Devar/5768/Chukat
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עברית
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Aaron shall be gathered unto his people; for he shall not enter into the land… (Num 20:24)
…and Aaron died there in the top of the mount (Num 20:28)
God tells Moses and Aaron that Aaron's life has reached its end, and that he "shall be gathered unto his people" and will not enter the chosen land. Aaron hears God's words, but doesn't react at all. We saw that same reaction when his sons Nadav and Avihu were taken from him: And Aaron held his peace (Lev 10:3)
Aaron's silence in the face of personal disasters is difficult to accept. How can he not cry and curse, and carry on as other people do? This behavior of his actually answers the question.
Most people see death as a negative and frightening thing, which should be avoided as far as possible. They think that only normal life is worthwhile, and that after death there is only desolation and destruction. But Aaron the Cohen knew and understood that it is not so. He knew that the righteous have a life in the "next world", as the Rambam writes: The good which is hidden away for the righteous, is the life of the next world. (Laws of Repentance 8:1). Therefore he knew that there is no reason to fear death, because the eternal good awaited him and his sons.
Despite this great good, Aaron was not in a hurry to end his life in this world; rather, he diligently strove to fulfill God's will, and to worship Him with all his heart. Likewise, he knew that at the moment he did finish his job in this world, a great reward would await him and therefore he did not fear at all, but rather accepted God's decrees with equanimity, because he knew that The LORD trieth the righteous (Psalms 11:5)
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