Yom Kippor ankle bling

In today's ICONIA: Where Faith meets with Art, Menachem Wecker writes, "According to an interesting (and controversial) narrative in the 13th century Kabbalistic work the Zohar, Jewish high priests entered the Kodesh Ha'kadashim, the Holy of Holies, on Yom Kippor with golden chains tied to their ankles. This pricey ankle bling was not merely decorative. According to the Zohar, there was a period of time (mostly during the Second Temple era) when high priests purchased their positions through bribes, and when they tried to enter the Holy of Holies, God found them unworthy and immediately killed them. (Think the pitiful folks who preceded Atreyu's successful passage between the sphinxes in The NeverEnding Story.)" That is certainly a new way to consider the impact of bling. The account is part of a recent exhibit at the Museum of Biblical Art in New York City.