כהן גדול
The Kohen Gadol
Eight garments
Choose a set, then a garment. Every element is sourced to Exodus 28 and the Mishnah.
Eight garments, worn for the year-round service.
A schematic figure. Colours follow the materials named in Exodus 28; exact hues are not known.
Breastplate חושן
A square breastplate with twelve stones, one for each tribe. The Urim veTumim were placed in it.
Material: Gold thread, coloured wool, linen, twelve stones. Worn by the Kohen Gadol only.
One person, one day, one room
Only the Kohen Gadol entered the Holy of Holies, and only on Yom Kippur. For a week beforehand he lived in a chamber in the Temple, and a deputy was ready in case he became unfit.
Names over his heart
The names of the twelve tribes were engraved twice: on the two shoulder stones of the ephod and on the twelve stones of the breastplate. When he went in, he carried the whole people with him.
What is known?Confidence, from primary text to unknown
Established in primary text
- The list of garments and their materials.
Classical interpretation
- How several garments were cut and worn; commentators differ, especially on the ephod.
Historically supported
Nothing on this page at this level.
Reconstructed
Nothing on this page at this level.
Unknown
- Exact colours, including the dye source of tekhelet blue, remain debated.