Elazar HaCohen

Elazar ben Aharon HaCohen - son of Elisheva bat Aminadav and Aharon HaCohen. He served as the High Priest (Kohen Gadol) after the passing of his father - Aharon HaCohen.

His son was the famous Pinchas HaCohen.

He was the third of the four sons of Aharon HaCohen. Elazar took as his wife one of the daughters of Putiel (Bereishit 6:25).

Her father was [a descendant] of Yosef, and her mother was from Yitro (Tractate Bava Batra 110a).

Before the decree [that all the men of Israel would die in the wilderness], Elazar was at least 30 years old. (Bamidbar Rabbah 3:7)

Three thousand halachot were forgotten during the mourning period for Moshe.

[The people] said to Pinchas: "Ask [G-d]!"

He answered: "It is not in Heaven" (Devarim 30:12). They said to Elazar: "Ask [G-d]!"

He answered: "This is a commandment (Vayikra 27:34), and a prophet may not use prophecy to reveal halachot" (Terumah 16a).

Moshe gave Elazar HaCohen permission to teach, so that when Moshe departed from this world, people would not say [to Elazar]: "During the lifetime of Moshe, your teacher, you did not speak [words of Torah law], and now you speak?" (Sifrei Matot 157).

Yehoshua wrote the Book [of Yehoshua], which Elazar continued, and Pinchas completed (Tractate Bava Batra 15a).

Elazar wore the Urim ve-Tumim.

Elazar, together with Yehoshua bin Nun, completed the division of the Land by lot.

Elazar, clothed in the garments of the High Priest, stood before Yehoshua and the entire nation. Through Ruach HaKodesh, he would see the sacred letters on his breastplate form the words: "To the tribe of Zevulun - the region of Akko" - and he would announce this.

Then he would put his hand into an urn containing the names of the tribes, and after mixing them, draw one out - and on it was written: "The tribe of Zevulun." After that he would put his hand into a second urn containing slips with the names of the territories - and, after mixing them, draw out a slip: "The region of Akko." This was repeated for each of the tribes (Bava Batra 122a).

Elazar ben Aharon was called up to the Heavenly Yeshiva shortly after Yehoshua.

He is buried in the mountains of Ephraim, on a hill belonging to his son Pinchas - today this grave is located within the village of Awarta in Samaria.

May the merit of this tzadik protect our people!