The Weekly Dvar Torah
Volume I Issue #20
The Cohen Gadol
Yom Kippur
Adapted from the wisdom of Rav Meir Simcha HaCohen of Dvinsk from the Meshech Chochmoh and Rav Tzadok HaCohen from Pri Tzadik and other works.
By Rav Yitzchak Schwartz Rosh Yeshiva Orchos Chaim Jerusalem
yschwartz@orchos.org.
This publication, Zichron Yehoshua, is in memory of Yehoshua Yakov ben Moshe-Jeffrey Nussbaum through a generous grant from Dr. Eric Nussbaum and family.
Rav Meir Simcha of Dvinsk calls our attention to a highly unusual wording found in the Yom Kippur liturgy. We beseech Hashem saying "You are the one who forgives the nation of Israel and the one who pardons the tribes of Yeshurun in every generation." The blessing describes the Jewish people in two ways. It first labels them the "nation of Israel" and then it refers to them as "the tribes" from which the nation was originally comprised. This latter way of referring to the Jewish people is strange considering that we do not find it in any other prayers that our sages instituted. Furthermore, the blessing ends with the phrase "in every generation". Given that our nation is no longer divided into tribes, how is the "pardoning of the tribes" relevant for us today?
Another interesting aspect of the Yom Kippur service took place in the Holy Temple. On Yom Kippur the High Priest – Cohen Gadol would enter the Holy of Holies to seek forgiveness for the Jewish people. Normally when the High Priest officiated in the Temple he wore eight special garments that distinguished him from the ordinary Cohanim who only wore four special garments. On Yom Kippur the High Priest was not allowed to wear his special garments, while he performed the day's special services in the Holy of Holies. Instead, he served in the same attire as a regular Cohen. Furthermore, he was required to have a different robe called a – kesones during the morning and the afternoon services on Yom Kippur. However, during the morning service he was required to wear a robe made from the finest and most expensive linen whereas for the afternoon he wore one of lower quality and value.
One of the reasons that the Cohen Gadol was not allowed to wear his special garments on Yom Kippur is because they contained golden threads. Gold was the material that the Jews used to make the golden calf when they were in the desert. The worshiping of an idol is considered a grievous sin by the Torah. Our sages commented that it would be inappropriate for the Cohen Gadol to serve as an advocate for forgiveness while adorning himself with a material that would invoke, albeit unintentionally, the idolatrous sin of the golden calf.
In order to better understand these seeming enigmas, Rav Meir Simcha draws our attention to the Book of Shemos 32:34. The Torah there relates how Hashem granted Moshe's entreaty and agreed not to destroy the entire nation in retribution for the sin of the golden calf. Hashem told Moshe that He would instead dispense the punishment in small doses over the course of all future generations. Every time that Hashem would need to punish the Jewish people of a future era for their own sins, Hashem would also mete out a small bit of additional punishment because of the sin of the golden calf.
Rav Meir Simcha explains that in every generation on the holiest of days, Yom Kippur, the Cohen Gadol was charged with the duty to seek forgiveness for the entire Jewish nation. Inasmuch as he was to seek total forgiveness for all of their current sins he would also have to contend with the perpetually plaguing sin of the golden calf. Herein lays the reason for the prohibition for the Cohen Gadol to wear his golden garments on Yom Kippur. The task of the Cohen Gadol on Yom Kippur was to ask Hashem to forgive the people's sins and have mercy on them. Were the Cohen Gadol to wear his special gilded garments it would recall the time when the Jewish people used the gold to rebel against Hashem. Since the Cohen Gadol was asking Hashem to forgive their current sins he was in effect also inextricably asking for forgiveness for the sin of the golden calf. Consequentially, the Cohen Gadol could not decorate himself with his usual gilded garments, given the inextricable link between the sin of the Golden calf and the sins of all future Jewish generations.
Rav Meir Simcha goes on to point out that we find that there is another biblical sin that was never fully atoned for, i.e. the sin of the sale of Josef by his brothers. The Midrash on Mishle 1:13 states that in every generation a heavenly prosecutor demands that this horrible sin be atoned for. The Midrash adds that the death of the Ten Martyrs of Israel, which we commemorate in our Yom Kippur liturgy with a moving prayer, was in retribution for the seizure and sale of Joseph by his ten brothers. Rav Meir Simcha posits that whenever Hashem punishes the Jewish people of a particular time period for their own sins, the sin of the sale of Josef is thrown into the heavenly prosecutor's indictments against the Jews of that era too.
It is interesting to note that Josef's brothers were extremely jealous of him and their jealousy was further fueled by the gift that their father Jacob gave solely to Josef. This gift, as is well known, was an especially distinguished looking robe a – kesones. After the brothers sold Josef into slavery they tricked their father into thinking that Josef was killed by a wild animal by removing Josef's robe – kesones of distinction and dipping it into the blood of an animal and then presented it to Jacob as evidence of Josef's purported demise. Upon seeing the blood stained robe Jacob was convinced that Josef had been killed.
The Talmud teaches us that each of the Cohen Gadol's eight gilded garments had a specific symbolism and served as atonement for particular transgressions. The robe – kesones served as atonement for acts of murder (tractate Zevochim 98). It was for this reason that the robe of the Cohen Gadol during the morning service of Yom Kippur had to be of the highest quality and value. The robe symbolized the treachery and deceit that the brothers committed by dipping Josef's robe in blood to fool their father into thinking that Josef's blood had been spilled. The elegance of the morning robe thereby served as a reminder of the severity of the sin that one man commits against his fellow.
Over the robe that the Cohen Gadol wore, he placed the priestly breast plate. This was called the choshen. On Yom Kippur the Cohen Gadol was not allowed to wear the choshen. Rav Meir Simcha explains that this is because the choshen contained twelve precious stones that were engraved with the names of the twelve tribes. When the Cohen Gadol presented it with a question of national importance, the stones on the choshen had the miraculous capability to light up. Different letters of the engraved names of the twelve tribes would light up in a sequence that spelled out the prophetic answer to the question that was asked. On Yom Kippur it would not be prudent for the Cohen Gadol to wear the choshen since it served as a commemoration of the twelve tribes, and thereby the sin of the sale of Josef would again rear its ugly head. The brothers of Josef, whose names are engraved on the stones of the breast plate, would reinforce the indictment of this horrible sin. Thus it would be better for the Cohen Gadol to serve with an undecorated robe so that the stones that bear the names of the ones guilty of this horrible crime not be recalled.
Rav Meir Simcha adds that when the nation of Israel was split into two kingdoms after the death of King Solomon the special stones ceased to light up in response to any query. Since the tribes were now at odds with each other, their names could no longer light up in tandem. Due to the state of disunity that pervaded the Jewish nation at that time, the choshen could no longer serve as a medium to communicate the will of Hashem. This was also the reason the Holy of Holies was built on a piece of land that belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. Benjamin was the only one among his brothers who did not take part in the sin of the sale of Josef. The Holy of Holies was the place where every year on Yom Kippur the Cohen Gadol would enter and seek forgiveness for all of our sins. Had the Holy of Holies been built on land belonging to any of the other tribes who so callously ignored Josef's pleas for mercy, it would have hampered the efficacy of the Cohen Gadol's prayer that Hashem forgive of our sins.
When the Jewish people transgress the commandments that involve the relationship between man and his creator, Hashem punishes them for their own sins but also includes a bit of punishment for the sin of the golden calf. When they are guilty of sins in the realm of commandments between man and his fellow Hashem adds a remnant of the punishment of the sin of the sale of Josef. Just as the Cohen Gadol was instructed to garb himself with modesty and caution, so as not to recall these horrific sins, so too we should do everything within our power to repent and correct our conduct in these two areas of Torah observance. Although on Yom Kippur we must confess our sins to G-d, we must be even more zealous, to refine our conduct with our fellow man so that it is in total compliance with Torah Law and human decency. This lesson was symbolized by the intricate laws that governed the robe - kesones of the Cohen Gadol on Yom Kippur.
Now we can understand the unusual blessing that we recite in the Yom Kippur Amida prayer. "You [Hashem] are the one who forgives the nation of Israel and the one who pardons the tribes of Yeshurun in every generation." Hashem's mercy is employed in two areas. Firstly, Hashem forgives our transgressions against Him. Hashem then goes further and pardons us for the "sin of the tribes", i.e. the sin of the brothers of Josef that manifests itself over and over in every generation in the repugnant and insensitive behavior that we sometimes display towards our brethren. This Yom Kippur let us all work to elevate our conduct in all areas of the Torah's commandments. Let us strive to be worthy to reflect the pure light of Hashem in this world in both our interpersonal relationships as well as our Divine service. May we all merit being the recipients of G-d's abundant forgiveness.
During this special time of year I would like to make a personal appeal from all those who benefit and enjoy these divrei Torah. Please send in your generous support for our Yeshiva Orchos Chaim. May the merit of supporting Torah stand as a good advocate for you and your families for a healthy and successful new year. Your donations can be made by sending me, yschwartz@orchos.org an email and our office will contact you to inform you of the different ways that you can send in your donations.
By Rav Yitzchak Schwartz Rosh Yeshiva Orchos Chaim Jerusalem
yschwartz@orchos.org.
This publication, Zichron Yehoshua, is in memory of Yehoshua Yakov ben Moshe-Jeffrey Nussbaum through a generous grant from Dr. Eric Nussbaum and family.
Rav Meir Simcha of Dvinsk calls our attention to a highly unusual wording found in the Yom Kippur liturgy. We beseech Hashem saying "You are the one who forgives the nation of Israel and the one who pardons the tribes of Yeshurun in every generation." The blessing describes the Jewish people in two ways. It first labels them the "nation of Israel" and then it refers to them as "the tribes" from which the nation was originally comprised. This latter way of referring to the Jewish people is strange considering that we do not find it in any other prayers that our sages instituted. Furthermore, the blessing ends with the phrase "in every generation". Given that our nation is no longer divided into tribes, how is the "pardoning of the tribes" relevant for us today?
Another interesting aspect of the Yom Kippur service took place in the Holy Temple. On Yom Kippur the High Priest – Cohen Gadol would enter the Holy of Holies to seek forgiveness for the Jewish people. Normally when the High Priest officiated in the Temple he wore eight special garments that distinguished him from the ordinary Cohanim who only wore four special garments. On Yom Kippur the High Priest was not allowed to wear his special garments, while he performed the day's special services in the Holy of Holies. Instead, he served in the same attire as a regular Cohen. Furthermore, he was required to have a different robe called a – kesones during the morning and the afternoon services on Yom Kippur. However, during the morning service he was required to wear a robe made from the finest and most expensive linen whereas for the afternoon he wore one of lower quality and value.
One of the reasons that the Cohen Gadol was not allowed to wear his special garments on Yom Kippur is because they contained golden threads. Gold was the material that the Jews used to make the golden calf when they were in the desert. The worshiping of an idol is considered a grievous sin by the Torah. Our sages commented that it would be inappropriate for the Cohen Gadol to serve as an advocate for forgiveness while adorning himself with a material that would invoke, albeit unintentionally, the idolatrous sin of the golden calf.
In order to better understand these seeming enigmas, Rav Meir Simcha draws our attention to the Book of Shemos 32:34. The Torah there relates how Hashem granted Moshe's entreaty and agreed not to destroy the entire nation in retribution for the sin of the golden calf. Hashem told Moshe that He would instead dispense the punishment in small doses over the course of all future generations. Every time that Hashem would need to punish the Jewish people of a future era for their own sins, Hashem would also mete out a small bit of additional punishment because of the sin of the golden calf.
Rav Meir Simcha explains that in every generation on the holiest of days, Yom Kippur, the Cohen Gadol was charged with the duty to seek forgiveness for the entire Jewish nation. Inasmuch as he was to seek total forgiveness for all of their current sins he would also have to contend with the perpetually plaguing sin of the golden calf. Herein lays the reason for the prohibition for the Cohen Gadol to wear his golden garments on Yom Kippur. The task of the Cohen Gadol on Yom Kippur was to ask Hashem to forgive the people's sins and have mercy on them. Were the Cohen Gadol to wear his special gilded garments it would recall the time when the Jewish people used the gold to rebel against Hashem. Since the Cohen Gadol was asking Hashem to forgive their current sins he was in effect also inextricably asking for forgiveness for the sin of the golden calf. Consequentially, the Cohen Gadol could not decorate himself with his usual gilded garments, given the inextricable link between the sin of the Golden calf and the sins of all future Jewish generations.
Rav Meir Simcha goes on to point out that we find that there is another biblical sin that was never fully atoned for, i.e. the sin of the sale of Josef by his brothers. The Midrash on Mishle 1:13 states that in every generation a heavenly prosecutor demands that this horrible sin be atoned for. The Midrash adds that the death of the Ten Martyrs of Israel, which we commemorate in our Yom Kippur liturgy with a moving prayer, was in retribution for the seizure and sale of Joseph by his ten brothers. Rav Meir Simcha posits that whenever Hashem punishes the Jewish people of a particular time period for their own sins, the sin of the sale of Josef is thrown into the heavenly prosecutor's indictments against the Jews of that era too.
It is interesting to note that Josef's brothers were extremely jealous of him and their jealousy was further fueled by the gift that their father Jacob gave solely to Josef. This gift, as is well known, was an especially distinguished looking robe a – kesones. After the brothers sold Josef into slavery they tricked their father into thinking that Josef was killed by a wild animal by removing Josef's robe – kesones of distinction and dipping it into the blood of an animal and then presented it to Jacob as evidence of Josef's purported demise. Upon seeing the blood stained robe Jacob was convinced that Josef had been killed.
The Talmud teaches us that each of the Cohen Gadol's eight gilded garments had a specific symbolism and served as atonement for particular transgressions. The robe – kesones served as atonement for acts of murder (tractate Zevochim 98). It was for this reason that the robe of the Cohen Gadol during the morning service of Yom Kippur had to be of the highest quality and value. The robe symbolized the treachery and deceit that the brothers committed by dipping Josef's robe in blood to fool their father into thinking that Josef's blood had been spilled. The elegance of the morning robe thereby served as a reminder of the severity of the sin that one man commits against his fellow.
Over the robe that the Cohen Gadol wore, he placed the priestly breast plate. This was called the choshen. On Yom Kippur the Cohen Gadol was not allowed to wear the choshen. Rav Meir Simcha explains that this is because the choshen contained twelve precious stones that were engraved with the names of the twelve tribes. When the Cohen Gadol presented it with a question of national importance, the stones on the choshen had the miraculous capability to light up. Different letters of the engraved names of the twelve tribes would light up in a sequence that spelled out the prophetic answer to the question that was asked. On Yom Kippur it would not be prudent for the Cohen Gadol to wear the choshen since it served as a commemoration of the twelve tribes, and thereby the sin of the sale of Josef would again rear its ugly head. The brothers of Josef, whose names are engraved on the stones of the breast plate, would reinforce the indictment of this horrible sin. Thus it would be better for the Cohen Gadol to serve with an undecorated robe so that the stones that bear the names of the ones guilty of this horrible crime not be recalled.
Rav Meir Simcha adds that when the nation of Israel was split into two kingdoms after the death of King Solomon the special stones ceased to light up in response to any query. Since the tribes were now at odds with each other, their names could no longer light up in tandem. Due to the state of disunity that pervaded the Jewish nation at that time, the choshen could no longer serve as a medium to communicate the will of Hashem. This was also the reason the Holy of Holies was built on a piece of land that belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. Benjamin was the only one among his brothers who did not take part in the sin of the sale of Josef. The Holy of Holies was the place where every year on Yom Kippur the Cohen Gadol would enter and seek forgiveness for all of our sins. Had the Holy of Holies been built on land belonging to any of the other tribes who so callously ignored Josef's pleas for mercy, it would have hampered the efficacy of the Cohen Gadol's prayer that Hashem forgive of our sins.
When the Jewish people transgress the commandments that involve the relationship between man and his creator, Hashem punishes them for their own sins but also includes a bit of punishment for the sin of the golden calf. When they are guilty of sins in the realm of commandments between man and his fellow Hashem adds a remnant of the punishment of the sin of the sale of Josef. Just as the Cohen Gadol was instructed to garb himself with modesty and caution, so as not to recall these horrific sins, so too we should do everything within our power to repent and correct our conduct in these two areas of Torah observance. Although on Yom Kippur we must confess our sins to G-d, we must be even more zealous, to refine our conduct with our fellow man so that it is in total compliance with Torah Law and human decency. This lesson was symbolized by the intricate laws that governed the robe - kesones of the Cohen Gadol on Yom Kippur.
Now we can understand the unusual blessing that we recite in the Yom Kippur Amida prayer. "You [Hashem] are the one who forgives the nation of Israel and the one who pardons the tribes of Yeshurun in every generation." Hashem's mercy is employed in two areas. Firstly, Hashem forgives our transgressions against Him. Hashem then goes further and pardons us for the "sin of the tribes", i.e. the sin of the brothers of Josef that manifests itself over and over in every generation in the repugnant and insensitive behavior that we sometimes display towards our brethren. This Yom Kippur let us all work to elevate our conduct in all areas of the Torah's commandments. Let us strive to be worthy to reflect the pure light of Hashem in this world in both our interpersonal relationships as well as our Divine service. May we all merit being the recipients of G-d's abundant forgiveness.
During this special time of year I would like to make a personal appeal from all those who benefit and enjoy these divrei Torah. Please send in your generous support for our Yeshiva Orchos Chaim. May the merit of supporting Torah stand as a good advocate for you and your families for a healthy and successful new year. Your donations can be made by sending me, yschwartz@orchos.org an email and our office will contact you to inform you of the different ways that you can send in your donations.