In the second of this week’s double parshios, Parshas Masei, the Torah records the event of the death of Aharon ha’Kohen.  The pasukim tell us: וַיִּסְעוּ, מִקָּדֵשׁ; וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּהֹר הָהָר, בִּקְצֵה אֶרֶץ אֱדוֹם, and they journeyed from Kadesh, and they camped at Hor Ha’Hor, on the edge of the land of Edom; וַיַּעַל אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן אֶל-הֹר הָהָר, עַל-פִּי ה’--וַיָּמָת שָׁם:  בִּשְׁנַת הָאַרְבָּעִים, לְצֵאת בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם, בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַחֲמִישִׁי, בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ, and Aharon the Kohen ascended to Hor Ha’Hor, by the word of G-d, and he died there, in the fortieth year from when the Children of Israel left the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first of the month; וְאַהֲרֹן, בֶּן-שָׁלֹשׁ וְעֶשְׂרִים וּמְאַת שָׁנָה, בְּמֹתוֹ, בְּהֹר הָהָר, and Aharon was one hundred and twenty three years old when he died at Hor Ha’Hor (Bamidbar 33:37-39).

What is noteworthy and fascinating about these pasukim, which briefly record the death of Aharon, is that the Torah provides us with the date of Aharon’s death.  “And Aharon died in the fifth month, on the first of the month.”  As the Torah counts the months from Nissan, with Nissan being the first month, the fifth month is the month of Av.  Hence, the yarzheit of Aharon ha’Kohen is on Rosh Chodesh Av.  This date would not be so startling if not for the fact that this is the only yarzheit recorded in the entire Torah!  We are not told the date of death of the Avos or Imahos, nor Moshe or Miriam, which means the Torah did not feel it significant for us to know those dates.

However, there is something most compelling about Aharon that he merits the only yarzheit date  recorded in the Chumash.

At the time of his petirah, Rashi tells us that the entire nation - men and women - mourned for Aharon for thirty days לְפִי שֶׁהָיָה אַהֲרֹן רוֹדֵף שָׁלוֹם וּמַטִּיל אַהֲבָה בֵּין בַּעֲלֵי מְרִיבָה וּבֵין אִישׁ לְאִשְׁתּוֹ, because Aharon pursued peace and instilled love between quarreling parties and between man and wife (Rashi to Bamidbar 20:29). 

Aharon’s death, on Rosh Chodesh Av - the month in which we mourn for the destruction of the Batei Mikdash - is meant to arouse, inspire, and shake us up in our avodas Hashem, and more specifically, our interaction bein adam la’chavairo (between man and fellow man).  We mourn in Av for the Temple destroyed because of lack of ahava (love) between Jews.  Chazal famously teach us that it was sinas chinam (baseless hatred) that destroyed the second BHM”K (Yoma 9b), and if it is not rebuilt in our time, then we are guilty of the same sins that destroyed it, and it is considered as if we destroyed it (Yerushalmi Yoma 1:1).  

Every Rosh Chodesh Av, during this time of The Three Weeks, and as we begin The Nine Days, perhaps Hashem wants us to contemplate the death of Aharon and his peace-loving ways in life, which will cause us to repair our own ways, and be mesaken (rectify and repair) the lack of shalom in our nation.  

It is not for naught that Hillel admonishes us to be of the students of Aharon: love peace, pursue peace, love people, and bring them close to Torah (Pirkei Avos 1:12).  Aharon did not passively love peace, he actively strove to chase after it, to cultivate it, and to restore it to quarreling parties.  

Commenting on this mishnah, Avos d’Rabi Nosson teaches:

מלמד שיהא אדם אוהב שלום בישראל בין כל אחד ואחד כדרך שהיה אהרן אוהב שלום בין כל אחד ואחד שנא׳ (מלאכי ב) תורת אמת היתה בפיהו ועולה לא נמצא בשפתיו בשלום ובמישור הלך אתי ורבים השיב מעון - this teaches that a person should love peace amongst Israel, between each and every person, in the same way that Aharon loved peace between each and every person, as the verse says (regarding Aharon): “The Torah of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found on his lips; with peace and fairness he walked with Me, and turned many away from sin” [Malachi 2:6] (Avos d’Rabi Nosson, 12:3).  

The Baraisa (Avos d’Rabi Nosson) seems to be commanding us to be like Aharon.  It is not simply good advice to strive for peace and cultivate ahava between Jews, it is an imperative to do so!  Be like Aharon, the Baraisa interprets Hillel’s teaching in the Mishnah.  Only when shalom - peace, harmony and wholesomeness - are found amongst our nation, will ahavas Yisrael increase and negate the sinas chinam that destroyed our Temple, exiled us from our Land, and scattered us amongst the nations of the world. 

Riki Siton is a charedi woman from Bnei Brak who is involved in increasing understanding, respect and love between chilonim and charedim in Israel.  “Riki is involved in Ayelet Hashachar’s Chavrusa Project, which pairs secular men and women with a religious one.  The word ‘chavrusa’ is used loosely here, not strictly in its classic context of ‘Torah-study-partner.’  There’s another objective: friendship and connection (between secular and religious).  ‘You can’t make a person become religiously observant,’ Riki explains.  ‘You can’t change a person.  You can get to know them, see them for who they are, show them your lifestyle.  That has a tremendous effect.

“‘Don’t get me wrong, if you have the zechus (merit) to be a part of someone’s journey to Yiddishkeit, that’s fantastic.  But that’s not the main goal.  Eleven years ago, I had a chavrusa who saw our relationship as something of an anthropological foray into the world of chareidim.  She had no intention of ever becoming frum and was entirely uninterested in learning anything related to Judaism.  I asked Rav Aharon Leib Steinman: Should I still be her chavrusa?  Rav Aharon Leib’s answer was surprising: if she wants a chavrusa with a frum person, I must provide her with one.  However, her chavrusa must be someone adequately grounded in her own Yiddishkeit.  ‘Because,’ said Rav Aharon Leib, ‘if one Jew will hate another Jew a little bit less (and hence, this will increase love between Jews), that too is chazarah b’teshuva.’  (Family First, Issue 903, p.25). 

This Shabbos is Mevorchim Chodesh Av, and Monday is R’Ch Av.  As we read of the death of Aharon in Parshas Masei, and remember his merits on his yarzheit, let us take action to increase ahava and shalom in our own lives, to see other Jews in a positive light of warmth and love, to decrease hatred even a little bit less and increase ahava even a little bit more.  For this too is repentance for the sins that destroyed the Temple oh-so-long-ago.  

Perhaps then we will merit to be the generation that sees the Rebuilding in our days and in our time, halavay may it be b’karov mamash.

בברכת בשורות טובות ושבת שלום