Shabbat Tetzaveh & Shabbat Zachor
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Polonius tells his son Laertes to dress well because “apparel oft proclaims the man.” Now often expressed as “the clothes maketh the man”. Clothes tell us a lot about a person and this week the Torah devotes a whole chapter to the priests’ clothing. Fans of Haute Couture might find the details significant, but I often wonder why it was so important.
Clothes even today can tell us a lot about status and rank. The only hint of clothes indicating rank in the Torah is the coat of many colors that was given to Joseph by his doting father. The reason why it is mentioned is probably because, as was the custom in the Ancient Middle East, the son of the king, the designated heir, to wear a special striped coat. But apart from Joseph all we have are the details of the clothes that the priests had to wear, and in particular the High Priest.
The Catholic Church specifically imitated the clothes that are mentioned in the Bible. The Latin word Canonicalmeans “as prescribed by the holy texts.” And amongst other rules included the ceremonial attire that priests were expected to wear. When the Protestants split with Rome, they regarded the fancy clothes the Catholic hierarchy wore as excessive. But even they had their standards and styles.
Special clothes were not only for priests. Kings were and still are expected to wear distinctive garments that would display their regal power and how important they were. The military differentiated between clothes worn to go into battle and those that were worn on ceremonial occasions. Until recently diplomats and politicians too, had to turn up in formal wear on important occasions. Every culture has something special to differentiate ‘them from us.’
Apart from the visual impact and the assertion of special status, one of the features of the priestly clothes was to make sure that they were dressed modestly and for that reason the Torah says that they had to have underpants. If they were walking up the ramp to offer a sacrifice on an altar one wouldn’t want the wind to come and blow their skirts up like Marilyn Monroe standing on top of a grid in Manhattan. But more seriously the idea was to serve God with the best, out of respect.
The commandment in the Torah to have special head gear for priests was also the forerunner of the sorts of ornate head covers from the Borsalino worn by Lithuanians to shtreimals adopted by Hasidism. Until the nineteenth century there were no definitive rules. Rabbis around the world were dressed in the local fashions. Now the Black Hat which has come to be the sign of an orthodox Jew , like the kaftan is an imitation of what the upper classes were wearing in the 19th century. In Israel today the kippa one wears from black to psychedelic, is a badge of identity. So are the different black hats.
The Chief Rabbi of Great Britain and the British Empire (as once was), Nathan Marcus Adler (13 January 1803 – 21 January 1890) insisted all his ministers should wear clerical clothes
https://www.willesdenjewishcemetery.org.uk/life-stories-listing/n-m-adler
The 19th century clerical garments in the Church of England even outside of the churches, were rather somber. Black Hat with a cockade, white dog collar and dickey around the neck, the frock coat and gaiters. For Jews to wear such gear offended my sense of Jewish pride. There is indeed a law on the books that says one should not imitate the customs of other religions ( Vayikra 20:23. Rambam Hilchot Avoda Zara 11:1). But as always, we are experts at choosing which customs and laws we feel like following. I refused to wear these canonicals. Which was one of the reasons I would not take a position in the United synagogue because at that time it was still a sine qua non.
There was only one occasion when I gave in for the sake of a close friend. At the Spanish and Portuguese synagogue in New York. An old school friend of mine had his stepson’s Bar Mitzvah there and asked me to give the sermon. I came over from England to do the honors, but the S&P insisted that I wear canonicals. Otherwise, they would not let me participate in the service. Not only that but I also had to go through a rehearsal so that I would know how to walk, where to walk, who to bow to, and conform to the ancient rituals and ceremonials.
The Sephardi rabbinate was much more decorative. The great authority Rav Ovadia Yosef in one of his early responsa insisted that they should not imitate the Ashkenazi world in its dress. Unfortunately, social pressures took their toll. Although some still wear the ancient Sephardi decorative clothes, the majority have capitulated and wear black hats, and frock coats, typical of the central European middle classes of the last century. And the range of distinctive uniforms the Chassidim wear now, owe more to non-Jewish fashions than those mentioned in the Torah.
All this was sparked off by this week’s almost obsessive detail of priestly uniform. I wonder if wearing different clothes on Purim was a way of making fun of people obsessed with appearances. I understand, given the times, and the need to show our commitment to tradition. But canonical dress does strike me as pompous, emphasizing appearance, the outer, instead of the inner.
Shemot 27:20-30:10
Rabbi Jeremy Rosen lives in New York. He was born in Manchester. His writings are concerned with religion, culture, history and current affairs – anything he finds interesting or relevant. They are designed to entertain and to stimulate. Disagreement is always welcome.
