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Aharon

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Aharon's Roles

Spokesman

When Moshe complains that he is "כְבַד פֶּה וּכְבַד לָשׁוֹן", Hashem tells him that this is of no import, for Aharon can speak in his stead and will act as Moshe's mouthpiece ("וְהָיָה הוּא יִהְיֶה לְּךָ לְפֶה"). Indeed, in Egypt, in his interactions with both the Israelites and Paroh, Aharon consistently accompanies Moshe, relaying Hashem's commands. It is not as clear, though, whether Aharon continued in this capacity throughout the 40 years in the Wilderness: [See Moshe's Speech Impediment for discussion.]

• Spokesperson only until the Exodus –  According to several sources, after the Exodus, Aharon was no longer needed to speak on Moshe's behalf.¹ Commentators disagree regarding what changed:

• Devarim Rabbah asserts that Moshe's physical disability was cured at the revelation at Mt. Sinai.²
• According to others, Moshe had no physical disability, but simply lacked fluency in Egyptian (Rashbam) or was not a skilled orator in general (Lekach Tov, Seforno). As this was mainly relevant only in Egypt when speaking to Paroh, after the Exodus, Moshe no longer needed Aharon's assistance
• Spokesperson until death – Ibn Ezra claims that despite the silence in the text, it can be assumed that Aharon (and Elazar after Aharon's death) continued to serve as Moshe's spokespersons throughout the forty years in the wilderness.³

Political Leader

Aharon acted not only as Moshe's spokesman but also as his right hand assistant and second-in-command, standing if for Moshe when he is absent:

• Assistant and partner
• In Egypt, Aharon does not merely speak but also brings several of the wonders and plagues including the tanin,⁴ blood, frogs and lice. N. Sarna⁵ suggests that this was intended to equalize the playing field, setting Moshe on par with Paroh. Just as Paroh had his magicians, Moshe (king of Israel) had his personal assistant.⁶
• When the nation fights Amalek, Aharon does not join in the fighting but instead stays with Moshe to help him raise his hands.
• In the Wilderness, the people come to both Moshe and Aharon when complaining⁷ or seeking halakhic advice.⁸ Similarly when the spies return to the camp, they report to both Moshe and Aharon.
• Substitute
• At Sinai, when Yitro arrives, Moshe invites Aharon (and the elders) to break bread with him. R. D"Z Hoffmann explains that this meal was actually a political ceremony which accompanied the signing of a covenant between the Israelite nation and Yitro's clan. Since Moshe was a relative and thus had a conflict of interest, he appointed Aharon to stand in as his political representative. [See Yitro's Sacrifices and Eating Bread Before God and Yitro's Visit.]
• When Moshe ascends the mountain to get the tablets, he leaves Aharon (and Chur) in charge.

Priest

Prophet

Unique Traits

"אוהב שלום ורודף שלום"

Possible Sins

In several  instances in Torah, a simple reading of the text implies that Aharon might have sinned:

Sin of the Golden Calf

One of the most troubling aspects of the Sin of the Golden Calf is the lead role that  Aharon appears to play  in the events  Is it possible that Aharon was involved in an idolatrous rite, or is it blasphemous to even ponder such a possibility? Though commentators universally attempt to defend Aharon and agree that he did not worship the calf as an alternative deity, they differ in how they understand and mitigate his wrongdoing:  [For a full discussion of the episode, see Sin of the Golden Calf.]

• Delay tactics / test –  According to Pirkei de Rabbi Eliezer and Rashi, though the people themselves viewed the calf as alternative god, Aharon himself did not.  All of his actions were aimed simply at delaying the people, hoping that Moshe would arrive before they sinned. R. Saadia, instead, defends Aharon by  comparing him to Yehu,⁹ who pretended to promote idolatry, but only in order to discover and eliminate those who were guilty of Baal worship.
• Inappropriate worship of Hashem – The Kuzari portrays Aharon as having positive, albeit misguided, intentions. The nation desired not an alternative god, but a tangible object which could represent Hashem and to whom they could direct their worship. Aharon erred only in not recognizing that all graven images are prohibited, even of Hashem Himself.
• Replacing of Moshe – According to R"Y Bekhor Shor, the calf was not connected to idolatry at all. Bereft of Moshe's leadership and his connection to the Divine, the people searched for an alternative to guide them in the wilderness.  Aharon tried to placate them by providing a powerless leader whom they would abandon as soon as Moshe returned. Hashem's anger was aimed at avenging Moshe's honor, not His own.

Slandering Moshe

Bemidbar 12 describes Miryam and Aharon's criticizing of Moshe's marriage to the Cushite woman, and Miryam's ensuing punishment.  What led Miryam and Aharon to criticize their brother and how we to evaluate their infraction? Was this malicious slander, idle chatter or simply poor judgment?  [For elaboration, see Miryam's Critique of Moshe and his Cushite Marriage.]

• An attempt to help - The Sifre is perhaps the most extreme in its defense of Miryam and Aharon, viewing the siblings as simply trying to encourage the resumption of normal marital life between Moshe and Zipporah and having no spiteful intent whatsoever.
• Objection to perceived wrongdoing –  R. Yosef Bekhor Shor maintains that the siblings were bothered by the fact that Moshe married a foreign woman of an uncircumcised nation and incorrectly assumed he was being vain and thinking that the women of Israel were not good enough for him.
• Challenge to authority – Several modern commentators¹⁰ cast Miryam and Aharon in a a much more negative light, presenting them as actively challenging their brother's authority, questioning his worthiness to lead and viewing themselves as his equal.

Sin at Mei Merivah

For many readers, of all of Aharon's possible wrongdoings, his role in Mei Merivah appears to be the least problematic. After all, it is Moshe, not he, who plays the lead role in the episode (and it is not even clear where Moshe himself goes wrong). Nonetheless, it is this deed for which Aharon is punished most severely,¹¹ losing the opportunity to make it to the Promised Land.  What was Aharon's transgression? For more, see Mei Merivah.

• Lack of faith – According to Ramban and Seforno, even though only Moshe actively hit the rock, the decision to do so was a joint one and stemmed from the lack of faith of both Moshe and Aharon.  Both doubted whether simply speaking to the rock would elicit a miracle.
• Desecration of Hashem's name - R. Yosef Albo blames Moshe and Aharon for running to the Tent of Meeting to consult with Hashem rather than immediately quelling the nation's murmurings by invoking a miracle on their own. This caused a lack of faith in one of the central tenets of Torah, a prophet's power to act above nature.
• Faulty leadership - The Avvat Nefesh and Minchah Belulah similarly pick up on Moshe and Aharon's flight to the tent of Meeting (an action shared by both brothers), but in contrast to R. Albo, they view it as a sign of cowardice, betraying the siblings' inability to stand up against the nation and respond to, or rebuke, them on their own.
• No Sin -

Perceptions by the Nation

Rebellion of Korach

Family

Marriage

Sibling Relations

Children

¹ This might be supported by the fact that Shemot 16:9 is the lone occasion during the forty years in the wilderness on which the Torah records that Aharon speaks on Moshe's behalf, and in Sefer Devarim, after Aharon's death, Moshe appears to have no trouble delivering eloquent addresses on his own.

² Cf. Tanchuma Yitro 8 which describes how Hashem removed all physical handicaps from the entire nation when they stood at Sinai.

³ Considering that even before the Exodus the text does not consistently mention that it was Aharon rather than Moshe speaking, it is not surprising that afterwards this is simply assumed. [In fact, it would probably become somewhat tedious to repeatedly mention the fact.]

⁴ See תַּנִּין for various understandings of the nature of this sign.

⁵ N. Sarna, Exploring Exodus (New York, 1996): 67.

⁶ Sarna points out that Aharon only plays a role in those plagues in which the magicians are also present.  when they leave the scene, it is Moshe himself to acts to bring the plagues.

⁷ See, for example, Shemot 16:2 in the story of the manna, Bemidbar 14:2 in the aftermath of the spies report and Bemidbar 20:2 when requesting water at Mei Merivah.

⁸ See, for instance, the request of the impure to offer the Pesach in Bemidbar 9:6 or the story of the wood gatherer in Bemidbar 15:33 where the people ask both Moshe and Aharon what to do.

⁹ See Melakhim II 10:18-28.

¹⁰ Various aspects of this position may be found in: C. Keil & F. Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament, Vol. 3, (Edinburgh, 1865): 75-81, M. Margaliyot, "אופייה של נבואת משה", Beit Mikra 25:2 (1980): 132-149, J. Milgrom, The JPS Commentary, Numbers (Philadelphia, 1989):70, J. Licht, פירוש על ספר במדבר יא-כא, (Jerusalem, 1991):35, R. Yaakov Medan, "פרשת בהעלתך",‎ מקור ראשון מוסף שבת ‎(5770), R. Amnon Bazak, "פרשת האישה הכושית" ‎(5771).

¹¹ In fact, it does not appear that he gets punished at all for his role in either the Sin of the Golden Calf or in slandering Moshe.