The Passing of Israel’s Great Leaders
This week’s Parsha, Chukat, is the saddest in the entire Torah. Those of us who cherish Chumash and assiduously seek out its wisdom for guidance in all areas of life tend to become emotionally attached to its great heroes. They are our mentors and role models whose noble behaviors we seek to understand and emulate.
Thus, there is a certain sense of loss when we encounter the death of Miriam, who played such a monumental role in our history. Together with her mother, Yocheved, she defied the genocidal decree of Pharaoh against Israelite male newborns, bravely stood watch over little Moshe and boldly convinced Pharaoh’s daughter to let her find a Hebrew woman to nurse the Jewish baby. She also led the women in song and dance to give praise to Hashem for the splitting of the Red Sea.
As if her passing were not enough, the lives of her brothers, Aharon and Moshe, also come to an end in this Sedra (Torah portion). Moshe doesn’t actually die here, but his fate is sealed along with Aharon’s because of their sin at the Mei Merivah (Waters of Contention).
It should be noted that when one reads the account of that trespass, it is impossible to comprehend what Moshe did wrong. It seems that he and Aharon faithfully executed Hashem’s instructions. We only realize that something is amiss when Hashem pronounces the irrevocable punishment for the disobedience.
It is so completely hidden that all of the great commentators are at odds in explaining it. The fact that there are so many conflicting opinions on so crucial an issue indicates the severe complexity of this matter. Perhaps we will have more to say on this subject at a different time.
The Meaning of Death by the Kiss
Our Parsha depicts the poignant death of Aharon. Hashem instructed Moshe to bring Aharon and his son, Elazar to the peak of Mt. Hor. He was to remove the vestments of the Kohen Gadol (Chief Priest) from Aharon and place them on Elazar, thereby appointing him to succeed his father. Thus, Aharon had the privilege of witnessing his son's ascension to the most exalted religious position in Israel. Aharon was then to lie down on a special bed that was prepared for him and his earthly existence was concluded.
The Rabbis tell us that Moshe had a great desire to experience the same passing as Aharon which is designated as death by the Kiss. The Rambam describes this experience in his “Guide for the Perplexed” (3:51). In general terms it means that a person who has battled to gain mastery over his instinctual desires and has pursued the delights of knowledge becomes spiritually transformed as he gets older.
The aging process is, for this person, a great benefit. For as his passions diminish, his convictions become firmer and his love of truth more unshakable. This experience culminates with death by the Kiss.
As he experiences the onset of death, his love of G-d assumes a profound dimension, and he leaves this world in a glorious state. What we call death is, for him, actually the inception of eternal life. According to our tradition, only three people merited this exalted state: Miriam, Aharon, and Moshe.
Why the People Refused to Believe?
There is a Midrash which describes a strange development that occurred when Moshe and Elazar descended from the mountain.
“Where is Aharon?” They said to them [Moshe and Elazar], “He is dead.” They said to them [Moshe and Elazar], “How could the angel of death hurt him, a man who has halted the angel of death and held him back?” It is so stated (BaMidbar 17:13), “And he [Aaron] stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was halted.” They said to them [Moshe and Elazar], “If you bring him [back], well and good; but if not, we will stone you [to death].” At that time Moses rose in prayer. He said, “Master of the world, bring us out from [this] suspicion.” Immediately the Holy One, blessed is He, opened the [burial] cave and showed him [Aharon] to [the congregation] for them [Moshe and Elazar]. (Midrash Tanchuma Chukat Siman 17)
At first glance, this Midrash seems very strange. I do not take it literally but believe it is communicating a significant teaching. At its core is the idea that the people refused to believe that Aharon had died. Why wouldn't they accept the word of Moshe, which was confirmed by Elazar?
I believe that the Midrash is communicating that denial of death is one of the most powerful human tendencies. Most people go about their lives under the spell of the fantasy of immortality. This illusion is nurtured by identification with certain charismatic figures who seem immune to dying. We have all known individuals who seemed to be so “full of life” that we could not imagine them not alive. When these people do perish it has a shocking effect because we now begrudgingly realize that “if they can die, so must we”.
That is why the people refused to accept the fact that Aharon was dead. He was their hero, whom they felt would live forever, and as long as they could sustain that belief, they need not worry about mortality at that moment. Moshe prayed that they would be able to accept the truth and absorb its lessons.
The Torah's View of Eternal Life
Judaism does not regard death as a tragedy. In fact, one of the interpretations of the verse in Bereishit 1:31, “And G-d saw that it was very good,” is that it is a reference to the day of death (as mentioned by the Ramban (Nachmanides)).
The notion of human immortality, however, is not a pipe dream. Our Torah teaches us that we are designed to live forever. If we adhere to the Mitzvot of the Torah and appreciate its wisdom, we will be “fortunate in this world and inherit the World to Come.” We should remember that the vanities of this world, while not evil and, in fact, beneficial when indulged properly, nevertheless do not endure beyond our earthly sojourn. But the wisdom of Hashem endures forever.
May Hashem give us the understanding to disavow illusions and cling to the Tree of Life, which is eternal life.
Shabbat Shalom.
