Shnayim Yomi - Va'era - Shlishi - #3 - Rabbi Elchanan Shoff - Moshe & Aharon: Two Styles One Calling

In Shlishi of this week's parsha, Moshe tells Hashem that he's an aral sifasayim. And Hashem explains him, "Don't worry, Aaron will be your navi. He will express the things for you that you need to express." We know that Moshe Rabbeinu had a hard time communicating with people. He said, "Lo ish d'varim anochi." And Hashem responded to him that don't worry, Aaron "Hu yihyeh l'cha l'peh." Aaron will be your mouth. So, it's brought in the Kedushas Aryeh in his comments on Tu Bishvat where he says that "Hu yihyeh l'cha l'peh" is rashei teivos Hillel, hey, yud, lamed, lamed. And "Lo ish d'varim anochi", the last letters of that, "Lo ish d'varim anochi" are the letters Shammai, shin, mem, aleph, yud. Because famously, Hillel said, "Hevei me'talmidav shel Aharon." Hillel said you should be students of Aharon. "Ohev shalom v'rodef shalom, ohev es habriyos." Love peace, pursue peace, love people, and bring them close to the Torah. Aaron had these middos and Hillel imitated those. Shammai, however, was strict and firm. Moshe Rabbeinu was like a Shammai at that time in his life, says. And Shammais have a hard time communicating with people. Strictness and din and and structure are not what was mekariv people to Torah. In fact, when the convert came to Shammai and said, "Teach me the whole Torah on one foot." Shammai said, "What do you think this whole thing is a joke?" And he chased the man out with a builder's ruler that he was holding. But Hillel brought him in warmly. Um and it seems to me that we should know that that man's journey was not only because of Hillel. The structure that Shammai provided, the lesson that Shammai provided is what caused the Hillel to be a match. In our lives, we have Moshes and we have Aarons. We have those who provide for us warmth and and and and love and bring us close to Torah like a Hillel, like an Aaron, but you also have the need for a Shammai, too. You need somebody to create the that kind of structure and that kind of healthiness, boundaries, the balance between Moshe and Aaron working together. "Lo ish d'varim anochi." What reaches people is not always the words of Moshe, it's the words of Aaron. But where does Aaron get his words from? Only from the Moshe Rabbeinu. It is only because Shammai and Hillel, we're told that the reason we pasken like Hillel is because the people in Beis Hillel would always say over the words of Shammai first. The words of Shammai were there in the words of Hillel. They only knew how to apply those truths and those Torahs to our lives.