Why Was Aaron "Uneasy of Mind"

When Aaron saw the dedication offerings of the tribal princes, he became uneasy of mind, because neither he nor his tribe was with them in the dedication, whereupon the Holy One blessed be He, said to him, “by your life, your part is greater than theirs, for you shall kindle the lamps.            Rashi [8:2], based upon Midrash Tanḥuma

          Rashi’s comment implies that Aaron was jealous of the tribal princes. This seems strange, since Aaron was not jealous of his younger brother Moses, as the verse ]Exodus 4:14[ tells us “he (Aaron) will see you (Moses) and rejoice in his heart”. Why then would Aaron be jealous of the offerings of the princes?

          My father explained that Aaron was not jealous. He certainly understood the importance of his job in lighting the menorah.  Rather, Aaron was ill at ease (in Rashi’s phrase “uneasy of mind”) at seeing the honor accorded the princes for the offerings they brought. Aaron feared that the people were losing sight of the fact that the service of the Tabernacle, as symbolized by kindling the menorah, was the essential matter. God’s response to Aaron was that indeed his role was to teach the people to realize that lighting the menorah and kindling the light of Torah within themselves is what matters.

          It is possible to explain Aaron’s unease on another level. Aaron feared that the people would consider him a hypocrite. The High Priest demands of others to bring offerings and he himself contributed nothing to the Tabernacle.  God’s answer to Aaron “your part is greater than theirs” is to teach the lesson that the offerings themselves are not what is important, rather the use to which those offerings are put. The offering of gold was used to make the menorah which lights up the darkness.

          My father added that this second explanation answers the question raised by Naḥmanides: “why was Aaron not ‘consoled’ by the offering of the incense?” Since, as our Sages tell us, the incense brought wealth to the kohain who offered it, the lesson would not have been taught through the incense.