Tetzaveh: Who's in your Wallet?

By Tuvia Goldstein

The גמרא in יומא (12b) records a מחלוקת between רבי and ר' אלעזר ברבי שמעון about the אבנט worn by the Kohen Gadol. רבי holds that his אבנט differed from the אבנט worn by the כהני הדיוט, whereas ר' אלעזר ברבי שמעון holds it is the same אבנט. The משך חכמה explains it to be a fundamental מחלוקת about the קדושה of the כהן גדול as compared to the קדושה of a כהן הדיוט. According to ר' אלעזר ברבי שמעון, they share the same basic קדושה, as indicated by the shared 4 בגדים, and the כהן גדול has extra קדושה, as indicated by his extra 4 בגדים. In contrast, רבי holds that the כהן גדול is a totally different breed of כהן, one with a unique brand of קדושה, as indicated by his 8 garments.

Rav Daniel Stein, in חמודי דניאל, explains that both perspectives on the nature of the כהן גדול are true, from different angles. When the people of כלל ישראל compare themselves to the כהנים, they see that the כהנים get to spend their days in the בית המקדש, entrenched in tangible service of ה'. To them, the slight differences between the כהנים don’t really matter. They simply see “כהנים.” The כהנים themselves hold the opposite perspective. They have a front row seat to the extreme dedication of the כהן גדול to his job and the serious responsibilities he bears. Therefore, they see the כהן גדול as an entirely different type of כהן.

Rav Stein explains that this tiered perspective is intentional. In order for one to constantly grow in their עבודת ה', they need to have a clear role model that they can aspire to. They need to see someone who is just beyond their current religious level, someone who they can desire to live like. The people of כלל ישראל see the כהנים as a collective whole, people who dedicate their lives entirely to עבודת ה' in the most tangible way, inspiring them to want to live more spiritual lives. Similarly, the כהני הדיוט are meant to look to the כהן גדול as someone currently living just beyond their current religious level. They are meant to aspire to achieve his level of closeness to הקב"ה.

This staggered system in עבודת ה' is also demonstrated elsewhere. In דרש משה, Rav Moshe explains that the connection between the color of תכלת and the כסא הכבוד is described in a series of steps to indicate the proper path in עבודת ה'. One must go step by step. Putting on תכלת can't automatically take you to the כסא הכבוד (regardless of what some eager proponents may argue). A step-by-step process is needed. Similarly, the תורה warns ולא תעלה במעלות על מזבחי אשר לא תגלה ערותך עליו. The צפנת פענח explains that on one’s religious journey, there needs to be a smooth progression upwards. Stairs would enable a person to take two or three steps at a time, potentially leading to a stumble and fall, revealing one’s “ערוה”.

I think this message is especially relevant for the stage that we find ourselves in now. We are becoming more and more independent of our parents, and more and more reliant on ourselves. This feeling of independence can sometimes breed a desire to establish ourselves, to be ourselves, to live our life somewhat on our own terms. We need to realize that just as with every stage in life, we need to have someone to look to, someone who we aspire to be like. We need to find someone who deeply inspires us and find ways that we can channel their religiosity. We need guidance. We need to find our כהנים.