Pekudei: A Foot in Both Worlds
Why did God command Moshe that Aharon's sons should be the ones to serve under their father in the priesthood?
"And you shall anoint them like you anointed their father, and they shall serve in the priesthood for Me, and their anointment shall be for eternal priesthood for all generations" (Shmot 40:15).
Why did God command Moshe (Moses) that Aharon's (Aaron) sons should be the ones to serve under their father in the priesthood? Also, if the Torah commands that their priesthood shall be eternal, then why does it use the apparent superfluous terminology of "for all generations" – isn't that the same as "eternal"?
The following parable will help us answer the above questions:
A wealthy Odessa merchant had a fleet of a dozen ships that sailed the ports of the Black sea, transporting and trading Romanian hardwood, Bulgarian wine and cheese, Turkish black tea and spices, and Georgian silk. Most of the time, the merchant would have to sail to faraway ports, especially Istanbul, to personally select the best goods and to negotiate their acquisition.
The merchant's main warehouses in Odessa never functioned according to his expectations and high standards. The hired help lacked both loyalty and integrity. Large sums of missing funds and missing goods were unaccounted for. Whenever the merchant returned from abroad, he'd find his warehouses in disarray, his workers either absent or inebriated, and his customers grumbling and dissatisfied.
"Enough!" declared the merchant one day, after returning from a trip to Istanbul. "Why should I sail from port to port searching for the best goods at the best price, when all my hard work is wasted right here in Odessa?"
Meanwhile, the merchant's two sons had grown up and had completed their formal education. Without wasting a day, the merchant took them in the business and placed them in charge of the Odessa warehouses. The sons managed the business impeccably, to their father's pride and complete satisfaction. The business trebled its profits, and the merchant was able to continue sailing to faraway ports with a confidant heart. Even though he was physically across the sea in Istanbul, the presence of his sons at the warehouses was as if he himself were in Odessa as well, to the delight of the customers and everyone else that did business with them.
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Rebbe Nachman of Breslov explains (Likutey Moharan II:68), that the prime quality of a true tzaddik is his ability to maintain a simultaneous presence "above and below". Above and below has a double connotation: First, for the broken-hearted who think they're "below", at low levels and completely removed from God, the tzaddik shows them that they are really close to God, and that God loves them and is with them. On the other hand, for those "above" who consider themselves righteous and learned, the tzaddik shows them how in actuality they are far away from God.
Second, although a tzaddik is "above", in other words, once his soul has left this earth and dwells in the upper worlds, he can maintain a simultaneous presence "below." How? Through leaving sons or pupils who live their lives according to his teachings. As the son or the pupil is in essence the continuation of the father's (teacher's) brain, the son or pupil enables the father or teacher to maintain a simultaneous presence in both worlds, above and below.
The Odessa merchant, in order to succeed, was required to maintain a simultaneous presence both in Istanbul across the Black Sea and in Odessa. He succeeded in doing so by bringing his most trustworthy sons into the business. This wise move enabled him to be in Istanbul, while they attended to matters in Odessa with the same acumen as if he personally did. So, in effect, the merchant would be at both places at the same time.
As in the above parable, Aharon's sons were commanded to serve under their father in the priesthood so that Aharon, the Kohen HaGadol (High Priest), could maintain a presence "above and below" – in the spiritual world, praying in behalf of all of Israel, and in the material world, to lead his people on the proper path. "Eternal" indicates the priesthood, which will forever be comprised of Aharon's offspring.
Since we are all commanded to be like the priestly tribe, we all must do our utmost to leave sons and pupils who will continue in the ways of Torah long after our departure from this earth, "for all generations". Like the tzaddik and Kohen HaGadol, we too must try to be "above and below" at the same time. May we all merit seeing our offspring vibrant in the service of God, amen.
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