Raboyseyee and Ladies,
Clothing to Die For & Dressed to Kill:
The English language is filled with idioms that can be confusing to non-native speakers. Limoshol (by way of example) the idiom “to die for,” is often used to describe something that is highly desirable or attractive. Some say that the origins of this expression can be traced back to ancient times. Perhaps to the heylige Toirah? We shall further explore.
According to informed sources -the heylige Internet- a dress code is a set of rules, often written, with regard to what clothing groups of people must wear. Dress codes are created out of social perceptions and norms, and vary based on purpose, circumstances, and occasions. As well, dress codes are symbolic indications of different social ideas towards comfort, tradition, and political or religious affiliations. Dress codes allow individuals to read others’ behavior as good, or bad by the way they express themselves with their choice of apparel. That was then, ober ever since Covid, dress codes have gone out the window and today, when it comes to dressing -even for shul- it’s a hefker velt (free-for-all).
Ober not so in the heylige Toirah which dedicates an entire parsha – this week’s parsha of Tetzaveh- on proper attire in the workplace and the focus is mamish on fashion. The kohanim, having been selected and deputized by the RBSO to serve in the Beis Hamikdash, needed to follow a particular dress code; the dress code was mandatory and in certain cases, their lives depended on it. Mamish? Can the wrong clothing mamish kill a person? Mamish to die for? More on that below, ober let us begin our review of the one parsha where for the very first time since his birth, there is no mention of Moishe. Why he was left out was covered in previous years. Ober this year and new for 2025, we shall shed some light on the dress code and one specific item.
And since you long forgot, let’s start here: The regular koihen’s outfit consisted of four garments. The Koihen Gadol wore eight special garments: pants, a tunic (kesoines), a robe (me’il), a belt, an apron (ephoid), a breastplate (choishen), a turban, and a golden headband (tzitz). The heylige Toirah describes these garments down to the individual threads. The detail is colorful. This year, we shall focus on but one of these garments, the robe. Let’s read the two relevant pisukim (Shmois 28:33-34):
“On its bottom hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and crimson wool, on its bottom hem all around, and golden bells in their midst all around. A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, on the bottom hem of the robe, all around.”
The Toirah instructs the Koihen Gadol to wear a Me’il, a four cornered blue-wool garment worn like a sandwich-sign. The hem of the majestic robe was adorned with an alternating array of 72 functioning gold bells and small pomegranates. Unlike most of the vestments, where the Toirah just commands what to sew, the heylige Toirah explains the purpose of the Me’il. “Its sound (i.e., the bells) shall be heard upon entering the Sanctuary before the RBSO.” The Toirah continues to tell us that if the Koihen Gadol dares enter the sanctuary without that bell adorned garment, he is subject to a decree of untimely death.
Pomegranates and bells; what is happening here? Untimely death? Was his outfit mamish to die for? Know this: having pomegranates and bells adorn the robe looking garment, was not simply a fashion statement; it was the law as mandated by the RBSO Himself. And if the RBSO so ordered and did not tell readers of the heylige Toirah why, we follow His instructions and case closed. That being stated, of course our sages and many a commentator decided they needed to know why? Why did the RBSO want these two items adorning the outfit of the High Priest? Was there a purpose and if yes, what was it? Were these items functional?
The bottom lines: It is nearly impossible to fathom divine reasoning for each vestment. The heylige Toirah does not give an explicit explanation as to why the Koihen must wear the belts, tunics, and turbans. Yet when it tells us about the bells at the bottom of the Me’il it justifies their existence with a very mundane reason. “Its sound shall be heard upon entering the Sanctuary before the RBSO.” We know this: The pomegranates functioned as the clappers of the bells, so that whenever the Koihen Godol would walk around the pomegranates would constantly collide with the bells and the bells would jingle. As mentioned, this was not only a fact; it was the law and let us read that posik (28:35) as well:
“[The robe] shall be on Aharoin when he performs the service, and its sound shall be heard when he enters the Holy [Place] before The RBSO and when he leaves, so that he will not die.”
OMG! He had to wear this noise maker robe in order that he remain alive? Why would he be subject to the death penalty if he did not wear his bells? Moreover, while the instructions seem simple enough to understand, as written, it is unclear who or what is making the sound, who is meant to hear it, and what purpose it serves. Says Rashi, quoting the medrish (Tanchuma) azoy: “From the negative you deduce the positive. If [the Koihen] has [the garments] he will not be liable to death, but if he enters [when he is] lacking one of these garments he is liable to death by the hands of Heaven.” The bottom line: the specific instruction posik is not referring exclusively to the bells. Rather, the Koihen Godol had to wear his entire uniform while he officiated in the Mishkan. If he was missing even one of his garments, he was called “mechusar begadim” and he was subject to the Divine death penalty, meaning that while an earthly court could not put him to death, a heavenly court could. Harsh!
Ober the Ramban and the Ohr HaChaim vehemently disagree with Rashi’s interpretation. Their reason is that the robe is the fourth priestly garment discussed in the parsha. If the heylige Toirah is defining the punishment for the Koihen Godol who is missing an article of clothing, then it should define his punishment either at the outset, before any of the priestly garments are described, or after all eight garments have been described. Defining the punishment for “mechusar begadim” (an incomplete outfit) after introducing the fourth garment doesn’t cut it for them. Oib azoy, if that’s the case, what is taka pshat?
Says the Rashbam, azoy: The heylige Toirah [Vayikra 16:17] prohibits anyone to be in the Mishkan together with the Koihen Godol while he is officiating. And? Says the Rashbam that the function of the noisy bells on the robe was to warn anyone who happened to be in the Mishkan that the Koihen Godol was entering and that he should quickly exit the Mishkan lest he be killed for transgressing this prohibition. In other words: The bells were akin to a train blowing its whistle to warn all to be off the tracks and out of the way. Cute, ober is this pshat? Not so fast because the prohibition of being in the Mishkan together with the Koihen Godol is given as part of the description of the Yom Kippur service. And when the Koihen Godol entered the Mishkan on Yom Kippur, he was wearing an entirely different set of clothing (Bigdei lavan) and that ensemble did not include pomegranates and bells! Moreover, nowhere does the heylige Toirah state that being in the Mishkan together with the Koihen Godol is a capital crime, only that it is simply “prohibited.”
Says the Rashbam that the bells on the hem of the robes would jingle, and this sound notified the other priests that the High Priest was approaching. According to Rashbam the bells served a purely functional purpose, they were like the warning bells of motion sensors so the other priests know when to clear the area. The golden bells would strike one another… and because the Holy One blessed be He commanded that “No man should be in the Tent of Meeting when he comes to atone in the sanctuary until he leaves,” therefore the RBSO commanded that “its sound will be heard when he comes” so that those who hear it can distance themselves from there. This pshat rings familiar, ober, let’s check out the Ramban who says this: “The reason for this is so the angels of the RBSO do not obstruct him.” The bells are a warning to the angels so they do not deny entrance to the High Priest, like an entry code to open a gate. The bottom line: There was a purpose to the physical sound of the bells; they alerted those in the vicinity and were intended to cause a reaction on their part. The robe was functional by design.
And for another flavor, let’s check in on the medrish (Vayikra Rabba, Acharei Mois, 21) from another parsha where we learn that the sound of the bells was a sign of respect. The sound was intended to politely knock on the door to the RBSO’s house. The koihen Godol was required to knock on the door, or more precisely- ring the bells, before entering the sanctuary. Cute!
Said Rav in the heylige Gemora: Do not enter a city suddenly and do not enter a house suddenly… When Rabbi Yoichonon went to inquire about Rabbi Chanina’s welfare, he knocked on the door. And if someone who enters the home of his friend of flesh and blood needs to knock, then avada and avada, (all the more so), the High Priest needs to knock when he enters the house of the Holy of Holies. According to this midrash the bells were not so much an alarm or alert, but rather a request. While this is generally the polite thing to do before entering someone else’s space, it is particularly important when entering the RBSO’s sanctified space.
Shoin, let’s try another view: says another medrish (Vayikra Rabba, Tzav, 10) that the jingling of the bells are compared to the sound of human speech. The clapper on the bell is like the tongue in the mouth, and since every article of clothing of the High Priest atones for a specific action, the medrish understands that the bells atone for sins of speech. Rebbe Shimon said in the name of Rebbe Noson, azoy: There is no atonement for evil speech (loshon horo), but the heylige Toirah gave an atonement. What atones for it? Other noise; noise cancels noise. The bells on the robe canceled loshon horo noise. How? The sounds of the bells represent speech and the musical composition was part of a ritual of atonement and appeasement. Forgiving clothing: Gishmak.
Says the Ralbag that the purpose of the bells at the bottom of the robe was to serve as an aural reminder to the Koihen so that he should not lose concentration when he was officiating. Were he to lose his concentration, he would be entering the Mishkan for naught, an offense that did indeed warrant the death penalty. Mamish? Thankfully, in today’s times, without the Moshiach and the Mishkan, we needn’t worry. Imagine were such punishment to be meted out for us who lose concentration while in shul davening? Aren’t we all (almost all) checking out our phones during the week, or talking to our friends on Shabbis? Let’s get real: Maintaining concentration in shul day in and day out is an impossible task. Were the clanging bells enough to keep Aharoin’s mind on the service?
Let’s try one more: says the Haksav v’Hakaboloh that the bells on the fringe of the High Priest’s robe are compared to tzitzis on the fringes of a person’s clothes. Just as the sight of the tzitzis is supposed to remind a person of his job in this world, so too the ringing bells are supposed to rouse the priest in the service of the RBSO so he can fulfill his duty wholeheartedly. Do tzitzits do this? Can tzitzits rouse an aroused man? So says the heylige Gemora Menochos 44A) which tells us this amazing story; let’s read it innvaynig (let’s read it verbatim from the Gemora):
מעשה באדם אחד שהיה זהיר במצות ציצית שמע שיש זונה בכרכי הים שנוטלת ד’ מאות זהובים בשכרה שיגר לה ארבע מאות זהובים וקבע לה זמן כשהגיע זמנו בא וישב על הפתח
There was an incident involving a certain man who was diligent about the mitzva of ritual fringes. This man heard that there was a prostitute in one of the cities overseas who took four hundred gold coins as her payment. He sent her four hundred gold coins and fixed a time to meet with her. When his time came, he came and sat at the entrance to her house.
נכנסה שפחתה ואמרה לה אותו אדם ששיגר ליך ד’ מאות זהובים בא וישב על הפתח אמרה היא יכנס נכנס הציעה לו ז’ מטות שש של כסף ואחת של זהב ובין כל אחת ואחת סולם של כסף ועליונה של זהב
The maidservant of that prostitute entered and said to her: That man who sent you four hundred gold coins came and sat at the entrance. She said: Let him enter. He entered. She arranged seven beds for him, six of silver and one of gold. Between each and every one of them there was a ladder made of silver, and the top bed was the one that was made of gold.
עלתה וישבה על גבי עליונה כשהיא ערומה ואף הוא עלה לישב ערום כנגדה באו ד’ ציציותיו וטפחו לו על פניו נשמט וישב לו ע”ג קרקע ואף היא נשמטה וישבה ע”ג קרקע אמרה לו גפה של רומי שאיני מניחתך עד שתאמר לי מה מום ראית בי
She went up and sat naked on the top bed, and he too went up in order to sit naked facing her. In the meantime, his four ritual fringes came and slapped him on his face. He dropped down and sat himself on the ground, and she also dropped down and sat on the ground. She said to him: I take an oath by the gappa of Rome that I will not allow you to go until you tell me what defect you saw in me.
אמר לה העבודה שלא ראיתי אשה יפה כמותך אלא מצוה אחת ציונו ה’ אלהינו וציצית שמה וכתיב בה (במדבר טו, מא) אני ה’ אלהיכם שתי פעמים אני הוא שעתיד ליפרע ואני הוא שעתיד לשלם שכר עכשיו נדמו עלי כד’ עדים
He said to her: I take an oath by the Temple service that I never saw a woman as beautiful as you. But there is one mitzva that the Lord, our G-d, commanded us, and its name is ritual fringes, and in the passage where it is commanded, it is written twice: “I am the Lord your G-d” (Numbers 15:41). The doubling of this phrase indicates: I am the one who will punish those who transgress My mitzvot, and I am the one who will reward those who fulfill them. Now, said the man, the four sets of ritual fringes appeared to me as if they were four witnesses who will testify against me.
אמרה לו איני מניחך עד שתאמר לי מה שמך ומה שם עירך ומה שם רבך ומה שם מדרשך שאתה למד בו תורה כתב ונתן בידה
She said to him: I will not allow you to go until you tell me: What is your name, and what is the name of your city, and what is the name of your teacher, and what is the name of the study hall in which you studied Torah? He wrote the information and placed it in her hand.
עמדה וחילקה כל נכסיה שליש למלכות ושליש לעניים ושליש נטלה בידה חוץ מאותן מצעות
She arose and divided all of her property, giving one-third as a bribe to the government, one-third to the poor, and she took one-third with her in her possession, in addition to those beds of gold and silver.
ובאת לבית מדרשו של ר’ חייא אמרה לו רבי צוה עלי ויעשוני גיורת אמר לה בתי שמא עיניך נתת באחד מן התלמידים הוציאה כתב מידה ונתנה לו אמר לה לכי זכי במקחך
She came to the study hall of Rabbi Ḥiyya and said to him: My teacher, instruct your students concerning me and have them make me a convert. Rabbi Ḥiyya said to her: My daughter, perhaps you set your sights on one of the students and that is why you want to convert? She took the note the student had given her from her hand and gave it to Rabbi Ḥiyya. He said to her: Go take possession of your purchase.
אותן מצעות שהציעה לו באיסור הציעה לו בהיתר זה מתן שכרו בעה”ז ולעה”ב איני יודע כמה
Those beds that she had arranged for him in a prohibited fashion, she now arranged for him in a permitted fashion. The heylige Gemora completes its point about the reward of mitzvis and points out how this story illustrates the concept: This is the reward given to him in this world, and with regard to the World-to-Come, I do not know how much reward he will be given.
Can the commandment of the pomegranates and bells be compared to the mitzvah of tzitzis? Ver veyst? Perhaps yes. Different exegetes have compared the sound of the bells to the buzz of a motion sensor, the beeps of an entrance code, a knock on a door, musical representation of words, atonement, and enhanced tzitzis. Which is it?
The final bottom lines: As you can see, because the RBSO never told us why He davka ordered pomegranates and bells, the door was left open and anyone with an opinion had license to reduce it to writing? What’s real pshat? Ver veyst? Was the RBSO but designing special garments for the Koihen Godol (and the regular kohanim) without a specific purpose? Were the required ‘to die for’ vestments but elegant and becoming of the position? Was the Me’il created for pageantry, but there for pomp and circumstance? Or, was it designed and meant to be worn for specific purposes? Was that the reason the Koihen Godol could die were he not fully dressed and vested? Ver veyst?
A gitten Shabbis-
The Heylige Oisvorfer Ruv
Yitz Grossman
