Parshat TeTzaveh deals with what is more or less the uniform of the high priest. It has eight garments. Four are common to all people; shirt, pants, belt, and hat. There are also four special garments; a robe, apron, breastplate, and a headband.
The shirt, pants, and hat are made out of linen with a simple knit. The belt is also linen but it is embroidered, therefore a little fancy. The robe is royal and ornate. It is hemmed with small golden bells. The fabric is blue with purple and red trim. In ancient times these dyes were as expensive as gold.
An apron is often associated with work especially that of a butcher. Much of the service of the high priest is to slaughter animals for the sacrifices, but the apron was also very ornate. It was a patterned weave, made from thread spun from strands of gold and top quality blue, purple, and red. The straps above the shoulders were adorned with carved red onyx, a semi precious stone. They also had gold settings and and cords to be attached to the breastplate.
The breastplate was somewhat of a bejeweled placard which hung on the chest. It had twelve stones including a diamond, ruby, emerald, and sapphire making it extremely valuable. Like the sardonyx, they were engraved with the names of the twelve sons of Jacob.
The headband was jewelry. It was basically a gold plate on the forehead attached to precious blue strings. On it was engraved “sacred to Hashem”.
There is a clear emphasis on the head and the heart. As I recall Maimonides in “Guide for the Perplexed” said that a person's top emphasis should be on the intellect. This is because one connects to God by means of their knowledge and beliefs concerning His nature. So to speak the most important thing a person can have is a sound mind filled with the correct ideas of how HaKadosh Baruch Hu relates to His world. As a result a person's top priority is proper and extensive development of their system of beliefs. This is the symbolism of the headband. In loshen hakodesh the word צִּיץ which means peer, peep, or glance. The hint is that through dedication to religion especially scholarship a glimpse of God is obtained. In addition this is the prism through which the world is perceived. Also this world view is precious and beautiful and should be a prominent ornament that is proudly displayed to others.
The Rambam considers the second level as the relationship between an individual and society. This is considered an aspect of the heart and symbolised by the breastplate. The word for breastplate is חֹשֶׁן, but object has a two word name. The second is מִשְׁפָּט which includes ideas of formal laws and personal standards. The idea is that the relationship between an individual and the various components of society should be like precious stones and close to the heart. Part of this is that all Israel is brothers and that this should be beautifully displayed and in addition, when God looks down from heaven, He should see the names of each group in society on the shoulders of the high priest.
Inside the breastplate are the Urim and Thumim. It is the language of lights (אוּרִים) and honesty (תֻּמִּים), but nobody today clearly knows what it is. It was used to divine the will of God by means of the instincts and imagination of the Cohen Gadol. The idea seems to be that through love of the mitzvahs and the nation of Israel that high insight is to be found.
The third of the four levels of importance as enumerated by Maimonides is the body. Shirt, pants, and hat basically are for the protection of the body. The belt is decorated and the robe is specifically beautiful. The idea is that physical beauty is important. But, it is less important than sound beliefs and good human relationships.
The issue of health is more difficult and I'm not sure if the Rambam considers this in his ranking. It would seem that a healthy mind is more important than a healthy body. However to say that healthy human relationships are more important than a healthy body is difficult and points of view may vary on that.
The bottom priority mentioned by Maimonides is beautiful possessions. This is symbolised by the apron. The reason is that possessions are external to a person. The body is close. The heart is even closer. And God is above.
לע"נ האמא מלכה בת חיים ז"ל נלב"ע טז ניסן תשנ"ח
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