Tetzaveh - תְּצַוֶּה Shemot ~ Exodus Making Torah Personal ~ Kavod / כבוד /Honor 27:20 – 30:10

Looking at the parsha through a Mussar lens of Kavod / Honor /

Honor, respect, and dignity are due to each and every human being not because of the greatness of their achievements or how they have behaved, but because they are home to a soul that is inherently holy. Nobody created their own soul.; Everybody has been gifted with a rarefied essence. ~ Alan Morinis, Everyday Holiness

משנה אבות ד׳:א׳

(א) בֶּן זוֹמָא אוֹמֵר, אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם, הַלּוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קיט) מִכָּל מְלַמְּדַי הִשְׂכַּלְתִּי כִּי עֵדְוֹתֶיךָ שִׂיחָה לִּי. אֵיזֶהוּ גִבּוֹר, הַכּוֹבֵשׁ אֶת יִצְרוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי טז) טוֹב אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם מִגִּבּוֹר וּמשֵׁל בְּרוּחוֹ מִלֹּכֵד עִיר. אֵיזֶהוּ עָשִׁיר, הַשָּׂמֵחַ בְּחֶלְקוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קכח) יְגִיעַ כַּפֶּיךָ כִּי תֹאכֵל אַשְׁרֶיךָ וְטוֹב לָךְ. אַשְׁרֶיךָ, בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה. וְטוֹב לָךְ, לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. אֵיזֶהוּ מְכֻבָּד, הַמְכַבֵּד אֶת הַבְּרִיּוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמואל א ב) כִּי מְכַבְּדַי אֲכַבֵּד וּבֹזַי יֵקָלּוּ:

Pirkei Avot 4:1

Ben Zoma said: Who is he that is honored? He who honors his fellow human beings...

משנה אבות ד׳:כ״א

(כא) רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר הַקַּפָּר אוֹמֵר, הַקִּנְאָה וְהַתַּאֲוָה וְהַכָּבוֹד, מוֹצִיאִין אֶת הָאָדָם מִן הָעוֹלָם:

Pirkei Avot 4:21

(21) Rabbi Elazar Ha-kappar said: envy, lust and [the desire for] honor put a man out of the world.

Tetzaveh is the only Parshah in the Torah since Moses’ birth in which Moses’ name does not appear (with the exception of the book of Deuteronomy). There are opposing responses to this. The Baal HaTurim says the censure of a righteous person, even if made conditional on an unfulfilled stipulation, always has some effect. He references when the people of Israel sinned with the golden calf, Moses said to G‑d: “If You do not [forgive them], erase me from the book that You have written” (Exodus 32:31). The Lubavitcher Rebbe states that Moses' name is within this entire parsha, evidenced by the word "atah" in the first verse, saying "Because Moses was prepared to forgo mention of his name in the Torah for the sake of his people, he merited that his quintessential self—the level of self that cannot be captured by any name or designation—be eternalized by the Torah. It is this level of Moses’ self that is expressed by his 'nameless' presence".

Parsha Highlights
The description for building of the Mishkan [portable sanctuary] continues and begins with the commanded instructions for the Ner Tamid {the constant light} which is to be lit every day "from evening to morning" using pure olive oil.
Aaron and his four sons are appointed as kohanim along with descriptions of the nature of their garments during service.

[The next 43 verses—about half of the Parshah’s total—consist of these instructions]
All kohanim wore: 1) the ketonet—a full-length linen tunic; 2) michnasayim—linen breeches; 3) mitznefet or migba’at—a linen turban; 4) avnet—a long sash wound above the waist.
In addition to that, the Kohen Gadol wore: 5) the ephod—an apron-like garment made of blue-, purple- and red-dyed wool, linen and gold thread; 6) the choshen—a breastplate containing twelve precious stones inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; 7) the me’il—a cloak of blue wool, with gold bells and decorative pomegranates on its hem; 8) the tzitz—a golden plate worn on the forehead, bearing the inscription “Holy to God.”
God gave detailed instructions for the 7 day initiation of Aaron and his four sons—Nadav, Avihu, Elazar and Itamar—into the priesthood, instructions for the slaughtering of sacrificial offerings, and instructions for the making of the golden altar, on which the ketoret (incense) was burned.

שמות כ״ז:כ׳-כ״א

(כ) וְאַתָּ֞ה תְּצַוֶּ֣ה ׀ אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְיִקְח֨וּ אֵלֶ֜יךָ שֶׁ֣מֶן זַ֥יִת זָ֛ךְ כָּתִ֖ית לַמָּא֑וֹר לְהַעֲלֹ֥ת נֵ֖ר תָּמִֽיד׃ (כא) בְּאֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵד֩ מִח֨וּץ לַפָּרֹ֜כֶת אֲשֶׁ֣ר עַל־הָעֵדֻ֗ת יַעֲרֹךְ֩ אֹת֨וֹ אַהֲרֹ֧ן וּבָנָ֛יו מֵעֶ֥רֶב עַד־בֹּ֖קֶר לִפְנֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה חֻקַּ֤ת עוֹלָם֙ לְדֹ֣רֹתָ֔ם מֵאֵ֖ת בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ {ס}

Exodus 27:20-21

(20) You shall further instruct the Israelites to bring you clear oil of beaten olives for lighting, for kindling lamps regularly. (21) Aaron and his sons shall set them up in the Tent of Meeting, outside the curtain which is over [the Ark of] the Pact, [to burn] from evening to morning before יהוה. It shall be a due from the Israelites for all time, throughout the ages.

וְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם׃

קדושת לוי, שמות, תצוה ד׳

ואתה תצוה כו' ויקחו אליך כו' (שמות כז, כ). כי המנורה עם נרותיה וגם המראה שראה משה ושאר כלי המשכן נגד יתר בחינות כגון אהבה ויראה והשמחה של הבורא ברוך הוא. והראיה שראה משה לא השיג שום אדם כמאמר ולא קם נביא עוד כמשה כו' (דברים לד, י) לכן נאמר ויקחו אליך, דייקא כלומר לכוונתך:

Kedushat Levi, Exodus, Tetzaveh 4

Exodus 27,20. “and you shall command the Children of ‎Israel to take to you pure olive oil, etc.;” the expression ‎ויקחו אליך‎ instead of ‎ויביאו אליך‎, “they shall bring to you,” or ‎ויקחו ‏לי‎ “they shall take for Me,“ as at the beginning of Parshat ‎T’rumah, is unusual, to say the least. The point is that the ‎menorah together with all its details was part of a vision that ‎Moses had been shown by G’d while he had been on the ‎Mountain, just as he had been shown the other components of ‎the Tabernacle there. Being shown all this by G’d had been an ‎expression of G’d’s joy at the degree of awe and love for Him that ‎Moses had achieved, a level of closeness to the Creator not ‎achieved by any subsequent prophet. When Moses was instructed ‎to tell the people to bring the pure oil for lighting the ‎‎menorah “to you,” instead of “to Me,” [and he was ‎instructed to write this down in the Torah, Ed.] this was ‎to tell the reader to what exceptional spiritual heights Moses had ‎risen. This is why the Torah testified after Moses’ death ‎‎(Deuteronomy, 34,10) that no prophet who was as close to G’d as ‎Moses ever arose after him in history.‎

תקוני הזהר ע״ג א:ב׳

קָם סָבָא חַד מִבָּתַר טוּלָא (כותלא), וְאָמַר רַבִּי רַבִּי בּוֹצִינָא קַדִּישָׁא, קוּם אַדְלֵיק שְׁרַגָּא דְאִיהִי מִצְוָה, שְׁכִינְתָּא קַדִּישָׁא, דַּעֲלָהּ אִתְּמַר (ויקרא ו ו) אֵשׁ תָּמִיד תּוּקַד עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ לֹא תִכְבֶּה, וַעֲלָהּ אִתְּמַר (שמות כז כ) לְהַעֲלֹת נֵר תָּמִיד, נֵר יהו''ה אִתְקְרִיאַת וַדַּאי, אוֹר דְּנָהִיר בֵּיהּ נִשְׁמַת אָדָם, קוּם אַדְלֵיק בָּהּ.

Tikkunei Zohar 73a:2

...An everlasting fire shall be kept burning on the altar, it should not be extinguished. And, on that it is also said: To light the eternal flame. This is surely the light of the divine, the light that shines within the soul of every person...

משלי כ׳:כ״ז

נֵ֣ר יְ֭הוָה נִשְׁמַ֣ת אָדָ֑ם חֹ֝פֵ֗שׂ כָּל־חַדְרֵי־בָֽטֶן׃

Proverbs 20:27

The lifebreath of man is the lamp of the LORD
Revealing all his inmost parts.

The soul of man is a lamp of G‑d whose purpose in life is to illuminate the world with divine light. G‑d provided us with the "fuel" that generates His light - the Torah and its commandments (mitzvot), which embody His wisdom and will and convey His luminous truth. www.chabad.org

That which fuels the m'norah must be pure, uncontaminated by jealousy, selfishness, pride, or greed. Why olive oil? In antiquity as today, the olive branch was a sign of peace. Olive trees mature slowly, so only when there was an extended time of peace, with agriculture left undisturbed, could the olive tree produce its fruit."Even as the oil of the olive does not mix with other liquids with which it comes in contact, so has the people Israel kept its own identity when it has come in contact with other nations" {Exodus Rabbah, 36:11] ~Etz Hayim, p.504

“The word kavod (honor) comes from the Hebrew root kaf.vet.daled (K.V.D.), meaning “heavy,” “weighty,” or “significant.” When we give someone kavod, we are saying, “You are significant and deserving of recognition and good treatment.” If kavod implies weight or gravitas, the opposite is kal, or “light.” We disrespect someone by treating them lightly, as if they are not significant -- and kal is the foundation of the word klala, or “curse.” It is a curse to treat people as if they are not significant by not giving them attention, or underpaying or mistreating them.” David Jaffe, Changing the World from the Inside Out

Mussar master Rabbi Menachem Mendel Levin (1749–1826), the author of “Heshbon ha-Nefesh: the Accounting of the Soul,” lists 13 different attributes or traits that we must inculcate, including the trait of cleanliness. At first glance, we may wonder how in the world cleanliness, of all the things to strive for, could even make Levin’s list. But for Levin, careful and meticulous attention to our appearance, to what we wear and how we wear it, can be a direct link to our inner spiritual purity...But how do we strike that finely tuned balance toward attending to our external appearance and tending to our inner purity? How do we dress for the holy task while keeping the goal of becoming more empathic front and center in our hearts and minds? ~Rabbi Susan Leider

“The desire for honor tugs at a person’s heart more than any other longing and desire in the world.” ~ Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, Messilat Yesharim / Path of the Just, chapter 11

שמואל א י״ז:ל״ח-ל״ט

(לח) וַיַּלְבֵּ֨שׁ שָׁא֤וּל אֶת־דָּוִד֙ מַדָּ֔יו וְנָתַ֛ן ק֥וֹבַע נְחֹ֖שֶׁת עַל־רֹאשׁ֑וֹ וַיַּלְבֵּ֥שׁ אֹת֖וֹ שִׁרְיֽוֹן׃ (לט) וַיַּחְגֹּ֣ר דָּוִ֣ד אֶת־חַ֠רְבּ֠וֹ מֵעַ֨ל לְמַדָּ֜יו וַיֹּ֣אֶל לָלֶכֶת֮ כִּ֣י לֹֽא־נִסָּה֒ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר דָּוִ֜ד אֶל־שָׁא֗וּל לֹ֥א אוּכַ֛ל לָלֶ֥כֶת בָּאֵ֖לֶּה כִּ֣י לֹ֣א נִסִּ֑יתִי וַיְסִרֵ֥ם דָּוִ֖ד מֵעָלָֽיו׃

I Samuel 17:38-39

[In preparing David to fight Goliath] (38) Saul dressed David with his custom clothing, putting a brass helmet upon his head, a mail coat on his body (39) And David girded Saul's sword upon his armor, and he prepared to go. But when he tried to move, he couldn't. David said to Saul: "I cannot go with these; for I am not used to them." And David took them off.

שמות כ״ח:א׳-ג׳

(א) וְאַתָּ֡ה הַקְרֵ֣ב אֵלֶ֩יךָ֩ אֶת־אַהֲרֹ֨ן אָחִ֜יךָ וְאֶת־בָּנָ֣יו אִתּ֗וֹ מִתּ֛וֹךְ בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לְכַהֲנוֹ־לִ֑י אַהֲרֹ֕ן נָדָ֧ב וַאֲבִיה֛וּא אֶלְעָזָ֥ר וְאִיתָמָ֖ר בְּנֵ֥י אַהֲרֹֽן׃ (ב) וְעָשִׂ֥יתָ בִגְדֵי־קֹ֖דֶשׁ לְאַהֲרֹ֣ן אָחִ֑יךָ לְכָב֖וֹד וּלְתִפְאָֽרֶת׃ (ג) וְאַתָּ֗ה תְּדַבֵּר֙ אֶל־כׇּל־חַכְמֵי־לֵ֔ב אֲשֶׁ֥ר מִלֵּאתִ֖יו ר֣וּחַ חׇכְמָ֑ה וְעָשׂ֞וּ אֶת־בִּגְדֵ֧י אַהֲרֹ֛ן לְקַדְּשׁ֖וֹ לְכַהֲנוֹ־לִֽי׃

Exodus 28:1-3

(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. (3) Next you shall instruct all who are skillful, whom I have endowed with the gift of skill, [Lit. “wise of heart, whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom.”] to make Aaron’s vestments, for consecrating him to serve Me as priest.

ספורנו על שמות כ״ח:ב׳:א׳-ב׳

(א) לכבוד לכבוד האל יתברך בהיותם בגדי קדש לעבודתו: (ב) ולתפארת שיהיה כהן מורה נורא על כל סביביו, שהם תלמידיו החקוקים על לבו וכתפיו:

Sforno on Exodus 28:2:1-2

(1) לכבוד splendour, to render honour and glory to the Almighty through the wearing of such resplendent garments when performing Temple service. (2) ולתפארת beauty, also the Priest should inspire awe among the Israelites who are all considered his disciples seeing he had the names of all the tribes engraved on these garments right opposite his heart when he wore them in his official capacity.

שמות כ״ח:ד׳

(ד) וְאֵ֨לֶּה הַבְּגָדִ֜ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר יַעֲשׂ֗וּ חֹ֤שֶׁן וְאֵפוֹד֙ וּמְעִ֔יל וּכְתֹ֥נֶת תַּשְׁבֵּ֖ץ מִצְנֶ֣פֶת וְאַבְנֵ֑ט וְעָשׂ֨וּ בִגְדֵי־קֹ֜דֶשׁ לְאַהֲרֹ֥ן אָחִ֛יךָ וּלְבָנָ֖יו לְכַהֲנוֹ־לִֽי׃

Exodus 28:4

(4) These are the vestments they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a fringedtunic, a headdress, and a sash. They shall make those sacral vestments for your brother Aaron and his sons, for priestly service to Me;

בראשית ג׳:כ״א

(כא) וַיַּ֩עַשׂ֩ יְהֹוָ֨ה אֱלֹהִ֜ים לְאָדָ֧ם וּלְאִשְׁתּ֛וֹ כׇּתְנ֥וֹת ע֖וֹר וַיַּלְבִּשֵֽׁם׃ {פ}

Genesis 3:21

(21) And God יהוה made garments of skins for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

שמות כ״ח:מ״ג

(מג) וְהָיוּ֩ עַל־אַהֲרֹ֨ן וְעַל־בָּנָ֜יו בְּבֹאָ֣ם ׀ אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֗ד א֣וֹ בְגִשְׁתָּ֤ם אֶל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֙חַ֙ לְשָׁרֵ֣ת בַּקֹּ֔דֶשׁ וְלֹא־יִשְׂא֥וּ עָוֺ֖ן וָמֵ֑תוּ חֻקַּ֥ת עוֹלָ֛ם ל֖וֹ וּלְזַרְע֥וֹ אַחֲרָֽיו׃ {ס}

Exodus 28:43

(43) They 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. It shall be a law for all time for him and for his offspring to come.

1. The Meil & Loshon Ho’rah. Among the garments worn by the Kohein Gadol (High Priest) was the Meil (coat). The Meil was worn as atonement for sins involving “loshon ho’rah” (derogatory speech about others), as symbolized by the following: (a) its color (i.e., sky blue) is a reminder that our words rise to Heaven, and we should thus be careful what we say; (b) its neckline was tight, yet never ripped, reminding us to tighten our mouths when the desire to speak loshon ho’rah is felt; and (c) bells (gold bells which made noise, and cloth bells which were silent) hanging from the bottom, indicating that there are times when we should speak and times when we should remain silent. ~Rabbi Mordechai Katz, Parsha Tetzaveh

משלי ו׳:כ״ג

כִּ֤י נֵ֣ר מִ֭צְוָה וְת֣וֹרָה א֑וֹר וְדֶ֥רֶךְ חַ֝יִּ֗ים תּוֹכְח֥וֹת מוּסָֽר׃

Proverbs 6:23

For the commandment is a lamp,
The teaching is a light,
And the way to life is the rebuke that disciplines.

תורת משה - אלשיך, שמות כ״ח:ד׳:א׳

(א) ואלה הבגדים אשר יעשו כו' הנה ח' בגדים מכפרים על ח' גופי עבירות. אפוד על ע"ג מכנסים על עריות. כתנת על ש"ד. חשן על עוות הדין שהיא חשן משפט מעיל על לשון הרע מצנפת על גסות הרוח ציץ על עזות פנים אבנט על הרהור הלב:

Alshekh on Torah, Exodus 28:4:1

"And these are the garments they shall make..." The eight garments [atone] for eight types of transgressions.

1. Ephod (apron) - idol worship עבודת גילולים

2. Michnasayim (linen breeches) - sexual impropriety

3. Katonet (tunic) - bloodshed שפיכות דמים

4. Choshen (breastplate) - errors in judging, since it's "Choshen Mishpat" -decision/law

5. Me'il (robe) - lashon ha ra (sin in speech)

6. Mitznefet (headdress) - arrogant spirit

7. Tzitz (frontlet) - cheekiness, stubborness

8. Avnet (sash) - inappropriate inner thoughts

שמות כ״ח:כ״ח-כ״ט

(כח) וְיִרְכְּס֣וּ אֶת־הַ֠חֹ֠שֶׁן מִֽטַּבְּעֹתָ֞ו אֶל־טַבְּעֹ֤ת הָאֵפוֹד֙ בִּפְתִ֣יל תְּכֵ֔לֶת לִֽהְי֖וֹת עַל־חֵ֣שֶׁב הָאֵפ֑וֹד וְלֹֽא־יִזַּ֣ח הַחֹ֔שֶׁן מֵעַ֖ל הָאֵפֽוֹד׃ (כט) וְנָשָׂ֣א אַ֠הֲרֹ֠ן אֶת־שְׁמ֨וֹת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל בְּחֹ֧שֶׁן הַמִּשְׁפָּ֛ט עַל־לִבּ֖וֹ בְּבֹא֣וֹ אֶל־הַקֹּ֑דֶשׁ לְזִכָּרֹ֥ן לִפְנֵֽי־יְהֹוָ֖ה תָּמִֽיד׃

Exodus 28:28-29

(28) The breastpiece shall be held in place by a cord of blue from its rings to the rings of the ephod, so that the breastpiece rests on the decorated band and does not come loose from the ephod. (29) Aaron shall carry the names of the sons of Israel on the breastpiece of decision over his heart, when he enters the sanctuary, for remembrance before יהוה at all times.

The Efod (Apron) was worn in back and below the waist; the choshen Breastplate, on the front and upper part of the wearer. Thus, the deeper significance of the commandment "And the Breastplate shall not budge from the Efod"... is that there must be no "gap" between the upper and lower aspects of life, ... True, the human being consists of both the sensitive heart and the functional foot; true, life is composed of sublimely spiritual moments as well as the daily tending to one's material/physical needs. But the "Efod" must be securely bound to the "Choshen". The upper must permeate the lower, and the external must never lose sight of its inner essence and purpose. ~ The Lubavitcher Rebbe

1. The Priestly Vestments. “And you shall make sacred garments for Aharon your brother for glory and majesty.” The Torah devotes an entire Parsha to the preparation of the priestly vestments. Indeed, the Torah gives more space to the priestly vestments than to the holy vessels which were actually used in the Mishkon. Although the priestly vestments were not an actual part of the service, the service could be performed only when the Kohein was wearing them. It seems apparent that the vestments performed a sublime role. The Chizkuni explains that these garments constituted a sanctified beauty. Clothing is a symbol of man’s higher nature. By distinguishing between man and animals, clothes give a man special dignity. The Koheinim were, therefore, required to dress in accordance with their exalted position, reflective of man’s higher calling. HaRav M. Gifter, Shlita suggests the following additional insight into the vestments: every virtue which man possesses is valued according to his ability to “clothe” himself in that characteristic. Man’s essence must mirror these qualities. The moral attributes and character refinement manifested by the Kohein should be inherent throughout his entire essence. It should be reflected externally as well. If these traits are not externally apparent, then the Kohein is not suitable to entreat Hashem on behalf of Am Yisroel. HaRav Gifter extends this idea to include all Jews, since we are all obligated to affirm ourselves as a member of “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” To fulfill this noble goal, we must invest ourselves with the “clothing” of a holy nation: pure moral characteristics, Torah and mitzvos. Our worthiness of the mantle “holy nation” is symbolized by our being “clothed” in our holy merit. ~ Rabbi A.L. Scheinbaum

שמות ל׳:ז׳

וְהִקְטִ֥יר עָלָ֛יו אַהֲרֹ֖ן קְטֹ֣רֶת סַמִּ֑ים בַּבֹּ֣קֶר בַּבֹּ֗קֶר בְּהֵיטִיב֛וֹ אֶת־הַנֵּרֹ֖ת יַקְטִירֶֽנָּה׃

Exodus 30:7

On it Aaron shall burn aromatic incense: he shall burn it every morning when he tends the lamps,