This week's parsha, Tetzaveh, offers further instructions for the furnishing of the mishkan -- the tabernacle -- and then contains the rules for the vestments of Aharon, the High Priest, as well as those of the other priests. The parsha then describes the consecration of Aharon and the priesthood.
As the parsha opens, God tells Moshe to take beaten oil to provide a "ner tamid." This has traditionally been translated , "an eternal light." In our synagogue, the ner tamid is always lit. When I was young, the Sunday program of the Jewish Theological Seminary was entitled "The Eternal Light" and began with a reading of these words from the parsha. Ironically, the light referred to in the Torah was not "eternal." It was lighted every night, that is "regularly." Rashi points this out in his interpretation of the words, "ner tamid."
The parsha describes in some detail the clothing of Aharon, the High Priest, and his sons. (Shmos, Ch. 25) Among these vestments was the Choshen Mishpat, the breastpiece of Judgment. As with many instructions in the Torah -- including more of them in this parsha, the descriptions are very specific. The Torah stipulates that the Choshen should have four rows of stones, each row called a Tur, the four rows called Turim. Each row had three stones, the total of twelve stones corresponding to the twelve tribes of Israel.
That name -- "Arba Turim" -- was adopted by the medieval codifier of Jewish law, Yaakov ben Asher (13th century) as the basis for the organization of Jewish law and as the name for his Code of Jewish Law. In his case, each Tur represented a different area of law: Choshen Mishpat covered the civil law; Yoreh Deah the laws of kashrut, Even Ha'ezer, the laws pertaining to women, and Orach Chaim, the Festivals. This arrangement was adopted by Rabbi Yosef Karo in his definitive code, the Shulchan Arukh.
The haftorah for this Shabbos is from the book of Ezekiel (Yechezkeil:43:10-27). It describes the second temple which was built in the time of Yechezkeil, the prophet during the Babylonian captivity.
This evening (Thursday evening), Purim begins with the first reading of Megillat Esther. On Friday, the Megillah is read again. We commented on parts of the Megillah in last week's Shabboom.
Purim Sameach! A joyful Purim to all.
