The passage opens with a quote from the Book of Job: “Does the eagle ascend at your directive?” (Job 39:27). Rabbi Yudan of Gaul uses this verse to ask a powerful question about Aaron, the High Priest. Did Aaron command God's presence to rest upon the Ark? Did he have the power to remove it? In other words, did Aaron control the Shekhinah, the Divine Presence?

Of course not. The Holy One, blessed be He, is in charge. As the text clarifies, God essentially asks Job (or Aaron, in some versions), "Did I rest My Divine Presence upon the Ark by your word? Or did I remove it by your word?" The answer, clearly, is no. God’s presence isn’t subject to human command.

The midrash continues, drawing a parallel between the eagle's dwelling and the Temples in Jerusalem. "On a rock it dwells" (Job 39:28) is likened to the First Temple, a single, solid foundation. "And stays the night" suggests a temporary lodging. The Second Temple, described as being "on the crag of the rock and the stronghold," represents many lodgings, implying a longer, perhaps less stable, existence. Rabbi David Luria explains that a stronghold implies more permanence than a simple rock, reflecting the Second Temple's longer duration. We even learn that when the Ark was removed, the foundation stone remained (Yoma 54b) – a symbol of enduring faith.

Why "rock?" Rabbi Yosei ben Ḥalafta tells us it's because the world was founded upon it. “From Zion, from the perfection of beauty” (Psalms 50:2), from it, the beauty of the earth was formed. The Temple, the Mikdash, is at the very center of creation.

The text then shifts to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. What did the High Priest pray for when he emerged from the Kodesh HaKodashim, the Holy of Holies? He prayed for a year of rain, heat, and dew – a year of goodwill, blessing, inexpensiveness, plenty, and commerce. He prayed that the people of Israel would not need one another, nor exert authority over each other. He even asked that God not listen to the prayers of wayfarers who might not want rain! The High Priest’s prayer was a plea for balance, for the needs of the community to outweigh individual desires.

“From there it searches for food” (Job 39:29) – the High Priest hoped his prayers in the Holy of Holies would bring sustenance for the entire year. And "Its eyes look afar" – he would observe the smoke rising from the altar, discerning from its direction whether each region would be blessed with abundance. If the smoke rose straight to the heavens, the entire world would be satiated.

But even with such power and responsibility, tragedy can strike. “Its fledglings swallow blood” (Job 39:30). After all the greatness that Aaron merited, the fact that God rested His Presence on the Ark through him, and that his descendants would perform the service in the Holy of Holies, bringing sustenance to the people, Aaron saw his sons, Nadav and Avihu, die in the Tabernacle (Leviticus 10:3). And he was silent.

“Where the slain are, there it is” (Job 39:30) – even in the face of death, the Divine Presence remains. Rabbi Yudan and Rabbi Berekhya explain that when the command was given to "Approach, carry your brethren from before the Sanctuary" (Leviticus 10:4), it didn't say "from before the Ark," but "from before the Sanctuary." It’s as if God is saying, "Move this corpse from before this mourner. How long must this mourner suffer?"

This passage from Vayikra Rabbah is a powerful reminder of the complexities of faith. It shows us that even those closest to the Divine, like Aaron, are not immune to tragedy. It emphasizes the importance of community, of praying for the well-being of others. And it reminds us that even in the face of suffering, the Divine Presence endures. Perhaps the true power isn't in controlling the Divine, but in finding the Divine even in the most difficult moments. What do you think?