Reb Ginsbourg: The priestly robe atones for lashon hara'a….

 

The priestly robe atones for lashon hara'a

The instrument of speech is a priceless gift to our people to serve Hashem, more so than any of our other organs. The robe was designed to remind us of that.

Our Parashah opens with the command to Moshe:(28:1-2 )’Bring near to yourself Aaron your brother, and his sons with him…to minister to Me. You shall make vestments of sanctity fot Aaron your brother, for glory and splendor’.

The Torah describes the eight garments, that the Kohen Hagadol was to don in his service - among them:(28:31-35)’ The robe of the Ephod entirely of turquoise wool. Its head-opening shall be folded over within it, its opening shall have a border all around of weaver’s work - it shall be be for it like the opening of a coat of mail - it may not be torn.

You shall make on its hem pomegranates of turquoise, purple , and scarlet wool, on its hem all around, and gold bells between them, all around; gold bell and a pomegranate on the hem of the robe, all around.

‘It must be on Aaron in order to minister. Its sound shall be heard when he enters the Sanctuary before Hashem and when he leaves, so that he not die.’

Our Sages comment:(Yerushalmi Yoma 7:3)’ ‘Its sound shall be heard’: Two matters did not have atonement prescribed, in the Torah, and they are these: one who inadvertently speaks lashon ha’ra, slander, and one who inadvertently kills another.

One who speaks lashon ha’ra, had no atonement, and the Torah established him atonement by the bells of the robe, which were on Aaron when he served, and their voice was heard - come this voice, and atone for the voice of lashon ha’ra.’

Ba’al Haturim adds:’Its opening shall have a border’: The robe atones for lashon ha’ra, that if he transgress by speaking lashon ha’ra, he should make a border to his mouth, so that he abstains from speaking lashon ha’ra, and does teshuva, and he will be granted atonement.’

The Kli Yakar expounds:’As the robe atones for lashon ha’ra, it was therefore completely turquoise, as torqoise resembles the sea, and through the turquoise, he will look at the sea, and from it will learn, and do likewise.

As to the sea, we read:(Iyov 38:10-11)’And I broke for it My prescribed limit, and placed a bar and doors. And said: ‘Until here you may come but no further..’.

‘Similarly, Hashem placed on the tongue a wall and a lock, as our Sages say:(Erchin 15:)’Moreover, I surrounded you by two walls, one of bone and one of flesh’ - what more can I give, and what additional safeguard can I add to your deceitful tongue, as it sends out the poisonous arrows of its tongue to the four winds.

‘It would have been appropriate that man learn from the sea which does not break doors and locks, and does not breach its boundaries.

This is the reason for the turquoise which resembles the sea, so that when he gazes at the turquoise robe, he will be reminded of the sea, which resembles it in color, and will inevitably reflect then on the deeds of the sea, and from it, will learn what to do - and will so do.

‘As to the two surrounding walls, we read:’Its head opening shall be folded over within it’ - within the wall nearest to it, the one of bone; and, as to the wall of flesh - the lips - it says:’it shall be like the opening.. it may not be torn’ - that he does not breech the two walls as one.

‘And on its hem, there were the pomegranates and bells which made a sound, to atone for the tongue which came out of the mouth, and his teshuva was that he would not profane his speech again - but only speak words of sanctity, as it says:’its sound shall be heard when he enters the Sanctuary.. so that he will not die’, because, by taking care in this, he will not die, as our Sages adjure:(Erchin 15:)’ lashon ha’ra kills three’, meaning: if he is careful to abstain from it, he will not die.’

Rav Zalman Sorotzkin adds:’’Its sound shall be heard when he enters the קודש: There is here an allusion not only against speaking lashon ha’ra - for which the robe atones - but also against idle chatter: ‘and his voice will be heard’ - the voice of the Kohen, and from him the people will learn, only ‘when he enters the Sanctuary before Hashem’.

‘As our Sages teach: ודברת בם: ‘And you shall speak in them’: in Divrei Torah, and not in idle chatter.’

The Alshich Hakadosh elucidates, on the severity of speaking lashon ha’ra: Sadly, man is careless in the impurity of his speech, and, to assist him, our Sages gave signposts, to awaken man’s heart to restrain his tongue.

Man’s lack of care in this regard, is despite that, had he given thought to the matter, he would have taken note that Hashem had breathed into him part of His divine breath, from Above, and had placed in him His Torah, pure and which restores the soul, and then the Torah of Hashem would be in his mouth, to engage in it, for its sake.

‘The lesson from this, is that the instrument of speech is a priceless gift to our people to serve Hashem, more so than any of our other organs.

‘He will - with this knowledge - then take great care not to sully this precious gift, as it is a holy vessel from the King, to serve and praise Him, and he will take great care not to emit from his mouth anything other than these matters.

The entirely turquoise color of the robe, alludes to the Divine - that all your speech should be in matters of heaven, this color being akin to the color of the heavens, and to Hashem’s

How, then, can man approach the King of Kings - alluded to by Aaron ‘entering the Sanctuary before Hashem’ - if there is impurity in his speech; to seek atonement from Hashem, for his transgression, with an impure instrument.

‘When the tongue of the supplicant is free of this taint, and he has not transgressed with it, then at all times his supplication will be heard favorably by the King when he comes before him.

‘The Torah alludes to this, when it says the robe ‘must be on Aaron in order to minister..before Hashem’- the robe, to which our speech alludes - as then his ‘sound shall be heard, when he comes to speak to his Creator.’.

Not so, when we approach Hashem, to seek His favor, when our words - by which we approach Him -instead of being an advocate, are accusers.’

Rav Pinchas Friedman comments:’Well known is what is brought in the sacred tomes, that a condition precedent to being engaged in the Torah, is that the person guards his tongue, and does not speak with it idle things; more so, things which are forbidden, such as lashon ha’ra and tale-bearing - as if he denigrates and sullies his speech, how will he utilize his instrument of speech, which have been impaired, to engage with it, in Torah.

‘This can be seen from the Torah passage, of the metzora:’the one who speaks lashon ha’ra’: ( Metzora 14:2)’ This shall be the torah of the metzora on the day of his purification, he shall be brought to the Kohen’, because he has been afflicted becaise he spoke lashon ha’ra; therefore, until he has purified his mouth from lashon ha’ra, there is no benefit in him engaging in Torah.

This is why the Torah says:’This will be the Torah of the metzora’ - when does the Torah of the metzora have existence and importance: ’On the day that he is brought before the Kohen’ - only after he has purified himself, and has done teshuva for that which he has damaged with his tongue. This is what our Sages expound (Yoma 19:)’And you shall speak of them - of them, and not of other matters’ - so that your Torah toil should ascend and find favor Above, it is necessary that you should engage in torah toil with a mouth that has not spoken worthless things, as it is not appropriate to come before the King ‘dressed in soiled clothing’ - an impure mouth.

‘This also applies to our prayers being accepted before Hashem - as one needs to pray before Hashem with an outpouring of a mouth that is totally pure, as, if חס וחלילה, there is in it a defect, how can one hope to pray through a damaged instrument?’.

The Rav brings the gemara we have brought, as to the ‘two walls’ of the mouth, with which Hashem has created man, to assist him against speaking lashon ha’ra, and comments:’We find, according to this, that when a person is careful to keep the sanctity of his speech, by utilizing the two walls ofthe teeth and the lips to be as a lock on his tongue, the teeth and lips are as two gates to open or to shut by them, his tongue.

However, if he is not careful with his speech, but says whatever comes to his mind, without discrimination or thought, then the teeth and lips are not as gates, as they are always open.

This is what David Hamelech said:(Ps’ 51:17) ’Hashem, open my lips and my mouth will exclaim your praises’, as his lips were closed to keep the sanctity of his speech, and he therefore asked Hashem:’Hashem, my lips open’ - as they are closed - and since I guard my speech, it is proper that my lips should sing your praises.’

Rav Eliyahu Shlezinger increases our appreciation of the great chessed of this atonement, by this insight: ’Our Sages, in the Gemara, say:’Said Rabbi Anani Bar Sasson:’Why was the parashah of the priestly garments juxtaposed to the parashah of the offerings ? To teach us that just as the offerings bring stonement, so too, the priestly garments bring atonement.’

One of these priestly garments was the robe, which our Sages say atoned for lashon ha’ra: ‘Said Hakadosh-Baruch-Hu: let the thing which makes a sound, atone for the misdeed of the voice.’

‘The robe, in all its details, comes to arouse the heart of man to beware of transgressing the grievous sin of lashon ha’ra’, as we learned from the Kli Yakar.

‘Moreover, whilst the korbanot only bring atonement at the time of their offering, the garments bring atonement at all times.

‘However, if the person is unaware of the severity of speaking lashon ha’ra, he will deny himself the benefit of this heavenly gift.’

Haktav veHakabalah, notes: ‘Ramban expounds that the Mitzvah of the bells on the hem of the robe - since they do not seem to be a need for wearing them, and they are not the manner of the nobility to be so attired - were so that, when Aaron approached to come before his Master, he does so as by His leave, as one who enters the inner sanctum without permission - by the rules of the monarchy - is subject to the penalty of death - and so too, on leaving the presence of the King.

‘The Ramban’s words, whilst being derived from the homiletic words of our Sages, have no logic in the literal reading of the psukim.

‘To my mind, the Mitzvah of the bells is like the Mitzvah of Tzitzit, that Mitzvah being to constantly remind us of the Mitzvot, by seeing them, as it says: ’And you shall see them, and you shall remember’.

‘Here, the Mitzvah is to remember the Mitzvot by our sense of hearing, as due to the lofty status of the Kohen Gadol - and his many additional Mitzvot in which he is commanded beyond those of the other Kohanim and the rest of the people.

‘Therefore, he is given this additional reminder by his sense of hearing - in addition to the reminder by the sense of sight, which all the people are given, by the tzitzit - as, by hearing the sound of the bells on the hem of the robe, he will be constantly awakened to give his full, undivided attention to the One before whom he stands, and who commanded him to wear this attire.

‘This, not only whilst he is serving in the Inner Sanctuary, but also when he departs it, to return to his home, and the outside world, the bells will sound in his ears to remind him, that he is the chosen one from the whole nation, and will not forget that he always is standing before Hashem, and that he is not for even a moment to take his mind from holiness.’

A parting gem from Rav Shlezinger:’We can readily understand why the Kohen Gadol should be heard - by the bells on the hem of his robe - when he is about to enter the Sanctuary: so that all should know that he is entering to perform his service there.

‘But what need is there for his departure from the Sanctuary - once he has completed his service - to be also ‘heard’, by the bells, to fulfill the injunction:’his sound shall be heard when he enters the Sanctuary before Hashem AND when he leaves’?.

Answers the Rav:’When the Kohen Gadol enters, he needs to be aroused, that he is about to stand before the King of Kings, Hakadosh-Baruch-Hu.

‘However, this focus may cause a loss of sensitivity by him, to the problems of the people, whose atonement is dependent on the Kohanim, the Kohen Gadol at their head.

‘When the Kohen Gadol does not fully feel what the needs of the people are, his prayer on their behalf is incomplete.

‘To preclude this, come the sound of the bells, to remind him, as he departs from the holiness of the Sanctuary, that he is a part of this world, with all its problems, and he is to be awake to the needs of each individual in Israel.

‘The role of the Kohen Gadol is to bridge between the worlds of the spirit, and the physical world - to unite the two, and this is what the sounding of the bells both on his entry, and on his departure, from the Sanctuary, signifies - not to be totally focussed on the one, and to forget the other, completely.

‘We sanctify our physical side by donning the tefillin on the left hand, but bind them with our right hand - so too, the Kohen Gadol unites his right side and his left side, in the turquoise robe, just as each one of us binds together the spiritual and the mundane, by the donning of our tefillin.’