Parsha Corner: Parshas Tetzaveh – Lessons of the Bigdei Kehunah
In this week’s parsha, the Torah discusses the bigdei kahuna worn by the kohanim during the avodah. The kohen gadolwore eight begadim, while a kohein hedyot wore four. There are many lessons we can learn from the bigdei kehunah.
The mefarshim explain that the bigdei kehunah were worn during the avodah to honor Hashem. Today, our daveningof shachris, mincha, and maariv are in place of the korbonos. We therefore need to be careful to bring honor to Hashem and wear honorable clothing for davening. Based on this, the Tur brings down the custom of wearing a hat and jacket while davening.
One of the begadim that the kohen wore was the tzitz, a golden plate worn on the head of the kohen gadol. Etched into the tzitz were the words “kodesh lahashem”. While the kohen was wearing the tzitz, it was forbidden for him to have thoughts that distracted him from the avodah, and he needed to constantly be thinking of inyanei kedusha. The Gemara in Yuma says that if this is true about the kohen gadol who was wearing the tzitz, which said the name of Hashem only once, then surely we need to be careful to stay focused on inyanei kedusha while wearing our tefillin, which say Hashem’s name so many more times!
Another one of the begadim that the kohen gadol wore was the meil. The passuk describes that there were golden bells and pomegranates hanging from the bottom of the meil in a pattern. The Chofetz Chaim explains that the bell, which makes sound, represents speaking, and the pomegranate, which doesn’t make sound, represents silence. The Torah is teaching us an important lesson—that there is a time to talk and a time to be silent. We must heed this lesson and be sure to only talk when we are supposed to.
Have a wonderful Shabbos!
Rabbi Anton
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