----- Forwarded Message -----From: "Rabbi Moshe Revah" <htcnews-htc.edu@shared1.ccsend.com>To: "mates57564@aol.com" <mates57564@aol.com>Sent: Thu, Feb 22, 2024 at 5:20 PMSubject: Dvar Torah from the Rosh HaYeshiva
Dear Yeshiva Family:
This week's parshah details the bigdei kehunah, the vestments worn by the kohanim in their service at the Bais Hamikdash. The Torah explains that it was lekavod u'lesifares – for glory and splendor. The Ramban explains that the kohen was supposed to look like a king, glorious and resplendent in these garments.
The Gemarah in Yuma (35b) states that a kohen gadol was allowed to spend his own money on creating beautiful sets of the bigdei kehunah. The Gemarah recounts two stories of people who invested exorbitant amounts on their clothes. The mother of Rav Yishmael made him garments of one hundred "manah," and the mother of Rav Eliezer made him garments that cost 20,000 "manah"!
One manah is one Hundred "zuz'. A zuz equals two 'istira', each istira is 3 ma'ah, each ma'ah is 2 'pundiyons', each pundiyon is 2 isar, and each isar is eight perutos. A Perutah is about .024 grams of silver which is holding about 75 cents a gram, but for simplicity's sake we will calculate this at 50 cents a gram.
Calculating that back, a peruta is about .012 cents. Multiply that by 8 times to get the value of an isar, multiply that by two for a pundiyon, another two for a ma'ah, another three for an istira, and finally another two for a zuz. That gets us to approximately $2.304 per zuz. A Manah is therefore $230.40, and 100 manah is $23,040! That's more expensive than your average Hugo Boss suit! But the second suit valued at 20,000 manah would cost, at a low estimate in today's currency, more than 4.6 million dollars!
To put this into perspective, the world's most expensive suit today is a Stuart Hughes Diamond Edition ($778,290), largely because of all the diamonds sewn into the garment. This is followed by a huge price drop because the second-most expensive suit is an Alexander Amosu Vanquish Bespoke Suit, at a "mere" $90,953.
Certainly, these examples of such prices were the rarity, and it does not appear that all the kohanim gedolim spent such a fortune. Nevertheless, there were still basic demands on the clothes of the kohanim (which take up a large section of our parshah); why does the Torah demand that the kohanim had to wear clothes that gave glory and splendor? Why the focus on the externals?
A simple answer is based on reality. While ideally only the internal qualities of a person should count, in reality we live in a world where people respect externals as well. Seeing someone dressed in royalty will cause us to respect him until we know that he otherwise does not deserve our respect. Meeting a new person in regular dress and not knowing their inner qualities, will earn less respect until the person does more to command more.
We all know that we treat people with uniforms more importantly and that is one reason why law enforcement, judges, and doctors wear a uniform. We respect it naturally as humans.
The kohanim, functioning in the Bais Hamikdash and serving Hashem, were in the most prestigious place in the world, the palace of Hashem, and therefore simply put they had to dress the part.
However, the Sefer HaChinuch notes it is actually far deeper than that. He explains that the splendorous clothes were not only for others, but more for the kohen himself! There are two aspects to this: first, that he should wear clothes that help him feel like an honorable person; and second, that the clothes themselves were designed to constantly remind him where he was and what he was doing. The long tunic, a high hat, and long belt all helped ensure he was constantly aware of his sacred role.
This is a fascinating insight into how we can feel about ourselves. When someone feels good about how they look, or dresses in important clothes, they begin to act the part. Someone who is wearing shoes that click usually feels differently as they walk down the hall. It feels more imposing. Certainly, what one does with such feelings is still up to him. Whether he uses his feeling of importance to help himself and others, or to impose over other people, depends on the person, but the confidence he feels is potentially born from, or at least added to, by wearing the clothes. Case in point: if a person loses a job and begins to feel depressed, often his friends advise him to get a haircut, buy a new shirt, and "dress for success," to give not just others, but himself, the "vibe" of success and feeling good. And hopefully, this increased self-confidence helps him get a new job.
Many studies have shown that in schools with dress codes crime goes down more than 50 percent and grades have gone up.
Of course, in today's liberal world we aim not to stifle the individual expression so we say no uniforms. Recently a style began that people wear some sort of red checkered pajama pants, even out of the house or to school. This screams to the person that today is "lazy day." i.e., I'm really in pajamas and should be in bed, but I have to come to school, so don't ask me to work too hard, or at all. Walking around in such a manner suggests a hefkeiros in life, a life with no rules or limits, or more importantly, no goals. We all lose by that, because then no one strives to achieve their full potential. While we recognize that individuals value self-expression, and constructive self-expression has an important place in the world, our aim is to utilize, and even sync up, that expression with Avodas Hashem, just as the kohen gadol did.
Judges wear black, not only for the decorum of the court room, but for themselves, they have peoples lives in their hands and they have to be aware that they are in the right presence of mind when dealing with that. It lends a formality to their thinking.
I have heard from many people that when speaking to their Rosh HaYeshiva on the phone they would stand up and put on a jacket, even though the Rosh HaYeshiva cannot see them. It is not for the Rosh HaYeshiva, but rather for they themselves.
The Torah's attitude towards how we should dress is very telling here. A person who belongs to the "Chosen Nation," someone who is representative of Hashem on this world, should wear clean, attractive garments. (See Rambam Deiyos 5:9 regarding Talmidei Chachamim). For as the Chinuch states, not only does clothing communicate messages to others, it profoundly affects our own self-perception and actions. This does not have to mean a specific societal uniform, but it does at least mean dressing like a mentch. Dress like a police officer and you'll act like a police officer. Dress fine and you will feel fine!
This in no way is intended to cause arrogance or haughtiness. Rather, it is intended for one to realize his position in this world. When we set ourselves up on a pedestal, we demand more from ourselves, and we will live up to our standard. We are Hashem's emissaries on this planet, and we are capable of living up to that job description. This is very empowering, as we realize how great we actually are. We just need to feel that greatness!
This is the message of the bigdei kehuna – respect your position. The outfit reminds the Kohen Gadol to himself of the importance of the job.
And this is the message we have to take as well. Respect your station in life, especially when coming to shul or the Bais HaMedrash. A person acts differently when wearing just an undershirt then when he wears slacks and a button-down shirt.
(Keep this in mind the next time you shop for new clothes :)
Rabbi Moshe Revah
Rosh HaYeshiva, HTC - Beis HaMidrash LaTorah
HTC
Hebrew Theological College is a member of Touro University
and a partner with the Jewish United Fund in serving our community
Thursday, February 22, 2024
Fw: Dvar Torah from the Rosh HaYeshiva
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