"It came to pass on the eighth day that Moses
called Aaron and his sons and the elders of
Following this procedure as specifically prescribed by
YHVH resulted in “… the glory [kavod] of YHVH appear[ing] to all the
people" right after Moshe and A’haron blessed them (v. 23). According to
Nechama Leibowitz, "The revelation of the Divine glory here denotes a
reward for their efforts in erecting a Sanctuary for the Shekina".[1] “And
fire came out from before YHVH and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on
the altar. And all the people saw it, and they shouted and fell on their faces"
(v.24). These sin offerings, therefore, became a demarcation point, separating
sinfulness and profanity from YHVH's Holiness and Glory. The motif of the holy
or clean versus the profane or the unclean is threaded throughout this Parasha,
as we shall continue to observe.
When the above-described scene reached its
peak, with "fire [coming] out from before YHVH… consuming the burnt
offering…", as we just observed, we are suddenly transferred without as
much as a breather into the next one, with its parallel yet contradictory
elements. And so, we read in 10:1 about A’haron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu, taking
censors and putting fire and incense on them, which YHVH had "not
commanded them". Theirs was a fire of their own
making ("zara" - foreign, strange, of a different
kind), which they brought near before YHVH, and "so fire
went out from YHVH and devoured them" (v. 2 emphasis added). When
the Children of Yisrael and their leaders did as they were commanded
(ref 9:10) and drew near to YHVH, His fire consumed
the offering and He showed them His Glory. But when Nadav and
Avihu brought near that which YHVH did not command, the
consequence was that a fire went out from Him, but consumed them
(ref. 10:1-2). The similar or identical terms used to describe both episodes make
for a sinister symmetry, one that demonstrates that often there may be but a
fine line that separates the holy from the profane, the desirable from the
detestable. An example of contrasting terms, that serve to highlight
certain situations is seen in 9:24, where we read that the people "shouted"
- (va)yaronou - joyfully. In contrast, after Nadav and Avihu's sad
annihilation, it says that A'haron was utterly silent, or even motionless
- (va)yidom – root of d.o.m, dalet, vav, mem (ref. 10:3). In Psalm 94:17
the expression "dwelling in silence" ("shachna duma”),
denotes death. In Psalm 115:17 it is written: "The dead do not praise
YHVH, nor any who go down into silence" (duma, once again).
"By those who come near Me I must be
regarded as holy, And before all the people I must be glorified" (10:3) is
the explanation as to why Nadav and Avihu, because of their lofty positions,
had to be totally obedient to YHVH and could not misrepresent him as they had
done. In fact, they are called here by YHVH "k'rova'i" - those
who are close (or near) to Me - and as such, YHVH was
to “be rendered holy" ("eka'desh") by, or
through, them. In addition, their
actions were supposed to glorify YHVH and this way to also influence others
to do likewise, with "eka'ved" being the term used (in
10:3), meaning "heavy", and by implication "highly
esteemed".
In the second part of chapter 10, Moshe instructs A'haron
and his two "remaining sons" (v. 12) to not display any signs of
mourning. On the other hand, the rest of Yisrael was given permission to
"bewail the burning which YHVH has kindled" (v. 6, italics
added). Interestingly, the “burning” here is eerily detached from the
particular individuals who had just perished, neither does it seem in any way
connected to human beings in general or even to death. The word used, which
sounds so dreadfully detached, is "s'refa", meaning "burning”
or “to burn". It appears that emphasis is put here on the calamity
inflicted by YHVH, with the priests being expected to identify with His
approach (hence His strict orders to them not to display signs of mourning over
the death of their relatives), whereas the “whole house of Israel” was given
permission to “bewail the burning”. In addition, the priests were to remain
inside the tent (cf. 8:33,35, mentioned above) as long as YHVH's anointing oil
was on them and were also prohibited from drinking wine and intoxicating drinks
in the course of their service in Ohel Mo'ed ("Tent of Meeting", 10:6-9).
This latter requirement led some commentators to surmise that YHVH's anger
against Nadav and Avihu was kindled because they may have been inebriated while
ministering. The purpose for these measures was, so “that you [i.e. the priests]
may teach the children of
In the following section (10:12-20), Moshe reproves
A'haron and his remaining (“nota'rim”) sons, El'azar and Itamar,
for not having eaten the remaining (“noteret”) offering, which
was rightfully theirs. Instead, they burned the goat for the sin offering ("soraf"
v. 16 – identical word to the “fire” mentioned in 10:6 above, which consumed
Nadav and Avihu), making a fire of their own and getting rid of that which they
were supposed to consume. In trying to be over-cautious, they too were not
fully obedient to the instructions of YHVH. Notice the application of identical terminology to the
priests and to their work of service, be it the fire or the sacrifices (as we
noted also above concerning Nadav and Avihu).
Here we also hear A'haron expressing himself for the first time after the
loss of his two older sons, a loss he refers to tersely
as, “such things [that] have befallen me" (v. 19), and wondering if the
eating that was required “would have … been good - (ha)yitav - in
the eyes of YHVH. And Moses heard and it was good - (va)yitav -
in his eyes" (vs. 19-20). The echoing of A'haron's "good"
in Moshe’s response seems to indicate that the brothers were once again in one
accord.
The “remaining offering” that the priests were to eat is
called here "that which is due” to the priests because in Hebrew it is
derived from “chok”, the ‘legal’ portion (see 10:15 translated there
"statute"). A similar reference to one’s portion is referenced by the
writer of Proverbs. There it says: “Give me neither poverty nor riches -- Feed
me with the food allotted to me” (30:8). The “food allotted to me” is “lechem
(literally bread), which is legally apportioned or allotted to me”. The same
expression is found, of course in the “Lord’s Prayer” in Matthew 6:11: “Give us
this day our “lechem chok” – the bread/food that is legally our portion.
Our Parasha clearly reveals the priests' role in the
Israelite society and their view of their office. S.R. Hirsch
elaborates on this issue: "The Hebrew priest is part of the nation, and
his position is not an isolated one before God, but one that he occupies only
within and through the nation….” Regarding the sacrifices and their function
relative to the Almighty and to the worshipper, he says: “The closeness of and
approach to God… may only be found through obedience to and acceptance of God's
will… The offering means to place the
offerer at God's service, i.e., he wants to fulfill God's wishes through his
offering. All offerings are therefore forms of Divine demands which the
offerer, through his offering, accepts as the guidelines for his future conduct".[2]
In line with the
theme of separating the clean from the unclean, the rest of the Parasha
(chapter 11) is devoted to the type of animals, fish, and fowls permitted for
consumption, as well as to those that are forbidden. It is interesting that
verses 4-7 constitute a list of four animals, all of which have one of the two
traits required but are devoid of the other. However, the first trait mentioned
in all four cases happens to be the one that fulfills the requirement, whereas
the specification of the missing one is second. The lesson to be learned here
is simple: even though things may seem
'right' or 'proper' at first sight, they should be investigated further, lest
deception sets in (e.g., notice the order of adjectives in the title of the
Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil). The above tragic scene, with
Nadav and Avihu, A’haron’s sons, who may have had ‘good’ intentions,
illustrates this point poignantly. YHVH’s holiness and His charge upon His
people, to be “set apart as He is”, cannot be measured by human standards of
‘good’ and ‘evil’, and requires unquestionable obedience.
"You shall not make yourselves abominable with any
creeping thing that creeps; nor shall you make yourselves unclean with them,
lest you be defiled by them, for I am YHVH your Elohim. You shall therefore
consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy, for I am holy. Neither shall you
defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth, for I am
YHVH who brings you up out of the
Aligning themselves with their Elohim and His ways is
what makes the Israelite Nation a "holy nation". Partaking of that
which is abominable in His sight or even coming into contact with it renders
those who choose to do so just as abominable - "sheh’ketz".
“You shall not make
yourselves (lit. “your soul”) abominable – teshak’tzu - with any creeping thing
that creeps” (v. 43). The "abomination (of desolation)"
in Daniel 11:31 and 12:11 employs the same word, with a certain modification
(“shikutz”).
Our Parasha, quite characteristically, ends with a clear
reminder of its theme: “to distinguish, [or separate], the unclean from the
clean…" (11:47).
Notes
1. New Studies
in Vayikra Part 1, Nechama Leibowitz, trans. Aryeh Newman. Eliner Library, Department for Torah Education and
Culture in the Diaspora. Hemed Books Inc.,
2. Ibid
No comments:
Post a Comment