Devar/5771/Tetsaveh
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עברית
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And the stones shall be according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names; like the engravings of a signet, every one according to his name, they shall be for the twelve tribes (Ex 28:21)
The Torah states, you shall make a breastplate of judgment, and it then continues to describe its structure in the following verses. The breastplate of judgment is one of the eight special garments worn by the High Priest; square, and containing four rows of stones. As our verse mentions, the stones correspond to the names of the tribes -- one stone for each tribe, representing all twelve of the tribes.
It further states, And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually (ibid 29). It is possible that by "memorial", the Torah intends that God will recall the Children of Israel favorably when their representative, the High Priest, goes to serve Him, may He be blessed. But it seems more likely to me that it refers to the High Priest's memory; that is, to remind him that he indeed represents the nation of the Holy One, blessed is He, and is only there as a servant.
That it is called the "breastplate of judgment" underscores another aspect. That despite each stone in the breastplate being different from the others, they are all the same size -- and there are no "important" and "less important" stones; rather, they are all crucial for the breastplate. And without the breastplate, the High Priest cannot perform his service. Further, just as a judge must treat the litigants completely equally when they stand before him for judgment, so too must the High Priest consider each and every one of the Children of Israel as equal, and to relate to each of them the same way when he comes to serve on their behalf before God.
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