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Why were bigdei kehunah commanded before the Chet HaEgel, when the Bechorim were still doing the service? The shiur develops a fundamental yesod: there were always two distinct levels—service on the outer altar (for Bechorim, requiring no special garments) and service in the inner Heichal (exclusively for Aharon and his sons, requiring bigdei kehunah). This framework resolves the Ramban (רמב"ן)'s questions on why clothing is a separate mitzvah (מצוה) and illuminates the Yaakov-Esav sale.
Rabbi Zweig addresses a fundamental chronological question arising from the Ramban (רמב"ן)'s position that the parshiyos are in chronological order. If Parshas Terumah and Tetzaveh were commanded before the Chet HaEgel, why are the bigdei kehunah made specifically for Aharon and his sons? According to Rashi (רש"י) at Har Sinai, the service was performed by the Bechorim (firstborn), not by Aharon's family. The Bechorim only lost their right to perform the service after participating in the sin of the Golden Calf. This creates a serious difficulty: at the juncture when these garments are being commanded, the service should still belong to the Bechorim, not to Aharon and his children. The shiur presents three additional related questions. Second, why did Korach wait until much later to agitate for the rights of the Bechorim? If Aharon's appointment was announced immediately at Sinai (according to the Ramban), Korach should have protested right away. Third, the sale of the birthright between Yaakov and Esav becomes incomprehensible. Rashi explains that Esav was concerned about the dangerous laws of the service—such as the capital offense for serving while intoxicated (shesui yayin) or with overgrown hair (pru'a rosh). But these laws only apply in the Mishkan, not on a bamah. If service depends on being a bechor in each generation, what exactly is Esav selling to Yaakov? Yaakov's own firstborn son, Reuven, would be able to serve regardless of any sale. Fourth, the Ramban questions the Rambam (רמב"ם)'s counting of bigdei kehunah as a separate mitzvah (מצוה) in the 613. If clothing is merely a prerequisite for service (like any technical requirement), it should be included within the mitzvah of service itself, not counted separately. Additionally, why does the Rambam omit the four garments worn by the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur?
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Parshas Tetzaveh - Bigdei Kehunah
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