Rabbi's Blog

One sign of maturity is the process of learning to understand, accept and enjoy the finer things in life. It takes a refined eye and astute perception to recognize and appreciate finesse, grace and beauty. As an avid sports fan, I truly believe and feel there is genuine beauty and grace on the highest level of sporting performances. Some sports require team play while others require one-on-one competition. In most instances athletes are thinking, planning and performing on their own rather than within a cohesive unit. In some competitions there is a manager or coach who tries to bring a unifying feel to the team. Not everyone would consider that sports contribute to the finer points of life. Usually that concept is associated with ballet, art, opera, and concerts, which I rarely attended in my youth. I guess the following is a sign of aging........

I recently attended a cantorial concert which included a phenomenal orchestra. Of all the performers, the singers and the musicians, there is one person who on the surface appears to not be doing very much. The maestro or conductor stands on a podium and waves a baton which, to the untrained eye, seems not only pretty easy but also appear to me - a novice in this area - to be rather useless. As I began to observe him more carefully, focusing on his every move, I could detect the attention he garnered from every one of the musicians and singers. I noticed that throughout the performance they looked to him for guidance and direction. Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures; it is also the art of bringing the musicians to a new level of understanding and expression of the music. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically to each instrument, shaping the overall sound of the ensemble. Conductors are more than guides to the orchestras and/or choirs they conduct; they are interpreters. They choose the works to be performed, study the scores, which are the full orchestral notation of the symphonic piece work out their interpretation, and relay those interpretations to the performers. In addition, the conductor will demand absolute obedience to every detail of that interpretation from every member of the orchestra. Orchestras, choirs, concert bands and other sizable musical ensembles have conductors. Small ensembles such as quartets have one musician as the lead which the others follow.

The theme of this week's Parsha Tetzaveh is the Bigdei Kehuna, the Priestly garments. Four specific, unique garments were worn during the Avoda/service by an ordinary Kohen while the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest, wore an additional four garments during his service, particularly on Yom Kippur. One of those four additional pieces was the Tzitz. Many commentaries mention that the Tzitz wasn't actually a 'garment' but rather an accessory. Reb Yosef Chaim of Bahgdad writes in his sefer, the Ben Ish Chai, how the Jewish people stem from one place and we are like one body. Kabbalisticaly, the word Tzitz, spelled Tzadi, (equals ninety), Yud (equals ten),and Tzadi (equals ninety but expanded to the nine hundred) represents the number one thousand years that Adam Harishon was supposed to have lived. After the sin the thousand was broken up as follows: ninety went up to the upper spheres, ten remained on earth, and the remaining nine hundred fell to the 'klipos' - spiritual shells around the world. In this week's Parsha Tetzaveh 28:36 the Torah states: "V'asisa Tzitz Zahav Tahor, Ufitachta Alav Pituchei Chosam Kodesh La'Hashem". "You shall make a Tzitz of pure gold, and you shall engrave upon it, like the engraving of a signet, 'Holy To Hashem'. The Tzitz, as Rashi explains, was like a golden plate that was two fingerbreadths wide which extended around the forehead from ear to ear.

Along with the Torah that was written as the blueprint of the world and therefore pre-dated creation, Hashem also had to have thought about a people who would accept and follow the Torah. This Machshava/thought is the souls of the Jewish people being thought of prior to the creation of the world along with the Torah. The Tzitz was worn on the forehead of the Kohen Gadol as the forehead is opposite the place where thinking goes on in the brain.

The Zohar HaKadosh in Vayakhel 218 explains the Tzitz rested on the forehead so that when the Jewish people saw it on the Kohen Gadol's forehead, it would "break their hearts and remind them of the purity from whence they had come". Anyone who looked at the Tzitz became embarrassed because of their sins and ultimately repented. This was an added component which the Tzitz had on the Jewish people. It reminded us where we come from and the source which reveals we Jews are all one. This is accomplished through the Kohen Gadol - who in reality was the maestro or the conductor for the entire Jewish people. The Kohen Gadol as the conductor is able to coordinate and bring every player in the choir or orchestra together, reminding each one of them that they are part of this special group called the Jews.

The Jewish people as a whole are compared to a symphony. If one musician is out of tune, plays the wrong note, or misses a cue from the conductor, the entire piece is ruined. Precision and accuracy is necessary for each and every member of the orchestra. The conductor, therefore, must be in complete control works very diligently to create the sound and cohesiveness which makes a performance memorable. Each and every Jew is part of Hashem's orchestra. In order for the world to hear a beautiful symphony of life it is incumbent upon every Jew to play his part flawlessly. Just as each member of the orchestra, along with every person attending a concert, looks to the conductor to attain deeper understanding of a piece of music, so too every Jew needs to look toward the conductor. During Temple times we were able to look to the Kohen Gadol for leadership, but today we lack such a person and therefore we need to find great gadolim - leaders of our people - who will help us coordinate our lives to play the right music at the right time.

These parshios of Teruma and T'Tzaveh do not reflect simple furniture that was used in the Mishkan and clothing that was the dress for the Kohanim. Rather the articles in the Mishkan represent the different parts of furniture in our own homes of today. Similarly, the clothing of the Kohen Gadol reflects different atonements of different sins for the Jewish people. The Tzitz was special in the fact that it brought everything together and created a symphony of beautiful music to God's ears!

Ah Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky