The True Weight of Leadership (Tetzaveh)

Parshat Tetzaveh may seem an unlikely place to find meaning. It details the clothing of the High Priest — the ornate vestments, the gold and the jewels. It can feel distant, overly involved. But have you ever seen pictures of the Sefardi Chief Rabbis of Israel — or modern civil judges — in their robes? It looks strange until we remember that leadership, in its truest form, is not about the garb — or the glitz. It is about what and whom the leader carries.

The High Priest wore the Choshen Hamishpat, the breastplate of judgment, with twelve stones, each one representing a tribe of Israel. The Torah tells us, “Aaron shall carry the names of the children of Israel on his heart before God, always. (Ex. 28:21)” Always. The power of the High Priest wasn’t in their status — it was in their carrying. In holding the people, in remembering their names.

This is what leadership truly is. Not about standing above, but about carrying below. Not about power as a right, but power as a sacred responsibility. The High Priest did not stand alone; they entered the Holy of Holies with all of us on their chest, held close to their heart.

What does this mean for us today? It means that leadership — true leadership — is not about self-glorification. It is not about the spotlight. It is about holding our people in our decisions, in our prayers, in our hearts. It means that when we advocate for the hostages, when we stand with the most vulnerable members of society, when we champion each other’s dignity, we are a “mamlechet kohanim / kingdom of priest (Ex. 19:6),” fulfilling our duty.

So let’s do this: right now, after this teaching, let’s act. Let our actions say to those being actively forgotten or pushed to society’s margins: We see your beauty. We see your pain. You are not forgotten. We stand with you.

This is how we carry the breastplate in our own time. This is how we bend light toward those who have not seen it for far too long.

May we be worthy of this calling.

Amen.