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Analyzing the sacrificial offerings mentioned in this week's Torah portion, the Zohar compares their purity with the consequences of anger. A person who is angry is sacrificing his senses to the blood of his passions. This very situation comes from G-d, and yet he is furious with it! This is a form of idol-worship.

Inside the doubled fabric of the priestly breastplate, the choshen, was inserted a parchment inscribed with G-d's Name, called the "urim v'tumim". The Ari explains that the urim v'tumim were a manifestation of the 42-Name of G-d and the 72-Name of G-d.

The Ohr Hachayim explains the Torah's commandment that the High Priest wear eight garments "for splendor [in Hebrew,'kavod'] and beauty [in Hebrew, 'tiferet']". in order for him to be able to obtain atonement for the people for the various imperfections that people are guilty of regularly.

The Kohanim, whose work was to bring bringing down high levels of holiness and divine light from Above, needed to be covered with special garments as they went about their service in the Temple so as not to attract any would-be evil doers. The Levites were not involved in bringing revelation down into the world, but in lifting the world up. Therefore it wasn’t necessary to conceal the movements of the Levites, and they didn’t need to wear any special clothes.

The concealment of G-d's supervision of His Creation may lead a person to think that there is no law and no judge. This lack of understanding is symbolized by the bitter olive, which must be crushed, smashed and hit in order to release the light buried within.

This crushing is the suffering that precedes the path of Torah, after which a person comes to illumination and he merits to see that all of the concealments were for the sake of good.

The Talmud states gold's purpose was only for use in the Holy Temple, a place for G-d to be revealed. When we build a Sanctuary, a Temple, or even a "mikdash ma'at" — a synagogue, study hall, or school—we build it nicer than our own home to demonstrate that is of special importance.