The Garments of the Cohanim
Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh | February 21, 2024
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The Garments of the Cohanim

Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh | December 10, 2025

and you shall make for them sashes; and hats you shall make for them for honor and splendor. The Torah repeats that these clothes were for honor and splendor, even though the possuk initially gave them this description already.

The Gemara says that clothing of the Cohanim that has been ripped or worn down is invalid, and if a Cohen uses this clothing and performs the avoda in the Beis Hamikdash, his avoda is invalid.

However, another Gemara says that the clothing must be new, but if it is old it is still valid. The optimal way to perform the avoda was with new clothing, but the avoda was valid even if the clothing was old.

The possuk now says לְכָּבוֹד – for honor, to tell us that the clothing was not to be torn. This halacha is mandatory. However, the word לְתִפְאָּרֶּת – for glory, is that they must be new, but that halacha is not mandatory.

The Torah needed to repeat the word לְכָּבוֹד to tell us that avoda was invalid if the clothing was torn. The Torah then tells us לְתִפְאָּרֶּת because לְכָּבוֹד alone wouldn’t read well. The word לְתִפְאָּרֶת should come first.

and you shall make for them sashes; and hats you shall make for them for honor and splendor. The Torah repeats that these clothes were for honor and splendor, even though the possuk initially gave them this description already.

The Gemara says that clothing of the Cohanim that has been ripped or worn down is invalid, and if a Cohen uses this clothing and performs the avoda in the Beis Hamikdash, his avoda is invalid.

However, another Gemara says that the clothing must be new, but if it is old it is still valid. The optimal way to perform the avoda was with new clothing, but the avoda was valid even if the clothing was old.

The possuk now says לְכָּבוֹד – for honor, to tell us that the clothing was not to be torn. This halacha is mandatory. However, the word לְתִפְאָּרֶּת – for glory, is that they must be new, but that halacha is not mandatory.

The Torah needed to repeat the word לְכָּבוֹד to tell us that avoda was invalid if the clothing was torn. The Torah then tells us לְתִפְאָּרֶּת because לְכָּבוֹד alone wouldn’t read well. The word לְתִפְאָּרֶת should come first.

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