26 Jul PARASHAT MATOT-MASEH: FOLLOWING THE EXAMPLE OF AHARON HA’KOHEN

The Torah in

Parashat Maseh

b r i e f l y

mentions the

death of Aharon

H a ’ k o h e n ,

noting that he

passed away on Rosh Hodesh Ab – a

day which always falls around the

time of the Shabbat when we read

Parashat Maseh.

The Mishna in Masechet Abot

instructs us to “be among the students

of Aharon Ha’kohen, who loved

peace, pursued peace, loved people,

and drew them close to Torah.”

Aharon distinguished himself

specifically in the area of peaceful

relations among people. It is therefore

appropriate that we read about his

passing during this period of year,

when we mourn the destruction of the

Bet Ha’mikdash, which was the result

of Sin’at Hinam (hatred among Jews).

Aharon represents the diametric

opposite of Sin’at Hinam, as he

pursued peaceful relations with all

people, and his example is one which

we must follow in order to correct the

mistake that caused the Jewish

Nation’s exile.

However, the Mishna speaks not only

of Aharon’s devotion to peace, but

also of his efforts to bring his fellow

Jews closer to Torah observance:

“loved people, and drew them close to

Torah.” The Mishna uses here the

word “Beriyot” (“people”), which

refers to people on the lowest spiritual

levels. The word “Beriya” literally

means “creature” – something that

was created. A “Beriya” is thus a

person whose only achievement is the

fact that he was created, who has not

accomplished anything more than

simply existing. Aharon truly loved

even the Beriyot. He was genuinely

devoted to all his fellow Jews, and

rather than reject or ignore the

“Beriyot,” he loved them and worked

with them in an effort to inspire them

to grow.

This quality, too, is something we

must try to emulate as we seek to

become worthy of the end of the exile

and the rebuilding of the Bet

Ha’mikdash. The name of this month

– “Ab” – is spelled “Alef,” “Bet.” The

word “Alef” means “to teach,” and the

letter “Bet” represents the word

“Bina” –wisdom. After a person

learns and acquires knowledge, he

bears the responsibility of sharing his

knowledge with other people. This

must be one of our goals during this

period of mourning – to commit

ourselves to spreading Hashem’s

word and positively influencing our

fellow Jews. This is the time to

redouble efforts to pursue peace, to

love all Jews regardless of their

religious background, regardless of

whether they are more, less, or just as

observant as we are, and make every

effort possible to inspire and uplift

other Jews so they will draw closer to

Torah.