“That They Not Bear Iniquity and Die”

In Parshat Tetzaveh, the Torah lists the priestly garments. However, it is immediately apparent that the tzitz and the pants are missing from this list. Why the Torah omits these items from the list at the beginning of the parshat and only mentions them later? Through a close analysis of the text, we learn about the dual purpose that the garments serve- the garment itself enhances the glory and majesty of the Kohen Gadol. However, it is the additional details that imbue the garments with their “holy” character. This leads us to an understanding that the pants and tzitz specifically are not priestly garments like the others, but rather are part of the very definition of the Kohen standing before God. The pants represent the pedestal or base of the Kohen’s journey into the sanctified realm, while the tzitz is its crowning glory.