The Stones of the Breastplate - What Are They and Why Did They Serve the High Priest?

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The breastplate was one of the eight garments with which the High Priest, when the Holy Temple stood, would adorn himself on his chest, above all the garments. It was made of threads of gold, turquoise, purple, scarlet yarn, and white linen, and in its center were set twelve precious stones on which the names of the tribes were engraved, and it also contained a Divine secret called the Urim and Tumim.

The twelve precious stones in the breastplate were arranged in four rows, with three stones in each row. The first row: odem, pitdah, and barekhet. The second row: nophek, sappir, and yahalom. The third row: leshem, shevo, and akhlamah. The fourth row: tarshish, shoham, and yashfeh. The names of the twelve tribes of Israel were engraved on the stones, one name on each stone. Some say that the order of the names of the tribes on the stones was according to the order in which they were born, one after another: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin.

And some say their order was: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Joseph, and Benjamin. In addition, the following were written on the stones: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and also: Tribes of Yeshurun, or: All these are the tribes of Israel, in order to complete the letters Tav, Tet, Tzadi, and Kaf, which do not appear in the names of the tribes, so that together with them there would be all the letters of the alphabet in the breastplate, and with them the priest who asked through the Urim and Tumim would combine the answer.

The stones of the breastplate and the ephod in the days of Moses were brought by the princes. Some explain that these were the princes of Israel, and some explain that they were the clouds, as in the expression: princes and wind. And the clouds drew the stones from the River Pishon, which flows from its sources in the lower Garden of Eden, and from there comes the source of these Divine stones. And some say that the root of these precious stones lies in the twelve stones that Jacob our father placed under his head when he lay down to sleep on Mount Moriah.

There is also a Kabbalistic source that says that the souls of the tribes were reincarnated in these stones that Jacob placed under his head, and in his holy sleep and the Divine revelation he experienced then, he drew the souls of his sons out of the stones into himself, and according to the above, the tribes and these stones are closely connected, and in the end their names were engraved on these stones.

Urim and Tumim. A Divine power operating within the breastplate, which answers those who inquire of it regarding matters of public concern for Israel.

A. Their name and essence. They are called Urim and Tumim because they illuminate and clarify their words and complete their words so that they will be fulfilled. Also: because they illuminate Israel and show them the path by which they should walk when Israel are wholehearted. They are called mishpat, as it is stated: And he shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim, because they are like a ruling that cannot be reversed, for although a prophetic decree can be reversed, the decree of the Urim and Tumim cannot be reversed. Some say that the stones of the breastplate themselves are called Urim and Tumim, because their letters shine. Most of the early authorities wrote that the Urim and Tumim were the written Divine Name placed between the folds of the breastplate, as it is written: And you shall place in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Tumim. The breastplate was one cubit long and one span wide, and when it was folded in half it became a square span by square span, and the written Divine Name was placed between the folds.

And some say that the Urim and Tumim contained several sacred names, and therefore they are called in the plural, Urim and also Tumim. By the power of the sacred names of the Urim, the letters of the breastplate would shine, and by the power of other sacred names called Tumim, the heart of the priest asking would be wholehearted in joining and combining the letters, and the correct combination would enter his heart. This is a level of divine inspiration below prophecy and above a bat kol. The Urim and Tumim were not the work of an artisan, and there was neither workmanship nor donation from the artisans or from the community of Israel, but rather they are a secret transmitted to Moses from the Almighty, and he wrote them in holiness.

B. Inquiring through the Urim and Tumim. Inquiring through the Urim and Tumim is stated explicitly in the Torah: And before Eleazar the priest he shall stand, and he shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before Hashem; at His word they shall go out, and at His word they shall come in, he and all the children of Israel with him, and all the congregation. In the Prophets we find many times that they inquired of Hashem whether to go up to war, whether they would succeed, and the like. The order of the inquiry: the one asking faces the one being asked, who is the priest wearing the Urim and Tumim, and the one being asked faces the Shechinah, that is, toward the Urim and Tumim and the written Divine Name within the breastplate. Some say that the priest stands facing the Ark, and the one asking is behind him, facing away from the priest. The asker says: Shall I pursue this troop?

and the one being asked says: So said Hashem: Go up and succeed. Regarding how the answer was received, the Amoraim disagreed: Rabbi Yochanan says they protruded; Reish Lakish says they joined together. And it was explained: from the letters of the stones of the breastplate, on which were written the names of the tribes of the children of Israel and the forefathers, the letters of the answer protruded, such as an ayin from Simeon and a lamed from Levi and a heh from Judah. According to Rabbi Yochanan, the letters did not move from their place but only protruded, and the priest would combine them; according to Reish Lakish, they would join together on their own. According to Rabbi Yochanan, the combination was through the Holy Spirit clothing the priest, who looked at the breastplate and saw in a prophetic vision Go up or Do not go up, in the letters protruding from the breastplate opposite his face.

And some say that the letters protruded one after another, and according to the order in which they protruded the priest knew how to combine them.

Inquiring through the Urim and Tumim is only done for the king, the head of the court, and one whom the community needs, as it is stated: And before Eleazar, etc., he and all the children of Israel with him, and all the congregation. And they expounded: he - this is the king, for the verse is speaking of Joshua; and all the children of Israel with him - this is the anointed for war, or one whom the community needs for his inquiry; and all the congregation - this is the Sanhedrin.

One does not inquire through the Urim and Tumim regarding clarification of a case in monetary law, nor regarding rulings of halacha.

And I hope that you have understood this Divine matter.

Success, Menashe Israel