What are the Urim and Thummim? – Tetzaveh

According to the New Testament, with the coming of the Messiah there was a change in the priesthood:

But when the Messiah appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. – Hebrews 9:11-12

Through the death and resurrection of the Messiah, He earned the right to become our high priest providing complete forgiveness of sins and eternal redemption. The fullness of all that Messiah has accomplished for us is best understood by understanding the priesthood from its inception.    

The Establishment of the Priesthood

The priesthood was an office established by God for the nation of Israel shortly after the Exodus from Egypt. The office of the priesthood was not a new concept in the world as we know that Moses’ own father-in-law, Jethro (Reuel), was also called “the priest of Midian” (Ex. 2:16-22). However, the priesthood which the LORD Himself established within the nation of Israel was unique as it was guided by the LORD Himself and the priests were commanded to adhere to a strict ceremonial law given by the LORD. The priests themselves were a distinct people within the nation of Israel. They were from the tribe of Levi but did not include all of the Levites, but only the sons of Aaron:

Then bring near to yourself Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the sons of Israel, to minister as priest to Me—Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. – Ex. 28:1

The LORD Himself set apart Aaron and his sons to be those who would continually minister before Him as priests throughout their generations. It was only the descendants of Aaron who could serve as priests while the other Levites would assist them in their work (Num. 18:1-7). To learn more about the prophetic sign of the priesthood, read this article: The Sign of the Priesthood

The Priestly Garments

The garments for the priests of the nation of Israel are detailed in this week’s Torah Portion beginning in Exodus 28:

You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. You shall speak to all the skillful persons whom I have endowed with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister as priest to Me. These are the garments which they shall make: a breastpiece and an ephod and a robe and a tunic of checkered work, a turban and a sash, and they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister as priest to Me. They shall take the gold and the blue and the purple and the scarlet material and the fine linen. – Ex. 28:2-5

The priesthood was made up of certain men who were set apart to serve the LORD and these men were to stand and minister as mediators between the people and the LORD. In keeping with this special service, the LORD required priestly garments which would be for glory and beauty.  The uniqueness of the high priestly garments included the ephod and the breastpiece (חושן – choshen) which were joined together. The ephod was an outer garment which the high priest wore and included a stone on each shoulder. Each stone bore the names of six tribes of Israel, twelve names altogether representing the twelve tribes (Ex. 28:9-14). The breastpiece was specifically crafted to be attached to the ephod:

They shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that it will be on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece will not come loose from the ephod. – Ex. 28:28

The breastpiece was a type of pouch on the front of the ephod which had four rows of three stones mounted on it. These twelve stones were unique and each carried the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel (Ex. 28:15-21). 

The Breastpiece of Judgment 

The breastpiece was called as such because it literally lay over the breast of the high priest. In many ways the breastpiece represented the very heart of the priestly office as being a mediator between the nation of Israel and the LORD:

Aaron shall carry the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment over his heart when he enters the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually. – Ex. 28:29

The high priest figuratively bore the nation of Israel upon his chest represented by the twelve stones on the breastpiece. The breastpiece was called חושן המשפט – Cho’shen Ha’Mishpat – “the breastpiece of judgment.” Why was the breastpiece called the breastpiece of judgement?  It seems that the contents of the breastpiece would identify why it was given its specific name:

You shall put in the breastpiece of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the LORD; and Aaron shall carry the judgment of the sons of Israel over his heart before the LORD continually. – Ex. 28:30

Since the priests were officiating the ceremonial sacrifices and offerings of the children of Israel, they were continually making atonement on behalf of the people to the LORD. Therefore, the judgment of God was satisfied through the obedience of the people. Although this was so, there seems to be more that is implied through the contents of the breastpiece of judgment: the Urim and Thummim!

What are the Urim and the Thummim?

The Urim and Thummim are simply the transliteration of the Hebrew words for that which the breastpiece of judgment contained: האורים והתומים – HaUrim VeHaTumim. The reason that translators have not provided translation for these words is because it is challenging to know how to translate them. A literal translation for the word האורים – HaUrim is simply “the lights.” A literal translation of the word התומים – HaTumim is a bit more challenging but can be translated as “the perfections.” The Urim and the Thummim can be understood as “the Lights and the Perfections.” Although we can provide a general translation of the words we don’t really know what the Urim and Thummim were. The more I researched these words and read various commentaries, the more I understood that there is a great deal of mystery which surrounds these verses and what is meant by the Urim and Thummim. Some believe that they were two stones. Others believe that they were objects for casting lots. The truth is, we don’t know exactly what they were or how they functioned. Despite the lack of information regarding the Urim and the Thummim, we do read in the Scriptures how they were used practically in the life of the Israelites. 

Providing Direction

When Moses knew for sure that he would not lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land, he asked the LORD to appoint someone to lead the nation forward. The LORD responded to the request of Moses in the following manner:

So the LORD said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; and have him stand before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and commission him in their sight. You shall put some of your authority on him, in order that all the congregation of the sons of Israel may obey him. Moreover, he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the LORD. At his command they shall go out and at his command they shall come in, both he and the sons of Israel with him, even all the congregation.” – Num. 27:18-21

When Joshua became the leader of the nation of Israel he was to seek the judgment and direction of the LORD by means of the high priest who would make use of the breastpiece of judgment which contained the Urim, i.e. “the Lights.” The Urim and Thummim were somehow used to direct the people. 

Providing Judgment

When King Saul was leading the army of Israel against the Philistines, he sought the direction of the LORD by means of the priest. When the LORD did not answer him, King Saul sought to find out what or who was preventing the LORD from speaking to His people. King Saul sought to discover the source of the problem and did so through the following means:

Then he said to all Israel, “You shall be on one side and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side.” And the people said to Saul, “Do what seems good to you.” Therefore, Saul said to the LORD, the God of Israel, “Give a perfect lot.” And Jonathan and Saul were taken, but the people escaped. Saul said, “Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son.” And Jonathan was taken. – 1 Samuel 14:40-42

In King Saul’s attempt to find the source of the LORD’s silence, he asked of the LORD to “Give a perfect lot.” (1 Samuel 14:41) In the Hebrew we read הבה תמים – Hava Tamim and this is literally translated “give that which is complete/perfect.” We see in King Saul’s request that he was expecting to receive a perfect judgment in that particular situation in accordance to the Thummim, i.e. “the Perfections.”  We read in the life of King David how he sought the LORD for direction by means of the ephod (which imply the Urim and the Thummim) and how the LORD answered him (1 Samuel 30:7-10). In the books of Ezra and Nehemiah we also read how the priest was to use the Urim and Thummim to determine a clear judgment regarding those who were to be considered as part of the priestly family (Ezra 2:63. Nehemiah 7:65). The Urim and the Thummim, which were located in the breastpiece of judgment, were clearly used as a means of determining the judgment and direction of the LORD. Where are the Urim and the Thummim today?

Seeking the Lights and the Perfections of God

The mysterious Urim and Thummim have been lost together with the high priestly garments and the ephod, however, we are not left without a way to seek the direction and judgment of God today. In understanding the essence of the Urim and Thummim as the lights and perfections of God, I believe we see the fulfillment of the Urim and Thummim in the Messiah Himself. When Yeshua came into this world by means of the virgin birth, He literally proved Himself to be the light and perfection of God. Yeshua proclaimed to those who knew Him: “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” (John 8:12) Yeshua claimed to be the very Light of God and lived a life proving that He was who He claimed to be. Yeshua made the bold declaration of being the “Light of the world” after having presided over the case of the woman who was caught in the act of adultery (John 8). The scribes and Pharisees were testing Yeshua and said, “Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” (John 8:5) Yeshua didn’t answer their question right away but instead wrote on the ground with His finger and then answered their persistence with a statement: “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. (John 8:7-8) All of the accusers of the women left one by one and Yeshua was left with the woman alone. Yeshua spoke words of mercy to the woman and sent her away in a new life of freedom.

Yeshua is the Light and Perfection of God

It was in this context of providing perfect judgment that Yeshua proclaimed that He is the Light of the world. Yeshua’s opponents challenged His identity and His judgment:

So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not true.” Yeshua answered and said to them, “Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone. But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me…” – John 8:13-16

Yeshua stated that He was the Light of the world and He declared that He gave right judgment in accordance with the Father in heaven.  Yeshua is the very Word of God (John 1:1) and the Light of the world. It is only in the light and perfection of Yeshua that we can know the direction and judgment of God today. The lights and perfections of God are fully embodied in the person of Yeshua. Yeshua is our leader, our guide, our judge, and our source of light and perfection.

Shabbat Shalom!

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Torah Portion: Ex. 27:20 – Ex. 30:10

Haftara: Ezekiel 43:10-27

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