Parshat Eikev - The Retroactive Passing of Aharon

 BH

In Parshat Eikev, Chapter 10, verse 6, seems disconnected from the flow of the narrative of the Parsha. After Moshe details how he descended from the mountain with the second set of tablets and placed them in the ark, the Torah abruptly shifts focus: “And the children of Israel traveled from the wells of Bnei Ya’akan to Mossera; there, Aharon passed away and was buried, and his son Elazar became the high priest.” This raises several questions. First, we know Aharon actually passed away on Mount Hor, not in this place called Mossera. Why does the Torah suggest otherwise?

Rashi explains that after the passing of Aharon with the golden calf, as the Jews prepared to face the king of Arad, they panicked and retreated eight camps backward. At the eighth stop, the Levites tried to bring them back, resulting in a tragic internal battle where many Jews were killed. The mourning for those lost in the battle caused them to truly feel the pain of Aharon’s passing, even though it happened earlier. It was as if Aharon passed away at that moment, as the sorrow over losing him became palpable due to their current struggles.

Rebbe Nachman adds deeper significance to this. He teaches that Aharon symbolizes the source of blessings (bracha) through simcha. The Kohanim, descendants of Aharon, bless the people, highlighting the connection between joy and receiving Hashem’s light. When Aharon passed away, this light and clarity diminished, leading the Jews to lose confidence in facing Arad. Without this clarity, they regressed eight camps, symbolizing their spiritual descent.

Rebbe Nachman explains that reaching the level of clarity known as the “Infinite Light” requires building nine vessels through resilience amid setbacks. When people face difficulties, they’re often pushed back. But if they maintain emunah and simcha, they transform these setbacks into vessels capable of holding the light of clarity. The Jewish people, however, retreated too far, risking total collapse by falling past the critical point where the ninth vessel could be created.

By holding on to Emunah and Simcha, we can avoid unnecessary suffering and bring blessings into our lives.

At this stage, the Levites intervened with force, signaling that if the people continued to regress, there would be no hope. The bloodshed and loss that followed were unfortunate but necessary for their rectification. Instead of embracing simcha and emunah, the Jews’ despair led them to face the consequences of their actions through mourning and pain. This is why the Torah symbolically associates Aharon’s death with this location—it represents their missed opportunity to rectify through positive means.

Rebbe Nachman and Reb Noson emphasize that significant breakthroughs can occur positively if we hold on to joy and faith, even during difficult times. But if these moments are lost, the resulting rectification often comes through hardship. History contains many such moments where spiritual elevation could have been achieved smoothly, but instead occurred through suffering, as seen in episodes of Kiddush Hashem throughout the ages.

This Parshah reminds us that setbacks are part of life, yet how we respond determines whether we can build vessels for Hashem’s light. By holding on to emunah and simcha, we can avoid unnecessary suffering and bring blessings into our lives. We should strive to be resilient, never allowing fear to overpower our faith. As Rebbe Nachman famously said, the main thing is not to make yourself afraid. With the merit of the tzaddikim who have passed on, may we face every challenge with strength and confidence.

This class is based on Likutey Moharan lesson 24. For more on this lesson: https://linktr.ee/breslovtherapy_lesson_24

This article also appears on the BRI breslov.org website: https://breslov.org/the-retroactive-passing-of-aharon/

For a video presentation of this article: https://youtu.be/pCTAQMFNO-Q

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Shabbat Shalom

Meir Elkabas