Tetzaveh
Exodus 27:20-30:10
Précis: The
parasha continues with a description of ritual items in the Tabernacle,
including oil for the lamp, priestly clothing, the ephod, breastplate, robes,
plate, and miter. Aaron and his sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar are
designated as Priests and are consecrated with sacrifices and ceremony. The
parasha concludes with a description of the daily sacrifices and incense to be
offered at the Tabernacle.
Exodus 28:2 “And you shall make holy clothes for Aaron,
your brother, for glory and beauty.”
If someone asks you, “Why do you wear clothes?” the obvious
answer might be to keep covered up or to keep warm. But a better answer might
be: because I want to reveal something important about me to others, or because
I have something to hide that I would prefer others not to know.
The importance of clothing cannot be over-emphasized. In
literature, clothes are quite often a signal of identity (e.g., royal robes,
crowns, etc.). We know who the hero is in a western by the color of his hat.
In the Torah, clothing can be an important aspect of
understanding the text, whether it is God providing clothing to Adam and Eve to
cover their nakedness in Genesis, or Joseph’s coat of many colors (as an
indicator of his special status as well as the evidence of his “death”). Since
Purim is upon us, we are reminded that Queen Esther’s status is announced
through her royal garb. (And we dress in costume to revel and reveal!) The
robes and finery of the High Priest we read about in this week's parasha are
also important indicators of status and role.
An old adage (definitely not PC) proclaims that “clothing
makes the man.” Those of us of a certain age will remember some fairly outlandish
outfits we wore during our youthful days to make a political statement: “we’re
different and we’re not gonna take it.” Some of us of the same generation
refuse to give up our blue jeans, even as our kids roll their eyes at us.
Clothing says much about us. We sometimes wear clothes to be
noticed, and at other times we wear what we hope will allow us to simply blend
in. In addition to being outward signs of status, profession, lifestyle or
affiliation, clothing is an important indicator of how we want others to see
and perceive us. Much to think about this Purim, when how we appear is a bit
more complicated than usual.
