ABSTRACT
The parashat hashavua has a number of peculiar features. One is that it is the only parasbah, after the book of Genesis of course, in which the name of Moses is never mentioned. Moreover, they may be linked to a third peculiar characteristic of the parasbah, namely, that virtually an entire chapter, forty verses in all, is devoted to describing the garments of the High Priest, in addition to two additional verses describing the clothing of the lesser priests. The problem we have with Parashat Tetsavveh and with many other matters that are staples of “how the community educates” is well analyzed by Peter Berger, Brigette Berger, and Hansfried Kellner in their study, The Homeless Mind. Parasbat Tetsavveh relates explicitly and implicitly to the issues of honor and dignity. It is difficult to imagine a Jewish upbringing or a formal education without initiation into the life of the Jewish people, without teaching the categories of honor.
