Tzav

The first act of the priest, the kohen, each morning is to gather the ashes of the previous day, change his clothes and then take them out of the camp to a specially designated location which is considered pure.

What is so special about these ashes, that their removal would require a whole ritual? Perhaps it is the symbolic and metaphorical meaning that they hold.

There is first of all perhaps a practical aspect to the ritual, a humbling one, which serves the purpose of reminding those in positions of religious authority to consider that each task, even as simple as taking out the previous day’s ashes, serve a purpose greater than themselves.

Rabbeinu Bahya, a Spanish biblical commentator, suggests that the ritual of changing clothes reminds the person who is performing the task that there is a bigger picture and that the task, as demeaning as it might be considered for a person of such high social standing, serves to “enhance the reputation of the Eternal” (on Vayikra 6:3).