Rabbi Reuven Semah
“Then Aharon the Kohen went up to Mount Hor by the mouth of Hashem and died there...in the fifth month on the first of the month.” (Bemidbar 33:38)
The passing of Aharon is mentioned in our parasha. This is the only mention in the entire Torah of the date of the passing of a tzaddik. It took place on Rosh Hodesh Av, that marks the beginning of the Nine Days. Rabbi Shimshon Pincus zt”l explains the reason why Aharon’s date of passing is the only one mentioned from all of our ancestors. Aharon was the first Rabbi and teacher of peace. Therefore, his passing is a time of deep sorrow and crying for all generations. There is no greater sorrow than the passing of the one who brought peace to the world.
It may very well be that the law of the Nine Days, which is the period of time we commemorate the destruction of the Bet Hamikdash, is a result of the passing of Aharon. As we know, the destruction was caused by baseless hatred, which Aharon successfully eliminated. We need a teacher to teach us the pursuit of peace, the love of peace. The nature of man is to enjoy disputes. It is more exciting; people have the opportunity to strongly express their opinions. Rabbi Avigdor Miller, zt”l, always used to say that peace is boring. We should love to be bored with peace! Disputes are fun. We need a teacher to teach us how to enjoy and love peace. After we learn to love peace, then we can do actions to pursue peace. We can’t pursue it if we don’t love it.
A simple parable could drive this point home. Imagine a fire breaks out in a little town. All the people run to help, all the fire engines come and the firemen are heroes. A little boy watches with wide eyes as huge ladders are erected and tons of water are delivered. Even he gets involved and helps to save people. People praise him for his timely help. From then on, he waits for another fire where he can help. He might even toy with the idea of starting a fire, G-d forbid. He must be taught not to love a fire.
This was the greatness of Aharon. He taught how to love boring peace, and how to hate exciting disputes. That’s why the Torah mentions the yahrtzeit only of Aharon and no other leader. If we can increase our appetite for peace, we can bring back the Bet Hamikdash.
