Parshat Tetzaveh

From Wool to Worm: Welcome to Spiritual Community

The clothing of the cohen gadol (High Priest) tells us a lot about his job. On the one hand, he is unique. He wears robes woven of wool and silk, while other Israelites are told not to weave those fabrics together. On the other hand, he is connected with the full spectrum of nature. The wool of his robes is dyed sky-blue, royal purple, and crimson. 

Wool comes from the animal held in highest esteem by the Israelites. Sheep are fine enough to be offered to God, and their wool is beautiful enough to decorate the mishkan's ceiling. They are good enough to eat. In some contexts, they represent the people. Just as the Israelite shepherds care for their sheep, so God cares for the Israelites, with the help of the shepherd Moshe.

The dyes, however, come from some of the Israelites' least favorite animals. In their day, sky-blue and royal purple were made from the bodies of shellfish: mysterious, inedible, creepy animals from the sea bottom. Crimson was made from the bodies of worms. In the Hebrew Bible, "worm" is a popular metaphor for the lowest of the low.

The cohen gadol led the cohanim in performing rituals that address a full range of human psychological needs - from the highest aspirations of dedicating oneself to a spiritual calling, to the self-indulgent joy of celebrating life's milestones, to self-purification after difficult passages.

Our Or Shalom community is like the cohen gadol: both a unique spiritual home, and a community consisting of every possible type of person. May we be able to serve as cohanim to one another, through all of life's joyful and challenging passages.

Return to Reb Laura's "Taste of Torah" list.

Return to "Teachings from Our Rabbis and Friends" list.

---

[ Home ]	[ Asiyah ]	[ Yetzirah ]	[ Briyah ]	[ Atzilut ]	[ Calendar ]
	( Doing )	( Feeling )	( Knowing )	( Being )