Priestly undergarments

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Priesthood in Judaism
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twenty four priestly gifts The ten gifts given in the Temple 1. Sin offering  · 2. Guilt offering 3. Communal peace offering 4. Fowl sin offering  · 5. Leftovers from the suspensive guilt offering 6. Oil from the offering for the leper 7. Bread from First Fruits · 8. Showbread 9. Leftovers of the meal offering 10. Leftovers of the First Sheaf. Four gifts given in Jerusalem 11. The firstborn animal · 12. Firstfruits 13. Burnt offering (Judaism) · 14. Parts of the thank offering and Nazirite's offering Ten gifts given (even) outside of Jerusalem 15. Heave offering 16. Heave offering of the Levite's tithe 17. Dough offering 18. First shearing of the sheep 19. Shoulder, cheeks and maw 20. Coins for redemption of the first born son · 21. Redemption of a donkey  · 22. Hromim (dedication of property to a kohen)  · 23. Field not redeemed in a Jubilee year · 24. The property of the foreigner with no heir.
Clothing Priestly garments Priestly undergarments Priestly tunic Priestly turban · Priestly robe (Judaism) Ephod · Priestly breastplate · Priestly frontlet Urim and Thummim Priestly sash
Miscellaneous topics The Mitzvah of sanctifying the Kohen Kohanic disqualifications Holy anointing oil Aaron's rod Bat-Kohen (daughter of a kohen) Sons of Zadok Contact by a kohen with a dead body
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The priestly undergarments (Biblical Hebrew: מִכְנְסֵי־בָד mikhnsey-bad) were "linen breeches" (KJV) worn by the priests and the High Priest in ancient Israel. They reached from the waist to the knees and so were not visible, being entirely hidden by the priestly tunic.

Hebrew Bible

The biblical commandment instituting their use is found in the Book of Exodus 28:42

And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover the flesh of their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach.

The following verse (Exodus 28:43) applies not only to the undergarments but to all the priestly garments:

And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they go in unto the tent of meeting, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die; it shall be a statute for ever unto him and unto his seed after him.

Unlike the other priestly vestments which were "for glory and for beauty" (Exodus 28:2), the purpose of the michnasayin was for modesty, "to hide their nakedness". In the Book of Leviticus when Moses consecrates Aaron and his sons as High Priest and priests, respectively, the linen undergarments are not mentioned (Leviticus 8:7, 8:13), though their use is obviously presumed.

There were four holy garments worn by both the priests and the High Priest alike:

• linen undergarments
• Priestly tunic, made of pure linen, covering the entire body from the neck to the feet, with sleeves reaching to the wrists. That of the High Priest was embroidered (Exodus 28:39); those of the priests were plain (Exodus 28:40)
• Priestly sash of the High Priest was of linen and multi-colored wool with "embroidered work" (Exodus 28:39); those of the priests were of pure linen
• Priestly turban, according to Rabbinic literature that of the High Priest was much larger than that of the priests and wound so that it formed a broad, flat-topped turban; that for priests was wound so that it formed a cone-shaped turban, called a migbahat.

It can be seen from the above that in all of the garments, except the michnasayin, the form worn by the High Priest differed; the michnasayim were the same for both.

Talmud

The Talmud records the worn out undergarments and priestly sashes were used for torch wicks in the Temple.^[1] The linen undergarments symbolized the abolition of the distinction between the heavenly and the mortal part of man, as contrasted with the divine nature, which is absolutely holy and living.^[2] According to the Talmud, the undergarments atone for the sin of sexual transgressions on the part of the Children of Israel (B.Zevachim 88b).

References

1. ^ The Talmud of the land of Israel: an academic commentary Volume 6 Jacob Neusner - 1998 "5:3 [A] Out of the worn-out undergarments and girdles of the priests they made wicks, [B] and with them they lit the ... [1:1 A] It has been taught: Out of the worn-out undergarments of the high priest they kindled the lamps that were "
2. ^ Jacobs, Joseph; Ochser, Schulim (1905), "Symbol", Jewish Encyclopedia, S, New York: Funk and Wagnalls, p. 616, http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1207&letter=S, retrieved 2008-02-23 

See also

• Priestly tunic
• Priestly sash
• Priestly turban
• Priestly robe (Judaism)
• Ephod
• Priestly breastplate
• Tzitz