Shabbat Parashat Tzav - 5785

Shabbat Parashat Tzav - 5785

Rabbi Hal Miller

  He shall remove his garments and don other garments and he shall remove the ash to the outside of the camp to a pure place. [Vayikra 6:4]

When the Kohanim are performing their service in the Temple or Mishkan, they are required to wear the specified priestly garments. In our verse the Torah tells them to change out of those garments before performing the task of removing ashes from the Altar to outside the camp. Why must they change clothes? What are these "other garments"?

Rashi does not even call this a commandment, writing, "This is not an obligation but proper conduct, that he should not soil the garments in which he serves while he is taking out the ashes." He then cites a Baraita [Yoma 23b] saying, "One should not pour a cup for his master in the same garments in which he cooked a pot for his master. Therefore he should wear inferior garments" meaning for the ash removal process. Rav Moshe Feinstein extrapolates from this that "even the laws of proper decency and etiquette are incument on the individual" since they even apply to a Kohen while he is serving. According to Rashi's explanation, the purpose of changing clothes here is to protect the garments from getting dirty because that would be an affront to God, while Rav Moshe says the purpose is to teach us derech eretz in general.

Ramban, though, writes "But I do not know on what basis Rashi states that this is not an obligation for it would seem that it is a commandment for the Kohen that the garments in which he performs the offerings, including the separation of the ash, must be clean, thus he may not serve in the same ones in which he removed the ashes." The purpose according to Ramban is not on behalf of the garments that they should be preserved, rather only for the honor of God Who is being served. He notes that some say the change in garments is to inferior holy garments, and that others say the change is to inferior non-holy garments, and Ramban says the plain meaning is like the latter.

If so, this brings up a question as to whether removal of the ashes is in fact a 'service' in the Temple, for if it is, then the Kohen would have to wear the holy garments. Thus Ramban saying they are non-holy garments must hold that this ash removal is not an actual service. If it is not avodah, then it would not be a priestly commandment, like Rashi's holding that it is not such a commandment, yet Ramban disagrees with that Rashi. Perhaps Ramban does not hold that all the service must be performed in those holy garments and there may be exceptions.

Rav Hirsch understands that they are all holy garments, but that the ones the Kohen changes into are merely lesser in value, presumably older and more worn out than the ones he was currently using for the rest of the service.

There are other ways to understand our verse. Or HaChayim, for example, says that it is an analogy for God, "When engaged with disciplining our enemies God wore a set of 'garments', but He will now put on different 'garments' in order to do good with us to take us out of exile." Then, in the Gemara [Yoma 23b] R'Eliezer applies the word 'other' in our verse to the Kohanim instead of to the garments, "This teaches that a blemished Kohen (other) is qualified to remove the ash." But R'Yochanan says that everyone agrees that the removal of ash is an avodah, thus a blemished Kohen may not perform it. As we have seen, Rashi does not concur with R'Yochanan and his 'everyone', so one wonders whether Rashi would allow a blemished Kohen to do the ash removal, although more likely Rashi's understanding of 'other' only applies to garments and not blemished Kohanim.