When you hear about Achashverosh in Megillat Esther, you hear of his lavish banquets, riches, land and clothing. While everything is from Hashem, some of the clothing that Achashverosh wore is extra special and holds a closer connection to Hashem. What do I mean by that?

Some of the clothing that Achashverosh wore appears in this week’s parsha, Tetzaveh. Achashverosh wore clothing that belonged to the Kohen Gadol. At first I thought it was strange that Achashverosh wanted to use the clothes of the Kohen Gadol, but then I realized they were beautiful clothing that symbolized high importance. The clothing of the Kohen Gadol was specifically designed and made of gold, techelet (a bluish color that is special) and other materials. This gave me a new lens on beauty and its importance in Judaism.

Growing up, and even now, the word tzniut (modesty)— relating to how I dress— was daunting. I had thoughts in my head that dressing modestly meant I couldn’t look pretty, shouldn’t be so precise in making sure everything matched,, and shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to get myself ready. However, between the Purim story and Parashat Tetzaveh, I realized that was wrong.

Each one of the Kohen Gadol’s garments was intended to teach us something. Clothing speaks volumes! What we wear is supposed to show others who we are, individually and nationally. The same clothing is also fit for a king and needs to look beautiful because every Jew is a child of the King. While all of us, both men and women, shouldn’t take so much time planning every bit of our outfits, we need to take some time and make ourselves look presentable and like the children of Hashem. We need to show from our clothing what it means to be a child of Hashem like the Kohen Gadol.

May we all be able to show our inner beauty outside and use our clothing to spread godliness in the world.

Shira Sedek is a passionate educator who works at Ramaz Middle school and loves teaching Torah to her students and those around her.