“And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an efod, and a robe, and a quilted undercoat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aharon thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister to me in the priest’s office” (Shemot 28:4).
A quick internet search reveals that the worldwide clothing industry is a two trillion dollar (USA) industry and employs some 300 million people. Clearly, clothes are important to many and many a livelihood is dependent on the success of the industry. We wear all types of clothes for all types of occasions with special occasions requiring special clothing. When meeting an important person in a formal setting we dress for the occasion.
There is no more formal activity in Jewish tradition than the sacrificial rites. There are details upon details that must be followed to the letter or else the service is invalidated. There is a reason the Torah spends five parshiot detailing the construction of the Mishkan. Part and parcel of the Temple service are the special clothes that must be worn by those who serve in the Temple, the kohanim, their attire being the primary subject of this week’s Torah reading. The kohanim were to wear four pieces of clothing - breeches, a tunic, a belt and a turban with the kohen gadol, the high priest, adding four additional pieces of clothing - a robe, an ephod (a type of cape), a breastplate, and a headband – each of which was layered with gold.
Being that much of the Temple service served as atonement for the sins of the Jewish people, it is not surprising that our Sages saw the clothes of the kohanim as a means of facilitating atonement. The first of the garments the Torah mentions is the Choshen, the breastplate which are later described as Choshen Mishpat, the breastplate of judgement. Our Sages noted that the breastplate has the potential to atone for the sin of dinim, miscarriages of justice (Zevachim 88b).
If the Choshen is the first garment mentioned that must mean the miscarriage of judgement is the first and primary sin that we must atone for. This should come as no surprise. G-d, speaking to no one in particular i.e. to us, informs the listener that He is going to choose Avraham to be the founder of a great nation because Avraham is going to teach his children tzedakah and mishpat, justice and righteousness (Breisheet 18:19). Before the Jewish people are to receive the Torah, Yitro tells Moshe that he must set up a proper judiciary – this being a pre-requisite to Divine Revelation[1].
Moshe not only listened, 40 years later as he prepares the people to enter the Land of Israel, he begins his discourse by emphasizing the need to choose proper judges, men of integrity who show no favouritism, who recognize the need for justice even when the amounts are small, who fear no man but stand in awe of G-d. (See Devarim 1:16-17). Our entry to the Land of Israel is dependent on our administration of justice.
The miscarriage of justice comes at a great price. “The sword comes to the world for the delay of judgment, and for the perversion of judgment” (Pirkei Avot 5:8). And it is justice that will bring the future redemption. “Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and they that return to her with righteousness” (Yishayahu 1:27).
Perversion of justice is, our Sages note, akin to idolatry. “’You shall not make with Me gods of silver and gods of gold’ (Shemot 20:20). This refers to a judge, who is appointed due to silver and a judge who is appointed due to gold” (Sanhedrin 7b). How tragic when instead of worshipping G-d, one worships money.
Parshat Tetzaveh is not the only Torah reading we will do this Shabbat. It is the Shabbat before Purim and hence we will read parshat Zachor, the obligation to defeat and destroy those cowardly enemies i.e. Haman, who for no logical reason seek our destruction. This reading comes from the book of Devarim and is one of the mitzvot incumbent upon the king of Israel upon entering the Land. What is less known is the immediately prior section of the Torah which warns against using, or even owning, false weights and measures. “For whoever does such wicked things, whoever perpetrates such injustice, is a toeivah, abomination to G-d, your G-d” (Devarim 25:16). Rashi, noting the juxtaposition comment that “If you use false weights and measures then you must apprehend the provocation of the enemy, i.e. Amalek”[2]. Miscarriage of justice is very dangerous indeed.
Parshat Tetzaveh is about much more than clothes and parshat Zachor is about much more than recalling what Amalek did to us. We no longer have a Temple and the people of Amalek no longer exist. Yet these two parshiot are most relevant teaching the importance of “justice, justice you shall pursue” (Devarim 16:20).
[1] The placement of justice before Torah is even more striking if we accept the view of those commentaries that Yitro’s visit to the Jewish camp and hence his advice chronologically occurred after the Torah was in fact given.
[2] Our Sages make no claims as to the workings of the Divine judge. Only fools claim such knowledge. Rather, our Sages tried to discern what message we might learn when tragedy strikes seeking moral messages from the events of history. The suffering of the Jewish people may be an injustice but what goes around comes around. If one practices injustice do not be surprised when injustice strikes. Our Sages were interested in shaping the future not in explaining the past.