The name of the Sidra means “you will command”. This most unusual beginning of a Sidra has attracted rabbinic comment. In particular, our rabbis have noted the complete absence of Moses name from this Sidra. Since this is the only Sidra which does not mention his name, there must be a reason. Three reasons have been suggested. First, that our Sidra focuses on Aaron’s responsibilities, so that his name is mentioned a number of times. The Torah wanted to emphasise the division of responsibilities. Aaron’s function was to be the priest, looking after the divine service, whereas Moses’ responsibility was to lead the people as the Prophet, communicating God’s law. It was important to ensure that neither brother would infringe on the other’s territory. This division remained in force for many centuries so that the Jewish people were led by boththe prophets and the priests. Later on, the monarchy took over some of the functions of the prophets. But it remained prohibited for kings to usurp priestly functions. The boundary between the two offices remained honoured until the period of the Hasmonean dynasty in the second century BCE. The Maccabean leaders ignored the distinction and appointed themselves both as Kings and High Priest. This usurpation of both offices was regarded as sinful.
The second explanation for the absence of Moses’ name is the fact that the anniversary of Moses death, which falls on the seventh of Adar, always coincides with the week in which we read this Sidra. The Sidra starts with a mitzvah of the Menorah. This serves as a hint that we should light a candle in Moses’ memory. The seventh of Adar has become the day on which we honour the people who volunteer to look after all the needs of the members of the Jewish community when they die. This organisation of volunteers is called Chevra Kaddisha, which means, in English, the holy group, and the celebration of their work takes place in the form of a feast in which an important speaker is asked to praise their work. The seventh of Adar is also Moses’ birthday. It is considered a special blessing to have a birthday and the anniversary of death on the same day. This blessing is found in the Torah in the Sidra of Mishpatim, where it says: “If you keep my commandments, I shall complete your days.” This means: I shall grant you the gift of the full years, which have been allocated to you at birth.
The third explanation is connected with Moses’ remarks to God, as reported in next week’s Sidra. In the argument with God after the debacle of the golden calf, Moses said to God that unless he was prepared to forgive the people and rescind the decree to destroy them, he would want to have his name removed from the pages of the book, which the Almighty had written. As a sign of his anger at this remark, God decided to omit his name. The commentators say that this interpretation is a warning to all of us not to utter a negative statement against ourselves, because it can always backfire.
The first commandment in the Sidra concerns the mitzvah of lighting the Menorah every single evening, so that the light would last until the morning. It was a special privilege to light the menorah and Aaron, his four sons and all subsequent descendants, were charged with it. They had to use pure olive oil which symbolises the nature and character of the Jewish people in that it always remains separate from other liquids. Similarly, the Jewish people remain separate from the other nations of the world.
The Menorah used to stand in front of the Ark of Testimony which contained the two tablets of stone. Therefore, with its seven lights, it symbolised the Torah and emphasised the task of the Jewish people to enlighten the world with moral and ethical values. In the synagogue today, we have retained the eternal light, which is a reminder of ancient Menorah.
The Sidra continues with instructions to make garments for the high priest. During the service, he had to wear eight separate items of clothing. They included: a breast-piece, an ephod, a robe, a fringed tunic, a headdress, a sash, breeches and a gold head-plate. In rabbinic terminology, the high priest’s garments are referred to as “bigdei zahav,” golden attire, due to the prominent use of gold in the vestments. The Torah specifically mentions that they were made by extremely talented designers.
In the first Aliyah, we also have an account of the fashioning of the ephod, which was the most important of the garments. The ephod was worn over the tunic and robe and was similar to an apron that was worn on the priest’s back and came around in front over his hips and part of his stomach. It is most interesting that Rashi says that he had never heard, or found, in any previous written record, the tradition regarding what it looked like. But, basing himself on what he had himself seen worn by the aristocracy of his time, it was similar to the garment worn by women horseback riders.
The belt which surrounded the upper part of the ephod was an integral part of the garment. There were two precious stones attached to that belt. These were engraved the names of the 12 tribes, six on each stone. Aaron had to wear them throughout his service and they had to be completely visible. Their purpose was to be a reminder to the Israelites of their duties to serve the Almighty. They also reminded the Almighty of the covenant which he had made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to care for their descendants for all times. The stones were, therefore, known as memorial stones.