Parshanut for Leviticus 8:7
וַיִּתֵּ֨ן עָלָ֜יו אֶת־הַכֻּתֹּ֗נֶת וַיַּחְגֹּ֤ר אֹתוֹ֙ בָּֽאַבְנֵ֔ט וַיַּלְבֵּ֤שׁ אֹתוֹ֙ אֶֽת־הַמְּעִ֔יל וַיִּתֵּ֥ן עָלָ֖יו אֶת־הָאֵפֹ֑ד וַיַּחְגֹּ֣ר אֹת֗וֹ בְּחֵ֙שֶׁב֙ הָֽאֵפֹ֔ד וַיֶּאְפֹּ֥ד ל֖וֹ בּֽוֹ׃
And he put upon him the tunic, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded him with the skilfully woven band of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith.
Meshekh Chokhmah
Girded him with the sash. The garments of the kohanim atone for sin. For example, the ephod atones for idolatry, the pants atone for illicit relations, and the tunic for bloodshed (Zevachim 88). Chazal said that one punished even for his thoughts about transgressing only by idolatry. Therefore, the Kohein Godol’s sash, which atones for idolatry, must atone for thoughts as well, and thus it is a mixture of wool and linen like the ephod. However, an ordinary kohein’s garments atone for illicit relations and bloodshed, in which thoughts are not considered like deeds, and therefore their sashes are not a mixture of wool and linen.
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