Commentaire sur L’Exode 28:1

ואתה הקרב אליך AND THOU TAKE TO THEE after the work of the Tabernacle is finished.

AND THOU BRING THOU NEAR AARON THY BROTHER, AND HIS SONS WITH HIM … THAT THEY MINISTER UNTO ME IN THE PRIEST’S OFFICE, EVEN AARON, NADAB AND ABIHU, ELEAZAR AND ITHAMAR, AARON’S SONS. The reason for mentioning Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar [when it mentioned already “and his sons”] is that Moses should not think that by anointing the father to minister as priest, his sons would automatically become priests; instead he had to initiate them personally into the priesthood. Thus Phinehas [the son of Eleazar] and others already born were excluded [from the priesthood], for only these four sons who were anointed with Aaron, and their children born to them henceforth, were appointed as priests.

ואתה הקרב אליך את אהרון אחיך, "And you shall bring near to you your brother Aaron, etc." We must understand the words: "and you- bring near- to you," in light of the statement in Shemot Rabbah 3,17 according to which it was G'd's original plan to appoint Moses as High Priest. This was changed due to Moses' repeated refusal to accept the role assigned to him by G'd which angered G'd. As a result (Exodus 4,14), G'd told Moses that his brother Aaron who had merely been a Levite up to that point, had now been promoted to be a High Priest. When G'd commanded Moses at this point to perform the ceremonies required for Aaron to assume the office of High Priest, He told Moses that he had to make his own contribution to this ceremony so that he would not be perceived as begrudging Aaron an office which had originally been intended for him. In fact, the appointment of Aaron to this position would serve as atonement for Moses who had resisted G'd's invitation to become leader of the Jewish people at that time.

נדב ואביהו אלעזר ואתמר, although the Torah had already indicated that this task was to be performed by “Aaron and his sons,” and we know the names of these sons of Aaron, the Torah names each one of them individually once more, in order to show that although both Aaron and his sons had been anointed with the oil of anointing, such had not been the case with Pinchos, Eleazar’s son, and that therefore at this time Pinchos was not included in the priests qualified to service the menorah. Once a priest had been ordained, his offspring born subsequently did not require anointing in order to be fully qualified as a priest.

After the work of the mishkon is completed. But not now. [Rashi knows this] because they were taken [as kohanim] only by means of the garments and the mishkon, as it is written (v. 4): “Make sacred garments for your brother Aharon. . .” [See Rashi on v. 3.] (Re”m)

Kap. 28. V. 1. ואתה הקרב, wie ואתה תצוה du als Überbringer und Vertreter des göttlichen Gesetzes. So ward auch später der jüdische Hohepriester nur durch den allerhöchsten Gerichtshof, ב׳׳ר של ע׳׳א, die an die Stelle Mosche in der Nachfolge traten, eingesetzt (Maim. הל׳ כלי מקדש IV, 15). Es ist die Nation, die für das Heiligtum des ihr anvertrauten Gesetzes dem Hohenpriester durch ihre Repräsentanz seine Würde erteilt. הקרב אליך: er erhält seine Würde, indem er aus der Mitte der Nation "dir" für dein Werk an die Nation, näher gestellt wird, indem er eine Wirksamkeit für die Erreichung des Zieles deiner Sendung erhält. —

לכהנו לי, “to minister unto Me.” Whenever the word לי is used in such a context it means that the instruction is of permanent validity. Compare Numbers 8,7: כי לי כל בכור בבני ישראל, “for every firstborn among the Israelites is Mine;” compare also Leviticus 25,55: כי לי בני ישראל עבדים, “for the Children of Israel are My slaves.” Compare further Leviticus 25,23: כי לי הארץ, “for the earth is Mine.”

לכהנו לי, “to serve Me as priests;” the letter ו at the end of the word: לכהנו, is superfluous, just as in Psalms 104 11, or in Numbers 24,3, or in Numbers 23,18. (Compare Ibn Ezra’s short commentary)

And his sons with him. The expression “with him” implies that they only merited the priesthood through being Aharon’s sons. This was the error of Nadav and Avihu when they offered the strange fire before God (Vayikra 10:1)—they thought they were worthy of performing the service on account of their own personal greatness.

The point mentioned last may be better understood in light of our tradition (Kabbalah) that when man opposes G'd, one of the many branches of his soul becomes detached from its holy root. At the time when Moses raised repeated objections to G'd's demand to accept the mantle of leadership, one of the branches of Moses' soul became detached from its celestial root. Although Moses had been punished for this, he had not obtained atonement until Aaron was inducted into the office of High Priest. Moses' active participation in this procedure would accelerate his atonement for this mistake. When the Torah speaks of ואתה הקרב אליך, we may understand this in the sense of "And you shall bring the estranged part of your soul close to you." G'd informed Moses that appointing Aaron would be his תקון, his rehabilitation for the error committed when he said to G'd: "send the one You are in the habit of sending (Exodus 4,13)."

כַהֵן לכהנו לי , im Piel heißt überall nicht: jemanden zum Priester einsetzen, sondern als Priester fungieren. So: ויכהן אלעזר (Bamidbar 3, 4). — לכהנו לי, ebenso V. 4: בגדי קדש לאהרן אחיך ולבניו לכהנו לי es wird der Priesterdienst und so auch das, was durch die Gewänder zum Ausdruck kommen soll, zunächst auf Aaron, somit auf den כ׳הג׳, bezogen. Nadab, Abihu usw., die כהני הדיוט, stehen zu ihm nur wie Söhne zum Vater, helfend, an seiner Stelle einen Teil des Dienstes vollbringend. So konnte auch der כ׳הג׳ zu jeder Zeit ein jedes Opfer und jede עבודה vollziehen, ohne Rücksicht auf die für die andern כהנים bestehende Reihenfolge. Er gehörte keinem besonderen משמר und בית אב an, und hatte nicht mit zu losen, פייס (Joma 14 a). Waren doch im מקדש alle anderen nur seine stellvertretenden Gehilfen. Hinsichtlich der außer dem מקדש dem Priesterstamme zufließenden Gaben, קדשי גבול, hatte er keinerlei Vorrecht. (Maim. כלי מקדש. V, 12.)

This may also help us to understand a somewhat strange imperative in Berachot 54 according to which a person must pronounce a blessing when he receives evil tidings just as he is obligated to pronounce a blessing when he receives glad tidings. The Talmud explains on folio 60 of that treatise that this means that even evil tidings must be welcomed with joy. I have always found this demand difficult to accept. When we consider the fact that afflictions are the instrument which reunite the branches of the soul which have separated from their holy root, it becomes easier to accept. After all, what worse fate could befall a person than that his soul become estranged from his Creator? When a person receives evil tidings this means that he suffers an affliction as a result of which the part of his soul which has become estranged to G'd will become reunited. How could a person fail to rejoice over this aspect of the afflictions he is being subjected to?

You should bring to yourself Aaron your brother from amongst the Jewish people: it says in the posuk make for me a sanctuary and I'll dwell within them, why doesn't it say I'll dwell in it? The answer is everything originally begins with female waters and then the male waters come, and the Torah says from any person with a generous spirit you should take my donation. What this means is the generosity of the heart and the good desire for the Mishkan was created from the good desires of the Jewish people that their hearts were magnanimous towards their Father in Heaven. Every single Jew merited that his gift would create something and sync with his devotion with Hashem. One person merited the level of the courtyard, one person merited the level of the heichel, and another person merited that his gift created the Holy of Holies. In the very same place where the arousal from below reaches that is where the response comes on from on high because words that come from the heart enter the heart. Meaning words that come from the heart of the Jews in this world enter into the heart of Heaven. This is then the meaning of the words "I shall dwell within them" within the inner most desire of the hearts of the Jewish people [and their desire and kavanah] that is what arouses the revelation of the Shechina. This is similar to the concept of the Ark carrying its bearers, and similar to the concept of how Kohen Gadol is given wealth from his brothers. Spiritually, they should agree in their heart that they want him to be the Kohen Gadol and, once they agree, he becomes sanctified for the Jewish people. This explains the verse "Bring your brother Aaron close to you from amongst the Jewish people [with their acceptance; that's how he is brought closer]." And that is the meaning of the word "bring his close to you," to you, refers to Moshe because the Torah says everything that G-d commanded is through Moshe. Everything from Moshe because he is the da'at of the Jewish people. Today as well everything happens through Moshe and the Moshe of that generation. Therefore, when Tora says "Hashem was angry at me because of you" the word "angry" is related to the word "pregnancy" [Hashem "impregnanted" within me various revelations for your sake]. Therefore, when a Jew does something altruistically it returns and connects again to Moshe Rabbeinu. And that is why the Torah says "they should bring your pure olive oil" pure means without sediment this referring to a mitzvah that is pure [without selfish motives] that is what should be brought back to you.