Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L

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Aaron’s Staff

G-d tells Moshe to tell the Israelites to take one staff per tribe and have the prince of each tribe inscribed on their respective staff.

Although the Levite clan was divided into Kohanim and Levites, they should be considered like one tribe and Aaron’s name should be inscribed on that staff.

These staffs should then be laid in the Ohel Moed before the Ark and G-d will meet them there. G-d will choose one of the staffs and it will blossom, and G-d’s anger will subside regarding the complaints the Israelites made towrads Him.

So Moshe relates all of this to the Israelites, and places all of the staffs in a circle with Aaron’s in the middle in front of G-d in the Ohel Moed. He placed Aaron’s staff in the middle so no one could claim that the reason why it blossomed (see below) is because it was facing the Shechina.

The following day, Aaron’s staff had blossomed, having sprouted a cluster of almond buds. Rashi comments that the significance of almonds is that they are the quickest fruits to blossom, just like anyone who raising objections over priesthood is quickest to be punished. He gives an example for this from Divrei HaYamim 2 (26:19) where Uzziah the king of Yehudah was afflicted with tzara’as on his forehead immediately upon expressing anger towards the Kohanim.

Moshe then brought out all the staffs to the Israelites and each man took his staff.