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| Blossoming almond trees in Golan Heights, northern Israel Flash |
We read in our Parasha, that after the awesome resolution of the challenge of Korach and his associates, AND after the plague that afflicted those who accused Moshe and Aaron, of killing Korach and his supporters, Hashem saw the need to order a further test, of the staff that flowered, to establish (17:16):’the man whom I shall choose - his staff shall blossom’ AND ‘thus I shall cause to subside from upom Me the complaints of Bnei Israel, which they complain against you.’
We then read of the test set by Hashem: (17:16-25):’take from them one staff for each father’s household, from all the leaders..each man’s name shall you inscribe on the staff. And the name of Aaron you shall inscribe on the staff of Levi..You shall lay them in the Tent of Meeting..it shall be the man whom I shall choose - his staff will blossom.‘Thus I shall cause to subside from upon Me the complaints of Bnei Israel, which they complain against you.’
The Torah then relates the outcome of this test:’On the next day, Moshe came to the Tent of the Testimony, and behold! the staff of Aaron of the house of Levi had blossomed, sprouted a bud and almonds ripened.
Moshe brought out all the staffs from before Hashem to all Bnei Israel; they saw and they took, each man his staff.
‘Hashem said to Moshe: Bring back the staff of Aaron before the Testimony as a safekeeeping, as a sign for rebellious ones; let their complaints cease from Me that they not die.’ Hashem said to Aaron:’You, your sons and your father’s household with you shall bear the iniquity of the Sanctuary; and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity of the priesthood.
Also your brethren the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, shall you draw near to you..and minister to you..Behold! I have taken your brethren the Levites from among Bnei Israel; to you they are presented as a gift from Hashem, to perform the service of the Tent of the Meeting’.
Rashi comments:’as a keepsake and a sign’: That I have chosen Aaron to be Kohen, and they will no longer complain about the kehuna.
The Ramban disagrees with this Rashi, saying: ‘This staff was not a proof, except that the staff of the tribe of Levi was chosen from all the tribes - not that Aaron should be the Kohen.
The correct message from the staff being kept for safekeeping as a sign, that the tribe of Levi was chosen in place of the first-born, the decree of the burning, being to establish the chosen Kohen, and the blossoming staff, the chosen tribe. This is the reason that the staff of Aaron to the house of Levi blossomed, as for the whole of the tribe, and in their merit, it blossomed.’
The Chezkuni similarly comments:’I shall cause to subside from upon Me, the complaints of Bnei Israel, which they complain against you’: Who say that from your own minds, you chose the Levites, in place of the first-born.’
The Maharal, in his commentary Gur Aryeh, on this Rashi, brings the critique of the Ramban, noting: ‘It appears, as one staff is brought to prove worthiness to be the Kohen, and therefore, on each staff the name of the prince was written.
This was because the Kohen is chosen because of the tribe, and the staffs were from each tribe; the name of the prince was written on it, to teach that Hashem chooses the Specific Kohen, because he is from that tribe.
‘This is clear from the Torah relating, that ‘Behold! the staff of Aaron OF THE HOUSE OF LEVI had blossomed’: the staff of Aaron flowered because he was from the house of Levi. Therefore, whilst the major aspect of the miracle was on the Kehuna, since Aaron was chosen because he was from the house of Levi, we learn that there is a special sanctity to that tribe, AND a special sanctity to Aaron::the special sanctity of the tribe, that they are Leviim, and a special sanctity to Aaron, he being the chosen one from the, to the kehuna - and this is correct and clear.’
Rav Eliyahu Mizrachi, on our Rashi, adds:’Whilst the staffs of all the other princes were on behalf of their tribes, the staff of Aaron differed, as it was both for his tribe AND for himself, as one.
‘For himself, for the service of the Kehuna, and for his tribe, for their service in the Sanctuary.
‘Had it been for his tribe alone, it would not have been Aaron who would be proffering the staff, but Elazar, his son, as he had been appointed in charge of all the princes of the tribe of Levi.
The blossoming of the staff of Aaron was therefore a sign of his choice as Kohen, and of the choice of the tribe of Levi, to serve.
‘The reason that two staffs were not taken from the tribe of Levi - one for Aaron for his Kehuna, and one from Elazar, his son, for the tribe of Levi, was because the Kohanim and the Leviim are one tribe, as the Torah states:’one staff for each father’s house’, meaning that even if it be divided into two families - the family of Kehuna, AND the family of the Leviim - and it might seem appropriate that two staffs be proffered, nevertheless, as they are in reality one tribe, one staff sufficed.’
Rav Zalman Sorotzkin expounds in a similar way:’The prophecy and the rule of Moshe had already been proven by the swallowing of Korach and his associates; the Kehuna of Aaron, by the death of the two hundred and fifty men, and all that was left to clarify was the choice of the Leviim to serve in the Sanctuary.
‘It also served by the way to verify the Kehuna of Aaron, as there were those who said:’You killed..’, and therefore, on the staff, was written the name ‘Aaron’, so that the flowering of the staff should be a sign of the two matters.’
Rabbeinu Bahya comments:’There was a need for the test of the blossoming staff, even after the awesome fates of the disputers, who were swallowed up, burnt, and afflicted by the plague. The swallowing up, by the earth, of Korach and his associates, was a sign that Hashem had disqualified the first-born, as Korach was a first-born.
‘The death by fire of those who offered up the ketoret, was a sign as to the Kehuna, that Hashem had chosen Aaron to be the Kohen Gadol.
‘As to their complaint that they did not want a substitutes - in place of the first-born - they were afflicted by the plague.
‘Since they still persisted after all this, with their complaints, there was a need for the sign of the blossoming staff, to teach them that retribution would be meted out to all who sought to dispute, and was a sign of the covenant of the Levites, that Hashem had chosen them in place of the first-born.
This is why the Torah said:’of the house of Levi’, to teach that the miraculous blossoming of the staff, was the sign of the choice of the Leviim’.
The Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh adds:’The fate of Korach did not suffice, to prove ‘the man whom’ Hashem ‘shall choose’, as there were those who thought that what happened to Korach, was because he spoke against Moshe, and disputed him, leading Hashem to avenge the insult to His prophet, ‘the most faithful servant in His household’, and that it was possible that He would choose one of the other tribes, to serve Him.
‘For this reason, Hashem commanded the test of the staffs.’
The Chassidic Master, the Tiferet Shlomo, offers a different insight, on the words:’the one that I choose..’:’The parshanim have queried the need for another test - of the staffs - as the people had already witnessed the punishment of those who disputed the Kehuna, Korach and the two hundred and fifty eminent men; also, the very words of the command - in the singular:’the man whom I shall choose, his staff shall blossom’: had not Aaron already been chosen to be the Kohen Gadol?
But the need for the test of the staffs, was not as to the choice of Aaron himself, but that his seed were chosen to this role, even if they would not be of the same calibre.
‘The dissenters argued that it would be more proper to choose the one who knew the holy intentions in every generation, even if he not be the seed of Aaron.
‘To refute this, Hashem ordered:’Bring back the staff of Aaron before the Testimony as a safekeeping..let their complaints cease from Me’, so that there not be any appeal in this matter,as to why the seed of Aaron were chosen, because their service will always find favor before Me.’
The Abarbanel comments:’ Hashem noted that there were still murmurings among the people, regarding the fate of Korach and his associates, Hashem commanded that another test - that of the staffs - be conducted, ordering that מטה, מטה: twelve identical staffs be taken, for the twelve princes of the twelve tribes, and that the name of each tribe be written on its staff, and that ‘the name of Aaron shall you inscribe on the staff of Levi.’, so that two things should be determined: one, if the first-born or the Leviim deserved to serve in the Sanctuary; second, if Aaron was worthy to serve as Kohen Gadol, or someone else from his tribe.
‘When, the next morning, the staff of ‘Aaron of the house of Levi’ blossomed, ‘brought forth a blossom, sprouted a bud and almonds ripened’, it was proven that Aaron alone was chosen as Kohen Gadol, and merited to wear the holy garments, prime among them - the ציץ: the blossom’ - in common parlance, but also, the name of the important item worn only by the Kohen Gadol - ‘alluding to he, Aaron, being chosen to be the Kohen Gadol.
The fact that the miraculous staff also had on it ‘almonds that ripened’, indicated that his seed was also chosen to this role, for all time.
‘The people, on seeing this outcome of the test of the staffs, recognized that Hashem had indeed chosen the tribe of Levi in general, and Aaron in particular and his seed, for the role of Kohen Gadol, and - in retrospect - that Korach and his associates perished because they drew too close to the holiest things.’. To allay their fears, that they could not avoid a similar fate, Hashem charged the Leviim to ensure that no ‘commoner’ draw too near to the holy sections.
Rav Moshe Sternbuch brings a beautiful parting insight, from the Midrash, which teaches that the people saw before their eyes, the staff blossoming, and sprouting a bud, and then almonds ripening, and expounds: ‘What was the need for this progressive process, would it not have been enough that they saw the staff with the blossom, the bud and the ripened almonds, already on it?.’
He answers:’This came to teach the people, that Aaron’s sanctity did not come at one time, by reason of he being chosen.
‘Had that been the case, there would be an opening to say: ‘had I been chosen to this post, I would also have been elevated to Aaron’s level’.
To preclude such a thought, the people were shown that one is not ‘given’ any high post, except by hard and continuous striving, step by step, and only because of his unending toil on himself, did Aaron attain the lofty office of Kohen Gadol.’
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