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Why do the names of the twelve tribes appear prominently on the Kohen Gadol's Choshen, and why does Hashem (ה׳) forecast the deaths of Nadav and Avihu? The shiur develops a yesod that the Mishkan embodies both divine authority and fatherly love—Hashem sets boundaries (v'nikdashti b'chvodi) but does so to help each Jew achieve their unique identity, just as Yaakov's mussar enabled each shevet to become a "name."
Rabbi Zweig opens with the perennial challenge of Parshas Tetzaveh: how do we connect to parshiyos filled with measurements and construction details that seem distant from daily life? He focuses on two puzzling features of this week's parsha. First, Hashem (ה׳) forecasts an event that will occur when the Mishkan is erected—"v'nikdashti b'chvodi," I will be sanctified in My honor. Rashi (רש"י) explains this refers to the deaths of Nadav and Avihu, Aharon's two sons who will come too close to the Divine Presence. Why does Hashem announce this terrifying event in advance? Is He trying to scare the people? And why is this tragedy described as a "sanctification"?
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Tetzaveh (Shemos 28:9-12, 28:29)
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