Wearing Moshe Rabbeinu's Kittel
By Mr. Chanan Strassman
Parashat Tzav describes the Shivat Yemei HaMiluim, the seven days of inauguration for the Mishkan, and the sacrificial service. A key component of the ceremony centered around the inauguration of Aharon and his sons as Kohanim. The entire nation watched as Moshe Rabbeinu immersed them, clothed them in their priestly garments, sprinkled them with the anointing oil, and brought their korbanot. Specifically, there was a special Ail HaMiluim, inaugural ram, designated for this occasion. Moshe took the sacrificial parts of this ram, along with an assortment of loaves, oil, and fats, and placed them all into the waiting hands of Aharon and his sons as a
In the middle of all this action, Rashi calls our attention to Moshe's wardrobe. When the Torah said that Moshe took the sacrifice back from Aharon and placed it on the Mizbeiach, Rashi quotes one line from a story in the Gemara,
We encounter even more questions upon examining Rashi's source. (In fact, the story appears twice in the Talmud Bavli with slight variations; in Avodah Zarah (34a) the protagonist is Rabi Akiva while in Taanit (11b) it is Mar Ukva.) According to the Gemara, Rabi Akiva/Mar Ukva arrived in the city of Ginzak, where the locals asked him a series of questions for which he had no answer. First, they asked is it permissible for one to undertake a half-day fast? They continued by asking if it is permissible to use an idolator's old wine jugs? Finally, the locals asked what Moshe Rabbeinu wore during the Shivat Yemei HaMiluim? Rabi Akiva/Mar Ukva brought these questions to the Beit Midrash, and the Rabbis answered each one. They said that a half-day fast is considered a genuine fast, the wine jugs may be used if there is no lingering taste, and Moshe Rabbeinu wore a white robe for all seven days of the Mishkan's inauguration (Avodah Zarah 34a). While each question and answer have a lesson on its own, they were presented consecutively in the story. Are they just bullet points from an eclectic session of
A first step toward solving this mystery is to examine Rashi's commentary to the Gemaras where he provides some background to Moshe's white robe. In Avodah Zarah (34a s.v. Moshe) he explains that Moshe was not a Kohein like Aharon, and he served in the Mishkan only at Hashem's instruction. Therefore, the Torah made no mention of his clothing. After all, Hashem said
Yet, the Lubavitcher Rebbe writes (Sichot Shabbat Parashat Tzav 5747) that Moshe Rabbeinu's priestly status was more complicated than Rashi described. Apparently, some sources maintain that Moshe actually experienced an elevated spiritual status during the seven days of inauguration. For example, the Midrash Torat Kohanim recognized Moshe as a Kohein Gadol for sprinkling Aharon with the anointing oil, since one can only anoint a Kohein Gadol if he himself is on that level. On the other hand, Moshe began Aharon's inauguration ceremony by proclaiming to the entire nation that
