A thought on פרשת תצוה
ונתת אל חושן המשפט את האורים ואת התומים
"...within the breastplate you shall place the Urim and Turim..." (28:30)
The Kohen Gadol, the High Priest serving in the Holiest of Places, wore a breastplate in which were set gemstones. This is well described in the Torah and was one culmination of the mitzvos which were given us in constructing garments and ornaments for the kohanim.
One of the curious points in our parsha is that the instruction about this Urim and that Tumim makes its first appearance here. Nowhere in the Torah's commandments about constructing the garments and ornaments was there mention of these items or objects. We were told to make a robe, a cloak, a belt, a breastplate, a turban...but there was no prior mention of making Urim v'Tumim. To add to our puzzle, they are given the ha prefix which makes them the Urim and the Tumim. That implies that we already know what they are! So what were they and what were they for?
Since we have not seen the Urim v'Tumim, we must go on what our tradition tells us. It is our mesora that the Urim v'Tumim lit up, or perhaps illuminated the letters which were engraved upon the breastplate. The sequence of lit letters, glowing beneath the various gemstones, or glowing because of the light shed by those sparkling gemstones, could be deciphered in giving a Divine message. This was their function. But what was their actual nature? What were the Urim v'Tumim?
As we probe deeper into the writings of our sages, beginning with the Gaonim and leading to our greatest Rishonim, we find that there are three prominent views about the nature of the Urim v'Tumim. Some hold that they were synonymous with the gemstones (which would explain why they are not mentioned in the commandment phase; they were mentioned but were termed gemstones.) When those gemstones lit up, they took on the Urim v'Tumim function.
Others hold that they were signs or images with mystical connotations. The Kohen Gadol would meditate and his inspiration would lead him to enlightenment in channeling or "divining" the Word of HaShem. Why there was no prior commandment about constructing these images or signs would remain hidden from us.
The Recanati takes the third view and illuminates the matter for us: the Urim v'Tumim were not made. They were not among the donations crafted by skilled artisans. They were not in fact things, or objects. They were sacred pronunciations of HaShem's names which were given to Moshe, who in turn disclosed their secret to Aharon, his brother, the first High Priest.
The Urim feature was that energy which enabled the Kohen Gadol to detect the letters within the breastplate writing which encoded the message from Above. The Tumim feature was that energy which empowered him to determine the correct sequence in which to place those letters and the words which they alluded to, in order to divine the correct message.
Urim refers to the inspiration or illumination of the kohen's clarity. Tumim refers to the completion of the task, which entailed the ordering of letters into words. Knowing the Divine Names and directing mindful, soulful focus in order to sense the Will of HaShem was one of the sacred tasks of the Kohen Gadol. His empowered, heightened sensitivity to the Above fell short of formal prophecy, yet exceeded that dynamic known as bas kol, which was a more diminished means of sensing a trace or echo of the messages from Above.
Since knowing the names was part of Moshe's unique kabbala, it was not known prior to this point. Moreover, it could not be given at the time of instructing the making of garments and ornaments, for it was neither a garment nor an ornament requiring construction. Thus, the Recanati's view fits well within the flow of the verse and the passage, and helps cast a bit of light on the vast reaches of our Sacred mesora.
Good Shabbos. D Fox
The Kohen Gadol, the High Priest serving in the Holiest of Places, wore a breastplate in which were set gemstones. This is well described in the Torah and was one culmination of the mitzvos which were given us in constructing garments and ornaments for the kohanim.
One of the curious points in our parsha is that the instruction about this Urim and that Tumim makes its first appearance here. Nowhere in the Torah's commandments about constructing the garments and ornaments was there mention of these items or objects. We were told to make a robe, a cloak, a belt, a breastplate, a turban...but there was no prior mention of making Urim v'Tumim. To add to our puzzle, they are given the ha prefix which makes them the Urim and the Tumim. That implies that we already know what they are! So what were they and what were they for?
Since we have not seen the Urim v'Tumim, we must go on what our tradition tells us. It is our mesora that the Urim v'Tumim lit up, or perhaps illuminated the letters which were engraved upon the breastplate. The sequence of lit letters, glowing beneath the various gemstones, or glowing because of the light shed by those sparkling gemstones, could be deciphered in giving a Divine message. This was their function. But what was their actual nature? What were the Urim v'Tumim?
As we probe deeper into the writings of our sages, beginning with the Gaonim and leading to our greatest Rishonim, we find that there are three prominent views about the nature of the Urim v'Tumim. Some hold that they were synonymous with the gemstones (which would explain why they are not mentioned in the commandment phase; they were mentioned but were termed gemstones.) When those gemstones lit up, they took on the Urim v'Tumim function.
Others hold that they were signs or images with mystical connotations. The Kohen Gadol would meditate and his inspiration would lead him to enlightenment in channeling or "divining" the Word of HaShem. Why there was no prior commandment about constructing these images or signs would remain hidden from us.
The Recanati takes the third view and illuminates the matter for us: the Urim v'Tumim were not made. They were not among the donations crafted by skilled artisans. They were not in fact things, or objects. They were sacred pronunciations of HaShem's names which were given to Moshe, who in turn disclosed their secret to Aharon, his brother, the first High Priest.
The Urim feature was that energy which enabled the Kohen Gadol to detect the letters within the breastplate writing which encoded the message from Above. The Tumim feature was that energy which empowered him to determine the correct sequence in which to place those letters and the words which they alluded to, in order to divine the correct message.
Urim refers to the inspiration or illumination of the kohen's clarity. Tumim refers to the completion of the task, which entailed the ordering of letters into words. Knowing the Divine Names and directing mindful, soulful focus in order to sense the Will of HaShem was one of the sacred tasks of the Kohen Gadol. His empowered, heightened sensitivity to the Above fell short of formal prophecy, yet exceeded that dynamic known as bas kol, which was a more diminished means of sensing a trace or echo of the messages from Above.
Since knowing the names was part of Moshe's unique kabbala, it was not known prior to this point. Moreover, it could not be given at the time of instructing the making of garments and ornaments, for it was neither a garment nor an ornament requiring construction. Thus, the Recanati's view fits well within the flow of the verse and the passage, and helps cast a bit of light on the vast reaches of our Sacred mesora.
Good Shabbos. D Fox
posted by Rabbi Dr. Fox at 1:48 PM
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