Divrei Shmini
Connecting
Certainly, the parshah of
Nadav and Avihu, the two sons of Aharon who suddenly died in the midst of the
celebration of the chanukas habyis of the Mishkan, is difficult to understand.
From the posuk (10:3) “Moshe said to Aharon, ‘Of this [their deaths] did Hashem
speak, saying, “I will be sanctified trhough those who are nearest to Me,”’”
Chazal (Vayikra Rabbah 12:2) learn that Nadav and Avihu were even greater than
Moshe and Aharon. What could have caused the deaths of such great tzaddikim?
On the other hand, the Midrash (20:2) brings us a seemingly disjointed list of possible sins that Nadav and Avihu had committed which warranted their deaths. According to that Midrash, they performed the avodah after having drunk wine, they entered not wearing all their priestly garments, they did not wash their hands and feet before entering, they had no children, and they were not married. The Gemara (Sanhedrin 52a) adds that when Moshe and Aharon walked in front, with Nadav and Avihu behind them, and the rest of Israel behind them, Nadav and Avihu said to each other, “When will these two old men die, so that you and I will lead the generation?” Furthermore, the Gemara (Yuma 53a) notes that they poskined halachos in front of Moshe, their teacher, whom they should have listened to.
What’s more, the Torah itself explains their sin, that “they brought before Hashem an alien fire, which He did not command them.” (10:1) However, this act itself does not appear to be the ultimate cause of their deaths. After all, we say, “It is a mitzvoh to bring fire from a non-consecrated source.” While the Da’as Zekainim notes that that concept held only after the fire came down from Hashem, and that Nadav and Avihu acted too early, does their zerizus warrant the punishment?
The Slonimer Rav zt”l answers that the two Gemaras are in fact the key to tying together all of these seemingly contradictory reasons. While Nadav and Avihu certainly were tzaddikim far beyond our imaginations; on their level, they possessed one fault which led to their ruin.
The Torah repeatedly adjures us, “Cling to Hashem.” Chazal (Sifri Devarim 11) rhetorically ask, “Is it at all possible to cling to the Shechinah? Rather, [the Torah is telling us to] cling to the Sages.”
Certainly, having a personal guide to life makes good common sense; we don’t need to hear it on a simple level. Chazal bring the depth and the extent of this concept. The Mishnah (Avos 1:6) declares, “Yehoshua ben Perachiah says, ‘Make for yourself a rav.’” The Rambam there adds, “Even if you are greater than him in wisdom.”
What benefit can come from having a rav who is below oneself? The Gr”a explains while giving a source for the Rambam: The Mechiltoh (Parshas Bo) says that Moshe and Aharon were each other’s rav. When one learned a concept, the other would say, “Teach it to me.” In this manner, the two of them together would send forth Torah among Klal Yisroel.
Says the Slonimer, a dynamic exists in the world. Just as Hashem is the ultimate Source, and the universe He created functions as a receiver for His Kindliness, so also, people need to perform these roles of source and receiver, and their quintessential fulfillment comes through the roles of a rav who gives of himself, and his respectful, receptive talmid. By taking on these roles, a person is truly walking in Hashem’s ways and thus is living in accordance with the Divine plan.
There is yet another benefit. The Yesod HaAvodah brings the Rambam’s Moreh HaNevuchim, which states that those who cling to Hashem receive Divine assistance and protection in all physical and spiritual ways, Not only are tremendous opportunities placed in front of them, but they also are guarded from sin. Likewise, when one who accepts a rav upon himself, he is under that rav’s shadow, so to speak. Even if he is above that rav’s level of accomplishment, he has opened the gates of growth opportunity and has shut the doors of sin. On the other hand, if one falls for the “lone cowboy” mentality, i.e. that he needs no one and can “do it all” on his own, he loses that protection and now stands exposed; not only are many spiritual gains closed to him, but he is also prone to stumbling.
Nadav and Avihu may have risen to a very high level, but when they felt themselves above their father and uncle and no longer looked to a rav, they were then capable of all those possible sins which the Midrash enumerates, for they had both closed the doors of further accomplishment and had jettisoned their protection.