Shabbat Parashat Tzav - 5783

Shabbat Parashat Tzav - 5783

Rabbi Hal Miller

He shall remove his garments and he shall wear other garments, and he shall

remove the ashes to the outside of the camp to a pure place. [Vayikra 6:4]

At first glance, this verse seems pretty simple and self-explanatory. The Torah

commands the Kohen to take off his priestly clothing at this point and to dress in

some other set of clothes, then commands him to take the ashes out of the camp

to a pre-designated place. But the commentators read much into it. All agree that

the sanctified garments he was wearing up to this point are not to be worn while

doing the ash cleanup. All agree that the ashes go out of the camp. But that is

about where the agreement ends.

To begin, Rashi says, "This is not an obligation, but rather proper conduct so that he

should not dirty through taking out the ashes garments which he serves in constantly."

He goes on to say that it would be improper to appear before God in dirty clothes, so

when he takes out the ashes it should be in inferior garments. He also says this task

is only done when necessary, not daily, so presumably the same applies to the garment

change. Rav Hirsch explains this position further when he says that what he changes into

were "older garments that were no longer usable for the other service but still maintained

sanctity". Then Rav Moshe Feinstein adds "the laws of proper decency and etiquette are

incumbent on the individual. If one wears improper garments when decent clothing is

available it is tantamount to an admission that he does not know that he is praying before

the King."

Along comes Ramban. First, he says as does Rav Hirsch that the second set of clothing

"is not unsanctified garments", but then he says that he can't see how Rashi states that

this verse is not an obligation. A Kohen performing the service in the Temple must be in

clean garments, so he would have to change out of whatever he was wearing when he

took out the ashes, and the process would ruin a good set had he not changed before

the removing. Thus there were "superior" and "inferior" garments. He then cites Yoma

[23b] where the Gemora says that the removal does not require priestly garments, but

should be done in "unconsecrated garments". Thus our verse is in fact a commandment,

requiring the Kohen not to dirty the sacred garments but to wear unconsecrated ones.

Sefer HaChinuch agrees with Ramban that it "is a positive mitzvah that the kohen remove

the ashes daily from the altar." He says that the Torah does not command "technical

details" without specific reason, thus the change of clothes is also a commandment.

Rabbeinu Bechaye ben Asher tells us that "even for the menial task of lifting the ashes the

Torah commands the Kohen to wear graceful holy garments" explaining that "all religious

assignments should be carried out in a worthy and decorous manner". From this we see

that he agrees with Ramban as well that our verse is commandments, but agrees with

Rav Hirsch that the clothes worn for the ash removal are consecrated, just at some

lesser level.

So, for a verse that seems innocuous, there are a lot of different understandings!