Separation Anxiety

By Rabbi Joshua (cautiously known as the Hoffer) Hoffman

The Torah tell us (Shemos 28:28) that two of the priestly garments that the kohen gadol wears, one attached to the other and worn one on top of the other, namely the ephod, or apron, and the choshen hamishpat, or the breastplate of judgment, may not be separated from each other while they are being worn. What do these two garments have to do with each other? Rav Ya’akov Kaminetsky zt”l, in his Emes LeYa’akov, explains that the Talmud (Zevochim 88) says that each of the priestly garments atoned for a certain kind of sin. The ephod, says the gemara, atoned for the sin of idolatry, while the choshen atoned for the corruption of justice. There is, however, an added aspect to the choshen, which is that Aharon merited wearing that garment as a reward for rejoicing when he met Moshe on his return to Egypt as the one who would lead the Jews to redemption. Idolatry, says Rav Ya’akov, based on a comment of Rabbi Nissim Gaon in his introduction to the Talmud, is a sin caused by a flaw in reason, so that the ephod, which atones for that sin, indicates straight thinking. The choshen, on the other hand, represents straightness of the heart. By requiring that the two garments remain attached to each other, the Torah is teaching us that a person cannot be a straight thinker unless he is straight in his heart, meaning that he possesses good character traits.

Actually, there is a midrash which records a dispute between Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua whether wisdom resides in the brain or in the heart, with Scriptural verses brought as proofs for both opinions. My teacher, Rav Aharon Soloveitchik, zt”l, said that both are true. There is a logic of the mind and a logic of the heart, and both must be employed when considering any given issue. The only dispute between Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua is which type of logic should predominate, and that depends on the nature of the particular matter being discussed. In all instances, however, both kinds of logic must be used. According to Rav Ya’akov zt”l, this is the message of the requirement for the ephod and the choshen to remain attached.

Perhaps we can suggest another connection between the ephod and the choshen, based on a teaching of Rav Dovid Feinstein, shlit"a. According to Rav Dovid, if a person has the proper belief in God and His providence in the world, he will never pervert justice. Such a person realizes that whatever a person’s material success in life is, it is determined by God, and perverting justice in any way will not alter what is coming to him. The ephod, which atones for improper belief, and the choshen, which atones for perversion of justice, must, then always be attached, to show that the two failings are connected to each other. This connection may also explain why parshas Mishpatim, which consists largely of civil laws, follows the Decalogue, serving, as the Ramban says, as a kind of commentary on the mitzvos included therein. The Decalogue begins with the mitzvoh to believe in God and the prohibition against idolatry, while the monetary laws in parshas Mishpatim sensitize us to God’s providence in the world, and bring us to a realization that he determines each man’s lot in life.