Tzipiyah.com

BS’D

This week’s parsha is set in the eight and final day of the mishkan’s dedication, a time where b’nei yisrael’s happiness and excitement over the completion of their tasks was at its climax. We also see the listing of all the halachas concerning kashrut and korbanot, as well as the laws of tumah (impurity). After all their hard work, this mishkan was finally ready to function, and Aharon was prepared to finally take on the role of cohen gadol that Moshe had been temporarily performing. Juxtaposed against this festive atmosphere, is the story of Nadav and Avihu, two of Aharon’s four sons. At the beginning of perek yud, we see Nadav and Avihu that Nadav and Avihu

The Tanach never tells us what Nadav and Avihu’s actual sin is. What did they do that was so wrong that Hashem sent a heavenly fire down to smite them? In Vayikra rabba, Rashi states the commonly known explanation that Nadav and Avihu gave their korban while inebriated. This opinion is most likely based on the fact that, right after this tragedy occurred, Hashem decrees to Aharon that he should “drink no wine or other intoxicant, you or your sons, when you enter the tent of meeting, that you not die”* (10:9). Due to this edict’s close proximity to the incident, we can assume that there is a link between the two. The second possibility, as suggested in Eruvin is that Nadav and Avihu made their own halachic decision before Moshe, their teacher. As the Rambam states in Mishna Torah, (Hilchot Talmud Torah) “it is forbidden to determine halacha in front of one’s teacher. If one were to do such a thing, he would be liable to capital punishment”.

The gemara explains that, although a heavenly fire would come down from the heavens onto the mizbeach Nadav and Avihu decided to light a fire themselves. However, according to the Rambam, “even though fire descended from heaven, it was a mitzvah to add human fire” (Temidim u’Mishpatim 2:1) So if they had, in fact, been doing a mitzvah, why would Hashem have punished them so severely?

The job of the cohanim is to pursue shalom, to show am yisrael how Hashem’s world fits together, and to understand the intricate ways of the world. A cohen needs to understand his place in the world’s order. Nadav and Avihu forfeited their right to this place when they entered the mishkan in an inebriated state- “wine gladdens the heart” (Tehillim 104:15), and because of it, one follows his emotions and not his intellect, as it normally should be. They were not fully aware of the correct order of things, and because of this, were liable this seemingly severe punishment. As we see in Sefer Shmuel, Hashem cursed the house of the cohen Eli for honouring his sons more than Hashem Himself. Just as Eli was punished for not following the proper order of his responsibilities and remembering his place in the order of the world, Nadav and Avihu had to be punished, as well. When they decided to create their own halacha without Moshe, they again forgot the proper order of things in the way of the world, despite the fact that the halacha to which they arrived was correct.

From this incident, Rav Kook states we should “seek to find the correct balance in all things to achieve peace and divine harmony” ( Sparks of Light: Essays on the Weekly Portions Based on the Philosophy of Rav Kook) . Later on in this parsha, among the halachot of the “sheretz hashoretz” (things that swarm upon the earth), it is written:

“You shall not draw abomination upon yourselves…and thus become unclean. For I, the L-rd am your G-d , you shall sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am holy”* (11:43-44)

On this pasuk, Chazal comment that, if one were to contaminate themselves a bit, it will become a lot. If one contaminates himself in this world, he contaminates himself in the next. Contaminating oneself from below results in being contaminated from above…and the opposite to all of the above is true for purifying oneself, as well. The Chofetz Chaim illustrates this point with an example that, if one were to speak loshon hora, all the words he speaks with that same mouth are, as a result, contaminated. Even if he were to speak words of torah, to daven, to learn, each of these holy words that leave his tainted lips are brought down in merit because of the loshon hora that had passed through them just before. The zohar ellaborates that this effect is due to the koach tumah (the power of impurity) manifesting itself on each word, exponentially decreasing the level of holiness of every word the man would say. In this same way, Hashem wishes to uplift us with kedusha. Overcoming our yetzer hara, working on our avodat Hashem and fulfilling His will, brings down the spirit of sanctity on our souls. This little bit of kedusha then becomes an even greater amount.

Keeping this idea in mind, we see that we each have an incredible untapped power right at our fingertips. Each time we overcome our yetzer hara a little bit, the effect is like that of throwing a stone into a calm pool of water- the ripples from the small impact stretch out further and further, reaching corners beyond the realm of the original impact itself. As the Rambam discusses in chapter 6 of the Shemoneh Prakim, our sages state that “a person who has an inclination to sin and desires to do so is on a higher and more complete level than one who has no desire for them and does not feel discomfort in spurning them”. We each have the inclination to do things we are instructed not to by Hashem, and overcoming this desire is often the hardest part of living religious life in a secular world. We need to remember our place in this world, and our job to bring kedusha down on this earth. By overcoming our yetzer, we ensure that we don’t fall into the same trap as Nadav and Avihu and set off the “domino effect” of bringing holiness into this world, and our geula even closer…and by merit of these acts, may we be zoche to see it, speedily in our days!