לכבוד ולתפארת :Glory and Splendor Exploring the journey of a concept in Jewish history and the problem of Beauty

(1) You shall bring forward your brother Aaron, with his sons, from among the Israelites, to serve Me as priests: Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron. (2) Make sacral vestments for your brother Aaron,

for dignity and adornment. (JPS)

(glory and splendor - E. Fox)

(glory and beauty - R. Friedman)

(3) Next you shall instruct all who are skillful, whom I have endowed with the gift of skill, to make Aaron’s vestments, for consecrating him to serve Me as priest. (4) These are the vestments they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a fringed tunic, a headdress, and a sash. They shall make those sacral vestments for your brother Aaron and his sons, for priestly service to Me; (5) they, therefore, shall receive the gold, the blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and the fine linen. (6) They shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen, worked into designs. (7) It shall have two shoulder-pieces attached; they shall be attached at its two ends. (8) And the decorated band that is upon it shall be made like it, of one piece with it: of gold, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen. (9) Then take two lazuli stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel: (10) six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth.

(1) For honor and for splendor: That he should be honored and glorious with honorable and glorious clothing, as the verse states (Isaiah 61:10), "as a groom who ministers in glory" - as these clothes were the clothes of royalty. Their likeness was worn by kings during the time of the Torah,

(1) Great one of his brethren, and glory of his people, Was Simon, son of Johanan (H), the priest;
In whose generation the house was repaired (?); And in whose days the temple was fortified.

(2) In whose generation a cistern was digged (H); A pit (or store) like the sea (?) in its abundance.

(3) In whose days a wall was built; A bulwark of refuge (?) in the temple of the King.

(4) Who took thought for his people against the spoiler; And fortified his city against the besieger.

(5) How glorious was he when he looked forth from the tent; And when he went out from the house of the veil!

(6) As the morning star from amid thick clouds; And as the full moon in the days of (?) the solemn feast.

(7) And as the sun dawning upon (?) the temple of the King; And as rainbow seen in the cloud.

(8) As budding branch (?) in the days of the solemn feast; And as the lotus by the watercourses.
As flower of Lebanon in the days of summer; And as fire of incense upon the meal-offering:

(9) In (or As) a gold plated vessel, and a chalice (or weighty), That is set with pleasant stones.

(10) As a green olive full of berries; And as a wild olive tree with branches full of sap.

(11) When he put on robes of honour; And clothed himself with robes of beauty.
When he ascended the altar of majesty; And made glorious the precinct of the sanctuary.

(12) When he received the pieces out of the hand of his brethren; While himself standing by the altar-fires:
Round him a crown of sons, Like cedar plants in Lebanon.
And they compassed him about like willows of the brook:
All the sons of Aaron in their glory:

(13) With the fire-offerings of the Lord in their hand, Before all the congregation of Israel.

(14) Until he finished serving the altar, And arranging the fires of the Most High.

(15) Then sounded the sons of Aaron, the priests, With trumpets of turnery.

(16) And they sounded, and made their glorious voice heard; To bring to remembrance (?) before the Most High.

(17) All flesh together hasted, And fell down upon their faces to the earth:
To worship before the Most High; Before the Holy One of Israel.

(18) And the choir uttered its voice; And over the multitude they made sweet melody (?).

(19) And all the people of the land chanted, In prayer before the Merciful.
Until he finished serving the altar; And had brought its customary offerings unto it.

(20) Then he came down, and lifted up his hands Over all the congregation of Israel.
And the blessing of the Lord was on his lips; And in the name of the Lord he gloried.

(21) And they bowed down again a second time, The people all of them, before him.

(21) How truly glorious was the High Priest as he left the Holy of Holies, peacefully, unharmed.

(22) As the canopy of the heavens stretched out on high, was the appearance of the High Priest.

(23) As the glitter of light emanating from the brilliance of the Chayos, was the appearance of the High Priest.

(24) As the beautiful [blue] thread in the fringes of the four corners of a garment,¹⁵⁷This refers to the color of תְּכֵלֶת which is to be part of the צִיצִית fringes, worn at each corner of a four-cornered garment. According to the Talmud, Menachos 43b, the color of techailes resembles the color of the sea, which in turn resembles the color of the sky, which in turn resembles the color of Hashem’s heavenly throne. was the appearance of the High Priest.

(25) As the rainbow in the clouds, was the appearance of the High Priest.

(26) As the garment of majestic splendor with which the Creator attired His creatures,¹⁵⁸This refers to the כָּתְנוֹת עוֹר, the garment of skin, with which Hashem clothed Adam and Chavoh, after they sinned and realized their nakedness. See Bereishis 3:21. was the appearance of the High Priest.

(27) As a rose planted in a beautiful garden, was the appearance of the High Priest.

(28) As a crown set upon a king's forehead, was the appearance of the High Priest.

(29) As the grace reflected in the face of a groom, was the appearance of the High Priest.

(30) As the purity of the pure mitre,¹⁵⁹The mitre was one of the priestly garments. was the appearance of the High Priest.

(31) As he [Moshe] who was concealed,¹⁶⁰When the Jews sinned with the golden-calf, Moshe was on the mountain, concealed by Hashem’s Divine Presence, and from there he pleaded to Hashem to forgive them. pleading before God, was the appearance of the High Priest.

(32) As the bright star shining in the east,¹⁶¹This might refer to the morning star. was the appearance of the High Priest.

(33) As one enwrapped in a cloak and breastplate of righteousness,¹⁶²See Yeshaya 61:10. was the appearance of the High Priest.

(34) As the angel that stood at the head of the path,¹⁶³This refers to the angel which appeared to Bilaam. (See Bamidbar 22:22.) was the appearance of the High Priest.

(35) As the candle that shines in the windows,¹⁶⁴See Shir Hashirim 2:8 was the appearance of the High Priest.

(36) As the officers as the head of the [army of] holy people,¹⁶⁵See Devorim 20:9 was the appearance of the High Priest.

(37) As the [garments of spiritual] might¹⁶⁶This refers to the priestly garments with which Moshe dressed Aharon. (See Vayikra 9:6.) with which the pure one [Moshe] dressed him, [Aharon] who purified others, was the appearance of the High Priest.

(38) As the [brilliance of the] golden bells along the bottom of the [priestly] cloak, was the appearance of the High Priest. As the beautifully decorated Temple,

(39) and the colorful curtain,¹⁶⁷This was the curtain in front of the Holy of Holies. was the appearance of the High Priest.

(40) As a chamber hung with tapestries of blue and purple, was the appearance of the High Priest.

(41) As the sight of the rising sun on the earth, was the appearance of the High Priest.

(42) As a rose garden between the thorns, was the appearance of the High Priest.

for the Torah, for the service, for the prophets, and for this Shabbat day that You have given us, Lord our God, for sanctification and rest

for glory and splendor.

For everything Lord our God, we thank You and bless You; may Your name be blessed in the mouth of all living things for ever. Blessed are You, Lord, who sanctifies the Shabbat!

(1) A song of ascents. O LORD, remember in David’s favor his extreme self-denial, (2) how he swore to the LORD, vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob, (3) “I will not enter my house, nor will I mount my bed, (4) I will not give sleep to my eyes, or slumber to my eyelids (5) until I find a place for the LORD, an abode for the Mighty One of Jacob.” (6) We heard it was in Ephrath; we came upon it in the region of Jaar. (7) Let us enter His abode, bow at His footstool. (8) Advance, O LORD, to Your resting-place, You and Your mighty Ark! (9) Your priests are clothed in justice/righteousness; Your loyal ones sing for joy. (10) For the sake of Your servant David do not reject Your anointed one. (11) The LORD swore to David a firm oath that He will not renounce, “One of your own issue I will set upon your throne. (12) If your sons keep My covenant and My decrees that I teach them, then their sons also, to the end of time, shall sit upon your throne.” (13) For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His seat. (14) “This is my resting-place for all time; here I will dwell, for I desire it. (15) I will amply bless its store of food, give its needy their fill of bread. (16) I will clothe its priests in victory, its loyal ones shall sing for joy. (17) There I will make a horn sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for My anointed one. (18) I will clothe his enemies in disgrace, while on him his crown shall sparkle.”