God spoke to Moshe, saying: “Make a copper wash basin and its copper base for washing; and place it between the Tent of Meeting and the Altar, and put water in it. Aharon and his sons will wash from it their hands and their feet. Before entering the Tent of Meeting they must wash with water and they will not die, or whenever they approach the Altar for Divine service, or to burn a fire-offering to God. They must wash their hands and their feet and they will not die. This is a perpetual statute for them, for him [Aharon] and his descendants for all their generations (Shemos 30:17-21).”
God instructed Moshe to construct the Kiyor, the basin from which Aharon and his sons would wash their hands and feet prior to preforming the sacred avoda (sacrificial service) in the Mishkan. But why here? Why not include the Kiyor in Parshas Terumah where the Torah discussed all of the other keylim (utensils)? Some of the commentaries (Sforno, Chizkuni) explain that the Kiyor was not a service utensil; it was not necessary for avoda (sacrificial service). The role of the Kiyor was for hechsher mitzvah (preparatory act), to allow the Kohanim to prepare for Mishkan service. Therefore, it is mentioned separately from the other “service” utensils (mentioned in Parshas Terumah).
Rav Mordechai Yosef Leiner (1801-1854), the Rebbe of Ishbitz advances a beautiful insight. Positions of leadership come with great challenge. There is the awesome yolk of responsibility that sometimes makes the leader feel like a servant to those he is responsible for. There can be a certain loss of “self” as the leader becomes fully immersed in caring for the needs of the other. But there is also the danger of developing an inflated ego and exaggerated sense of self. With leadership comes great power and influence, and the leader can easily misuse this power and influence to advance his own personal interests and forget those whom he is obligated to serve. The Rebbe explains that the Kohen, as the spiritual leader of the people, had to take precautions to ensure that his power and responsibility would not go to his head. This was the purpose of the Kiyor. The hands represent man’s ability to do and accomplish. The feet represent man’s mobility and ability to ascend to higher levels of greatness. Together, the hands and feet represent man’s strength, prowess, and ability to impact and shape his world. The Kohen yielded this great power. Every day, he served as the agent of Israel and the agent of God; he served as the conduit between two worlds. He was charged with serving in the Mishkan and inspiring the people. He was to be the role model for what it means to be an “Eved Hashem (servant of God).” He was a religious leader whose influence was felt far beyond the walls of the (and later on the ). He was man whose power could shape individual and national worlds. Therefore, God commands Moshe that upon arriving in the the must wash his hands and feet. He was to wash away any personal motivation or “.” He was to wash away any thoughts of using his position for self-aggrandizement or self-serving motivations. He was to wash away his individual interests and pledge himself to serve the nation and God.
