Reply To: Short & Sweet

Tezaveh: In Control

The Gemora tells us that the מעיל, the outer robe of the Kohen Gadol, was מכפר on murder. But how does that work?

The Akeidas Yitzchak, a late Rishon, explains that the lesson of the מעיל, when properly internalized, will fix the underlying issues that bring one to murder (which is the highest level of כפרה). A person can only come to murder another if they have become so angry that they have completely lost control of themselves, and their actions are no longer rational.

The מעיל, a narrow robe that went down to the ankles, is the exact opposite of this. The מעיל made sure every step of its wearer would be measured, deliberate, and thought out; no move was to be made impetuously.

From the מעיל we learn that every step and decision that a person makes in their lives should not be made in haste, but must be deliberate and thought out.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום