Urim and Tumim - Tetzaveh - Mythic Torah

Judaism has had a very ambivalent relationship to fortune-telling, astrology and predicting the future. On the one hand, we read in Deuteronomy 18 that those who consult the dead are an abomination, that witchcraft is absolutely illegal, and yet at the same time we know that there are kinds of divination that were practiced within God's own cult.

In particular, we read in this week's parasha of Tetzaveh about the mysterious Umim and Tumim stones, to be placed in the High Priest's breastplate:


³⁰ Insert the Urim and Tumim into the sacred breastplate so they will be carried over Aaron’s heart when he goes into God’s presence. In this way, Aaron will always carry over his heart the judgment of the Israelites whenever he goes in before God.

ל וְנָתַתָּ אֶל-חשֶׁן הַמִּשְׁפָּט אֶת-הָאוּרִים וְאֶת-הַתֻּמִּים וְהָיוּ עַל-לֵב אַהֲרֹן בְּבֹאוֹ לִפְנֵי יְהוָֹה וְנָשָׂא אַהֲרֹן אֶת-מִשְׁפַּט בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל-לִבּוֹ לִפְנֵי יְהוָֹה תָּמִיד:

From this text alone, we don't really know what the Urim and Tumim were, or what they did. Combined with the breastplate, set with 12 precious stones for each of the 12 tribes, these stones are meant to be connected to judgement, and to be a reminder to God about the covenant.




We know a lot more about these divination tools from the book of Samuel (for example 1 Sam 14), but nowhere is the tension between 'what we do' that's okay, and 'what They do' that is an abomination, starker than in the story of King Saul visiting the Witch of Endor, a woman who consults the spirits of the dead (1 Sam 28):

³ Meanwhile, Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him. He was buried in Ramah, his hometown. And Saul had banned from the land of Israel all mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead.
⁴ The Philistines set up their camp at Shunem, and Saul gathered all the army of Israel and camped at Gilboa. ⁵ When Saul saw the vast Philistine army, he became frantic with fear. ⁶ He asked the Lord what he should do, but the Lord refused to answer him, either by dreams or by the Urim or by the prophets. ⁷ Saul then said to his advisers, “Find a woman who is a medium, so I can go and ask her what to do.”
His advisers replied, “There is a medium at Endor.”

 ג וּשְׁמוּאֵל מֵת וַיִּסְפְּדוּ-לוֹ כָּל-יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּקְבְּרֻהוּ בָרָמָה וּבְעִירוֹ וְשָׁאוּל הֵסִיר אֶת-הָאֹבוֹת וְאֶת-הַיִּדְּעֹנִים מֵהָאָרֶץ:
ד וַיִּקָּבְצוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים וַיָּבֹאוּ וַיַּחֲנוּ בְשׁוּנֵם וַיִּקְבֹּץ שָׁאוּל אֶת-כָּל-יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּחֲנוּ בַּגִּלְבֹּעַ:
ה וַיַּרְא שָׁאוּל אֶת-מַחֲנֵה פְלִשְׁתִּים וַיִּרָא וַיֶּחֱרַד לִבּוֹ מְאֹד:
ו וַיִּשְׁאַל שָׁאוּל בַּיהֹוָה וְלֹא עָנָהוּ יְהֹוָה גַּם בַּחֲלֹמוֹת גַּם בָּאוּרִים גַּם בַּנְּבִיאִים:
ז וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל לַעֲבָדָיו בַּקְּשׁוּ-לִי אֵשֶׁת בַּעֲלַת-אוֹב וְאֵלְכָה אֵלֶיהָ וְאֶדְרְשָׁה-בָּהּ וַיֹּאמְרוּ עֲבָדָיו אֵלָיו הִנֵּה אֵשֶׁת בַּעֲלַת-אוֹב בְּעֵין דּוֹר:

Consulting with mediums has been absolutely prohibited by King Saul's own orders, and yet when his need is great, when he just has to know what the future holds for him, and when the acceptable channels of the prophets, dreams and the Urim and Tumim fail him, Saul breaks his own law to speak with Samuel.

So what's the difference between that which is acceptable and that which is terrible? Is evil magic just what other people do, while what We do is always 'religion'?

It seems to me that human beings are desperate for a sense of order and control in their lives. Our world is chaotic, dangerous and unpredictable, where illness or death, God forbid, could strike without warning. Small wonder that throughout human history, up to today's obsession with astrology, we have sought knowledge of what the future holds for us, and lauded those who seem able to give answers to these difficult questions.

Having a way to deal with this anxiety is essential to society, and yet the Bible and Jewish tradition is very concerned that we deal with it in the right way, in a manner that is pure and healthy, not dangerous or exploitative.

What's the difference then between the Urim and Tumim and the medium of Endor?

The most important question to me is who has the power. In the case of the medium, power is ascribed to the medium herself and to the spirits of the dead that she can summon. But the Urim and Tumim, however they worked, are in the hands of the High Priest, and the power is all ascribed to the living God.

We are offered a stark contrast - do we put our faith in the spirits of the dead, or in the Eternal God? Do we give power to a medium, or look to a High Priest to connect to the ultimate power?

When faced with the terrifying, chaotic, unpredictable universe, we are told not to put our faith either in human beings or in those long dead, but to turn our faces to God and receive whatever we are given.