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This week’s parsha of Tetzave discusses the making of the priestly garments. The last pasuk in perek 28, pasuk 43 states:
| They must be worn by Aharon and his sons whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the outer Altar to serve in the Sanctuary, so that they not bear a sin and die. This is a rule for him and for his offspring after him for all time. | מגוְהָיוּ֩ עַל־אַֽהֲרֹ֨ן וְעַל־בָּנָ֜יו בְּבֹאָ֣ם | אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֗ד א֣וֹ בְגִשְׁתָּ֤ם אֶל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֨חַ֙ לְשָׁרֵ֣ת בַּקֹּ֔דֶשׁ וְלֹֽא־יִשְׂא֥וּ עָוֹ֖ן וָמֵ֑תוּ חֻקַּ֥ת עוֹלָ֛ם ל֖וֹ וּלְזַרְע֥וֹ אַֽחֲרָֽיו: |
Regarding the fact that it’s a statute for Aharon and his offspring forever, Rabbeinu Bachye comments that this refers to, “that the kohen gadol wears 8 garments when doing the Holy Service, and a regular kohen wears 4 garments during the Holy Service, which are the pants, tunic, cone shaped hat and belt. It was quite a wonderment, the kohanim who did the sacrificial services every day, for their bodies essentially only wore the tunic which was a shirt and they withstood the cold in the rainy months and didn’t die. Therefore Chaza”l say in Shekalim 5a that they appointed someone to check over them and heal them from their sicknesses because most of them had intestinal ailments because their work throughout the year was only in their tunic during the Holy Service and they also stood barefoot on the [stone] floor.” The gemara Yerushalmi in Shekalim 5a further details that because the kohanim walked barefoot on the ground and ate meat and drank water, they would then have intestinal sicknesses. (Click here for Hebrew text.)
It is a marvelous wonder that none of the kohanim died in such conditions; in fact it would seem to be a miracle! The Kohanim were doing Hashem’s will, and in fact a statute without any simple reason behind it, by serving in the Mishkan and Beis Hamikdash in the priestly garments, which includes the strenuous and crafty work of the sacrificial offerings and a requirement to eat parts of the sacrifices in a specific time frames while being simply dressed in the priestly garments, just pants, tunic, hat, and a belt. They weren’t allowed to wear gloves or an overcoat and scarf in the cold, and they even had to work barefoot. All this was a show of honor and respect to The Holy One Blessed Be He while serving in His Palace. Granted, they had a doctor on call to take care of them daily but how could Hashem, who is All Merciful, Kind and Caring, put His cherished and loved ones in such painful predicaments even if He assured them they would not die from the work they did if they did it properly?
It must be that if this is, according to strict justice, logically the proper way to give respect and honor to the King Of All Kings, then it’s the right thing to do and it’s not considered an abusive work environment. On the contrary, we see a whole new dimension of the concept of mesiras nefesh, self-sacrifice, for the sake of honoring Hashem and doing His will and service. The kohanim, in fact eagerly and competitively, sought to serve in the Beis Hamikdash each day. They felt it was an honor for them to be able to serve Hashem, even if it meant just cleaning up the ashes from the day before. But anything which is serving Hashem, especially in His Palace, is a means of creating a closer relationship with Hashem which deserves to be done at whatever cost it takes withing the parameters of Jewish Laws.
The toll on their bodies was part of serving Hashem and they did it eagerly, with complete passion, knowing and accepting the consequences, for the sake of the good. Their mesiras nefesh was part of their avodah and therefore it was the right thing to do.