Me'il

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Illustration depicting the Jewish Kohen Gadol (High Priest) in his sacred robes. The Me'il is shown here in white under the yellow Ephod.
Illustration depicting the Jewish Kohen Gadol (High Priest) in his sacred robes. The Me'il is shown here in white under the yellow Ephod.

The Me'il or Robe of the Ephod is one of the sacred robes (bigdei kehunah) of the Kohen Gadol (Jewish High Priest). The robe is described in Exodus 28:31-35. It was worn under the Ephod.

It was a sleeveless, purple-blue or violet[1] (techelet) robe (me'il), woven in a single piece. The opening in the center for the High Priest's head to pass through was woven, not cut or torn (Exodus 28:32). The lower hem of the garment was fringed with small golden bells alternating with pomegranate-shaped tassels of blue (turquoise), purple and scarlet wool (Exodus 28:33-34).

The golden bells are a necessity, and they must ring when the Kohen Gadol enters the Kodesh Hakodashim (Holy of Holies) on Yom Kippur, lest he die (Exodus 28:35). Rashi deduces from this a mitzvah (law) for all the priestly vestments: “From the negative one can derive the positive: if he will have them he will not be liable for death; thus, if he enters lacking one of these garments he is liable for death at the hands of Heaven.”[2] Rambam rules likewise.[3]

According to the Talmud, the wearing of the me'il atoned for the sin of lashon hara (evil speech) on the part of the Children of Israel.[4]

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[edit] Symbolism

In traditional Rabbinical teaching, each of the priestly robes is intended to atone for a particular sin on the part of the Children of Israel. The eminent sage Rashi points out in his commentary on the Talmud that the Me'il was fashioned to atone for the sin of lashon hara, speaking poorly about someone else. As the Kohen Gadol, adorned with the priestly garments, walked, the bells noisily announced his presence, and because the noise emanated from the robe, it served as a reminder for people to refrain from lashon hara. The Talmud also states that the tassels between each bell on the robe were made of three materials: turquoise, purple, and scarlet wool. These three materials signify to the three people who are injured when lashon hara is spoken: the speaker, the listener, and the one who is spoken about.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Hirsch, Emil G. & Levias, Caspar (1905), “Color”, Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. IV, New York: Funk and Wagnals, p. 177, <http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=680&letter=C>. Retrieved on 24 February 2008 
  2. ^ Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaqi, Commentary on the Babylonian Talmud, 28:35. Rashi's sources are Sanhedrin 83a and Zevachim 17b.
  3. ^ Moses Maimonides, Laws of the Sanctuary Vessels 10:4.
  4. ^ Babylonian Talmud, Zevachim 88:B

[edit] See also

[edit] External links