Rabbi 360

Having discussed sacred structures in last week’s portion, the Torah this week turns to sacred fashion.

After elaborately describing the materials and construction of the Tabernacle, the portable building that is to serve as the worship space and community center for the Israelites as they make their way through the desert, the Torah describes the elaborate materials and construction of the garments that are to be worn by the priests, who will administer the Tabernacle.

The garments include cloaks and sashes, a breastplate and headgear—each with a symbolic function. And while these garments are no longer worn by people in our Jewish practice, we do maintain their spirit in how we dress the Torah scrolls in our sanctuaries. In this way, the Torah becomes the replacement for the priest; we don’t get our authority from a hereditary hierarchical position, we get it from the democratic accessible text.

One of the interesting features of the priestly garments is the fact that the hem of the cloak is lined with pomegranates and bells:

On its hem make pomegranates of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, all around the hem, with bells of gold between them all around: a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, all around the hem of the robe. Aaron shall wear it while officiating, so that the sound of it is heard when he comes into the sanctuary before GOD and when he goes out—that he may not die. (Exodus 28:33-35)

It’s somewhat unclear about the function of the bells outside of the fact that they are supposed to serve as a safeguard. The functions of the High Priest can be dangerous in that he has access to the most innermost and holy places in the Tabernacle, a place where he can come into contact with God’s Presence. (We see the danger later in the Torah when Aaron’s sons Nadav and Avihu are killed when they make a mistake as part of the Tabernacle service.) Whether the bells were to alert other priests to keep their distance, or alert when Aaron was in the Holy of Holies is unclear, but it was a sound of warning.  

We are hearing warning bells all around us of late. The actions taken by our current administration are both in and of themselves bad and warnings about the weakening of our democracy, the imploding of the public good, the imposition of oligarchy, and the oppression of the vulnerable. Not heeding the warning bells of the High Priest could lead to death. Not heeding these current warning bells will also certainly lead to death.

The overwhelm comes not only from the tremendous scope of the actions—widespread firings at the federal government, wholesale scrubbing of websites of particular words, threats of mass deportation—but from the seemingly lack of power we have to change them. How do we stand up against such a juggernaut?

Getting out and demonstrating is one. Continuously contacting our elected officials is another. And, in the face of such sweeping action on a national level, we can as I have suggested in the past, make our world small and see how we can lend support and protection to our neighbors, those in our communities who are most at risk these days.

One of these groups as we know are immigrants, and one of the easiest and impactful things we can do to support is to participate in a “Know Your Rights” training. My congregation and I did this past week, and it was empowering to learn in the face of increased immigration enforcement activity, including within the walls of faith communities, what our legal rights are and how we can exercise them.

One of the interesting interpretations that our ancient rabbis take from the description of a tunic lined with bells is that it teaches us proper behavior—that just as the bells announce the entry of the High Priest into the inner parts of the Tabernacle, so too should we announce ourselves when we are entering a place that is not ours. This gives anyone in the room an advance warning that someone else is about to enter. We learn it is good manners to knock before entering a room.

This can be taken as general politeness, a way to respect the privacy of another, but it can also be taken as protection. The Bekhol Shor, a 12^th-century French commentator writes, “And we learn proper conduct from this, that a person should not enter his fellow’s house suddenly, lest he is doing or saying something private. But if he hears him coming, he will [be able to] hide from him.”

This resonates when learning what to do when ICE shows up at your door. Our tradition teaches that one should give a warning so as to protect ourselves. And sometimes, we are the ones who need to provide the protection by knowing what to do and what not to do when someone shows up at our door. I would encourage everyone who has the chance to do a Know Your Rights training.

Thus we can ascribe another meaning to the bells. They are sounds of warning and danger. And they are also sounds of protest and protection. Let them ring. And as the bells of the priest only sound when he is in motion, let’s get going.