Aaron Wrestles the Destroying Angel to Halt the Plague

Midrash Aggadah, Numbers 17:13

Curated by Arthur·Translated by Maggid (Beta)·

"And he stood between the dead and the living" (Numbers 17:13). The angel stood, and Aaron held him back and would not let him pass, and restrained him by his loins, as it is said, "and the plague was stopped." And concerning him it is said, "The LORD bless his substance" (Deuteronomy 33:11). The angel said to Aaron: "The Omnipresent sent me to kill, and you seize hold of me!" Aaron said to him: "Thus did Moses command me, that I should seize hold of you." The angel said to him: "I tell you that the Holy One, blessed be He, sent me, and you tell me 'Moses'!" Aaron said to him: "Everything that Moses told me is from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He, and by the will of the Holy One, blessed be He." The angel said to Aaron: "And who will make you believed?" He said to him: "Behold, Moses is in the Tent of Meeting, and the Holy One, blessed be He, is also there; let the two of us go there." Immediately Aaron seized the angel against his will, and led him to Moses, to the Tent of Meeting. This is what is written, "And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door" (Numbers 17:15).

Themes

AtonementPriesthoodAngelsMosesMiracles

Biblical References

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Sifra, Mekhilta deMiluimWhy Aaron Brought a Calf on the Day of ConsecrationOn the eighth day, when the long week of consecration was finished and the priesthood was ready to begin, Moses turned to his brother with a hard tenderness. "ALegends of the JewsKingdom of EleazarThe Torah only gives us glimpses, but Jewish legend fills in the spaces with breathtaking detail. Eleazar, newly adorned in the garments of the Kohen Gadol, theMekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelThat the Manna, Which Was Requested Legitimately, WasMoses and Aaron delivered a pointed warning to the Israelites who kept complaining about their food in the wilderness. The manna had been given with a "radiant Mekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelAaron and Chur Supported His Hands One on One SideDuring the battle against Amalek, Moses stood on a hilltop with his arms raised, channeling divine power to the Israelite warriors below. But holding your arms Targum JonathanThe Rock Bled Before It Gave WaterWhen Miriam died on the tenth day of the month Nisan, the well that had sustained Israel throughout their desert wanderings vanished. The Targum makes this connMidrash TanchumaTake Aaron and Strip Aaron. God on to Moses, See, You May Console Him(Numb. 20:25-26:) “Take Aaron [and his son Elazar] […,] And strip Aaron.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “See, you may console him that he is beque