“You shall dress these [garments] upon your brother Aharon, and his sons with him, and anoint them, and sanctify them, and they shall serve Me.” (Shemos 28:41)
The Torah, in this week’s Parsha, goes into great detail about the priestly vestments which Aharon and his children would wear to serve in the Mishkan. They were made in holiness and intended to bring out holiness in the Kohanim, in order that they be ready to serve as the Kohanim, the priests of Hashem.
But having the clothing wasn’t enough. In the same breath that Moshe was told to dress Aharon and his sons in these special garments, he was told that there was more to the equation. They had to be anointed, so that while wearing these clothes, they were uplifted and appointed.
They were to be sanctified to become Kohanim, which the meforshim offer different explanations of. Some say it was sanctified with words. They had to be designated verbally, and accept the designation. Letting them know they are holy and intended to remain that way, is an important aspect of their accepting the role as Kohanim, and being better prepared to fulfill them.
Some say it was through the offering of the korbanos, so their hands were literally “made full” by doing the job. Rashi mentions how an apprentice in France who became a master would be awarded a special glove or gauntlet, showing their proficiency, and thereby “filling their hands” with their roles. They were adjured not to be lazy or laid back in their service, but to be swift and act with alacrity, understanding the gravity of their roles.
What comes out of this posuk is the understanding that just dressing the part is not enough. You can wear the clothes, but do they affect you?
R’ Avigdor Miller z”l was famous for saying that a kid on the street might be violent and kill someone in a second. But if you put on him a police or fire uniform, he’ll risk his life to save yours. The clothes do make the man, if he understands what the clothes represent.
Hashem told Moshe, dress Aharon and his sons in these specially-made garments, and make sure they understand what they mean. That they are unique and elevated over their Jewish brothers not because they are inherently “better”, but because of their acceptance of the responsibility to be holy and take on a higher level of devotion to Hashem and His service.
This ability is not limited just to the Kohanim. Any of us who is willing to grow and desires to be closer to Hashem can accept upon himself to live up to a higher standard. He can don the garments of holiness that are available and choose ways to be better and greater than before.
Esther and Mordechai each realized the places they were to play in history and accepted the responsibility to live up to them. The results were truly miraculous.
“Fire! Fire!” a voice yelled, “Everyone get out!” People streamed from their doors and ran to the relative safety of the street. Firefighters arrived on the scene and began spraying water on the fire as the thick smoke billowed from the shattered windows.
“My baby!” cried a woman rushing over to a fireman, “he’s still in there!” The fireman assured her they would save the child, and were reviewing plans of the building to be safe.
One young man stepped forward and grabbed a respirator from the fireman. “I know that building and I know where the boy is. I’m going in.” With that, the stunned firefighter could only watch as he disappeared into the flaming hallways.
The Fire Chief who witnessed the exchange came running over. “Who was that man with city equipment?!” he bellowed. “He can’t use that, he’s not firefighter!”
The speechless fireman slowly pointed to the soot-covered man emerging with the young boy in his arms. “Well, I guess he is today, Sir,” he replied softly. “He is today.”
©2025 – J. Gewirtz
