Shabbat Shalom! With this week’s portion of Pekudei, we complete the book of Exodus. Pekudei , in detailing the building of the Tabernacle and its associated items, once again reminds us of the elaborate clothing worn by the priests, and especially the special clothing worn by the High Priest, the Koheyn Gadol.
We are taught that the priests wore a special belt called the avneit. (39:29) Elsewhere we learn that the avneit was about 50 feet long and needed to be wrapped multiple times around the torso of the priest. (Actually, with this sash wrapped over and over under the robe of the priest, it must have made a sizeable bulge, making the priest look like the Michelin Man). Why this sizeable and no doubt uncomfortable sash that probably prevented the priest from fully placing his hands at his sides?
Many commentators suggest that much of the clothing worn by the priests was designed to be a constant reminder of their duty to the people that they served. Making them wear a bulky and unusual belt that brought a little discomfort was a way of reminding them that they were not members of a privileged caste, but servants of the people and always responsible to their needs.
Would that today the privileged leadership of our society was compelled to continually remember that as elected or appointed officials, they serve not themselves or their friends, but the people who trust them to carry out their duties with ethics and integrity.
Shabbat Shalom and Keep Punching!
Rabbi Doug Sagal aka “The Boxing Rabbi”