Evidence that the priesthood belongs to the family of Aaron. The meaning of the word Aaron in the Bible Encyclopedia Nicephorus

Aaron(high, mountain, mountain of light, teacher, enlightened and a name common with the name Harun, so common in the East) was the first high priest of the Jewish people and the elder brother of the prophet and lawgiver Moses (). The son of Amram and Jochebed, he came from the tribe of Levi and was three years older than his brother, Moses. Due to Moses' tongue-tiedness, he had to speak for him before the people and the king of Egypt, Pharaoh, which is why he was called God by the mouth of Moses and his prophet(); at the same time, he had to help his brother during the journey of the Jews from Egypt to the land of Canaan. Aaron took Elizabeth, the daughter of Abinadab, as his wife, and had four sons from her: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. The first two were punished by God for bringing alien fire to the Lord, and thus the priesthood was established in the family of the last two brothers remaining alive (). Aaron and his sons were called to priestly service in a special way and directly by God himself (). But even before the dedication, when Moses went to Sinai to receive the law from God, the Jews became bored with their leader’s long stay on the mountain and approached Aaron with a demand that he give them a statue of one of the pagan deities as a guidebook. Aaron, yielding to the reckless demand of the people, ordered the golden earrings of their wives and children to be brought and, when they were brought, he poured out of them a golden calf, probably on the model of the Egyptian idol Apis. The satisfied people exclaimed: Behold your God, Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt(). When Aaron saw this, he set up an altar and cried out, saying: tomorrow is a holiday to the Lord. The next day the people brought burnt offerings before him and began to eat and drink, and then play (). For such weakness, Aaron was justly reproached by Moses; but since this cowardice was soon smoothed over by repentance, even after this Aaron was not deprived of God’s favor. Moses, by the will of God, at the same Mount Sinai elevated him to the high rank of great priest, or high priest, with the right to transfer the high priesthood to the eldest in his family, and appointed his four sons as priests or priests (). However, soon after the dedication, two of Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, took their censers and offered fire before the Lord alien(that is, taken not from the altar, as was commanded by the Lord), for which they were killed by fire sent from the Lord (). The Book of Numbers () notes that this happened while the people were still in the Sinai desert. Following them, Moses went to Aaron and conveyed to him the will of the Lord regarding the priests in the following words: In those approaching Me I will be sanctified and glorified before all the people (). Shortly before the departure of the Jews from the Sinai desert, Aaron, with his sister Miriam, had the weakness to challenge Moses' right to prophecy, pointing to his marriage to an Ethiopian woman. For this reproach made to Moses, Miriam was punished with seven days of leprosy (). Aaron, after confessing his sin to the Lord, was forgiven. Being a constant collaborator with Moses, Aaron, like him, was often subject to reproaches and insults from the easily indignant Jews. Once it even came to the point of challenging his right to the high priesthood. This revolt took place under the leadership of the Levite Korah, Dathan, Abiron and Abnan with 250 people of the most prominent Israelites from other tribes. The whole community, everyone is holy and the Lord is among them! Why do you put yourselves above the people of the Lord?() - they said to Moses and Aaron. The consequence of the indignation was that the instigators of the rebellion were swallowed up by the earth, and their 250 accomplices were burned by heavenly fire. But God’s terrible punishment did not bring the rebels to their senses. The next day the people again grumbled against Moses and Aaron (): You have killed the people of the Lord, he cried, and then wrath arose from the Lord and defeat began among the people: 14,700 people died. By order of Moses, Aaron took the censer, put incense and fire from the altar into it, stood between the dead and the living, and the defeat stopped (). After this punishment of the troublemakers, the high priesthood was confirmed for Aaron by the following significant miracle: from all 12 tribes, Moses placed 12 rods in the Tabernacle overnight with an inscription on each name of the ancestor of the tribe; in the morning the rod of the tribe of Levi, with the name of Aaron, blossomed, sprouted buds, gave color and brought almonds (). This blossoming rod was kept for a long time after that with the Ark of the Covenant, as clear evidence that the priesthood was forever confirmed by God for Aaron and his sons. However, Aaron did not live to see the Israelis enter the Promised Land. For the lack of faith in the omnipotence of God, which he discovered in the Sin desert, he died before this solemn day (). In the fortieth year, after leaving Egypt, the Lord ordered him, together with Moses, his brother, and Eleazar, his son, to ascend Mount Hor and, in the eyes of the whole society, die on its top (). In the book. In Deuteronomy the place of Aaron's death is called Moser(), and Mount Or is still called among the Arabs the mountain of the prophet Aaron (Jebel Harun). It still shows the place of his burial. The people of Israel honored his death with thirty days of lamentation (). Aaron died at the age of 123, on the first day of the fifth month. In the Jewish calendar, there is a fast on this day in memory of his death. The high priesthood after him passed to his eldest son, Eleazar. In the book. Psalms call him holy Lord's(). Priests in later times were often called the house of Aaron and the sons of Aaron, in honor of their great ancestor. According to the general chronology, Aaron's birth was in 1574 BC, calling in 1491, dedication in 1490 and in 1451.

20.04.2015

The exact meaning of the name Aaron is not known; there are only assumptions that it is of Egyptian origin, and perhaps translated as “Great Name.”
According to legend, the Saint was the son of Amram, and is also considered a descendant of Levi. He had a brother and a sister. The sister's name was Miriam, and she was older than Aaron, the brother's name was Moses, who was 3 years younger than Aaron. The Savior's wife, Mariam (daughter of Amminadab), bore him 4 sons. Their names were Abihu, Ithamar, Navad and Eleazar.

At one time, after being called by Moses, Aaron became a leader and fought for the liberation of Israel. Thus, God made him at the age of 83 through the mouth of Moses. He had to talk to people instead of his brother, who didn't like talking to people.

The first mention of the Saint is found in Exodus. In this scripture he appears under the name Aaron the Levite. From Exodus we can understand that the Priest went to meet his brother Moses, who went to Egypt after a conversation with God.

Aaron was a very worthy man in his time, but he suffered because of his weak character. Quite often he had to act on the instructions of others and very rarely on the expression of his own desire. The weakness of the Saint’s character is evidenced, for example, by the fact that at a time when Moses was not there, he easily succumbed to the demands of the people at Sinai, and specially made a calf of gold for him.

There was also a moment when the Priest joined his sister and began to speak ill of Moses, but then went over to his brother’s side when he disobeyed God’s instructions and dared to hit the rock several times. Having committed this act, they were forever deprived of the happiness of setting foot in the promised lands.

Aaron lived 123 years and died in front of many people who greatly mourned his death. Death overtook the Saint on Mount Or. The tomb located on this mountain is today recognized by the Arabs as the burial place of the Priest itself. However, many data indicate that it appeared much later than the death of the Saint.

Aaronic Priesthood - Establishment

Ordination to the priesthood is considered to be the most important ordination the Lord has ever given to men. It is said that it is given to preserve religion throughout the world and is the greatest and surest condition for its presence on earth, and subsequently it will give spiritual salvation to humanity.

Naturally, priesthood was common earlier. The role of minister was performed by the oldest in the family. However, later it was introduced that it was necessary to transfer the priesthood from this uncertain state and structure into a new institution in which there were a number of rules and canons, and it was separated from the general mass of people.

The duties of service now even included wearing a certain type of attire. Naturally, many in the patriarchal society were very dissatisfied with such new decisions and the violation of old principles. This indignation grew so much among the masses that God had to perform a miracle in order for the true nature of the new institution to be etched in the minds of the people.

Type of Jesus Christ as Aaron

Having laid the foundation for the priesthood, Saint Aaron can rightfully be considered a prototype of the Divine principle created for salvation, namely, one can trace the image of Jesus Christ in the prototype and activity of the Saint. Such a conclusion may arise after drawing parallels between Jesus Christ and the Priest on the basis of the two covenants.

Paul himself teaches about this relationship, and after him the rest of the fathers and teachers of the church. The apostle himself in his teachings points out a very close similarity between Christ and the son of Amram, both in their images and in the teaching and priesthood itself. No one can arbitrarily assume the title of priest, neither Jesus nor Aaron. Both of them were appointed to serve by God himself. But, despite the fact that both received their blessing to serve people from the Almighty, the clear superiority of Christ could be seen. Thus, Aaron could only prepare and carry out the salvation that Jesus finally completed.

After Paul, many more fathers extol reminders of Aaron's divine recognition. Cyril of Alexandria noted that a spiritual prototype of Jesus can be traced in the Saint. Thus, dividing Christ and Aaron at the command to follow Moses, thereby showing the imperfection and weakness of the Old Testament. Thus, one can judge the uselessness and imperfection of the Mosaic decrees, in which some Jews believe who abandoned the High Priest Jesus Christ.

Aaron was a very eloquent man and, being a prototype of the High Priest, was given by God to Moses to help him free Israel. Without the help of the Priest, Moses would not have been able to liberate the city, because he was tongue-tied in words. The law that existed at that time was too unimportant and weak to help in liberation. In this regard, God gave humanity Jesus, who carries out the salvation of the world through the priesthood.

And finally, Aaron, ordained as a priest, receives a distinctive robe and priestly insignia from the Creator himself. Bishop Kirill talks in more detail in his writings about the robe of the High Priest. From the reasoning it follows that the savior bore the first name, meaning that he was the First Savior, and the second name Christ indicates that the Savior belonged to the priests who carried out the service. In the end, it is true that Jesus and Aaron in his initial priestly guise are a continuation of one.

The scripture itself does not give a complete perfect picture of the Holy One, but on the contrary, it gives some criticism and highlights the imperfections of the first priest of Israel.

At one time, Moses had to engage in luring forgiveness from God. He asked for it for his people and his companion. Thus, the circle of revelation was completed for the first time by Moses and Aaron. God showed mercy to the Saint and granted him forgiveness, which was later fully manifested in the actions of Jesus Christ.

Saint Nicholas or, as he was called during his lifetime, Nicholas of Tolentinsky, was born in 1245. He is considered an Augustinian monk; in addition, he was canonized by the Catholic Church. According to various sources...

Aaron אהרֹן (+ 1445 BC), the first Old Testament high priest. The son of Amram and Jochebed from the tribe of Levi, the elder brother of the prophet Moses, was born in Egypt.

He helped Moses in liberating the Jewish people from Egyptian slavery, appearing before Pharaoh as a representative prophet speaking for him (Ex. 4: 14-17). Aaron acted as the “mouth” of Moses before Israel and Pharaoh, performed miracles before Pharaoh (in particular, Aaron’s rod turned into a serpent, and then swallowed the serpents into which the rods of Egyptian wizards turned) and, together with Moses, participated in sending down some of the ten Egyptian plagues.

He was the first high priest and the founder of the only legitimate family of priests - the Kohanim among the Jews, and the priesthood became hereditary in his family - against which Korah, Dathan and Abiron, representatives of the Levites, and their accomplices unsuccessfully rebelled. God confirmed Aaron's election when his rod miraculously blossomed. During the service, Aaron and his sons gave the Aaronic blessing to the people. Aaron was also the chief judge of Israel and the teacher of the people.

Aaron then took part in the forty-year wandering of the Jews in the desert, where, at the command of God, he was appointed high priest.
The year of Aaron's birth should be attributed to 1578 BC. The Lord called Aaron to ministry at the age of 83 years. Aaron died at the age of 123, in 1445 BC. on Mount Hor in the desert (currently the territory of the state of Jordan), just like Moses, without reaching the promised land, as punishment for murmuring against God (Numbers 20:10).

The entire clan of Aaron was chosen by God for priestly service in the Old Testament Church, and the title of high priest was retained by his descendants until the coming of Christ the Savior to earth, successively passing to the eldest in the clan.

The descendants of Aaron are called "the sons of Aaron" and "the house of Aaron" in the Holy Scriptures. According to the teaching of the Apostle Paul (Heb. 5:4-6), Aaron, as the High Priest of Israel, was a prototype of Jesus Christ, the High Priest of the New Israel, the New Testament Church.

A descendant of Aaron was Elizabeth (mother of John the Baptist) (Luke 1:5). The Apostle Paul says that the priesthood of Aaron is temporary, “for the law is associated with it” (Heb. 7:11), and is replaced by Jesus Christ, a priest according to the order of Melchizedek. In Orthodoxy, Aaron is remembered on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers; a number of monthly calendars celebrate his memory on July 20, along with the day of Elijah the Prophet and a number of other Old Testament prophets. The Western memory of Aaron is July 1, the Coptic memory is March 28.

Aaron had four sons from his wife Elisabeth (Elisheva), the daughter of Abinadab, of which the two eldest, Nadab and Abihu, died during the life of their father (they were incinerated by fire), having disobeyed God, and the high priesthood passed to his third son, Eleazar, the youngest was called Ifamar.

The classical iconography of Aaron developed in the 10th century - a gray-haired, long-bearded old man, in priestly vestments, with a rod and censer (or casket) in his hands. Aaron's image is written in the prophetic row of the iconostasis.

Aaron (Hebrew: אַהֲרֹן‎ Ahărōn, Ar.: هارون‎ Hārūn, Greek: Ααρών), elder brother of Moses (Ex. 6:16-20, 7:7, Koran 28:34), prophet and first Jewish high priest, representative knee of Levin. While Moses was raised at Pharaoh's court, Aaron and his sister Miriam remained in the eastern part of Egypt, the country of Goshen. Aaron became famous for his eloquence, and therefore he, on behalf of his brother Moses, asked Pharaoh to release the Jews (Moses, citing tongue-tiedness, refused to speak with Pharaoh). The exact dates of Aaron's life are unknown, but they range from 1600 to 1200 BC. BC.
Content
1. Initial activity
2. Priesthood
3. Korea Uprising
4. Death
5. In rabbinic literature
5.1. Rabbinic literature on the death of Aaron
5.2. Other rabbinic traditions about the life of Aaron
Initial activity
Aaron was the “mouth of Moses,” which implied his connection with Pharaoh's court. Therefore, before the Exodus, Aaron could only be a servant, but not a leader. Together with Moses, Aaron performed miracles (Ex. 4:15–16), convincing the Jews of his chosenness by God.
At the request of Moses, Aaron stretched his rod over the waters of Egypt, which caused the first Egyptian plague. (And the Lord said to Moses, Say to Aaron, Take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of the Egyptians: over their rivers, over their streams, over their lakes, and over every receptacle of their waters, and they will turn into blood, and there will be blood throughout all the land. Egyptian and in wooden and stone vessels Ex. 8:5). But in the episode with the Egyptian plagues, Aaron is given a secondary role compared to Moses; with the movement of his rod, Aaron only provokes the wrath of God, falling on Pharaoh and the Egyptians (Ex. 9:23, 10:13,22). Aaron had already demonstrated similar miraculous power of his rod when, with the wise men of Egypt, in the face of Pharaoh, he turned the rod into a snake. But Aaron’s snake devoured the snakes of the Magi, so the God of Israel proved His superiority over the gods of Egypt.
Immediately after the Exodus, Aaron's role is small; he is even often guilty of murmuring against God. In the famous battle with Amalek, Aaron, together with Hur, supported the hands of the tired Moses, for as soon as Moses lowered his hands, the Jews were defeated, as soon as he raised them, the Jews won. During the Sinai Revelation, Aaron, along with the elders of Israel, accompanied Moses to Mount Sinai, but communication with God was allowed, besides Moses, only Joshua, while Aaron and Hur remained waiting at the foot of the mountain. (Ex. 24:9- 14). In the absence of Moses, Aaron made, at the request of the people, a golden calf as a visible image of God, who led the Jews out of the land of Egypt. In the Holy Quran, Aaron is not guilty of making the calf, he was forced to do this by the Israelites, threatening to kill him. (And when Musa returned to his people angry and upset, he said: “What you did after me is bad! Do you hasten the command of your Lord?” And he threw the tablets and grabbed his brother by the head, dragging him to him. He said: “O son of my mother! People weakened me and were ready to kill me. Do not disgrace me for the amusement of the enemies and do not place me with unrighteous people!” (6:150, Krachkovsky translation)) Aaron was spared by God and he was not the plague that affected the rest of the people touched (Deut 9:20, Ex 32:35).
Priesthood
At that time, the tribe of Levi was assigned to priestly duties, and Aaron was ordained as a priest, clothed in priestly robes, and given numerous instructions from God (Ex. 28-29).
On the same day, Aaron's two sons, Nadab and Abihu, were burned to ashes by fire from God for burning incense improperly.
Modern scholars believe that the Bible authors saw the ideal of the Jewish high priest in the image of Aaron. At Mount Sinai God gave not only instructions in religious worship, but also instructions in the organization of the priestly class. According to the patriarchal customs of that time, the first-born in the family carried out the family duties of serving God. According to the logic of things, the tribe of Reuben, as having traced its lineage back to the firstborn Jacob, should be assigned to priestly service. But Reuben sinned gravely against his father by sleeping with his concubine Bilhah. And, according to the biblical narrative, God's choice fell on Levin's knee. The main responsibility of the Aaronites was to maintain an unquenchable lamp in front of the veil of the Tabernacle. Exodus 28:1 describes the selection of Aaron and his sons as priests: “And take unto you Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may be priest unto me, Aaron, and Nadab, Abihu, and Eleazar, and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron."
Aaron and his sons were distinguished from ordinary people by their special holiness and special attire in which they performed their ministry.
Before his dedication, Aaron and his sons were separated from the rest of the people, for seven days Aaron sacrificed and dedicated priests, on the eighth day the sacrificial animal was slaughtered, Aaron blessed the people (the so-called Aaronic blessing: may the Lord bless you and protect you! May the Lord look upon you with His bright face and have mercy on you! May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace!) (Numbers 6:24-26), after which Aaron entered the Tabernacle. As the Torah says, “And Moses and Aaron entered the Tent of Meeting, and went out and blessed the people. And the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people: And fire went out from the Lord and burned the burnt offering and the fat on the altar; and all the people saw it, and shouted for joy, and fell on their faces. (Lev. 9, 23–24).” This was the beginning of the high priesthood among the Jews.
Uprising Korea
After the Jews left Sinai, Joshua took Aaron's place as Moses' helper. Aaron is mentioned along with his sister Miriam as a protester against the exclusive position that Moses occupied in his relationship with God and against the fact that Moses married an Ethiopian. God angrily condemned Aaron for his murmuring, but struck Miriam with leprosy. Aaron asked Moses for his sister, while at the same time repenting of the sin he had committed, saying that stupid improvidence forced him to rebel against his brother. God did not strike Aaron with leprosy because he was a priest, but Miriam spent seven days outside the Israeli camp, after which she was healed of her illness, God forgave her and returned His mercy to her (Num. 12). Micah, one of the 12 minor prophets, names Moses, Aaron and Miriam as the leaders of the Jewish people after the Exodus. In Numbers 12:6-8 God says that there are many prophets to whom He reveals Himself in vision, but Moses is unique among them, for he spoke mouth to mouth with God Himself: “And He said, Hear My words: if there be among you a prophet of the Lord, I reveal myself to him in a vision, I speak to him in a dream; but not so with My servant Moses - he is faithful in all My house: I speak to him mouth to mouth, and openly, and not in fortune telling, and he sees the image of the Lord; Why were you not afraid to rebuke My servant Moses?” Aaron and Miriam's demand to give them part of Moses' prerogatives was certainly sinful.
The recognition of Aaron and his family's exclusive right to the high priesthood displeased Aaron's cousin, Korah, who rebelled. Two other priests rebelled along with Korah: Dathan and Abiron. But God carried out His judgment on the rebels: the earth opened up and swallowed up Korah, Dathan and Abiron (Num. 16:25-35). But in the censers of the rebel priests there was still incense, which now, after their death, had to be immediately removed from the holy place. This task was entrusted to Eleazar, the only surviving son of Aaron and his successor in the high priesthood. God sent a pestilence on the people because they sympathized with the rebels. Aaron, by order of Moses, stood between the living and the dead and began to burn incense, after which the pestilence stopped. (Num. 17:1-15, 16:36-50).
At that time, another memorable event occurred. The elders of the tribes of Israel objected to the fact that it was the tribe of Levi who were assigned to the priesthood. Then God ordered to take a rod from each tribe, having first written the name of the tribe on it, and put it in the Tabernacle. Whose rod blooms will be the priest. The next morning the rod of the tribe of Levi blossomed and was covered with ripe almonds, so God confirmed that He had chosen for Himself the members of the tribe of Levi, but now God divided them into representatives of the family of Aaron, who performed priestly duties at the Tabernacle, and the rest of the Levites, who performed minor services at the Tabernacle , but were not allowed directly to worship (Num. 18:1-7).
Death
Aaron, like Moses, was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. The reason is that both brothers showed impatience in the last years of wandering in the desert, and when the Jews camped near Kadesh and began to ask for water, God, wanting to show His mercy, ordered Moses to hit the rock once with his staff, but Moses, disobeying, struck twice, for which he was punished by God, who predicted to him that he would not enter the Promised Land.
There are two stories about Aaron's death. According to one of them, set out in the Book of Numbers, shortly after the events at Kadesh, the Jews approached Mount Hor. Aaron was ordered to go up the mountain with Moses and Eleazar. Moses took off Aaron's high priestly robes and clothed Eleazar in them. After this, Aaron died. The Jews mourned him for 30 days (Num. 20:22-29). According to another account of Aaron's death, found in the book of Deuteronomy, Aaron died in a place called Moser and was buried there. Moser is seven days' journey from Mount Or.
In rabbinic literature
The prophets believed that the priestly cult was a lower form of religious life than the prophetic faith. People on whom the Spirit of God has not rested have to overcome with all their might the idolatrous inclinations of their souls. The High Priest Aaron stood below Moses, Aaron was only the executor and proclaimer of the will of God, revealed to Moses, and this despite the fact that the expression “God spoke to Moses and Aaron” is mentioned 15 times in the Torah. The fate of the Jewish priestly class in the Persian era forced many Jews, including the prophet Malachi, to reconsider the spiritual ideal of Jewry: Aaron was henceforth considered equal to Moses. In Mekilta, one of the midrashim, we read: “Both Aaron and Moses are mentioned in Scripture, so we should recognize them as equal to each other.”
Rabbinic literature on the death of Aaron
Since God promised Aaron, according to haggadic literature, that his life would be peaceful (symbolized by the pouring of oil on his head), Aaron’s death was very peaceful. Together with Moses and Eleazar, Aaron ascended Mount Hor, and then a beautiful cave, illuminated by the light of a lamp, opened to Aaron’s gaze. “Take off your priestly robes and clothe your son Eleazar in them, then follow me,” said Moses. “Aaron did as he was told, in the cave there was a coffin, near which stood angels. “Lie down, my brother,” Moses ordered. Aaron meekly carried out Moses’ command. After the Divine kiss, Aaron’s soul left his body (“Then the Shekinah came down, (Glory God), kissed him - and his soul flew away from Aaron”, Haggadah “In the Wilderness”). As it is said in the Haggadah, as soon as Moses and Eleazar left the cave, it closed. When Moses and Eleazar left the mountain, the people asked “Where is Aaron ? and they began to accuse Moses and Eleazar of killing Aaron, when suddenly everyone saw angels in the sky carrying the coffin with Aaron. Everyone heard the voice of God from heaven: “The law of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found on his tongue; in peace and righteousness he walked with Me and turned away many from sin" (Mal. 2:6). Aaron died, according to the book "Seder Olam Rabba" on the first of Av (Av is the fifth month of the Jewish calendar, corresponding to July-August). The pillar of cloud that went before Jews, showing them the way in the desert, disappeared after the death of Aaron. The rabbis eliminate the apparent contradiction between the Book of Numbers and Deuteronomy regarding the death of Aaron with the following reasoning: Aaron died on Mount Hor, but the Jews could not mourn him, for they were defeated by the king of Arad, and only by fleeing from the enemy to Moser, located seven days' journey from Or, they staged a funeral lament for Aaron. And therefore the statement was made: “Aaron died in Moser.”
Other rabbinic traditions about the life of Aaron
The rabbis wrote a lot about the brotherly feelings that bound Moses and Aaron. When Moses was appointed by God as the leader of the Jews, and Aaron as the high priest, neither of them felt jealousy or envy, but each of them rejoiced at the greatness of the other. When Moses first refused to go to Pharaoh, he said, according to the Book of Exodus: “Send another whom you can send” (Exodus 4:13). Further, according to the biblical story: “And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and He said: Have you not a brother Aaron, the Levite? I know that he can speak, and behold, he will come out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will rejoice in his heart; You will speak to him and put words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and will teach you what you should do” (Ex. 3:14-15). Aaron's heart, according to Shimon bar Yochai (2nd century AD), was filled with joy because his brother would gain greater glory than himself, and his chest would be adorned with “the Urim and Thumim, which were now” the heart of Aaron, when he shall enter [the sanctuary] before the face of the Lord” (Exodus 28:30) When Moses and Aaron met after Moses fled to Midian, they were overjoyed and kissed each other like true brothers (Exodus 4:27 ), cf. Song Song 8 “Oh, that you were my brother, who suckled my mother’s breasts! then, meeting you on the street, I would kiss you” and Ps. 132 “How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together!” An indirect mention of Moses and Aaron can be found elsewhere in the Psalter: “Mercy and truth will meet, righteousness and peace will kiss each other” (Ps. 84:11), because Moses was the embodiment of justice (Deut. 33:21), and Aaron was the embodiment of peace. (Mal.2:6). Likewise, mercy was embodied in Aaron (Deut. 33:8) and truth in Moses (Num. 12:7).
When Moses poured oil on Aaron's head, Aaron modestly declined and said, “Who knows if I am not without vices, so that I may be a high priest.” Then the Shekinah (Glory of God) said: “I see the precious ointment on Aaron’s head, flowing from his beard and even from the hem of his robe, and therefore Aaron is as pure as the dew of Hermon.”

Moses and his brother Aaron belonged to the tribe of Levi, and in subsequent generations only the descendants of Aaron were priests, so the expression “Levite” actually became synonymous with the word “priest.” The account of events in Exodus 6 is interrupted by Aaron's genealogy.

Levi, as the Bible describes, had three sons, of whom the second was Kohath. Kohath had four sons, and the first of them were Amram and Isaac. Levi, Kohath, and Amram lived each one hundred thirty-seven, one hundred thirty-three, and one hundred thirty-seven years, respectively. There is still an echo of the age of the patriarchs with their rather long life expectancy.

Exod., 6: 20–21. Amram took Jochebed... as his wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses... The sons of Izhar: Korah...

Korah, who would later rebel against Moses, which would end badly for him, is mentioned here as Moses' cousin. He also (despite his rebellion) became the founder of one of the guilds of temple musicians, which the Bible calls the sons of Korah and which are spoken of in the Psalter.

Exod. 6:23. Aaron took Elizabeth as his wife... and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

Ex. 6:25. Eleazar... took one of the daughters of Futhiel as his wife, and she bore him Phinehas...

Nadab and Abihu died during the Exodus, but Eleazar and Ithamar survived and became the founders of the two main priestly families of later times. Aaron was the first high priest, succeeded by his son Eleazar and then his grandson Phinehas.