Parshat Tetzaveh, 5785

Tetzaveh, First Aliyah 

Now you shall tell the Israelites to olive oil bring

To use to light the ner tamid, that ever-burning thing

Aharon and sons are to attend to this bright task

But what clothing shall they wear, you might think to ask

Well…

Tell the wise ones, those with chochma to make specific parts:

The choshen and ephod, with God’s wisdom in their hearts

The k’tonet and tashbeitz, the mitznefet and avneit

What all do they need to make these garments truly great?

We’ve heard this list before, but we’ll repeat it here again:

Gold and many colored yarns are needed by these men

To make the priestly tunic, with its intricate design

Two shoulder pieces at the top to keep it all in line

Then upon each shoulder place an engraved shoham stone

But just what type of rock to use is not exactly known

Carve upon each stone the names of Bnei Yisrael

Six names on each, in birth order -  a notable detail

Then finally, surround each one with a frame of gold

And place it on the shoulder piece of Aharon’s ephod

These avanim before HaShem shall be a zikaron

They come together as a pair, they do not work alone

Reminding God of each tribe’s righteousness and merit

To look upon us favorably when the High Priest wears it 

Further fashion rules do follow, but for now I’ll end things here

I hope that you’ll come back to read more style tips next year!

Author’s Note (and a request for feedback)

This week, I played with trying to keep the meter consistent from line to line and couplet to couplet, so that this rhyme is more easily read out loud by others.  (Dr. Seuss, after all, is extremely consistent, and extremely readable.)  I wonder how this attempted fidelity to meter affected the content.  I’d love your feedback:  Does this week’s rhyme seem more readable to you?  Does the content still feel rich, interesting, and accessible?