"Aharon and his sons did all the things Hashem commanded through Moshe" (8: 36).
The comment emphasizes the dedication of Aharon and his sons to the commands of Hashem received through Moshe. Rashi points out that this was in order to praise them for accepting directives exactly and carrying them out with precision.
It is hard to understand why the Torah needs to teach us this lesson. Could we imagine that Aharon and his sons would deny the authority of Moshe and try to build the Mishkan and organize the service in a different way? Curiously, this is not the only place that Rashi makes this comment. In Bamidbar, we read:
"Aharon did so… as Hashem commanded Moshe" (8: 3).
Again Aharon is praised for doing the expected, for listening to the instructions of Moshe as received on Sinai.
The idea of not deviating from the received directives is not as simple as it seems. We know that at times Chazal have deviated and established that the halacha is different from the Torah demand. We all know that according to the Torah we blow the Shofar on Shabbat, but our sages ordained that this was not to be so. The same is true for the lulav on Succot.
This principle that we must listen to the law as it is received is sometimes abrogated by Torah leadership for the sake of the Torah. At times, it seems that the Torah demands that we alter its directives in order that the people continue to keep the Torah properly.
We know something more about Aharon.
Miriam and Aharon spoke against their brother Moshe. The exact problem is not clear, but there were ancillary arguments such as these: "Was it only with Moshe that Hashem spoke? Did he not speak with us as well? And Hashem heard…" (Bamidbar, 12: 2).
Aharon knew that the prophecy of Moshe was superior to his own. However, he also knew that even someone whose intimacy with the Divine message did not equal Moshe's could employ Torah principles and change the Torah. Torah leaders throughout the generations would make specific enactments to save the Torah when an hour of need arose. Aharon knew that there was this power. His prophecy was not as great but it was surely prophecy. He deserved special consideration because his knowledge was serious and profound.
The Torah compliments Aharon for not trying to reform the service in any way. He may have had his own ideas on how things should be done and he was certainly a proper representative of the Torah, but he decided to accept the positions presented by the greater teacher, Moshe.
(This idea appears in the Pardes Yosef on our verse.)
Gut Shabbos, Chaim Brovender
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