by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 8, 2022 | Israel, Temple, Tetzaveh
After instructing the Children of Israel about the priestly garments, God then describes the golden altar for offering incense. Similar to the Ark of the Covenant, the altar for the incense was made of acacia wood covered in gold. Rings were set in its corners and...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 7, 2022 | Temple, Tetzaveh
The Torah mandates eight garments for the Kohen Gadol (High Priest). Among them is the golden head-plate, or the tzitz (צִיץ), which was engraved with the words kodesh laHashem (קֹדֶשׁ לַיהֹוָה), ‘Holy to God.’ The word tzitz means ‘to blossom,’ or ‘a flower,’ and is...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 7, 2022 | God, Holiness, Temple, Tetzaveh
Perhaps the most enigmatic element of the clothing of the High Priest was the breastplate, known in Hebrew as the choshen, which was attached to the ephod, or apron, of the High Priest. Made of cloth (wool dyed blue, purple, and crimson) that was woven with linen and...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 6, 2022 | Hebrew Language, Messiah, Purity, Temple, Tetzaveh
The portion of Tetzaveh begins by telling the Children of Israel to bring pure olive oil for use in the Menorah in the Tabernacle (Exodus 27:20). For normal use, oil is extracted from olives by pressing, but the Torah specifies that in this case the olives are...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 3, 2022 | Community, God, Holiness, Temple, Terumah
When God commanded the Children of Israel to build a Tabernacle for him to dwell among them, he also commanded them to build furnishings. Perhaps the most intricate piece was the golden table, or shulchan, that held the 12 showbreads, and some commentaries place the...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 3, 2022 | Covenant, Repentance, Seventeenth of Tammuz, Temple, Terumah
As part of building the Tabernacle, God instructed Moses to place the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments into the Ark of the Covenant. But, as we know, there were two sets of tablets; the first, inscribed by the finger of God, was cast down and shattered when Moses...
