Aaron Grieves at the Altar Until Moses Brings Down the Shechinah

Sifra, Mekhilta deMiluim II 19

Curated by Arthur·Translated by Maggid (Beta)·

19) (Vayikra 9:23): "And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting": When Aaron saw that all the offerings had been sacrificed and all the services had been performed and the shechinah had not descended upon Israel, he stood and grieved: I know that the L–rd is wroth with me. Because of me the shechinah has not descended upon Israel. This is what my brother Moses has done to me: I entered and was put to shame and the shechinah did not descend upon Israel — whereupon Moses entered with him, they implored mercy and the shechinah descended upon Israel. This is the intent of "And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting."

Themes

PriesthoodDivine Presence

Biblical References

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Sifra, Mekhilta deMiluimHow Moses Robed Aaron in Life and Unrobed Him in DeathAt the dedication of the Mishkan, Moses took the tunic and laid it upon his brother, and bound him with the sash. So the sages saw a strange and tender thing, tSifra, Mekhilta deMiluimThe Day of Ten Crowns When Aaron First Served"And it was on the eighth day," the verse says, and the sages bent close to listen, for which eighth day did it mean? Not the eighth of the month, they ruled, bSifra, Mekhilta deMiluimWhy the Shechinah Waited for Aaron on the Eighth DayOn Rosh Chodesh Nissan the Mishkan was raised, its boards standing, its curtains hung, the work of human hands complete. Yet the Presence did not descend. For sMidrash Tanchuma Buber, BamidbarHow Israel Camped by Tribe and Flag Around the TabernaclePicture the wilderness camp as a living blueprint of heaven. At the center stood the Tabernacle, and around it the Levites. On the east, Moses and Aaron and hisMidrash Tanchuma Buber, NassoWhy the Priests Spread Their Hands in the BlessingWhen the Holy One commanded the priests, "Thus shall you bless the children of Israel," the people grew uneasy. The Congregation of Israel stood before the HolyMidrash Tanchuma Buber, ChukatDid Moses Serve as High Priest in the Wilderness"Moses and Aaron were among His priests" (Psalms 99:6), and the Sages would not let that word, priests, pass quietly. If Aaron held the High Priesthood, what pr