3,956. The Pattern of the Tunics

Hilchos Klei HaMikdash 8:15

Whenever the Torah calls something maaseh rokeim (“a work of embroidery”), it means that an embroidered design will be visible on only one side of the finished product. When it calls something maaseh chosheiv (“a work of skill”), it means that the design will be visible on both the front and back.

Hilchos Klei HaMikdash 8:16

The tunic of both the Kohein Gadol and of a regular kohein was woven with a boxlike pattern, like an animal’s reticulum.* This is a style used in making reinforced garments. The sleeves were woven separately and then sewed on to the tunics’ bodies.

*The reticulum is one of the four parts of a cow’s stomach. It has a honeycomb pattern.