The Sidra of Tetzaveh is unique in that it does not mention the name of Moses. All other Sidrot, since his birth, mention him. However, in this Sidra, Aaron is at the centre of our attention and his name is mentioned many times. The Almighty’s decision to omit Moses name comes to stress the two types of leadership roles represented by Moses and Aaron, which had to remain distinct. Moses was the Prophet whose function was to dictate the laws and to demand obedience and Aaron’s function was to serve God on behalf of the people and give support and comfort to anyone in distress. One person cannot properly fulfil both functions because there are occasions when these roles are contradictory.
The Sidra opens by telling us that one of Aaron’s main responsibility was to light the candles of the Menorah every night. In relation to this mitzvah, Moses only function was to collect the pure olive oil from the people. The olives had to be crushed completely, so as to produce oil which would be so pure that it would shine extremely brightly without producing any smoke. Some commentators remark that the mitzvah of collecting the oil was given to Moses as compensation for the lack of any reference to him in the Sidra. The contribution and collection of both oil and candles for the synagogue lamps continues to this very day. We still recite, every Shabbat morning, a special blessing for people who generously contribute oil for the lights for the use of the congregation.
The term Ner Tamid, Everlasting Light, is used, for the first time, in our Sidra. Every synagogue has a Ner Tamid which is, in the first instance, a Memorial for the Menorah. Like the Menorah, it symbolises the light of faith in God and the guidance which He gives us if we sincerely trust in Him. It also symbolises life. So long as we are alive our faces radiate love and friendship to those around us. When the time comes for us to depart from the world, our light is sadly extinguished.
In chapter 28 verse 1, Moses is commanded to bring forward Aaron and his four sons and consecrate them as Kohanim, the servants of God. The Kohanim wore special garments when they served in the Tabernacle. Ordinary Kohanim wore four special garments and the Kohen Gadol, the high priest, wore eight special garments. These garments were very impressive and grand. Nachmanides explains that this was most appropriate because the Tabernacle was like a palace and, therefore, those who worked in it had to wear royal clothes. Their purpose was also to make the priests feel special, to inspire them and remind them, at all times, of the great honour that they had been given.
The Ephod, worn only by the High Priest, is the first garment to be mentioned. Although the Torah describes it, there are, nevertheless, many arguments, amongst our commentators, about the nature and shape of this garment. In a relatively unusual observation, Rashi, the Prince of all our commentators, says that he has not heard any description of it, or seen any ancient texts which explain what it looked like. He, therefore, offers his own conjecture and says that it was a kind of a pinafore, composed of two pieces of linen joined at the shoulder by straps, similar to those which noble women of his time used to wear when they were riding on horses. Also, it was kept attached to the body by a belt.
Moses was told to instruct gifted craftsmen to attach two precious stones on the straps of the Ephod and to engrave on them the names of all the tribes of Israel, according to the order of their birth. There were six names on each stone and the names were spelt using precisely 50 letters, 25 letters on each stone. The two stones became known as AVNEI ZIKARON, memorial stones, in the sense that whenever Aaron was serving in the Tabernacle, the Israelites, who were watching him, were reminded of their duty towards God. God was also reminded of His covenant with them.
On top of the Ephod, the High Priest wore the Choshen Hamishpat, the breastplate of decision or judgement, which was given this name because of the Urim and Thumim which it contained.
The name Choshen Mishpat was later given to the fourth part of the Shulchan Aruch, the code of Jewish law, which deals with the laws of litigation and court procedures.
In the next five sections the Sidra continues with its detailed description of the priestly garments.
In the seventh portion, the Sidra concludes with the instruction to build an altar for burning incense which produces a pleasant aroma in the Tabernacle. It was made of Acacia wood, overlaid with pure gold. It was overlaid with gold because it was located in the holy place, and not in the courtyard together with an altar of burnt offering. There was no reason for it to be outside because it was not used for the offering of any sacrifices.
The last verse of the Sidra tells us that only once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest sprinkled the sacrificial blood of the sin offerings on its corners. It was the most dramatic and amazing moment in the spiritual calendar of our people.
Chief Rabbi J.H Hertz comments that the aromatic smoke of the incense symbolises our sincerity when we pray and God’s pleasure in accepting these prayers. The Hebrew word for incense, K’TORET, stands for four significant concepts in the Jewish religion. The first letter KOF stands for K’DUSHA, holiness; the second letter TET stands for TOHORAH, purity; the third letter REISH stands for RACHAMIM, compassion; the final fourth letter TAV stands for TIKVAH, hope. All these wonderful qualities are needed so that our prayers should always be sincere and acceptable before God.
The last word of the Sidra is the name of the Almighty. It is customary that whenever the name of the Almighty comes at the conclusion of the paragraph that the chant of the leining is sung on a high note. This is in order to symbolise our aspiration to reach the divine.