ציטירנדיקער פּירוש אויף ישעיהו 64:10

AND THOU SHALT MAKE HOLY GARMENTS FOR AARON THY BROTHER FOR SPLENDOR AND BEAUTY — this means that he be distinguished and glorified with garments of distinction and beauty, just as Scripture says, as a bridegroom putteth on a priestly diadem.²⁷Isaiah 61:10. For these garments [of the High Priest] correspond in their forms to garments of royalty, which monarchs wore at the time when the Torah was given. Thus we find with reference to the tunic, and he made him a tunic of ‘pasim’²⁸Genesis 37:3. — meaning, a cloth woven of variegated colors, this being the tunic of chequer work [mentioned here], just as [Ibn Ezra] explained, which clothed him as a son of ancient kings.²⁹Isaiah 19:11. The same applies to the robe and the tunic, as it is written, Now she [Tamar] had a garment of many colors upon her; for with such robes were the king’s daughters that were virgins apparelled,³⁰II Samuel 13:18. which means that a garment of many colors was seen clearly upon her, for such was the custom that the virgin daughters of the king wore robes with which they wrapped themselves; thus the coat of many colors was upon her as an upper garment. It is for this reason that it says there, and she rent her garment of many colors that was on her.³¹Ibid., Verse 19. The mitre [mentioned here] is to this day known among kings and distinguished lords. Therefore Scripture says with reference to the fall of the kingdom [of Judah], The mitre shall be removed, and the crown taken off.³²Ezekiel 21:31. Similarly it is written, and a royal diadem.³³Isaiah 62:3. Scripture also calls them the ornamented high caps,³⁴Further, 39:28. and it is further written, They shall have linen ornamented [caps] upon their heads,³⁵Ezekiel 44:18. which are for the beauty and glory of those that are adorned with them. The ephod and the breastplate are also royal garments, just as it is written, and thou shalt have a chain of gold about thy neck.³⁶Daniel 5:16. The plate [around the forehead, which the High Priest wore], is like a king’s crown. Thus it is written, ‘yatzitz nizro’ (his crown will shine).³⁷Psalms 132:18. — Ramban thus associates the word tzitz (plate) with the expression yatzitz nizro (his crown will shine), thus suggesting that the tzitz of the High Priest is a sort of royal crown. Furthermore, [the High Priest’s garments] are made of gold, blue-purple, and red-purple³⁸Further, Verse 5. [which are all symbolic of royalty]. Thus it is written, All glorious is the king’s daughter within the palace; her raiment is of chequer work inwrought with gold,³⁹Psalms 45:14. and it is further written, thou shalt be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about thy neck.³⁶Daniel 5:16. As for the blue-purple, even to this day no man will lift up his hand⁴⁰Genesis 41:44. to wear it except a king of nations,⁴¹See Isaiah 14:9. and it is written, And Mordecai went forth from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a ‘tachrich’ (robe) of fine linen and purple⁴²Esther 8:15. — the tachrich being a robe in which the wearer wraps himself.
By way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings of the Cabala,] majesty is to kavod (glory) and to tiphereth (splendor),⁴³Cabalistic terms for certain Emanations. the verse thus stating that they should make holy garments for Aaron to minister in them to the Glory of G-d Who dwells in their midst, and to the Splendor of their strength, as it is written, For Thou art the Glory of their strength,⁴⁴Psalms 89:18. and it is further stated, Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised Thee,⁴⁵Isaiah 64:10. meaning [“the house of] our Holy One” which is the Glory, and “of our Splendor” which is the Splendor of Israel. And it is further stated, Strength and beauty are in His Sanctuary,⁴⁶Psalms 96:6. and similarly, To beautify the place of My Sanctuary, and I will make the place of My feet glorious⁴⁷Isaiah 60:13. — meaning, that the place of the Sanctuary will be glorified by the Splendor, and the place of His feet, which is the place of the Sanctuary, will be honored by the presence of the Glory of G-d. And in Israel will He glorify Himself⁴⁸Ibid., 44:23. also means that in Israel He will show and designate His Splendor. Likewise He says further with respect to the garments of all of Aaron’s sons, that they are for splendor and for beauty.⁴⁹Further, Verse 40. Of the sacrifices He also says, they will come up with ‘ratzon’ (‘will’ — acceptance) on Mine altar, and I will glorify My glorious house.⁵⁰Isaiah 60:7. Thus the altar is His Will and the house of His Glory is the Splendor.
The [priestly] garments had to be made with the intention to be used for that purpose. It is possible that in making them, intent of heart [for what they symbolize] was also needed on the part of their makers. It is for this reason that He said, And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise-hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom⁵¹Verse 3. — who will understand what they will do. And the Rabbis have already said [of Alexander the Great, that when asked by his generals why he descended from his chariot to bow before the High Priest Simon the Just, he answered]:⁵²Yoma 69a. The story told there is that when Alexander the Great conquered the Land of Israel the Samaritans petitioned him to destroy the Temple in Jerusalem. Thereupon a procession of notables went out from Jerusalem headed by Simon the Just, the High Priest, who was attired in the high priestly garments. They walked a whole night with torches in their hand until dawn. In the morning as soon as Alexander saw Simon the Just, he descended from his chariot and bowed down to him. When the Samaritans said to him, “Such a great king as thou art dost thou bow thyself to that Jew?” He replied, “His image etc.” “His image glistened before me whenever I had a victory.”

Isaiah 64,10 referred to the Temple as בית קדשנו ותפארתנו, “the House of our sanctity and glory.” What he meant when referring to “our sanctity” was the honour, and by the word “our glory” he referred to the glory that is Israel. The same idea is expressed by King Amatziah in Amos 7,13: “for it is a king’s sanctuary and a royal palace.” [He forbade the prophet to prophesy in the temple at Bethel. Ed.] The reason that the word לכהנו in לכהנו לי is spelled with the letter ו at the end is to allude to the sixth emanation which is called תפארת. The word לי is equivalent to לה’, i.e. G’d’s attribute כבוד.

A kabbalistic approach to our paragraph: The red cow is an allusion to the oral Torah, the attribute of Justice in its most severe form. This attribute is the source of ritual impurity. The reason why this chore was given to Eleazar to perform was in order that he should address the attribute of Justice in its most concentrated form. Such thoughts would not be held against him [seeing the author had stated repeatedly that all offerings are addressed to Hashem, the attribute of Mercy, Ed.] as it was slaughtered outside holy precincts and was not considered as a sacrificial offering. This is also the reason this legislation was prefaced with the words זאת חקת התורה, as if to say: “this new kind of legislation that the Torah has seen fit to reveal here as something to be performed outside the precincts of the Temple is not meant to convey the impression that it is addressed to someone other than G’d, G’d forbid.” It is anchored, i.e. embedded, נחקקת in the Torah itself. However, its origin is the oral Torah, which is the sixth of the emanations (counting from מלכות upward). Even though a full comprehension of the mystical dimension of this statute is way beyond our ability to understand, it is important to understand that the concept of ritual impurity is allowed to spread no further (upward) than the sixth emanation, that of גבורה. This is the emanation, attribute, which characterized Yitzchak who lay on the altar bound by the attribute of Mercy on the outside. If the attribute of Mercy would not have been present and active and the attribute of Justice would be allowed full reign the world would face destruction immediately. This is why the Master of Mercy provided us through this procedure with a method of turning the attribute of Justice at its fiercest into a milder form of itself. This is the meaning of the words: “they shall take to you a cow, one that is red, an unblemished specimen, an animal which has not been tainted by having been subservient to any (other) master such as the emanations (attributes) on the lower rungs of that diagram.” We know that even the next lower emanation was not saved from having a “master” impose a yoke upon it as that emanation, תפארת, harmony, has been associated with the Holy Temple which has been destroyed and therefore has been "mastered” by impure forces on earth. (Compare Isaiah 64,10 בית קדשנו ותפארתנו, and Psalms 78,61: ויתן לשבי עזו ותפארתו ביד צר, “He delivered into captivity His power and glory into the hand of the oppressor.”) The cherubs (on the cover of the Holy Ark) were exiled together with the other furnishings of the Temple and we do not find that they had been hidden, as had the Holy Ark itself as well as the Menorah, the lampstand. The emanations which are “higher” than that of תפארת, are described as בתי גנזי, “the houses of My hidden (treasure)” in Beytzah 16. I have already discussed this in connection with Genesis 6,6 (see our translation there).
The reason that this red cow was slaughtered outside the holy precincts of the Temple was in order for it to be able to chase away, to diffuse the spirit of impurity. This is why the remains of the cow (ash) together with water from an original source, מים חיים, would effect purification by means of the vessel within which it was contained (verse 17). Purity is derived from an influence exerted by the attribute of Mercy, an emanation higher than that of גבורה, i.e. the attribute (emanation) of Justice, the emanation responsible for every kind of impurity.