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Are the priestly garments merely a uniform for Temple service, or do they confer dignity and investiture upon the Kohanim? The shiur develops a fundamental machloket between the Behag/Ramban (רמב"ן) and the Rambam (רמב"ם)/Rashi (רש"י) regarding whether bigdei kehuna are subordinate to the avoda or constitute a separate mitzvah (מצוה) that elevates the wearer, explaining why Parshas Tetzaveh stands apart from Terumah.
This shiur explores the fundamental question of why the Torah (תורה) divides the material about the Mishkan into two separate parshiyot—Terumah and Tetzaveh. While Terumah deals with the sanctuary and most of its vessels, Tetzaveh focuses on the priestly garments and the Kohanim themselves. Rabbi Zweig suggests this division reflects a deeper conceptual split in understanding the nature of the Mishkan service. The shiur begins with a technical analysis of two pesukim (Shemos 28:35 and 28:43) that discuss the consequence of a Kohen serving without the proper garments. Rashi (רש"י) learns from both pesukim that a Kohen lacking garments (mechusar begadim) is liable to death by the hands of Heaven. The Ramban (רמב"ן) raises several difficulties: Why does the Torah state this law twice? Why is one mention placed after only the third garment (the me'il)? How can there be liability for exiting (u'betzeso) when no service is being performed? The Ramban proposes that one pasuk addresses the pants (michnasayim) specifically, while the other addresses the remaining seven garments, and that the me'il pasuk is merely teaching proper etiquette, not liability.
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Shemos 28:35, 28:43
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