Two Minute Torah Podcast

Tetzaveh 5771 by Rabbi Rafi Rank

The origin of that familiar saying "Clothes make the man" is unclear, but whoever it was probably ran a scare crow business. Can you think of any other man made by clothing aside from a scare crow? Uhm...I apologize if I've offended the scare crow community—but I do want to say a few words about clothing, especially since this week's parashah, Tetzaveh, details the clothing of the kohen hagadol, the high priest, in biblical times.

Clothing may not make you, but it sure does tell a story about you. In fact, we probably want our clothing to in some way identify us, the reason so many of us actually put phrases on our clothing—like names of sports teams or universities, or sayings like "I love New York," or pregnant women wearing t-shirts that read "Baby on Board." You can tell who is into the latest fashions and who isn't. Youthful fashion tends to emphasize parts of the body as would a mini-skirt or an off-shoulder sweater, or pants worn so low that one's underwear is exposed. Some people take their underwear very seriously.

The kohen hagadol, the high priest, wore a message. He wore a tzitz or a sort of medallion that hung on his headdress and it read, kodesh Ladonai or Holy to God. The phrase was meant to confer a deep sense of responsibility upon him for the entire Jewish people. What a noble way to live.

Of course, Aaron could have situated himself next to Moses and put on a t-shirt that read, "I'm with stupid," but then the message conveyed would be totally at odds with what his function in life actually was. So, the question is—what messages do you dress in each day? Are the messages conveyed the messages you truly want conveyed? Do they reveal you or expose you? Do they inspire others or insult others? Are they elegant or vulgar?

Unless you're a scare crow, your clothing doesn't make you, but it does reveal something about you. Next time you get dressed think seriously about the messages you dress in—it's a mitzvah to communicate clearly and honestly and perhaps others should know that we think seriously about matters other than our underwear.