Our clothes are communicative. When we wear them, we convey a message, be that subtle or explicit, to those who see us. Clothes, therefore, are quiet stories that we tell each day. When God tells us to wear certain clothes, He is telling us a story, or teaching us one that we must tell ourselves.

The Kohen Gadol, the High Priest, had to wear eight pieces of clothing while serving in the Mishkan. The centrality of these clothes indicates their importance. Almost half of this week’s parasha is spent describing them. Each is detailed with great specificity. Each contains its own purpose and symbolism. One of these is the Meil: a long blue overcoat. The Torah describes how this coat must be hemmed by little pomegranates and bells which hang off its edge.

וְהָיָ֥ה עַֽל־אַהֲרֹ֖ן לְשָׁרֵ֑ת וְנִשְׁמַ֣ע ק֠וֹלוֹ בְּבֹא֨וֹ אֶל־הַקֹּ֜דֶשׁ לִפְנֵ֧י יְקֹוָ֛ק וּבְצֵאת֖וֹ וְלֹ֥א יָמֽוּת: (שמות כח:לה)

Aharon shall wear it while serving, so that his voice/sound (קולו) is heard when he comes into the Holy (Sanctuary) before God and when he goes out, so he will not die. (Shemot 28:35)

Due to these bells, a soft tinkling would be heard as the Kohen Gadol entered the Mishkan. Various commentators explain why this was needed. Rashbam[1] explains that it sounded a warning for everyone except the Kohen Gadol to leave the vicinity. Nobody was allowed to be in the Mishkan when the Kohen Gadol was performing services within it. They would hear him coming and leave. Ramban[2] adds that this was also a signal for the place that he would enter. You do not just barge into the King’s inner court. Likewise, you do not simply stroll into the inner sanctuary. You get permission and signal your intent before entry. The tinkling of the bells does just this.

Perhaps a further explanation, one which works with these prior ideas, can be suggested by looking at the Meil in a broader context. An overarching theme is present throughout all of the parshiyot which describe the building of the Mishkan and its contents: there is deliberate mirroring between the construction of the Mishkan and God’s creation of the world. This can be seen in many ways. Textually, there are repeated and shared expressions used in the descriptions of both the creation of the world and of the construction of the Mishkan. In Midrash and tefillah, there are numerous examples comparing or coalescing these two acts of creation. Perhaps this parallel is best known to us in its Halakhic form: The “ל”ט מלאכות – the 39 forms of labour” that are forbidden on Shabbat, are derived from the different activities through which the Mishkan was constructed. The observance of Shabbat is testimony to God’s creation of the world. As God rested from the creation of the world, we rest from the activities that created the Mishkan.

There is symmetry here. The world is the home God built for us. The Mishkan is the home we built for God. Within this profound model, the Kohen Gadol mirrors Adam at the time of creation. Man was put into the world, and the Kohen Gadol is placed in the Mishkan, to serve God.

However, almost as soon as Man was created, tragedy struck: despite the mortal peril, baited by the snake, Man ate from the one tree whose fruit was forbidden. When the haze of sin lifted, the realization of what they had done began to dawn on them:

וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֞וּ אֶת־ק֨וֹל ה’ אֱלֹהִ֛ים מִתְהַלֵּ֥ךְ בַּגָּ֖ן לְר֣וּחַ הַיּ֑וֹם וַיִּתְחַבֵּ֨א הָֽאָדָ֜ם וְאִשְׁתּ֗וֹ מִפְּנֵי֙ ה’ אֱלֹהִ֔ים בְּת֖וֹךְ עֵ֥ץ הַגָּֽן: וַיִּקְרָ֛א ה’ אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶל־הָֽאָדָ֑ם וַיֹּ֥אמֶר ל֖וֹ אַיֶּֽכָּה: וַיֹּ֕אמֶר אֶת־קֹלְךָ֥ שָׁמַ֖עְתִּי בַּגָּ֑ן וָאִירָ֛א כִּֽי־עֵירֹ֥ם אָנֹ֖כִי וָאֵחָבֵֽא: (בראשית ג:ח-י)

They heard the voice (קול) of Hashem-God moving about in the garden with the breeze of the day; and the Man and his wife hid from Hashem-God among the trees of the garden. Hashem-God called out to the Man and said to him, “Where are you?” He replied, “I heard Your voice (קולך) in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” (Bereishit 3:8-10)

God metes out punishments to the snake, the woman, and the man, and then:

And Hashem-God made garments of skins for Adam and his wife, and clothed them… and Hashem-God banished Man from the Garden of Eden, to work the earth from which it was taken. He was driven out; and east of the Garden of Eden were stationed the “כרובים–cherubs” and the fiery ever-turning sword, to guard the way to the Tree of Life. (Ibid: 21-23)

Man’s sin catches up with him. The “קול-voice” of God eerily reverberates through the garden. Man hides from it before it even speaks. He is naked in both body and soul and feels it. His crime and the death that will be its consequence are clear for all to see. God, in His mercy, gives him clothes to cover his shame. He is banished from the garden. The path to Eden is locked, “כרובים-cherubs” and a spinning sword (the threat of impending death), blocking any return.

Yet God gives Man a second chance. He gives him clothes, with very specific instructions: The Kohen Gadol’s coat must carry bells. This ensures that the “קול-voice” returns. This time, it is not sound of God but the sound of Man. “ונשמע קולו בבואו אל הקודש” – his voice will be heard when he comes to The Holy (Sanctuary).” Man heard God’s voice and fled. How can that be fixed? Simply. The voice must be heard again. If you can no longer hear God’s voice, make sure he hears yours.

The symmetry is striking: The sound of God’s voice travels through the garden. Man hid because he was naked. God clothed him and banished him from the Garden. The Kohen Gadol, a representative of every man, is invited into the Mishkan; he is given special clothes that he must wear. As long as he is clothed, he can enter with no need to hide. The sound of the Kohen Gadol travels through the Mishkan as he reaches out to God.

God’s voice reached out for man and found him wanting. But when man wants, his voice can reach God. “ונשמע קולו בבואו אל הקודש – his voice will be heard when he enters the sanctuary”. The Mishkan does not just mirror the creation of the world and the idyllic state of Eden; it gives us a way of almost returning to it. Just like the “כרובים-cherubs” stationed at the entrance of Eden, God’s voice once again comes from between the two “כרובים-cherubs” which sit upon the Aron HaBrit[3]. We may never find our way back to Eden, but we can get close.

God has far more patience than man. Man could not go a day without running from the voice of God. But a lifetime can pass, and God will not run from Man. He created a way that Man could always return to Him. We might not always listen to God’s voice, but we can always share our voice with Him: “ונשמע קולו בבואו אל הקודש – his voice will be heard when enters the Holy.”

[1] Commentary on Shemot 28:35

[2] Commentary on Shemot 28:35

[3] See Bamidbar 7:89

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)