Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah

114
Tetzaveh
Aharon the Kohen Gadol
Aaron Schechter
I n this week’s parsha, Hashem tells Moshe to appoint Aharon, his older brother,
as the kohen gadol. I will now focus on the question: Why did Hashem choose Aharon
to serve as the kohen gadol?
The Or Hachaim (28:1), based on Shemot Rabba (3:17), writes that Hashem’s original
plan was to appoint Moshe Rabbeinu as the kohen gadol. But, because Moshe Rabbeinu
repeatedly refused to accept the role of leading the Jewish people, Hashem decided to
pick Aharon, his brother, to become the kohen gadol instead of Moshe Rabbeinu. To
top it all off, Moshe Rabbeinu had to appoint Aharon himself, so it would not seem
like Moshe Rabbeinu was upset at Aharon for becoming the kohen gadol instead of
him.
Aharon was willing to do what Hashem wanted no matter what it was. It was because
of this trait of ahavat Hashem, listening to Hashem and doing everything He said
without protest, that Aharon merited to become the kohen gadol. Appointing Aharon
was an instrumental part of Moshe Rabbeinu’s tikkun for originally refusing to become
the leader of the Jewish people. The tikkun was accepting what Hashem wanted by
appointing the the kohen gadol Hashem wanted.
The Or Hachaim explains further: when man opposes Hashem, one of the branches
from his soul becomes detached from its holy root. When Hashem asked Moshe
Rabbeinu to lead Bnei Yisrael, Moshe Rabbeinu repeatedly refused to lead for various