to a fascinating discussion from Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Ecclesiastes, about the appointment of Aaron as the High Priest.
The Rabbis paint a scene where the Holy One, blessed be He, instructs Moses to appoint a High Priest. Moses, naturally, wants to know the specifics: "Master of the universe, from which tribe?" The answer comes back: "From the tribe of Levi." Moses is pleased, thinking his own tribe is favored. "My tribe is so beloved before the Holy One, blessed be He!"
But then comes a divine correction. "By your life," God says, "it is not your tribe, but it is your brother." As it's written in Exodus 28:1, "And you, bring Aaron your brother near to you." So, Aaron is chosen, not just because he's a Levite, but because he's Aaron. And how is he to be consecrated? With the "anointing oil," as we find in Exodus 29:7: "You shall take the anointing oil and anoint him."
But here's a crucial point: the anointing oil alone isn't enough. According to Kohelet Rabbah, Aaron's service "is not service and he has liability unless the names of the tribes are engraved on his heart." The names of the children of Israel are to be borne upon his heart, as Exodus 28:29 tells us. God emphasizes: "The names of the tribes are dearer to me than the anointing oil with which priests and kings are anointed."
Now, Rabbi Neḥemya offers a slight variation. He agrees that Aaron's appointment unfolds in the same way, but adds that the names of the tribes need to be engraved on Aaron's shoulders, not his heart. Exodus 28:12 says, "Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon his two shoulders as a remembrance." And as Exodus 28:10 specifies, "Six of their names on one stone and the names of the six that remain on the other stone."
The details matter, friends. Rav Beivai stresses that if even a single letter were missing from those names, the priestly service would be invalid. Rabbi Oshaya goes even further: even one dot! It’s all about precision and completeness.
Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai then brings in a broader perspective, teaching about the three crowns: the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of kingship. Aaron merited and received the crown of priesthood, David the crown of kingship. But the crown of Torah? It's available for all generations. And here's the kicker: anyone who acquires Torah is as though they've acquired all three crowns. Conversely, anyone who doesn't acquire Torah is as though they haven't acquired any of them. A powerful statement about the centrality of learning and wisdom in Jewish life.
Rabbi Bon, citing Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani, shares an intriguing idea. He says that God went to great lengths – a distance that takes five hundred years to traverse! – to make a name for Himself. This is based on II Samuel 7:23: "Who is like Your people, like Israel… whom God went to redeem to Himself for a people and to make a name for Himself."
But then Rabbi Yosei HaGelili offers a controversial interpretation of the same verse. He suggests that God redeemed Israel despite the presence of idolaters among them. Rabbi Akiva vehemently objects, accusing him of rendering the sacred profane! The Israelites, according to Rabbi Akiva's understanding, are saying that God redeemed Himself, as it were.
The passage in I Chronicles 17:21 uses the word halakh ("went") to describe God's action, while II Samuel 7:23 uses halekhu (a plural form of "went"). The midrash, or interpretive tradition, seizes on this difference. Halakh refers to God, while halekhu refers to Moses and Aaron. In other words, Moses and Aaron were God's emissaries, sent to accomplish this redemptive objective.
So, what can we take away from all this? It's not just about lineage or ritual. It's about the weight of responsibility, the importance of detail, and the profound connection between leadership, the people, and the divine. And perhaps most importantly, it’s a reminder that even those chosen for greatness are still human, still part of something larger than themselves.