We live in blessed times.
Technology provides us with tremendous access to knowledge, and has made our world more efficient.
And while technology also has a downside - the NSO scandal for example - technology has made knowledge democratic.
And as a start-up nation, Israel is at the forefront of the technological revolution.
If you've learned about ancient Greece and Egypt, read Homer or are watching "Manifesto" now - you know that ancient societies were divided into elites and commoners.
The priests were a central subgroup of the elites, and their power stemmed from the fact that they were the keepers of the secrets of the Bible.
As individuals who knew how to read the sacred texts, they had a tremendous impact.
When they wanted to find out someone else's secrets, they had ways to do it.
They controlled the economy and conducted ceremonies related to death and burial.
This week's Torah portion, Parashat Titzvah, presents a dramatic statement against the division of society into priests "who are in the realm of knowledge" and the common people "who are in darkness."
The affair focuses on the special garments that the priest wore while serving in the tabernacle, and she explains that the purpose of these garments is to distinguish between the priest and the average person.
The Torah states that these garments were meant for "honor and glory," a phrase commonly used to mark a kingdom.
In fact, later in the Bible, in the Book of Esther, King Ahasuerus is described as boasting of his wealth, and the text of the scroll uses exactly the same phrase: "showing the riches of his majesty and the glory of his greatness." In this sense, the priests were completely separate from the people.
However, through the detailed description of the dimensions of the priest's garments, the Torah removes the veil from the priesthood.
Instead of claiming that the priests are different, the affair teaches that the secrets of God are not in mystery and that the priests have no religious magic powers.
Priestly garments are simple white garments, and even the garments adorned with gold are limited to the high priest.
The Mishnah notes that upon entering the Holy of Holies, the high priest removed his golden garments, as a symbol of humility.
As Rabbi Shaul Berman noted, the Torah provides descriptions of priestly garments, in order to be transparent about life: No person or group should have access to divine secrets.
A priest could never claim to possess the ability to help a dying or dead person or to reach the next world, since priests are not allowed to be in contact with the dead.
Out of fear of the perpetuation of privileges by the priests, the Torah requires that the priests distance themselves from the dead and death.
And to protect them from economic corruption, the priests were not given land for themselves.
Parashat Titzvah reinforces the way in which, despite erroneous steps from time to time, the State of Israel follows the biblical tradition respectfully. It should be noted to our credit that we have built a democracy based on transparency. Confidential - We expose them, and reaffirm the principle that everyone is equal within the law.Although we may experience discomfort or embarrassment, we publish investigations into tragic incidents that occur in the military, we hold commissions investigating disasters like the Meron disaster, and we recognize the existence of scandals
. All of us, religious or secular, our country is as sacred as the Tabernacle was in biblical times.While it is our duty to publish corruption when we discover it, we must be proud of our achievements in making our government transparent and accessible.
The writer is the founder of the Atim Association
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