This week’s parsha, Parshat Tezaveh, concludes the two volume discussion of the construction of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle, and the clothing of the Kohen and Kohen Gadol, the priest and high priest. For two weeks we hear of the intricate designs, materials, construction and meticulous work that is shared with Moshe by Hashem in how to construct the Mishkan and all of the clothing that the Kohanim, the priests, were to wear when serving in the Mishkan. The parsha makes it very clear how imperative these items are:
וְהָיָ֥ה עַֽל־אַהֲרֹ֖ן לְשָׁרֵ֑ת וְנִשְׁמַ֣ע ק֠וֹל֠וֹ בְּבֹא֨וֹ אֶל־הַקֹּ֜דֶשׁ לִפְנֵ֧י יְהֹוָ֛ה וּבְצֵאת֖וֹ וְלֹ֥א יָמֽוּת׃
And it will be for Aharon to wear (these clothing) to serve me and they will be heard as he enters into the Kodesh before Hashem so that he leaves and doesn’t die.
- Shemot 28:35
Rashi explains that when a Kohen serves in the Mishkan he must wear each of the items of clothing while doing so. Any missing item or item that is damaged would be cause for severe punishment, death. It is clear that the clothing plays a significant role in the service of the Mishkan. Yet, only the Kohanim, a select few individuals are given this role. What are we, the rest of the Jewish people, to learn from these laws and their meaning?
Additionally, these two parshiot have different themes. Terumah was focused on the construction of the Mishkan and Tezaveh the design of the Kohanim’s clothing. That all follows until the very last part of this week’s parsha where we learn about the last vessel of the Mishkan, the Mizbeyach HaKetoret - the spice/incense altar. What significance is the Torah attempting to relay to us by placing only one item within the Mishkan in a separate parsha from the rest?
The answer lies in a word that comes up in this week’s parsha no less than 15 times - קדושה. If we were to ask young students what the meaning of this word is we would see hands in the air eager to say holy. They would be correct. At least partially. The word קדושה is more accurately related to a word we are all very familiar with - הבדלה - the havdalah that we state as we close out Shabbat. What is the connection between these two words?
The idea of havdalah is the notion of creating a space where distinction, separation and uniqueness take shape in the physical world. Being kodesh, being holy, means to separate oneself from the mundane, the everyday and deeply commit ourselves to something greater, something other than ourselves. Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt”l connected this idea to the construction of the Mishkan:
“More significant than the physical structure of the Tabernacle was its metaphysical structure. The very idea that one can build a home for Hashem seems absurd…The Sanctuary was not a place in which the objective existence of Hashem was somehow more concentrated than elsewhere. Rather, it was a place whose holiness had the effect of opening hearts to the One worshiped there. Hashem exists everywhere, but not everywhere do we feel the presence of Hashem the same way. The essence of “the holy” is that it is a place where we set aside all human devices and desires and enter a domain wholly set aside for Hashem.”
- Covenant and Conversation, Parshat Terumah, A Portable Home
As the Netziv, Rav Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin, in his commentary on the various mentionings of kedushah in our parsha explains, these acts are moments for us to separate ourselves from the everyday grind and make a space where Hashem can enter and have His presence felt. This is why, explains the Netziv, that the Mizbayech was mentioned in this week’s parsha and not with the rest of the Mishkan.
The Mizbayech Hakitoret, the incense altar, was meant to act as a source of kedushah standing opposite the position of the Ahron, the holiest of all items in the Mishkan, for all to see and experience through the columns of incense smoke that filled the Mishkan. The Kohen’s clothing, specifically the Ephod and Choshen, each had the names of all the 12 tribes on it and were the most essential portion of his garb. These items were meant to indicate to the entire Jewish people that our ability to connect with Hashem is not dependent on a physical structure, rather, it is dependent on the space that we create for Hashem to enter.
Whether it be our physical homes, our schools, our conversations, our relationships with peers, spouses, families and even our minds, each of these spaces have the capacity for Hashem to be a permanent resident. It is up to us to create those spaces. The Kohen, his clothing, and specifically the incense altar were physical reminders of this idea for the Jews to be reminded of the responsibility they hold.