Illustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
Commentary פַּרְשָׁנוּת
The Torah tells us how the כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל (kohen gadol, high priest) should dress when performing the special rituals of the עֲבוֹדָה (avodah, service) on Yom Kippur:
כְּתֹנֶת בַּד קֹדֶשׁ יִלְבָּשׁ וּמִכְנְסֵי בַד יִהְיוּ עַל בְּשָׂרוֹ וּבְאַבְנֵט בַּד יַחְגֹּר וּבְמִצְנֶפֶת בַּד יִצְנֹף
He shall wear a holy linen tunic, linen pants on his body, with a linen sash and turban
Usually, the kohen gadol wears additional clothing, which is much fancier and full of gold. Why plain linen on Yom Kippur?
Rav Hisda explains that the kohen gadol has to avoid wearing anything gold because it would be a reminder of the חֵטְא הָעֵגֶל (heit ha-eigel, sin of the golden calf).
אָמַר רַב חִסְדָּא: מִפְּנֵי מָה אֵין כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל נִכְנָס בְּבִגְדֵי זָהָב לִפְנַי וְלִפְנִים לַעֲבוֹד עֲבוֹדָה? לְפִי שֶׁאֵין קָטֵיגוֹר נַעֲשָׂה סָנֵיגוֹר.
Rav Hisda said: Why does the kohen gadol not enter the Holy of Holies in the golden garments to perform the Yom Kippur avodah? It is because a kategor (prosecutor) cannot become a sanegor (advocate).
In court, a kategor (prosecutor) accuses someone of a crime, and tries to prove that they are guilty.
A sanegor (advocate) tries to defend a person, and prove their innocence.
On Yom Kippur, the job of the kohen gadol is to be a sanegor, persuading God to forgive the Jewish people.
But, Rav Hisda says, if the kohen gadol were to wear gold in the Mishkan, he would remind God about a terrible sin Benei Yisrael committed, heit ha-eigel. That would make him a kategor, which would contradict being a sanegor.
- The golden clothing of the Kohen Gadol are very special, so not wearing them on such a holy day as Yom Kippur is a real loss. What can this teach us about the consequences of sins?
- What can we learn from this about the sacrifices we sometimes have to make to achieve forgiveness?
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