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Aaron Was Chosen and Brought Near at Once

Moses put the vestments on his brother. Aaron had not asked for them. The lamps stood on the wrong side of the table.

Curated by Arthur · Told by Maggid ·
Table of Contents
  1. Moses Took Him by the Vestments
  2. Abraham Walked. Aaron Was Taken
  3. The Lamp Stood on the Right
  4. He Raised His Hands in Hebrew
  5. The Name Left His Mouth

Moses put his hand on his brother's arm. Take Aaron, God had said, and his sons along with him, the vestments (Leviticus 8:1-2). Aaron did not step forward. The camp watched Moses pull him out of the crowd and into the court.

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Moses Took Him by the Vestments

The linen went on first. Then the robe with the bells at the hem. Then the ephod, the breastplate, the turban. Aaron held still. His mouth stayed shut. He had made peace between neighbors for years. He had not asked to wear gold on his forehead.

Moses' hands moved the way a man moves when a command has already been spoken and there is no room left to argue. Take him. Bring him near. Dress him. Aaron's wrists disappeared into sleeves he had not chosen.

"Stand," Moses said.

Aaron stood. Outside the Tent the people waited with uncovered heads. They needed a body they could point to, a mouth that would speak for them upward. Moses fastened the last clasp and did not ask if Aaron wanted the job.

Abraham Walked. Aaron Was Taken

Moses did not look up from the belt. "Abraham walked," he said. "Abraham heard a Voice and put his own feet on the road. 'You are the Lord, the God who chose Abram' (Nehemiah 9:7). Chosen, yes. No one pulled him by the sleeve."

Aaron breathed through the turban's press. Jacob had dwelled in tents and drawn himself close. Moses himself had been chosen, the one who stood in the breach, and still he had climbed the mountain on his own legs. David was chosen as servant, and he made himself a companion to those who fear God. They had walked. Aaron was being relocated.

"Jethro came under the wings and was welcomed," Moses said. "The old title of chosen was not hung on him. Rahab was drawn in from the wall of a doomed city. Nearness without election. Guests."

Aaron received both. "I chose him from all the tribes of Israel to be My priest" (I Samuel 2:28). And again: "You shall bring near to yourself your brother Aaron" (Exodus 28:1). Chosen and brought near. The psalm's double fortune sat on one head under the turban: "Fortunate is the one You choose and bring near, to dwell in Your courts" (Psalms 65:5).

Aaron did not answer. The bells at his hem made a small sound when he shifted his weight.

The Lamp Stood on the Right

Inside the Tent of Meeting the menorah (the lampstand) stood outside the veil, opposite the table, on the right. A mortal king would never set his lamp there. A human king places light at his left for his own eyes.

Aaron trimmed the wicks. Oil. Flame. The arrangement was almost comic. Lamps on the right? For whose eyes? Not God's. The Holy One does not require Israel's oil.

The lamps burned for Israel's sake, for a future when darkness covers the earth and gross darkness the peoples, and upon Zion the Lord will arise and His glory be seen (Isaiah 60:2). Aaron's line would tend a light that did not feed God's eyes. It would feed a people who had to learn to see when the nations went dark.

He pinched a wick. The flame held. Dependence ran the other way. Israel depended on a sign that service is not a bribe to keep the Holy One from stumbling in the dark.

Moses watched from the door. Aaron did not turn around. He kept the light that God does not need.

He Raised His Hands in Hebrew

The Lord spoke to Moses: Speak to Aaron and to his sons. "Thus shall you bless the children of Israel" (Numbers 6:22-23). Because the speech was aimed at the Kohanim (כהנים), the priests, the action was theirs.

Aaron climbed the steps. He stood. Blessing is likened to ministering, and ministering is done on the feet. He did not sit. He did not lean. He lifted his hands the way the first blessing had been lifted on the eighth day of the Tent (Leviticus 9:22).

The words were not his. He did not invent them. He did not swap them for a language the camp might find easier. The holy tongue only. The Name rode out toward the twelve tribes in Hebrew that cannot be traded for convenience.

Kohanim do not own the words. They borrow them daily and return them by speaking them outward. Chosen, brought near, lit by a menorah God does not need, Aaron became a mouth for a formula older than his fear.

The Name Left His Mouth

Silence sat just before the Name left his lips. The twelve tribes waited with uncovered heads. Aaron opened his mouth. The formula went out over the court, over the oil, over the brother who had taken him by the arm.

He lowered his hands. The bells on the hem settled. Moses was still at the door of the Tent. Aaron walked back toward the light God does not need. The vestments were not a prize for ambition. They were the clothing of a man Heaven both selected and relocated, from the crowd into the court, from the court into speech.

Fortunate is the one You choose and bring near. The psalm finally had a body to land on. The body wore linen and gold and carried a silence just after the Name, as the camp stood under hands that had been first chosen, then drawn close, then filled with speech not their own.

AaronPriestsMenorahBlessingMosesChosenTabernacle
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From the tradition

Sources

3 sources

The texts behind this telling. Some cards carry a translation of the source; others are our own retelling of it, and each card says which. Every card links out to the original.

Midrash Tanchuma, Tzav 8Midrash Tanchuma

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.Townsend 1989 translation of Midrash Tanhuma, S. Buber Recension · CC-BY

(Lev. 8:1-2:) “Then the Lord spoke [unto Moses]…, ‘Take Aaron and his sons along with him, the vestments […].’” This text is related (to Ps. 65:5), “Fortunate is the one You choose and bring near, to dwell in Your courts.” Fortunate is the one whom the Holy One, blessed be He, has chosen, even though He has not brought him near. And fortunate is the one whom He has brought near, even though He did not choose him. Now which was this one whom He chose? This was Abraham. It is so stated (in Neh. 9:7), “You are the Lord, the God who chose Abram….” However He did not bring him near. Instead he brought himself near. In the case of Jacob, the Holy One, blessed be He, chose him, as stated (in Is. 41:8), “Jacob, whom I have chosen.” It also says (in Ps. 135:4), “For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself.” But He did not bring him near. Instead he brought himself near. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 25:27), “but Jacob was a perfect man dwelling in tents.” Moses He chose but did not bring near, as stated (in Ps. 106:23), “[…] had not Moses His chosen one stood in the breach.” David He chose but did not bring near, as stated (in Ps. 78:70), “He chose David, His servant.” [But] he brought himself near, as stated (in Ps. 119:63), “I am a companion to all who fear You.” Fortunate are those whom the Holy One, blessed be He, chose, even though He did not bring them near. Come and see [concerning] Jethro. The Holy One, blessed be He, brought him near, but He did not choose him. In the case of Rahab the Harlot, He brought her near but did not choose her. Aaron was doubly fortunate because the Holy One, blessed be He, chose him and brought him near. Where is it shown that He chose him? Where it is stated (in I Sam. 2:28), “And I chose him from all the tribes of Israel to be My priest.” And where is it shown that He brought him near? Where it is stated (in Exod. 28:1), “And you shall bring near unto yourself your brother Aaron.” Therefore, David praised him (in Ps. 65:5), “Fortunate is the one You choose and bring near, to dwell in Your courts.”

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Midrash Tanchuma, Tetzaveh 7Midrash Tanchuma

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.Townsend 1989 translation of Midrash Tanhuma, S. Buber Recension · CC-BY

In the tent of meeting, without the veil (Exod. 27:21). In case you are inclined to assert that He required the light, the menorah was placed before the curtain near the ark, outside of the veil. This was to demonstrate to you that He did not require the light supplied by man. Usually, when a human king constructs a bed and a table, he places a lamp on the table at his left side, but in the Temple, the Menorah was placed at the right of the table, as it is said: And thou shalt set the table without the veil, and the candlestick over against the table (Exod. 26:35). This was done to teach you that He does not require your light. It was instituted solely for your sake, so that the world would be illumined in the future, when darkness descends upon the nations of the world, as it is said: For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; but upon thee the Lord will arise, and His glory shall be seen upon thee (Isa. 60:2).

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Sifrei Bamidbar 39:1Sifrei Bamidbar

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.Sifrei by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein · CC-BY

What seems like a simple act is actually steeped in tradition, detail, and a whole lot of meaning.

The Book of Numbers, Bamidbar in Hebrew, gives us the source for the Priestly Blessing. In (Numbers 6:22-23), we read, "And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying: Thus shall you bless, etc." So, why all the emphasis on "saying?" Well, Sifrei Bamidbar, a collection of legal midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), points out that because this whole section deals with Kohanim, with priests, Aaron and his sons are brought into the context of "saying" (dibbur). There’s a rule: when the dibbur, the divine communication, is to the Kohanim, the action belongs to them. When it’s to all of Israel, the action is for all of Israel. And if it’s for all of humankind, then even proselytes are included. It's all about who the message is intended for.

What language are we talking about here? "Thus shall you bless the children of Israel" – in the holy tongue, Hebrew. You might ask, "But why not any language?" Clever question! The text anticipates this. (Deuteronomy 27:12) says, "These shall stand to bless the people." Just as there, the blessing is in the holy tongue, so here, it must be too. Rabbi Yehudah offers another perspective: wherever you see words like aniyah ("answering"), amirah ("saying"), or cachah ("thus"), you know the holy tongue is intended.

How should the Kohanim be positioned? Standing! "Thus shall you bless the children of Israel" – standing. Sounds obvious. But the text pushes us: maybe they can sit or kneel? Again, (Deuteronomy 27:12) comes to the rescue: "These shall stand to bless the people." We see "blessing" mentioned in both places. Just as "blessing" there means standing, so too does "blessing" here. Rabbi Nathan adds something interesting. He points to (Deuteronomy 10:8), which speaks of the Kohanim standing before the L-rd to minister and bless His name. Blessing, he says, is likened to ministering. And just as ministering requires standing, so does blessing.

Then comes the raising of hands. "Thus shall you bless the children of Israel" – with raised hands. You guessed it, the text anticipates our skepticism. Maybe they can keep their hands down? (Leviticus 9:22) describes Aaron lifting his hands to the people as he blessed them. So, just as there were raised hands, so too here. But Rabbi Yonatan challenges this: maybe we need everything that was present there – Rosh Chodesh (new moon), a specific offering, and the High Priest? That seems a bit much! So, (Deuteronomy 18:5) clarifies that a Cohein is chosen "to stand and minister in the name of the L-rd, he and his sons all of the days." So his sons are likened to him. Just as he raises his hands, so do his sons.

What about the Name itself? "Thus shall you bless the children of Israel" – with the explicit name, the Tetragrammaton, yod-keh-vav-keh. You might wonder, can they use a substitute name? Nope. It is written in (Numbers 6:27), "And they shall place My name on the children of Israel" – the name that is distinctive with Me. But does this apply everywhere? Not quite. We also read in I (Kings 11:36), "to place My name there." Just as there refers to the Temple, so too does this verse. In the Temple, the Tetragrammaton is used. Outside, an epithet suffices. These are the words of Rabbi Yoshiyah. Rabbi Yonatan offers another interpretation. He inverts (Exodus 20:21), reading it as "Wherever I am revealed to you, there shall you mention My name." And where is God revealed? In the Temple! This is why it is forbidden to utter the explicit Name outside the Temple borders.

Who gets the blessing? "Thus shall you bless the children of Israel" – this initially tells us only about the men of Israel. But what about women, proselytes, and servants? The phrase "Say to them" includes absolutely everyone. And what about the Kohanim themselves? Do they get blessed? Yes! Verse 27 says, "and I shall bless them (the Kohanim)."

"Thus shall you bless the children of Israel" – face to face. This means a direct, unobstructed view. Not back to face! The text reinforces this with "Say to them" – as one speaks to a neighbor, directly. And finally, the blessing must be spoken in a loud voice, so the whole congregation can hear. Not a whisper! The phrase "Say to them" implies that the entire community should be able to hear the blessing being said. And where does the prayer leader come in? The phrase "Say to them" also teaches us that the prayer leader prompts the Kohanim to give the blessing.

It's not just a nice sentiment; it's a carefully constructed, deeply meaningful act, connecting us to generations past and to the divine presence. And maybe, just maybe, that connection is exactly what makes it so powerful.

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