On the hem of the High Priest's robe there were bells and pomegranates that rang lightly as he walked and when he was to enter the sanctuary.
“A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, all around the hem of the robe. Aaron shall wear it while officiating, so that the sound of it is heard when he comes into the sanctuary before the LORD and when he goes out – that he may not die” (Exodus 28:34-35).
The verse does not make clear whose sound or what will be heard, how and for what purpose. The biblical commentators disagree on this matter.
According to the Rashbam, the sound being discussed is the tinkling of the bells on the hem of the robe, which is meant to inform the priests that the High Priest is approaching.
“For the golden bells bang and strike against one another…and since God had commanded ‘No one shall be in the Tent of Meeting when he enters until he comes out,’ it was therefore necessary for God to command that the sound be heard as he approached so that they will hear it and will know to keep their distance.”
According to this approach, the sound of the bells served a simple, functional purpose – it was a warning whistle, the beep of a sensor, that served to inform the priests of the need to evacuate the place in preparation for the entrance of the High Priest.
The Ramban offers a similar explanation: “The reason is so that he will not be attacked by the Heavenly angels.” He believes that the ringing bells are a warning to the angels, letting them know that they should permit the High Priest to enter. The bells serve as the entrance code that opens the gate.
These two interpretations make use of the physical characteristics of the sound to explain the verse. Both argue that the sound of the bells prepares for an upcoming event.
According to the midrash (Parashat Aharei Mot), the sound is a knock of respect and politeness on the door of the house of God. The High Priest entering the Holy Temple knocks on the door with his bells:
“Rav says: Do not enter a city suddenly, and do not enter a house suddenly…When R. Yohanan would go to inquire regarding the health of R. Hanina, he would first knock. And is this not an a fortiori argument? If one desiring to enter the house of a man of flesh-and-blood must knock, surely the High Priest entering the Holy of Holies must do so! For this reason, ‘so that the sound of it is heard’ (Exodus 28:235).” (Leviticus Rabbah, Aharei Mot, 21).
According to this midrash, the sound of the bells is a request for permission to enter. It is an agreed-upon signal, a polite courtesy necessary in order to enter a space belonging to another – including that of God.
Another midrash suggests that the sound of the bells simulates man's speech. The clapper in the bell is like a tongue in the mouth. Each of the details of the priest's clothing and each of his actions plays a role in atonement, and the function of the bells is to atone for transgressions in speech.
“Rabbi Simon quotes R. Natan as teaching… Lashon HaRa (evil speech) cannot be atoned for. Yet the Torah does offer an atonement for it. What serves as an atonement? The bells of the High Priest’s robe…the sounds made by the bells will atone for the sound of the [evil] speech.” (Leviticus Rabbah, Tzav, 10)
The sound made by the bells, according to the midrash, is a musical composition, an sounded representation of whispering, and serves as part of a ritual that deals with atonement and making amends.
Ibn Ezra takes a very different approach, and separates between the bells and “the sound that is heard.”
“Some suggest that this means that when the High Priest serves in his garments, God will listen to his voice and accept his prayers when he is in the sanctuary.” (Ibn Ezra haKatzar, ibid)
According to this approach, “so that the sound of it is heard” is a promise that God will hearken to the prayers of the High Priest in the sanctuary. The emphasis now is that God hears the silent prayer of the High Priest. He hears the beating of the High Priest’s heart, a sound that cannot be heard by any human ear, yet is manifest in the High Priest’s actions and thoughts. The sound of the bells serves that inner voice, reflecting and accompanying it.
Another approach is offered by the author of HaKtav veHaKabbalah. He compares the bells on the hem of the High Priest’s robe to the tzitzit placed on the corners of the clothing of ordinary Jews. Looking at the tzitzit reminds everyone of his purpose in this world. Similarly, the sound of the bells inspires the High Priest in the performance of his service and the service of God.
“I believe that the commandment of the bells is similar to the commandment of tzitzit. In that case the commandment offers a visual reminder to perform the commandments, as it says, ‘look at it and recall.’ In our case it is an aural reminder, for the High Priest has many more obligations than do ordinary priests and ordinary Jews. For this reason he receives the additional aural reminder over-and-above the visual reminder.” (HaKtav veHaKabbalah, ibid)
The benefit of an aural reminder is the constant badgering – like the ringing of an alarm clock or smartphone – that demands constant attention and demands maintaining an extremely high level of sanctity and concentration. This ring dictates the pace of one’s life by making frequent calls to constantly be sensitive to sanctity and to focus on it.
If so – the beep of a sensor, a code entered, a knock at the door, a musical representation of speech, or an upgraded form of tzitzit, a reminder to concentrate and focus – all of these exist as options to explain the sound of the bells on the High Priest’s robe. Alternatively, the sound is Aaron's voice and the bells emphasize his inner thoughts and prayers.
Just as there are different possible ways to explain the sound of the bells, there are also different listeners. According to some explanations, the sound is directed at the priests, according to others, it is the High Priest himself, the angels or God.
The various interpretations intuitively represent what is accepted in music regarding the status of percussion instruments, bells, drums and cymbals, in various orchestras.
In a symphony orchestra, their main function is often to emphasize a musical excerpt, to accentuate the ambiguous sounds and make them powerful (Ibn Ezra). This is in addition to the times when they form the body of the musical piece with the other instruments acting as accompaniment in the background (as in the first midrash). Sometimes, the use of these instruments also simulates the heartbeat, and expresses stress, tension, and moments of emotional alertness (Rashbam and Ramban). In modern orchestras, in the absence of a conductor, the percussion instruments dictate the rhythm, according to which the other musicians play their musical parts (HaKetav VeHaKabbalah).
This interpretive choir comes together to examine the different possibilities of the purpose of the bell. In the image that emerges by means of gathering and combining all the interpretations we receive a percussion orchestra of great significance. In the audience there are a wide variety of listeners, ranging from humble priests to the Almighty Himself.
This entire harmony is focused on the priest's walking in God’s sanctuary, and it is what gives meaning to the verse: "In the house of God we shall walk with feeling."