Week 20: Exodus 27:20 - 30:10
Haftarah Portion: Ezekiel 43:10 - 27
Summary: God instructs Moses on the design of the priestly garments and the ritual of anointing Aaron and his sons. The Haftarah describes the purification of the Temple in a vision, emphasizing the significance of holiness and purity in divine service.
Thematic Connection: Priesthood and Holiness
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By Rabbi Patrick Beaulier
Once upon a time, I was a punk.
I lived in Atlanta, Georgia with the famous dark rock composer Justin Curfman of Feeding Fingers. And I thought to myself, “well, self, let’s start a YouTube channel called PunkTorah.”
And I did. And it went surprisingly well.
(I CRINGE at this, by the way. But it’s nice to see a younger, better looking version of myself every once and a while).
And after a few years, I gained some notoriety.
Enough that I could find myself doing things like this:
And if you haven’t caught the connection, it’s Parshat Tetzaveh.
Tetzaveh follows me wherever I go. One of the last things my father did for me before his dementia robbed him of his faculties was to dig a picture frame out of a dumpster behind the community he and my mother lived in.
It was a picture he felt I would like.
And it was Tetzaveh.
(That’s actually my wall, in case you thought it was a stock photo).
One would think that with a parshah that follows you, it would encourage some kind of deep spiritual study. But honestly, it’s not my favorite story.
Or at least, it wasn’t until I discovered it’s connection to Purim, and in a way, a deeper connection to myself.
The Purim Narrative
The Persian king [Achashverosh] decides to choose a new wife after Queen Vashti refuses his order. Esther, the beautiful Jewish woman, is chosen amongst all the women. After a series of events, Esther and her cousin Mordecai persuade the king to retract an order for the general annihilation of Jews throughout the empire, plotted by the king’s chief minister, Haman, and the date decided by casting lots (purim). Instead, Haman was hanged on the gallows he built for Mordecai, and, on the day planned for their annihilation, the Jews destroyed their enemies. -Encyclopedia Brittanica
This story is parody: but a parody of what?
וְעָשִׂ֥יתָ בִגְדֵי־קֹ֖דֶשׁ לְאַהֲרֹ֣ן אָחִ֑יךָ לְכָב֖וֹד וּלְתִפְאָֽרֶת׃
Make sacral vestments for your brother Aaron, for dignity and adornment.
וְאַתָּ֗ה תְּדַבֵּר֙ אֶל־כׇּל־חַכְמֵי־לֵ֔ב אֲשֶׁ֥ר מִלֵּאתִ֖יו ר֣וּחַ חׇכְמָ֑ה וְעָשׂ֞וּ אֶת־בִּגְדֵ֧י אַהֲרֹ֛ן לְקַדְּשׁ֖וֹ לְכַהֲנוֹ־לִֽי׃
Next you shall instruct all who are skillful, whom I have endowed with the gift of skill, to make Aaron’s vestments, for consecrating him to serve Me as priest.
וְאֵ֨לֶּה הַבְּגָדִ֜ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר יַעֲשׂ֗וּ חֹ֤שֶׁן וְאֵפוֹד֙ וּמְעִ֔יל וּכְתֹ֥נֶת תַּשְׁבֵּ֖ץ מִצְנֶ֣פֶת וְאַבְנֵ֑ט וְעָשׂ֨וּ בִגְדֵי־קֹ֜דֶשׁ לְאַהֲרֹ֥ן אָחִ֛יךָ וּלְבָנָ֖יו לְכַהֲנוֹ־לִֽי׃
These are the vestments they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a fringed tunic, a headdress, and a sash. They shall make those sacral vestments for your brother Aaron and his sons, for priestly service to Me;
וְהֵם֙ יִקְח֣וּ אֶת־הַזָּהָ֔ב וְאֶת־הַתְּכֵ֖לֶת וְאֶת־הָֽאַרְגָּמָ֑ן וְאֶת־תּוֹלַ֥עַת הַשָּׁנִ֖י וְאֶת־הַשֵּֽׁשׁ׃ {פ}
they, therefore, shall receive the gold, the blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and the fine linen.
וְעָשׂ֖וּ אֶת־הָאֵפֹ֑ד זָ֠הָ֠ב תְּכֵ֨לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֜ן תּוֹלַ֧עַת שָׁנִ֛י וְשֵׁ֥שׁ מׇשְׁזָ֖ר מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה חֹשֵֽׁב׃
They shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen, worked into designs.
שְׁתֵּ֧י כְתֵפֹ֣ת חֹֽבְרֹ֗ת יִֽהְיֶה־לּ֛וֹ אֶל־שְׁנֵ֥י קְצוֹתָ֖יו וְחֻבָּֽר׃
It shall have two shoulder-pieces attached; they shall be attached at its two ends.
וְחֵ֤שֶׁב אֲפֻדָּתוֹ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָלָ֔יו כְּמַעֲשֵׂ֖הוּ מִמֶּ֣נּוּ יִהְיֶ֑ה זָהָ֗ב תְּכֵ֧לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן וְתוֹלַ֥עַת שָׁנִ֖י וְשֵׁ֥שׁ מׇשְׁזָֽר׃
And the decorated band that is upon it shall be made like it, of one piece with it: of gold, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen.
וְלָ֣קַחְתָּ֔ אֶת־שְׁתֵּ֖י אַבְנֵי־שֹׁ֑הַם וּפִתַּחְתָּ֣ עֲלֵיהֶ֔ם שְׁמ֖וֹת בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
Then take two lazuli stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel:
שִׁשָּׁה֙ מִשְּׁמֹתָ֔ם עַ֖ל הָאֶ֣בֶן הָאֶחָ֑ת וְאֶת־שְׁמ֞וֹת הַשִּׁשָּׁ֧ה הַנּוֹתָרִ֛ים עַל־הָאֶ֥בֶן הַשֵּׁנִ֖ית כְּתוֹלְדֹתָֽם׃
six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth.
מַעֲשֵׂ֣ה חָרַשׁ֮ אֶ֒בֶן֒ פִּתּוּחֵ֣י חֹתָ֗ם תְּפַתַּח֙ אֶת־שְׁתֵּ֣י הָאֲבָנִ֔ים עַל־שְׁמֹ֖ת בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל מֻסַבֹּ֛ת מִשְׁבְּצ֥וֹת זָהָ֖ב תַּעֲשֶׂ֥ה אֹתָֽם׃
On the two stones you shall make seal engravings—the work of a lapidary—of the names of the sons of Israel. Having bordered them with frames of gold,
וְשַׂמְתָּ֞ אֶת־שְׁתֵּ֣י הָאֲבָנִ֗ים עַ֚ל כִּתְפֹ֣ת הָֽאֵפֹ֔ד אַבְנֵ֥י זִכָּרֹ֖ן לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְנָשָׂא֩ אַהֲרֹ֨ן אֶת־שְׁמוֹתָ֜ם לִפְנֵ֧י יְהֹוָ֛ה עַל־שְׁתֵּ֥י כְתֵפָ֖יו לְזִכָּרֹֽן׃ {ס}
attach the two stones to the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, as stones for remembrance of the Israelite people, whose names Aaron shall carry upon his two shoulder-pieces for remembrance before GOD.
That’s Exodus 28:2-12. What we have is a colorful, vibrant sense of who the priests were and how their sacred uniforms connected with the Temple and its design.
For someone who worked in sales and marketing, I can tell you what this is: branding.
The color and design of the Temple is the same as those who serve it. Seeing people in uniform is grounding. It gives participants the sense that these people “belong” to the place. This is oddly powerful. Imagine if you saw your mechanic wearing scuba gear, you might not be so convinced that they would know what to do with your car. And vice versa, if you went to the beach and saw a bunch of auto mechanics telling you to jump into the water without gear and suits, you would not trust your life with them.
The priests need these uniforms
because we need to trust them
with our spiritual lives.
The Temple and those who serve it are visually one and the same. So any description of one is a description of the other.
So where is there another lavish people-and-place story like this?
(5) At the end of this period, the king gave a banquet for seven days in the court of the king’s palace garden for all the people who lived in the fortress Shushan, high and low alike. (6) [There were hangings of] white cotton and blue wool, caught up by cords of fine linen and purple wool to silver rods and alabaster columns; and there were couches of gold and silver on a pavement of marble, alabaster, mother-of-pearl, and mosaics.
(7) Royal wine was served in abundance, as befits a king, in golden beakers, beakers of varied design. (8) And the rule for the drinking was, “No restrictions!” For the king had given orders to every palace steward to comply with each man’s wishes.
(9) In addition, Queen Vashti gave a banquet for women, in the royal palace of King Ahasuerus. (10) On the seventh day, when the king was merry with wine, he ordered ... the seven eunuchs in attendance on King Ahasuerus, (11) to bring Queen Vashti before the king wearing a royal diadem, to display her beauty to the peoples and the officials; for she was a beautiful woman. (12) But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command conveyed by the eunuchs. The king was greatly incensed, and his fury burned within him (Esther 1:5-12).
The story of Esther is a parody of the temple.
Royal Garments vs. Priestly Garments
In Parshat Tetzaveh, there is a detailed description of the garments worn by the priests with a spiritual kavanah. In contrast, the first chapter of Esther describes the opulent clothing worn by King Ahasuerus and his guests at the royal banquet, symbolizing their ego and sense of earthly power.
Banquet vs. Tabernacle Service
While Parshat Tetzaveh focuses on the rituals and sacrifices performed in the Tabernacle, the first chapter of Esther portrays a banquet characterized by excess and indulgence.
Gender Roles
Parshat Tetzaveh focuses on the role of male priests in the Tabernacle service. In contrast, the first chapter of Esther introduces the character of Queen Vashti, then centers around Queen Esther, who uses her position to save the Jewish people.
OK, but so what?
This is where it gets personal for me.
I have been enjoying the Kehillat Israel Podcasts as part of my new spiritual practice of going to the gym.
Yeah, I’m a gym person now.
One of the podcasts, and I regret I cannot find which one, talked about how the contrasts of the vestments and the temple, the royal garb and the palace, all eventually speak to the bigger issue of Jews not ever being able to fully assimilate.
No matter how Babylonian Esther and Mordecai think they were, they were still Jewish. No matter how German the Jewish community thought of itself in WWII, they were still Jewish.
Think you’re Babylonian? Nice try, Jew!
Think you’re German? Nice try, Jew!
Because there is always an Amalek around the corner.
And being Jewish? It is just who you are.
If you are born into this or you’re invited into it (like me), you have an identity that is intrinsic to who you are. And identity is a funny thing. And my old identity as Jewish blogger certainly, certainly, certainly has been a funny one, indeed!
Because ultimately, identity is fluid. And by this I mean, the way we express who we are changes as we get older and as new experiences impact us.
I remember Jewish bloggers who were ultra-Chabadniks who no longer are, or at least decided to spread their wings a bit.
I remember people who were equally as convinced that there movement in progressive Judaism was the true faith, and have equally as spread their wings as well
I remember antagonistic, raconteur bloggers who are mellowed out (including me).
And I remember someone bemoaning how he could not get a shidduch, who eventually came out of the closet.
These people are all still Jewish. Passionately so. But things change. They changed. And that’s OK.
And yet, I still am who I am.
Even though the kid in that first video is young and dumb, and the guy in the second video at least has a stronger sense of who he is, it isn’t until you get to these last few words of this paragraph that you get a sense of who I really am (at least for now).
Like Esther, I am a Jew in a particular time, place and culture. Just as I was in 2009, 2012, and 2024.
Like the Kohanim, I have a uniform that expresses the sacred role I do, and in a place where I work to make Hakadosh Baruch Hu dwell (and that’s a hoodie and on the Internet).
Like Judaism, I change over time.
And yet, like Judaism, I still am who I am.
And in many ways, the PunkTorah network has been a parody —
American Jews were told they needed buildings.
We’ve never had an office.
American Judaism was (until recently) about institutions.
We’re forever a start up.
American Jewishness has secularized to a vague notion of “Jewish identity”.
We’ve always put God first.
Tetzaveh follows me wherever I go. Even into my fifteenth year as Executive Director of PunkTorah. So, Happy Fifteenth Anniversary to PunkTorah. And thank you for helping me mature into the person I am today.