Clothed in Dignity
This week’s portion, Parshat Tzav, continues the Book of Leviticus’ deep dive into the ancient Temple sacrificial cult. One element that emerges is the detailed description of the Priestly garb. It is a kind of uniform, distinguishing the priest from others in the eyes of the community, and empowering the Kohen to transcend their role as ordinary person to become an agent of God. In a more expansive way, this account reminds us of the many ways we cloak ourselves more figuratively: as authentic extensions of our persona; as disguises that mask our true selves; and as aspirations for who we seek to be. Judaism helps us to integrate all of these cloaks of personhood: our ideal selves with our actual selves–who we were with who we are—and who are with who we can be.