Parashat Tetzaveh
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− | '''Parshas Tetzaveh''' is the eighth parsha in the Book of Shemos and the final week of Shovavim-Tat during leap years. It contains 101 pesukim. For the Haftora; Yechezkel's prophecy about the Third Beis Hamikdash, is read | + | '''Parshas Tetzaveh''' is the eighth parsha in the Book of Shemos and the final week of Shovavim-Tat during leap years. It contains 101 pesukim. For the Haftora; Yechezkel's prophecy about the Third Beis Hamikdash, is read. |
==Menorah Service== | ==Menorah Service== | ||
− | Hashem tells Moshe to command the Jews to bring him pure | + | Hashem tells Moshe to command the Jews to bring him pure olive oil for lighting the Menorah. It is to be lit each evening in a way that would last until the morning, by Aharon or his descendants, in its Ohel Moed location. This Mitzva along with the Kurban Tomid were issued to Moshe as 'obligating commands', to reinforce their observance since both were continuous daily duties that involved spending money. Lighting the Menorah is a commandment for all generations where applicable. |
===Pure Olive Oil=== | ===Pure Olive Oil=== | ||
− | Olive oil used for the Menorah had to be completely pure from any sediments. | + | Olive oil used for the Menorah had to be completely pure from any sediments. First, olives from the top of the tree were gathered. These had received the most sun exposure, causing them to ripen first and produce the most transparent oil.<ref>Rashi Kepshuto</ref> Crushing of the olives was done in a small hand press and not in a grinder, to avoid the mingling of sediments into the oil.<ref>Rashi Kepshuto</ref> Only the first drop of each olive was fitting for the use in the Menorah. After this, the olives were placed in a grinder and the produced oil was eligible for use with the 'Mincha' - grain offerings.<ref>Rashi Kepshuto</ref> |
===Lighting the Menorah=== | ===Lighting the Menorah=== | ||
− | Each and every night the lamps of the Menorah were ignited. Enough oil was added to keep the flame going for the entire night, lasting until the morning. | + | Each and every night the lamps of the Menorah were ignited.<ref>Rashi Kepshuto</ref> Enough oil was added to keep the flame going for the entire night, lasting until the morning. A set amount of a half a 'lug' was used, since that measurement had been calculated to last through the longest nights of the year that fallout during the month of Teves.<ref>Rashi Kepshuto</ref> On shorter summer nights, the oil would last past the night and the flames would generally burn well into the day.<ref>Rashi Kepshuto</ref> |
− | When lightning each lamp, the Kohen had to hold the ignition flame by the wick until the entire thing caught on fire and began rising by itself. | + | When lightning each lamp, the Kohen had to hold the ignition flame by the wick until the entire thing caught on fire and began rising by itself. Simply lighting the end of the wick was not good enough.<ref>Rashi Kepshuto</ref> |
===Omittance of Moshe=== | ===Omittance of Moshe=== | ||
− | When Hashem wanted to destroy the Jews following the sin of the golden calf, Moshe replied that if Hashem does so, then his name should be erased from the Torah. Although this self inflicted curse was conditioned on the materialization of the destruction which did not come to pass, a curse of a Tzadik must happen to some degree once uttered, even if it was dependent on a condition that was never fulfilled. Therefore Moshe's name is completely omitted from the Parsha of Tetzaveh, which is the only Parsha since his birth not to mention him by name and all references to Moshe are done in first person. | + | When Hashem wanted to destroy the Jews following the sin of the golden calf, Moshe replied that if Hashem does so, then his name should be erased from the Torah. Although this self inflicted curse was conditioned on the materialization of the destruction which did not come to pass, a curse of a Tzadik must happen to some degree once uttered, even if it was dependent on a condition that was never fulfilled. Therefore Moshe's name is completely omitted from the Parsha of Tetzaveh, which is the only Parsha since his birth not to mention him by name and all references to Moshe are done in first person. |
==Bigdei Kehuna== | ==Bigdei Kehuna== | ||
− | Hashem tells Moshe to separate Aharon and his sons; Nadav, Avehu, Elazar and Itamar from the rest of the Jews and turn them into priests. While this was to be done later, upon completion of the Mishkan, | + | Hashem tells Moshe to separate Aharon and his sons; Nadav, Avehu, Elazar and Itamar from the rest of the Jews and turn them into priests. While this was to be done later, upon completion of the Mishkan, Moshe is told to create special garments of honor for Aharon in anticipation of the inauguration event.<ref>Rashi Kepshuto</ref> These garments include the Choshen, Efod, Me’il, Katonet, Mitznefet and Avnet. They are to be created by those 'that have wisdom in their hearts', from gold, fine twisted linen as well as blue, scarlet and purple dyed wool. These garments were to be worn by the Kohanim whenever they performed services in the Mishakan or even entered the Ohel Moed. Failure to do so was punishable by death. |
===Efod / Apron=== | ===Efod / Apron=== | ||
− | The Efod was an upside-down apron, draped over the back of the Kohen Gadol's feet,<ref>Rashi Kepshuto</ref> starting from a little above the waistline and reaching until his heels. | + | The Efod was an upside-down apron, draped over the back of the Kohen Gadol's feet,<ref>Rashi Kepshuto</ref> starting from a little above the waistline and reaching until his heels. It was constructed from three part; the main body of the Efod, the 'Cheshev' waist straps and the 'Kitaphot' shoulder straps<ref>Rashi Kepshuto</ref> and used to increase his elegance. The main apron part of the Efod was slightly wider then the width of a human, so it would drape over the sides of the legs as well. It was made from gold, twisted fine linen and wool dyed in blue, scarlet and purple colors. These were embroidered using the 'Choshev' method that allowed for completely different designs to be made on each side of the created textile. |
====Cheshev==== | ====Cheshev==== | ||
− | Coming out of the Ephod were two waist-straps called the 'Cheshev', extruding from both the right and the left of the top of its main section. | + | Coming out of the Ephod were two waist-straps called the 'Cheshev', extruding from both the right and the left of the top of its main section. These were then tied like a belt around the body, to help hold the main part of the garment in place. They were tied above the waist, around the center of the stomach, parallel to the bottom of the heart and the elbows, a location that produces little sweat. It served a similar purpose as the Avnet belt but that was used to tie down the lower Ketonet tonic while the Cheshev was used to secure the upper Me'il - robe. The Cheshev was woven as a continuation of the main body of the Ephod and unlike the Kitaphot was not produced separately and then sewn on. |
====Kitaphot==== | ====Kitaphot==== | ||
− | The Ephod had two shoulder straps called the 'Kitaphot' coming out from the top right and left of the Cheshev, from the section worn behind the Kohen Gadol. | + | The Ephod had two shoulder straps called the 'Kitaphot' coming out from the top right and left of the Cheshev, from the section worn behind the Kohen Gadol. These straps were then worn going vertically up the sides of the back, curving over the shoulders and extending to the chest on the front of the body. Each shoulder was set with a large sardonyx stone with the names of six tribes engraved on it in the order of their birth. These served as a remembrance of the Jews in front of Hashem. Unlike the Cheshev that was woven as a continuation of the main body of the Ephod, the Kitaphot were produced separately and then sewn on with a needle. |
+ | '''Rings''' | ||
− | + | Attached to these shoulder settings, were two gold chains that extended down along the chest and looped through two gold rings on the upper corners of the Choshen, then doubling over and extending back up to the Kitaphot where both sides of each chain were linked. These attachments served the duel purpose of vertically aligning the Choshen to sit parallel to the heart and at the same time pulled the two Kitaphot inwards applying pressure so they would not slip off the shoulders of the Kohen Gadol as he bent down. | |
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− | Attached to | + | |
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'''Soham Stones''' | '''Soham Stones''' | ||
− | Each shoulder of the Kitaphot had a large sardonyx stone set on it using Bezel settings with gold fully surrounding their circumference | + | Each shoulder of the Kitaphot had a large sardonyx stone set on it using Bezel settings with gold fully surrounding their circumference. Each stone had the names of six out of the Twelve Tribes engraved on it, in clear defined letters like those of a signet ring. The Tribes were listed in the order of their birth. On the right stone were Reuven, Shimon, Levi, Yehudah, Dan and Naftali. On the left stone were Gad, Asher, Yissachar, Zevulun, Yosef and Benyamin whose name was spelled out fully with two Yuds just as it is written at his birth in Parshas Vayishlach. Each stone contained a total of 25 letters ('''Right''' |
= ראובן, שמעון, לוי, יהודה, דן, נפתלי / '''Left''' = גד, אשר, יששכר, זבולן, יוסף, בנימין) | = ראובן, שמעון, לוי, יהודה, דן, נפתלי / '''Left''' = גד, אשר, יששכר, זבולן, יוסף, בנימין) | ||
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===Choshen / Breastplate=== | ===Choshen / Breastplate=== | ||
− | The Choshen was a breastplate | + | The Choshen was a breastplate only by the Kohen Gadol. It was made from a rectangle shaped cloth that was folded over to form a perfect square. On its front were embedded twelve gemstones and inside the formed pocket were held the Urim v'Tummim parchments. It was embroidered from thick threads composed of thinner threads made of gold, fine linen and wool dyed in blue, scarlet and purple colors. |
+ | ====Threads==== | ||
+ | Golden threads were produced by hammering a cluster of gold into a thin sheet and then slicing it into thread thin strips. Each thin diameter sized golden thread was then twirled with six thin diameter sized threads of either blue, crimson or purple dyed wool or fine linen to produce a medium diameter sized thread. Each medium sized thread was therefore composed of seven thin threads, one of gold and six of its variety, producing four distinct varieties (linen, blue, red and purple) of mid diameter threads. A thick diameter sized thread was then produced by combining one of each of the four varieties of mid sized threads together. Each thick diameter sized thread was therefore composed of 28 thin threads (6 linen, 6 blue, 6 red, 6 purple and 4 gold). | ||
====Gemstones==== | ====Gemstones==== | ||
− | The Choshen contained four horizontal rows, each with three gemstones embedded | + | The Choshen contained four horizontal rows, each with three gemstones embedded in it. On the stones were engraved the names of the twelve tribes, this way they were carried by Aharon over his heart when he entered the Holy and serve as a remembrance before Hashem constantly. |
'''Rows of the Choshen''' | '''Rows of the Choshen''' | ||
− | # Odem | + | # Odem, Pitdah, and Bareketh |
− | # Nofech | + | # Nofech, Sappir, and Yahalom |
− | # Leshem | + | # Leshem, Shevo, and Achlamah |
− | # Tarshish | + | # Tarshish, Shoham, and Yashpheh |
====Attachment to Ephod==== | ====Attachment to Ephod==== | ||
− | Each of the Choshen's two upper corners | + | Each of the Choshen's two upper corners had a gold ring that allowed the two doubled over golden chains linked to the Kitaphot of the Ephod to loop through it, holding it up directly in front of the heart. On the bottom two corners of the Choshen were another two rings. These allowed two doubled over blue dyed wool ribbons to loop through them and then connect to the two rings attached to the lower part of the Kitaphot, where they connected to the Cheshev of the Ephod, that lined up very near to the lower rings of the Choshen. This lower fastening allowed the Choshen to be held in place and prevented it from bouncing and wobbling in all directions, away from the body of the Kohen Gadoel as he moved around. Once connected, the Choshen is never to be removed from the Ephod. |
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− | On the bottom two corners of the Choshen | + | |
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− | These allowed two doubled over blue dyed wool ribbons to loop through them and then connect to the two rings attached to the lower part of the Kitaphot, | + | |
====Urim v'Tummim==== | ====Urim v'Tummim==== | ||
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===Me’il / Robe=== | ===Me’il / Robe=== | ||
− | The Me'il was a robe consisting solely of blue dyed wool, worn only by the Kohen Gadol. It was shaped similar to | + | The Me'il was a robe consisting solely of blue dyed wool, worn only by the Kohen Gadol. It was shaped similar to Katonet - tunic but was worn above it.<ref>Rashi Kepshuto</ref> The Me'il had an opening on its top similar to the opening of a coat of armor. It was turned inward and had a border around it, the work of a weaver, so it should not be torn. On the bottom hem of the Me'il there was a row of alternating golden bells and pomegranates. Each pomegranate was created from blue, purple, and crimson dyed wool. When Aharon entered or exited the Holy, the bells would make noise. |
===Tzitz / Headband=== | ===Tzitz / Headband=== | ||
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===Katonet / Tunic=== | ===Katonet / Tunic=== | ||
− | The Katonet was a tunic of pure linen, woven in a checkered pattern of boxed indents,<ref>Rashi Kepshuto</ref> to produce an elegant design.<ref>Rashi</ref> It was worn by both the high priest as well as regular priests. The Me’il - robe was shaped similarly to the Katonet but was worn above it and only by the high priest | + | The Katonet was a tunic of pure linen, woven in a checkered pattern of boxed indents,<ref>Rashi Kepshuto</ref> to produce an elegant design.<ref>Rashi</ref> It was worn by both the high priest as well as regular priests. The Me’il - robe was shaped similarly to the Katonet but was worn above it and only by the high priest. |
===Mitznefet / Turban=== | ===Mitznefet / Turban=== | ||
− | The Mitznefet was a turban of pure linen. There were two versions of the Mitznefet; those worn by regular Kohanim which were tall and pointy and were generally referred to as 'Migbaot',<ref>Rashi Kepshuto Footnote</ref> while the one worn by the Kohen Gadol was more flat and domed<ref | + | The Mitznefet was a turban of pure linen. There were two versions of the Mitznefet; those worn by regular Kohanim which were tall and pointy and were generally referred to as 'Migbaot',<ref>Rashi Kepshuto Footnote</ref> while the one worn by the Kohen Gadol was more flat and domed<ref>Rashi</ref> and was always referred to as the 'Mitznefet'. |
===Avnet / Belt=== | ===Avnet / Belt=== | ||
− | The Avnet was a belt of pure linen created with embroidery work | + | The Avnet was a belt of pure linen created with embroidery work. It served a similar purpose to the Cheshev of the Ephod but that was only worn by the High Priest and was used to tie down his upper Miel robe as opposed to the Avnet that secured the lower Ketonet tonic. |
===Michnasaim / Pants=== | ===Michnasaim / Pants=== | ||
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===Yom Kippur Usage=== | ===Yom Kippur Usage=== | ||
− | Each Yom Kippur, Aharon and every future Kohen Gadol would apply blood from the 'Chatas' - sin offering on the horns of the golden alter, performing an atonement. | + | Each Yom Kippur, Aharon and every future Kohen Gadol would apply blood from the 'Chatas' - sin offering on the horns of the golden alter, performing an atonement. |
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{{Weekly Parsha}} | {{Weekly Parsha}} | ||
[[Category:Parsha]] | [[Category:Parsha]] |