Questions on Parshas Tetzaveh to think about and discuss:

1. After the birth of Moshe he is mentioned in every parsha besides for Tetzave. Why?
2. What are the different names for the inner Mizbayach, altar?
3. What do the clothes of the Kohen Godol come to atone for?
4. What words were written on the Choshen?
5. Who should have been the Kohen Godol?
6. When it first lists the garments of the Kohen Godol (28:4) it only mentions six out of the eight. The Tzitz and trousers are missing. Why?
7. The hat of the Kohen Godol is called Mitznefes while the hat of the ordinary Kohen is called Migbo’ois. Is there any difference between these two hats?
8. Why is the inner Mizbayach, altar, mentioned at the end of Parshas Tetzaveh, separately to the other vessels of the Mishkan?
9. The two Avnei Shoham, shoulder stones, on the ephod had the names of six shevotim written on each. Which ones appeared on which stone?
10. The beginning of Parshas Tetzaveh talks about the oil for the menorah. What is the connection between the previous parsha that talks about the Mishkon and its’ vessels and the next parsha about the clothes of the Kohanim?
11. The Menorah stands out as being the only vessel to make of pure gold and the oil used for it had to be the purest, the first drop from the olives. What lies behind this?
12. How much oil was put into the menorah every night?
13. What is the significance of the menorah being lit at night? Why not light it only in the day or both by day and night? Who was the light for?
14. Why did the Kohanim not wears shoes or socks?
15. Did the Kohanim wear any tefilin?
16. Did the Kohanim wear tzitzis?
17. The size of the choshen was a zeres squared. How much is this?
18. On the Avnei Shoham were written the names of the twelve shevotim. There was meant to be a total of 50 letters. However, there are only 49 letters. Which letter was added to which tribe?
19. The Choshen needed all 22 letters of the Aleph-Beis. It had the names of the twelve shevotim. However, it was still missing the letters Cheis, Tes, Tzadi and Kuf. What words were added to include these letters?
20. How were the pomegranates and bells positioned at the hem of the Meil?
21. How could the Kohanim survive in these thin clothes during the winter months?
22. Why after describing the clothes of the Kohanim and the sacrifices they brought with this inauguration does it go on to only mention the korban tomid?

Ideas for answers on the general parsha:

1. See Baal Haturim (27:20) that Moshe asked to be wiped out of the Sefer Torah to save the Jews and since the curse of a Chochom works even when attached to a condition. Therefore his name is missing in one Parsha. Why pick Parshas Tetzave for this? Rashi (Shemos 4:14) brings that Moshe would have been Kohon Godol and it was taken away from him. Therefore his name missing by Parshas Tetzave that describes the special clothes of the Kohon Godol, as this parsha causes Moshe pain describing what he could have worn. (Tur) Another answer is that almost always the 7th Adar, the day Moshe died falls during Parshas Tetzaveh. To allude to his death, his name is not mentioned in Parshas Tetzaveh. (Divrei Eliyohu). Although Moshe’s name is not explicitly mentioned in Parshas Tetzaveh, however, his name his alluded to in a hidden form. There are 101 pesukim in Parshas Tetzaveh and this is the gematria of the milui, the hidden part of the letters of Moshe’s name – מ”ם שי”ן ה”א. (Kehilas Yitzchok) The question still is that we find that Moshe’s name is missing in five parshious in Sefer Devorim? Why do chazal only mention Parshas Tetzaveh? Perhaps the answer lies in the fact that all the other places are in Sefer Devorim that is seen to be different to the first four chumoshim (See Megilla 31b for the differences in curses and see Brochos 21b for differences with learning semuchim)…
2. Mizbayach HaZohov (Golden Altar); Mizbayach HaKetores (the altar of the spices); Mizbayach HaPenimi (Inner Altar). All these names come to contrast it to the other Mizbayach in the Mishkan that was situated in the courtyard.
3. The Gemora (Eruchin 16a) brings that the Kesones atones for spilling the blood; trousers for immorality; his hat to atone haughtiness; the Avneit to atone for bad thoughts; chosen atones for denim; eiphod atones for idol worship; meil atones for Loshon Hora; tzitz atones for brazenness.
4. It had to have all the letters of the Aleph-Beis. However, the names of the twelve shevotim were missing four letters – Cheis, Tes, Tzadei and Koof. Therefore the names of the three Avos were added as well as Shivtei Yeshuren. (See Gemora Yuma 73b)
5.  Rashi (Shemos, 4:14) brings an opinion that Moshe should have been the Kohen Godol but lost it due to his constant refusal to become leader until Hashem got angry.
6. Rabbeinu Bechai answers that since the Tzitz is not called a garment it is not mentioned. The trousers are also omitted since it only mentions the clothes Moshe dressed Aaron in. The Rasbam brings that here it describes clothes of honour and splendour while the trousers merely came to cover over his private places.
7. Rashi learns they are the same. The Riva says that the Migbo’ois was larger since the ordinary Kohen did not wear a Tzitz. The Ramban says that the Migbo’ois was wrapped around the whole head while the Mitznefes was only wrapped around the sides and not the centre of the head.
8. Because it serves a different function from the others… The Ramban says that it completes everything and therefore is mentioned last. This is seen in the ketores… The Meshech Chochma says that all the other vessels (mentioned in Parshas Teruma) were essential for the Mishkon. This is unlike the Mizbayach HaZohav, the Golden Altar, that if it was missing then they could still bring the ketores (see Gemora Zevochim 59). The Vilna Gaon adds that this was not essential for the bringing down of the Shechina and was only for the atonement of the Jews. Similarly, the Seforno says that instead of bringing down the Shechina it came to give honour to Hashem. The Tzror Hamor brings differently that it is mentioned separately since it was the most chosen vessel since it atoned, made people rich and happy.
9. The Gemora (Sota 36a) brings two opinions: 1) Yehuda, Reuven, Shimon, Levi, Don and Naftoli on one stone. The other had: Gad, Osher, Yisocher, Zevulon, Yosef and Binyomin. 2) Rabbi Chanaya Ben Gamliel says: on one stone all the six sons of Leah and on the other stone the two sons each of Rochel, Bilho and Zilpoh. 3) Rashi (28:10) in the order that they were born. 4) The Rambam brings that it went in the order of the Shevotim alternating e.g. Reuven on one and Shimon on the other, etc.
11. Perhaps the idea is that this is the only vessel made directly by Hashem. Moshe had difficulty with the menorah and Hashem told him to throw it into the fire and it came out already made. (Rashi 25:31) Since it was the only one that came directly from Hashem therefore special purity is linked to it – seen in it being made of pure gold and requiring pure oil from the first drop.
12. Rashi (27:21) brings that every night half a lug of oil was put in. This would be enough for even the longest nights of the year. Tosfas brings that the same amount of oil was put in each night but during the shorter nights the wicks were made thicker so that the flame should finish by the morning. Perhaps another way could be that each night they only put in the amount of oil estimated to be enough for the length of that night.
14. Since the Kohanim were not allowed to have anything separating between their flesh and the clothes or ground of the Mishkon.
15. The Kohanim could only wear the head tefilin (see answer 14 since the hand tefilin would separate between flesh and clothes). (Rambam)
17. Each of the five fingers of a person is assigned a different name. The smallest finger is called the zeres. This is because it was used to measure the choshen. This is when you stretch and distance your smallest finger and your thumb. (According to the Yerushalmi it is a third of an Ama and according to the Bavli it is a half an Ama.)
18. Either Binyomin was written with an extra Yud – ‘בנימין מלא י. Alternatively, Yosef was written with another Hei – Yehosef.
19. It had added the names of Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yakov added. There is an argument what were the additional words. The Bavli (Yuma 73b) brings that they were Shivtei Yeshurun. The Rambam brings it was Shivtei Yud-Hei and the Yerushalmi says that it was Kol Eile Shivtei Yisroel.
20. Rashi and the Rambam hold that each bell was between two pomegranates. However, the Ramban holds that the pomegranates were hollow and inside them went the bells.
22. The Abarbanel brings that the sacrifices brought here were to atone for the sin of the egel. In order that people should not mistakenly think that Hashem wants people to sin and then repent with sacrifices therefore immediately after this it mentions about the korban tomid that is simply brought to thank Hashem.