Midrash su Levitico 8:1

(Lev. 21:1:) THEN THE LORD SAID UNTO MOSES: SPEAK UNTO THE PRIESTS, THE SONS OF AARON, < AND SAY UNTO THEM: LET NO ONE DEFILE HIMSELF FOR A DEAD SOUL AMONG HIS PEOPLE >. This text is related (to Ps. 12:7 [6]): THE SAYINGS OF THE LORD ARE PURE SAYINGS…. Everything < against > which the Holy One warned Israel is for the sake of their holiness and their purity.¹Tanh., Lev. 8:1. (Ibid.:) THE SAYINGS OF THE LORD ARE PURE SAYINGS. (Lev. 21:1:) SPEAK (literally: SAY) UNTO THE PRIESTS, THE SONS OF AARON, AND SAY UNTO THEM. Note that "say" < occurs > two times. To what is the matter comparable? To a cook who would go in and out before the king. The king said: I am commanding you not to look at a dead person all your days, since you come in and out before me, lest you defile my palace.²Lat.: praetorium, Gk.: praitorion. Similarly, the Holy One had commanded the priests who enter the Temple not to be defiled for a dead person. It therefore says (in Lev. 21:1): LET NO ONE DEFILE HIMSELF FOR A DEAD SOUL AMONG HIS PEOPLE.

1) (Vayikra 8:1) ("And the L–rd spoke to Moses, saying (Vayikra 8:2): "Take Aaron, and his sons with him, and the garments, and the oil of anointment, and the bullock of the sin-offering and the two rams and the basket of unleavened bread.") "Take Aaron and his sons with him": What is the intent of this? Because (Shemoth 32:35): "And the L–rd smote the people with plague because they had made the calf that Aaron had made" implies that Aaron was rejected, from "Take Aaron and his sons with him" all knew that he was (re-) accepted. Whence is it derived that Moses knew that Aaron was rejected? From (Devarim 9:20): "And against Aaron the L–rd was wroth to destroy him, and I prayed also on Aaron's behalf at that time," and it is not written there (as it is in the preceding verse in respect to Moses' prayer on behalf of Israel) "And the L–rd hearkened to me at that time too." From "Take Aaron and his sons with him," Moses knew that Aaron was (re-) accepted. Whence do we derive that it was in Aaron's heart that he had been rejected? It is written at the end of the episode (Vayikra 9:7) ("And Moses said to Aaron) draw near to the altar." (Why was this command necessary?) Had not Moses just presented to him the entire order of sacrifices? (We must say, then, that Moses saw Aaron hesitating, apparently feeling that his service would be rejected, and) to dispel this from his heart, he told him that the L–rd had said to him "Take Aaron and his sons with him," thus apprising Aaron that he had been (re-) accepted.

2) Variantly: "Take Aaron and his sons with him": What is the intent of this? In many places the "taking" of men is mentioned in respect to Moses, viz. (Numbers 3:41): "And you shall take the Levites for Me — I am the L–rd." (Numbers 11:16): "And you shall take them (the seventy elders) to the tent of meeting." (Numbers 1:17): "and Moses… took these men who were designated by name." (Numbers 27:18): "Take for yourself Joshua the son of Nun." Now did Moses "string men over his shoulders"? (The intent is that) the Holy One Blessed be He said to him: "Take" them with words so that their hearts not be tied to other things.