PARASHAT SHEMINI

 

Acceptance and Defiance

By Rabbi Yaakov Beasley

 

 

 

A.                 Identifying the Sin

 

And Aharon's sons, Nadav and Avihu, took (each man) his censer, and put fire in them, and put incense on it, and offered strange fire before Hashem, which He had not commanded them." (10:1)

 

At the climax of the Mishkan's dedication ceremony, with the long awaited re-appearance of the Shechina (Divine Presence) over the people, tragedy rears its head.  Fire, the very same fire that just heralded the return of the Divine, strikes down the two most promising leaders of the next generation, Nadav and Avihu. 

 

And fire came forth from before Hashem and consumed the Olah sacrifice … and the people saw and were joyful and fell on their faces … (9:24)

And fire came forth from before Hashem and consumed them, and they died before Hashem … (10:2)

 

While clearly Nadav and Avihu sinned, what precisely did they do wrong?  Enigmatically, the Torah does not clarify their sin.  The commentators are forced to decipher the nature of their transgression through a close reading of the hidden textual clues.  Rashi culls two suggestions from the Midrash:  either Nadav and Avihu rendered Halachic decisions improperly, without consulting their teachers Moshe and Aharon, or they entered the Mishkan while intoxicated.  There are textual allusions to both approaches.  The Torah emphasizes repeatedly in Chapter 9 that all of the actions and steps of the dedication ceremony were undertaken exactly "as Moshe had commanded" (9:5, 6, 10, 21), a statement notably absent when describing the actions of Nadav and Avihu.  Following the removal of the bodies from the Mishkan and the outlining of the mourning procedures that Aharon has to follow, Hashem tells Aharon: "'Drink no wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tent of meeting, that ye die not; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. (10:9)".

 

In contrast, the Seforno maintains that the sin is identified in the literal sense of the immediate text.  He argues that Nadav and Avihu offered incense, which they had not been commanded to do.  We can suggest that this approach follows in the footsteps of the Midrashic contention that they made Halachic decisions improperly, without consulting with Moshe and Aharon.   Similarly, the Rashbam also follows the literal understanding of the text, and argues that the "fire" was the heart of the crime.  Alluding to the Talmudic ruling that "even though fire comes down on the altar from heaven, it is a mitzvah to bring fire from human sources … (Yoma 21b)", the Rashbam suggests that "it was the wrong day to bring human fire, because Moshe wanted to publicly sanctify the Name of heaven, as the fire was miraculously sent down from Heaven". 

 

B.                 Ramban's Incense

 

The Ramban explains the sin of Nadav and Avihu as follows:

 

'They set incense on the fire' – as the Torah has stated, 'they shall place incense for Your anger' (Devarim 33:10, see the Ramban to Shemot 30:1), and they director their attention only to this.(commentary to 10:1)

 

How does this comment explain the nature of their sin?  The Rabbeinu Bachya explains that they only followed Hashem's middat ha-din (His attribute of justice), and they ignored his middat ha-rachamim (attribute of mercy).  To understand these mystical allusions, we must look again at the text and the context of their offerings.

 

Occasionally, we have a tendency to separate the account of Nadav and Avihu's sin from the preceding description of the Mishkan's dedication ceremony.  However, while the Gentile chapter division supports such a reading, a look at any Torah scroll reveals that the text treats our story and the previous as one undivided narrative.  Reading the Torah's description of the dedication ceremony and Aharon's initiation into the Divine service as Kohen Gadol, we are struck by the sense of urgency conveyed within the text:

 

And Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people, and blessed them; and he came down from offering the sin-offering, and the burnt-offering, and the peace-offerings.

And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and came out, and blessed the people; and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people. (9:22-23)

 

The Torah describes the offerings, Aharon's blessing the people, the re-entry into the Ohel Moed, and their unexplained reemergence to bless the people for what appears to be a superfluous second time.  Only then does Hashem finally appear.  The Midrash echoed by Rashi explains the events as follows:

 

Each of the seven days (of the consecration), Moshe assembled the Mishkan, served in it, and then took it apart again – but the Shechina never appeared.

The people were horrified.  They said to Moshe, "We extended all this effort, hoping that the Shechina would dwell among us, signifying that Hashem has finally forgiven us for the sin of the Golden Calf – yet it has been all for not!"  Moshe responded, "When Aharon my brother, who is more worthy and deserving will serve, than the Shechina will appear …"

But, on the eight day, Aharon saw that all of the offerings were completed, and yet, the Shechina still did not appear.  He became dejected and thought, "It's all because of me (and my role in the sin of the Golden Calf) that the Shechina will not dwell among Israel!"

Aharon said to Moshe, "My brother – look what you've done to me!!  I went in, and now I am humiliated!!"

Moshe straightaway entered with him into the Mishkan to entreat Hashem for mercy, and at last, the Shechina came down to dwell among the people.  (Rashi 9:23, based on the Sifa, Shemini, 15:19).

 

Suddenly, the behavior of Nadav and Avihu acquires an entirely different complexion.  Their transgression, the acceptance of the Divine judgment, becomes almost cruel.  When faced with apparent Divine harshness and absence, two approaches existed before the leaders of the people.   Nadav and Avihu note the impact of G-d's justice, and immediate make peace with it.  If the people are unworthy, whether due to the sin of the Golden Calf or for other reasons, then so be it.  All that can be done is to offer incense – to accept the severity of the Divine decree.  Moshe and Aharon, however, refuse to admit defeat.  They pray, they bless the people, the bring offerings.  All their frantic activity was to serve one purpose only – to demand mercy from Hashem, and a public renewal of the closeness that once characterized Hashem's relationship with his people. 

 

At times, in the role of private individuals facing irrevocable tragedy, the approach of Nadav and Avihu is the appropriate one (see Aharon's silent acceptance of the tragedy that befell him with their deaths).  However, the role of the leader of the people is not to accept or justify their suffering.  The leader must serve as their vocal advocate – in the spirit of Moshe Rabbeinu's demand that either the people are to be forgiven, or "erase me from Your book!"  When people suffer, complacency and acceptance are acts of cruelty, and do not belong in Hashem's Sanctuary.