And

make it:

like the engravings of a signet, every

one according to his name, they shall be for the twelve tribes. (Shemot 28,15, 21)

'Breastplate

of judgment' – it was so called because it atoned for any errors in

judgment. Another explanation: 'judgment' because it makes its statements clear

and its promise is true; (discernment in Old French). Because the word mishpat is used in three senses: the contentions of the

parties in the law suit, the pronouncement of the sentence and the punishment

to be meted out, whether it be death, flagellation or monetary; here it is used

in the sense of making its statements definite.

(Rashi

ad locum)

'And thou shalt make a breastplate of judgment, the work of the

skilful workman'

In all the

other vestments 'the work of the skilful workman' is not mentioned

excepting in reference to 'a breastplate of judgment', to teach us that

the atonement is for a sin committed by thought, 'thought' equated with 'act',

found only in acts of 'avodah zarah'

as explained previously in the making of

the ephod, the breastplate comes to atone for any judicial errors,

for legal decisions are formed in the heart (mind) of the judge, for he cannot

judge but what he sees, and he can pronounce 'right' as 'left and 'left' as '

right', according to the persona, the matter before him, the circumstances and

the place. If the judge is to say, "Thus it seems to me" who besides God

can challenge him, for only He knows what is hidden in the hearts of men.

Therefore, the breastplate was placed over the heart of Aharon,

for legal decisions are formed in the heart of the judge and it was a מעשה חשב

to atone for errors in judgment.

It is written 'מעשה חשב כמעשה אפוד' the Torah ascribes חשב באפוד

to teach you that the errors of

the judges are tantamount to 'avodah zarah' (Sanhedrin 7b) "Whoever

appoints an incompetent judge it is comparable to having planted ashera (a tree that was an object of pagan worship).

Therefore the text states that the breastplate that atones for judicial errors shall

be like the ephod that atones for idol worship. Chazal

have interpreted the verse: 'You shall not make other gods besides Me;

gods of silver…' as referring to an incompetent judge (Yerushalmi Bikkurim

3:3) for the basis for the sin lays with the mind of the judge, as it is

written: 'The thoughts of the righteous are just…' (Proverbs 12,5)

(Kli Yakar

ibid. ibid)

Light as the Basis for Our

Existence

Jeremy Weill

Parshat Tezaveh was one of the

most boring readings I encountered as a child; an endless list of preparatory

tasks for the mishkan, usually stated in repetitious

words and expressions. I sat in the synagogue like a good little boy and was

told by my elders that 'there are no superfluous words in the Torah'. It was

still difficult for me to grasp why there were so many precise details.

Much later, when I began to delve into the subject,

I discovered a trove even in the first verse

 ואתה תצוה את בני ישראל ויקחו אליך שמן

זית זך כתית למאור להעלות נר תמיד

There many questions to be asked regarding this verse, and Nechama Leibowitz sums them up into three basic fields-textual, the

content and the location.

Problems of text include:

• Why is it

  written "And you?" The previous parsha

  opens with phrase "Speak to the children of Israel"

  – this seems to be an irregularity.

• The word "LaMaor" (the light) seems to be superfluous,

  since further on it is written: "To raise up the ner

  tamid": What is the meaning of this phrase?

  Why not write "to light the ner (oil wick)."?

Problems as to the content that arise are:

·       

Why is it necessary to bring the oil to Moshe?

·       

What purpose does the ner tamid

serve?

The most fundamental question arises as to the

location:

• Why is the

  subject of the lighting of the lamps found at the beginning of the parsha, although the building of the mishkan has not been completed (the construction of

  the altar, for example) and even before the commandment to consecrate Aharon and his sons as priests?

In parshat Terumah God instructs Moshe: 'Speak unto the children of Israel that

they take for Me Terumah'. In Parshat

Tezaveh it is written: "And you shall command

the children of Israel

that they bring to you…"; 'command' instead of 'speak', 'to you' instead

of 'for Me'. The Sifre and the Rashbam

interpret the words 'And you shall command' as emphatic-the lighting of the

lamps is an immediate and eternal matter. Consequently, 'you shall command' us

forever- even if the Holy Temple is no longer standing, we must kindle lights in

houses of study and worship.

The Ramban explains the

two commands slightly differently. Until now, the term used in the construction

of the mishkan was 'and you shall make –ועשית  Moshe did it all. Now, however אתה תצוה Moshe must allow others to make the oil and bring

it to him to be examined if it acceptable for use in the mishkan.

Rabbi Samson R.Hirsch

continues this line of thought and adds that the phrase-'they shall bring to

you' emphasizes the notion that Moshe is acting as a bursar-he keeps it for the

nation and the donors must bring him only the purist oil to be used for light (זך כתית). Rabbi

Hirsch expounds on the significance of the lamp as a symbol for the nation as we

see at the beginning of Parshat Terumah

(Shemot

25,6).

Listed among the materials to be brought for the construction of the mishkan, are 'oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil

and for the fragrant incense'; but these materials are required for the service

in the mishkan and not for its construction. Rabbi

Hirsch explains that 'oil for the lighting are fundamental to the mishkan because the light represents the human factor-service

with light and clarity-while the incense and spices represent the divine

factor-since they are described as providing a pleasant sensation so to speak,

to the Lord. This is the basis for all work In the mishkan,

a point the Torah emphasizes at the beginning of our parsha.

According to R. Hirsch the topic of light is again written at the beginning of

the explanation of the sanctuary Because the tending to the lamps precedes all

other requirements. Without mental clarity one cannot have Torah-understanding

is the foundation for the observance of mitzvot. Use

of the word – תצוה – emphasizes the

importance of the subject, by defining it as an immediate task and one for all

time, as a commandment for the children of Israel. That is to say that the

lamp lighting service (the occupation with the spiritual welfare of the nation,

its education and study of Torah, etc) is a task obligatory upon the entire

nation, and not just the priests. Therefore the priests are to prepare the

lamps (to confirm that the educational and Torah foundations exist). However, each

one of us, even if he is not a priest, can and is obliged to light the lamps

for we are all responsible for producing 'light', therefore, the entire people

must bring the oil.

Others explain this notion but in a slightly

different manner. For example, Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk, author of the commentary – 'Meshech

Chochmah' interprets the phrase – 'and they shall

take unto you' as a negative statement: God tells Moshe that the light is for

him; God is not in need of light. The light of Torah is for us and not for God.

He is not a recipient; on the contrary, He distributes wonderful things, large

and small. Moshe should have taken the materials for the production of light "unto

you", 'for you", for only through light is a man clear in his

thoughts and light denotes joy. Moshe was not capable of serving God and his

people devoid of joy and if without the medium of the lamps,

that was crucial to his further relationship with God.

What therefore is the idea concealed in the words –  להעלות נר תמיד?

Three midrashim from Shemot Rabbah deal with this

issue. -The first midrash compares a Torah-less man

to one who travels at night without a lamp. Similar to a man who because there

was no light, fell and was injured, is the man bereft of Torah who upon

encountering numerous obstacles, is not capable of dealing with them.

The second midrash

considers the lamp emitting light as coming from the performance of a mitzvah.

The Author of the mitzvah creates the light and elevates the performer of the

mitzvah to a greater height.

The third midrash

relates to an argument between the 'yetzer hatov' and the yetzer hara. The 'yetzer hara' says, (for example), don't

give tzdakah, so that your bank balance will not be 'short'.

The 'yetzer hatov' advises

that by performing a mitzvah you will act as a lamp, kindling other lamps

without extinguishing your own lamp. Similarly, one who performs good deeds and

mitzvoth will not be in want for having performed them.

We can observe three different approache

– the lamp of Torah assisting man, the lamp of Torah elevating mankind and the

lamp of Torah as a gift benefiting others without depriving its donor of

anything-it is to be noted that all the different approaches emphasize the

benefits that man derives from the lamp, the actual one and the symbolic one and

make no mention of any benefit accruing to God as it were, from the kindling of

the lamps. The lamp is a necessity in the real world we live in.

However, the prophet Isaiah (Chapter 60) envisages a future world wherein there will not

be a need for a 'ner tamid',

for the Lord Himself will kindle the light of Torah within us, as it is

written: "Nations will come to Your light, And kings to the brightness of Your

rising. (Isaiah 60,3) (The nations

will come with Your light and kings will come with the

rays of the rising). Rashi in Massechet

Shabbat explains that the word להעלות את הנר that one must kindle the lamp until the flame

rises by itself. Rabbi Hirsch explains the phrase 'until the flame rises by

itself' as a symbol for a teacher who teaches so that the flame will rise on

its own- to say, that the function of the teacher is to bring the student to a

level from which he can continue to study on his own, even when the teacher is

not present.

Why then did the Torah choose to introduce the

lighting of the lamps at the beginning of parshat tezaveh, before the completion of the construction of the mishkan and before the consecration of Aharon

and his sons into the priesthood? Have we not seen that the kindling of the lamps

is an integral part of the service of the sanctuary and not its construction? Apparently

from this we can assume that we are not dealing with a 'technical' action, for the

Torah doesn't deal with strictly technical matters. The Torah does not instruct

us on how to clean the mishkan or how to illuminate

the mishkan, in technical terms. The placing of the

lighting of the lamps at the beginning of the parsha

teaches us that it is the basis for the 'maaseh hamishkan', similar to the creation of light, the first

element in the creation of the world. After the creation of light, follows the

rest of creation. The Torah is comparable to light as are the children of Israel and are

commanded to illuminate The world, God being the ultimate light. The Torah and

human beings are the lamps of God In our world- the Torah being the flame

arising from God, illuminating the world, men serve as the lamps into which are

placed the flame. Without the flame, the lamp cannot cast its light, but the

light requires a container. Therefore the commandment to kindle the lamps, to infusethe entire house with light of Torah and mitzvoth,

precedes the actual building of the mishkan.

Perhaps one may conclude that in every process of

building, light, spirit, Torah and its Implications and content precede the

structure itself.

Jeremy Weill resides in Beer Sheva

and is an independent advisor to firms dealing in International trade.

Traits required for participation in the building of the mishkan

"and I have filled him with the Spirit of

God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts" As with

Joshua son of Nun 'filled with spirit of wisdom and understanding', And it is

written: 'and a divine spirit descended upon him'. What is a divine spirit? It is

wisdom and understanding, …and the term intellect – בינה is derived

from the root בין .

Bezalel was endowed

with a knowledge of mathematics, geometry and

astronomy, biology and was privy to the psyche of man, his advantage over all

other men in his generation lay in the fact that he was proficient in all crafts,

for many erudite men are not proficient in any craft.

(Ibn Ezra Shemot 31,3)

Sacred Vestments

The Sanctuary was constantly guarded and surrounded [by Levites] as a mark

of respect and honor: and at the same time the layman, the unclean, and mourners,

were prevented from entering the Sanctuary, as will be explained. Among other

things that tend to display the greatness and the glory of the Temple and to

inspire us with awe, is the rule that none shall approach it in a state of

drunkenness or uncleanness, or in a disorderly state, i.e., the hair unkempt and

the garments rent; and that every one who officiated as priest should first

wash his hands and his feet. In order to raise the estimation of the Temple, those who

ministered therein received great honor: and the priests and Levites were

therefore distinguished from the rest. It was commanded that the priests should

be clothed properly with beautiful and good garments, "holy garments for

glory and for beauty" (Exod. xxviii. 2).

A priest that had a blemish was not allowed to officiate; and not only

those that had a blemish were excluded from the service, but also – according

to the Talmudic interpretation of this precept – those that had an abnormal

appearance; for the masses do not judge a man by his true form but by the

perfection of his bodily limbs and the beauty of his garments, and the 'temple

was to be held in great reverence by all.

(Moreh Nevuchim III,45, Translated into

Hebrew by M. Schwartz)

Clothing serves not only as a protection against the cold and not only as

an adornment. It is the primary and necessary sign of recognition for society,

and for the moral sense of man distinguishing him from animals-his status and

honor are evident from the symbols placed on his clothing. The very fact of

wearing clothes dignifies man, therefore the Priests receive special garments for

'honor and majesty…' when God himself gave to Adam and Eve garments and He

himself dressed them, it tells us that dress is not only a matter of consensus

among men, but is, as it were an extension of the act of creation, a sort of a

second skin given to humankind, a more nobler body. Rabbi Meir, in his

intention to compare man to his Creator, expressed it succinctly as he wrote in

his own sefer Torah,'כתנות

אור'-; about God Himself it is written: 'He wraps Himself in light

as with a garment'  (Psalms 104,2).

 (Breishit Rabbah

20,29, A summary of the commentary of Benno Jacob, ad locum by Nechama Leibowitz z"l)

Said Rabbi Einini bar Sasson:

Why were the Laws of Sacrifices placed adjacent to the Laws of the Priestly

Garments? To teach us that just as the offerings atone for sins, similarly the Priestly

garments atone for sins.

(Zevachim 88b)

The 'breastplate' atoned for perverters of the law,

as is written: (Shemot 28) 'and

thou shalt make a breastplate of justice'.

(Yerushalmi Yoma 7:3)"

"Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on

its horns. This annual

atonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering…"

(Shemot 30,10)

If there is something to be protected from an injury by the defects in the

reality of life, most assuredly it is the vision of supreme moral perfection,

the vision that we envisage as the highest goal, expressed by the inner altar

upon which is offered the incense. Once a year the priests and the people

should emphasize the disparity between the vision And the reality- by offering

the ox and the goat of Yom HaKippurim, and by placing

the blood on the horns of the golden altar. Only then will it become apparent

to them the high goal to which reality must be elevated.

(R.S.R.Hirsch ibid)

Remember-Do Not Forget!

To the Rabbis of the midrash, Amalek

is the archetype of an enemy who deviates from the accepted rules of engagement,

who without provocation, exploits the apparently easy opportunity to wage war,

that renders little glory to the soldiers, and selects a tactic of attacking

the rear of the enemy, that contains the weak and the weary and the least

protected…

In its broader sense, the war against Amalek is a

battle against evil and injustice in the world that is embedded in the very

nature of man since his creation. In this respect Jews are no different than

gentiles…Consequently, this battle is not a 'milchemet

mitzva' incumbent only upon Israel, rather it should be

categorized as a 'Milchemet Amalek',

and as such, it is also a war for all eternity.

(Yeshayahu Leibowitz: "Seven Years of Discourses on Parshat HaShavua, pgs. 875-877)

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