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Shabbos Parashas Acharei-Mos/Kedoshim - 5778

Shabbos Parashas Acharei-Mos/Kedoshim - 5778

Rabbi Hal Miller

Aharon shall come to the tent of meeting, he shall remove the linen vestments that

he had worn when he entered the Sanctuary, and he shall leave them there.

[Vayikra 16:23]

Most of the commentators note that our verse seems out of place. The service of

the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur is specified in verses 22 through 25, but our verse

should actually be last chronologically. Why did the Torah put it here?

First we need to understand what Aharon was to do in our verse. Toras Kohanim asks,

"Although the verse seems to be saying that Aharon entered the Sanctuary in order to

change his clothes, he would not have undressed there, nor would he have left his

clothes there indefinitely as it appears to imply." Clearly, there is some other purpose.

The Gemora [Yoma 32a] addresses this:

The Rabbis taught in a Baraisa, "Aharon shall come to the tent of meeting". Why does

he come? He comes only to remove the ladle and the coal-pan. For the entire passage

is stated in chronological order except for this verse. What is the reason? Rav Chisda

said, We have learned that the Kohen Gadol performs five immersions and ten

sanctifications on the day. But if this was in the order of the service you will find only

three immersions and six sanctifications.

Rashi explains this Gemora by noting the clothing that the Kohen Gadol wears for each of

the tasks involved. Artscroll on the Gemora lays this out chronologically:

a) the morning tamid, during which the Kohen Gadol wears his golden vestments, and

some of the mussaf offerings;

b) the special Yom Kippur service, consisting of the Kohen Gadol's bull and the he-goat

chatas offering, with their blood applications, and the incense service (white linen

vestments), and the sending of the goat to Azazel;

c) the ram olah offerings of the Kohen Gadol and the people (golden vestments) and the

remaining mussaf offering;

d) the removal of the ladle and coal-pan (white linen vestments);

e) the afternoon tamid offering, the incense burning and kindling the Menorah (golden

vestments).

This explains the five immersions, since he has to immerse for each change of clothes.

We also note that he brought the ladle and coal-pan in during the verses 12-13 activity,

but we never see specification of his bringing them back out. There was no place in the

Sanctuary to collect clothing, ladles, and coal-pans, so they had to come out some

time. A close reading of our verse shows that the "leave them there" refers to Aharon

coming to the tent of meeting, and only refers to the Sanctuary to identify which

clothes were involved. What did he do on this trip into the Sanctuary? We are not told

directly. But counting the number of times that he could have immersed, we can see

that whatever it was had to be something that gets done in white garments, and had to

occur at this point in the order of service.

We know he had to retrieve the ladle and coal-pan. We know that would have been done

in white garments. We know it would have to be before the final sacrifices that end the

service, because he would not be allowed to re-enter outside of this service. We know

he needed to make five immersions, between changes of clothing. It adds up.

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