With Sukkos almost here and the beer still chilling for the Sunday Night Suds in the Sukkah, I will obviously be unable to post the beer review for this week. However, I heard a vort yesterday in Mikor in Chicago from R' Schechter which really struck a chord with me and I would like to try to summarize it here. Same rules as usual apply, I have attempted to summarize many of the thoughts to the best of my abilities. Any inconsistencies are the results of my transcription and should not be attributed to R' Schechter.
I heard this vort after davening of Shabbos Parshas Ha'azinu and it has an interesting connection between the parsha, the Chag and the noble figures of Moshe and Aharon. In Devarim 32:48-52 the Torah repeats Hashem's instructions to Moshe about Moshe's death. Specifically, in Devarim 32:50, Moshe is told "U'Mus" to die on the mountain where he will then be gathered ("He'Asef") in to his people (a symbol for death), just as Aharon dies and was gathered in to his people.
R' Schechter first quoted Rashi who notes that Moshe desired to die the same way that Aharon died through Missas Neshika. Rash actually goes through a step by step recount of how Aharon dies, although this is not discussed discussed in detail at all in Parshas Chukas where the Torah merely states that Moshe removed Aharon's priestly garments and dressed Elazar in them before stating that Aharon died on the mountain.
Instead, in Ha'azinu, Rashi explains that after the priestly clothing was removed, Aharon was told to put out his hands, and he did, to put out his legs and he did, to close his eyes and he did and to close his mouth and he did. It is an interesting focus on the process which to my knowledge is not discussed in any gemara.
R' Schecter then asked - why the double language of Mus and He'Asef? He answered that Moshe and Aharon wanted to have a connection to Sukkos and the concept of the Ushpizin in the Sukkah. He quoted the Dumbrovner Rav (I have nothing on this other than him being a Rav from the City of Dumbrov). He explained that the death of Aharon and Moshe are eternally linked to Sukkos - the Chag Ha'Asif, by their roles as Ushpizin. Both Moshe & Aharon have nights, which by most minhagim are ordered as Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moshe, Aharon, Yosef and then Dovid. (As my father pointed out to me today, there are some who have Yosef before Moshe, so this vort wont work for their tradition, but oh well).
Under this traditional schedule, Moshe is the 4th day of Sukkos and Aharon is the 5th day. This year that means that they will be on Thursday and Friday since Sukkos starts on Sunday Night/Monday as day 1. As told by the Dumbrovner, the day of the week that they are in the sukkah as the Ushpizin for that night is the same day of the week as their yahrtzeit. We know that Moshe dies on 7 Adar which this year was on a Thursday. And we also know that Aharon died on Rosh Chodesh Av which this year was a Friday. Sure enough, their days to visit the Sukkah are Thursday (Moshe) and Friday (Aharon).
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