Where does a Kohen go to buy his work clothes? Surely this should be completely unnecessary, as Kohanim all wear the same uniforms. The Kohen should be able to simply pick up a uniform on the way in to do his service in the Beit Hamikdash and get the job done!
But, this is not the case. Rashi highlights the special word used to describe the clothing requirements in Vayikra 6:3:
"וְלָבַ֨שׁ הַכֹּהֵ֜ן מִדּ֣וֹ בַ֗ד וּמִֽכְנְסֵי־בַד֮ יִלְבַּ֣שׁ עַל־בְּשָׂרוֹ֒…"
“The priest shall dress in his linen robe, with linen breeches next to his body…”
Rashi explains, “His linen robe - this is what is elsewhere termed the כתונת, the undercoat; and why then is it here called מדו? To intimate that it must be made to his measure".
The Kohen is not allowed to simply pick up a standard uniform ‘off the shelf’ - it has to be measured and tailored for him precisely. Yet, it still seems strange that are we so concerned about the tailoring of the Kohen’s uniform - and even more so the hidden undercoat - needing to fit him so perfectly. In Masechet Yoma, Rashi takes it even further to add that the garment also cannot drag nor be too short. The overarching directive here is that the uniform has to be perfectly suited for the wearer, in every way.
The concept of holy Jewish uniforms has sadly become too much of a staple of our lives over the past 5 months. Rav Rimon reflected at Daniel Perez HY”D’s funeral that, “...Daniel fell wearing the Priestly Garments, the Royal Garb, The Uniform of the IDF". Rav Perez shared about his son, Daniel HY”D, that indeed, “the uniform made the man”. From the moment that Daniel put on his army uniform, he found a holy place and purpose for his talents, dedication and passions. Serving in Tzahal transformed him into a driven ‘Gibor Yisrael’ - “מדו בד - made to his measure".
Last week I found a video that I had recorded of Daniel skating - 10 years ago. I was his school principal and we had had taken his class on a Rosh Chodesh Adar outing to a nearby ice rink. Daniel, as his father has so colourfully shared, was a tough kid to catch. It was always a challenge to engage Daniel - he did everything on his own terms. Daniel was, literally, ‘too cool for school’. And then, suddenly, I saw him gliding across the ice - in complete joy and ‘flow’. We had finally chosen an activity that actually resonated with him. It was a real gift to see him ‘in his element’. Nobody could come close to Daniel’s remarkable figure eights on the ice, slaloming across the rink with an unmatched finesse and supremacy. He was untouchable.
A couple of months ago, Rav Perez showed me the, now famous, final tracks of Daniel's tank. In their final battle, ‘Tzevet Perez’, glided and slalomed in figure eights back and forth and inside out with a finesse and supremacy that succeeded in wiping out many horrendous forces of evil and saving thousands of civilians and generations of Jews. ‘Tzevet Perez’ halted the entry of many more death squads into an arterial road leading to the towns of the South. The image of those tracks has been ingrained within me ever since. And then, weeks later, we received the tragic and unwanted news of Daniel’s murder. I immediately began searching for whatever pictures and videos of Daniel that I could find. This video of the skating came up and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. All I could think about was those skates and those tracks - “מדו בד - made to his measure”. The superb tracks on the ice set the stage for the supreme and heroic tracks etched into our homeland.
In Daniel’s last heroic moments in this world, he used all of his unique and supreme talents to serve his People and the Ribbono Shel Olam - adorned in these holy clothes that suited him perfectly - just as he suited them perfectly. As Rav Perez shared, it was appropriate then that when the news arrived all that there was to bury was Daniel’s holy uniform - no tears or rips - in perfect form.
Daniel and his family paid the ultimate price for our nation b’gvurah ub’tahara. Daniel was slain in his holy uniform - serving his people - reaching heights above and beyond the Kohanim of ancient times. In his merit, may we soon see a full return to Yerushalayim with the building of the Beit Hamikdash and may the only holy uniforms our children know be those of the Kohanim serving a world at peace. Yehi Zichro Baruch. L’ilui Nishmat Daniel Shimon ben HaRav Doron Eliezer v’Sheli.
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