Does this shirt look ok?

Mark Twain, reflecting 19th century values, once write, “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” It is true we live in a society where people dress informally. I can remember going to the theater with my family as a child. I never would have considered wearing jeans! In this week’s Torah portion we are told of the clothes of the priests: "Then take the vestments, and clothe Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastpiece, and gird him with the decorated band of the ephod. Put the headdress on his head, and place the holy diadem upon the headdress. Take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him." (Exodus 29:5-7).


Beauty, ritual and pageantry! Do the clothes make a difference? The ancient priests, the kohanim, were from the House of Aaron, and it is in Tetzaveh, this week’s portion, that we read the commandment to make special sacral vestments (Exodus 28:2-4) for Aaron and his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. Aaron and his sons are to fulfill the role of priests; their descendants will inherit this role, serving God and the Israelites for all time.

The priesthood was hereditary; if you weren't born into it, you couldn't serve. The special clothing and detailed rituals of anointing and serving in the Temple were passed down from one generation of priests to the next.

The early leaders of Reform Judaism were repulsed by these notions of hereditary leadership. Traditional Judaism still adheres to inherited class divisions among congregants, with special roles and rituals assigned to kohanim and Levites.

One of the first changes the Reformers made to our liturgy was to equalize roles in the service. Any Jew could now have the coveted first aliyah to the Torah, and congregational rabbis, not kohanim, now had the role of blessing the congregation.

Ritual was pared down to a minimum. Following the prophets' call to action, Reform rabbis emphasized social justice rather than ritual observance. How we act in our daily lives toward others became far more important than ancient practices that are no longer relevant.

We are reminded that the clothing of the priests served to separate and cause distinctions, a practice we no longer value in our movement. Certainly proper dress can help you feel good and can add to a special moment. As we study Torah portions in the coming weeks, we will find detailed descriptions regarding the Tabernacle, the Temple, and the priests who served in them. We can appreciate the pageantry and devotion of the ancient Israelites as they endeavored to worship God, just as we continually strive to find meaning through the worship of God in our own synagogues.