All the brothers in the book of Breishis vied with one another. What about Aaron and Moshe?
Rav Aryeh Leib Heiman comments:’ In our Parasha, Moshe Rabbeinu, in four consecutive conversations, declines to accept Hashem’s charge, that he take Bnei Israel out of their slavery, in Egypt.
‘On the first three occasions, he gives clear reasons for his refusal, each of which is refuted, in turn, by Hashem.
‘First, Moshe says to Hashem:’Who am I that I should go to Pharoah, and that I should take the Children of Israel out of Egypt?’- to which Hashem replies:’For I shall be with you’.
‘Second, he states:’But they will not believe me, and they will not heed my voice, for they will say:’Hashem did not appear to you’- to which Hashem replied:The staff in your hands, with which you shall perform miracles to their eyes, will lead them to ‘Believe that Hashem, the G-d of their forefathers, appeared to you’.
‘Third, Moshe says:’I am not a man of words..I am heavy of mouth and heavy of speech’- to which Hashem replies:’Who makes the mouth of man, who makes one dumb or deaf?..Is it not I, Hashem! So now, go; I shall be with your mouth and teach you what to say’.
Rabenu Nissim, the R’an, adds:’Do you, Moshe, think that your inability to speak clearly, ‘just happened’, במקרה? Just as the ability of a person to speak is בכוונה ממני: from Me, so too, the inability of man to speak comes from Me! Your speech impediment, therefore, is intentional, from Me, for the mission which you are to undertake!’.
Rav Heiman continues:"After Hashem rejects each of Moshe’s three initial refusals, Moshe rejects, for the fourth time, Hashem’s charge, this time without giving any reason for his continued refusal, stating:’Please, my Lord, send through whomsoever You will send!’.
"Again, Hashem responds ‘in kind’, likewise not giving any reason, the Torah stating:’The wrath of Hashem burned against Moshe, and He said:’Is there not Aaron your brother, the Levite? I know that he will surely speak; moreover, behold, he is going out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will rejoice in his heart. You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth; And I shall be with your mouth and with his mouth..; He shall speak for you to the people..and you will be his leader’.
"As we read the whole of this ‘dialogue’, the feeling strengthens, that Moshe Rabbeinu has a ‘hidden’ reason for his continued refusal, one which he does not articulate, and which leads him to use any and every argument that comes to his mind, to refuse the mission; thus, after Hashem cogently provides reasoned responses against each of these ‘reasons’, Moshe states categorically: ‘Send by the hand of whosoever!’-only not by me, and that is final!’.
The Rav asks:’What is the real reason for Moshe’s refusal?’
He proffers a beautiful answer:"Moshe Rabbeinu had before his eyes the whole of Sefer Breishit! Throughout the first chumash, we find a recurring phenomena: The younger brother achieves greater prominence than the older one- Hashem accepts the offering of Abel, and rejects that of Cain; Avraham prefers Yitzchak ahead of Ishmael; of Yitzchak’s sons, Yaakov is preferred to Esav; and, in turn, Yaakov himself favors Yosef ahead of his older brothers."
"The result, without exception, is that the ‘spurned’ older siblings do not ‘accept’ their loss, and conspire- and in the case of Cain, actually succeed- to rid themselves of the usurpers.
"Moshe Rabbeinu stands at the beginning of the second chumash, and knows with ‘the knowledge of the Torah’, that his older brother, Aaron, will be envious of being overlooked, and also of the seemingly inevitable consequences.
"To avoid this, he advances every possible excuse that his mind can conjure, to avoid being preferred to his older brother, Aaron.
"Hashem corrects him: I am aware of your fears, but I assure you that Aaron your brother is a חידוש במעשה בראשית: an innovation in the Creation! He has ‘broken’ the die that was cast in sefer Breishit, and is completely free of any feelings of envy or hatred- behold! He is coming out to you, his younger brother, and is happy in his heart, that I have chosen you, and not him, for this mission’.
Rav Matityahu Solomon brings the Midrash: ’Did you think that Moshe simply did not want to go on this mission? That is not the case! He declined out of concern for the honor of Aaron, saying: ‘Until I appeared, Aaron for eighty years was the prophet to the people, and now I will appear and enter his domain, and cause him anguish?! This is why I cannot accept the mission’.
"Hashem answers him: ‘You are mistaken in thinking that this will cause Aaron anguish; to the contrary, he rejoices for you, as it say:’And he sees you, and rejoices in his heart’, for you.
"We learn from this, that Moshe Rabbeinu thought that it was not possible that a mortal would not be anguished when his position is ‘taken’ from him, and given to his younger brother.
"Only, in this he erred, not being able to comprehend the unique attribute of Aaron, to rejoice whole-heartedly in the choice to greatness of another, as if he himself was the one being honored- even at ‘his expense’, as it were.
"Moshe Rabbeinu was correct in his assumption that Hashem would ‘want’ him to decline if acceptance would bring anguish and dishonor to his older brother; but he erred in ‘under-estimating’ the unique level of Aaron.
"The proof is that Hashem answered Moshe’s concerns, with the one statement:’Aaron your brother when he sees you he will rejoice in his heart’- I know that his heart is so free of any trace of envy, till it is filled with joy, at the greatness which has been bestowed on his younger brother.
"In truth, in this respect, Aaron exceeded even his brother, Moshe Rabbeinu, ‘the humblest of all men on earth’’.
Rav Chaim Friedlander sweetens our understanding of this wondrous incident, stating:’Surely, since Hashem instructed Moshe to redeem his people, it was permissible-indeed a Mitzvah-for him to to do so.
"Why, then, did Moshe so adamantly refuse to do Hashem’s clear bidding?
"The answer is that Moshe felt that Hashem was testing him, to see how he would react; to ‘see’ if he would be concerned for the slight to the honor of his older brother, who had led the people till this point.
"And Moshe Rabbeinu ‘passed’ this test with flying colors, only accepting the honor when Hashem assured him that, not only was Aaron not anguished by being ‘passed over’, but, moreover, was happy in his heart that Moshe was so honored’."
Rav Avigdor Nebenzahl has a parting insight: A literal reading of our Parasha, makes it clear that Moshe Rabbeinu’s concern for the honor of his brother, was not without foundation.
"‘The proof is that, when he wrongly ‘suspected’ that Bnei Israel would not believe that Hashem had appeared to him, he was afflicted with leprosy, for his misplaced ‘accusation’; on the other hand, when he suspected- wrongly, as it turned out-that Aaron would be jealous of his selection, not only did he not incur any divine punishment, but Hashem took care to reassure him.
"‘This surely indicates that there was, on any objective measure, a basis for his suspicion’- except, as we have said, that Aaron had an un-natural heart, one that was a ‘new Creation’!
May we merit to live the injunction of our Sages, in Pirkei Avot (1:12)’Be disciples of Aaron Hakohen’!
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