Tamid Photo Essay in Lego® #22

The Shot

The Robe Makes the Man

Pinchas the Clothier outfits the Kohanim with their bigdei Kehunah.

The Story

All the Kohanim in the Azarah were dressed in their bigdei Kehunah, the uniform worn by the Kohanim as they performed the sacrificial service. At this point in the day, all of the morning's jobs had been assigned and those Kohanim who were not scheduled to perform any other task would change out of their bigdei Kehunah. The Chamber of Pinchas the Clothier is where the bigdei Kehunah would be stored and distributed. As Kohanim arrived in the Temple over the course of the day to perform the sacrificial service they would report to this chamber where they would change out of their regular clothes and be dressed in the bigdei Kehunah by the clothier's assistants. Upon completing their service they would return the bigdei Kehunah to this chamber and change back into their regular clothes. The individual Kohanim did not own private uniforms but rather were issued garments of the appropriate size from the general supply. This practice ensured that the bigdei Kehunah remained in the Beis Hamikdash where they could be supervised by the clothier who saw to it that they were used and cared for with the utmost sanctity and respect. As for the chamber’s name, the very first clothier was a man named Pinchas and all subsequent officers to hold this post were given the title “Pinchas the Clothier.”

Each of the 24 watches [mishmaros] of Kohanim was assigned a set of closets within the Chamber of Pinchas the Clothier to store and organize their bigdei Kehunah. The closets were set into the walls of the chamber and were labelled with the type of garment they contained: pants, turbans, belts, and robes. Storing the uniforms of an entire tribe, in addition to the room needed to change in and out of them, requires a large amount of space. For this reason the Chamber of Pinchas the Clothier was built partially within the wall of the Azarah so as to minimize its footprint within the Azarah itself.

The Setup

This shot is modeled and rendered in Bricklink Studio with depth of field added in Photoshop (read more about this process in my introduction). I designed this room with an upscale men's clothing store vibe and included a unique tiled floor, elegant carved stone support arches beneath the balcony, upgraded wall sconces, and fine Chippendale side tables (before they were cool, or even invented). Behind Pinchas are two Kohanim being dressed. The Kohanim would don their sacred pants while still wearing their personal robe, then remove their robe, and then would be dressed in their sacred robe. The shirtless Kohen on the left is partway through this process. On the right is a Kohen being girded in a purple belt, which is being played by a very carefully placed 4L bar. The stored belts are represented by 1x1 round tiles. Behind the Kohanim are cubbies (1x1 corner panels) set into the wall where personal clothing can be stored while the men are at work.

The chamber is built in a "dollhouse" style with hinges that allow the room to fold closed to show the complete chamber and swing open to allow access to the interior. The blue plates around the outside provide gentle morning backlighting and the yellow plate in the foreground lights the interior.

A closer view of the empty half of the room just showing the structural details.

The legs of the mahogany side table are made from 1L bars with angled studs (65578) and topped by a humble — but with a striking simplicity — 2x2 tile. The overall affect of this well-proportioned specimen exemplifies the restrained sophistication and masterful craftsmanship of the period.

Pinchas has members of his dedicated and impeccably dressed staff shuttling clothing to and from the closet for that day's watch.

The proprietor can be easily distinguished by his fashionable Bowler hat (95674) and suspenders (why not) as he keeps a sharp eye on the goings on. The marble staircase leading up to the closets has floating steps made of 1x4 plates with two end studs (92593) which are adorned with a lavish railing of minifig bottles (95228) topped by cheese slopes. Since space in the Beis Hamikdash is always at a premium, I'm still looking for some good ideas for what to do with the empty area beneath the stairs here.

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