The Midrash says that Hashem told Moshe Rabbeinu to speak words of consolation to Aharon to help ease his period of bereavement. He was told to use the phrase found in Yeshaya (40:2), “Speak to the heart of Yerushalayim,” which were the Navi’s words of nechamah, consolation, to Yerushalayim following the destruction of the Bais Hamikdash and ensuing exile. We must endeavor to understand the meaning of the words, “speaking to the heart”. What was Moshe to convey to Aharon HaKohen?.
Horav Mordechai Rogov, zl, explains that the Navi’s words of consolation to Klal Yisrael are meaningful in the context of Aharon’s loss of his two sons. After all, how could Klal Yisrael be comforted for such an immense tragedy? On a personal level, Aharon’s loss was a tragedy of epic proportion. The only words that ease the pain, that somewhat alleviate the agony, are: “Speak to the heart.” The heart symbolizes hope; words of the heart tell us that it is not over, there will still be a future. If one goes to a doctor complaining of various aches and pains, the doctor first focuses on the heart. If the heart is well and functioning properly, there is hope. If the heart is diseased, then the chances for an anticipated recovery are limited. Hashem says to look at the “heart” of Yerushalayim: Is it strong and healthy? How is the Torah, the holiness, of Klal Yisrael? If one studies and observes the Torah, his heart is healthy, and the rest of the body will heal. If his heart is failing, then his body will not survive.
Aharon Hakohen experienced a terrible tragedy. To lose two such special children on the holiest day of the Mishkan’s dedication, during a time of heightened joy for their family, was an overwhelming disaster. Moshe told Aharon that while nothing would bring back his sons, their “heart” — the kedushah of their neshamos, their remarkable spiritual achievements, their exceptional purity — would endure. Their heart was alive – and would continue to live. This was their brokenhearted father’s nechamah. Their “hearts” lived on.
