ובני ישראל נסעו מבארת בני יעקן מוסרה שם מת אהרן ויקבר שם ויכהן אלעזר בנו תחתיו וגו' (י-ו)
Moshe Rabbeinu interjects a reference to his brother’s death right in the midst of retelling the story of his breaking the Luchos. Although this may seem out of place - breaking the Luchos and the death of Aaron occurred almost forty years apart - it is noted by Chazal (ירושלמי יומא א-א), who teach an important insight: “R’ Yudan the son of R’ Sholom said: ‘Why did the Torah juxtapose the account of Aaron’s death with the account of the breaking of the Luchos? In order to teach us that the death of tzaddikim is as difficult to HaKadosh Boruch Hu as the breaking of the Luchos.’”
R’ Nison Alpert ZT”L makes an additional point. The Batei Mikdash were destroyed because the Jewish people relied upon the korbonos. Rather than raise their personal holiness to the sanctified level of the Temples, they relied on the atonement they received from the sacrifices. Similarly, with regard to great tzaddikim, rather than seeking to emulate them or striving to attain their spiritual level, we rely upon them instead. We want them to do everything on our behalf. And that is why Hashem eventually takes them away, denying us the opportunity to continue this dependency.
This dependence on the tzaddik was manifest at the incident of the Egel Hazahav - Golden Calf. Aharon Hakohen was not the first to see what was happening. Others, some of them great and righteous men, must have been there as well. Yet, they did nothing and said nothing. Everyone looked to Aharon; it was all left to him. Evil was in their midst. Yet, they looked on from afar and did not respond. Thus, the tzaddik had to be removed from the scene.
When Moshe was speaking to the people here, retelling the episode of breaking the Luchos and mentioning the death of Aharon, he was saying that Aaron did not die in the fortieth year from when they left Egypt. No! He was already taken that first year - when they made the Golden Calf.
את ה' אלקיך תירא אותו תעבד ובו תדבק ובשמו תשבע וגו' (י-כ)
“Shimon Ha’Amsoni expounded all instances of the word 'את' in the Torah. When he reached the posuk, 'את ה' אלקיך תירא' - ‘Hashem, your G-d, you shall fear,’ he halted (because he was afraid to compare Fear of Heaven to something else). His students said to him, ‘Rebbe, what will become of all the instances of את' that you taught?’ He replied, ‘Just as I received reward for דרישה (expounding) so I will also receive reward for פרישה (halting).’” (בבא קמא מא:)
A man by the name of Shimon once came to the Polish city of Kompana. He was a chazan and possessed a voice of other-worldly quality. Anyone who heard him sing, immediately fell under his spell and it wasn’t long before a contingent of citizens came to the local Rav demanding that Shimon be hired as the chazan in the main synagogue.
The problem was that Shimon not only had a gorgeous voice; he also possessed an unsavory reputation. The Rav was in a bind. Shimon was well-known as a sinner and wholly unsuited for such a prestigious position. On the other hand, the townspeople were becoming increasingly insistent.
Finally, he sent a shailah to the renowned Gaon, R’ Yosef Posner ZT”L, but worded it carefully. It said: “Our Shimon is a student of all 'אתין' that are found in the Torah (את החזיר, את הטריפה, את הנבילה). But when he reaches 'את ה' אלקיך תירא' (Yiras Shamayim), he immediately halts.”
The Gaon understood the message and with a few more details got the full picture. However, he advised against causing a big row. It will take care of itself, he wrote.
Against the wishes of the Rav, the chazan was hired, and it soon became apparent that not only was he a sinner, but a drunkard as well. Almost daily, he would imbibe too much alcohol so that he became an embarrassment to himself and to all those who pushed for him. Eventually, to the Rav’s satisfaction, his own supporters had him fired from the job.