Tetzaveh - תְּצַוֶּה  Shemot ~ Exodus Making Torah Personal ~ Kavod / כבוד /Honor 27:20 – 30:10

Looking at the parsha through a Mussar lens of Kavod / Honor /

Honor, respect, and dignity are due to each and every human being not because of the greatness of their achievements or how they have behaved, but because they are home to a soul that is inherently holy. Nobody created their own soul.; Everybody has been gifted with a rarefied essence. ~ Alan Morinis, Everyday Holiness

Tetzaveh is the only Parshah in the Torah since Moses’ birth in which Moses’ name does not appear (with the exception of the book of Deuteronomy). There are opposing responses to this. The Baal HaTurim says the censure of a righteous person, even if made conditional on an unfulfilled stipulation, always has some effect. He references when the people of Israel sinned with the golden calf, Moses said to G‑d: “If You do not [forgive them], erase me from the book that You have written” (Exodus 32:31). The Lubavitcher Rebbe states that Moses' name is within this entire parsha, evidenced by the word "atah" in the first verse, saying "Because Moses was prepared to forgo mention of his name in the Torah for the sake of his people, he merited that his quintessential self—the level of self that cannot be captured by any name or designation—be eternalized by the Torah. It is this level of Moses’ self that is expressed by his 'nameless' presence".

Parsha Highlights

The description for building of the Mishkan [portable sanctuary] continues and begins with the commanded instructions for the Ner Tamid {the constant light} which is to be lit every day "from evening to morning" using pure olive oil.

Aaron and his four sons are appointed as kohanim along with descriptions of the nature of their garments during service.

[The next 43 verses—about half of the Parshah’s total—consist of these instructions]

All kohanim wore: 1) the ketonet—a full-length linen tunic; 2) michnasayim—linen breeches; 3) mitznefet or migba’at—a linen turban; 4) avnet—a long sash wound above the waist.

In addition to that, the Kohen Gadol wore: 5) the ephod—an apron-like garment made of blue-, purple- and red-dyed wool, linen and gold thread; 6) the choshen—a breastplate containing twelve precious stones inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; 7) the me’il—a cloak of blue wool, with gold bells and decorative pomegranates on its hem; 8) the tzitz—a golden plate worn on the forehead, bearing the inscription “Holy to God.”

God gave detailed instructions for the 7 day initiation of Aaron and his four sons—Nadav, Avihu, Elazar and Itamar—into the priesthood, instructions for the slaughtering of sacrificial offerings, and instructions for the making of the golden altar, on which the ketoret (incense) was burned.

The soul of man is a lamp of G‑d whose purpose in life is to illuminate the world with divine light. G‑d provided us with the "fuel" that generates His light - the Torah and its commandments (mitzvot), which embody His wisdom and will and convey His luminous truth. www.chabad.org

That which fuels the m'norah must be pure, uncontaminated by jealousy, selfishness, pride, or greed. Why olive oil? In antiquity as today, the olive branch was a sign of peace. Olive trees mature slowly, so only when there was an extended time of peace, with agriculture left undisturbed, could the olive tree produce its fruit."Even as the oil of the olive does not mix with other liquids with which it comes in contact, so has the people Israel kept its own identity when it has come in contact with other nations" {Exodus Rabbah, 36:11] ~Etz Hayim, p.504

“The word kavod (honor) comes from the Hebrew root kaf.vet.daled (K.V.D.), meaning “heavy,” “weighty,” or “significant.” When we give someone kavod, we are saying, “You are significant and deserving of recognition and good treatment.” If kavod implies weight or gravitas, the opposite is kal, or “light.” We disrespect someone by treating them lightly, as if they are not significant -- and kal is the foundation of the word klala, or “curse.” It is a curse to treat people as if they are not significant by not giving them attention, or underpaying or mistreating them.” David Jaffe, Changing the World from the Inside Out

Mussar master Rabbi Menachem Mendel Levin (1749–1826), the author of “Heshbon ha-Nefesh: the Accounting of the Soul,” lists 13 different attributes or traits that we must inculcate, including the trait of cleanliness. At first glance, we may wonder how in the world cleanliness, of all the things to strive for, could even make Levin’s list. But for Levin, careful and meticulous attention to our appearance, to what we wear and how we wear it, can be a direct link to our inner spiritual purity...But how do we strike that finely tuned balance toward attending to our external appearance and tending to our inner purity? How do we dress for the holy task while keeping the goal of becoming more empathic front and center in our hearts and minds? ~Rabbi Susan Leider

“The desire for honor tugs at a person’s heart more than any other longing and desire in the world.” ~ Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, Messilat Yesharim / Path of the Just, chapter 11

1. The Meil & Loshon Ho’rah. Among the garments worn by the Kohein Gadol (High Priest) was the Meil (coat). The Meil was worn as atonement for sins involving “loshon ho’rah” (derogatory speech about others), as symbolized by the following: (a) its color (i.e., sky blue) is a reminder that our words rise to Heaven, and we should thus be careful what we say; (b) its neckline was tight, yet never ripped, reminding us to tighten our mouths when the desire to speak loshon ho’rah is felt; and (c) bells (gold bells which made noise, and cloth bells which were silent) hanging from the bottom, indicating that there are times when we should speak and times when we should remain silent. ~Rabbi Mordechai Katz, Parsha Tetzaveh

The Efod (Apron) was worn in back and below the waist; the choshen Breastplate, on the front and upper part of the wearer. Thus, the deeper significance of the commandment "And the Breastplate shall not budge from the Efod"... is that there must be no "gap" between the upper and lower aspects of life, ... True, the human being consists of both the sensitive heart and the functional foot; true, life is composed of sublimely spiritual moments as well as the daily tending to one's material/physical needs. But the "Efod" must be securely bound to the "Choshen". The upper must permeate the lower, and the external must never lose sight of its inner essence and purpose. ~ The Lubavitcher Rebbe

1. The Priestly Vestments. “And you shall make sacred garments for Aharon your brother for glory and majesty.” The Torah devotes an entire Parsha to the preparation of the priestly vestments. Indeed, the Torah gives more space to the priestly vestments than to the holy vessels which were actually used in the Mishkon. Although the priestly vestments were not an actual part of the service, the service could be performed only when the Kohein was wearing them. It seems apparent that the vestments performed a sublime role. The Chizkuni explains that these garments constituted a sanctified beauty. Clothing is a symbol of man’s higher nature. By distinguishing between man and animals, clothes give a man special dignity. The Koheinim were, therefore, required to dress in accordance with their exalted position, reflective of man’s higher calling. HaRav M. Gifter, Shlita suggests the following additional insight into the vestments: every virtue which man possesses is valued according to his ability to “clothe” himself in that characteristic. Man’s essence must mirror these qualities. The moral attributes and character refinement manifested by the Kohein should be inherent throughout his entire essence. It should be reflected externally as well. If these traits are not externally apparent, then the Kohein is not suitable to entreat Hashem on behalf of Am Yisroel. HaRav Gifter extends this idea to include all Jews, since we are all obligated to affirm ourselves as a member of “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” To fulfill this noble goal, we must invest ourselves with the “clothing” of a holy nation: pure moral characteristics, Torah and mitzvos. Our worthiness of the mantle “holy nation” is symbolized by our being “clothed” in our holy merit. ~ Rabbi A.L. Scheinbaum