Febraury 14 • 2019 37
jn
I
often find people come to
me to express their belief
that much of Torah is irrel-
evant in their life, that it is out-
dated. That Jews in the modern
world, without a Mishkan or
Temple, have little to learn
from much of the Torah.
This week’
s portion appears,
at first glance, to be one of
these sections. Tetzaveh dis-
cusses four main things: the
eternal light, the priestly gar-
ments, ordination of the priests
and the burning of incense. Yet,
if we allow ourselves to delve
deeper into the text, we can
surprise ourselves by the depth
of meaning we can discover.
In the discussion of the garments
the priests are required to wear, we
read, “You shall also make for them
linen breeches to cover their naked-
ness; they shall extend from the hips to
the thighs.
” [Exodus 28:42] According
to other verses of Torah, it was not
common for men to wear breeches.
Rather, most people wore long robes
or garments we may consider dress-
es today. The addition of the linen
breeches by the priests was another
layer of modesty being requested by
God. In a time and place where the
question of appropriate dress at work,
school and play is constantly being
questioned, our Torah has an import-
ant lesson to teach us.
Traditionally speaking, modesty is
an important aspect of Jewish practice.
I grew up being told that it was disre-
spectful in temple for my shoulders to
be bare, and it is expected in many of
our congregations that people dress
with a certain level of modesty in
services. This modesty is interpreted
differently in various congregations
but often extends to wearing a kippah
on the bimah, in the sanctuary or
anytime one is in the temple
or synagogue building. These
expectations by the community
are often expressed differently
based on whether one identifies
as male or female. Yet, we also
recognize that for many the
policing of dress is complicated,
especially regarding policy and
our youth.
More and more we have
seen articles come out that the
dress code policies in schools
(and then taken on by congre-
gations) are disproportionately
about what young female
identified individuals may or
may not wear. We write policy
that says a skirt or shorts must pass
their fingertips or that shirts must have
straps that are at least three fingers
wide. Things may not be too tight, and
often an explanation of what pants are
allowed is included. All these things
are subjective and may cause young
female-identified individuals to feel
there is something wrong with their
bodies, which there is not. We are all
made in God’
s image according to
Genesis 1:27.
What can we learn then from this
week’
s portion? We can note that we
need to be careful of our words and
actions. That one’
s clothing choices
need to be appropriate for the setting,
but what is appropriate for one person
may be completely wrong for another.
That we need to teach ourselves not to
judge others based on their appearance
but rather on their merits. We can and
should have community expectations,
but we must also recognize that those
expectations must be shared in a way
that is compassionate and caring, not
judgmental or demeaning. ■
Rabbi Simone Schicker is rabbi at Temple B’
nai
Israel in Kalamazoo.
Rabbi Simone
Schicker
Appropriate
Appearance
Parshat
Tetzaveh:
Exodus
27:20-30:10;
Ezekiel
43:10-27.
spirit
Shout out to our Junior Rebbetzin Zeesy Silberberg
on being included in JN’s 36 under 36
for being an inspiration to so many in Metro Detroit. With
your devotion to Torah values, combined with your Ahavat
Yisroel, you truly embody the message of the Lubavitcher
Rebbe obm, and are a source of great pride to all of us.
Congratulations!
Sara Tugman Bais Chabad Torah Center
Stephen Sobczak - President
Elya Silfen - Vice President
Binyomin Trager - Treasurer
Natalie Lipnik - Secretary