Shemot {28:1} "Bring Aharon (Aaron) your brother, and his sons with him, near to you from among bnei Yisrael, that he may minister to Me in the Cohen's (High Priest's) office, even Aharon, Nadab and Abihu, El'azar and Ithamar, Aharon's sons. {28:2} You shall make kadosh (set apart/holy) garments for Aharon your brother, for kavod (glory) and for beauty. {28:3} You shall speak to all who are wise-hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aharon's garments to sanctify him, that he may minister to Me in the Cohen's office. {28:4} These are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a coat of checker work, a turban, and a sash: and they shall make kadosh garments for Aharon your brother, and his sons, that he may minister to Me in the Cohen's office.

From this portion of Scripture we can see that HaShem had in mind to have perhaps the most beautiful garments ever made created for Aharon and his son’s. In fact, there is no way to hide the reality that HaShem wanted them to be for beauty and for glory. These garments were indicative of the office that Aharon and his son’s, as ministers before HaShem, were to have. As we read on in the Parasha we are introduced to the expensive materials and the care and the detail that was to be taken in preparing these garments. There is not doubt in my mind that anyone who saw Aharon dressed and ready to serve before the L-rd were impressed by the majesty and beauty of these garments. They were obviously garments that set Aharon apart and gave him an heir of royalty and holiness.

There is no uncertainty about HaShem’s insistence that Aharon’s garments be exactly as He instructed before Aharon could ever minister before Him. HaShem even went as far as to say that if they did not comply with every detail it would result in Aharon’s certain death.

Shemot {28:31} "You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. {28:32} It shall have a hole for the head in the midst of it: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of a coat of mail, that it not be torn. {28:33} On its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, around its hem; and bells of gold between them round about: {28:34} a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, on the hem of the robe round about. {28:35} It shall be on Aharon to minister: and the sound of it shall be heard when he goes in to the kadosh place before HaShem, and when he comes out, that he not die.

How unusual: this requirement for kadosh garments. There is, after all, no indication in Scripture that the holy angles, which minister before the L-rd day and night, are dressed anything like Aharon was expected to dress. So, why did HaShem require it of him?

I think, now remember it is me thinking, that this was all done to impress the people and not G-d. Coming from eretz (the land) of Mitzrayim (Egypt), which boasted a society replete with pomp and ceremony, a shabbily dressed High Priesthood would not have commanded the respect and honour HaShem wanted the people to give the Cohen HaGadol (High Priest) who ministered unto Him. From this perspective one could certainly draw the conclusion that cloths really do make the man, and in consideration of this circumstance I would have to agree. Yes, if the garments were for the peoples’ benefit then the clothes made the man. However, Scriptures do not end with the beautiful clothes.

Shemot {29:1} "This is the thing that you shall do to them to make them kadosh, to minister to Me in the Cohen's office: take one young bull and two rams without blemish, {29:2} maztah, unchametz (unleavened) cakes mixed with oil, and unchametz wafers anointed with oil: you shall make them of fine wheat flour. {29:3} You shall put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bull and the two rams. {29:4} You shall bring Aharon and his sons to the door of the Ohel Moed (Tent of Meeting), and shall wash them with water. {29:5} You shall take the garments, and put on Aharon the coat, the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastplate, and dress him with the skilfully woven band of the ephod; {29:6} and you shall set the turban on his head, and put the kadosh crown on the turban. {29:7} Then you shall take the anointing oil, and pour it on his head, and anoint him. {29:8} You shall bring his sons, and put coats on them. {29:9} You shall dress them with belts, Aharon and his sons, and bind headbands on them: and they shall have the High Priesthood by a perpetual statute: and you shall consecrate Aharon and his sons.

It is easy to conclude from this passage that Aharon and his four sons, like the rest of us, were sinners. That is why (as this passage indicates), despite the glory and the beauty of their priestly garments, they could in no way minister unto HaShem before they were cleansed of their sin. Sure, the fancy clothing was impressive and they did give an heir of glory and beauty to the office of the Cohen HaGadol, but in the eyes of G-d they were still just outward glory, outward beauty. The glory and beauty that counts, when coming before the L-rd, is the glory and beauty that can not be seen. It is the glory and beauty that comes only when one is cleansed of their iniquity and is submitted totally, unto the L-rd.

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