A Wonderful Insight into Parshat Tetzaveh-one of the lessons of the Kohen ‘anointed for war’

(from a shiur by Rabbi Isaac Bernstein zal given in London in 1992)

Shemot:Ch.29v.30 And the holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him, to be anointed in them, and to be consecrated in them.

This pasuk refers to the passing on of the High Priesthood from the Kohen Gadol to his son. The Talmud comments as follows:

דף עג,א גמרא T.B. Yoma

מתיב רב אדא בר אהבה ואמרי לה כדי יכול יהא בנו של משוח מלחמה משמש תחתיו כדרך שבנו של כהן גדול משמש תחתיו

לומר (שמות כט) שבעת ימים ילבשם הכהן תחתיו מבניו אשר יבא אל… אהל מועד מי שראוי לבא אל אהל מועד ואם איתא מיחזא חזי אמר רב נחמן בר יצחק הכי קאמר כל שעיקר משיחתו לאהל מועד יצא זה שעיקר משיחתו למלחמה

The Talmud notes that only the position of the Kohen Gadol was hereditary. However, the Kohen ‘anointed for war’ who would rally the troops before battle(Devarim ch.29 v.5-7) was not an hereditary position, but was chosen independently each time an election had to be made. Why did this difference in the law exist for the ‘war Kohen’? What is the message here?

The Torah Temimah(R. B. Epstein d.1942) comments that the job of the ‘war Kohen’ was to encourage and fortify the troops. There is no guarantee that the son of the last Kohen Mashuach Milchama will have the same ability to do this as his father. As a result, the position would be given to the Kohen who had this special ability and not to the son of the last Kohen, unless he had this special inspirational gift.

Rav Kook zal has a different approach and teaches us one of the basic axioms in Jewish life by which we are supposed to live until this very day. He says that we are discussing here the concept of ‘yerusha/inheritance’. This concept implies permanence, a continuation from generation to generation. In the case of the High Priest in Temple service this idea makes perfect sense, to hand over the continuation to his son. However the ‘war Kohen’ represents an abberration in our lives. Tacitus wrote that ‘war is the natural state of man’. In contrast,Chazal say that we should always aim for a life of peace and only go to war when absolutely necessary. Our permanent situation should be peace and to allow ‘inheritance’ to feature in this Halacha would be granting war a ‘permanence’ which we cannot condone. ‘Continuation’ here is the wrong message and as such the position is not passed on to the son of the ‘war Kohen’ but to another individual.

This is a true Hashkafa of our goal as Jews, particularly today in Israel. We desperately want peace and this should always be our goal. This is not to say we want peace at any price, because such a peace is not a real peace. Our goal for a permanent peace is to achieve a safe and secure situation in Israel. This seems to be the vital message coming from this wonderful analysis by Rav Kook zal on this unusual law.

Rabbi Bernstein zal added that the attitude and respect for Rav Kook zal is something which is very lacking in many religious circles today. When Rav Kook was the Rav of the Machzikei Hadass shul in London, the non-Jews would come out of their houses to watch him walking to shul on Shabbat, as this was a true representation of ‘malchut’ in the way he conducted himself. It was no coincidence that he was in London at the time of the Balfour Declaration in 1917 and he was called to the British government to add his weight to this declaration at that time. I would also add that I met an older man in London many years ago who also remembered Rav Kook from those days. He told me that he had never seen such a Tzaddik as Rav Kook ever in his life and the image remained with him permanently. Let us learn more about this great man and take his beautiful observation to heart and pray for permanent peace in Israel speedily in our days.

Rabbi Ian Shaffer       Adar 5755