Editing Aaron's rod (section)

==In Rabbinical literature==
Rabbinic [[midrash]] described attributes of Aaron's rod beyond those in the Biblical text.

It is reported that the rod was made of [[sapphire]], weighed forty seahs (a seah = 10.70 pounds), and bore the inscription דצ״ך עד״ש באח״ב (the initials of the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] names of the [[Ten Plagues]]).<ref>[[Tanhuma]] Vaera 8, ed. Buber.</ref>

God created it in the twilight of the sixth day of Creation,<ref name="pa">[[Pirkei Avot]] 5:9.</ref><ref name="mek">Mekhilta, Beshallaḥ, ed. Weiss, 4:60 (on Exodus 16:33).</ref> and delivered it to [[Adam and Eve|Adam]] when the latter was driven from paradise. After it had passed through the hands of [[Shem]], [[Enoch (ancestor of Noah)|Enoch]], [[Abraham]], [[Isaac]], and [[Jacob]] successively, it came into the possession of [[Joseph (Hebrew Bible)|Joseph]]. On Joseph's death the Egyptian nobles stole some of his belongings, and, among them, [[Jethro (Bible)|Jethro]] appropriated the staff. Jethro planted the staff in his garden, when its marvelous virtue was revealed by the fact that nobody could withdraw it from the ground (compare "[[Excalibur#The Sword in the Stone and the Sword in the Lake|the sword in the stone]]"); even to touch it was fraught with danger to life. This was because the Ineffable Name of God was engraved upon it. When Moses entered Jethro's household he read the Name, and by means of it was able to draw up the rod, for which service [[Zipporah]], Jethro's daughter, was given to him in marriage. Her father had sworn that she should become the wife of the man who should be able to master the miraculous rod and of no other.<ref>[[Pirkei deRabbi Eliezer]] 40; Sefer ha-Yashar; [[Yalkut Shimoni]] Exodus 168, end.</ref>

Aaron's rod, together with its blossoms and fruit, was preserved in the Ark. King [[Josiah]], who foresaw the impending national catastrophe, concealed the Ark and the objects stored with it (Aaron's rod, a vial of [[manna]], and the [[holy anointing oil]]).<ref>[[Tosefta]] Yoma 2:13, Sotah 13:2.</ref> The length of the rod can be determined by the size of the ark of the covenant as stated in Exodus 37:1. The length of the staff would be from 3.75 FT (2.5 cubits) to 4.65 FT because the ark had a length of 3.75 FT (2.5 cuts), a depth of 2.75 FT (1.5 cubits), and a height of 2.5 FT (1.5 cubits). Therefore, the largest length would be the hypotenuse length of 4.65 FT. Assuming, of course, that the cubit length is 18 inches. Their whereabouts will remain unknown until, in the Messianic age, the prophet Elijah shall reveal them.<ref name=mek/>

As discussed, the Bible ascribes similar miraculous powers to rods of Aaron and Moses. One midrash goes a step further, and identifies them as being the same rod:
<blockquote>The rod with which Jacob crossed the Jordan ({{Bibleverse|Genesis|32:11|HE}}) is the same rod which was in Judah's hand ({{Bibleverse|Genesis|38:18|HE}}), which was in Moses's hand ({{Bibleverse|Exodus|4:20|HE}}), which was in Aaron's hand ({{Bibleverse|Exodus|7:10|HE}}), which was in David's hand ({{Bibleverse|1 Samuel|17:40|HE}}). which was in the hand of each king until the destruction of the Temple, when it was hidden. When the Messiah comes it will be given to him for a scepter in token of his authority over the nations.<ref>[[Yalkut Shimoni]], Psalms, 869.</ref></blockquote>

According to one midrash, Moses split a tree trunk into twelve portions, and gave one portion to each tribe. When the Rod of Aaron produced blossoms, the Israelites could not but acknowledge the significance of the token.<ref>[[Numbers Rabbah]] 18:23.</ref> This opinion seemingly assumes that the rod in Korach's rebellion was separate from the rod used for the plagues.<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia"/>