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    Torah to the people or the people to the Torah? – B’ha’alot’cha

    Aaron the kohen gadol was responsible for maintaining the Tabernacle lights.

    18th century Dutch oak statue of Aaron, the High Priest

    He was also the supreme diplomat who brought conflicts to a close by creating love and harmony amongst people who had ill feelings towards each other.

    Pir’kei Avot praises Aaron for loving people and bringing them near to the Torah (1:12).

    Aaron had two options – to bring the people to the Torah or to bring the Torah to the people.

    The Lubavitcher Rebbe said that Aaron chose the first option. He went out to the people and discovered that some had become distanced from Judaism. Having found them, he exerted himself to bring them to the Torah.

    He could have taken the Torah to them – but this meant compromising the Torah and adapting it to the inappropriate way of thinking and living of those who were afar.

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