by Rabbi Avi Billet
In its elaboration of the roles of Moshe and Aharon in the dedication of the Mishkan, the midrash Rabba presents a debate between a number of rabbis on the one side, and Rabbi Elazar bar Yosi on the other side, as to how Moshe understood what was to be his role in the Mishkan.
The larger group of rabbis are of the opinion that all 40 years of wandering, Moshe was the optional Kohen Gadol. It was not his job, per se, but if he wanted to perform the service there was room for him to play that role. We say in Kabbalas Shabbos משה ואהרן בכהניו, and the Midrash applies the Kehuna to both brothers, to Aharon AND to Moshe. The same teaching is derived from a verse in Divrei Hayamim I 23, according to Rabbi Berachia in the name of Rabbi Simone
יג בְּנֵ֥י עַמְרָ֖ם אַֽהֲרֹ֣ן וּמֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיִּבָּדֵ֣ל אַֽהֲרֹ֡ן לְֽהַקְדִּישׁוֹ֩ קֹ֨דֶשׁ קָֽדָשִׁ֤ים הֽוּא־וּבָנָיו֙ עַד־עוֹלָ֔ם לְהַקְטִיר֩ לִפְנֵ֨י יְהֹוָ֧ה לְשָֽׁרְת֛וֹ וּלְבָרֵ֥ךְ בִּשְׁמ֖וֹ עַד־עוֹלָֽם: יד וּמֹשֶׁ֖ה אִ֣ישׁ הָֽאֱלֹהִ֑ים בָּנָ֕יו יִקָּֽרְא֖וּ עַל־שֵׁ֥בֶט הַלֵּוִֽי:
Rabbi Elazar bar Yosi says Moshe wore a white garment for the seven preparation days only, in order to be on hand to serve during that time.
But there was a problem. Rabbi Tanchum notes how in his preparation for the Yom HaShmini, Moshe did not receive any divine instruction. Everything he did, and everything he instructed his brother and nephews to do, were part of information he had learned previous to this preparatory week.
When the fire came down and consumed what was on the Mizbeach at the end of Chapter 9, וירא כל העם וירונו ויפלו על פניהם the entire nation, including Moshe, "Raised their voices in praise and threw themselves on the ground" – it was a Revelation of sorts for all, because this was the first time the people felt the divine presence through the process.
Why was it that Moshe did not receive any divine instruction or inspiration during this time period? The Midrash does not say. But it does bring two examples of seven day periods that, in a sense, did not end up going well for Moshe.
Rabbi Shmuel Bar Nachman says the episode at the burning bush took a week. For six days, God was cajoling and convincing Moshe to accept his assignment and go to Egypt. On the seventh day, Moshe said the fateful words שלח נא ביד תשלח – please send someone else. And God's reaction was, "If you want me to send someone else, I will. I'll cut your wings when I am ready to."
There are two opinions recounted in the Midrash:
Rabbi Levi says, God followed through with this at the very end of Moshe's life. For the first seven days of Adar, Moshe prayed and beseeched God to allow him to enter the land. And on the seventh day (7 Adar, the day Moshe died), God told him "You will not cross this Jordan river."
Rabbi Chelbo says, For the ז' ימי המילואים – the seven preparatory days for the Yom HaShmini, Moshe served in the capacity of the High Priest, assuming the position was his. On the seventh day, Moshe was told by God that it was not his – that his brother Aharon was to be the High Priest. And this is why he is giving all the zero hour instruction in the zero hour.
If we look back to Purim, this is similar to what happened to Haman in the Megillah. He’s on the top of the world. The queen has invited him to a party, exclusively, with only the king. And when he goes in to the king’s chambers looking for permission to hang Mordechai, and even assuming his suggestion of having an officer lead a different officer around town on a horse is for Mordechai to lead Haman around, the whole thing is shot to pieces when Achashveirosh tells him he is to do it all to Mordechai – in other words, “While you thought you were being promoted, in fact, you’re fired.”
It’s a reminder that NOTHING is guaranteed in life. Those who are on the top could be at the bottom in an instant if God wills it so.
Moshe saw it all before him - that he'll be the Kohen gadol, that he'll enter the land - who could have known that when zero hour would come, the answer would be No… it’s not going to be the way you think?
Moshe had six or seven days to prepare only to find out he didn't have the job. It’s hard to imagine the devastation, the disappointment, the negative feeling, the sense that your own pre-determined worth has been shot down.
And yet, Moshe finds that he has value in others places, and it seems that he was able to compartmentalize his feelings, and a. be supportive of Aharon in Aharon’s new position as full time Kohen Gadol, and b. find a different place for his role in the comfort that he will soon be positioned to give to Aharon following the soon-to-be-seen deaths of Nadav and Avihu.
This, in essence, becomes our challenge and task when the opportunity presents itself. We may not always have a six or seven-day buildup to an anticipated event or outcome, but we must always prepare ourselves for the possibility that things might not go as we wish.
Our challenge is to funnel our energies into arenas that are most suited for the roles we can play, in which we are not dependent on an outsider or some other entity to determine our worthiness for the position.
The easiest place to do this is in the arena of Chesed, when we set the terms for what we do, when we do it, how much time and money we spend, and what we hope to get out of it – the feeling of accomplishment of having gifted time and resources to someone else.
It’s not rocket science. But it is life. And life is also about rolling with the circumstances we are handed and dealt, making the best of the life we are blessed to live.
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