The Torah goes into detail of what a priest would have to wear while doing his duty in the Tabernacle. The reason is that we should concentrate on his actions, not on the person.
Quick Devar Torah — The Uniform of Responsibility
(Parashat Tetzaveh)
This week’s parsha describes in great detail the clothing of the Kohanim and especially the Kohen Gadol.
Every garment is specified. No creativity. No personalization. No self-expression.
At first glance this feels strange.
Today we value individuality — even in shul you see different talleisim, different styles.
So why in the Mishkan must every priest look the same?
Because the Torah is teaching a fundamental idea:
In Judaism, leadership is not identity — it is office.
The Kohen is not important because of who he is.
He is important because of what he represents.
Just like in the military:
You salute the uniform, not the personality.
The rank matters more than the individual.
The priestly garments remove ego.
They turn a person into a function.
The Clothing Changes the Person
The Kohen Gadol had to behave differently when wearing the bigdei kehuna.
While in uniform, he represents the entire nation.
He is constantly being watched.
And eventually that awareness follows him even when he takes the clothing off —
because once a person holds an office, he never fully stops representing it.
Judaism’s view:
Honor is not privilege.
Honor is restriction.
The higher the position — the fewer personal freedoms.
The Shocking Proof: The Cities of Refuge
The Torah tells us:
Someone who kills accidentally remains in exile until the death of the Kohen Gadol.
Why?
The High Priest wasn’t there.
He didn’t know the killer.
He didn’t cause the accident.
Yet the Torah holds him responsible.
Because leadership in Torah is not about authority — it is about accountability.
If society failed, the leader failed.
The Message
In the modern world, rank often means power.
In Judaism, rank means burden.
The uniform of the Kohen teaches:
The greater the title, the greater the responsibility.
A Jewish leader does not stand above the people.
He stands answerable for the people.
Not someone to be worshiped —
someone who carries the consequences of everyone else.
And that is why the priests could not choose their clothing.
Because they were not dressing as themselves.
They were dressing as the nation.
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