Holy and Unholy Chutzpah
Chutzpah is the most destructive force used by the arch-enemy of Israel—Amalek. To defeat Amalek we use a positive and holy form of Chutzpah. TETZAVEH TETZAVEH
One of the eight special garments worn by the Kohain Gadol-the Hight Priest was the tzitz. This is how the Torah describes it in this week’s parsha:
“You shall make a head-plate of pure gold, and you shall engrave upon it, engraved like a signet ring, ‘Holy to G- d.’ ”
Each garment had a special function. The common denominator of all eight garments was that they were holy. Yet, only the headplate had the words “Holy to G-d” etched in it. Why not the other garments?
One would have imagined that the Choshen- Breastplate, which served as an oracle that communicated G-d’s messages to the Jewish people, would have highlighted its Divine role TETZAVEH by having those words etched on it. Yet, only the Tzitz had that distinction. Why?
Ksav Sofer offers the following explanation based on the Talmudic premise that the garments of the High Priest served as atonement for various sins of the Jewish people. The Breastplate, for example, was atonement for the sins of perverted justice.
Atonement for Chutzpah
The tzitz-head-plate was worn by the High Priest to atone for the specific sin of azus panim — hubris or brazenness.
This premise that brazenness is regarded as a significant sin that required the wearing of the head-plate by the High Priest is problematic. After all, Judaism sanctions assertiveness and boldness. The very same term in Hebrew azus is used by our Sages to describe the ideal mode of behavior for a Jew:
In Ethics of the Fathers we are taught:
Yehudah ben Teima says, “Be bold (az) as a leopard when fulfilling the will of your Father in heaven.”
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Indeed, the Shulchan Aruch, the authoritative Code of Jewish Law begins with this citation underscoring its importance; that our introduction to Jewish observance is the realization that we must be assertive and bold. How do we reconcile this with the previous assertion that the head-plate worn by the High Priest was intended as a form of atonement for the sins of boldness and brazenness?
The answer is quite obvious. Brazenness in and of itself is not a vice. It depends on what one is assertive about. If one’s brazenness and hubris involves one’s own personal life it is not a virtue at all. On the contrary. When it is directed to the fulfillment of G-d’s will; standing up for one’s convictions and not being deterred by any opposition—then it is a virtue.
Thus, the head-plate had the words “Holy to G-d,” engraved on it to underscore that the head-plate that symbolized brazenness was indeed a virtue when it was used for G-dly purposes. (See Essay four.)
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One could still return to the original question: Why did the Breastplate of justice not have the name of G-d etched on it that it was consecrated to G-d? After all, the Breastplate atoned for perversion of justice and justice can also be one base on G-dly principles or on secular principles. Wouldn’t it have been appropriate then to underscore here too that justice is only a virtue when it si directed to G-d?
The answer is that while justice when it is meted out based on human reasoning and secular considerations is not the antitheses of G-dly judgment. The antithesis of G-dly judgment is when there is deception and perversion of it.
To explain:
Judaism is based on the notion that all justice is G-dly. The nations of the world are also bound by the requirement of maintaining law and order. One of the seven Noahide commandments that were given originally to Adam, then Noach, was to establish courts that will enforce the law.
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Moreover, they are also enjoined to accept the seven Noahide commandments on the basis of the revelation at Mount Sinai. In Maimonides words:
“A person who follows the seven Noahide commandments because they are based on human reasoning is not one of the pious (another version: wise) members of the nations of the world.”
The importance of the Noahide system of justice is so significant that, according to Rashi, they are the foundation of the principle that governs Jews: “The law of the government is the law.”
In other words, all forms of justice, even the so-called secular are based on Divine fiat.
Our system of justice, relative to the Noahide laws, is on a higher level, but all systems must be predicated on the belief that justice comes from G-d. The salient difference is that with respect to the Choshen, they got their G-dly response directly, whereas the judge must use his intellect to arrive at a just verdict. The Choshen, therefore, did not need TETZAVEH the words “Holy to G-d” etched in it, because all of justice must be based on G-d’s system of justice, not just the Choshen.
By contrast, the Tzitz, came to atone for Chutzpah. Chutzpah is only kosher when it is used for G-dly purposes and does not involve one’s own ego. To highlight that crucial premise that disallows Chutzpah for anything but the purist G-dly intention, the words “Holy to G-d” were etched in it.
Pre-Messianic Chutzpah
Throughout our history, Chutzpah has been the power that allowed us to survive. When our enemies threatened us, as in the story of Purim, we steadfastly said, we will not disappear. It took tremendous Chutzpah to survive.
However, never before had we needed as much Chutzpah as we do today to counter the Chutzpah of the nations of the world, who claim, among other things, that the Land of Israel is not ours! It takes unmitigated gall to say that when, in fact, there is no nation on earth that has a connection to its land TETZAVEH more than the people of Israel’s connection to the Land of Israel!
The reason for this unprecedented Chutzpah is because as we stand poised to enter into the state of Redemption, the evil nation Amalek, known for its Chutzpah will be totally destroyed. As such, Amalek, the embodiment of non-Divine Chutzpah is making its last stand and pulling out all the stops to assert itself.
This is thus particularly the right time to counter with our own brand of Tzitz oriented holy Chutzpah, and declare that we are ready to break out of this exile and follow our righteous redeemer, Moshiach, into the Era of Redemption, which will commence with the building of the Basi Hamikdash.
However, the Talmud states, that a prerequisite to the building of the Bais Hamikdash is the destruction of Amalek, the personification of unholy Chutzpah. May we see the fulfillment of this imminently!
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From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Tetzaveh by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
