We have sought out the beauty that is communicated through living a good life. We have been inspired by the beauty of a community that is wrapped in prayer.
Reflect: How does our study of the role of beauty shift your experience of Jewish prayer?