Saint Aaron the Righteous
Parable of Aaron
Exodus states that Aaron first helped Moses. God appointed Aaron as his "prophet" because Moses was unable to speak (Exodus 4:10–17; 7:1). When Moses gave him the command, his rod changed into a snake. ]. [17] He brought about the first three plagues with his rod. After that, Moses started acting independently and speaking for himself.
Aaron was not always active or prominent during the wilderness journey. In the battle against Amalek, he was chosen along with Hur to assist Moses in holding the "rod of God." When Moses received the revelation at Mount Sinai, he was accompanied by the elders of Israel on the way to the summit. While Joshua accompanied Moses to the summit, Aaron and Hur stayed behind to care for the people. In Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Joshua assists Moses while Aaron becomes the first high priest. [25]
High Priesthood
The books of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers state that Aaron received control of the priesthood of God for himself and his male descendants.[26] Aaron's family had the exclusive right and duty to sacrifice to Jehovah on the altar. The rest of his tribe, the Levites, received lower positions in the sanctuary.[27] Moses anointed and consecrated Aaron and his sons to the priesthood and dressed them in official clothes.[28] He also told them God's detailed instructions on how to fulfill their duties while the rest of the Israelites listened.[29] Aaron and his successors as High Priests gained control over the Urim and Thummim by which God's will could be determined.[30][1] God gave the Aaronite priests the task of separating the holy from the common and the clean from the unclean and to teach the Israelites the divine laws (Torah).[31] Priests were also given the task of blessing people.[32][33][34] When Aaron first made the sacrifices on the altar and blessed the people through Moses, and the majesty of the Lord appeared to all the people; and fire came out from before Jehovah and consumed the burnt offering and the fat of the altar,] seeing that all the people cried out and fell on their faces and citing [35][36] This is how the institution of the Aaronic priesthood was established.[37 ]
Aaron and his relatives are not mentioned very often in the later books of the Hebrew Bible, except in literature originating from the Babylonian captivity and later. The books of Judges, Samuel and Kings mention priests and Levites, but do not specifically mention the Aarons. The book of Ezekiel, which pays a lot of attention to priestly matters, calls the upper class of priests the Zadoks, after one of King David's priests.[1] This reflects a two-tiered priesthood, with the Levites in a lower position. In Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles, a two-level hierarchy of Aaronides and Levites appears. Therefore, many historians believe that the Aaronic families did not control the priesthood in pre-exilic Israel. It is clear that the high priests who claimed to be of Aaronic descent ruled the Second Temple period.[38] Most scholars believe that the Torah took its final form early in this period, which may explain the prominence of the Aaronand in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers.
Death
Aaron, like Moses, was not allowed to enter Canaan with the Israelites, [15] when Moses brought water from the rock to quench the people's thirst. Although they were told to speak to the rock, Moses struck it twice with a stick, which was considered disrespectful to Jehovah.[15][55] There are two accounts of Aaron's death in the Torah.[15] Numbers tells us that shortly after the incident at Meribah, Aaron went up to Mount Hor with his son Eleazar and Moses. There Moses took Aaron's priestly garments and gave them to Eleazar. Aaron died on the mountaintop and the people mourned him for 30 days.[56][15][57][58] Another story is recorded in Deuteronomy 10:6, where Aaron died and was buried at Moshera.[15][59] There is a considerable distance between these two points, because the journey in Numbers 33:31–37 records seven stages between Moseroth (Mosera) and Mount Hor.[15][60] Aaron died on Day 1 and was 123 years old at the time of his death.[61][62][63]
Descendants
Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon of the tribe of Judah.[64] The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Itamar;[note 3] only the latter two had progeny. A descendant of Aaron is an Aaronite, or Kohen, meaning Priest.[66][67] Any non-Aaronic Levite—i.e., descended from Levi but not from Aaron[68]—assisted the Levitical priests of the family of Aaron in the care of the tabernacle; later of the temple.[note 4]