Midrasz do Kapłańska 9:7

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.

Another interpretation (of Gen. 18:1): THEN < THE LORD > APPEARED UNTO HIM…. R. Isaac the Smith began (with Exod. 20:21 [24]): AN ALTAR OF EARTH YOU SHALL MAKE FOR ME.¹⁴Gen. R. 48:4. The Holy One said: Whoever slaughters an ox or a lamb and sheds a little blood, such a one I am coming to bless. Thus it is stated: AN ALTAR OF EARTH < YOU SHALL MAKE FOR ME, AND YOU SHALL SACRIFICE UPON IT YOUR BURNT OFFERINGS AND YOUR PEACE OFFERINGS, YOUR SHEEP AND YOUR OXEN >. Then it is written (ibid.): I WILL COME UNTO YOU AND BLESS YOU. How much the more must I bless Abraham, since a river of blood was pouring forth from his house because of the circumcision! It is therefore stated (in Gen. 18:1): THEN < THE LORD > APPEARED UNTO HIM. So also Moses said (in Lev. 9:6): THIS IS THE THING WHICH THE LORD HAS COMMANDED < YOU TO DO > THAT < THE GLORY OF THE LORD > MAY APPEAR UNTO YOU. What did the LORD say (in vs. 7)? THEN MOSES SAID UNTO AARON: DRAW NEAR < UNTO THE ALTAR AND PERFORM YOUR SIN OFFERING AND YOUR BURNT OFFERING TO ATONE FOR YOURSELF … AS THE LORD HAS COMMANDED >. R. Aha said: Come and see the power which the Holy One set in Abraham, who in one day circumcised himself, the slaves born in his house, and his son Ishmael. So the blood was dripping.¹⁵Cf. Cant. R. 4:6:1. Look at how many of his home-born slaves there were! According to what is written (in Gen. 14:14), HE MUSTERED HIS THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN HOME-BORN SLAVES. Now, if his home-born slaves numbered so many, how many more were those which his money had purchased! And he circumcised them all in a single day, as stated (in Gen. 17:26f.): ON THAT VERY DAY ABRAHAM AND HIS SON ISHMAEL WERE CIRCUMCISED; AND ALL THE MEN OF HIS HOUSE, < HOME-BORN SLAVES AND ONES PURCHASED WITH MONEY FROM A FOREIGNER >, WERE CIRCUMCISED ALONG WITH HIM. Then Abraham took all the foreskins which he had circumcised and made a mound of them in the midst of his house, with the result that a river of blood flowed forth from the midst of his house. So the Holy One called the angels and said to them: Come, let us visit the sick one. They said to him: Sovereign of the World, (Ps. 8:5): WHAT IS A HUMAN THAT YOU ARE MINDFUL OF HIM AND A CHILD OF ADAM THAT YOU SHOULD VISIT HIM! Also, are you going into a place of defilement, into a place of blood and of uncleanness? He said to them: So you have said. By your life, the odor of this blood is sweeter to me than myrrh and frankincense. If you are not going, then I am going by myself. And so has Solomon said (in Cant. 4:6): UNTIL THE DAY BECOMES COOL… < I WILL GO UNTO THE MOUNTAIN OF MYRRH AND UNTO THE MOUND OF FRANKINCENSE >. (Josh. 5:3:) UNTO THE MOUND OF FORESKINS.¹⁶Buber suggests reading (with Cant. 4:6): UNTO THE MOUND OF FRANKINCENSE. This < refers to > Abraham, of whom it is stated (in Gen. 18:1): THEN THE LORD APPEARED UNTO HIM … IN THE HEAT OF THE DAY, since the Holy One had made that day hot.¹⁷According to Cant. R. 4:6:1, it was heat from the sun that caused the foreskins to emit the aroma of frankincense.

7) (Vayikra 9:7): "And Moses said to Aaron: Draw near to the altar, etc." (Of) this (moment, Moses inducting Aaron into the service on the eighth day of the miluim, to serve with him in the priesthood, [Moses having served alone the first seven days]), it is written (Tehillim 99:6): "Moses and Aaron (the elect of) His priests, and Samuel (among the elect of) the invokers of His name. They called to the L–rd and He answered them. (Tehillim 99:7) In a pillar of cloud He spoke to them" — whereby we are taught that the three were on a par.