Judaism

The Cohanim (priestly class) were given a very strict commandment to wash their hands and feet using the laver before entering the Holy Temple to do their service. The implement that they used to wash was called the Kiyor, and it was made of copper. The commentaries mention the source of the copper used, which in and of itself is interesting, as only a couple of the sources for the materials used in construction are traced back to their origins. This indicates that there is something significant in the source of the material In the case of the Kiyor the source, we are told, was the mirrors used by the Jewish women to beautify themselves during the times of the Egyptian slavery. The men would return from a day of back-breaking labor in the fields. They were physically and emotionally exhausted. These selfsame people had seen their babies murdered. Marital intimacy was the last thing on their minds. In fact, they were reticent to have any more children at all, lest they too become victimized by the evil tyrants. [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]