Torah Stories By Hannah Parasha Tetzaveh

In today’s Parasha, Tetzaveh, (Shemot (Exodus) 27:20 – 30:10) we read about the following commandments which HaShem gave to Moshe:

You shall further instruct the children of Israel, that they bring pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually. In the tent of meeting, without the veil which is before the testimony, Aharon and his sons shall set it in order, to burn from evening to morning before HaShem; it shall be a statute for ever throughout their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.

You shall bring forward your brother Aharon, with his sons, from among the children of Israel that they may serve Me as priests; Aharon, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aharon's sons.

Then you shall make holy garments for Aharon your brother, for splendour and for beauty. You shall further speak unto all who are skilful, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aharon's garments to sanctify him, that he may serve Me as priest. And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a tunic of chequer work, a mitre, and a girdle; and they shall make holy garments for Aharon your brother, and his sons, that he may serve Me in the priest's office. And they shall take the gold, and the blue, and the purple, and the scarlet, and the fine linen. And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the skilful workman. It shall have two shoulder-pieces joined to the two ends, that it may be joined together. And the skilfully woven band, which is upon it, to gird it on with, shall be of the same piece: of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. Then take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the children of Israel: six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the six that remain on the other stone, according to their birth. With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, you shall engrave the two stones, according to the names of the children of Israel; you shall make them to be bordered in settings of gold. Then put the two stones upon the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, to be stones of memorial for the children of Israel; and Aharon shall bear their names before HaShem upon his two shoulders for a memorial. You shall further make settings of gold; and two chains of pure gold; of plaited thread shall you make them; you shall further put the chains on the settings.

You shall then make a breastplate of judgment, the work of the skilful workman; like the work of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, shall you make it. It should be a span long, and a span wide. You shall further set in it settings of stones, four rows of stones: a row of carnelian, topaz, and emerald shall be the first row; and the second row a carbuncle, a sapphire, and an emerald; and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; and the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper; they shall be bordered in gold in their settings. And the stones shall be according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names; like the engravings of a signet, every one according to his name, they shall be for the twelve tribes.

Make upon the breastplate plaited chains of pure gold. Then make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. Put the two chains of gold on the two rings at the ends of the breastplate. And the other two ends of the two chains you shall put on the two settings, and put them on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, in the forepart thereof. Make two rings of gold; put them upon the two ends of the breastplate, upon the edge, which is toward the side of the ephod inward. Then make two rings of gold, and put them on the two shoulder-pieces of the ephod underneath, in the forepart thereof, close by the coupling thereof, above the skilfully woven band of the ephod. And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings onto the rings of the ephod with a thread of blue, that it may be upon the skilfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastplate is not separate from the ephod. And Aharon shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goes in unto the holy place, for a memorial before HaShem continually. You shall then put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Tummim; and they shall be upon Aharon's heart, when he goes before HaShem; and Aharon shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before HaShem continually.

Make the robe of the ephod blue. Make a hole for the head in the middle; it shall have a binding of woven work around the hole, so that it doesn’t tear. And upon the skirts of it make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, around the skirts; and bells of gold between them and around it: a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, around the skirts of the robe. Aharon shall serve; and the sound of him serving shall be heard when he goes in unto the holy place before HaShem, and when he comes out, so that he does not die.

Then make a plate of pure gold, and engrave upon it, like the engravings of a signet: HOLY TO HASHEM. Put it on a thread of blue, and put it on the mitre; on the front of the mitre. And it shall be on Aharon's forehead, and Aharon shall bear the iniquity committed in the holy things, which the children of Israel shall make holy, even in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before HaShem. Then weave the tunic in chequer work of fine linen, and make a mitre of fine linen, make a girdle, the work of the weaver in colours.

And for Aharon's sons you shall make tunics, make for them girdles, and head-tires shall you make for them, for splendour and for beauty. Put them on Aharon your brother and on his sons; and anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto Me in the priest's office.

Also make them linen breeches to cover the flesh of their nakedness; from the loins to the thighs. And they shall be upon Aharon, and upon his sons, when they go in unto the tent of meeting, or when they come near unto the altar to serve in the holy place; that they don’t bear sin, and die; it shall be a law for ever for him and his seed after him.

And make them holy with this, so that they can serve Me as priests: take one young bullock and two rams without blemish, and unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened mingled with oil, and wafers unleavened spread with oil; of fine wheaten flour. Put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams.

And bring Aharon and his sons to the door of the tent of meeting, and wash them with water. Then take the garments, and dress Aharon with the tunic, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the skilfully woven band of the ephod. Set the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown on the mitre. Then take the anointing oil, and pour it on his head, and anoint him. Then bring his sons, and dress them in their tunics. Gird them with girdles, Aharon and his sons, and bind head-tires on them; and they shall have the priesthood always; then consecrate Aharon and his sons.

Then bring the bullock before the tent of meeting; and Aharon and his sons shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock. Kill the bullock before HaShem, at the door of the tent of meeting. Take the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with your finger; pour out all the remaining blood at the base of the altar. Take all the fat that covers the inwards, and the lobe above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, and make them smoke upon the altar. But the flesh of the bullock, and its skin, and its dung, shall you burn with fire outside the camp; it is a sin-offering. You shall also take the one ram; and Aharon and his sons shall lay their hands upon the head of the ram. Then slay the ram; take its blood, and dash it round about against the altar. Cut the ram into pieces, and wash its inwards, and its legs, and put them with its pieces, and with its head.

Then make the whole ram smoke upon the altar; it is a burnt-offering unto HaShem; it is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto HaShem. Take the other ram; and Aharon and his sons shall lay their hands upon the head of the ram. Then kill the ram, and take of its blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aharon, and on the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and dash the blood against the altar round about. Take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aharon, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him; and he and his garments shall be made holy, and his sons and his sons' garments with him. Also take the fat of the ram, and the fat tail, and the fat that covers the insides, and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, and the right thigh; for it is a ram of consecration; and one loaf of bread, and one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, out of the basket of unleavened bread that is before HaShem.

You shall further put the whole upon the hands of Aharon and upon the hands of his sons; and shall wave them for a wave-offering before HaShem. You shall further take them from their hands, and make them smoke on the altar upon the burnt-offering, for a sweet savour before HaShem; it is an offering made by fire unto HaShem. Then take the breast of Aharon's ram of consecration, and wave it for a wave-offering before HaShem; and it shall be your portion.

Then sanctify the breast of the wave-offering, and the thigh of the heave-offering, which is waved, and which is heaved up, of the ram of consecration, Aharon's, and his sons' offerings. And it shall be for Aharon and his sons as a law for ever from the children of Israel; for it is a heave-offering; and it shall be a heave-offering from the children of Israel of their sacrifices of peace-offerings, their heave-offering to HaShem. And the holy garments of Aharon shall be for his sons after him, to be anointed in them, and to be consecrated in them.

Seven days shall the son that is priest in his place put them on, even he who comes into the tent of meeting to serve in the holy place. Take the ram of consecration, and churn its flesh in a holy place. And Aharon and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, at the door of the tent of meeting. And they shall eat those things that atonement was made with, to consecrate and to sanctify them; but a stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are holy. And if any of the flesh of the consecration, or of the bread, remain until morning, then you shall burn it with fire; it shall not be eaten, because it is holy. And this is what you shall do to Aharon, and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded you; seven days shall you consecrate them. And every day shall you offer the bullock of sin-offering, beside the other offerings of atonement; you shall further do the purification upon the altar when you make atonement for it; you shall further anoint it, to sanctify it. Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; thus shall the altar be most holy; whatsoever touches the altar shall be holy.

Now this is that which you shall offer upon the altar: two lambs of the first year day by day continually. The one lamb you shall offer in the morning; and the other lamb you shall offer at dusk. And with the one lamb a tenth part of an ephah of fine flour mingled with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of a hin of wine for a drink-offering. And the other lamb you shall offer at dusk, and shall do thereto according to the meal-offering of the morning, and according to the drink-offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto HaShem. It shall be a continual burnt-offering throughout your generations at the door of the tent of meeting before HaShem, where I will meet with you, to speak there unto thee. And there I will meet with the children of Israel; and the Tent shall be sanctified by My glory. And I will sanctify the tent of meeting, and the altar; Aharon also and his sons will I sanctify, to serve Me as priest.

And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. And they shall know that I am HaShem their God that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt that I may dwell among them. I am HaShem their God.

You shall then make an altar to burn incense upon; of acacia-wood shall you make it. It should be a cubit long and a cubit wide, and two cubits high; the horns of the altar shall be made of one piece. Overlay it with pure gold, the top and the sides, and the horns; make a crown of gold round about. And make two golden under the crown, and they shall be for places for staves to carry it with. Make the staves of acacia-wood, and overlay them with gold. Put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the ark-cover that is over the testimony, where I will meet with you. And Aharon shall burn incense of sweet spices on the altar; every morning, when he dresses the lamps. And when Aharon lights the lamps at dusk, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before HaShem throughout your generations.

You shall offer no strange incense on the altar, nor a burnt-offering, nor a meal-offering; and you shall not pour any drink-offering on it. And Aharon shall make atonement upon the horns of it once a year; with the blood of the sin-offering of atonement once a year shall he make atonement for it throughout your generations; it is most holy to HaShem.