Parashat Tetzavé en Inglés 5786.

Hiletra: TETZAVÉ “The Sanctuary on the Skin: From the garments of Aharon to the adultery of the heart”… Is clothing simply protection against the climate or a statement of fashion? For the Torah, clothing is a sacred language. In Parashat Tetzavé, Hakadosh BarujHu is described in detail like a tailor designing garments for the Cohanim that communicate “honor and beauty.” However, this external beauty has a sentinel: modesty. From the laws of Tzniut in Judaism, which protect the dignity of the woman, to the warnings of Yeshúa about the “covetous gaze,” the message is unanimous: the body is a sanctuary and the eyes are its gates. We do not dress to conceal who we are, but to reveal that our essence is spiritual and not merely physical. This teaching invites us to reflect: if the Cohen Gadol carried the Name of HaShem upon his forehead, what message is our presence sending to the world today? When you dress, you give a message; this portion teaches us about the revelation of the spiritual temple. It is written in Parashat Terumá: “they shall make a sanctuary for Me, and I will dwell among you.” It should say “and I will dwell in the sanctuary,” however it says “I will dwell among you.” Then, is the sacred physical place important? Of course it is, but it is even more important that our life be aligned with that sanctity. Therefore, just as HaShem commanded instructions to build a mishkan and to do well in order to draw the shejiná, likewise there are instructions and spiritual laws that HaShem gives to us so that we may become vessels of His shejiná and of His presence. Our objective, the objective of the people of Israel on this path of life, is to bring the infinite into the finite, to reveal new things.