Parshat Chukat-Balak
July 11th-12th, 2003
12 Tammuz, 5763

In our world of division and conflict, stories about the "quest for peace" are never far from the headlines. At the present moment, too, we’re preoccupied with peace (and its formidable obstacles): "roadmap" in the Middle East, urgent negotiations in Liberia, our perilous effort to restore order and stability in post-war Iraq.

I’m not sure that our hefty double Torah portion (guess we’re in need of twice the normal dose of Divine wisdom this week) can illuminate the precise path to peace with regard to the specific conflicts mentioned above. It can, however, help us to focus our attention on the nature of shalom (peace) as it pertains to our personal relationships with friends and colleagues, both Jews and non-Jews. For among the many topics covered in these two portions, we read about the death of perhaps the greatest peacemaker in Jewish history and, unquestionably, one of our most beloved spiritual leaders of all time--Aharon.

Aharon was the older brother of Moshe, chosen by G-d to serve as official spokesman before Pharaoh of the commandment to "Let My people go," and to warn Pharaoh (after the latter’s refusal) about the impending plagues. He was also the progenitor of the Kohanim ("priests"), those [male] Jews from the tribe of Levi given the special honor and distinction of bringing the offerings on behalf of the Jewish people in the Holy Temple. (Every genuine Kohen alive today, therefore, is a direct paternal descendant of Aharon--a fact that received scientific support recently, when researchers discovered a special shared genetic marker in the DNA of a significant proportion of men claiming to be Kohanim.)

In Chukas, after relating the circumstances of Aharon’s passing (a death so peaceful and holy that our Sages teach that Moshe longed for exactly the same when his time would come), the Torah reports:

"The entire assembly [of Israel] saw that Aharon had perished, and they wept for Aharon thirty days, the entire House of Israel" (Numbers: 20, 29).

What was it about Aharon that made him so especially beloved by the people (not to mention, by Hashem) that the Torah goes out of its way to emphasize the universal sorrow at his death--with a seemingly extra phrase at the end of the verse (the entire House of Israel)? When Moshe died, the Torah states only that "the Children of Israel wept" (Deuteronomy: 34, 8).

The great commentator, Rashi, tells us (drawing upon rabbinical tradition) that "Aharon would pursue peace, and instill love between parties to a quarrel, and between a man and his wife."

While Moshe was somewhat more removed from day-to-day interactions with the people (partly due to his role as Lawgiver and Teacher of Torah, not to mention his special status as prophet on-call to speak with Hashem "face to face," 24 hours a day), Aharon was intimately involved in their interpersonal (and domestic) lives. Besides being Kohen Gadol--or, rather, because he was Kohen Gadol [see below]--Aharon was busy healing rifts, and bringing shalom, to the Jewish people.

Note Rashi’s precise expression. Aharon did not just "approve of" the ideal of peace and interpersonal harmony, or even only "love it." He tirelessly "pursued" peace, he chased after it. The Maharal (in Derech Chayim) explains that since the quality of peace is essentially not of this world, where--as we said in passing at the very start--division and conflict naturally tend to occur, a constant and tireless expenditure of energy (i.e., "hot pursuit") is required to attain it. When it comes to shalom in this world, sitting on the sidelines and "letting things work themselves out" is NOT the strategy.

Our Sages tell us that Aharon employed certain tricks to achieve his holy aim of bringing shalom to the Jewish people. If he knew that person A and person B were quarreling, he would go first to A (without B’s knowing) and tell him that B really felt quite bad about their estrangement and was eager to patch things up. Then he would proceed to B (without A’s knowing), and explain that A felt quite bad about their estrangement, and was eager to patch things up. The result: next time A and B would see each other (after that preliminary softening by Aharon), they would both feel quite bad about continuing their conflict…and would patch things up between them.

If Aharon noticed that a fellow Jew was straying from the path of loyalty to the Torah, he would not harshly rebuke--or ostracize--him. Rather, he would increase his display of affection for that person, and spend more time in his company. The result: this person would be inspired to change his ways for the better in order not to disappoint Aharon, his righteous (and renowned) friend, who seemed to be taking such an interest in him.

What was the source of Aharon’s pursuit of peace? Rav Dessler (in Volume 4 of Michtav M’Eliyahu) explains that Aharon had--and, moreover, cultivated--what our Sages call, "a good heart" (lev tov). His heart was full of joy for other people’s successes, including (most impressively) the ascendancy of his own younger brother, Moshe. Hashem specifically reassured Moshe (who was worried about "upstaging" Aharon): "…behold, he is going out to meet you and when he sees you, he will rejoice in his heart" (Exodus: 4, 14) The Midrash tells us that only a person with a lev tov (like Aharon) could be worthy to wear the breastplate of the Kohen Gadol, on which were the precious gemstones (engraved with the names of the tribes of Israel) that lit up to give prophetic guidance to the Jewish people. Rav Dessler concludes, therefore, that a necessary condition for receiving ruach ha’kodesh, the holy spirit of prophecy, was a lev tov--a heart that could rejoice with the successes of others, and that yearned for their well-being and joy.

The Maharal writes that the pursuit of peace was the essence of the role of Kohen Gadol (for which G-d specially chose Aharon, and his descendants). Shalom is necessary to achieve unity (or, perhaps, is synonymous with it), and he represented the unity of the Jewish people--performing his sacred service on Yom Kippur and entering the Holy of Holies in order to achieve atonement for the whole Jewish people, collectively. The whole sacrificial service in the Temple was intended to establish unity and shalom between the Jewish people and Hashem, and between the physical world and the unseen spiritual realms.

As the great peacemaker of the Jewish people (both while serving in the Tabernacle, and while circulating among the populace), Aharon was their great unifier.

It is no wonder that the great sage, Hillel, in Pirkei Avos (Ethics of the Fathers--a collection of ethical teachings that is part of the Mishna) mentions him specifically as he counsels us on how to behave in this world. "Be among the students of Aharon: Loving peace, pursuing after peace, loving people and [thereby] bringing them close to the Torah."

Our Sages tell us that peace is the greatest of all blessings, and the necessary condition to be able to truly enjoy all the other blessings for which we long. This is why the blessing for peace concludes the Amidah (the silent prayer that is the centerpiece of each of our daily services). As Rabbi Eli Munk beautifully explains (in his work, The World of Prayer):

"Therefore, it [peace] is the creator of all that is great and good, furthering the progress of mankind, ennobling the individual, leading the community towards harmony, and humanity towards perfection. Life is one long struggle for lasting and absolute peace. The prayer for G-d’s blessing in this struggle is the last and most comprehensive of all the pleas we direct towards Heaven." (Volume I, p. 158)

You and I may never sit with heads of state to sign treaties, but we have our own contribution that we can make to world peace…and (in my opinion) it is even more important. We can strive to set our own homes--and hearts--in order, and become people who live to help others and to do chesed (kindness). We can try to develop in ourselves the holy trait of a "lev tov," working for (and rejoicing in) the good of others. The more we appreciate the spiritual reality that we all are truly connected, and the more we understand that G-d put us here for the difficult (but crucial) task of perfecting our own character, the easier it will be.

This is what the Torah expects of us…and why we are given so many spiritual opportunities called mitzvos, which help to purify our hearts. Lev tov is exactly what Aharon embodied. May his memory always be for a blessing, and may the ideals for which he lived--especially the holy pursuit of peace--become ours as well.

GOOD SHABBOS!

My e-mail address is yosefe@comcast.net

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Rabbi Yosef Edelstein, Savannah Kollel. Phone: 912-351-0469; fax: 354-9923