God told Moses that the time had come for Aaron to leave this world. Moses prayed all night, agonizing: "How can I tell my brother his life is ending?" God answered with a promise—He would not hand Aaron's soul over to the angel of death.
Moses devised a plan. Normally, princes waited at Aaron's door each morning. On this day, Moses reversed the order—he, Eleazar, and all the princes rose early to wait on Aaron instead. When Aaron came out and saw Moses standing among them, he asked: "Why have you changed your custom?" Moses could not answer yet. "I cannot speak until we leave this place."
As they walked, Moses placed Aaron in the middle—the position of honor. The Israelites noticed and whispered to each other: "The Holy Spirit has been removed from Moses and given to Aaron." They rejoiced, because they loved Aaron even more than Moses—he was the man who loved peace and pursued it. Moses led them to a cave on Mount Hor, where he found a prepared bed, a burning lamp, and a table. He asked Aaron to remove his priestly garments, one by one, and hand them to his son Eleazar. When Aaron stood stripped of his vestments, Moses told him to lie down, close his eyes, and stretch out his hands and feet.
According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle translated by Moses Gaster in 1899, Aaron asked in that final moment: "Is this what troubled you all day?" Moses said: "Yes." And Aaron died by the kiss of God—peacefully, without the angel of death, exactly as God had promised. Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain weeping. When the people saw Eleazar wearing his father's garments and Aaron nowhere in sight, they understood. All Israel mourned Aaron for thirty days.
XLIX. (1) ' Better is a good name than precious oil.'
Thus it was with Aaron. God said to Moses, our teacher,
' The time has arrived for Aaron to quit this world. Do
thou go and tell him that his life is nearing the end.' Moses
then rose and prayed the whole night. He said, ' Lord of
the world, how can I say to Aaron, " Thy time has arrived
to quit this world"? And God said to Moses, 'Give him
the message of a great thing and of good tidings, that I will
not deliver his soul into the hand of the angel of death.'
(2) Moses then determined to change the order of things
for that day. It was customary for some of the princes to
rise early and wait at the door of Eleazar and Ithamar, and
for all the elders to wait on Moses; but on that day
the order ^vas reversed, for Moses, Eleazar, and all the
princes rose early to wait on Aaron. When Aaron came
to the door and saw them all standing, with Moses among
them, he asked, ' 0 my brother, why hast thou changed
thy custom to-day?' ' Because God has bidden me to tell
thee something to-day,' said Moses. 'But canst thou not
tell me privately?' 'No.' 'Speak, I entreat thee!' 'I
cannot,' replied Moses, ' until we depart hence.' They then
immediately went away. On other occasions Moses, Aaron,
and Eleazar used to walk together — Moses in the middle
Aaron at his right, Eleazar at his left, and all the
Israelites behind them; but on this day Aaron walked in
the middle. AVhen the Israelites perceived this they said
to each other, ' The Holy Spirit has been removed from
Moses, and has been given to Aaron.' They all rejoiced,
because they loved Aaron with a greater love than they did
Moses, because he loved peace and pursued it.
(3) ' Why,' asked Aaron, ' dost thou confer this great
honour upon me to-day ?' ' Because God has commanded
me to tell thee something.' ' And what is that w^hich thou
hast been commanded to tell me ?' ' Do thou wait until
we are seated.' When they were seated Aaron repeated his
question, ' Now tell me, my brother.' ' Wait until we
mount the hill.' And he did all this in order not to frighten
him too much. The three of them, Moses, Aaron, and
Eleazar, then ascended the hill, when Moses said, ' 0 my
brother Aaron, return unto me what God has entrusted
thee with.' 'Is it the tent of the congregation wdth all
its vessels which is entrusted to me ?' * Has he handed over
a light to thee ?' ' Yes,' said Aaron; ' the lamp with its
seven lights has been entrusted to my care.' He did not yet
understand that Moses referred to his soul, which is com-
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132 [XLix. s
pared to a light, as the verse says, ' The light of God is the
soul of man, penetrating the inmost chambers of the heart.'
' Aaron, my brother, why did Abraham, om* forefather, die ?
Was it not because the time had arrived for Isaac's rule ?
And Isaac, why did he die? — why, do you think? Because of
the time having arrived for Jacob's rule, which was then to
be transferred to him.' Even yet Aaron did not understand
the drift of Moses' conversation. ' 0 Aaron, my brother, if
one were to ask thee to give twenty years, or ten years, or
one year, or even one day of thy life to that person, when
that day should arrive wouldst thou deny his claim ?'
(4) Aaron then at last understood that the time had come
for him to die, and he said to Moses, ' Moses, the time of
my death has arrived.' Moses remained silent and did
not reply, for he was inwardly weeping. Aaron then,
placing his hands upon his head, wept bitterly, saying,
' What avails me the good name, when I am about to quit
this world, in which I have always loved peace and pursued
it, and made peace between man and his neighbour, be-
tween man and wife?' While they were sitting in that
place, the ground suddenly opened, showing them the cave
of Machpelah. After entering it, Moses said, ' Aaron, my
brother, perhaps this is the cave of Machpelah— that is, the
vault of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; thou art clothed in
thy priestly garments, and they will become defiled. If
now thou art willing, clothe thy son Eleazar with thine own
garments, and array thyself in his, then thou and I will
enter this vault.' Aaron forthwith stripped himself of his
garments and put them upon Eleazar, his son, while he
clothed himself in those of Eleazar. When they entered
the cave they looked and beheld a burning lamp, a prepared
bed, and a table spread. ' Go up, my brother,' said
Moses, ' and lie upon this bed. Stretch out thy legs and
close thine eyes and mouth.' He did so, and his soul
departed.
(5) When Moses saw this he coveted such a death,
saying, ' Happy the man that is born to such a death.'
And God replied, ' By thy life thou shalt end thy days by
such a death.' At once Moses went out from the cave, and
the mouth of it closed up by itself.
(6) Moses and Eleazar then descended the hill. When
the Israelites saw Moses and Eleazar without Aaron they
said to Moses, ' Where is thy brother Aaron ?' ' His time
had arrived to die, and he is no more,' answered Moses.
Thereupon they sought to stone him, saying, ' Thou hast
slain him, because we loved him more than thee.' At this
Moses raised his eyes on high and stood in prayer.
(7) At that moment God said to the ministering angels,
* Lift up Aaron's coffin, and suspend it in the air that the
Israelites may see it and believe Moses.' Thus they did, and
the Israelites believed. They mourned for him thirty days.
The ministering angels also lamented his death, saying,
* Wail, ye cypresses, for the cedar has fallen.' Even God
himself uttered this verse over him, ' The law of truth was
in his mouth, iniquity was never found on his lips; he
walked with Me in peace and righteousness, and gave many
a place of refuge.' Concerning his death, it is said, 'A good
name is better than precious oil, and the day of death
better than the day of one's birth.'
[End of the death of Aaron. May the Lord deliver us
on the last day. With the help of God, I, Eleazar the
Levite, add here the account of the death of Moses, our
teacher.]
