One hundred years ago, a mother of five opened the curtains in her apartment. With light streaming in, this Russian-born immigrant could only marvel at the blessing of her new life in America, as well as the dawn of a glorious day.

It is easy to imagine that same sense of wonder and possibility permeating the air as Moses and the Children of Israel first gazed upon the finished Mishkan. By building something together for Hashem, the people opened a new chapter not only in their own lives, but also in the covenant first established between Abraham, Sarah, and Hashem generations before.

The next item on Moshe’s agenda was the consecration of the Kohanim, as the Torah instructs: “קח את אהרן / Take Aaron and his sons with him…” (Vayikra 8:2). Our commentators, however, are distracted by the verb “take,” which suggests reluctance on the part of Aaron.

It seems unfathomable that anyone would resist such a high honor, one of the most elevated roles in the Jewish community. And yet, the text intimates that Aaron paused when........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)