Doing precisely what you are commanded to do

Today we will devote our attention to two of the many midrashic passages on our parsha. After describing the clothes of the kohanim, the Torah tells us, “V’zeh Hadavar – and this is what you should do for them, to sanctify them to be kohanim for Me” — bring certain requisite animals as sacrifices. (29:1)

The Midrash Rabba (38:2) quotes a verse in Habbakuk (1:12), “Are you not from everlasting (mikedem), O L-rd, my G-d, my Holy One? We shall not die…” In other words, You, G-d, are immortal, why aren’t humans? The midrash suggests that until Adam ate from the forbidden tree he was supposed to be immortal; seath was brought to the world, however, once he did what he was commanded to not do.

The argument the midrash advances is, “G-d, if you want us to be holy and sanctified and separate, then remove death from among us, as You said in Habakkuk.” The answer is given in the same verse: “Lamishpat samto — they have been ordained for judgment”; in other words, they will nonetheless die. (Interestingly, the word samto can be read she’metoo — that they die.) Do your best with your limited time and learn Adam — you have mitzvot you are given and mitzvot you are not given (or ones you are told not to do). Embrace your role.

On the same verse from the parsha (29:1), the midrash (38:8) asks, “With what merit was Aharon able to enter the Holy of Holies? … the merit of circumcision.”

Most women I know are quite pleased that bris milah (circumcision) is relegated to males only (except for a female Reform rabbi I once conversed with). With this in mind, however, the notion of the merit of circumcision protecting Aharon could stand as one of the reasons a woman may never serve as Kohen Gadol.

Although most Jewish males are circumcised, there are many other barriers preventing us (I include myself) from ever being a High Priest — such as not being a kohen. We are fine with this (as was the convert in Shabbat 31a who learned he could not be the Kohen Gadol).

Women and tefillin

is a nonstarter