Parashat Shemini 5783
Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites
This week’s Torah portion, Shemini, is named after the eighth day of the dedication of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle, which is described in detail. The Mishkan symbolized the place of the “Shechina” – the Divine Presence that resided among the children of Israel. Of course, it is important to emphasize that Judaism believes in a G-d who is not physical at all, and all descriptions of G-d’s presence are an allegory for spiritual inspiration. This inspiration, which first appeared at Mount Sinai, continued to exist in the Mishkan and afterwards in the Temple in Jerusalem. The seven days of preparations for the dedication of the Mishkan culminated on the eighth day — The day Aaron the kohen and his four sons began their work in the Mishkan, when the entire nation gathered around it and watched excitedly as the priests did their work.
At the climactic moments of the eighth day, Moses and Aaron came out of the Mishkan and blessed the nation, and immediately fire came out of the Mishkan and burned on the altar, where the special sacrifices of the eighth day had previously been placed. The people responded with joy mixed with fear of G-d: “and all the people saw, sang praises, and fell upon their faces.“
But it was in these uplifting moments that disaster struck. Nadav and Avihu, Aaron’s two eldest sons, took pans with incense and brought them into the Mishkan against the instructions given to them, and then, unfortunately:
And fire went forth from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.
(Leviticus 10,2)
Joy turned into mourning, exaltation became despondency and grief, as Moses said to Aaron and his sons: “…your brothers, the entire house of Israel, shall bewail the conflagration that the Lord has burned.” The deaths of Nadav and Avihu spoiled the wonderful celebration of the dedication of the Mishkan.
Jewish sages throughout the ages sought to understand what was so serious about the actions of Nadav and Avihu. Why the sin was so terrible that they were immediately punished on this special day. The magnitude of the difficulty in understanding this story can be seen from the fact that the Midrash Leviticus Rabbah contains twelve suggestions for understanding the sin of Nadav and Avihu. Some of these answers arise from the simple reading of the text, and some of them depend on various clues in this and other parashot. Let us examine two of the answers quoted in the Midrash:
Rabbi Levi said: They were arrogant; A lot of women would sit and wait for them, what would they say? “Our father’s brother is a king, our mother’s brother – a president, our father- a high priest, and we, two deputy priests, what kind of woman is good for us?!”
Rabbi Menachema on behalf of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Nehemiah said: … That Moses and Aaron were walking, and Nadav and Avihu were walking behind them, and all Israel was behind them, and Nadav and Avihu would say: “When will these two old men die and we will rule over the public?”
(Leviticus Rabbah 20,10)
Both explanations convey that Nadav and Avihu were arrogant and therefore took an independent initiative during the Mishkan’s dedication. The first explanation attributes the arrogance to their glorious family lineage, which led them to see themselves as superior to the rest of the nation; whereas according to the second explanation, they looked down on Moses, their uncle, and Aaron, their father, and wished for their deaths so they could rule over the public. It is clear, therefore, that arrogance led to the fact that they were unworthy of being leaders and therefore died on the day of the dedication of the Mishkan.
This story sends a message to all generations. Whoever thinks of using his position to control others will be removed from his position; a man who sees himself as superior to other people—will be totally lowered from his position. We all stand before G-d as equal human beings, not identical but equal, not uniform but required to act in unity. The struggle against classes, against pride and power began here, at the moment when the Divine Presence appeared in Israel.
