In this week’s parshah, Moshe and Aharon
begin carrying out their mission from Hashem to Paroh and the first seven
makkos are delivered on the Egyptians. In last week’s parshah, Hashem appointed
Moshe to be the leader of Bnei Yisrael, when up till this time, his brother,
Aharon, had filled that position. Moshe protested that Aharon should continue
to fill the same position he always had and be the one sent to Paroh. So Hashem
decided to make Moshe the leader but that Aharon should be his
second-in-command and go to Paroh with him. We see this decision in action in
this week’s parshah.
The second aliyah in this week’s parshah
gives the family genealogy of Moshe and Aharon. After this, the pasuk reads, “הוּא אַהֲרֹן וּמשֶׁה
אֲשֶׁר אָמַר יְהֹוָה לָהֶם הוֹצִיאוּ אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם עַל
צִבְאֹתָם” “This is Aharon and Moshe to whom Hashem said: ‘Take the
Children of Israel out of Egypt according to their legions” (Shemos 6:26).
The very next pasuk reads, “הֵם הַמְדַבְּרִים אֶל פַּרְעֹה
מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם לְהוֹצִיא אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִּצְרָיִם הוּא משֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן”
“They are the ones who spoke to Paroh, king of Egypt, to take the Children
of Israel out of the land of Egypt; this is Moshe and Aharon” (6:27). Rashi
explains that in the Torah, sometimes we see Moshe written before Aharon and
sometimes Aharon before Moshe. This shows us that even though it does not
always seem this way, they were both equally great and equally important.
The Kli Yakar goes
into greater detail of why they are mentioned in this specific order in each
pasuk. The main mission given to Moshe from Hashem was to take Bnei Yisrael out
of Egypt. It seems very clear from the pesukim that Moshe was the main figure with
Aharon delegated to a secondary role. Therefore, in the pasuk which speaks
about taking Bnei Yisrael out of Egypt, pasuk 26, the Torah wrote Aharon’s name
first to show that he was just as vital to the mission as Moshe. The other part
of the assignment from Hashem was to go to Paroh and ask for Bnei Yisrael to be
freed and perform miracles in front of him. The Torah tells us several times
that Aharon would be the one to actually speak to Paroh when he and Moshe went
to the palace. Therefore, in the pasuk which talks about them speaking to
Paroh, pasuk 27, the Torah writes Moshe’s name first, showing that even though
it was technically Aharon’s responsibility, Moshe was of equal importance to
Aharon in that case.
There are so many
times in life where we feel threatened by other people. Other times, we seize
opportunities to get ahead even if it is not good for the people involved, but
just for ourselves. How much more often do we see these things by siblings, where
we so often feel the need to be better than the other! Moshe and Aharon both completely
embraced each other’s success and kept trying to give the greater glory to the
other, because they felt that it would be better for the entire nation if the
other did what needed to be done. It was only because of this mutual respect
and dedication to each other that they were able to bring the Bnei Yisrael out
of Egypt. We must learn from Moshe and Aharon to be respectful of others and to
always put the greater good ahead of our own interests. And it is only through
this that we will merit the true redemption speedily in our times.
Shabbat Shalom!
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