A wealthy businessman requested a private meeting with his rabbi. Closing the door to the rabbi’s office, he explained, “Rabbi, I need your help. I’ll donate 10,000 dollars to the synagogue. I want you make me into a kohein.” The rabbi looked at him in surprise. “A kohein? A kohein is a member of the priestly tribe, a descendent of Aaron. I can’t make you a kohein.” The man considered and replied, “Rabbi, you drive a hard bargain. Fine. I’ll donate 100,000 dollars. Please make me a kohein.” The rabbi reeled, imagining the renovations, the campaigns, the multi-media presentations…. “Believe me, sir, it’s very tempting, but I don’t know what to tell you–I’ve never even heard of such a conversion. I’ll consult a higher authority on Jewish law and get back to you tomorrow.” The next day, the gentleman rushed into the office, “Rabbi, what’s the good news?” “I’m sorry, very sorry. I’m an orthodox rabbi. I can’t just make up a new ritual. I’m afraid I cannot make you a kohein.” “Rabbi, you listen to me! One million dollars. You must do me this favor!” “One million,” the rabbi gulped. “Let me think about this. I don’t know…wait a minute. Just out of curiosity, why do you want to become a kohein?” “Rabbi,” the man sighed, “my great-grandfather was a kohein. My grandfather was a kohein. Even my father was a kohein. I want to be a kohein too!” “Ah!” the rabbi’s eyes lit up, “Now that I think of it, for a million dollars, we can make you a kohein!”

* * *

Bamidbar The Mysterious Dots

In this week’s Torah portion, G-d commands Moses to take a census of the Jewish People. After this general census, there is to be a separate census of the tribe of Levi, including the tribe of the priests, the kohanim. The Torah says Aaron, the High Priest, joined Moshe in counting the tribe of Levi: “All the countings of the Levites that Moses and Aaron counted…[1]

QUESTIONS

1.) In the above verse, the word ‘and Aaron’ (va-Aharon) has five dots–one on top of each letter: . Why five dots?

2.) The Zohar [2] says that in all passages but one, whenever the Torah mentions Moses and Aaron together, Aaron is depicted as the right hand of Moses. Our passage, in which Aaron’s name is dotted, is the exception. This seems to imply that here, Aaron is considered ‘his own man’. But why in this particular verse?

3.) Rashi says Aaron’s name is dotted to teach us that although he was a Levite, he was not included in the Levite census. Why was he not counted?

TWO HATS

Aaron wore two hats. First of all, he was the assistant to Moses. On behalf of Moses, Aaron conveyed G-d’s message to Pharaoh, and he hit the water and the earth to initiate the plague of blood, the plague of frogs, and the plague of lice. He would teach Torah to the Jewish People after Moses had initially delivered it. He helped Moses take the census.

On the other hand, Aaron was the kohein gadol, the High Priest–he had a role of his own. His job was lighting the seven lamps of the menorah every day. Lighting the lamps symbolizes inspiring each of the seven categories of Jews.[3] As Avos D’Rab Noson explains,[4] “Aaron the High Priest, was required to be in the Holy Temple as much as possible, cleaving to G-d. Yet, he would often leave his post and go to the outskirts of the camp to find alienated Jews, people who were straying from the path, to let them know how much they were needed. His love for G-d and for his fellow man would inspire them to return to the Jewish community. In a similar vein, Aaron was an expert marriage counselor who helped save many relationships. This would explain the five dots upon Aaron’s name, alluding to the five levels of chesed (kindness) which he exhibited, as explained in Kabbalah.

A CLASS OF HIS OWN

Now we can understand why Aaron was not counted in the census. Rashi says,[5] “The tribe of Levi was counted separately from the other tribes of Israel, because it is fit for the legions of a King to be counted separately.” For the same reason, Aaron was not counted among his own tribe of Levi. He was in a class of his own. His role was so multifaceted and so invaluable that he could not be counted and included in a general census.[6] He was beyond categorization, beyond enumeration.

We can also understand the meaning of the Zohar‘s suggestion, that in this verse Aaron is ‘his own man’. The Zohar is telling us that although Aaron primarily served as Moses’ right hand man, and in that sense he was second in command. However, here the Torah reveals Aaron’s other hat with the counting of the tribe of Levi. Here Aaron is acknowledged for his unique contribution as the High Priest and the great peacemaker of the Jewish people.

THE FIFTIETH DAY

The portion of Bamidbar is always read before the holy day of Shavuos, the day commemorating the receiving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. How might our verse be connected to Shavuos?

The Torah says, “The Jews rested in front of the mountain.” Rashi comments, “They were like one person with one heart.” The Jews were in complete unity, and this was the vessel and merit they needed to be the recipients of G-d’s holy Torah. Similarly, through his peacemaking and outreach, Aaron brought oneness to the community. Aaron’s mission is also hinted in his name–the first three letters, Alef, Hei, Reish, stand for ahava raba, “the great love”.[7] The last letter, the long Nun, symbolizes ‘drawing down’–drawing down great love from Heaven into the community below.[8] Just as the line of the long Nun descends below the baseline, so too, Aaron descended to people who had fallen, to lift them up and bring them to the love of G-d. Finally, the five dots on Aaron’s name are each similar to a letter Yud.[9] The numerical value of Yud is 10; 10 x 5 = 50. The number fifty alludes to the holiday of Shavuos, which is the fiftieth day after Passover. Thus Aaron, as the archetype of loving-kindness, represents the traits that we must embody in order to receive the Torah on the fiftieth day.

BE OF THE DISCIPLES OF AARON

The role of Aaron is explicitly defined in Ethics of Our Fathers:[10] “Hillel said, ‘Be of the disciples of Aaron, loving peace, pursuing peace, loving all of G-d’s creations, and bringing them near to the Torah.’”

Furthermore, Maimonides tells us [11] that nowadays, as there is no Holy Temple, anyone can become–metaphorically of course–a kohein. A person can even become a kohein gadol, if he or she dedicates his or her life to serving and cleaving to G-d, and reaching out to the alienated and less fortunate.

A STORY [12]

One year when Yom Kippur coincided with Shabbos, the Alter Rebbe (Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi) suddenly removed his tallis in the middle of prayers and left the shul. Everyone waited respectfully for him to return, not knowing why he left or how long he would be away. Meanwhile, the Alter Rebbe had gone home to get an axe. He then made his way to the forest where he chopped some wood, bundled it, and quickly carried it to a small hut on the edge of town. He knocked on the door and entered to find a bed-ridden woman, frail and famished, holding her newborn infant. The hut was freezing, for in the rush to get to shul, the woman’s family had forgotten to prepare her any fuel or food. The Alter Rebbe started a fire in the stove and prepared a meal for the woman. Only when mother and infant were no longer in danger did the Rebbe return to shul to continue his prayers.

ACTION: Do an act of loving-kindness.

FOOTNOTES

[1] Numbers, 3.39
[2] Zohar III, 157a
[3] The seven categories of Jews correspond to the seven sefiros or character traits enumerated by Kabbalah. For example, some Jews could be characterized as primarily kind and giving. They belong to the sefirah of chesed. Some, as gevurah, are primarily critical of untruth, while others balance these two traits in a mode of compassion, or tiferes.
[4] Chapter 12:3, and Chapter 17
[5] Commenting on Numbers, 1.49
[6] Lekutei Sichos, Vol. 33, page 8. See also Lekutei Sichos, Vol. 13, p. 9, and Vol. 24, p. 258.
[7] See Tanya, Chap. 9
[8] Sefer HaSichos 5751, p. 715
[9] Letters of Light, p. 240
[10] Chapter One, Mishna 12
[11] At the end of the laws of Shemita and Yovel [12] The Alter Rebbe by Rabbi Shalom DovBer Avtzon, p. 193