Shabbat Tetzaveh: Pants

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Many years ago, I was told a story about my father by somebody who belonged to the same congregation as his family in London.

My father was a very good, confident young speaker from a young age. In his little community of Notting Hill in West London,  he was often asked to give a Derasha ( or a sermon) on Shabbat. The first one he gave at the age of 13 made such an impact that word reached the ears of the Chief rabbi of the time who declared that this young man was going to go far. In another version, he commented that this young man was too big for his boots. Given the pompous attitude of the Anglo-Jewish establishment at the time, I rather fancy that the second version was the right one.

But what attracted the attention of the public was the fact that the sermon he gave was entitled “The Priests’ Pants”. In England, this meant underpants, unlike in America where pants mean what we call trousers. One didn’t mention unmentionables in those days. It was a shocker. It was obviously an oratorical device to attract everyone’s attention right away. Something I have often used myself, although not at such an early age.

This is relevant because the Torah reading on that occasion happened to be the same one as we read this week, Tetzaveh. Which is one of the least interesting parts of the Torah. It is concerned almost entirely with the special garments Aaron the High Priest and his sons wore when serving in the Tabernacle and succeeding priests would wear in the Temple (Exodus 28:42).

In all temples, then and now,  priests of all religions, pagan and monotheistic, all dressed up in special clothes as an obvious sign of importance, designed to generate respect and awe. Indeed, even to this day, aristocrats, diplomats, military officers, and clergy wear formal uniforms from top to toe as a sign of importance.

But why mention the unmentionable underpants? After all, the Tabernacle and the Temple were areas protected from winds that might blow up skirts or pranksters who might get too close.  The word used here in Exodus 28:42 is Michnasayim which in modern Hebrew means trousers or pants. But it also means “to cover up.” And specifically, here to cover one’s private parts.

One of the features of the temple was the steps leading up to the raised altar where sacrifices were offered and presented in complex rituals (Exodus 20:23). A very specific commandment. Given that if one climbs steps without having underpants one might reveal parts of the human body that normally ought to be covered, having a ramp was one way of avoiding this. But adding pants would be an extra precaution. But if anything inappropriate happened it was accidental, why did it matter?

The truth is that sexuality plays a very important part in our lives, and certainly, sexuality played a very important part in Pagan worship. The very first episode of human interaction in the Torah is the story of Adam and Eve, realising that nakedness can also be misused. And requires covering.

One of the important themes of the Torah is the idea of modesty. Some of our bodily functions may be perfectly natural and necessary such as reproduction or defecation. But they are things that traditionally had to be treated differently and privately and not in the public domain. Not all societies agree with this. Nowadays, many of us live in societies where the definitions of modesty are changing and loosening. As important as modesty in every area is, the Torah never tries to define it. Probably because it is too variable to legislate specifically for, that is why in different religious communities the customs are so varied.  And each one sets its own standards.

Now, you may wonder whether this was an appropriate message for a 13-year-old boy to hold forth upon. And I might be inclined to suggest within an ideal world my father might have chosen another topic. But given that rabbi or their representatives or replacements are expected to speak about the reading of the Torah each week, frankly, it is hard to imagine what else he could have chosen as a topic that would have inspired some interest amongst his audience. So, he took a risk. Something I unconsciously must have picked up from my father.

Exodus 27:20-30:10

Rabbi Jeremy Rosen lives in New York. He was born in Manchester. His writings are concerned with religion, culture, history and current affairs – anything he finds interesting or relevant. They are designed to entertain and to stimulate. Disagreement is always welcome.