Illustration credit: Rivka Tsinman
God commands Benei Yisrael to take two precious stones and engrave the names of the שְׁבָטִים (shevatim, tribes of Israel) on them. These stones were for the אֵפוֹד (ephod), a kind of apron that was part of the uniform of the כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל (kohen gadol, high priest).
וְשַׂמְתָּ אֶת שְׁתֵּי הָאֲבָנִים עַל כִּתְפֹת הָאֵפֹד
אַבְנֵי זִכָּרֹן לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
וְנָשָׂא אַהֲרֹן אֶת שְׁמוֹתָם לִפְנֵי ה'
עַל שְׁתֵּי כְתֵפָיו לְזִכָּרֹן׃
Attach the two stones to the shoulder-pieces of the ephod,
to be stones of remembrance for Benei Yisrael.
Aharon will carry their names before God, on his two shoulders, for a remembrance.
- What do you notice? What makes you curious?
- What Hebrew words or שָׁרָשִׁים (shorashim, roots) repeat in this pasuk? What might be important about these repeated words?
- Why might אַבְנֵי זִכָּרֹן (avnei zikaron, stones of remembrance) be such an important part of the kohen gadol’s uniform?
- Who is supposed to do the remembering? Can you think of more than one answer based on evidence in this pasuk?
- Do you have any pieces of clothing or other objects that help you remember things or people that are important to you?
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