Dvar Torah Parashat Tetzaveh
Dedicated in Honor of my Mother, Bertha and myEshet Chayil Wife, Joyce By Ralph Zirdok ________________________________________________________ Parashat TetzavehThe Kohen Gadol
Last week’s parasha discussed the Mishkan, and this week, Parashat Tetzaveh goes into depth about the mitzvot pertaining to the Mishkan.
The parasha also discusses the kohanim, specifically the kohen gadol and his special garments. Hashem said to Moshe, “Now you bring near to yourself your brother and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel — Aharon, Nadab and Abihu, Elazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aharon — to minister to Me. You shall make vestments of sanctity for Aharon your brother, for honor and glory. And you shall speak to all the wise-hearted people whom I have invested with a spirit of wisdom, and they shall make the vestments of Aharon, to sanctify him to minister to Me (28:1).” Hashem selected Aharon, his four sons, and their descendants to be the kohanim to serve in the Bet Hamikdash and to serve as kohanim up until today.
The Torah then goes to great lengths to meticulously describe every detail of every article of the kohen gadol’s clothing. We must know that the Torah doesn’t waste a single letter, let alone paragraphs of information. If the Torah spends so much time discussing the kohen gadol’s clothing, there must be many important lessons to learn.
The passuk says that the vestments were to be made “for honor and glory.” There’s a contemporary phrase “dress for success.” Clothing has a major impact on us. We expect to see an important person like the president or a king dressed in very proper or royal clothing, and if we don’t, this can lower our respect for that leader. In fact, the Ramban teaches that the kohanim’s garments were intended to honor the kohanim, for they were similar to royal garb. Sforno comments the purpose behind this was so that the tribes of Israel would revere the kohen gadol as the teacher of the nation. It was also to show the Jewish people that one who serves Hashem must look like royalty since he is serving the greatest King of all.
Honor and Glory
Though garments are important, we also learn that materialistic things mean nothing, and that true value comes from within. There is a story about a man invited to a fancy party. This man was not incredibly sophisticated and was not used to wearing elegant clothing. He came to the party wearing a nice but very informal outfit.
When he arrived at the party, he was stopped by the guards at the entrance who told him that he could not enter the building because of his “inappropriate clothing.” The man wasn’t upset, and he went back to his house to put on the best suit he owned, and he returned to the party, where he was then let in without any problems.
During the party, when they all sat for a seated dinner, the man suddenly stood up, lifted his plate with the most exquisite catered food, and poured it all over himself, effectively ruining his nice suit. His friends at the table asked him why he did such a thing and he told them, “Since I was not invited but my suit was, I thought it was logical to give it the food.”
As we discussed, Parashat Tetzaveh details the garments of the kohen gadol, giving much relevance to their beauty. Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, ZT’L, said that in order to understand why the Torah gives so much importance to Aharon’s garments, we need to pay attention to the piece at the of the whole description, “You shall make vestments of sanctity for Aharon your brother, for honor and glory.”
The Torah teaches that there are two different ways to relate to the external image of a human being. One is giving importance to the “glory” or beauty in a materialistic way, and the other one is understanding that “glory” should be at the service of “kavod—honor.” So if one gives importance to kavod, for example, and he buys a nice suit for Shabbat or for celebrating a friend’s wedding, in those cases, he’s using beauty as a means to give kavod to other people or to G-d, and it serves a higher purpose. But if one gives importance to glory or beauty just for the sake of materialism, like buying a new suit to try to fit in a social class, the suit doesn’t serve any value, and actually helps a person to disrespect his own dignity. This is a beautiful message that teaches us how to balance beauty and dignity, and how to establish the priorities in our lives.
The Only Parasha
Parashat Tetzaveh is the only parasha where Moshe Rabbenu’s name is not mentioned. This is because in next week’s parasha, Ki Tissa, Hashem wanted to destroy B’nei Yisrael for worshiping the golden calf. Moshe said to Hashem, “Erase me from the Torah if you will destroy Am Yisrael!” Because of Moshe’s words, Hashem took his name out of this week’s parasha. The Torah wants to teach us that our words really do mean something, so we must always be very careful of any negative words that we say.
The Tur explains further that during an earlier time in history, Moshe was destined to be the kohen gadol as well as the leader of the Jewish people. However, when Moshe angered Hashem, he lost his honor to be kohen gadol (4:14). Since this parasha deals with the vestments worn by the kohen gadol, Hashem chose not to mention Moshe’s name, so it would not to be a constant reminder of his lost opportunity to become kohen gadol, an honor that was ultimately given to Aharon.
Even when Hashem punishes someone, we should recognize the mercy within the very act. When Moshe declared his wish to be erased from the Torah, Hashem decided to remove Moshe’s name from only one parasha. Hashem specifically chose the parasha of Tetzaveh, in which the mention of Moshe’s name would have been a cause of pain to him because the subject of the kohen gadol was discussed. Once his name was to be taken out, it might as well be in a place that he would not want to be mentioned anyway. We further see that, despite its inevitability, the omission of Moshe’s name was limited in scope. Moshe’s name was mentioned within the number of verses in the parasha, albeit in a “hidden” manner.
Hidden Handiwork
Just like this week’s parasha does not mention Moshe’s name, curiously Megillat Esther does not say Hashem’s name once!
Rabbi Biderman elaborates on this topic by bringing down the famous words of the Gemara, “Mi SheNichnat Adar Marbim B’Simcha—he who welcomes the month of Adar should be joyous (Taanit 29a).” Rashi elaborates by saying that we rejoice because of the miracles of miracles for Yisrael – Purim and Pesach." The Chasam Sofer (Drashot vol.1 p.162:) explains that the miracles of Nisan – such as leaving Mitzrayim and kriyat Yam Suf – superseded nature. The miracles of Adar, on the other hand, were within nature. It seems that nothing supernatural occurred. That is why Hashem’s name is hidden in the Megillah.
When you take in the entire story of the Purim miracle and think about from the beginning starting with Achashveirosh's seudah until the end, you will see wonderful hashgachah—divine supervision. [These miracles continue because] Hakadosh Baruch Hu performs such miracles for us every day, only those who constantly experience miracles don't recognize them. Therefore, we are very happy [in Adar and Nissin] because Hashem's hashgachah, which is upon us, is visible…. A person should arouse himself on Purim to recognize Hashem's wonders.
These miracles continue in every generation." A miracle isn't a matter of the past, rather as it says in the Megillah, “The miracles never leave us (Esther 9:28).” To this day, everything in the world, which appears routine nature, is carefully planned for the benefit of Yisrael. This is the primary essence of our emunah, as the Ramban (end of Bo) writes, "Whoever doesn't believe in this doesn't have a portion in Hashem's Torah."
“Marbim B’Simcha—we should increase our joy in this month because when a person believes that Hakadosh Baruch Hu is with him and that Hashem is our father Who has compassion on us and seeks the best for us, his heart becomes filled with joy and happiness.
The Bet Aharon (p. 67) explains the Gemara, "Whoever doesn't experience hester panim (that Hashem is concealed from him) isn't a Yid (Chagigah 5).” The Bet Aharon elucidates “If a person can't find Hashem’s divine supervision even when there is concealment, he isn't a Yid, because a Yid must be able to find Hashem in every situation.”
The Shulchan Aruch (690:3) states, "One must read the entire Megillah." The Mishnah Berurah adds, "According to most poskim—legal scholars, if you didn’t hear even just one word of the Megillah, you did not complete the mitzvah." The meforshim explain that this is because every passuk and word of the Megillah expresses another part of the miracle. So, if you miss a word, you miss a part of the miracle
The Megillah begins with the words, "When King Achashverosh sat on his throne, which was in the capital city Shushan (1:2).” The Vilna Gaon explains that Shlomo HaMelech had a magnificent throne. Many kings wanted to sit on it but failed. Pharaoh Nakeh (Pharaoh the Lame) sat on Shlomo HaMelech’s throne, and one of the lions that decorated the throne bit him, thus causing him to become lame. Nevuchadnezzar wanted to sit on Shlomo's throne and failed. Achashveirosh also desired to sit on a magnificent throne, which appeared like Shlomo's, so he sought craftsmen to fashion a replica of this unique throne. The only craftsmen who knew how to build such a majestic chair lived in Shushan. After it was built, it was too heavy to transfer the throne to Bavel, so Achashveirosh moved the capital city to Shushan. Shushan became the new capital city of the Persian Empire.
This Megillah begins with this for us to recognize Hashem's wonders and for us to understand that Hashem prepared every step leading up to the miracle for Bnei Yisrael. Mordechai and Esther lived in Shushan, so Hakadosh Baruch arranged that Achashverosh moved his capital there. The Vilna Gaon adds, “Chazal tell us that one must read the entire Megillah, even the seemingly superfluous parts. For example, why is it important to know about Achashverosh’s wealth and power? But every pasuk of the Megillah tells us another facet of this great miracle.”
Here's another spectacular miracle, this one is taught by the Alshich HaKadosh. Achashveirosh was awake late at night, thinking how he could reward Mordechai for saving his life years before. Just then, Haman arrived, and Achashveirosh asked, “What should be done to a man whom the king wishes to honor? (6:6)" The Alshich points out that Haman came precisely at the right moment for the miracle to occur. Had Haman come a bit earlier, he would have heard from behind the window the reading of the Sefer HaZichronot and would have known that they were discussing the reward Mordechai deserves for saving the king. If he had come a minute later, someone else would have thought about how to reward Mordechai. This shows us Hashem's hashgachah pratit over the most minor detail.
Furthermore, the Malbim zt'l asks why Achashverosh waited to reward Mordechai (Esther 2:23)? Why did he forget to reward him? When Mordechai saved his life, all he did then was write the episode in his Sefer Zichronot. This was so Mordechai would receive the reward at just the right time. Also, let's think about what would have happened if Haman had arrived just one day earlier to request permission to hang Mordechai on the gallows. Achashveirosh would have agreed, knowing Achashveirosh's feelings towards the Jews. Haman came just at the right day and time so that the miracles could occur.
As we discussed, every word of the Megillah reveals miracles. Therefore, if possible, read some commentaries on the Megillah and discover how each word is another facet of the miracle. Let yourself become astounded by the miracles Hashem performed and performs, under the guise of nature, to save His nation, Bnei Yisrael.
Shabbat Shalom! Rabbi Amram Sananes, written by Jack Rahmey
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