When Moses spoke, Aaron would bend his ear to listen in awe, and Scripture considers it as if he heard directly from the Holy One, Blessed is He (Mechilta Bo 3).

Aaron knew that the Golden Calf had come to Israel through him. He rose, tied a rope of iron about his waist, and circulated throughout the camps of Israel. To whoever did not know prayer he taught prayer; to whoever did not know Keriat Shema ("Recitation of the Shema") he taught Keriat Shema; to whoever was not fluent in the essence of Torah he taught the essence of Torah (Yalkut Shimoni, Shemot 391).

"Aaron held his peace" (Leviticus 10:3). Silence is a sign of being comforted (Avot d’Rabbi Natan 14:6).

Aaron’s death was as difficult before the Holy One as the breaking of the Tablets (Vayikra Rabbah 20:12).

It’s never easy for an older sibling to acknowledge the superiority of a younger. Aaron, younger than Miriam yet three years older than Moses, was no sluggard, but his role in the formation of the Israelite nation was always "supporting." Although little is recounted about Aaron’s birth and rearing, it is known he remained in Egypt while Moses was in Midian. There, Exodus 4:14 tells us, he became an "eloquent speaker." His marriage to Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, allied him with one of the most distinguished families of the tribe of Judah. His brother-in-law, Nahshon, was a chieftain of Judah and an ancestor of David. Thus the linkage between the two great institutions of Israel - the House of David and the House of Aaron.

So...Aaron had yichus - through marriage and through his own achievements which earned him the crown of the priesthood. He also had tzurris, particularly when Moses ascended Mount Sinai and left him alone to deal with a frightened and fragmented community of Israel. The incident of the Golden Calf could have been his downfall, yet Aaron’s role is mitigated both in the Biblical narrative and the Midrash. Indeed, in the rabbinic literature, Aaron’s granting the Israelites their moment of apostasy is viewed as a heroic delaying tactic.

It is a life of struggle, conflict, and compromise. Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, are consumed by their offering of "strange fire" (Lev. 10:1-2). But Aaron, who has dedicated his life to the Service of the Sanctuary, "held his peace." Whether he was truly comforted by his sons’ sacrificial glorification is debatable, but his dignity and his honor remained intact. Considering all the exploits of his life, the difficulties surmounted while forging a religious people, it was not surprising that the Holy One found it so painful to take this loyal servant from the midst of Israel. Aaron dies atop Mount Hor at the age of 123, having transferred the crown of priesthood to his son, Eleazar. The Aaronite line has been established.