The Patriarchs and Leaders Held Equal Before God

Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 4:2

Everywhere Scripture puts Abraham before Isaac and Isaac before Jacob, yet in one place it says, 'I will remember My covenant with Jacob' and so on (Leviticus 26:42, naming Jacob first). This teaches that the three of them are equal to one another. Everywhere Scripture puts Moses before Aaron, yet in one place it says, 'these are Aaron and Moses' (Exodus 6:26, naming Aaron first); this teaches that the two of them are equal to one another. Everywhere Scripture puts Joshua before Caleb, yet in one place it says, 'except Caleb son of Yefunneh and Joshua son of Nun' (Numbers 14:30, naming Caleb first); this teaches that the two of them are equal to one another. Everywhere Scripture puts honoring the father before the mother, yet in one place it says, 'A man shall revere his mother and his father' (Leviticus 19:3, naming the mother first); this declares that the two of them are equal to one another.

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