Holy Garments

by Rabbi Pinchas Winston

You shall make holy garments for your brother Aharon, for honor and glory. (Shemos 28:2)

AS RASHI EXPLAINED in last week’s parsha, the Aron was comprised of three boxes, one within each other. The outer most box was made of a thin layer of gold, as was the innermost one. These two boxes sandwiched a thicker, inner box made of wood, which certainly made it lighter and easier to carry.

Lightness was probably an important consideration, but there was also an important lesson being taught by this construction. Everything about the Mishkan was a lesson about life and how to live it, and this was especially true when it came to the Aron.

Of the many lessons that the Aron taught, one was about who we are. The inner layer of gold represented the eternal soul. The outer layer of gold represented the need to project the reality of the INNER eternal soul on the OUTSIDE. Clothing to do not “make the man,” but they are a VERY good indicator of what kind of person is wearing them, projecting to the world how the wearer views himself.

The wood inside represented the body which, like wood, is transient and subject to decay. The very nature of the body should make a person humble, as Dovid HaMelech often reflected in Tehillim. This is what the rabbis emphasized here:

Akavia ben Mahalalel would say: “Reflect upon three things and you will not come to the hands of transgression. Know from where you came, where you are going, and before whom you are destined to give a judgment and accounting. From where you came—from a putrid drop; where you are going—to a place of dust, maggots and worms; and before whom you are destined to give a judgment and accounting—before the supreme King of Kings, The Holy One, Blessed is He.” (Pirkei Avos 4:1)

The world has it all wrong. Billions of dollars are spent each year on clothing for the body, not the soul. Of course all clothing goes over the body, and covers it. But much of the clothing, especially the kinds that people spend a lot of money on, is designed to focus people on bodies, not souls. Instead of having their “wood” sandwiched by two layers of “gold,” they are two layers of “wood” on top of their layer of “gold.”

This parsha makes this point. It’s talking about the kohanim, but the message applies to anyone seeking a meaningful life. It says:

You shall make holy garments for your brother Aharon, for honor and glory. (Shemos 28:2)
In everyday terms, this would simply mean make regal clothing, as befitting the spiritual leader of the Jewish nation. It had to be clothing that would impress upon him and the people that he held one of the highest and most important offices in the history of mankind. It had to be clothing that when worn, it helped the Kohen Gadol to never lose sight of his high ranking position.

In more Kabbalistic terms, the verse refers to clothing that reflected the Kohen Gadol’s inner essence, his SOUL. There is nothing more honorable or glorious than the human soul, the essence of a person and their divine resemblance. The clothing a person wears is only honorable and glorious when it reflects this reality on the outside.

A similar concept is alluded to by the following verse:

All honor [awaits] the King's daughter who is within; her raiment is superior to settings of gold. (Tehillim 45:14)

All honor [awaits] the King’s daughter who is within, etc.: Those who deserve all honor, and they are the nation of the King who behaved with modesty, now their garments will be more esteemed than the settings of gold of the High Priests. (Rashi)
Modesty is not one of man’s fortes. God made mankind with an appealing appearance, and the ability to “appreciate” it. Consequently, people with limited spiritual awareness tend to cater to that appreciation, one way or another, and USUALLY at the cost of modesty. Countless billions of dollars are spent on an ongoing basis just to take advantage of all of this.

Modest behavior, whether we’re talking about clothing or mannerisms, is a reflection of the extent to which a person’s soul has a say in their direction in life. We all have ambitions, and some are so important to us that we feel as if we’re missing out on life if they’re not fulfilled. But the greatest ambition of all has to be, living a soul-led life. Though that may not fetch us the attention we crave in THIS world, it WILL get us the attention we will cherish in the NEXT one.

It’s a hard call, evident by how confusing it can be even for those who purportedly service their souls over their bodies. But one hard and honest look into a mirror can reveal the truth, if not an actual mirror, then at least a spiritual one. “When I look at myself and how I live,” we have to ask ourselves, “is it the honor and glory of my soul that I project, or that of my body?”