The Sanctity of the Human Body

You recently argued, in two columns regarding the “Bodies” exhibit, that displaying dead bodies, in your opinion, flies in the face of the sanctity of the human body. I have trouble fathoming what sanctity there is to the human body any more than any other animal body. I assume you would not take such issue with an exhibit of animal bodies showing their anatomy. I would like to understand why your perspective is so different for humans, necessitating burial and nothing else.

Jewish Clothing

I was studying this coming week’s Torah portion of Tetzaveh, which discusses in great length the clothing that had to be worn by the Jewish priests (Kohens) in their service. I was struck by the intricacies in the Torah of how these articles of clothing had to be woven and worn. I wonder why that is so important; why should clothing make such a difference in the temple worship?