Parshat Tetzaveh; Exodus 27:20 – 28:38 By: Rabbi Denise L. Eger

Jews in America have long been associated with the shmatta business. Shmatta is the Yiddish term for rag. This is a humorous term to describe the clothing business. Many Jewish immigrants that came to America in the late 1800’s – 1920’s became laborers in the early clothing business. Some were tailors and furriers in small shops throughout America. Many others became piece workers in early clothing factories. They supplied the cheap labor for grueling detail work. Some became peddlers who sold dry goods and or rags (shmattas); others sold fabric and already made clothes from town to town. Some grew their business selling fabric - like Levi Strauss. Many peddlers eventually settled and their peddling carts became small stores and eventually clothing stores. Some of the early German Jewish immigrants became the core of the men’s clothing industry. Some of these stores grew to large Department stores –bearing Jewish names like Gimbels, Lazaruses, Goldsmiths, Abraham and Strauss, Lerners, Magnins, Altmans, and May, etc.
Some estimates say that at the earliest parts of the twentieth century more than 30 percent of the Jewish community in the United States was connected to the garment industry.

This week’s Torah portion, Tetzaveh is perhaps some of the beginnings of that connection to garments. God tells Moses to instruct the Children of Israel to make the garments and accessories of the priesthood and specifically the High Priest. The Torah portion goes into great detail about the design of the sacred garments that will be worn by Aaron, Moses’ brother, the High Priest, and his sons when carrying out their holy duties of sacrifice in the Tabernacle. God particularly calls out to Moses’ that these shouldn’t be made by just anyone but by “all those who are skillful, whom I have endowed with the gift of skill, (Ex. 28:3).” These special garments and sacred accessories will be made by skilled artisans following the unique designs describe by none other than the Heavenly Fashion Designer! This week’s portion gives new meaning to the notion of Fashion Week.

Each part of the High Priest’s ensemble is described in great detail and there are instructions for fashioning each piece. The priest will wear not just the tunic and special robe but he will also wear a breast plate, an ephod, a special sash and headdress. Only the finest of linen and yarns will be used. These garments will be made with special colors and dyes—royal colors of blue, purple and crimson. The breast piece will be made of gold and precious and semi-precious stones each signifying one of the 12 tribes. This High Priest will have bling!

These former slaves will clothe their new High Priest in royal attire. It is conceivable that both men and women worked to create these special clothes and special accessories as the skills needed include both metal work, sewing, weaving, and jewelry making. Some of which were also traditionally women’s work.