#parasha pictures

[girlactionfigure]

[eretzyisrael]

[parashapix]

Behaalotecha

וְכִֽי־יָג֨וּר אִתְּכֶ֜ם גֵּ֗ר וְעָ֤שָׂה פֶ֨סַח֙ לַֽיהֹוָ֔ה כְּחֻקת הפסח וּכְמִשְׁפָּט֖וֹ כֵּ֣ן יַֽעֲשׂה חקה אַחַת֙ יהְיה לָכֶ֔ם וְלַגֵּ֖ר וּלְאֶזְרח האֽרֶץ: If a convert dwells with you, and he becomes obligated to offer up the Passover sacrifice to God, he must offer it up according to the rules of the Passover sacrifice and its ordinances. One rule will apply to all of you, to the convert and to the native citizen. (Bamidbar 9:14)

[unholy-cat]

Фух! Ура, чудо случилось! Я успела нарисовать это до Нового года!

Похлопали в ладоши и хватит. По правде я так рада, что это нарисовала, и сда��а сессию на отлично)

Конкретно в этом посте я хочу сказать спасибо всем тем, кто лайкал и подписывался на меня, вы солнышки 💕💕💕

А так эта параша, не даёт загрузить ещё картиночки так, что ждите вторую часть в следующем посте!

Phew! Hooray, a miracle has happened! I managed to draw this before the New Year!

We clapped our hands and that's enough. To tell you the truth, I'm so glad I drew it, and I passed the session perfectly)

Specifically in this post, I want to say thank you to all those who liked and subscribed to me, you suns 💕💕💕

And so this parasha does not allow you to upload more pictures, so wait for the second part in the next post!

[hadasse]

Some Torah from My Kid

This past Shabbat was the 10th anniversary of my kid’s Bat Mitzvah, and they shared some thoughts on the parasha. As you can see from the beautiful handmade tallit in the picture above, they were always focused on the reconciliation of the brothers that happens in the story. Ten years later, that has not changed. As the ten year anniversary of my Bat Mitzvah approaches, I find myself thinking of…

[dafyomilimerick]

(Commercial Break)

BTW, for those of you who are new subscribers, you might not know that I have a sideblog, parashapix, that gives a weekly picture about the parasha of the week (and occasionally other things). These are created by me with Midjourney, so if you are deathly allergic to AI art, don't bother subscribing. (Just trying to drum up some interest for my sideblog, which only has 1.2% of the amount of followers as this one)

[dfroza]

Today’s message from The Temple Institute in Jerusalem:

"And Moshe went!"

(Deuteronomy 31:1)

Tishrei 4, 5782/September 10, 2021

"Vayelech Moshe - And Moshe went, and he spoke the following words to all Israel." (Deuteronomy 31:1) Thus begins this week's Torah reading of Vayelech, the shortest Torah reading of the entire year. The Torah goes on to share with us all the words that Moshe spoke to Israel on the eve of his own passing from this world. He begins by explaining that "Today I am one hundred and twenty years old. I can no longer go or come..." (ibid 31:2) Following this announcement that he is at the end of his days Moshe goes on to describe to Israel what awaits them in the days and years and centuries and millennia that will follow after he is long gone. It's not a pretty picture. After rallying the people to have courage and to follow Joshua into the land which has patiently been awaiting their arrival for forty years, Moshe, in G-d's name, declares unequivocally that once settled in the land Israel will become sated with their blessings, grow weary and derisive of their covenant with HaShem and, in their spiritual indolence, turn away from HaShem and turn to the gods of their idolatrous neighbors. The crisis will reach its climax when G-d says "I will... hide My face from them, and they will be consumed, and many evils and troubles will befall them." (ibid 31:17) Man has been playing hide-and seek with G-d from the day of man's creation when Adam, ashamed of his nakedness sought to hide from G-d. Is G-d now giving man a taste of his own medicine?

When we turn from G-d, when we act with disdain for the covenant of Torah which enables our lives to flourish in the bright light of G-d's presence, we are, in fact, shamefully hiding our faces from G-d. When we hide our faces from G-d we can no longer see G-d. It is as if G-d is hiding His face from us, creating a lonely universe in which man is all alone - alone and terrified.

But, of course, the moment we reopen our eyes and turn once again to fully face G-d, we will see that He was there all along. Our struggle to see G-d in our lives is self imposed. G-d is truly too big to hide from us. His presence animates all existence. He is always here. Only man has the ability to shut his eyes and his heart and to erase G-d, as it were, from his life. And only man has the ability to open his eyes and his heart and return to G-d's embrace. This is what is called in Hebrew teshuvah, a word commonly translated as repentance, but which literally means returning, returning to G-d. It is as easy as opening our eyes. This final message from Moshe to his people, while coming in dark and threatening terms, is really a message of tremendous import and hope: man always has the ability to return to G-d, every moment, any moment. And G-d will always take man back. This message of good tiding could not come at a more opportune time as we continue to prepare ourselves for Yom Kippur, which occurs next week, the Day of Atonement, the Day of Return. Our sages told us that Yom Kippur is the most joyful day of the year, and this is the reason why.

One question which our parasha does not answer is the question implied in our opening verse: "Vayelech Moshe - And Moshe went..." We are never told from where Moshe was coming and to where he was going. Some sages opine that Moshe went from Israelite encampment to Israelite encampment to say a final farewell to every soul in Israel. Others venture that Moshe made a brief visit to the World to Come in order to prepare himself for life's next phase. Still others note that the word vayelech - and he went - echoes an earlier use of the word: "Vayelech ish mibeit Levi - A man of the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw him that he was good, she hid him for three months." (Exodus 2:1-2) The man, of course, was Amram, the father of Moshe, and the good son born to him was none other than Moshe. Thusly, the Torah very poetically and poignantly presents the final moments of Moshe's life in the same terms as the very first moments of Moshe's life.

Vayelech is also the same word employed by G-d when He instructed Avraham "Lech lecha - Go forth from your land and from your birthplace and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you. And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will aggrandize your name, and you shall be a blessing." (Genesis 12:1-2) To go - to be on the move - to walk with G-d - is to live a righteous life, a life blessed by G-d's presence.

But the fact that Torah itself does not answer our question, and does not tell us to where Moshe went is perhaps the deepest message behind the seemingly unfinished verse. Our question really should not be to where Moshe was going. Moshe knew very well to where he was going. Our question should be to where we are going. Where is life leading us? Or, more importantly, to where are we leading our lives? Only we can can answer this question. We owe it to ourselves to ponder this question and to strive for an answer. G-d only hides His face from those who hide from G-d. If we are going in G-d's direction, His arms are open wide.

This Shabbat, the Shabbat which falls between Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur, is known as Shabbat Shuva - the Shabbat of Return. It is not a slogan, but an opportunity. Shabbat Shalom!

•

followed by a post by John Parsons that illumines the Son:

From our Torah reading this week (i.e., Vayeilech) the LORD foretold Moses' death and the people's subsequent apostasy from the faith: "This people will rise and whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them" (Deut. 31:16). The Lord then continued: "And then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them, and they will be devoured.... And I will surely hide my face in that day because of all the evil that they have done, because they have turned to other gods" (Deut. 31:17-18).

The phrase "hester panim" (הֶסְתֵר פָּנִים) means "hiding of the face." It is often used when discussing the Book of Esther, where God’s Name isn’t mentioned even once, yet the hidden Presence is realized in the outcome of the story. In this sense of the term, hester panim is like the sun on an overcast day: Just because you don't see it doesn't mean it isn't there. God’s providential care for us is at work at all times, whether we perceive it or not...

Although hester panim may refer to God’s hidden providence for good, in some cases it may refer to the terrifying prospect of the withdrawal of the Divine Presence itself... God "hides His face" from us because our own desire for evil blinds us to the truth of His Presence. Hester panim therefore is not only "absence of Divine Presence," but "presence of Divine Absence." In other words, sin and selfishness can cause consciousness of the Divine Presence to be removed from us, but that is precisely because we have chosen to remove ourselves from Him. "I will hide... because you have turned..." The distance is therefore reciprocal: Selfishness turns us away from God which turns God away from us.

In difficult moments, many people cynically ask, "Where’s God?" and yet they have no intention of sincerely turning from sin to seek the Divine Presence. They are quick to judge the Divine Absence as an excuse for the return to their selfishness and despair. This "hardening of the heart" leads to ever-increasing spiritual darkness and confusion... Finally the line is crossed and they become unable to turn away, unable not to sin ("non posse non peccare"). They are consigned to a frightful state: "God gave them up to a debased mind (αδοκιμον νουν) to do what ought not to be done" (Rom. 1:28). In some tragic cases, the disease "reaches term" and the person actually dies. The "hiding of face" is then forever sealed. Since we have hidden our face from Him, God has hidden His face from us. God forbid that this should be anyone’s ultimate spiritual destiny....

Is there a redemptive side to all of this? Yes of course. In some cases God "turns away" from us in order to afflict us and understand our need to return to Him, as it is written: "It was good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn Your statues" (Psalm 119:71). The sense of "Divine Absence" can be a gift that helps us seek the Divine Presence: "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you" (James 4:8). The "dark night of the soul" can be a means of leading us to godly sorrow that leads to life (2 Cor. 7:10).

In keeping with the Days of Awe and the call to do teshuvah shelmah (a complete repentance), then, let us "wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and hope in him" (Isa. 8:17). Wishing you teshuvah shlemah b’ahavat Yeshua - "A complete turning to the love of Jesus." Amen. [Hebrew for Christians]

9.10.21 • Facebook

[5-7kacholluria]

Weekly Update 3/1/19

General Studies:

Reading:

This week some friends reviewed how to read and spell long vowel words. The long vowel phonic patterns we reviewed were: a_e (bake), ai (mail), ay (day), i_e (kite), ie (tie), igh (night), y (dry). We also focused on “making connections” as a reading strategy. This allows the friends to better understand the book they are reading since they are connecting with the text by drawing on their prior knowledge and experiences. They are thinking while connecting, which makes them more engaged while reading.

Three ways to connect to a book:

Text-to-Self: Connecting the book to your life. “It reminds me of a time...”

Text-to-Text: Connecting the book to a similar book. “It reminds me of another book...”

Text-to-World: Connecting the book to something in world. “It reminds me of something in the world...”

This week some the readers read a new poem titled “We Are Opposites” and learned the sight words: cold, old, new and out.

We are opposites, and I’ll tell you more.

I say after, and you say before.

I look up, and you look down.

I like to walk, you run to town.

I say stop, and you say go.

We are opposites, I told you so!

I think it’s hot, you think it’s cold.

I say it’s new, you say it’s old.

I come in, and you go out.

We are opposites, let’s give a shout!

Writing:

This week the friends began their book reviews. They reread the book they chose and began their introduction page. This included sharing their book title and author and drawing a detailed cover page. We also reviewed capitalization when writing titles and names.

Math:

This week we focused on comparing and contrasting addition and subtraction number bonds. Number bonds are pictorial representations of part/part/whole relationships showing that smaller numbers (parts) make up larger numbers (the whole). We reviewed that in addition we put two numbers together (compose) to find “the whole” while subtraction focuses on breaking numbers apart (decompose) in order to find the “missing part.”

Ivrit:

“Won’t you be my neighbor?”

The 5-7 friends are so excited to start a new unit called Hashchuna Sheli (my neighborhood), describing their neighborhood and its surroundings. The friends were busy acquiring new vocabulary words that can be seen Ba Rechov (on the street) such as, Midracha (sidewalk), Kvish (road), Ramzor (traffic light), Mechonit (car), Panas Rechov (street light), and more.

Some friends used a drawing of a Rechov and Illustrated more details on it in the picture. For example, they drew Pach Ashpa (garbage can) or Safsal (bentch, listing in writing what they have added. Others created a visual dictionary of the new vocabulary words they learned.

Yahadut:

This week in Yahadut the friends learned about last week's parasha, about the sin of the egel (the golden calf). We spoke about how angry Moshe must have been when he saw that the Jewish people had created this statue, just as he was about to give them the luchot. We also explored this week's parsaha, looking at the many parts of the mishkan they began to build. We talked about how the Jewish people get a compliment in this parasha, because they brought. so many materials for the mishkan that Moshe had to tell them to stop. This week we began learning about purim. The friends were excited to start learning about some of the purim story.

A message from our Art Specialist, Steven Strauss:

Students worked on a winter drawing using white and colored chalk on

black paper. We shared ideas aloud regarding what we could include in

these drawings. Students enjoyed experimenting with the chalk and using

their fingers to blend the colors.

Next, following students’ trip to the Museum of Natural History, we

discussed the exhibits they visited. Students then drew the artifacts,

dinosaur bones, etc. that they saw. This project included a caption for

students to complete that read, “At the Museum of Natural History I saw

______________.” They had fun sharing their experience from the class

trip.

During the last week of February, students began a unit on portraits. The

first project had students use construction paper and glue to create “ripped

paper portraits.” No drawing, no scissors. Students were challenged to use the paper in creative ways, adding folds, curls, and layering the paper to create depth and texture. We will continue creating a variety of portrait projects in March.

[7-9lavanluria-blog]

7-9 Highlights and  

Questions of the  Week

Week of May 8, 2017 -   אייר   תשע"ז יב

Learning Highlights

Language  Arts

Year 2: In reading  workshop, we launched a new Series Book Club unit and students began reading  different books in an assigned series. We learned to get to know the star  character like an expert, learning a lot about a character by thinking about  how the character responds to problems and how things are similar across a  series of books by thinking about what the character always does or how the  character usually feels. In writing workshop, we explored different types of  poetry and had the chance to choose any type of poem to write for Mother’s  Day.

 Yahadut:

Mitzvot: We looked  at the Talmud and later halachic sources (codes and responsa) as sources of  halachah.

 Daphna’s  group: We learned the story of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai hiding in the  cave, and sequenced cards telling the story. We learned the Mishna of what  happened to Rabbi Akiva’s students. We learned two key psukim from the  parasha, about Shabbat and Sefirat  HaOmer. We started our Shabbat unit and discussed the concept of  holiness, what makes things holy, and how children might experience holiness  in their own lives.

 Ivrit:

Yerushalayim - Tel Aviv and Afula

Students  learned the story of Lag B’Omer and  different terminology of the story and minhagim/customs.  They played the game “I see a picture” about Lag B’Omer and tried to guess what their partners wrote. Some  students started to write the story of Lag  B’Omer in their own words in Hebrew.

 Rehovot: We  started learning about places in Jerusalem. The students learned about the  Old City, the Kotel, Tower of David and the walls. We watched a video and  wrote down what we saw, using adjectives to describe the picture. The  students then edited their own writing based on individual editing check  lists. In addition, some students worked on editing their stories and copying  them into a BareBook.

Rosh Pina: We  started learning about places in Jerusalem. The students learned about Shuk  Machane Yehuda, the market, and watched a short clip of the happenings in the  Shuk. We played Samti Basal, 3D using our plastic food and recorded in  our notebooks what we shopped for. Some students also recorded what they had  for snack, Samti BaPe.

Deganya:  We started learning about places in  Jerusalem. The students learned about Shuk Machane Yehuda, the market, and  watched a short clip of the happenings at the Shuk. We played Samti Basal,  a game using our plastic  food, and practiced past tense conjugation of key verbs: קנה,  אכל, שם, הלך, שתה, רצה (buy, eat, put, walk,  drink, want) using 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person  pronouns, single and plural.

Cultural:

Year 2  students took a closer look at the processes in the first three stages of the  lifecycle of a star. With the use of dough, the students were able to see the  making of a protostar, an early  stage of star formation.

 Year 3  students had an introduction to matter and came up with questions that they  have about matter. They also learned an interactive rock game that  demonstrates their understanding of the rock cycle. They will be teaching to  their grandparents, or special friends, on Grandparents Day!

 Chumash:

Jaclyn’s Bereishit group: We started  studying Lech Lecha, when Avram is  told to leave his home to the land God will show him.

 Jaclyn’s Lech Lecha groups: We began  studying chapter 21, when Sarah gives birth to Yitzchak.

Shirel’s  Bereshit group: Students learned the about Kain and Hevel. They read psukim 1-5,  practiced reading out loud and show their reading comprehension by showing  the stories with puppets and props. We discussed two questions. One about how  to deal with envy, and the other about whether envy is always a bad thing.

 Math

Daphna’s  group: We learned the CUBES+C system for solving work problems, and  implemented it in both addition and subtraction word problems, requiring  regrouping.  

Year 2: We worked  on subtraction requiring regrouping.

Year 3: Create  scaled bar graphs using data collection; compare regular and irregular  polygons with different number of sides; area and perimeter of a  quadrilateral.

Questions

Language  Arts

Year 2: Share what  you’ve learned about your star character from your Series Book Club. Also  share your Mother’s Day gift with your mother!

 Yahadut:

Mitzvot: What is  the Talmud?

Daphna’s  group: Can you tell the story of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai? What happened  to Rabbi Akiva’s students and what is the explanation given for what happened  to them?

 Ivrit:

Yerushalayim - Tel Aviv and Afula

Can you tell  the story of Lag B’Omer in Hebrew?  Which words did you learn this week about the story or the minhagim of Lag B’Omer?

 Rehovot: ספר/ספרי שלושה דברים על העיר העתיקה.

Deganya and Rosh Pina:  מה שמת בסל? מה שמת בפה?

 Cultural:

Year 2: How  is a protostar born?

 Year 3: What  are some characteristics of an igneous rock? What are some characteristics of  a metamorphic rock?

 Chumash:

Jaclyn’s Bereishit group: What does א at the  beginning a verb mean? (I will) Example אלך

Jaclyn’s Lech Lecha groups: What is the shoresh י.ל.ד.? (To give  birth)

Shirel’s Bereishit group: How can  you deal with envy? Is envy a bad thing?

 Math

Daphna’s group: Daphna  has 12 books more than Jen. Jen has 39 books. How many books does Daphna  have? What is the question? What are the math action words? How did you solve  it? Explain your thinking!

Year 2: What is  343-85? How did you solve it?

Year 3: Draw a regular  octagon and an irregular octagon.

Week of: Sep. 26, 201

[9-11luria-blog]

Week of: January 21

9-11 Class Learning Highlights

Language Arts

4th grade: We started our new writing unit this week: Personal Essay Writing! Students brainstormed meaningful people, places, and things that they are interested in writing their opinion essays about. We also learned the “lingo” of the unit and outlined the thesis statement, reasons, and evidence in a sample fourth grader’s essay.

5th grade: We started our new writing unit this week: Argument Essay Writing! Students are getting excited thinking about debatable topics that they would like to research and argue. We discussed the “lingo” of the unit and students wrote a pre-assessment essay on whether or not plastic water bottles should be banned.

Math

Shelby 4th grade: We continued our investigation of long division this week and students represented and solved division problems requiring decomposing a remainder in the tens.  Students found whole number quotients and remainders and solved division problems without remainders using the area model.

Jen 4th grade: This week students learned the standard algorithm for long division with remainders, using knowledge about distribution into equal groups with a place value chart.

5th grade:  We wrapped up our learning in our unit on place value and decimal fractions.  Students participated in a review day before taking an end-of-unit assessment.  

Science

Similar to the alphabet, our DNA is written with specific “letters” creating a code. But instead of 26 letters, our DNA only uses 4 letters, usually referred to as A, C, T and G. This week we looked at how these letters come together to create the blueprint of living things and how mistakes can be made when the DNA is copying itself. After that, it’s round II of our classroom wide game of Survival Of The Fittest.

History

4th grade: Students continued with some of their Native American history background learning and wrote proposals for their upcoming research projects, which they will start at the beginning of next week.  Students have a choice of researching multiple topics about a given tribe or region, OR they may research a particular topic and compare and contrast in multiple regions.

5th grade:  Students continued their learning about some of the major early battles and events in the Revolutionary War.  This week, we focused on the battle of Bunker Hill and the battle of Trenton.  Students will be beginning research projects next week, where they will research and write from either the lens of geographer or biographer, choosing either a location or personality to research and present about.

Hebrew

Dorit’s groups: This week we used comics to learn Hebrew. It is a great tool through which students can learn and have fun at the same time. Students read the comics together and then took turns being characters from different scenes. They enjoyed acting the scenes out in front of their classmates and practicing their Hebrew at the same time.

Daphna’s group: We continued our unit about Yam Hamelach. Students read about experiences in the Dead Sea, special things about it, and new facts about water in Israel.

Chumash

Rashi and Ramban: We finished Parashat Toldot! We spent time breaking down Rashi’s commentary, going over details of pesukim, and speaking about the characters’ shift during this eventful Parasha.

Eben Ezra: We started perek 42 and saw the shift in the brothers’ personalities since they sold Yosef. We read Rashi’s commentary, to add detail to our characters, and spoke about their challenges within the group of brothers.

Kindness: After tricking his father Yitzchak and angering Esav, Jacob is forced to run away to his uncle Lavan. Along the way he rests for the night and has a strange dream of angels going up and down a ladder to heaven.

The Dreamers: After devising a plan to save Egypt from famine, Yosef is put as the second in command. He spends seven years storing up food throughout the cities of Egypt. When famine strikes Canaan, Jacob has no choice but to send his sons to Egypt for food.

Mishnah

4th grade: Students continued their learning in the 6th perek of Mishnah Brachot, focusing on the 6th and 7th mishnayot.  We discussed the differences between meals when people make blessings on food to themselves versus more communal meals and an interesting custom of lighting incense at the end of a feast. Students will learn the final mishnah next week and then begin working on an artistic group project to showcase their learning and ideas.

5th grade: Students began learning the 3rd mishnah in the 4th perek of Mishnah Brachot.  The mishnah discusses the difference between a full version of the Amidah and an abbreviated version.  

Questions

Language Arts

4th grade: What are some meaningful topics that you would like to write about in your personal essay? Why is evidence so important in writing an essay?

5th grade: What do you think you would like to research and write your argument essay about? Where do you stand on the plastic water bottle argument and why?

Math

Shelby 4th grade: Jemma’s photo album has a total of 97 pictures. Each page of the album holds 6 pictures. How many pages can Jemma fill? Will there be any pictures left? If so, how many?   Henry’s photo album has a total of 45 pictures. Each page holds 4 pictures. He said he can only fill  10 pages completely. Do you agree? Explain why or why not.

Jen 4th grade: It takes 30 lemons to make 4 pitchers of lemonade. How many lemons are used for each pitcher of lemonade? Will there be any lemons left over? Show your thinking using long division.

5th grade:  What was the most challenging skill you learned during this unit? What skills can you apply to real-world scenarios?

Science

How do mistakes happen when our DNA is copied, and how does that affect the characteristics of an organism?

History

4th grade: Which type of project are you more interested in doing and why?

5th grade:  Describe the painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware. Which choices did the artist make that were accurate? Which choices were inaccurate?

Mishnah

4th grade: Explain why the mugmar (incense) is mentioned in this mishnah. What do you think?

5th grade: What do you think an abbreviated Amidah would look like?

Hebrew

Dorit’s groups: What was your favorite comic?

Daphna’s group: את/ה אוהב/ת את ים המלח? למה? למה לא?

Chumash

Rashi and Ramban: Do you think Ya’akov is a good person? Why or why not? Do you think Esav is a good person? Why or why not?

Eben Ezra: How are the brothers feeling now that Yosef has thrown them into jail?

Kindness:  What does Yaakov’s dream tell us about who is supposed to carry on the tradition of Yitzchak, Rivkah, Sarah and Avraham?

The Dreamers: How does this part of the story show us the character changes in both Yosef and the brothers?

[girlactionfigure]

[eretzyisrael]

Parashat - T'tzaveh

by  Meir Anolick

This week’s Parasha starts out with a description of the special garments to be made for the Kohen Gadol. These garments are of the highest quality and made to be “for honor and glory” (28:2). Ramban goes through each item of the Kohen Gadol’s garments and shows that each one is like that of royalty, thus the Kohen Gadol dresses like a king.However, there is more to the garments than just looking like a king.

These garments, the Talmud explains, are uncomfortable. The sash is wrapped around many times, and sticks out far enough that the Kohen can easily see it without looking down much. The turban was also thick and heavy, making his head warm and also being constantly noticeable at the top of his vision. The breastplate, filled with gems and gold, was undoubtedly also quite heavy and always noticeable.

The point of all this is not, God forbid, to cause the Kohen to suffer, rather it is to make him constantly aware of the fact that he is standing before The Holy One Blessed Be He, so that his concentration on the task at hand and the paramount importance of his work is never forgotten.Based on this, we could ask ourselves, do we dress in a way that makes us constantly aware of God’s presence? Hashem tells us we are to be a Memlechet Kohanim, a kingdom of priests, since we are meant to be his representatives in the world.

Do we dress ourselves in such a way to reflect this important task, to keep our thoughts directed on our true purpose? Needless to say, one who is in the presence of royalty will undoubtedly dress much nicer than when going for a stroll. If we were to recognize that Hashem is watching us always and we are meant to keep our service of Him at the forefront of our intentions, we would dress in a respectable fashion at all times.

T-shirts with pictures of popular movies and TV shows are not respectable in anyone’s book, and would certainly cause a person shame if they showed up in the Prime Minister’s office dressed in such a way. That being the case, such a mode of dress in not appropriate for a person who sees God with him at all time.

This brings us to the very first halachah stated in the Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 1:1. There the Rama quotes the verse, “שויתי ה‘לנגדי תמיד”, “I have set the Lord before me constantly” (T’hilim 16:8), and explains that this means we should perform all our actions with the intent of serving our creator.

This is such a fundamental point that it is stated at the very start of the section on Shulchan Aruch detailing how we are to live our daily lives. If we recognize that Hashem is with us always, then we will dress in a way that reflects that knowledge. We will carry ourselves with dignity because

The King of all Kings is watching us; we will be careful in all the words we speak, because The King of all Kings is listening; and we will consider well any action that we take, because The King of all Kings will ultimately judge us on what we do. The dress of the Kohanim shows the need that even when in the Beit HaMikdash itself, one still needs to be reminded that they are in the service of Hashem, how much more so those of us living our everyday lives.

Shabbat Shalom.

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Naso

כֹּ֖ל יְמֵ֣י נִזְר֑וֹ מִכֹּל֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יֵֽעָשֶׂ֜ה מִגֶּ֣פֶן הַיַּ֗יִן מֵחרצנים ועד־זָ֖ג לֹ֥א יֹאכֵֽל For the entire duration of his abstinence, he must not eat any product of the grape vine, from seeds to skins. (Bamidbar 6:4)

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Bamidbar

וְדִשְּׁנ֖וּ אֶת־הַמִּזְבֵּ֑חַ וּפָֽרְשׂ֣וּ עָלָ֔יו בֶּ֖גֶד אַרְגָּמָן: They must remove the ashes from the Altar and spread a purple-wool cloth bag over it. (Bamidbar 4:13)