Balancing Diversity with Unity

And make sacred vestments for Aharon, your brother, for honor and glory.(Sefer Shemot 28:2)

The Kohen Gadol had special vestments

Last week's parasha described the Mishcan – the tabernacle of the wilderness – and many of its most fundamental components. This week's parasha continues that discussion.  It opens with a description of the special vestments of the Kohen Gadol – the high priest. One of these vestments was the Choshen – the breastplate.  This vestment was fastened to a sort of apron worn by the Kohen Gadol and he bore it upon his chest.  The main feature of the Choshen was the four rows of precious stones that occupied its center.  Each of the four rows contained three stones, combining to a total of twelve stones.  On each stone was inscribed the name of one of the tribes of Bnai Yisrael. On the first stone was inscribed Reuven, on the second Shimon, and so forth, through Binyamin.

And the stones should be according to the names of Bnai Yisrael – twelve according to their names. They should be engraved, each with its name for the twelve tribes. (Sefer Shemot 28:21)

The Choshen and its inscriptions

The Choshen had two functions. As explained above, it was one of the vestments of the Kohen Gadol.  He could perform his service in the Mishcan only when attired in all of his vestments – including the Choshen. The Choshen had a second function.  It was a vehicle for prophecy. Through the agency of the Choshen the nation could secure prophetic responses to questions that could not be otherwise resolved. For example, the nation could ask whether it should engage in war against an enemy or avoid confrontation.  Maimonides provides a description of how the Choshen was utilized.  The king or an individual acting on behalf of the entire nation would pose the question to the Kohen Gadol. The Kohen Gadol would experience a prophetic vision in which the answer to the question would be provided through the letters inscribed on the Choshen. In his vision the letters forming the answer would appear to protrude.  The Kohen Gadol would then report the response provided in his vision.

Maimonides further explains that because the response in the vision was presented through its inscribed letters, it was necessary for all of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet to be included on the Choshen. The names of the tribes do not encompass the entire alphabet. Rather than inscribing the missing letters in som arbitrary manner on the Choshen, a phrase was added above the first name inscribed on the Choshen and another after the last name.  Above the name Reuven was inscribed "Avraham Yitzchak, and Yaakov".  After Binyamin was inscribed "tribes of Hashem".  With the addition of these two phrases the full complement of Hebrew letters was inscribed upon the Choshen.

The selection of these two phrases and their positions are of note. First, surely, these phrases were not selected randomly.  They must have had some relevance to the Choshen.  Second, these two phrases bracketed the names of the tribes.  The names of the forefathers were above the name of the very first tribe and the phrase "tribes of Hashem" followed the name of the last tribe.  The positioning of the names of the tribes between these two phrases suggests that these phrases referred to and commented upon the tribes. What was the message intended by these phrases and what was the relevance of that message to the names of the tribes? 

And make a band of gold and engrave upon it “sanctified for Hashem”.  (Sefer Shemot 28:36)

The headband of the Kohen Gadol and its inscription

Let us consider another of the Kohen Gadol's vestments. On his forehead,the Kohen Gadol wore a gold band.  On this band was inscribed the phrase "sanctified for Hashem". The phrase refers to the Kohen Gadol and comments upon him. It declares that he is sanctified to Hashem. It is reasonable to assume that the names on the Choshen also comment on the Kohen Gadol.  They declare that he is the representative of the nation – of all of the tribes of Israel.  Together, these two inscriptions describe the Kohen Gadol as sanctified to serve Hashem as the representative of the nation. 

Now, we can better appreciate the inscriptions on the Choshen. The people of Israel are described on the Choshen as a conglomeration of tribes. In other words, the Choshen recognizes or acknowledges that we are a nation composed of sub-communities. In turn, this suggests that these sub-communities – the tribes – are an important aspect of the structure of our nation. Why are these tribes so important?

The tribes of Israel contribute to the cohesiveness of the community

The strength of any community is built upon the connectedness of its members. When the members of a community identify with one another and feel this connectedness, then they will work for each other's welfare and care for one another.  Furthermore, the members of the community are capable of engaging in collective activities for the welfare of their overall community.  The sense of connectedness is the cement that holds together the structure of the community and if it is absent the community disintegrates.  A corollary of this principle is that the more diverse a community, the more difficult for the community to engage in collctive activities.  In other words, as communities become larger and naturally more diverse, they tend to become less effective as working units. The capacity of a community to engage in sustained cooperative activities is compromised by the degree of its diversity. 

This consideration is addressed in Bnai Yisrael through the system of tribes. These tribes were functional sub-communities. The tribes were further divided into clans.  The clans were further divided into families. These sub-communities of various sizes and degrees of diversity created a functional nation.  The Choshen acknowledged and even promoted tribal identity.  It expressed the importance of sub-communities for effective collective action.

Nurturing unity among the tribes of Israel

However, the names of the Avot – the forefathers – preceded the name of Reuven and the phrase "tribes of Hashem" followed the name of Binyamin.  What do these two phrases communicate regarding the tribes?  The Avot remind us that we all share a common ancestry.  In fact, our existence is the fulfillment of the promise made by Hashem to the Avot. The phrase "tribes of Hashem" reminds us that we share a common mission and destiny. We have been selected for and consecrated to the service of Hashem. The Choshen communicates the overarching themes that must unite us.

In other words, the paradox described in the opening paragraphs of this discussion is embraced by the Choshen and even promoted by it. Sub-communities are effective operational units. In a diverse community they are a necessity. If they are sacrificed in pursuit of a vision of greater unity, the cohesion necessary for effective collective action may be destroyed.  However, although sub-communities have an important function, they cannot be allowed to obscure the values that unite us. We must always remember that foremost we share the same Avot and an identical mission. We are consecrated to the service of Hashem. In other words, a careful balance must be maintained between the individuality of our specific community and the ever-awareness of our shared identity as Jews.

Creating a healthy balance within a community

This paradigm provides us with some guidelines that we can apply to our communities.   It is healthy to feel a stronger connection with those who are members of one's sub-community. But this connection is destructive when it yields a sense of alienation from the other sub-communities that make us one people.

A city’s Jewish community may be best served by multiple schools and synagogues – but only when the members of each also celebrate the successes of all the others.  A strong sense of connectedness within our individual religious streams is healthy.  But our love and compassion must also extend to those who are members of our other streams.

Without this balance, our individual sub-communities tear asunder our connectedness as Jews.  Our shared identity as a people is replaced by distrust and alienation.  When we achieve this balance, then our sub-communities are effective vehicles for collective action and our unity as a people is preserved and even nurtured.