פרשת חוקת תשכ"ג - מות אהרן

כל העדה THE WHOLE CONGREGATION — all of them perfect, and destined to enter the promised land, for among them there was not even one of those upon whom it had been decreed that they should not enter the land, because those who were to die in the wilderness had already ceased to exist, and these belonged to those about whom it is written, (Deuteronomy 4:4) ‘[But ye who did cleave to the Lord your God] are all of you alive this day” (Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 14)

על גבול ארץ אדום BY THE BOUNDARY OF THE LAND OF EDOM — This (the statement that Aaron died here) tells us that because they here wished to join themselves in close friendship with the wicked, a breach was made in their works and they had to lose this righteous man, Aaron. Similarly does the prophet say, (II Chronicles 20:37) “Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the Lord hath made a breach in thy works” (Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 14).

קח את אהרן TAKE AARON by consoling words — say to him: Happy art thou that thou wilt see thy crown being given to thy son, something to which I am not privileged (Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 17).

קח את אהרן TAKE AARON — This section was spoken seven days before the final erection of the Tabernacle and so should have been placed before Exodus XL., but a transposition of this kind is quite customary in the Bible, because there is no “earlier” or “later” (no chronological order) in the Torah.

את בגדיו [AND STRIP AARON OF] HIS GARMENTS — i.e., the garments of the high priesthood. — He clothed him in these and stripped them off him to place them on his son in his presence. He (Moses) said to him (Aaron), “Enter the cave”, and he entered. — He saw a bed already made (more lit., outspread, i.e., with its sheets, etc.) and a light burning. He said to him, “Ascend the bed”, and he ascended. — “Stretch out your hands”, and he stretched them out. — “Close your mouth”, and he closed it. — “Close your eyes”, and he closed them. At that moment Moses longed for that self-same death, and this is what was said to him (Deuteronomy 32:50), “[And die] … as Aaron thy brother died” — the death, for which you longed (Siphre on that verse).

ויעש משה AND MOSES DID [AS THE LORD COMMANDED] — Although this thing was hard for him he did not delay to do so (Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 17).

כאשר צוה ה' את משה ואהרן [THEY DID] AS THE LORD HAD COMMANDED MOSES AND AARON — This is stated for the purpose of declaring Israel’s praise — that they did not omit a single matter of all the commandments of Moses and Aaron. And what is the meaning of כן עשו SO DID THEY? Moses and Aaron also did thus!(Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 12:25).

ויעש אהרן ובניו SO AARON AND HIS SONS DID [ALL THE THINGS] — This is stated to tell their praise — that they did not turn to the right nor to the left (cf. Sifra, Tzav, Mechilta d'Miluim 1 38).

'ויעש כאשר צוה וגו AND HE DID AS [THE LORD] COMMANDED [MOSES] etc. — When the next Day of Atonement arrived he (Aaron) did everything as is here set forth in order. And Scripture only states this in order to declare the praise of Aaron — that he did not attire himself with them (the official garments) for his own aggrandisement, but as one who was executing the ordinance of his King (Sifra, Acharei Mot, Chapter 8 10).

ויעש כן אהרן AND AARON DID SO — This is stated in order to tell the praise of Aaron — that he did not deviate [from G-d's command] (cf. Sifrei Bamidbar 60).

וידבר משה וגו׳ AND MOSES SPAKE etc. — Although he had heard (v. 2) that his death was associated with this matter, he did it gladly and did not delay (Sifrei Bamidbar 157:2).

ויראו כל העדה AND ALL THE CONGREGATION SAW [THAT AARON HAD DIED] — When they saw Moses and Eleazar descending and that Aaron was not descending with them, they said, “Where, then, is Aaron?” — He replied to them, “He is dead!” They thereupon said, “Is it possible that a man who stood up against the Angel and stayed the plague, — that over him the Angel of Death should have power?!” — Moses at once offered prayer and the ministering angels showed him (Aaron) to them lying upon the bier. They saw and believed (cf. Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 17).

כי גוע THAT (or because) HE HAD DIED — I say that he who translates these words in the Targum (i.e., anyone who holds that this is the correct rendering) by דהא מית, “because he had died”, is in error unless he also translates in the Targum the word ויראו by ואתחזיאו “they were seen (exposed)”, for our Rabbis stated that this word כי is used here in the sense of “because” only in accordance with a Midrash which relates that the clouds of glory which hitherto enveloped Israel disappeared at Aaron's death, (so that all the congregation were now exposed to the sight of their enemies), and in accordance with what R. Abuhu said (Rosh Hashanah 3a), “Read here not וַיִּרְאוּ but וַיֵּרָאוּ, “they were seen”. It is to this sense of the verb that the meaning of “because” is applicable to the word כי, since that gives the reason for what precedes it: Why were they seen? Because, behold, Aaron had died, and the clouds disappeared. But to the translation in the Targum, וחזו כל כנשתא (“and all the congregation saw”), the meaning of “because” (for the word כי) is not applicable, but only the meaning אשר, “that”, which is one of the usages of the word אי (the Aramaic equivalent of אם, which itself is one of the four classifications of the usage of כי; see ibid). For we find אם used in the sense of אשר “that”, as e.g., (Job 21:4) “so that (ואם) why should I not be impatient?” And many passages where אם occurs may be explained in this sense, as (Job 14:5), “that (אם) his days are determined”.

And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they wept for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.