i
The people revolt against the priesthood of Aaron, the High Priest.
All the people are holy, they say.
So everyone should be a priest.
*
Because of this revolt, God sends a plague.
But Aaron runs into the midst of the congregation.
And standing between the living and the dead, Aaron blocks the plague’s spreading.
ii
God makes Aaron’s wooden staff sprout blossoms, like a living tree.
The people, seeing Aaron’s specialness, know that not just everyone is fit to be a priest.
*
Then God speaks to Aaron directly.
Even Moses does not accompany Aaron when God speaks to him.
God speaks to Aaron alone.
iii
There is a difference between a holy man who can stand before God, and a holy man who helps his people to be with God.
Standing between the people and the plague, Aaron becomes this second kind of holy man.
*
Then, God guides the people to accept him.
Then, God speaks with him.
Special thanks to Jordan Rosenberg for helping me think through the conclusion of this piece; and to my wife, as always, for editing.