Moses is Missing

The commentaries noted an unusual fact about the Torah portion of Tetzaveh: it is the only parashah, from the beginning of Exodus when we first read of Moses' birth, in which Moses is not mentioned.

Rabbi Jacob ben Asher (1269-1343), the Baal HaTurim, explained that this is a result of Moses' defense of the Jewish people after the sin of the Golden Calf. At that precarious juncture, Moses pleaded with God to forgive the Israelites. And if not, then "please remove me from Your book that You have written" (Ex. 32:32).

The Sages taught that "The curse of a sage comes true, even if it was conditional (and the condition was not filled)" (Makkot 11a). Thus, even though God did forgive the Jewish people, Moses' curse was partially fulfilled, and his name was removed from the portion of Tetzaveh.

The question arises: why was this parashah, which describes the special garments of the kohanim, chosen as the one in which Moses does not appear? Also — was Moses punished for valiantly defending the Jewish people?

Concession for Weakness

According to the Midrash, the original plan was for Moses to be the kohen. God, however, became angry with Moses due to his repeated refusals to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, and transferred the priesthood to his brother Aaron (Zevachim 102a on Ex. 4:14). But while he lost the priesthood, Moses still retained the potential to be a kohen.

In fact, when the Tabernacle was dedicated, Moses did perform as the kohen, bringing the dedication offerings (Ex. 29). What is noteworthy about Moses' one-time service is that he did not wear the special garments of a kohen. If a kohen serves in the Temple while not wearing his special clothes, his service is rendered invalid (Zevachim 17b); and yet, Moses performed the dedication service only wearing a white robe (Avodah Zarah 34a). Why didn't Moses need the priestly garments?

In general, clothing is a concession for human weakness. The Hebrew word beged comes from the root-word bagad, meaning 'to betray.' In the Garden of Eden, there was nothing wrong with being naked. It was only after Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge that they needed to hide behind clothes – a necessary but tragic betrayal of their inner integrity.

The same is true for the priestly garments. Each of the eight garments, the Sages taught, comes to atone for a particular transgression – arrogance, harmful speech, improper thoughts, and so on (Zevachim 88b). Were it not for these sins, the kohanim would not need these special clothes.

Beyond Clothing

The Talmud relates that the white robe worn by Moses when he served in the Tabernacle had no seams. In other words, his robe had no clear and distinct boundaries, nothing to divide it from his body. It was almost as if Moses needed no clothing at all.

Moses was not tainted by the sin of the Golden Calf, a sin that the Midrash (Shemot Rabbah 32:1) connects with the sin of Adam. Therefore Moses did not require the extra clothes of the kohanim. He understood the ramifications of the grave error of the Golden Calf, and that the kohanim would now need special garments. Therefore he asked God, "Please remove me from Your book" — please remove me from the portion of Your book that commands the kohanim to wear special clothes. I was not involved in the sin of the Golden Calf and I have no connection with the need for these clothes.

What is so terrible about the priestly garments? These clothes are indicative of a lack of unity in the kohanim. When they wear their special clothes, the kohanim become shluchei deRachmana and shluchei dedan, our emmisaries to God and God's emmisaries to us. But when they take off the priestly garments, they become private individuals once again. Moses, on the other hand, was a "servant of God" (Deut. 34:5). This was not an honorific title, but a definition of his very essence, regardless of what clothes he wore. Divine service was not a position that Moses took upon himself during the daytime hours, but his defining quality.

God accepted Moses' request and removed him from the portion of Tetzaveh. And indeed Moses had no need for these clothes, but was able to perform the Tabernacle service wearing only a seamless white robe.

(Adapted from Shemuot HaRe'iyah Tetzaveh 1929, quoted in Peninei HaRe'iyah pp. 175-176).

Copyright © 2006 by Chanan Morrison