Remnants of Garments
You know the Gemara in one place makes note that the bigdei kehuna are in one place called bigdei serad. Now al pi pashtus, we understand that name: Bigdei serad – garments of officiating. They were the special garments that a kohen had to wear in order to officiate in the Beis Hamikdash. But the Gemara there gives us a deeper insight into these words: ‡ֹל הָּנֻה¿כ י≈„¿‚ƒּב ‡≈לָמ¿לƒ‡ יטƒלָפּו „יƒרָׂ ̆ ל≈‡ָר¿ׂ ̆ƒּיƒמ ר≈ּיַּ ̇¿ׁ ̆ƒנ – If not for the bigdei kehunah nothing would have remained of us (Yoma 72b). That's why they're called bigdei serad; because serad also means ‘a remnant’. It’s only because of the bigdei kehunah the Jewish nation was able to survive; a remnant survived.
That's a very queer and puzzling statement. If not for the bigdei kehunah nothing would have remained of us? What's so great about the garments of the kohen that gives us the right to continue to exist as a nation?
