Aaron and the Clouds of Glory

How do we prevent assimilation? How can we remain impervious to all of the alien influences of the outside world? It is through genuine Jewish unity. When we recognize that we are essentially one people, because we share a common soul, background and destiny, we can withstand any physical or spiritual assault against us.

Everyone Grieved for Aaron

When Aaron, Moses brother passed away, the Torah informs us in this week’s Parsha that “the entire house of Israel wept for Aaron for thirty days.”

Rashi, the principle Bible commentator explains that the emphasis on “the entire house of Israel” is to teach us that, literally, everybody grieved for his passing. The reason for this was due to the fact that Aaron was constantly pursuing peace between husband and wife. Everybody, men and women, appreciated his contribution to them and were keenly aware of the void that now existed in their lives.

It is interesting to note that as a result of his passing, the Clouds of Glory that surrounded the Jewish people in the desert disappeared. Our sages tell us that the Manna from heaven was given to them in the merit of Moses, the water was provided for them in the merit of Miriam, but the Clouds of Glory were given to the Jewish people in the merit of Aaron.

The Three Gifts in the Merit of Moses, Aaron and Miriam

Why did G-d associate the Manna with Moses, the water with Miriam and the Clouds of Glory with Aaron?

One explanation is that Manna was the food from heaven that sustained them. This is precisely what the Torah is: Spiritual nourishment that descended from heaven through the efforts of Moses. The connection between Moses and Torah is so profound that the prophet refers to the Torah as “Moses’ Torah.”

Indeed, our Sages state that the Torah was given specifically to the generation that was nurtured by the Manna. Torah and Manna are two sides of the same coin; ultimate spiritual sustenance.

Water is what enables the distribution of the food we ingest throughout the body.

Similarly, it is the righteous Jewish woman, epitomized by Miriam, who guarantees that the spiritual nourishment that we ingest has its intended effect. The woman is endowed with the spiritual capacity to take the theoretical teachings of the Torah and translate them into practice.

The Matriarchs took the values of the Patriarchs and concretized them.

But, “food” and “water” are not enough for the Jewish nation. They had to be surrounded by the Clouds of Glory for two main purposes. The first is to prevent harmful outside influences to enter into their camp that would compromise the purity of Torah. The second objective of the clouds was to unify the nation.

Two Related Objectives of the Clouds of Glory

Upon deeper reflection, the two objectives of the Clouds of Glory complement one another. How do we prevent assimilation? How can the Jewish people remain impervious to all of the alien influences of the outside world? It is through genuine Jewish unity. When all Jews recognize that they are essentially one people, because they share a common soul, background and destiny, they acquire the ability to withstand any assault against them, either physical or spiritual.

This then is the contribution of Aaron, the one who understood the true unifying character of the Jewish soul and devoted his life to actualizing that unity within the Jewish community.

The Twelfth Day of Tammuz

This Shabbos, the 12th of Tammuz, is the anniversary of the release of the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe from Soviet imprisonment. One of his major contributions to the Jewish nation was his insistence of the absolute unity of our people and the need to accentuate unconditional Ahavas Yisroel-Love of Israel between all Jews.

The Previous Rebbe’s efforts at reaching “in” to every Jew to discover his/her inner Jewish soul that makes us all one, was continued and expanded by his successor, the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Through his efforts, Judaism was introduced to millions of Jews in a non-judgmental way, permeated with unmitigated love and acceptance. These efforts drew their inspiration from Aaron.

And just as the Jewish people experienced this incredible unity as a precursor to their entry into the Promised Land, so too, it is crucial that as we await the coming of Moshiach who will once more return all of the Jewish people to the Promised Land, that we follow in the footsteps of Aaron, who: “Loved peace, pursued peace, loved every creature and brought them close to the Torah.” (Avos 1:12)

From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Chukas by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.