Ex.
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, Eliezer 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.
Ex. 28:43 “[The garments] shall be worn by Aaron and his sons when they enter the Tent of Meeting or when they approach the altar to officiate in the sanctuary, so that they do not incur punishment and die.”
After a full discussion of the
details of the special clothing for the Priests highlighted in this parasha, we
see that in addition to giving the Priests clothing with which to impress upon
them the sacred duties they are to perform (and just maybe to impress the
on-lookers), this verse provides an alternative rationale for their garments: self-protection.
In other words, the priestly garments described the original personal protective
equipment! I also note that the Priests were often kept apart from the rest of
the people by curtains – an early kind of mandated social distancing.
This week, we celebrate Purim in a
manner never before attempted: at a distance, through streaming and Zoom. My congregation
last night even had a Zoom costume parade, where one by one, folks clad in all
kinds of costumes and masks presented themselves and their greetings to other
members of the congregation. It was followed with a Zoom reading of the
Megillah, with readers from various homes.
We have done this at a time when the
usual holiday masks take on a new meaning: they remind us to keep wearing our
masks every day to protect ourselves from the spread of the disease.
Even as vaccinations continue, it
will be important not to let down our guard and continue masking and social
distancing. We do not yet know whether those who have had COVID and thankfully
recovered, nor those who have been vaccinated, can be carriers of the virus and
spread it to the as-yet unvaccinated.
This is a core value of our tradition: pekuach nefesh, the saving
of souls.
The verse cited above is a reminder
that we need protection; our tradition reminds us to care for the health of
others. I pray for the recovery of those who have become ill, for the
availability of vaccine protection to all, and to health for all of us.
