Aharon/0
Aharon
Aharon's Roles
Spokesman
Political Leader
Priest
Unique Traits
Possible Sins In several instances in Torah, a simple reading of the story 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,1 who similarly 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 commentators2 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,3 losing the opportunity to make it to the Promised Land. What was Aharon's transgression?
- 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.
