"Make a copper washing vessel along with a copper base for it. Place it between the alter and the communion tent and fill it with water for washing"
Shmot 30:18
He notes that many commentators ask:
Why does the construction of the copper washing vessel appear here and not earlier in Parshah Trumah along with the descriptions of the construction of the other vessels for the mishkan?
First, he makes the point that the copper washing vessel is in the same category as the external alter of the mishkan/Beit HaMikdash, which was also built from copper.
The Beit HaMikdash is structured in parallel to the human body. The body's main categories of organs can be divided into: the brain, the heart, and the other organs of the body.
The parallel aspects of the Beit HaMikdash are:
The Kodesh Kodeshim .............................. The mind
The Heichal (Chamber)............................... The heart
The Outer Courtyard .................................. The other organs
The outcome of this connection is that each corresponding part of the Beit HaMikdash held holy influence over the Jewish People in it's corresponding section in the body.
The external alter in the Outer Courtyard corresponds to the organs of desire, and the copper washing vessel was in the Outer Courtyard along with the external alter.
Here we see that the copper washing vessel was given by G-d to be used for preparation before the Kohanim went to perform their services in The Temple. Since how can man, made of flesh and blood, and born of a woman, be able to consider the possibility of approaching the holiness of G-d and performing His service, is this not beyond the capacity of human beings?
Thus, the copper washing vessel was provided for preparation for entering the Tent of Meeting or for carrying out their service on the external alter.
There is a hint, or reference, for washing the hands and the feet, that this represents tshuvah (repentance), that a Jew should repent in his preparation for serving The Holy One Blessed Be He. Water teaches repentance. For the issue of repentance, there are 2 forms of repentence
- Repentance for a sin, regretting an act that was done
- Repentance from your own reality, looking to change your lifestyle, worldview and habits
Changing your reality relates to the mind, while service of the heart and the other organs of the body relates to uprooting a the evil within those parts of the body, not repentance for a particular sin, rather repentance for the evil elements in the body.
This was the purpose of using the copper washing vessel before service in the Temple, to purify the very reality of the person entering the Temple service.
"Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and feet."
Shmot 30:19
Hands are called 'midot' (characteristics), that is the bad characteristics of a person. The feet are called the evil feet of the person, since there are some features of a person that are not necessarily bad characteristics but simply habits, and a way of behaving that he has become accustomed to, making it his very nature. Coming into the Tent of Meeting can be related to going to learn Torah. Or going to carry out the holy service on the external alter can be related to our own service to G-d. So washing our 'hands' and 'feet' refers to 'washing' and to purify ourselves of all of our bad characteristics and bad habits.
The copper washing vessel itself was not used in the service of G-d but it had a special role: it was used to prepare oneself for holy service, and therefore the paragraph of the copper washing vessel received a special placement in the Torah, not along side the other holy vessels.
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