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Biography of Yehuda Katz | Archives | This week's Parsha

TEZAVEH

" .......................................its opening shall have a border (hem) all around of weavers work................(28:32)

Every Kohen that served in the Temple wore 4 garments.However, the "High Priest" wore 4 additional garments refered to as "Bigdei Zahav" (golden garments). One such Garment is known as the "Me'il", the mantle.....

The sages tell us in Zavachim 88b that the "Me'il" atoned for melicious public gossip................As the verse tells us above (28:32) that the opening of the "Me'il" was embroidered with a hem.....................

The Baal Haturim comments that this hem should serve as a lesson to someone who spoke melicious gossp (loshon hara).........How so? One must make a hem around ones mouth, and thus prevent any melicous gossip from exiting. Just as the "Me'il" had a hem, so to we must make a "hem" around our mouths as a preventitive measure against "Loshon Hara"............................(please refer to the Baal haturim) This "hem" is of coarse a mental barrier that we place over our mouths as a filter against Loshon Hara.................................................. We can , Bezrat Hashem, learn a very valuabe lesson from this Baal Haturim as follows: Its not enough just to resolve to keep away from evil, one must in addition find ways that will cause us to be cognizant of the pitfalls that some how entice us to sin.....................The use of this imaginary "hem" over our mouths is a very powerfull tool that will enable us to think before we speak words that are harmfull or melicious in nature................This can be further applied to any other sins we find ourselves habitually commiting...

Analyze the pitfall and find a means that will allow yourself to escape ........................................as the Baal haturim demonstrated in regard to Loshon Hara in regard to the "hem"..........The "hem" is only an example.............. Have a Good Shabbos

 


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