From: Netvort@aol.com
Sent: Friday, March 10, 2006 3:01 AM
To: JoshHoff@aol.com
Subject: Netvort : parshas Tetzaveh, 5766






                                        A Time to Gather Stones Together

                       By Rabbi Joshua (brazenly known as The Hoffer) Hoffman


  This week's parsha presents us with the command to make the priestly garments. Eight garments were made for the high priest, and four garments were made for the other priests. The last of the eight garments mentioned is the 'Tzitz,' a golden plate that was to be worn by the high priest on his forehead. In regard to this tzitz, the Torah says, "And you shall engrave upon it, like the engraving of a signet, 'Holy to God' "(Shemos 28:36). While the simple understanding of the verse would seem to indicate that the words 'Holy to God' refer to the Tzitz, Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk, in his commentary Meshech Chochmoh, writes that they refer to the two stones of the Ephod, an apron-like garment, and the twelve stones on the Choshen, or the breastplate, which contain the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and are now referred to, through the tzitz, as being holy to God. The Chasam Sofer, in his commentary, remarks that the stones of the Ephod, taken as a whole, refer to the collective character of the Jewish nation. The two stones, he writes, were on the two shoulders of the high priest, and each contained the names of six of the tribes. This image is reminiscent of the scene at Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Eival, when the Jewish people entered into a covenant. Although the Chasam Sofer does not mention it, many commentators point out that this covenant established the collective responsibility of all Jews for each other, and, so, the Chasam Sofer’s remark that the stones of the Ephod represent the collective character of the Jewish people takes on added significance through their allusion to this covenant. If we combine the Chasam Sofer’s comment with that of Rav Meir Simcha, the Tzitz is, in effect, telling us that the collective character of the Jewish nation is holiness.



  The Chasam Sofer goes on to say that according to the Talmud in Zevochim (88b),  the Tzitz, worn on the forehead of the high priest, comes to atone for the sin of brazenness. Actually, points out the Chasam Sofer, we find an ambivalent attitude towards brazenness in various statements of the rabbis. On the one hand, the mishnah in Avos (5:24), tells us that a person who is brazen-faced (az panim) descends to Gehinnom, but, on the other hand, the Talmud (Beitzah 25b), says that the Jews are the most brazen of all people. The Chasam Sofer explains that while, in general, brazenness is not a good thing, sometimes it is necessary in order to carry out God's will. As long as it conforms to the overall goal of being ' holy to God,' he says, it is a good trait that can be used positively. Based on this understanding of the connection between the Tzitz and the stones of the Ephod, in presenting a character sketch of the Jewish nation, we can better understand the final section of our parsha.

  The last section of Tetzaveh (Shemos 10:1-10), presents the command to build the incense altar, the details of its construction, and the laws pertaining to it. Many commentators, including Ramban, raise the point that since this altar was one of the inner vessels of the mishkan, it should have been mentioned together with the other inner vessels. Certainly we would at least expect it to have been mentioned somewhere in parshas Terumah, which is devoted to the construction of the mishkan and its vessels. Moreover, one altar was already mentioned in parshas Terumah, the altar of the Olah, which was an outer vessel, where animal sacrifices were slaughtered. If the incense altar was not to be mentioned together with the other inner vessels, wouldn't it have been appropriate to mention it together with the other altar? Why was it left until this point, in a different parsha, after the rest of the mishkan had already been mentioned?


  In Netvort to parshas Tetzaveh 5762 (available at Torahheights.com), we explained that the altar used for burning the incense is mentioned last because the eleven spices used in the composition of the incense represent all the different elements of the Jewish people, including its sinners, who are represented by the foul-smelling spice called chelbanah. When joined together with the rest of the Jewish nation, a sweet smell is produced, and this is what a person takes with him when he leaves the Temple, since the sense of smell is the one that has the most lingering effect. We may add that Rav Gedaliyohu Schorr, in his Ohr Gedaliyohu, points out that the traits exhibited by the sinners among the nation can, at times, be used for good, and this is why they are, symbolically, joined with the rest of the Jewish people. Usually, the number ten represents a complete unit, as we find, for example, in the ten sayings by which the world was created. The chelbanah, says Rabbi Schorr, represents an eleventh element, that needs to be used circumspectly, but has potential for good. The midrash tells us that an angel gave Aharon the secret of the incense, which has the potential to remove destructive plagues from the Jewish people. It was specifically Aharon, who was known as the man who brought peace among disputing factions, who was able to use the ketores properly. Perhaps, then the altar on which the incense was brought is mentioned only at the end of parshas Tetzaveh, after we have learned of the priestly garments, the last of which is the tzitz, which symbolizes the collective character of the Jewish nation, and its ability to use the trait of brazenness, when necessary, to fortify its quality of holiness.



  Please address all correspondence to the author (Rabbi Hoffman) with the following address - JoshHoff @ AOL.com.

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