Tetzaveh - 3rd Portion

Join as we learn kumish for Tuesday the third Torah reading of parasava. Yesterday we learned about the laws and the details pertaining to the breastplate. Today we're going to move on to the next garment the robe of the cohen chapter 28 verse 31. You shall make a robe to the aphod which will be worn under the aphod and that would be made completely out of turquoise wool. Why was it called there? Aren't they two separate garments? The aphod was an apron around this robe that was underneath it. The word means completely out of turquoise. out of Turkish wool. No other kind, no other material was mixed in it. Verse 32, there should be a top opening. It should be all around its opening around it would be a hem that would be around the whole thing with a collar should be for it. It should not be torn so that it not be torn. So there was a woven hem reinforced around the top around the opening of it and the purpose of this is that it should not get torn. Rashi over here he's talking about the opening. There were two tops. There were two openings to the robe. One on the top where the neck would come out of and one that was on the bottom. So we're talking about over here the top. That's why it's called the opening on the top. That's the place where the neck would go in. You would fold it inside like making a hem. to make a hem around the top and the way you would make it was be folding over the material and that's that will be woven and afterwards it should all be part of the garment to begin with. What does the word sakra mean? comes from the word like a type of it was made in into a place like a um like the collar that they would wear for the coat of a special individual. And it tells us that these individuals that they're males that they what they would do they would have it that it was sewn into it that the actual material would go back inside and be sewn like a hem like we know it. What the purpose of this was that it should not be torn. And over here she adds and says that this is actually a negative prohibition. One of the 365 negative commandments is if somebody tears somebody who tears the hem or the neckline of the robe, that would be considered a negative commandment and this is counted of one of the ne negative commandments in the Torah. As we mentioned earlier, we mentioned this one should not remove the breastplate off the we mentioned this yesterday about not moving the breastplate off the aphot. And as well as we mentioned in last week's story reading taking out one should not remove the poles from the ark. Verse 33. Now we meant go to the bottom of the robe. And on the lower hem of the robe you will make turquoise pomegranates made out of purple wool. and of scarlet wool on its hem all around and you'll have gold bells in them around them as well. So you have on the hem there will be the pomegranates and the bells hanging around the edge of the bottom edge of the of the robe. Why were they called pomegranates? They were round and hollow. They looked like pomegranates were looked like also similar to but long and oval looking like an egg of a chicken. That means they weren't completely round like a pomegranate but they were also ostretched a little bit. So more oval like the looking like an egg bells with piece in between inside that makes the bell make noise. around the entire thing in between. The way you had it was there was a bell and a pomegranate bell and a pomegranate going around the whole edge of the of the robe. Verse 34, a gold bell and a pomegranate. The gold belt and a pomegranate all around the lower hem of the robe. Rashi had one one bell right next to it a pomegranate and that's the way it would go around hanging around the whole entire rope. Verse 35 and this will be for Aaron when he serves in the holy temple will make it sound that means the bells would ring when he comes into the holy temple before God say when he goes out this way he should not die from the very fact that he says he should not die from here we also learn the positive meaning if he has these garments he's not going to be liable capital punishment But what happens if he walks into the holy temple and he's not wearing one of these garments will be liable capital punishment in the hands of heaven. Over here we also see the concept that when the one of the commentaries explained that one of the reasons why he had these pomegranates would would be sounded is that he's as if he's knocking on the door before he enters into the holy temple out of respect. The Torah now continues to tell us about the forehead plate that the coing god will wore. Verse 36. And you shall make a forehead plate made out of pure gold and you will engrave on it. It a like a signant ring holy unto God. Rashimitz. What does the word sits mean? Can mean t was like a plate of gold was wide two fingers. And it would be a plate that would go from ear to ear on the actual coingle. How would it be connected? Verse 37. You'll use a turquoise string. And that would then sit on the turban on the front of the turban. It should be however rashi says over here. It seems like that the breast that the actual plate the forehead plate would be on the string. However, in another place it says you should put the you should put the string on the plate also here it says it should be on the turban later on in verse 38 it says should be on his forehead. How do you have it on the turban on his forehead on the turquoise string? How do they all work out? So therefore uh and then later on it also says and then we learned in the track of that he would have his plate which would be right underneath the turban and in between you would see us here because then the would stick out in between. So how did that work out? So what do we have here? The mitzv is the turban was sitting on the top of the head, not deep down. That means it cut the head until the forehead. The turban was sitting on his head until the forehead. Then the plate was right underneath it. Then there were strings that held holes in the actual plate with strings were held with both sides in the middle. So you have six strings. You have two on the side, two on each side, two in the middle that held the plate in place in these three places. So you have one on the outside and then he would tie it. So you have the two all six strings then tied in the back by his neck. You have two of them that would be in the back around his neck, around his head, around his skull, which would go around his head. Two of them would go then over his head. And so the whole um the whole plate with the strings were like a hat itself. You had two on the side, one on the two on the top. all of them together while they were tied or was sitting on his head as well like a cap. And therefore he says about the middle string would go undetermined. So you had if you're looking at the front, the plate was sitting on his forehead, two strings going in the back. Then you had as well two strings going on top of the turban. So therefore you fulfill the commandment that it says that the plate should be on top of the turbine. This way it was going on top of the turbine as well. What do you have from here is you have now you settled all the verses. There's no conflict. You had a string that was going on the actual plate itself. You also now have that the plate was on the string because since you had two strings coming out from both sides then you had a string that was coming out. So you have one coming on it one below it. Then so too you have then a string that would be going on the turban on top. Verse 38 and therefore an aram will carry it on his forehead. It should be worn on his foreign and will then affect an atonement sin for all the sacred offerings that all the Jewish people will then sanctify through all their any of their holy gifts and will be on his forehead for eternity constantly to assure them favor in front of God. Rashi What does it mean that Aaron will carry what is it meaning you will be carrying? Meaning it will forgive for them but as well it doesn't move from its actual simple termation that Aaron has to carry the weight of the Jewish people because he's carrying the tits. He's wearing the tits on his forehead. He was then carrying the weight of the sin of the Jewish people. Because of this, they he's able to remove the sin from those holy sacrifices that they bring. Meaning that it sits the for the forehead plate that he would be wearing comes comes to atone for the blood and fats that was brought in impurity. Like we learned in the tractor, what sins was he tolerating? Was he forgiving for if it's for the sin of leftover meat that was not or le sacrifices that were not allowed to be eaten in its proper place is not this is not acceptable if it's for leftover meat from that wasn't eaten its proper time. It's not considered a sacrifice. You can't say you can say that it's forgiving. It's atoning for a sin for a who brought a sacrifice while he was impure. It says about the sacrifices, not about the people that were bringing the sacrifices. What do we learn from here? Is that what is it coming to tell us? is coming to tell me that who is it's um that the actual tits was there to make the carbon to make the sacrifice befitting and it's not that and it's not making it kosher it's not making it proper but it's atoning for the sin that was being brought not changing and not allowing something which was not allowed to be brought to be brought What does this mean? That will be on his forehead constantly. You can't say that it means constantly. He'll never be allowed to take it off. He's only supposed to wear it when he's doing his service in the holy temple. When it says constantly, we mentioned before will be constantly there to for atone for them. Even if he wasn't wearing it on his word, meaning not always was the high priest working in the holy temple. Maybe he wasn't there at the moment. But there still in all would atone for the sins. But however, if there there's an opinion that says that the only time it would atone for the sacrifices if the calling was there and it was wearing it on his forehead, she would have to explain. Then what does it mean constantly? That he would have to always wear it while he was in the holy temple. But not only that, he would have to constantly touch it to make sure that he doesn't lose concentration. And remember that that's always being worn on his forehead. Verse 39. Now the Torah is telling us about the rest of the garments that were made. You shall then make out of linen a tunic. He will also then make a linen turban a and a sash. You should all make it and embroidered. What does the word mean? Make it you have to do it in a woven way made of linen. Verse 40. So over here we just mentioned three other garments that the cohen would have the turban that were mentioned previously the tunic and the sash verse 40. Now we're going to say about garments that were made for the other kohanim as well and for the children of arinis you should make for them tunics. You should make for them sashes boys and hats but these are going to be different kind of hats not turbons. They're going to be diagonal hands. You should make for them for dignity and for splendor. However, for the children of Aaron, they're going to only have four garments and not more. The four garments are going to be the tunic, the sash, the hat, and the pants. in the pants that we're going to be learning later on which is the next verse verse 41. You're going to dress your brother and his children together with you with him and you will anoint them and you will inaugurate them and you will make them sanctified and they shall serve me as those eight garments that I previously mentioned those are going to be Aaron which is the breastplate the apron the tunic and the and the robe, the sash, the and the frame and the and the forehead plate and the and and the turban which is the breastplate and the apron and the tur robe and the tunic and the turbanate and the sashit and the forehead plate and the pants which will be mentioned later. All of them the high priest wears and his children will get their clothing that we just mentioned only for who are you going to anoint and the sons with what with the anointing oil what does it mean will fill their hands when we talk about filling somebody's hands in this case and we're going to see it later also in the book of Leviticus it means education meaning teaching them, inaugurating them and showing them how to use it. When a person gets appointed and inaugurated to a certain position, he is guarant he is that's his position. He is filled with it from that day onward. And that's why it's called you're filling his hands. He is now occupied with doing that job. In other languages, when you give a person and you appoint them to do a certain job, when you give a person a job in other places when you give a point a person a job you're giving the person that's in charge like a leather glove which they would call gavant and that would be the way he would hold it and that's the way people knew that he was in charge and with that way he would be in charge and only him can do that job and that was considered like an ordination inauguration when they would give that person the glove that he would wear that's the way you would know that he entered that position and that's why another way what you call media and filling his hands he is now inaugurated with that uh opportunity verse 42 we mentioned before about the trousers about the pants and here is where the Torah mentions it and you're going to make for them as well uh pants linen trousers to cover their nakedness. They should be from their waist to their thighs. You should make for them in this case and the sons both equally will have it trousers made out of linen. Now you have a total of eight garments for the high priest. and four for the regular. Verse 43 and this will be on and the sons when they come into the tent of gathering when they come close or they come to the altar to serve to minister in the sanctuary and they will not bear a sin and because of that this will be a law a statute for him which means for Aaron to his children and for future generations at all time as Well, all these garments will be on Aaron meaning the ones that are needed for him and for his sons that we mentioned when they come into the tent of gathering meaning the sanctuary and so too in the tabernacle in this case and they will die. What do we learn from here? Like we mentioned previously that a cohen or a god who serves in the holy temple not wearing the appropriate garments is liable of capital punishment anytime that it says an eternal statute. This is not only a decree for now but it's for now and for generations to come. And why is it telling us also that they have to do it right away for the generations to come? To tell us that even if meaning if they don't have it, they cannot serve in the holy temple. This will refrain them from working in the holy temple if they don't have these garments. This concludes the third aliyah for paras tatava.