According to Numbers 16-17, a Levite namedKorahled many in challenging Aaron's exclusive claim to the priesthood. When the rebels were punished by being swallowed up by the earth, (Numbers 16:25-35),[42]Eleazar, the son of Aaron, was commissioned to take charge of the censers of the dead priests. And when a plague broke out among the people who had sympathized with the rebels, Aaron, at the command of Moses, took his censer and stood between the living and the dead till the plague abated (Numbers 17:1-15, 16:36-50).[43][44]

The Blossoming of Aaron's Rod, etching byAugustin HirschvogelTo emphasize the validity of the Levites' claim to the offerings and tithes of the Israelites, Moses collected a rod from the leaders of each tribe in Israel and laid the twelve rods over night in the tent of meeting. The next morning, Aaron's rod was found to have budded and blossomed and produced ripe almonds (Numbers 17:23).[45][46]The following chapter then details the distinction between Aaron's family and the rest of the Levites: while all the Levites (and only Levites) were devoted to the care of the sanctuary, charge of its interior and the altar was committed to theAaronitesalone (Numbers 18:1-7).[47]