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