Zakhor in a Fractured Age
Feb 27, 2026 By Sandra Fox | Commentary | Shabbat Zakhor | Tetzavveh
鈥淐ould you have chosen a more loaded week?鈥� said my husband with a face that can only be described as both bemused and pitying when I told him that I had agreed to write my first 91快播 Torah Commentary on Shabbat Zakhor. As the heaviness of the reading sank in, with its commandment to recall Amalek鈥檚 unprovoked attack on the Israelites and to 鈥渂lot out鈥� Amalek鈥檚 memory, I became apprehensive.
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The Jewelry of a Master Teacher
Feb 23, 2024 By Lilly Kaufman | Commentary | Tetzavveh | Purim
Without using alchemy, the 16th-century Italian commentator Seforno (1470鈥�1550) turned gems into gold. Writing a few short words about the gemstones that adorned the clothing of the High Priest, described in Parashat Tetzavveh, Seforno shares a truly fine insight about achieving greatness as an educator.
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The Meaning of Aaron鈥檚 Holy Garments
Mar 3, 2023 By Robert Harris | Shabbat Zakhor | Tetzavveh
In this commentary, I would like to focus on some of the vestments of Aaron that he wore in his capacity askohen gadol(High Priest). At the beginning of Exodus 28, the Torah commands that the Israelites who are skilled artisans should prepare a specific list of items for Aaron and the priests to wear. These include the breastpiece, ephod, robe, fringed tunic, headdress, and sash.
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Garments of Light
Feb 11, 2022 By Raymond Scheindlin | Commentary | Tetzavveh
Last week, we read God鈥檚 orders to Moses for the construction of the Tabernacle and its accoutrements. This week, our parashah continues on the subject of the Tabernacle and the preparations for starting the sacrificial cult, focusing on the Tabernacle鈥檚 personnel: the priests鈥攑articularly their vestments and the rituals for the priests鈥� consecration.
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The Masks that We Wear
Feb 26, 2021 By Ofra Arieli Backenroth | Commentary | Tetzavveh | Purim
Growing up in Israel, Purim was a wonderful experience, full of fun and games. Dressing up, putting on masks, going to parties, and attending the Purim Parade in Tel Aviv鈥攖he Adloyada. This name is derived from a rabbinic saying in the Talmud that one should revel on Purim by drinking 鈥渦ntil one no longer knows [how to distinguish between 鈥榗ursed is Haman鈥� and 鈥榖lessed is Mordecai鈥橾鈥� (BT Megillah 7b). Attending the parade was great fun, but also had a mysterious aspect. Who are the people hiding behind the masks? What are they concealing and what are they trying to reveal? It was all very colorful and happy but, in equal measure, scary and confusing.
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The Sound of the Bells
Mar 6, 2020 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Tetzavveh
At the core of Parashat Tetzavveh is a detailed description of the clothing worn by the officiants who will perform ritual service in the sacred space known as the Tent of Meeting (and later, the Temple). In the same way that holy space must be constructed differently from common space, so too must the priests and High Priest be 鈥渟eparate鈥� from the common people. It is for this reason that Torah commands the fabrication of special clothing. Think of it as a holy uniform for holy ritual.
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Holy Work for God鈥檚 Creation
Feb 15, 2019 By Arnold M. Eisen | Commentary | Tetzavveh
The most important headline of the week (and perhaps the year) did not appear in the top right column of the New York Times last Thursday. That spot鈥攖raditionally reserved for the lead story鈥攚as given over to the troubles facing the governor of Virginia, a scandal likely to be resolved and forgotten in a matter of weeks. Not so the fact that 鈥渢he five warmest years in recorded history have been the last five, and that 18 of the 19 warmest years have occurred since 2001.鈥� This story is likely to shape human history鈥攁nd the life of the planet鈥攆or many years to come; it now seems indisputable that 鈥渢he quickly rising temperatures . . . correspond with the scientific consensus that climate change is caused by human activity.鈥�
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The Jewelry of a Master Teacher
Feb 23, 2018 By Lilly Kaufman | Commentary | Tetzavveh
Without using alchemy, the 16th-century Italian commentator Seforno (1470鈥�1550) turned gems into gold. Writing a few short words about the gemstones that adorned the clothing of the High Priest, described in Parashat Tetzavveh, Seforno shares a truly fine insight about achieving greatness as an educator.
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