Kabbalah Library

83) “These are the heads of their fathers’ houses.” The Creator said, “Speak to the children of Israel peacefully, for even though they are under hard labor, they are kings, sons of kings.”

84) This is why the verse attaches here, “These are the heads of their fathers’ houses,” to show that they were all not lying with their laws and did not mingle with another nation, but stood in their holy place and did not lie in mingling with the Egyptians. This is why he ordained, “These are the heads of their fathers’ houses,” to introduce the origin of Moses and Aaron, that they are worthy of delivering Israel and of speaking to Pharaoh, and to torment him with the rod, since in all the heads of Israel, there were none like them.

85) “And Elazar, Aaron’s son took him one of the daughters of Putiel to wife; and she bore him Pinhas. These are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites.” Pinhas sustained several thousands and tens of thousands from Israel. He sustained several heads of fathers when he killed Zimri and Cozbi, as it is written, “So the plague was stopped from the children of Israel.” This is why it writes “these” about him, in plural form.

86) “These are the heads” is in plural tense because the loss of the heads of the Levites was found in him. And what they lacked and burnt, he complemented. And he gained their priesthood and the form of both of them was in him, in Pinhas. The loss of the heads of the Levites was found in him. These are Nadab and Abihu, who separated the sign of the covenant, Malchut, from its place because they offered strange fire, and he came and connected them. This is why the inheritance and spirit of both of them were given to him. And this is why it writes about him, “These are the heads,” in plural form.

87) Why is Pinhas mentioned here? After all, the writing brings only the origin of Moses and Aaron. However, the Creator saw Aaron when He said, “And I have remembered My covenant,” meaning that Aaron’s two sons would blemish this covenant, and not that He sent him to Egypt to deliver Israel; He wished to remove Aaron so He would not be allowed to go on that mission.

But when the Creator saw Pinhas standing and keeping this covenant in his place, correcting the flaw of Nadab and Abihu, promptly, it is written, “He is Aaron and Moses.” The Creator said, “Now he is Aaron. He is Aaron of the beginning,” before Nadab and Abihu blemished the covenant, since Pinhas corrected the flaw.

88) “He is Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, ‘Bring out the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.’” It is written, “He is.” Should it not have written, “They are”? However, it is to include them in one another, the wind, which is Moses, with the water, which is Aaron. And when it is written, “He is Moses and Aaron,” it is to include water, which is Aaron, with wind, which is Moses, since Moses is considered wind, Tifferet of ZA, and Aaron is considered water, Hesed of ZA. This is why it is written, “He is Aaron and Moses,” and not “they,” for they are included in one another.