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Robes of SplendorPart I.TheBigdei KehunaTHE KOHEN WHO ISNOTA KOHENAnyone who has learned even a little bit, knows that akohenis the only one who is qualified to do theavodahin theBeis Hamikdash;and if somebody else, azar, would attempt to do it, then no matter how well he would follow all the details of theavodah,it’s profaned, it’s renderedpossul. But in this week’sparshawe learn that even akohencan sometimes be considered azar, a stranger to thekehunah, and profane theavodahas well. Akohenmust wear fourbegadimwhen he does theavodahin theBeis Hamikdash.He needs akesones– a tunic;michnasaim– something like trousers, pants;amigba’as– something on his head like a hat, and anavneit– a belt. Those are the four garments.Now suppose akohenwas missing one of hisbegadim; he was missing his belt let’s say. So he put on his regular belt, his leather belt from his home, and went into theBeis Hamikdashto do theavodah. What could he do already? He was stuck! And it’s only a belt after all. Sochazaltell us that if he’s missingeven oneof the four garments, he’s called amechusar begadim,and the wholeavodahispossul; it’s completely worthless. So not only are thebigdei kehunahלכבוד ולתפארת,garments “for honor and for beauty” (Tetzaveh 28:2),but they were a requirement of the avodah that could not be dispensed with at all.CLOTHES MAKE A MANHow do we know this? Ourparshatells us: וחגרת אותם אבנט אהרן ובניו וחבשת להם מגבעות והיתה להם כהונה לחקת עולם – “And gird them with belts, wrap their heads with turbans, and it should be for them the priesthood forever” (Tetzaveh 29:9). What does that mean, that a kohen’s belt and turban should be for him hiskehunah? And thegemarasays (Zevachim 17b) as follows: בזמן שבגדיהם עליהם כהונתם עליהם, only when akohenputs on his garments, that’s when he’s akohen; but if he’s missing his belt, or any of the otherbigdei kehunah,then he’s not akohen;he’s azarnow.And the Torah makes this point again and again. In Parshas Vayikra (1:5) we’re going to read that the בני אהרן הכהנים, the sons of Aharon, thekohanim, should offer thekorbanos.So the question is: Why does Hashem write the superfluous word “hakohanim” in the Torah? The “sons of Aharon” would have described them sufficiently. We already know who Aharon was; that he was thekohen gadol, and that his sons are thekohanim. So what’s this extra word הכהנים doing here? And thegemara(Zevachim 18a) says that הכהנים means: בכהונם – the extra word “hakohanim”is teaching us that they have to be in theirkehuna,that they have to bedressedlikekohanim. He has to be wearing his official garments. If akohenperforms theavodahmissing even just one of his garments, then he’s not akohen. He’s azar. He’s like a stranger, a non-kohen, who is offering up offerings, and he profanes theavodah.Now that’s a remarkable thing to say. Because we know that heisakohen. He’s from the seed of Aharon HaKohen.He’s descended from Aharon HaKohen – so he’s akohen!And thekohenis serving Hashem. He knows what it means to bring akorban; he studied and prepared for a career ofkehuna. And there’s no doubt that he reviewed the details of theavodahbefore he came to theBeis Hamikdashfor his week of work in the service of Hashem. And yet if he lacks one of thebegadim, he’s not considered akohen. And theavodahis profaned because it was performed by a “non-kohen.” That’s what thechazalsay. He’snotakohen! בזמן שבגדיהם עליהם כהונתם עליהם. He has to wear the garments ofkehunahto be akohen.WEARING AGARTELOR LEARNING MUSSAR?It’s a difficult thing to understand. That thebegadimshould be so important?! Wearing the garments, after all, is a superficial thing. If you would say he has to learn for two hoursmussar, all right. If there would be a condition that before thekohencan do theavodah, he should learnMesillas Yesharimfor two hours, that would be easier to understand. Because his mind becomes elevated and he becomes impressed with the importance of themitzvahthat he is going to do. Two hours ofMesillas Yesharim, or another goodseferlikeChovos Halevavossurely will elevate thekohen’smind in preparation for the great act of serving Hashem in theBeis Hamikdash.All right; at leastthatwe can understand.But that’s not what we’re saying here. Here it’s only the putting on of the garments that makes a difference. Even though he’s not thinking at all! Suppose thekohenput on the garments and then he did theavodahwithout thinking at all . It’s a kosheravodah! So we see that it’s just the perfunctory and external act of wearing the garments that matters. And that’s a big question: Why is the superficial act of putting on a uniform so important? Why dothe garmentsmake him akohen?THE SECRET OF THE POLICE ACADEMYSo we’ll explain it like this. You know, when you see a policeman in a blue uniform, so to some extent you think that this man is standing on the right the side of the law. That’s what you believe instinctively. But really why should that be? We know that many times the policemen are recruited from the alleys of Bensonhurst; and if you would have known him back then, you would have seen that he was on the other side of the law. But today he puts on a blue vest, blue pants and a funny looking cap, and now this former troublemaker becomes an upholder of law and order. He even gets angry when someone is breaking the law!Now I’m not saying that he’s going to be able to withstand big temptations; if someone offers him big money, he could easily do anything. But ordinarily we feel some level of confidence that this former lawbreaker is now on the side of law and order. And there’s something behind that feeling; this man is something different than he once was.THE MONKEY COPHow could that be? I’ll tell you how it happens. There’s something to wearing clothing; there’s something profound in a uniform. Because Mankind; black, white, brown, yellow, any color, it doesn’t matter, all of Mankind is innately endowed with profound emotions. And very often, it’s clothing that will bring them out to the fore. The uniform changes them! Because any decent person is affected by a uniform. It makes them feel that it’s their responsibility; they stand for something important now.Now that’s a greatness of mankind; if you put a blue uniform on a baboon you wouldn’t accomplish much. But these “baboons,” you see them in front of a store wearing a badge and holding a stick, and now they’re on the side of law and order. Yesterday he used to walk out of the store without paying, his pockets bulging, and now he’s wearing his police uniform and you trust him to arrest theotherfellow with bulging pockets. That’s the efficacy of a uniform, the impression that clothing makes on the one who wears it.Part II.The Greatness of ExteriorityA POLICEMAN OR A RAVThat outward demonstration means something and we shouldn’t disdain it. And that’s the great principle that we spoke about here many times. TheMesillasYesharimexpresses this important idea with the following words: החיצוניות מעוררת את הפנימיות – “Your exteriority stimulates your interiority” (Perek 7). If you dress like afrumJew, like amentch– even though you’re not – then in the course of time, you’re going to change. You’re going to start becoming a decent person. Absolutely, it’s going to have an effect on you. Because by putting on the uniform you already assume in your mind a certain responsibility, certain attitudes. You identify with the uniform you wear, and your clothing elicits from deep in your soul the innate greatness; it evokes profound ideals and attitudes that are laying there dormant. It’s something that we have to know; it’s actually a fact that people are changed by their garments; clothes make the man.There’s no question that it’s true. Take a man, and you put on him anitztilahd’rabanan, you give him the garments of arav, and you make him sit up front in the shul, so he acquires a certain compassion for human beings. Otherwise he’ll just walk his selfish way in life; but because of what he wears, he instinctively tries to live up to what his garments are saying.L’havdil, arav, and a policeman, but it’s true of everybody.THEPNIMIYUSDIGEHBUM AND THE TWO-LEGGED HORSENow it’s important to take note of the fact that it works just as well the other way too. If you take a pair of ragged jeans and you put them on a human being, so he becomes a bum. I’m not saying only that he looks like a bum; inwardly hebecomesa bum. When people dress like bums, they are bums. It’s a principle that human beings are what their garments are. Anybody who walks, let’s say with cloth shoes; he doesn’t put on any real shoes, just cloth shoes, so that’s what he becomes. Or he wears a painted shirt or long hair, whatever it is; anything that ischitzoniyus, is reallypnimiyus. If he dresses like a tramp, he thereby becomes inwardly also a tramp.I’ll give you another example. A person who dresses with dignity, he’s identifying himself with the self-respecting element of society. He keeps his body covered because he identifies with the dignity oftzelem Elokim.Because a half-naked person is like a horse. You see all of his limbs, just like a horse trotting down the street. A horse is naked, and although you can see the difference between a human being and a horse, nevertheless the comparison is overwhelming. You see his muscles moving, his shoulders moving. Did you ever look at a policeman’s horse in the street as it’s walking? You see the muscles between the legs and the thighs working, pulsating. And when people walk in the street today, and they try to display as much of the body as they can, it should remind you of a horse. A donkey also has shoulders like that, and thighs that move like that.But not only is it that theylooklike horses to us; they’re actually identifying with horses, they becomebeheimos. That’s all it is! It’s horses walking down Kings Highway. To show off your body means that you’re the same as a good police horse walking down the street flexing its muscles, showing off its big legs, its big behind. It’s waving its tail. The horse is proud of herself. But what is it really? It’s a horse after all. It’s nothing but abeheimah.If you walk half naked down Ocean Parkway, what you are is a horse waving its tail; you’re identifying with the horses that used to trot down Ocean Parkway naked. Because it’s how you behave on the outside, how you dress, that becomes the foundation of what’s really important, yourpnimiyus.THE CRAZY YESHIVA BACHURThere’s no question that a person wears certain types of garments in order to identify with those people that he admires and wants to be a part of. We see it all the time. Here you have a young man – a Jewish boy – walking on the sidewalk. And what does he have on his head? A baseball cap! I’m not talking now about a cap to keep his head covered; it’s notstama hat. No, he’s wearing the cap ofhisbaseball team. Yanks, Mets! There’s a fashion nowadays in society to wear baseball caps in order to identify with certain teams. Ameshugas!It’s worse than ameshugas.Ayeshivabochurstopped me on the street last week to ask me if he could wear the baseball cap of his team into a shul, abeis medrash. I was thinking, “Meshugena!Intoshul?! Even on the street you shouldn’t wear such a thing. A cap of the Yankees means that you identify yourself with people who have no heads. Underneath such a cap is an empty mind. People who go to see a baseball game and they see a fellow with a stick and he slams the ball and everybody goes wild about thistzadik. A homerun! Those people aremeshuga’im!It’s a world of foolish things and you want to identify with that world?! And therefore, you should never wear a baseball cap like that. Because if you do, that’s who you identify with. You might become a Yankees-man, or a Mets-man. But you’re not going to be a man for Hashem.IDENTIFYING WITH YOUR CLOTHINGBut what we learn from thebigdei kehunahis that person can utilize his clothing in the opposite way. Using your clothing to identify yourself with the servants of Hashem, with theAm Yisroel,is one of the easiest ways to grow great in the eyes of Hashem. Because when akohenputs on thebegadim,he’s taking a very important step in the service of Hashem; he’s dressing the part and identifying with theovdei Hashem.And it’s so important that it changes the nature of hisavodah. He’s wearing thebegadimof a servant of Hashem, so he’s akohennow; anevedHashem.He’s not azar.So you might say, “Is that the sole incentive? You mean akohendoesn’t have anything to inspire him except some outward garments?! Thekohenhas to study for years, and he has to understand the importance of theavodah. So what could clothing add to that?!” And the answer is that itdoesadd something; it adds thechitzoniyus. And we’re going to see now that this exteriority, thechitzoniyusof wearing garments, is much more important than you could have ever imagined.THE SECRET TO JEWISH SURVIVALYou know that the Torah describes thebigdei kehunahasbigdei s’rad, which in its most simple understanding means “garments of officiating” (Vayikra 1:5). But the wordsbigdei s’radare not common in the Torah, and ourchachomim(Yoma 72a) took note of that: מאי דכתיב את בגדי השרד לשרת בקודש – “What does the Torah mean when it refers to thebigdei kehuna,the priestly garments, asbigdei ha’srad?”Why does the Torah choose the words’radas the description of thebegadimthat thekohanimwear when serving in theBeis Hamikdash?And the cryptic answer that is given reads as follows: אלמלא בגדי כהונה לא נשתייר מישראל שריד ופליט – “If it weren’t for the priestly garments, there wouldn’t be left even a small remnant, as’rad, from the Jewish people; nothing at all would remain.” That’s why they’re calledbigdei s’rad; because in another meaning the words’radmeans a remnant. And it’s because of thebigdei kehunathat the Jewish nation was able to survive! We’re around today because of the fourbegadimthat akohenwore in theBeis Hamikdash.Now that’s a very queer and puzzling statement. At that time when there was aBeis Hamikdashandkohanimwore their garments, they weren’t merely serving Hakodosh Boruch Hu according to the laws ofkehunahjust at that moment; they were building up a reserve ofyeshua, preservation and eternity for the Jewish nation forever and ever. אלמלא בגדי כהונה – “If not for thebigdeikehunah, לא נשתייר מישראל שריד ופליט – nothing would have remained of us.”LET THEM GNASH!TheAm Yisroelhas survived a longgolusin the midst of our enemies. And even in good times, when they’re not making trouble for us, not trying to kill us, but they’re always degrading our ideals, our attitudes, our way of life. And yet we’re still here. Not only are we here, but we’re growing,boruch Hashem. Thegoyimare gnashing their teeth, but they can’t help it. Let them gnash! There’s still asarid, a remnant, of theAm Yisroelleft. Andchazalare telling us here that it’s because of thebigdei s’rad,because there was a time whenkohanimworebigdeikehunain theBeis Hamikdash, at that time in our history they earned for our nation the right to existforever.Now, it was a habit for many of them I’m sure, what to wear, how to dress. And it could be that they were thinking about other things at the time, could be. But what we’re learning here is that the mere fact that thekohendressed like a servant of Hashem, was such a tremendous success for him, that he accomplished something that would last forever and ever for theAm Yisroel.FOLLOWING THE ROYAL PROTOCOLNow, once we understand this, that dressing like a servant Hashem, is actually an eternal preservation for theAm Yisroel, that should cause us to appreciate the importance of our dress much more than we ever did before. If the fact that we’re here today is due to the demonstration of thekohanimin those years when they served in theBeis Hamikdashwearing theirbigdei kehunah, so we begin to realize the importance of thebegadimthatwewear. אלמלא בגדי כהונה – “If not for thebigdeikehunah, לא נשתייר מישראל שריד ופליט –nothing would have remained of us.”Because when akohenput on hisbegadim,what was he demonstrating after all? He was saying “This is the house where Hashem dwells, and I am His servant!” The servant of a mortal king,l’havdil, dresses in a certain way. It’s an honor for the king when all of hismisharsim, all of his servants, follow a certain protocol in their dress. And the way the servant dresses, affects his behavior, and in the course of time, he becomes different. And therefore, when thekohenputs on thebigdeikehunah,when he dresses like akohen, he’s actually changing himself. It’s very important that he should know that he’s dressedl’kavod u’lisiferes.He has to be dressed in these glorious garments because they make him feel like he is a servant of Hashem. And therefore akohencan only rise to the heights required of him when he is dressed in thebigdei s’rad. By wearing thebigdei avodah, he becomes a servant of Hashem. An oldkohenis someone who has been transformed in character. He’s becoming someone different, no question about it.Part III.Modern Day Bigdei KehunaTAILORED ITALIAN SUITSAnd don’t think thatbigdei kehunaare only forkohanim. Because we’re learning here that even by a superficial exterior demonstration that you’re aneved Hashem,you have already achieved something for yourselfand for your nation forever and ever.אלמלא בגדי כהונה – “If not for thebigdeikehunah, לא נשתיירו מישראל שריד ופליט – nothing would have remained of us.” When we wear our clothing, it’s not merely a superficial act that means nothing; it’s the preservation of theAm Yisroel. You don’t wear clothing the same way that Mr. Giavano, your Italian neighbor, wears clothing. Oh no! The clothes that we wear mean more than you ever imagined. When we walk among the gentiles, and even among ourselves, wearing ouryarmulkehs, our hats, oursheitelech,our long sleeves, our long skirts, ourtzitzis, our long jackets or short jackets, our white shirts, ourkapotehs –whatever it is that you wear to show that you’re aneved Hashem– you’re a walkingkiddush Hashem! Because what are we saying with our clothes? We’re saying to the world, no matter how dark it gets, no matter how much foolishness andapikorsisfill the world, and no matter how much you try to entice us, we’re still standing proud and we’re here to stay. We’re a stubborn people – we’re the עם קשי עורף – and we’re not going anywhere.And therefore, we dress the part of the stubborn nation. We’re proudly showing that we belong to Hashem and that it will be that way forever and ever. We’re stubborn about it too! We’re proud of our dress; we’re demonstrating strength of character and loyalty, and that’s what preserves us forever. Of course, some might go lost. It’s a tragedy, but you’ll always have some weaklings in a great nation – stragglers, the נחשלים אחריך, who don’t stand strong for their ideals, who get cut off from our people. But on a national scale, we’re here forever. And we know that Hashem will keep us around forever, because we’re hereonly for Him. And that’s why we’re dressing for Him!THE MAN IN THE YELLOW HATWe’re learning here a tremendous lesson, the lesson ofchitzoniyus,howimportant the outwardliness that a person displays is. Let’s say we’re talking about what it means to put on a black hat. So you’ll say, “What difference does it make? I’m afrumJew and my head is full of Torah. Who cares what I put on my head?! A gray hat? A blue hat? No hat? Who cares about the hat? It’s just superficialities! I’m not that way; I’mreal!”“Oh no!”we tell you. A black hat makes a difference, all the difference in the world. It’s not the color black that matters, it’s who you are identifying with. If theroshei yeshivawore yellow hats, then we’d wear yellow hats. If they woresombreros, so that’s what we’d wear as well. When a Jew puts on a black hat, you have to know that it’snotjust aminhag. A black hat means something; you’re identifying with the Torah community; it’s anateres tiferes,a crown of glory. You’re identifying with theroshei yeshivos,with themekomosHaTorah, with all the people who areshlomeiemunaiYisroel. And that’s a tremendous demonstration.A BLACK HAT IS NOT EVERYTHING…And it’s not only the hat. Ayarmulkehis also something. Yourtzitzishanging out of your pants. Your white shirt, yourpeyos.Whatever it is, you’re identifying with the Am Hashem. It’s such an achievement, that the entire world should be jealous of you. And once a person demonstrates outwardly that he belongs to Hakodosh Boruch Hu, that man has succeeded in one of the biggest achievements in life. That man is wearingbigdeikehunahand he has come close to Hashem inchitzoniyus, in exteriority. And in this function he is succeeding as much as thekohanimdid in theBeis Hamikdash .Now it doesn’t mean you’re already exceptional. Other people also have black hats. But compared to the outside world, you’re an aristocrat, by wearing a black hat. I saw a little boy today wearing a black hat. He wanted to look like somebody important; and hewillbe important someday. But even right now, he is already important because of his hat. That’s our people! We are a nation that is proud of who we are. Because who are we? We are Hashem’s children.THE TZITZIS GO INTO HIDINGThat’s why it’s so good to live in afrumJewish neighborhood. Everybody takes histzitzisout in afrumJewish neighborhood. You know, when people start walking from afrumneighborhood to a not sofrumneighborhood, little by little thetzitzisstart going into the pants. After a while, twenty blocks later, you can’t see thetzitzisanymore. You pass a person, you have no idea that he’s a Jew. He’s dressed like all thegoyim. Only that if you’re tall enough, you can see a smallyarmulkahperched on top of his head. Now, even that is something. Even a smallyarmulkehis somethingmi’einthebigdei kehuna,and we’re not going to begrudge that small donation to the cause. He’s amoideh b’miktzas,and even that is an opportunity for greatness.But in afrumneighborhood everyone is wearing theirtzitzisout. Little boys with bigyarmulkahsandtzitzis. All the women are dressedbi’tzniyus.You don’t see any uncovered arms. Everybody is dedicated in theirchitzoniyusto Hashem. That’s why I say that the best place to live is Williamsburg. If you go to Boro Park that’s also good. You walk in the streets, everybody is wearingpeyos. Everyone is showing that he’s afrumJew, aneved Hashem.Everybody!THEBIGDEI KEHUNAHOF BAIS YAAKOV GIRLSYou don’t know what a tremendous achievement that is for them. It’s a greathatzlacha, even if they’re not thinking about anything except for business. Maybe they’re thinking aboutmachlokestoo – who cares what they’re thinking about! At least he’s looking like afrumJew and he wouldn’t change hischitzoniyusfor anything! You have to know what it means, how much of akiddush Hashemit is when the Jewish nation shows an allegiance to Hashem in theirchitzoniyus. And that’s why I say that the morefrumthe neighborhood is, the better are your chances in attaining this easy achievement ofhachitzoniyus m’oireres es hapnimiyus.There’s nothing more beautiful than a Jewishfrumneighborhood that’s crowded with theAm Hashem;crowded with people who are demonstrating through their dress that they are proud of who they are. I was in the street yesterday and I saw a pack of twenty, maybe thirty girls walking down the street – walking home from theBeis Yaakov.Thirty girls wearing long skirts. All wearingtzniyusdigehuniforms. But I didn’t seeBeis Yaakovuniforms – I sawbigdei kehuna! Because that was the greatness of the garments that akohenwore. He was proudly identifying himself with those who understand that their purpose in this world is to serve Hashem.“I AM FOR HASHEM!”Today I was walking on Kings Highway and it was very hot. And achossidis walking past me with a longkapoteh. He was trying to get business from the stores, that they should buy his merchandise. Now, he didn’t take off hiskapotehas he walked down the street. He was sweating, but he wouldn’t think of taking it off. That’s his uniform, that’s hisbigdei shareis.Andhe’s happy with it. He wears akapoteh, he wearspayos. He’s achassidesheman walking in Flatbush among naked people – people without hats, people who have nothing in their heads, they don’t think about Hashem at all. And here’s this one man walking down the street advertising, “I am for Hashem!”And maybe he’s not even thinking about that. He’s trying to get customers to buy his kosher chocolates and his kosher cookies. He’s walking into stores doing his own business, but as he walks in and out of the stores, and down the street, we see a man who is advertising that there is a Hakodosh Boruch Hu in the world. So you should know that this man is wearingbigdei kehunah. It’s such an achievement that the entire world should be jealous of him.And what I’m telling you now applies to every Jewish woman as well. She’s wearing asheitel, or atichelorsnood, it doesn’t matter what it is, because as she walks down the street she’s an aristocrat walking among among thebeheimos– those who identify with the horses. A woman who covers her hair, she covers her arms and her legs, it’s not merely a superficial act of following some “rules” of modesty. No; it’s much much more than that. She’s identifying with theAm Yisroel!She’s demonstrating that she’s aneved Hashem.HASHEM WANTS YOUR MIND!We’re talking now about the person who demonstrates that he belongs to Hashem, that’s the point. You show you belong to Hashem. And even though it’s superficial it’s a tremendous achievement. Externalities are also prized by Hashem. And it’s written down to your record that you are a servant of Hashem, that you have achieved the greatness of the nobility of exteriority.You’re not embarrassed; you’re proud to stand out, to be different, and you’re walking around all day proclaiming, “I am for Hashem.” And that makes all the difference in the world. Because when a person demonstrates outwardly that he belongs to Hakodosh Boruch Hu, that person has succeeded in one of the biggest achievements that life offers. He has come close to Hashem inchitzoniyus,in exteriority.Now, make no mistake. It’s notpnimiyus. You’re not gaining all the greatness of the qualities and attitudes that you earn only by years of study and thinking.And I’m not going to say that this is all you need to do; by no means. רחמנא ליבא בעי, Hashem wants yourpnimiyus, your mind; certainly that’s what He wants from you. Hashem puts a great emphasis on the mind, no question about it. How valuable it is to learn and to fill your mind with noble concepts! Learnseforim,agadata,yiras shamayim; there’s no end to the thoughts that are necessary for you to fill your mind with. LearnChovos Halevavos, Mesillas Yesharim, Kuzari also.All the greatseforim; Rabbeinu YonahonMishlei, Rabbeinu YonahonPirkei Avos, RambamonPirkei Avos, Rambam Hilchos Dei’os, Hilchos Teshuva.There’s so much to learn. And it’s all necessary! Don’t think that it’s just a luxury. It’s a lifetime of filling your mind with great ideals. And Hakodosh Boruch Hu wants that.But despite the great virtue of becoming a man of interiority, ofpnimiyus, we should not underestimate the value of the superficial demonstration of being afrumJew. It’s so precious! Even though you’re not thinking about anything, no philosophy, noamkus; you’re not thinking about theMesillas Yesharimor theChovos Halevavos.You’re just thinking, “I’m afrumJew; I’m proud, I’m happy that I can demonstrate my loyalty to Hashem by means of mybigdei kehunah.” The man who is happy that he is afrumJew, and he dresses like a frum Jew, that itself is a tremendous achievement for the servant of Hashem, and it’s a terrible mistake to begrudge that greatness. Because even by a superficial exterior demonstration that you’re anevedHashem, you should know that you have achieved something great for yourself.Part IV.Putting It Into PracticeWE’RE JUST AT THE BEGINNINGBut I must tell you that everything we spoke about tonight is actually only the beginning of theavodahof wearing thebegadimof a servant of Hashem. Because even in this superficialavodah,theavodahofchitzoniyus,there are higher and higher levels on the ladder of coming close to Hashem. And so we’ll take the little time we have left to try to step off the first rung, and to continue climbing higher. We’ll start by quoting words from theChovos Halevavos,words that I’ve said here many times before. המחשבה נמשכת אחר הדיבור – “Your thoughts, yourpnimiyus, will pattern themselves after the words that you say”. And that idea introduces us to another level of opportunity in growing great from thechitzoniyusofbegadim.Because when we consider these two aspects, thechitzoniyusand thepnimiyus; as much as possible let us combine them, and endeavor to use ourchitzoniyusas a building block forpnimiyus. The exteriority of dressing like afrumJew can be utilized to achieve even greater perfection when it is amalgamated with thinking and speaking.Now, I’ll give you a practical suggestion. Every morning when you put on your clothing, don’t go through the motions like you’ve been doing for so many years. Don’t spend the rest of your life putting on clothing without thinking anything at all. You know that many people, when they get dressed in the morning, they put in as much thought to their clothes as a horse would if he was getting dressed. Putting on clothing in the morning is a demonstration – a demonstration to others, and more importantly to yourself. And what you should be telling yourself as you put on your clothes ishow important you are. I know that this is a new idea to most people and that’s why I’m stressing it: When you put on your shirt, your skirt, your hat, whatever it is, it’s like saying, “I now declare that I am the choicest of all creation. Hashem has chosen me and therefore I am great! Garments declare who I am!” The main gift of garments is the honor they give you. A great man once said, מאני מכבדותא, “Garments are my honor” (Shabbos 113b).YOU BELONG TO SOMEONE VERY IMPORTANT!You should practice thinking, “Hashem has made me great. Not only has He clothed me with the garments of a human being, but He has clothed me with garments that signify the greatness of the Jewish people.” Let’s say you’re putting on achassideshelevush;you’re putting on certainbegadimthat you’re accustomed to wear in yourkehilla.Soyou should do it with a great sense of achievement. It’s an opportunity, azechusto demonstrateto yourself“I’m aneved Hashem.” That’s what you’re doing it for. Are you putting on thesebegadimbecause you want to show that you belong to a certainkehilah? No, that’s not what you’re demonstrating. You want to show that you belong to this and thisrebbeh? That’s not the purpose! You belong to Someone much more important than that; you belong to Hashem! And the more thought you add to yourkapoteh, to your round hat, and to whatever else you wear to demonstrate that you belong to Him, the greater you become.You shouldn’t let any opportunity go to waste. You have nicepeyos, and you want to hang them around the front of your face. All right, that’s beautiful. Of course, it makes you look good; there’s no question about it. But you should utilize them as a catalyst to think and to say with your mouth, “I’m doing this to show that I belong to Hashem.” Don’t be ashamed; as much as possible, when nobody’s listening say it. And each time you say it, you’re impressing into your mind more and more the perfection of character that you came into this world to achieve.THE KING OF ENGLAND’S DUNCE CAPNow there’s not much labor involved there. But it’s still a tremendous achievement just to think these thoughts. If during the day you take a nap or you took off your hat for some other reason, you’re wearing something else, ayarmulkeh, and later you put on your hat again, utilize that opportunity. “I am putting a crown on my head. Even if it would be a crown that is made of gold and diamonds, it would be nothing when compared to my sixty or eighty dollar black hat.” Your black hat is a crown that is more precious than the crown of the King of England. He keeps his crown in a special place, locked up in a safe, with guards around it. But it’s nothing! It’s a dunce cap compared to your hat. Your hat is anateres tiferes,a crown of glory for you.And suppose you don’t own a black hat. But you have ayarmulkeh;that also is a crown of glory. Ayarmulkehis worth more than all the crowns of all the emperors that ever reigned. Let’s say somebody walked in here tonight and sat down and on his head was a diadem, a crown made of gold with diamonds and rubies set into it. We wouldn’t take our eyes off of it. We’d stare at him. But it’s a waste of time. It’s a dunce cap. It’s a piece of paper, it’s nothing. Look at Jew with ayarmulkeh, or with a black hat, and you’ll see a person who is crownedwith what Hashem considers a crown!A crown oftiferes– of beauty and glory – the crown of someone who is proud to belong to theAm Yisroel,proud to belong to Hashem. That’s what a Jewish head covering is.THE GLORIOUSTICHELAnd it doesn’t have to be a hat. A woman who is going to put on asheitelortichel, or even a snood – it doesn’t matter; whatever she’s wearing that’s what she’s doing; she’s demonstrating that she’s aneved Hashem.The holy women who wear their hair covered at all times; their arms are covered, and they wear dresses that are proper lengths, you have to know that they’re doing a service to Hashem. Hakodosh Baruch Hu considers them likekohanimwearing thebigdeikehunah. And they should be thinking that. And if you want to be really great, then don’t just think the words. When nobody is listening you can say,“I’m so lucky that I have the good fortune to be part of theAm Yisroeland to wear this glory on my head, the glory of demonstrating that I am anevedHashem.”So how could we waste such an opportunity? Why shouldn’t we utilize that? When you cover your head, when you put on yourtzitzis, your belt, your jacket, your white shirt, you can combine these two great principles, theavodahof the mind, and theavodahofchitzoniyus, ofmalbushim. And if you do that every time, you should know that you’re living a rich and successful life. I say “every time;” even once in a while is a tremendous achievement! And if you do it always thenashreichem!CITY OF EMPERORSAnd once you understand whatbigdei kehunahmean, so it’s not onlyyourclothing that becomes an opportunity for greatness. When you see any Jewish man with a black hat, you understand that he is a prince wearing a crown. You should practice that on the street. “That man is crowned withateres tiferes –a crown of glory – a crown that is more important that the most expensive diadem.” Imagine you decide right now, you’re thinking, “From now on whenever I put on my black hat, or I see my children, my little boys putting on theirbar mitzvahblack hats, or if I’ll see people wearing black hats in the street, so I’ll teach myself to understand that they are crowns of gold and diamonds.” It’s glorious! It’s more than the ermine cloaks and the golden necklaces of the emperors. They are nothing – absolutely worthless – when compared to the garments of a plain frum man or woman who are dressed in the way that the Torah requires. And once you’ve learned this lesson, you can do the same when you see the Satmererchossidwearing his hat, your neighbor wearingtzitzis, or your wife wearing hersheitel. Now you’re already living a life of success! You’re combining the greatness ofchitzoniyuswith the perfection ofpnimiyus, and achieving the true greatness of thebigdei kehunaheven without theBeis Hamikdash.And therefore, we begin to understand what a great loss it is to live our lives without thought, מצות אנשים מלומדה, doing things only out of habit. Of course, it’s very good to be externally afrumJew. Of course it’s a merit – it’s a greatzechusto look like afrumJew. We learned that tonight: אלמלא בגדי כהונה, if not for thebigdei kehunah,לא נשתייר מישראל שריד ופליט,we wouldn’t be around anymore. And it’s true; we’re only around because of our dedication to Hashem inchitzoniyus. But when you live a life of understanding how to utilize thechitzoniyus, you’ll see that there’s no end of opportunities for greatness. And when people live that way, when they train themselves to react to the external stimuli, that’s a life of great success. Even for those who never filled their minds with any thoughts of copious Torah knowledge, even if you didn’t get thepnimiyusthat you can get fromseforim,you can utilize all of your externalities to stimulate your mind to live a rich and successful life.WE WALK THE SAME PATH AS THEKOHANIMAnd it’s an accomplishment that is so precious that it was considered an accomplishment that would last forever and ever for theAm Yisroel. אלמלא בגדי כהונה לא נשתיירו מישראל שריד ופליט. The merit of thebigdeikehunah, of wearing the uniform of the servant of Hashem, standsforeveras a merit to protect theAm Yisroel, because we’re doing the same today.The fact that we are here today, is in no small part due to those days when thekohanimstood in theBeis Hamikdash,wearing thebigdeikehunah, teaching us the important lesson of utilizing the exteriority to dedicate ourselves to Hashem.The more thefrumJews show theirfrumkeit, even externally, the more of azechuswe have to remain around forever.Frummen,frumwomen,frumboys and girls who by means of their dress, demonstrate that they belong to Hashem, are participating in the greatk’vod shamayimof teaching ourselves and proclaiming to the world as well, that there is one Hashem and that we are forever dedicated to Him. And He gives us, just for that alone, the merit of continuing to exist in this world forever and ever. אלמלא בגדי כהונה לא נשתייר מישראל שריר ופליט. It’s the great achievement of demonstrating our loyalty to Hashem with our clothing, our externalities, that has given theAm Yisroelthe merit to continue to exist. And therefore, the more we use our clothing and externalities to serve Hashem, and to become profoundly influenced by the lessons of thebigdei kehunah, the more we preserve the existence of theAm Yisroelforever and ever. HAVE A WONDERFUL SHABBOSGo Back See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.