Exodus 29:5

וְלָקַחְתָּ֣ אֶת־הַבְּגָדִ֗ים וְהִלְבַּשְׁתָּ֤ אֶֽת־אַהֲרֹן֙ אֶת־הַכֻּתֹּ֔נֶת וְאֵת֙ מְעִ֣יל הָאֵפֹ֔ד וְאֶת־הָאֵפֹ֖ד וְאֶת־הַחֹ֑שֶׁן וְאָפַדְתָּ֣ ל֔וֹ בְּחֵ֖שֶׁב הָאֵפֹֽד׃

Then take the vestments, and clothe Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastpiece, and gird him with the decorated band of the ephod.

Both on Shabbat and on Purim we’ll read about  someone clothing another in royal garb. On Shabbat, we’ll read the description of the magnificent uniform of the Kohen Gadol. We can imagine the blue, purple, and red dyes, the gold diadem and gilded breastplate, all hand made for Aaron to wear as the first High Priest. It’s Moses’ job to dress Aaron and his sons in their priestly clothes.

Fast forward to Monday’s Megillah reading, and something similar but vastly different takes place. Instead of one brother clothing another, we have two bitter enemies. Through a comedic turn of events, Haman is commanded by King Achashverosh to dress Mordechai in the king’s clothing, “Get the garb and the horse…and do this to Mordechai the Jew!” As Mordechai is marched down the street, Haman shouts to the spectators, “This is what is done for the one whom the king wishes to honor!” 

For Aaron, his donning of the priestly clothing is a much quieter affair. There is the love between brothers, compared to the hate in Haman’s heart. There is promise for the Jewish future – a newly consecrated tabernacle and manna falling from heaven, compared to Mordechai’s dread of extermination. Moses dresses his brother in silence; Haman shouts in the streets. But the biggest difference comes from the clothes themselves. “This is what is done for the one whom the king wishes to honor,” says Haman. If Moses were to speak, he would say precisely the opposite. “This is what is done for the one who wishes to honor the King of kings.” he workweek cause of to lose sight of the sacred nature of the world around us. Shabbat helps us rediscover God’s presence, so that when the week begins again, when we again enter the cloud, we are better able to recognize the holy even within the ordinary. preserving the memory of our oppression and hardship, while affirming the miracle of our freedom.