In parshas Tetzaveh HaKadosh Baruch Hu commands that clothing be made for the Cohen Gadol. The clothes are to made of top quality linen with threads of gold and dyed blue, purple, and red. In the olden days dyes were very expensive, as expensive as gold. Therefore brightly colored clothes were a real luxury. Much of the service of the high priest is to bring the offerings of the Jewish people to Hashem. The reason for such fine raiment was so that he could do this service and other services, like lighting the menorah and burning incense before the Ten Commandments with glory and beauty.
When Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the first Temple, he looted it and took its precious articles, including the clothing of the Cohen Gadol to Babylon. The prophet Jeremiah, though, said that the exile would last seventy years and after that all precious Temple property would be returned to Jerusalem. The end of the seventy years fell around the reign of King Ahaseurus.
It was not clear when the seventy years had started. When the earliest date passed and the Jews were still in exile, Ahaseurus was very happy because he did not want to lose Judea as a province in his vast empire and he did not want to give up the beautiful Temp!e articles. To celebrate he threw a party during which he dressed in the raiment of the Cohen Gadol, served wine in goblets from the Temple, and proudly displayed many artifacts from the holy Temple, may it be rebuilt speedily in our days. There was more than one reason for party
It was a very big party. For six months he entertained the dignitaries of the empire and then he added another week for the residents of Shushan the capital city. Everybody was invited and everybody came including the Jews. For the Jews this was considered a grave sin. Ahasuerus was celebrating the end of Israel as a nation, they certainly should not have been gleeful about this, on the contrary they should have been horrified and upset.
Because of this it was like there was a decree from heaven. If the Jews wanted a world without Jews then they would be shown a world without Jews. However they would not quietly become Persians rather they would die a horrible death at the hands of their enemies. After that Haman of the nation Amalek, the implacable enemy of Israel, became viceroy.
Haman hated the Jews and wanted to kill all the Jews starting with Mordecai the Jew because he was a proper Jew and proud of it. When the Jews heard of Haman's plan they were alarmed, repented, and rallied behind Mordecai. Because of this Hashem forgave the Jews, ended Haman, and made Mordecai viceroy of Persia.
Mordecai did great things for Persia but he did greater things for the nation of Israel. As a beautiful sign of honor he wore the blue techeles like the Cohen Gadol. The Jews who hung on to the blue tsitsis of Mordecai become like little, happy, smiling roses.
The moral is that the holy One, blessed be He, gave the Jews the high priest to teach them Torah, be a good example, and join them in their celebrations. So he would be respected, the high priest dressed in beautiful, elegant garments. However, if the Jews give this respect to somebody who is unworthy, then he gets to wear the priestly robes. Unfortunately an unworthy person, who is dressed as the Cohen gadol, always turns against the Jews and tries to do horrible things to them. In the end the Jews repent and turn to someone who is worthy of their respect and he gets to wear the beautiful elegant raiment. And in the end of days people will curse Haman, even though he is just a bad memory, and they will bless Mordecai, who will be before them in the flesh, forever.
לע"נ האמא מלכה בת חיים ז"ל נלב"ע טז ניסן תשנ"ח
העלון ניתן לקבל בדואר אלקטרוני וגם באתר http://dyschreiber.blogspot.com
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