5783/2023
In the first five Pesukim of this week's Parashah, Moshe
instructs his brother Aharon to tell Bnei Yisrael that they need to
prepare Korbanot for Hashem’s arrival in the Mishkan. Pesukim Zayin
through Chaf Daled describe Moshe’s instructions for Aharon and
Aharon’s fulfillment of these tasks. But what happened to Pasuk Vav?!
ַ ׳׳וּ֣יֹ ֶאמר מֹ ֶׁ֔שה ֶז֧ה ַה ָּדָ֛בר ֲא ֶׁש ִ ר־צָּ֥וה ה׳ ַּתֲע ׂ֑שּו ְויֵָ֥רא ֲא ֵל ֶ֖יכם ְּכ֥בֹוד ה׳׳׳ :Says Vav Pasuk
(VaYikra 9:6). “And Moshe said: This is the thing that Hashem has
commanded you to do so that you will see the holiness of Hashem”.
What “thing” is Moshe talking about? We already discussed the
Korbanot and we are about to discuss the job of Aharon. To what does
Moshe Rabbeinu refer?
The Yalkut Shimoni answers that Moshe saw an issue in Klal
Yisrael and that the “thing” Moshe warned them about is this Yetzer
Hara that they need to remove from their hearts. However, the Yalkut
Shimoni does not define what this Yetzer Hara is. Furthermore, Rashi
describes the frustration of Klal Yisrael; they had worked so hard on
Shemot (ְ ׳׳וָ֥עׂשּו ִ֖לי ִמ ְקָּ֑דׁש ְו ָׁש ַכנְ ִּ֖תי ְּבתֹוָכֽם׳׳ :said had Hashem as Mishkan the
25:8), yet they had built the Mishkan and He had still not entered it.
A third issue found in the Parashah is the incident of Nadav
and Avihu. Specifically, the Gemara in Eruvin 63a: Rabi Eliezer says
that the sons of Aharon died for ruling on a Halachah in front of
Moshe, their Rebbe. What did they pasken? They said that it was a
Mitzvah to light the Eish Zarah that they lit. There are two issues with
what Rabi Eliezer said. The first is that he calls Moshe the Rebbe of the
sons of Aharon despite the fact that he should have said that Aharon
was their Rebbe as he taught them what Moshe had taught him. The
second issue is that it is made clear in Masechet Horayot that a
Hora’ah (which is the term used in the Gemara regarding Rabi Eliezer)
is a complex psak Halachah which must be thought out, not something
that could be learned by simply reading a Pasuk. Yet when one
examines the sin of Nadav and Avihu, they see that the Torah does not
clearly state the prohibition of Eish Zara.
To summarize the issues: What Yetzer Hara was the Yalkut
Shimoni talking about? Why did Hashem not rest His Shechinah on the
Mishkan? And why does Rabi Eliezer say that Moshe is the Rebbe of
Nadav and Avihu and that they paskened a Halachah even though it is
clearly written in the Torah and therefore not a Hora’ah?
The Rambam is famous for articulating in Hilchot De’ot his
“Golden Mean”- not to be an extremist. However, he does say that
there is one area where one should be extreme: humility. A person
should try to be as humble as possible. When one looks at the
inauguration of the Mishkan he sees a time where the challenge of
haughtiness looms large amongst Bnei Yisrael. They were able to
construct a huge building in the middle of the desert that can be
constructed and deconstructed every single day! This is the Yetzer
Hara that the Yalkut Shimoni was talking about. Moshe Rabbeinu was
telling Bnei Yisrael that before Hashem would join them in the house
they had built for Him, they needed to remove the arrogance from
their hearts. Hashem was testing them to see if they would blame each
other when He didn’t at first rest His Presence there! However, Rashi
explains that instead of everyone pointing fingers when Hashem does
not come right away, Aharon blames himself saying that Hashem is
angry at him, Moshe blames himself saying that Aharon is more
Chashuv than he, and even Bnei Yisrael blame themselves by saying
that they don’t yet deserve the Mishkan because of the Egel
HaZahav.The problem with Nadav and Avihu is their lack of the
aforementioned humility. The first fire in the Mishkan had to come
from Hashem. Nobody should ever feel that they started something. It
all comes from Hashem. The reason that Rabi Eliezer calls Moshe the
Rebbe of the sons of Aharon is because they did the antithesis of his
personality! Moshe is called “Anav Mikol Adam, the most humble of
men”, and for Nadav and Avihu to say that they are like Hashem rejects
everything he stands for. By bringing the Eish Zara, Nadav and Avihu
did more than just violate an Issur, they raised themselves up on a
pedestal and compared themsleves to Hashem! This is the reason the
sons of Aharon were punished so severely, not for a “Hora’ah”, instead
for their lack of humility. Im Yirtzeh Hashem everyone in Klal Yisrael
will be able to reach incredible levels of Anava and in that way
increase their connection with Hashem.