(יב) הִלֵּל וְשַׁמַּאי קִבְּלוּ מֵהֶם. הִלֵּל אוֹמֵר, הֱוֵי מִתַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל אַהֲרֹן, אוֹהֵב שָׁלוֹם וְרוֹדֵף שָׁלוֹם, אוֹהֵב אֶת הַבְּרִיּוֹת וּמְקָרְבָן לַתּוֹרָה:
(12) Hillel and Shammai received [the oral tradition] from them. Hillel used to say: be of the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace, loving mankind and drawing them close to the Torah.
הֱוֵי מִתַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל אַהֲרֹן אוֹהֵב שָׁלוֹם וְרוֹדֵף שָׁלוֹם. פֵּרְשׁוּ בְּאָבוֹת דְּרַבִּי נָתָן, כֵּיצַד הָיָה אַהֲרֹן אוֹהֵב שָׁלוֹם, כְּשֶׁהָיָה רוֹאֶה שְׁנֵי בְּנֵי אָדָם מִתְקוֹטְטִים הָיָה הוֹלֵךְ לְכָל אֶחָד מֵהֶם שֶׁלֹּא מִדַּעַת חֲבֵרוֹ, וְאוֹמֵר לוֹ רְאֵה חֲבֵרְךָ אֵיךְ הוּא מִתְחָרֵט וּמַכֶּה אֶת עַצְמוֹ עַל שֶׁחָטָא לְךָ, וְהוּא אָמַר לִי שֶׁאָבֹא אֵלֶיךָ שֶׁתִּמְחַל לוֹ, וּמִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ כְּשֶׁהָיוּ פּוֹגְעִים זֶה בָּזֶה הָיוּ מְנַשְּׁקִים זֶה אֶת זֶה. וְכֵיצַד הָיָה מְקָרֵב אֶת הַבְּרִיּוֹת לַתּוֹרָה, כְּשֶׁהָיָה יוֹדֵעַ בְּאָדָם שֶׁעָבַר עֲבֵרָה הָיָה מִתְחַבֵּר עִמּוֹ וּמַרְאֶה לוֹ פָּנִים צְהֻבּוֹת, וְהָיָה אוֹתוֹ אָדָם מִתְבַּיֵּשׁ וְאוֹמֵר אִלּוּ הָיָה יוֹדֵעַ צַדִּיק זֶה מַעֲשַׂי הָרָעִים כַּמָּה הָיָה מִתְרַחֵק מִמֶּנִּי, וּמִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ הָיָה חוֹזֵר לַמּוּטָב. הוּא שֶׁהַנָּבִיא מֵעִיד עָלָיו (מלאכי ב׳:ו׳) בְּשָׁלוֹם וּבְמִישׁוֹר הָלַךְ אִתִּי וְרַבִּים הֵשִׁיב מֵעָוֹן:
"Be of the disciples of Aharon, loving peace and pursuing peace": They explained in Avot DeRabbi Natan how Aharon loved peace: When he would see two people quarreling, he would go to each one of them without the knowledge of his fellow and say to him, “Behold how your fellow is regretting and afflicting himself that he sinned against you; and he told me that I should come to you so that you will forgive him. And as a result of this, when they bumped into each other, they would kiss each other. And how would he bring people closer to the Torah? When he would know about someone that he committed a sin, he would befriend him and show him a friendly demeanor; and that man would be embarrassed and say [to himself], “If that righteous man would know my evil deeds, how much would he distance himself from me? And as a result of this, [that man] would change for the better. And this is what the prophet testifies about [Aharon] (Malachi 2), “In peace and in straightness did he walk with Me and he brought back many from sinning."
(ז) וּמֹשֶׁ֗ה בֶּן־מֵאָ֧ה וְעֶשְׂרִ֛ים שָׁנָ֖ה בְּמֹת֑וֹ לֹֽא־כָהֲתָ֥ה עֵינ֖וֹ וְלֹא־נָ֥ס לֵחֹֽה׃ (ח) וַיִּבְכּוּ֩ בְנֵ֨י יִשְׂרָאֵ֧ל אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֛ה בְּעַֽרְבֹ֥ת מוֹאָ֖ב שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים י֑וֹם וַֽיִּתְּמ֔וּ יְמֵ֥י בְכִ֖י אֵ֥בֶל מֹשֶֽׁה׃
(7) Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died; his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated. (8) And the Israelites bewailed Moses in the steppes of Moab for thirty days. The period of wailing and mourning for Moses came to an end.
(כג) וַיֹּ֧אמֶר ה' אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה וְאֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֖ן בְּהֹ֣ר הָהָ֑ר עַל־גְּב֥וּל אֶֽרֶץ־אֱד֖וֹם לֵאמֹֽר׃ (כד) יֵאָסֵ֤ף אַהֲרֹן֙ אֶל־עַמָּ֔יו כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יָבֹא֙ אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָתַ֖תִּי לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל עַ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־מְרִיתֶ֥ם אֶת־פִּ֖י לְמֵ֥י מְרִיבָֽה׃ (כה) קַ֚ח אֶֽת־אַהֲרֹ֔ן וְאֶת־אֶלְעָזָ֖ר בְּנ֑וֹ וְהַ֥עַל אֹתָ֖ם הֹ֥ר הָהָֽר׃ (כו) וְהַפְשֵׁ֤ט אֶֽת־אַהֲרֹן֙ אֶת־בְּגָדָ֔יו וְהִלְבַּשְׁתָּ֖ם אֶת־אֶלְעָזָ֣ר בְּנ֑וֹ וְאַהֲרֹ֥ן יֵאָסֵ֖ף וּמֵ֥ת שָֽׁם׃ (כז) וַיַּ֣עַשׂ מֹשֶׁ֔ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר צִוָּ֣ה ה' וַֽיַּעֲלוּ֙ אֶל־הֹ֣ר הָהָ֔ר לְעֵינֵ֖י כָּל־הָעֵדָֽה׃ (כח) וַיַּפְשֵׁט֩ מֹשֶׁ֨ה אֶֽת־אַהֲרֹ֜ן אֶת־בְּגָדָ֗יו וַיַּלְבֵּ֤שׁ אֹתָם֙ אֶת־אֶלְעָזָ֣ר בְּנ֔וֹ וַיָּ֧מָת אַהֲרֹ֛ן שָׁ֖ם בְּרֹ֣אשׁ הָהָ֑ר וַיֵּ֧רֶד מֹשֶׁ֛ה וְאֶלְעָזָ֖ר מִן־הָהָֽר׃ (כט) וַיִּרְאוּ֙ כָּל־הָ֣עֵדָ֔ה כִּ֥י גָוַ֖ע אַהֲרֹ֑ן וַיִּבְכּ֤וּ אֶֽת־אַהֲרֹן֙ שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים י֔וֹם כֹּ֖ל בֵּ֥ית יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (ס)
(23) At Mount Hor, on the boundary of the land of Edom, the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, (24) “Let Aaron be gathered to his kin: he is not to enter the land that I have assigned to the Israelite people, because you disobeyed my command about the waters of Meribah. (25) Take Aaron and his son Eleazar and bring them up on Mount Hor. (26) Strip Aaron of his vestments and put them on his son Eleazar. There Aaron shall be gathered unto the dead.” (27) Moses did as the LORD had commanded. They ascended Mount Hor in the sight of the whole community. (28) Moses stripped Aaron of his vestments and put them on his son Eleazar, and Aaron died there on the summit of the mountain. When Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain, (29) the whole community knew that Aaron had breathed his last. All the house of Israel bewailed Aaron thirty days.
דתניא אותה שנה שמת שמעון הצדיק אמר להן שנה זו הוא מת אמרו לו מנין אתה יודע. אמר להן כל יום הכפורים נזדמן לי זקן אחד לבוש לבנים ונתעטף לבנים ונכנס עמי ויצא עמי שנה זו נזדמן לי זקן אחד לבוש שחורים ונתעטף שחורים ונכנס עמי ולא יצא עמי. לאחר הרגל חלה שבעת ימים ומת ונמנעו אחיו הכהנים מלברך בשם.
As it is taught: During the year in which Shimon HaTzaddik died, he said to his associates: This year, he will die, euphemistically referring to himself. They said to him: From where do you know? Shimon HaTzaddik said to them: In previous years, every Yom Kippur, upon entering the Holy of Holies, I had a prophetic vision in which I would be met by an old man who was dressed in white, and his head was wrapped in white, and he would enter the Holy of Holies with me, and he would leave with me. But this year, I was met by an old man who was dressed in black, and his head was wrapped in black, and he entered the Holy of Holies with me, but he did not leave with me. Shimon HaTzaddik understood this to be a sign that his death was impending. Indeed, after the pilgrimage festival of Sukkot, he was ill for seven days and died. And his fellow priests refrained from reciting the Priestly Benediction with the ineffable name of God.
נזדמן לי זקן אחד לבוש לבנים. בירושלמי פריך והכתיב וכל אדם לא יהיה באהל מועד ואפי' מלאכים דכתיב ודמות פניהם פני אדם ומשני דשמא שכינה היתה:
I would be met by an old man- In the Jerusalem Talmud it asks and it is written "and every person won't be in the temple of meeting" and even Angels as it is written "and their faces were like the faces of man" and therefore it seems that it (this old man was the manifestation of) was the divine presence
(יא) בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלקֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעולָם. אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בִּקְדֻשָּׁתו שֶׁל אַהֲרן וְצִוָּנוּ לְבָרֵךָ אֶת עַמּו יִשרָאֵל בְּאַהֲבָה:
Blessed is you Hashem Our God King of the Universe. Who has sanctified us in the holiness of Aharon and commanded us to bless his nation Israel with love.
A crucial prerequisite to Birkat Kohanim is mutual love and respect between the Kohanim and the congregation. In fact, the text of the blessing recited by the Kohanim before the Birkat Kohanim thanks G‑d for "sanctifying us with the sanctity of Aaron and commanding us to bless His people Israel with love!" If a Kohen despises any member of the congregation, or vice versa, it is considered a hazard for that Kohen to participate in the Birkat Kohanim.
(Various Laws Pertaining to the Kohen. What does the priest think during the blessing? Does a child priest join the blessing? And more . . . By Naftali Silberberg https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/894578/jewish/Various-Laws-Pertaining-to-the-Kohen.htm)