Bells and Pomegranates

In the times of the holy Temple in Jerusalem, behind the Western Wall, the High Holidays were a whole different ball game from what we have today. On Yom Kippur, the people didn't stand in synagogue all day. Rather, they ascended to Jerusalem and watched the Kohen Gadol, the holiest Jew of the time, perform an intricate service inside the Temple. On Yom Kippur, when entering the room known as the 'holy of holies' with the Ark, the Kohen Gadol would wear 4 garments of white, just like other Kohanim. However, the rest of the year he would wear 8 garments, including a 'me'il' (cloak) which covered his entire body, made of the special blue color of techeilet. The Torah describes that at the bottom of this garment were to be golden bells and pomegranates. What were they there for and what did they symbolize?

At first glance, there is an extremely strange argument between two of the greatest medieval commentators on the Torah regarding these bells and pomegranates. Rashi explains that on the lower helm of the garment were bells, pomegranates, bells, pomegranates - separate from one another. The Ramban (Nachmanides) argues and posits that each bell was inside each pomegranate. The reasoning he uses seems baffling: "According to Rashi's view, why not use apples instead of pomegranates?" Perhaps, explains other commentators, Ramban is referring to the circular, apple-shaped golden ornaments of the Menorah in the Temple. If they are for beauty, why not just use apples? Let's leave the pomegranates for a moment and focus on the bells. The reason for the bells was in order that the Kohen Gadol "be heard." Why was that important? The Ramban explains simply, that when entering the presence of a King without asking permission first, bursting in, is extremely insensitive and rude. So the noise of the bells symbolized his approach to a holy place. But if we look deeper, a question can arise: Is holiness really represented by sound, or is it by silence?

The loftiest time of prayer is during Shemonah Esrei - the Silent Prayer. The holy Zohar explains that one of the sources for why we pray silently at the apex of prayer comes from the vision of Elijah the Prophet in the Book of Kings: "Fire came, but God was not in the fire. An earthquake came, but God was not in the earthquake. Then a great wind came by, but God was not in the wind. Then came a 'kol demamah dakah' - still, small voice." Noise represents complexity and passion, whereas silence represents unity and oneness. Chassidic Philosophy connects this concept with the difference between the relationship with God a Baal Teshuva (repentant) has, and a Tzadik perfectly righteous person has. The newcomer is "loud", coming from an opposite world and state of mind to connect with God with a strong passion. The Tzadik is "silent", having felt one with God for as long as he's known. The angels too are divided into those that sing passionately (Ophanim V'chayot Hakodesh) and those on a higher level (Seraphim) who are unified with God in complete silence. Imagine walking into a complex class being given. There you might see 3 types of students listening: 1) The silent student who is quiet because he is spaced out and has no idea what is going on. 2) The loud student, who is beginning to understand and is asking question after question with passion. 3) The silent student who is smiling; silent because there is no complexity for him; the knowledge of his teacher has unified with his mind.

In 2013, our service of God needs to be "noisy". "Silence" in our case would be akin to the spaced out student, totally apathetic. We have to improve and grow, working to rise beyond to connect with God. Many ask why Jews who pray move so much, swaying back and forth. The Baal Shem Tov once remarked: "Have you ever seen someone that's trying to avoid drowning? They're moving passionately. To avoid "sinking" into the materialism and apathy of this world, one has to be passionate. Now we can return to our question in even stronger terms: Why would the Kohen Gadol have bells at all!? The holiest person entering the holiest place in the world - more than anyone else - should signify silence and oneness with God! The answer is a very powerful one: The Kohen Gadol didn't live for himself. He lived for the people and when entering the Temple, was spiritually bringing the entire Jewish people in with him. That's why he needed bells, signifying the service of noise of the people, fighting to connect to God. That's why the bells were at the lowest part of the hem of his cloak; the Kohen Gadol was bringing in even those who felt most distant and low. Now we can understand what the Ramban was saying to Rashi about apples and pomegranates. Apples, throughout the Kabbalah, represents a holy level. Pomegranates represent a lower level trying to connect to a higher level: "Even the empty ones among you are filled with Mitzvot like a pomegranate is filled with seeds." (Talmud Berachot 57a) The Rebbe once asked: "If every Jew is filled with Mitzvot, how can he be called empty?"

As the high holidays approach, let us take advantage of these special moments to connect with God, both with passion and at times with silence, with the full knowledge that each of us are looked at as a pomegranate - even though we can improve, we are each full of good deeds and are brought in to the holy of holies.

Shabbat Shalom!

-Rabbi Daniel