Where Prophecy May Be Heard and Aaron Made Equal to Moses

"And the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron in the land of Egypt" (Exodus 12:1). This teaches that all lands were fit for divine speech until the Land of Israel was sanctified; but once the Land of Israel was sanctified, there was no speech to the prophets in any place except over water, as it is said, "The word of the LORD surely came to Ezekiel son of Buzi the priest in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar" (Ezekiel 1:3). And it says, "And I was at the Ulai canal" (Daniel 8:2); "And I was by the side of the great river, which is the Tigris" (Daniel 10:4). So too Jonah: He spoke with him only over water. Rabbi Yehudah says: Even at first He spoke with the prophets only over water, as it is said, "surely came" [a doubled verb]. Rabbi Nehemiah says: At first He spoke with the prophets in every place; what then does "the word of the LORD surely came to Ezekiel" teach? That the holy spirit was not constant upon him. "In the land of Egypt": Might one think within the city? Scripture says "in the land"; in a field He spoke with him. Not in the field [proper] did He speak with him, but outside the city. And so Moses says to Pharaoh, "When I go out of the city" (Exodus 9:29): if a light matter such as prayer he did not pray within the city, a weighty matter all the more so. And why did He not speak with him within the city? Because it is full of idols. And still I might say He spoke with Moses outside the city, but when Moses spoke with Aaron he did not speak with him outside the city; Scripture says, "And the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron in the land of Egypt," comparing the speech of Aaron to the speech of Moses: just as Moses [received it] outside the city, so too Aaron outside the city. Just as Moses said, "Thus says," so too Aaron said, "Thus says." Just as Moses was a god to Pharaoh, speaking and not fearing, so too Aaron was a god to Pharaoh, speaking and not fearing. Just as Moses was mentioned regarding the heifer, the lamp, the anointing oil, and the incense of spices, so too Aaron was mentioned regarding the heifer, the lamp, the anointing oil, and the incense of spices. Scripture says, "And the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron," comparing the greatness of Aaron to the greatness of Moses. "Saying": Rabbi Eliezer says: From where do we know that just as the order of the divine words was in the wilderness, so it was in the land of Egypt? There is no need; it is a logical inference. It says here "spoke" and it says "spoke" in the wilderness (Leviticus 11:1): just as the speech said in the wilderness, Aaron heard first and repeated first, so too the speech said here, Aaron heard first and repeated first. What of the case where Aaron preceded the sons in the wilderness because he was anointed with the anointing oil? Let Aaron precede the sons here, where he was not yet anointed with the anointing oil. Scripture says, "And the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying," teaching that Aaron preceded the sons. And from where do we know that the sons precede the elders? There is no need; it is a logical inference. It says here "spoke" and it says there "spoke" in the wilderness: just as the speech said in the wilderness, the sons preceded the elders, so too the speech said here, the sons preceded the elders. What of the case where the sons preceded the elders in the wilderness because they went up the mountain first? Let the sons precede the elders here, where they did not go up the mountain first. Scripture says, "And to his sons He spoke," teaching that the sons precede the elders. And from where do we know that the elders precede Israel? There is no need; it is a logical inference. It says here "spoke" and it says "spoke" in the wilderness: just as the speech said in the wilderness, the elders preceded Israel, so too the speech said here, the elders preceded Israel. What of the case where the elders preceded Israel in the wilderness because they were sanctified with the holy spirit? Let the elders precede Israel here, where they were not yet sanctified with the holy spirit. Scripture says, "And Moses called to all the elders of Israel" (Exodus 12:21), teaching that the elders precede Israel.