This week’s Torah portion discusses the garments of the High Priest. His outfit was very elaborate, with layers of colorful clothes, bells etc. One of the main garments was the breastplate which included twelve inlaid precious stones, with the names of the twelve tribes engraved within the stones, with a total of twenty-five letters.
It is interesting to note how the commentators point out the nuances in relation to the listing of the names of the tribes. Are they listed in the order of the birth of their father or their mother? Were they listed downward or across? Regardless how they’re listed, the number equals twenty-five. On the surface, one can ask, who cares? Why does it matter?
Upon closer examination we realize that the key to understanding the significance lies with the number twenty-five. There are twenty-five letters in the Shema. The Shema talks about our commitment and unity with G-d.
What matters to us is to understand the lesson that the breastplate teaches us. Each and every name and each and every letter has a message that unites all the Jews together as one. We might come from different tribes, but we all have one father. We all say the Shema with the same number of letters; it is the Shema that unites us all as one. The High Priest with his breastplate unites all the Jewish people together as one.