CHANNELS OF LIFE
In this week’s Parsha there is an important principle found in Ohr Hachaim Haka-dosh’s commentary. HaShem instructs Moshe “And you, you shall bring close to you, your brother Aharon and his sons to serve Me as Kohanim…” How are we to understand the redundancy of the word ‘you’. Furthermore, it would have been more simply stated if it would say “And you shall bring your brother Aharon and his sons closer to the Kehuna…” What is the implication of “bring close to you”?
Before answering this question, the Ohr Hachaim points out that Moshe would have been the one designated to be the Kohein and not Aharon. The reason Moshe did not receive this designation was a punishment for his adamant refusal to accept the position of being the redeemer of Klal Yisroel when HaShem asked him to. Back in Parsha Shemos Moshe had his first encounter with HaShem at the burning bush. At that encounter, HaShem told Moshe to take on the role of leadership and take His people out from Egypt. There was a lengthy dialogue between HaShem and Moshe where Moshe refused to go. He insisted that Aharon be chosen to be the leader. At that point, as a reaction to Moshe’s refusal, HaShem shifted the designation of the Kehuna from Moshe to Aharon.
The actual delivery of this consequence did not occur until the establishment of the Mishkan at which time Aharon and his family were to serve as the Kohanim. It is in this verse, in which HaShem instructs Moshe to bring Aharon and his sons close to the Mishkan when Moshe feels the loss of what could have been his.
The Ohr Hachaim explains the nature of chet (sin). A Jew has 248 physical limbs and 365 physical sinews that correspond to his neshamah’s 248 spiritual limbs and 365 spiritual sinews. Each of these 613 parts have channels of kedusha through which the Jew gets life from HaShem. When a chet is committed, that chet attaches itself to the channel running to the respective organ and the person loses that connection to HaShem’s flow of energy, r’l. The chet detaches that channel from the Jew and ‘steals’ the energy flowing from HaShem. Once the Jew gets an atonement for his chet, the chet leaves and the person becomes reattached to that channel; he gets himself back again. Therefore, when Moshe refused HaShem’s request which constituted a chet, he actually experienced a detachment of sorts from HaShem. One of his channels was detached from him.
With Aharon’s appointment, Moshe experienced his loss of the Kehunah. This served as an atonement for his chet of refusing HaShem’s request to lead the people out of Egypt. Effectively, with Moshe’s appointing Aharon to the Kehuna Moshe got back his lost channel.
The Ohr Hachaim interprets our verse as follows. “And you shall bring yourself close to yourself (by becoming reattached to that lost channel) by leading your brother Aharon and his sons to the Kehunah.” Now Moshe will be completely connected to all his channels once Aharon is designated as the Kohein.
Using this principle the Ohr Hachaim explains how one must relate to pain, injury, insult and other forms of punishment. Every extreme experience warrants its own bracha. A very good experience warrants “hatov vehametiv” and the reverse war-rants “dayan ha-emes”. The Talmud teaches us that we must express each bracha with the same positive attitude. How can one express “dayan haemes” with any positive attitude? Is there any positive spin to a great financial loss or to the loss of a dear one?
The Ohr Hachaim explains based on our verse that in fact there is a very positive aspect. With every difficulty we experi-ence, we achieve an atonement for some infraction that we have done. With that atonement we become reconnected to ourselves and to HaShem.
Have a wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind