Rabbi Yitzḥak began: “Your words were revealed, and I consumed them; Your words were gladness for me and the joy of my heart because Your name was called upon me, Lord, God of hosts” (Jeremiah 15:16). Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: This statement10“It will be sanctified with My glory [bikhvodi]” (Exodus 29:43). This is expounded as though it were written: “I will be sanctified through My honored ones [bimkhubadai].” was said to Moses at Sinai, but its [meaning] was not known to him until he encountered the incident.
Moses said to Aaron: ‘My brother, it was stated to me at Sinai that I [God] am destined to sanctify this House, and it is with a great man that I will sanctify it. I believed that perhaps it was through [the death of] either you or me that this House would be sanctified. Now, [it is clear that] your two sons are greater than me and you.’ When Aaron heard that his sons were God-fearing, he was silent,11He did not complain that God had killed his two sons. and he was rewarded for his silence.
From where is it derived that he was silent? “Aaron was silent” (Leviticus 10:3). From where is it derived that he was rewarded for his silence? It is because he was privileged and the divine speech was directed to him alone, as it is stated: “The Lord spoke to Aaron.”