404. HERE, THE BEGINNING OF THE ESSAY IS MISSING AND IT IS IN THE NEW ZOHAR, END OF TRUMAH PG. 43, WHERE IT IS SAID THAT AARON MERITED PRIESTHOOD AND PROPHECY AS NO OTHER PRIEST MERITED. AND HE ASKS, YET ZECHARIAH WAS A PRIEST AND A PROPHET, AS IT SAYS CONCERNING HIM, "SHALL PRIEST AND PROPHET BE SLAIN IN THE SANCTUARY OF ADONAI" (EICHAH 2:20)? HIS ANSWER IS WRITTEN HERE, It was for that time AND NOT FOR ALL GENERATIONS, as it is written, "And the spirit of Elohim came upon Zechariah... WHY DO YOU TRANSGRESS THE COMMANDMENT OF HASHEM?" (II Divrei Hayamim 24:20), MEANING ONLY TEMPORARILY. If you ask, What about Jeremiah, of whom it is written, "Before I formed you in the belly I knew you" (Yirmeyah 1:5)? SO WE SEE THAT HE WAS A PRIEST AND PROPHET, and so there are others, AND NOT ONLY AARON. HE ANSWERS, But they all did not merit prophecy and priesthood like Aaron, because Aaron merited supernal prophecy above all the other priests and he merited supernal priesthood above them all, BEING A HIGH PRIEST.
405. Moses merited prophecy and served in supernal priesthood, NAMELY, DURING THE SEVEN DAYS OF CONSECRATION AND SO ALSO Samuel merited them both, AS IT IS SAID ABOUT HIM, "AND SAMUEL TOOK A SUCKING LAMB, AND OFFERED IT FOR A BURNT OFFERING" (I SHMUEL 7:9). Just as Moses would call and the Holy One, blessed be He, would answer him immediately, it is also written of Samuel: "Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call to Hashem, that He shall send thunder and rain" (I Shmuel 12:17), yet he did not rise to such a high level as Moses. As Aaron served before the Holy One, blessed be He, Samuel also served before the Holy One, blessed be He, but did not ascend to highest service, TO BE A HIGH PRIEST, like Aaron.
406. The theory is this, There were three who were faithful prophets and served in priesthood, Moses is one, Aaron is one, and Samuel is one. If you say that Samuel did not continue in priesthood but there was another who served in priesthood, who is Jeremiah, WHO WAS A PRIEST, it is not so, for it is written, "Of the priests who were in Anatot" (Yirmeyah 1:1). He was of the priests but he did not serve IN THE PRIESTHOOD. But Samuel served in the days of Eli, AS IT IS WRITTEN, "AND THE CHILD SAMUEL MINISTERED TO HASHEM BEFORE ELI" (I SHMUEL 3:1) and Moses SERVED one time, namely all the seven days of consecration.
407. Samuel merited the LEVEL OF youth, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE MOCHIN OF THE SMALL FACE OF THE CHERUBS, as it is written, "And the child was young" (I Shmuel 1:24). "And Samuel served... BEING A CHILD GIRDED... " (I Shmuel 2:18). Since he stood in this level, certainly he was like Moses and Aaron, for one who took the level of youth and merited it, merits the highest levels that Moses and Aaron merited.