Parshat Tetzaveh : 'קֹדֶשׁ (יִשְׂרָאֵל!) לַה

BY: PENINAH FELDMAN

לו וְעָשִׂיתָ צִּיץ, זָהָב טָהוֹר; וּפִתַּחְתָּ עָלָיו פִּתּוּחֵי חֹתָם, קֹדֶשׁ לַיהוָה.  לז וְשַׂמְתָּ אֹתוֹ עַל-פְּתִיל תְּכֵלֶת, וְהָיָה עַל-הַמִּצְנָפֶת; אֶל-מוּל פְּנֵי-הַמִּצְנֶפֶת, יִהְיֶה.  לח וְהָיָה, עַל-מֵצַח אַהֲרֹן, וְנָשָׂא אַהֲרֹן אֶת-עֲו‍ֹן הַקֳּדָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר יַקְדִּישׁוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, לְכָל-מַתְּנֹת קָדְשֵׁיהֶם; וְהָיָה עַל-מִצְחוֹ תָּמִיד, לְרָצוֹן לָהֶם לִפְנֵי יְהוָה.  לט וְשִׁבַּצְתָּ הַכְּתֹנֶת שֵׁשׁ, וְעָשִׂיתָ מִצְנֶפֶת שֵׁשׁ; וְאַבְנֵט תַּעֲשֶׂה, מַעֲשֵׂה רֹקֵם.  מ וְלִבְנֵי אַהֲרֹן תַּעֲשֶׂה כֻתֳּנֹת, וְעָשִׂיתָ לָהֶם אַבְנֵטִים; וּמִגְבָּעוֹת תַּעֲשֶׂה לָהֶם, לְכָבוֹד וּלְתִפְאָרֶת.  מא וְהִלְבַּשְׁתָּ אֹתָם אֶת-אַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ, וְאֶת-בָּנָיו אִתּוֹ; וּמָשַׁחְתָּ אֹתָם וּמִלֵּאתָ אֶת-יָדָם, וְקִדַּשְׁתָּ אֹתָם--וְכִהֲנוּ לִי.  מבוַעֲשֵׂה לָהֶם מִכְנְסֵי-בָד, לְכַסּוֹת בְּשַׂר עֶרְוָה; מִמָּתְנַיִם וְעַד-יְרֵכַיִם, יִהְיוּ.  מג וְהָיוּ עַל-אַהֲרֹן וְעַל-בָּנָיו בְּבֹאָם אֶל-אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, אוֹ בְגִשְׁתָּם אֶל-הַמִּזְבֵּחַ לְשָׁרֵת בַּקֹּדֶשׁ, וְלֹא-יִשְׂאוּ עָו‍ֹן, וָמֵתוּ:  חֻקַּת עוֹלָם לוֹ, וּלְזַרְעוֹ אַחֲרָיו.

Shemot(Exodus) Chapter 28, verses 36-43**For a translation, see below**.

One phrase in this parshiya(section) stands out as very interesting- the words “ונשא אהרון את עון הקדשים” ("and Aaron shall bear the iniquity committed in the holy things") is not immediately clear.  Previously in this perek, Aharon is described as carrying two things – the inscribed names on shoulder stones of the ephod (vest of High Priest)), לְזִכָּרֹן" וְנָשָׂא אַהֲרֹן אֶת-שְׁמוֹתָם לִפְנֵי יְהוָה, עַל-שְׁתֵּי כְתֵפָיו" and on the choshen(breastplate),  וְנָשָׂא אַהֲרֹן אֶת-שְׁמוֹת בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּחֹשֶׁן הַמִּשְׁפָּט, עַל-לִבּוֹ--בְּבֹאוֹ אֶל-הַקֹּדֶשׁ"" and "וְנָשָׂא

אַהֲרֹן אֶת-מִשְׁפַּט בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל-לִבּוֹ".  The first two usages, both referring to “שמותם”- the inscribed names of Bnei Yisrael- are obviously literal usages of the verb “נשא”(to carry), because Aharon is literally carrying the object on which the names are inscribed.  The third usage, where Aharon is carrying “משפט בני ישראל” (lit. "The law/judement of the Children of Israel") may be literal as well; the choshen is describes as “חושן משפט”- choshen mishpat and using just the word “משפט”(law/judgment) may be a shortened form of that phrase.   

However, when it comes to the usage of “נשא” by the tzitz, referring to the “עון הקדשים” the carrying is quite obviously figurative. The problem with this phrase is what is being carried- the “עון הקדשים”.  “עון” is generally used for the guilt of sin, and we have not heard of any sins bringing guilt upon kodashim in our context.  Rashi explains, “ונשא אהרן לשון סליחה, ואף על פי כן אינו זז ממשמעו, אהרן נושא את המשא של עון, נמצא מסולק העון מן הקדשים:” and “את עון הקדשים לרצות על הדם ועל החלב שקרבו בטומאה,” in essence translating the phrase as “Aharon will gain forgiveness for sins of the kodashim,” which refers to sins that have brought guilt upon the korbanot (sacrifices) when people brought them improperly.  Rashi takes the idea of “carrying” to mean “lifting away,” or “removing.”  This explanation looks ahead at the future function of the Beit Hamikdash- when there are korbanot, there will be improper service and Aharon will need to atone for that.  But Rashi’s explanation, as positive as it is (and as well-supported in the Rabbinic sources) does not really fit into this particular context.  Why bring up atonement for improper korbanot before Aharon has even begun to serve at all?  

To shed some light on Rashi, it helps to note that the idea of “נשא עון” is used in this sort of positive, forgiveness-oriented direction numerous times in Tanach.  It appears as a Divine attribute of mercy in all three listings (here in Shemot, in Bamidbar and in Micha) in exactly the sense that Rashi sees here.  This ties the package up neatly- the tzitz helps Aharon to parallel God’s merciful attribute of being a נושא עון  and this brings Israel to a place of רצון לפני ה' .  

The end of this parshiya, though, throws a somewhat serious wrench into this tidy reading.  In discussion of the linen pants that the Kohanim were to all wear, the text reads, “וְהָיוּ עַל-אַהֲרֹן וְעַל-בָּנָיו בְּבֹאָם אֶל-אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, אוֹ בְגִשְׁתָּם אֶל-הַמִּזְבֵּחַ לְשָׁרֵת בַּקֹּדֶשׁ, וְלֹא-יִשְׂאוּ עָו‍ֹן, וָמֵתוּ:  חֻקַּת עוֹלָם לוֹ, וּלְזַרְעוֹ אַחֲרָיו."   

That is, the pants are there to prevent Aharon and his sons from carrying עון , which could be fatal.  This carrying of עון  would be difficult to interpret as we did the first instance, because nothing is being lifted away or removed.  Just the opposite, in fact- the Kohanim, if they do not wear the pants, will be made to carry עון, which goes along with the threat of death.  This instance of “carrying” returns to the sense it had by the inscribed names- this עון is something that the Kohanim will hold with them, not remove from someone else. So why is Aharon’s garment-aided carrying of עון a proper action that advances the case of Israel before God, while the Kohanim’s garment-free carrying of עון a potentially fatal mistake?  More to the point, given that both of these usages of “נשא עון” could be read as reasonable based on other usages to opposite purposes, why place them here in one little parshiya next to one another?  

As Rebbe Nachman is often quick to point out, when every bit of Torah and sefer one learns and conversation that one has seems to all say the same thing and be speaking directly toward one’s purpose, there’s an opening between that person and something really amazing.  This week, since I’ve been thinking about this question, all the answers seem to be pointing toward one place.  Rabbi Jason Leib, my JLIC rabbi at Cornell, speaks briefly between Mincha and Maariv in our shul about some aspect of halacha, and recently we have been learning about דברים שבקדושה and what requires a minyan, how the idea of a minyan can stay with a group even when the tenth person has left the room during one section of the tefila.  Additionally, I have been listening to a podcast put out by Yeshivat Har Etzion, Keshet, and in the Mivneh Hatefila series Rav Ezra Bick speaks elegantly on the topic of communal prayer.  He brought up the Rambam who says, “תפילת הציבור, נשמעת תמיד; ואפילו היו בהן חטאים אין הקדוש ברוך הוא מואס תפילתן של רבים.” and the Rav’s ideas about how an individual approaching God is a presumptuous and inappropriate action, while the congregation approaching God has more merit.  

This brought me to think again about the idea of carried sin here.  When Aharon is carrying עון, he carries the עון of all of Israel’s קדשים(kodashim) and collects it all into his garments.  The collective עון of Israel’s קדשים is thereby switched into רצון- after all, the tzitz is all about קודש לה',"kadosh laHashem" and as Yirmiyahu says (in 2:3), “קֹדֶשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל לַה, רֵאשִׁית תְּבוּאָתֹה”-Israel is kadosh laHashem-holy/sanctified to Hashem. The tzitz is on some level saying, “Yes, the nation of Israel messed up the kodashim, but the REAL kodashim is the nation of Israel itself.”  However, when the Kohanim carry עון, it is their own personal עון, for not being properly dressed, and individual sin is something that should not be brought before God.  

Sitting in the Hillel library in Cornell’s interfaith building, Anabel Taylor Hall, thinking about this dvar Torah, another idea occurred to me.  The concept of the human body is such a loaded idea- all the different parts carry such resonance on many different levels.  As I sketched out how the garments of the Kohanim might have appeared, I looked down at my paper to realize that I had effectively drawn a scaled-back version of what the “Adam Harishon” picture of the sefirot looked like.  It went from the Keter, up where the tzitz went, encircling the head, and to the Yesod, where the pants went on the diagram.  From that angle, I could clearly see another answer to the difference between these "carryings".  It reminded me very strongly of the image of Moshe fighting Amalek that Rebbe Nachman discusses, as brought in the first halacha of Hilchot Purim in his Likutei Halachot.  

Rebbe Nachman there describes quite powerfully the effect of Amalek as throwing things down from their origins above where everything is good, to a place below, where good and evil are distinct.  When Moshe raises his hands, or when we remember the events of Amalek, we bring all things to Keter, to Teshuva.  However, when Moshe lets his hands drop, or when we are not learning Torah, things fall down away from their roots and good and evil separate, allowing evil to be actually bad.  The tzitz is located at the symbolic home of Teshuva, in the space just above the human figure, and an עון there is not really bad because when Teshuva is in operation, sin is just another avenue to God.  However, the pants are further away, further down, and closer to the real world on which we walk.  When the real world is in operation, עון is in fact a dangerous thing and can bring death upon someone who is not careful to avoid it.  

It’s the serious part of the winter and the semester for those of us in school and often schoolwork can be very isolating.  One of the amazing things I’ve found about halachic obligations is how often without them I could go whole days without having any serious interactions with other people.  Actions like showing up to Kosher meals or going to davening or participating in Shabbat help keep me a part of the Jewish people as a community.  That community has its own existence and pathway to God’s רצון(will), greater than just the number of people who show up, and I see this reflected in the communal carrying of עון that Aharon can do with the tzitz.  Additionally, the tzitz reminds me that it can all lead to Teshuva and that all things can be lifted up to their roots until they are all good.  I hope that every one of you has an amazing Shabbat and a wonderful first Adar!  

*I really appreciate you, Goldie Guy and Rabbi Dena Shaffer, for talking this over with me!  I got texts entirely from Mechon Mamre except for the Rashi, which is from Chabad.org, and things I typed myself (they have no nekudot), the errors in which I take full blame for.  I apologize for switching back and forth with my transliterations and Hebrew writing.  I hope it’s not too maddening!  

**English translation of the Exodus text(from mechon-mamre.org)**:

36 And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and engrave upon it, like the engravings of a signet: HOLY TO THE LORD. 37 And thou shalt put it on a thread of blue, and it shall be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be. 38 And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall bear the iniquity committed in the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow, even in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD. 39 And thou shalt weave the tunic in chequer work of fine linen, and thou shalt make a mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make a girdle, the work of the weaver in colours. 40 And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make tunics, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and head-tires shalt thou make for them, for splendour and for beauty. 41 And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and upon his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto Me in the priest's office. 42 And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover the flesh of their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach. 43 And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they go in unto the tent of meeting, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die; it shall be a statute for ever unto him and unto his seed after him. {S}