The rhythm of our Parasha is interrupted by a six-verse singular paragraph in which Aaron and his sons for generations are commanded to bless the Children of Israel. Although the ultimate source of blessings is God Himself, as we read: Let them place My Name upon the Children of Israel, and I shall bless them, Aaron and his sons have a very important role in the delivery of these blessings.

We see here a deviation of the traditional role of the Priests. They don’t deal here with sacrifices or offerings, but with words and blessings.

God chose Aaron –the Priest- and not Moses –the Prophet- to bless the Children of Israel. Although Moses blessed the people of Israel, his words, full with prophecy, sounded harsh to some of the tribes. Here – on the contrary- we find only sweet words, a blessing in the traditional sense of the word.

Aaron not only loved every single Jew, but also was loved by them. And so we’ll read in the Torah (in Parashat Chukat): "When the entire assembly saw that Aaron had perished, they wept for Aaron thirty days, the entire house of Israel" (Numbers 20:29). And RaSHI explains: ‘Aaron was mourned by everyone, men and women, alike, because Aaron pursued peace and extended himself to bring harmony between adversaries and between man and wife’. In contrast –explains Yalkut Shimoni, Moses was not universally mourned (see Deuteronomy 34:8), because it was his responsibility to judge and some times admonish, thus lessening the love that some felt for him’

Aaron didn’t reach Moses’ level in prophecy and in closeness to God. However he knew how to make peace within the people of Israel. He knew how to love them (with their merits and faults) and was loved by them. Aaron had a wife and a family. Moses divorced his wife and didn’t spend much time with his sons. Moses irradiated God’s light. Aaron irradiated human compassion. Moses was only one. Aaron started the Priesthood institution and was followed by his children and grandchildren for generations.

However, and despite this information I shared with you, we can still ask ourselves a question: How can God command Aaron to bless the people of Israel? Isn’t a blessing something you need to feel, something spontaneous? We could understand if Aaron was told by God to repeat the words of the blessings, but how can a person be commanded to bless others? Moreover: Facing the Ark, the Kohanim raise their hands and before they turn to face the congregation they recite: "Blessed are You, Hashem, our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with the holiness of Aaron, and has commanded us to bless His people Israel with love".

Sometimes, when your position within the congregation requires that, you need to educate yourself to love others. When you are a Priest in charge of providing atonement for the entire congregation, or today, when you are a congregational Rabbi, or the educational director, or the president of the congregation, you need to elevate yourself in order to fulfill your mission. When your mission is to represent your people (even though we are talking about 150 families), to gather them, to nurture them with love for Judaism, you must teach yourself to love them.

So important is it to develop this sense of loving, that the Alter Rebbe, the first Chabad Rabbi explains (based on the Zohar): The Kohanim are to feel love for the congregation when they pronounce the blessings. Any Kohen who does not have love for the congregation or for whom the congregation has no love may not raise his hands to bless the congregation.

God forced Aaron to love the people of Israel. As we read in the Torah: "So shall you bless the Children of Israel". Aaron, on the other hand, accepted the challenge.

If you are a Rabbi, a president or an educational director of a congregation, that doesn’t mean you need to be everybody’s friend. However you need to be everybody’s Rabbi, everybody’s president and everybody’s educational director.

Leaders need always to take the higher road and lead with their example.

And if you ask yourself: How can someone teach himself or herself to love others? The answer may be found in Pirkei Avot (Chapter 1, Mishnah 6): "Judge Every person favorably" .Try to see always the positive points in others and this attitude will develop within yourself a sense of love –with God’s help.

And ‘May Hashem bless you and safeguard you. May Hashem illuminate His countenance for you and be gracious to you. May Hashem lift His countenance and establish peace for you’. Amen.

Shabbat Shalom!