The Avnei Miluim

This past Friday morning my good friend Jeremy Apfel asked me to go to a shiur with him which was given by Rav Shor in Brooklyn. Rav Shor gave over the following inspiring Dvar Torah along with many others.

In Parsha Tetzaveh there is a listing of the clothing that the Kohen Gadol would don in the Mishkan. (The Meil, Ephod, Ketones,Avneit,Choshen,Tzitz...etc.) The one that is most identified to the Kohen Gadol however is the Choshen.

When describing the beautiful and valuable stones that made up the Choshen (see story with Dama ben Nisina to see the value) the Torah calls then the “Avnei Miluim” – filling stones. Rashi commenting on the name of these precious stones says that they were given the name “Avnei Miluim” because they filled 12 holes.

The late Rav Shmuel Birnbaum Zt”l posed the question; shouldn’t the name of the stones be on the stones themselves and not what they happen to accomplish on the side?

R’ Shmuel answered that within the context of the Kohen’s clothing there are two different types of stones mentioned. There is the Avnei Miluim and there is the Avnei Shoham. The Avnei Shoham were also beautiful and ornate stones much like the Avnei Miluim, nonetheless the Avnei Miluim were used in the Choshen to teach Klal Yisrael that a person or community can be tremendously accomplished, but as long as they are lacking something their accomplishments are belittled. A person/community must fill their holes (Avnei Miluim) before they can move on to the Avnei Shoham.

Will the real Moshe please stand up

Arguably the most talked about aspect of this past week’s Parsha was Moshe Rabbeinu’s name not being mentioned.

The Baal HaTurim explained that Moshe Rabbeinu was so humble and selfless that he told Hashem to take his name out of a Parsha in hopes that Hashem would save Klal Yisrael after the sin of the Golden Calf. Although Hashem made the “decision” to spare the lives of Klal Yisrael some aspects of Moshe’s condition were ever lasting and his name was erased eternally from Parshas Tetzaveh.

The Rav who spoke in the Romanisha shul (in the Lower East side) commented that of all of the Parshiyos in the Torah for Moshe not be mentioned this Parsha was the absolute worst. Parshas Tetzaveh talks about the Kehuna (Moshe was a Kohen for 8 days) and the listing of responsibilities which were to be handed over to his dear brothers and nephews. Hashem should have removed him from Parshas Balak! Why was he specifically removed from Parshas Tetzaveh?

The Romanisha Rov suggested that contrary to the Baal Haturim’s insight, perhaps Moshe Rabbeinu’s name is mentioned in this past week’s Parsha.

A person has two aspects to his name. There is the name which is given to a person by a guardian (Moshe,Aaron,Dovid, Shlomo, Aryeh, Zev…)and there is the actual essence of a person which a person is most familiar with as “himself/herself”. (See Aryeh Kaplan’s, "If you were G-d")

In this past week’s Parsha, by “removing” Moshe’s pretentious name (which was given to him by Batya – Pharaohs’ Daughter), we see the true essence of Moshe Rabbeinu. The first word of the Parsha truly illustrates this idea. The Parsha begins, “V’Ata Titzaveh Es Bnei Yisrael.” Who is the V’Ata that Hashem is commanding? It is Moshe Rabbeinu!

The only one who was truly responsible enough to handle this important revelation from G-d about the protocols of the Priestly garb was Moshe. Instead of Moshe being removed, Parshas Tetzaveh is the only Parsha were the real Moshe is beings mentioned.

Parshas Tetzaveh - "Crown of Gold"

Quickie/Funfact: In the Slichos of Musaf on Yom Kippur it is written that the Kisones Tashbaitz (the inner shirt of the Kohen Gadol) was made of Shatnez. This is very problematic, since the Pasuk clearly states that it was made of Shaysh (linen) and not linen and wool?

The Chasam Sofer (Rabbi Moshe Sofer 1762 - 1839), one of the leading rabbis of European Jewry in the first half of the nineteenth century answers with a Halacha in Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh Deah Siman Shin Sif 4). The Rema quotes a Yerushalmi, if the under garment cannot be removed without taking off the outer garment first; and one is wool and the other is linen, it is Shatnez. Here too, since the outer garment was the Mi'il, which was made of blue wool, and the inner garment was the Kisones Tashbaitz made of linen, and it is not possible to remove the Kisones without removing the Mi'il, it is considered Shatnez.*

*From Revach.net

Following in sequence with last week's Parsha which discussed the construction of the Mishkan, Parshas Tetzaveh discusses the particulars of the priestly garb. The Torah systematically goes in order when discussing the Kohen's garmets. Klal Yisrael was to collect gold, turquoise wool, and purple wool, scarlet wool, and twisted linens. All of these specific and beautiful materials were chosen to express the uniqueness of the Priest and his responsibilities. Eventually the Torah comes to the point which it begins to discuss the Tzitz of pure gold which is placed on the Kohen's forehead.

Shemos 28:38 "It shall be on Aaron's forehead and Aaron shall bear the sin of that which is holy that the Children of Israel consecrate for any gifts of their holy offerings; and it shall be on his forehead always, for appeasement for them before Hashem."

While commenting on the purpose of the Tzitz the Gemara in Eruchin 16a mentions that it was to rectify the trait of brazenness.

To explain this Gemara in Eruchin that comments on the Tzitz, Rav Yishayahu Zilberstein (author of Maasei L'Melech on the Rambam) brings up a Mishna in Pirkei Avos. The Mishna in Avos (5:20) says, "He used to say: Brazenness to Geheinom, embarrassment to Gan Eden, May it be your will Hashem that your city is built up quickly in our days and that you give us a portion of your Torah." After reading this Mishna one is forced to ask, what is the connection between brazenness, embarrassment and the building of Hashem's city [Beis HaMikdash]?

Rav Akiva Eiger expounds that in order to be successful when learning Torah, one needs to have the trait of brazenness. Not only that, but while learning it is also imperative that the trait of embarrassment be entirely non-existent ("For the embarrassed one does not learn").

In the future, during the time of the Messiah however, the world will be filled with knowledge and there will no longer be any need to be brazen while learning. Learning Torah will be easy and joyful. For this reason the Mishna in Avos says, "Brazenness to Geheinom, embarrassment to Gan Eden, May it be your will Hashem that your city is built up quickly in our days and give us a portion of your Torah." It will only be that the trait of brazenness is no longer needed during the time of the Messiah. We pray that the building of Jerusalem occurs soon in our days so that we no longer have a need for brazenness, and that the only people who use it, like the Mishna says, are those who are in Geheinom.

HAVE A FANSTASTIC SHABBOS!