Derasha on Bamidbar 33:38 · TT unit 1

Parashas Masei · Passuk 33:38 · TT note 1

The Complete Passuk

וַיַּ֩עַל֩ אַהֲרֹ֨ן הַכֹּהֵ֜ן אֶל־הֹ֥ר הָהָ֛ר עַל־פִּ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה וַיָּ֣מׇת שָׁ֑ם בִּשְׁנַ֣ת הָֽאַרְבָּעִ֗ים לְצֵ֤את בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם בַּחֹ֥דֶשׁ הַחֲמִישִׁ֖י בְּאֶחָ֥ד לַחֹֽדֶשׁ׃

Chabad.org — English translation + Rashi

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Bava Basra 17a (TT note on “עַל פִּי ה׳”).

E-Daf.com — Tsurras Hadaf (Bava Basra 17a)
HebrewBooks / Shas PDF of the daf

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text — Bava Basra 17a
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: שִׁשָּׁה לֹא שָׁלַט בָּהֶן מַלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן: אַבְרָהָם, יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב, מֹשֶׁה, אַהֲרֹן וּמִרְיָם. … מֹשֶׁה, אַהֲרֹן וּמִרְיָם — דִּכְתִיב בְּהוּ: ״עַל פִּי ה׳״. … תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: שִׁבְעָה לֹא שָׁלַט בָּהֶן רִמָּה וְתוֹלֵעָה, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן: אַבְרָהָם, יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב, מֹשֶׁה, אַהֲרֹן וּמִרְיָם, וּבִנְיָמִין בֶּן יַעֲקֹב. … מֹשֶׁה, אַהֲרֹן וּמִרְיָם — דִּכְתִיב בְּהוּ: ״עַל פִּי ה׳״.

English: The Sages taught: Six over whom the Angel of Death had no sway — among them Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, as it is written of them “by the mouth of the Lord.” And seven over whom the worm and the maggot had no sway — among them Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, as it is written “by the mouth of the Lord.”

Type of Learning

Custom — midrashic force of “al pi Hashem” as death by the divine kiss, not by the Angel of Death.

What Is Learned

Aaron’s death “by the mouth of the Lord” places him among the few over whom neither the Angel of Death nor decay held sway — a death of intimacy, not of force.