The Yalkut Shimoni, a compilation of rabbinic teachings on the Hebrew Bible, offers a fascinating and poignant glimpse into the deaths of Aaron and Moses. Specifically, Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 787 gives us this incredible narrative.
Imagine this: Moses, Aaron, and Eleazar (Aaron’s son) are climbing a mountain. There's a heavy weight in the air. Moses is reluctant to break the news to Aaron: his time is near. But Aaron, ever the wise and gentle soul, already knows.
"My brother," Aaron asks Moses, "do you wish to know what is written about Abraham?" Moses, of course, says yes. Aaron quotes (Genesis 15:15): "And you shall come to your ancestors in peace, and you shall be buried in a good old age." He points out that Abraham felt no pain. Aaron then subtly probes Moses about his own acceptance of mortality, asking if he would accept death willingly even if it came sooner than expected. Moses' response? "The Righteous Judge is trustworthy in me." A powerful declaration of faith.
The angels themselves are astonished as they witness Aaron willingly following his younger brother, Moses, to accept his death. They compare it to Isaac's willingness to be sacrificed, as told in Genesis 22, but suggest this is even greater!
Now comes a difficult moment. Moses must remove Aaron's priestly garments and dress Eleazar in them. It's a sacred act, but how can Moses strip his brother bare, especially knowing what's coming? God, in his infinite understanding, intervenes, telling Moses, "You do what you need to do, and I will do what I need to do." So, Moses disrobes Aaron. The text says Aaron "swallowed himself up in the mountain," while the angels clothe Eleazar. What a vivid image!
Some say Moses began undressing Aaron from his feet. As Moses removes each piece, a cloud of glory descends, covering the parts of Aaron's body that were exposed. Moses asks Aaron, "What do you see? What is death like?" Aaron's replies are increasingly distant, until finally, fully enveloped in the cloud, he says, "I am not worthy to tell you, but I wish I had come here earlier."
Imagine Moses’ reaction. He is human, after all. Seeing his brother pass away with such peace, such acceptance, fills him with longing. He desires the same fate.
And what of Moses’ own death? The text says that God took Moses' soul with a kiss, as (Deuteronomy 34:5) states, "By the mouth of God." A gentle, loving end.
But the story doesn't end there. After Aaron's passing, Moses and Eleazar descend the mountain. The people of Israel, who loved Aaron deeply, are frantic. "Where is he?" they cry. They fear Moses and Eleazar have done something wrong, perhaps even unjustly condemning Aaron. The Yalkut Shimoni tells us that Satan himself stirs up this unrest.
God, seeing their distress, instructs the angels to lift up Aaron's staff, a symbol of his authority and righteousness. God Himself mourns over the staff, and the angels echo His mourning. When the Israelites witness this divine display of grief and honor, they are overcome with remorse and mourn Aaron with great weeping. "And all the house of Israel wept for Aaron" (Numbers 20:29).
The text contrasts this with the death of Miriam, Moses and Aaron's sister. While she was undoubtedly mourned, the grief wasn't as widespread. And even Moses' own death wouldn't elicit the same level of collective sorrow as Aaron's, perhaps because Moses was known to rebuke the people. The Yalkut Shimoni emphasizes that Aaron's death was a unique moment of unity, a testament to his role as a peacemaker.
Seeing the extraordinary honor bestowed upon Aaron, Moses is overcome with a sense of loneliness. He thinks to himself, "Who will mourn for me?" God reassures him that He Himself will care for Moses' burial, ensuring it remains a secret and that Moses will also depart with a kiss, "by the mouth of God."
The Yalkut Shimoni concludes with a beautiful reflection on the fate of the righteous. God welcomes them, the angels greet them with joy, and they are invited to "Come in peace, rest on your beds" (Isaiah 57:2).
It’s a powerful reminder that even in death, there is comfort, dignity, and divine love. What do you think about this depiction of death? Does it bring you comfort, or does it raise more questions about the unknown?
Moses, Aaron, and Eleazar ascended the mountain. Moses was ashamed to say to Aaron, "The time has come for you to depart from this world." Aaron said to him, "My brother, do you wish to know what is written about Abraham?" Moses replied, "Yes." Aaron said, "And you shall come to your ancestors in peace, and you shall be buried in a good old age" (Genesis 15:15), and he did not feel any pain. Aaron said to him, "If God were to say to you after a hundred and twenty years that you will die, what would you say?" Moses replied, "The Righteous Judge." Aaron then asked him, "And if He were to say to you today, what would you say to Him?" Moses answered, "The Righteous Judge is trustworthy in me." Aaron said, "Since you have accepted it upon yourself, let us ascend to the top of the mountain, for so the Lord told me." As Aaron was walking after him, the angels were astonished and said, "When Isaac ascended the altar and did not resist, you were amazed. Come and see the great one going after his younger brother to accept death willingly." Moses did not know how to disrobe Aaron of his outer garments and dress Eleazar with them, as it would not be appropriate to remove the sacred garments out of their order or to leave Aaron unclothed. God said, "You do what you need to do, and I will do what I need to do." Moses disrobed Aaron, and Aaron swallowed himself up in the mountain, while the ministering angels dressed Eleazar. Moses dressed Eleazar in the priestly garments that he had removed from Aaron, in his presence. God then showed Moses His favor and informed him that no one else would take away his greatness. Afterward, God descended and took Moses' soul with a kiss, as it is stated, "By the mouth of God" (Deuteronomy 34:5). Moses and Eleazar kissed Aaron. Moses kissed one cheek and Eleazar kissed the other cheek. Some say that Moses undressed Aaron from his ankles, and the cloud of glory descended and covered him. Moses asked, "What do you see?" Aaron replied, "I see nothing except that the cloud of glory clothes the limbs you undress." Moses continued undressing him until the cloud of glory covered him up to his waist. Then the cloud of glory descended and covered him up to his neck. Aaron said to Moses, "My brother, what do you see? What is death like?" Moses replied, "Until now, I see nothing except that the cloud of glory has covered me up to my neck." Once Moses had completely undressed him, the cloud of glory covered Aaron entirely. Moses called to Aaron, "My brother, what is the death of the righteous like? Where are you?" Aaron replied, "I am not worthy to tell you, but I wish I had come here earlier." When Moses saw how Aaron was passing away, Moses desired the same fate. When Moses said to God, "As Aaron, your brother, has passed away," God said, "The Lord, the God of spirits, will visit him." And when Aaron died and disappeared from them, Moses and Eleazar descended, and all of Israel stood trembling and eagerly waiting to see him because he was a lover of peace and pursued peace. But the Satan came between them and made all of Israel feel Moses and Eleazar's loss. All of Israel held them responsible and said, "Where is he?" God concealed him for the life of the world to come. They said, "We do not believe you. Perhaps you made an unjust decision against him and imposed a death penalty on him. We, all of Israel, seek to stone Moses and Eleazar." Immediately, God said to the ministering angels, "Lift up Aaron's staff, the lovers of the Eternal's exaltedness, so that Israel will know and not harm Moses and Eleazar." The ministering angels lifted Aaron's staff with the Eternal's exaltedness, and God went before the staff and mourned over it, and the ministering angels echoed His mourning. True Torah was in his mouth, and so on. When Israel saw the staff lifted with the Eternal's exaltedness and God and the ministering angels mourning over it, all of Israel, from the greatest to the smallest, rose and mourned for him with great mourning, weeping heavily over him, as it is said, "And all the house of Israel wept for Aaron." Come and see the honor and praise of the righteous Aaron, whom the entire world mourns. But when Miriam died, they did not mourn her or bury her. Moses went ahead, and Aaron followed, and they buried her. Even for our teacher Moses, all of Israel did not weep for him as they wept for Aaron, because he used to rebuke them in every matter. It is written about Moses, "And the children of Israel wept for Moses," and about Aaron, it is written, "All the house of Israel." This shows that they never bowed to the yoke of sin, as neither man nor woman ever said anything rebellious. And when Moses saw the honor and praise of Aaron, with his staff elevated in the exaltedness of the world, and God and the ministering angels surrounding him and mourning over him, immediately he sat and wept, saying, "Woe is me, for I am left alone." When Miriam died, not a single Israelite came to us except for me, Aaron, and his sons. We stood before her bier, we wept and mourned, and we buried her. When Aaron died, I and his son engaged in burying him. We stood before his bier, and I wondered, "Who will stand for me at the time of my death? Neither father, nor son, nor brother, nor sister—who will mourn for me?" At that moment, the Almighty replied to me, "Do not fear, for I myself will stand for you, and I will bury you with great honor, as it is written, 'And he buried him in the valley.' Just as Aaron's cave was concealed and unknown, so shall your burial place be concealed and unknown, as it is written, 'And no man knows his burial place.' Just as the Angel of Death had no dominion over Aaron except through a kiss, so shall the Angel of Death have no dominion over you, and you shall depart with a kiss, as it is said, 'By the mouth of God.' Immediately, Moses' mind was settled. Blessed are the righteous, for the Almighty Himself gathers them, as it is written, 'The honor of God will gather you.' Furthermore, the ministering angels go out to meet them, rejoice in their arrival, receive them with a pleasant countenance, and say to them, 'Come in peace, rest on your beds,' as it is written, 'Let peace come and let them rest on their couches.'"
