T orah P ortion
CAN DL E L IGHTIN G
Are You What You Wear?
BY RABBI ABE FRIEDMAN
Parshat Tetzaveh
MEL FEYNMAN, the father of
Nobel Prize-winning American
physicist Richard P. Feynman,
worked as a uniform salesman.

In his memoirs, Feynman
describes how his father’s profes-
sion led to one of the defining
lessons of his life:
“One of the things that my
father taught me besides physics
— whether it’s correct or not
— was a disrespect for certain
kinds of things … One time we
were looking at a picture of the
pope and everybody bowing in
front of him. My father said,
‘Now, look at those humans.

Here’s one human standing here,
and all these others are bowing
in front of him. Now what’s the
difference? … this difference is
the hat he’s wearing.’ (If it was a
general, it was the epaulets. It was
always the costume, the uniform,
Feb. 11
Feb. 18
the position.) ‘But,’ he said, ‘this
man has the same problems as
everybody else ...’” (Richard P.

Feynman, “What Do You Care
What Other People Think?”, 18)
This week’s Torah portion,
Tetzaveh, which describes
in minute detail the various
garments worn by the kohanim
(priests) during their service,
seems likely to provoke the same
question: Why all the fancy
clothes? Is there anything truly
special about these kohanim, or
is it just their special outfits?
Even as God designates the
Levites and kohanim to serve in
the Mishkan, the Israelites are
just weeks out of Egypt; the same
people who now take on a central
leadership role were, not too long
ago, toiling in the sun along with
everyone else. By what right do
they now separate themselves
from the rest of the Israelites,
living by a higher standard of
purity and religious devotion?
Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehudah
Berlin (Russia, 1817-1893) answers
this question with a powerful
insight into human behavior:
The way we dress and the way
we act are closely related to one
another. If the kohanim — until
recently, ordinary Israelites just
like everyone else – were to start
holding themselves to a different
measure of religious piety, they
could quickly come to believe
that their status was somehow
inherent in them, rather than
granted by God’s decree. They
would become arrogant, aloof,
perhaps even abusive — qualities
that go against the most basic
values of spiritual leadership.

Donning the uniform, an
external signifier of the role they
were to play, served to remind
the kohanim at all times that
their role as leaders is actually
a responsibility they take
on — an act of service for the
collective good — not personal
aggrandizement. Around this time last year,
before BZBI reopened for those
who want to attend in person, I
mentioned in a d’var Torah that
not only was I wearing a suit and
tie each week, which everyone
on the Zoom meeting could see,
but I had also put on proper
dress shoes — which remained
off-camera, even when we stood
for the Amidah. Why bother?
What difference did it make if I
wore oxfords, sneakers, flip flops
or fluffy bedroom slippers?
The shoes themselves
certainly made no difference to
the congregation — but they had
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a strong influence on my spiri-
tual and mental frame. My sense
of presence and focus, my aware-
ness of a rabbi’s responsibility to
lead and guide, to comfort and
support, were indelibly shaped
by my choice to “dress the part.”
I am the same person
wherever I go, but I understand
my role differently wearing a
suit to a wedding than when I
wear swim trunks at the beach.

I’m going to enjoy myself either
way, but they are definitely not
the same situation.

Parshat Tetzaveh offers all of
us a reminder that we choose
how we want to show up in each
of life’s encounters — and we
must choose deliberately and
thoughtfully. l
Rabbi Abe Friedman is the senior
rabbi at Temple Beth Zion-Beth
Israel in Philadelphia. The Board
of Rabbis of Greater Philadelphia
is proud to provide diverse
perspectives on Torah commentary
for the Jewish Exponent. The
opinions expressed in this column
are the author’s own and do not
reflect the view of the Board of
Rabbis. Kiddush HaShem
Bob was evacuated by helicopter from up-state New York to HUP.

His wife and adult daughter drove through the night, arriving Friday morning.

They were lodged by a couple who were members of Beth Zion-Beth Israel.

“Thank you both for your hospitality. Sharing your Sabbath meal Friday night
was a wonderful experience. I am strong in my faith and
sharing your faith with me brought me much calm and peace.”
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