Shemini 5785: Understanding the Petirah of Tzaddikim

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Shiurim given in 5765

In this week’s parshah, we learn about the petirah of Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aharon.We will try to understand why the onesh happened specifically on the day of the establishment of the Mishkan. So let’s take a look at the Sifra on this parshah. The compilation of breisos on Sefer Vayikra, is called the Sifra. It’s known as Toras Kohanim in lashon hakodesh and Sifra in Aramis. Do you know what it’s called in Shemos? Mechilta. Do you know what it’s called in Bereishis? Pesikta. Do you know what it’s called on Bamidbar and Devarim? The Sifri.

The Death of Aharon’s Sons Was Mekadesh the Mishkan

The Sifra on this parshah says that Aharon was standing in amazement at what happened to his two sons.^[i] נכנס משה אצלו, Moshe came to him and והיה מפייס, he was appeasing him, ואמר לו, and he said to him, אהרן אחי, “Aharon my brother, מסיני, from Sinai it was told to me, עתיד אני לקדש את הבית הזה, Hashem said: I’m going to be mekadesh the Mishkan. Hashem told me His plan and Hashem told me: באדם גדול אני מקדשו, I’m going to be mekadesh it with a big person, והייתי סבר, I thought it’s either with me or with you that the House will become niskadesh. עכשיו נמצאו, now we see that your children are greater than me and you. You know why? Because it was with them that the Mishkan was niskadesh.” So when Aharon heard this, צדק עליו את הדין ושתק, he accepted the din and was quiet. 

This teaches us an amazing yesod, that the misas tzaddikim wasn’t a mikra (coincidence). The misas tzaddikim was a part of kiddush haMishkan. This episode occurred on yom hashemini l’milu’im. Hakadosh Baruch Hu was mekadesh the Mishkan on that day. His Shechinah was coming down to the world. So our question is why did they die davka in this time? But the whole question is a mistake. It wasn’t just an episode that happened in that specific time and place. That was part of the ma’arachah, the order that was planned from the beginning. The job of the Mishkan is to reveal the middas hadin in this world. When we talk about the kedushah and the kavod that this Home gave off, it says ונועדתי שמה לבני ישראל, and Iwill meet over there with the Bnei Yisrael, ונקדש בכבודי, I will become sanctified through My kavod (Shemos 29:43) In other words, the whole inyan of the Mishkan, of having a physical house, is to deepen the recognition of the kedushah of Hakadosh Baruch Hu, of the One who resides in it.

The purpose of the Mishkan is to make you aware of the kedushah of the One inside it. That was part of the korbanos. The korbanos served that purpose. You know why? With korbanos,peoplewere makriv animals instead of themselves. It was a sign of a bitul. You were mevatel. It was a bitul of the nimtzaim, of the people in the world, klapei Hakadosh Baruch Hu, and the animals were just representatives of ourselves. That’s the whole inyan of a korban.

So the whole idea was that Hashem planned that the Mishkan should be consecrated with a major kiddush Hashem. How? By having gedolim, the greatest gedolim of Klal Yisrael, die on that day. When people see the middas hadin being pogea, coming in contact with the yodei haMakom, the people who are close to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, you know what happens? It clarifies how great the kavod of Hakadosh Baruch Hu is. How even the smallest pegiah can cause a hanhagah of such a harsh din. The din of tzaddikim shows how even tzaddikim are batel to Hashem. Even tzaddikim don’t exist independently. Even the biggest tzaddik is batel to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. That’s why this episode took place davka on the day of hakamas haMishkan, because it was a chelek of the chanukas haMishkan. Hakadosh Baruch Hu demonstrated His awesome power and His awesome kedushah, and this implanted yirah, a deep fear, in the hearts of the people. That was the whole purpose of Har Sinai, בעבור נסות אתכם and in order that there should be יראת ה’ על פניכם. Hakadosh Baruch Hu wanted to be mechanech the Mishkan in order that Klal Yisrael should remember the founding of the Mishkan.

The Din Causes Yirah of Hashem

It says in the passuk: בקרבי אקדש ועל פני כל העם אכבד, “Through those near to Me, I shall be sanctified, and before all the people I will be honored” (Vayikra 10:3). Rashi says, כְּשֶׁהַקָּבָּ”ה עוֹשֶׂה דִין בַּצַּדִּיקִים, when Baruch Hu metes out din to tzaddikim, מִתְיָרֵא, He becomes feared, וּמִתְעַלֶּה וּמִתְקַלֵּס, exalated and praised. People fear Hashem. He becomes elevated. אִם כֵּן בְּאֵלּוּ, and if it’s true with these great tzaddikim כָּל שֶׁכֵּן בָּרְשָׁעִים, how much more so is it true in the case of the wicked! That’s why it says נוֹרָא אֱלֹהִים מִמִּקְדָּשֶׁיךָ. Rashi says: אַל תִּקְרֵי מִמִּקְדָּשֶׁיךָ אֶלָּא מִמְּקֻדָּשֶׁיךָ, don’t read ‘from your sanctuaries’ but ‘because of your sanctified ones.’ That means the middas hadin testifies on the great distance that exists between a nivra, us, and the Borei, the Creator, and it strengthens the knowledge that Hakadosh Baruch Hu is muvdal umufrash min haolam and every metzius is batel to Him totally. That’s what a person has to know. That’s what the passuk says בקרובי אקדש, I will become kadosh. Do you know what the word kedushah means? Muvdal umufrash. That’s what the word kedushah means, muvdal, separated, and mufrash, and beyond, and we can’t even begin to imagine or be ma’arich Hashem. We don’t have a familiarity. And that’s what it says in Shemos (29:43), ונועדת שמה לבני ישראל, it’s going to be a meeting place with My people, ונקדש and I’m going to become kadosh, בכבודי, and the Midrash says: אל תקרי בכבדי אלא במכובדי, through my respected ones – Nadav and Avihu.

Now you understand why the cheit of Nadav and Avihu was a nekudah of yiras shamayim. That was the cheit. Whatever the pshat is, the shoresh hadavar was because there was some lack of yirah of Hashem. That’s what it says.

You saw it in Rashi. Rashi brought down a Tana DeRabi Yishmael. It says לא מתו שני בני אהרן אלא מפני שנכנסו שתויי יין, they entered after having made a lechaim. A kohenis not allowed to go into the Beis Hamikdash if he drank a revi’is of yayin. You think it means they were shikur from a revi’is of wine? No. It’s forbidden even after drinking just a revi’is. You know why? Because if it could possibly impair your mind, your thinking, in the slightest bit, then you won’t understand, you won’t ma’arich the yirah of Hashem properly.

Now Rav Tzadok said: what’s the pshat they went in drunk? He says chas vechalilah. These were tzaddikim. You know what they did? They went in with a little extra simchah. They were feeling the simchah. It was the first day of the avodah in the Mishkan (Rosh Chodesh Nissan). This was the greatest day. This was their moment in history. They were makriv at this moment. It says yayin is ישמח לבב אנוש, wine gladdens a man’s heart. They made a l’chaim. They were in a matzav of simchah. And what this caused was a diminishing of the yirah. There’s a passuk that says וגילו ברעדה, you have to have rejoice with fear, with trembling. There was a mi’ut of derech eretz and yirah. Where else do you find such a thing in the chumash? It says in the passuk, ויחזו את האלקים ויאכלו, (Shemos 24:11). Remember by Har Sinai? It says, “they saw Hashem and they ate.” They were so overcome with simchah. A person has to remember that sometimes you can’t become familiar with Hashem. You can’t imagine that you’re His ‘buddy.’ You always have to remember that you’re batel to His metzius.

You definitely have to demonstrate yirah. The metzius is that kohanim workin the Beis Hamikdash. They do the job, you know what I mean? L’ma’aseh, they could feela certain heimishkeit. They feel k’mo babayit. Habayit sheli. You have to remember this was a chisaron of morah klapei Hakadosh Baruch Hu,so Hakadosh Baruch Hu chose them to be the vehicles to megaleh,to reveal, the morah, the fear, of Hakadosh Baruch Hu.

In Sha’ar Hagilgulim, Rav Chaim Vital says that his rebbi, the Arizal, explained to him something unique about Shimshom Hagibor, based on the passuk in Shmuel alef (12:11). The passuk says as follows: וישלח ה’ את ירבעל ואת בדן, “and Hashem sent Yerubbaal and Bedan.” Rashi says: בְּדָן זֶה שִׁמְשׁוֹן. Why do they call him Bedan? You know what the Arizal says? Shimson was a gilgulof Nadav, the son of Aharon Hakohen, and that’s why the Torah refers to him as Bedan. Bedan backwards spells Nadav. Arizal says that one of the reasons why Nadav died was because he didn’t want to get married. Nadav and Avihu were very holy. They were so into Hashem that they didn’t want to get married. They said there’s none among the Bnos Yisrael who are hagunah lanu, who are fit for us.

Shimshon Was Mesaken Nadav’s Cheit

That’s why Shimshon, who was the gilgul of Nadav, waspunished. He was grinding flour with the Philistine women in the jail. Because he said there were no Jewish women. Nadav also felt there were no Jewish women that were fit for him. So as a punishment for that, when he came back as Shimshon, he was forced to grind flour, to work in the kitchen, with goyishe women.

Then it says (Rashi, Vayikra 10:2) שְׁתוּיֵי יַיִן נִכְנְסוּ לַמִּקְדָּשׁ, they came in shtuyei yayin, while intoxicated. That’s why Shimshon was a nazir min habeten. You know what a nazir is? A nazir can’t drink wine. Shimshon was nazir to be mesaken what he messed up in his previous lifetime. You think his death was a tikun?Yes, he still needed a tikun.

Now, let’s understand this. The Arizal is telling us that because Nadav went into the Mishkan on this day shetuyei yayin, having drunk wine, and he was pogeh in the middas hayirah, therefore he came back to the world as Shimshon to be mesaken that by becoming a nazir olam. A nazir olam is somebody who is muvdal and mufrash from yayin in an extreme way.

As a result, the middas hadin was revealed to the world. Do you know why? He was given immense power because of that. Shimshon was Shimshon Hagibor. He had the gevurah of din. That gevurah came from middas hadin. He was able to punish reshaim and to be mekadesh shem Hashem yisbarach in the world. That’s why it says וישלח ה’ את ירבעל ואת בדן ויצל, He saved you, מיד אויביכם מסביב ותשבו בטח, “he delivered you from your enemies around you; and you dwelt in security” (ibid). Shimshon was mesaken that bechinah.

It’s interesting to note that Nadav comes from the term “nedavah,” a free spirit. But Dan is a term of din, judgment,the opposite of Nadav, free spirit. It’s amazing to start to see the things with a shtickel mehalech over here.

Misas Tzaddikim is Mechaper the Dor

Now, whenever tzaddikimleave this world, middas hadin is removed from this world. Misas tzaddikim is mechaper on the sins of the generation. It’s a quote from chazal. Therefore, you know what we read on Yom Kippur, the day of kapparah? We read this parshah of misas bnei Aharon. You know why we read it? It should be a kapparah for the sins of Klal Yisrael.

My grandfather (Rav Avigdor Miller) would always say that whoever cries when the parshah of misas bnei Aharon is read on Yom Kippur,their kids will not die in their lifetime.^[ii] He used to say that when he was a little boy, he remembers people used to cry when this episode was read in shul on Yom Kippur. They didn’t want their kids to die in their lifetime. This is based on the Zohar (ibid) in Parshas Acharei Mos, which says: ביום הזה קורים אחרי מות שני בני אהרן, on this day (i.e., Yom Kippur) we read this episode, כדי שישמעו העם, so that the people listen. It doesn’t say you should be daveningfrom a machzor; it says the am should listen to this – ויצטער, and they should be pained over the loss of tzaddikim. Then they will have kapparah for their sins. Anyone who’s metztaer over the loss of tzaddikim, Hakadosh Baruch Hu makes an announcement about them. You know what it says? סר עווניך וחטאתך תכופר, your sins should be removed and forgiven. ולא עוד, and not only that, אלא שלא ימותו בניו בימיו, your children will not die during your lifetime. About this, the passuk says in the Navi: יראה זרע יאריך ימים, “he will see his offspring with long life” (Isaiah 53:10). When they talk about the death of tzaddikim, that reveals the middas hadin. The middas hadin instills yirah. You recognize the greatness of Hashem. The more one is pained over the death of tzaddikim, the more it shows that he’s connected to the middah of din, because he realizes that middas hadin took away such a big tzaddik from us. Now he recognizes the mora – fear – of Hashem, the kavod of Hakadosh Baruch Hu, who took away such a big tzaddik for a small chisaron. That’s what the passuk says בקרובי אקדש ועל פני כל העם אכבד and that’s why somebody who has pain over the loss of tzaddikim will have kapparah for his avonos because he is mesaken the shoresh of the cheit. The shoresh of the cheit is lack of honor and fear of Hashem. And that’s what causes the middas hadin to leave the world. Once a person has the yirah in his heart there’s no reason anymore to cause loss of more nefashos.

Crying Brings Forgiveness

You should know this is a Gemara in Shabbos (105b).The Gemara says, anyone who cries over an adam kasher who dies, they forgive all his sins. It says adam kasher, akosher man. אמר רבי שמעון בן פזי אמר רבי יהושע בן לוי משום בר קפרא כל המוריד דמעות, anybody who lets tears down, על אדם כשר, for a kosher man, הקדוש ברוך הוא סופרן, Hakadosh Baruch Hu counts those tears, ומניחן בבית גנזיו, and He places them in His storehouses. Do you know which storehouse that is? That’s the storehouse mentioned in the Gemara in Brachos (33b): אין לו להקדוש ברוך הוא בבית גנזיו אלא אוצר של יראת שמים שנאמר יראת ה’ הוא אצרו, “The Holy One, Blessed be He, has nothing in his treasury other than a treasure of fear of Heaven, as it is stated: ‘Yiras Hashem, that is His treasure’” (Yeshaya 33:6). So the tearsthat you cry for an adam kasher, you know what it does? It’s connected to the middas hayirah and that’s why Hashem puts them away in the otzar of yiras shamayim. Through them, Hakadosh Baruch Hu becomes full of rachamim for Klal Yisrael.

It comes out that the misah of shnei bnei Aharon is the conclusion of the korbanos. The korbanos began in Sefer Vayikra, with Parshas Vayikra, Tzav and then Shemini. Shemini is the story at the end of the korbanos because the whole idea of korbanos is to express and show a complete hisbatlus, nullification – I’m mevatel myself to Hakadosh Baruch. So, too, the misah of bnei Aharon shows that also.

Aveilus Should Awaken People

And that’s the whole idea of all aveilus. When somebody is an avel he should see the din of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. The Rambam (Hilchos Aveilus 13:12) says: כל מי שאינו מתאבל, if a person does not mourn, כמו שציוו חכמים הרי זה אכזרי, he is ruthless. אלא יפחד, he should be afraid, וידאג, he should be worried, ויפשפש במעשיו, he should search his own ma’asim, ויחזור בתשובה.^[iii] The Rambam says, אחד מבני החבורה שמת תדאג כל החבורה כולה. You know how an avel is supposed to think of himself? He says, whenever you’re an avel or it’s one in your chaburah who dies, כל שלשה ימים הראשונים יראה את עצמו, the first three days a person should see himself, כאילו חרב מונחת לו על צווארו, as if there’s a sword on his neck. משלשה ועד שבעה, the next four days, he should see it as if it’s מונח בקרן זוית, as if the sword is in the corner. מכאן ואילך, from now on, you should see it as if it’s being carried in front of you in the street. You hear that? What’s the pshat? What’s the whole purpose? To wake up. The Ramban says you have to prepare yourself. You’ve got to wake up from your sleep. That’s the purpose. If you see a sword in front of you, you have to wake up. Get serious. The Rambam says מכלל שצריך להקיץ, a person needs to awaken.

Based on this, we could also understand the famous medrash of the asarei harugei malchus. It says the soldiers said to Rabbi Elazar ben Shamua, “If your G-d is such a מלך גדול הוא בשמים, why doesn’t He save you?” So he said אמר להם כדי שיתבע דמנו מכם, “Hashem wants that He should exact our blood from you.” That means kol zman that we’re not zocheh to the geulah, Hakadosh Baruch Hu is megaleh, reveals His middas hadin in the world through the death of tzaddikim. But leasid lavo (in the future)you should know Hakadosh Baruch Hu will reveal His middas hadin by taking vengeance from all those nations that were metza’er Yisrael. That’s what it says.ונקיתי דמם לא נקיתי Hashem says: I won’t forgive you, וה’ שוכן בציון. That means Hashem said: I can possibly forgive them for other sins, but I won’t forgive them for spilling the blood of Bnei Yehudah. When is that going to be? When ה’ שוכן בציון, hopefully bimeheirah b’yameinu amen. That’s what he said, שיתבע דמנו מכם. It means to be megaleh the middas hadin. Right now, we’re not zocheh. WhenKlal Yisrael needs a big kapparah, Hashem brings a misas tzaddikim. Hopefully, many Yidden cry from that, get aroused to yiras shamayim and it becomes a major kapparah.

The Future Halachah and Hanhagah

In conclusion, I will tell you just one thing you should know. You may have heard a little bit about it. We know of the machlokes between Beis Hillel and Beis Shammai, and the halachah is like Beis Hillel and not like Beis Shammai. But l’asid lavo,the halachah is going to be like Beis Shammai. We have to understand this. If nowadays the halachah is like Beis Hillel, why is it going to change l’asid lavo? The answer is that Shammai and Hillel had two opposite shitos. The shitah of Shammai was middas hadin. Shammai was known to be a kapdan. He was makpid, very makpid. He demanded perfection. He didn’t tolerate nonsense. But many people mistakenly think Shammai was a ka’asan. He was an angry person. He had a temper, a temperamental being. That’s why he had a shitah. Chas v’chalilah. The Maharal, Rav Tzadok, the Arizal, and Rav Yisrael Salanter write that Shammai’s neshamah and his shoresh was middas hadin, middas hagevurah. Shammai, you should know, lived on the highest level. He strove to live completely up to middas hadin. On the other hand, Hillel was ochez b’middas hachessed and therefore he was mesnaheg in the ofen of rachamim. That’s why generally, Beis Shammai is always machmir and Beis Hillel is always meikel, because the middah of Shammai is rooted in gevurah, in strictness, and the middah of Hillel is rooted in rachamim. You hear that?

Now we can understand why l’asid lavo it’s going to change. The whole reason why the halachah is like Beis Hillel is not because they’re more correct than Beis Shammai. The famous gemara in Eiruvin (13b) says: יצא בת קול ואמרה אילו ואילו דברי אלקים חיים, but halachah is like Beis Hillel.^[iv] The reason why the halachah was established according to Beis Hillel is simply because the hanhagah, the way Hashem runs the world, is al pi chessed v’rachamim. The halachah therefore was established according to Beis Hillel because that’s how Hashem conducts the world, with chessed. עולם חסד יבנה. Rachamim. He saw the world could not be meskayem. But l’asid lavo,the hanhagah is going to be with middas hadin. Then the halachah is going to be like Beis Shammai. That’s their middah. Therefore, in the World to Come, there’s no rachamim. That’s why you hear stories about people coming back to this world for the slightest misconduct, not even a fraction. I told you a story on Shabbos that a kid nursed from a goyishe lady and that’s why he couldn’t get higher in Shamayim. That’s called din. Din is the reasonwhyNadav died a misah meshuneh b’sha’as ma’aseh and had to come back in Shimshon to be mesaken his mistake in this world. That’s middas hadin.

It comes out both shitos are mechaven l’emes,but the hanhagah of olam hazeh is different from that of olam haba. This is a very important yesod. Understanding the whole yesod of misas tzaddikim and our relationship to them is mushrash in this parshah.

^[i] כיצד היתה מיתתן? שני חוטין של אש יצאו מבית קדשי הקדשים ונחלקו לארבעה. שנים נכנסו בחוטמו של זה ושנים בחוטמו של זה, ונשרף גופם ובגדיהם קיימים שנאמר “ותצא אש מלפני ה'”. היה אהרן עומד ותוהא, אומר “אוי לי, כך עבירה בידי וביד בני שכך הגעתני”. נכנס משה אצלו והיה מפייסו. אמר לו: אהרן אחי, מסיני נאמר לי “עתיד אני לקדש את הבית הזה – באדם גדול אני מקדשו”. הייתי סבור או בי או בך בית מתקדש. עכשיו נמצאו בניך גדולים ממני וממך שבהם הבית נתקדש. כיון ששמע אהרן כך – צדק עליו את הדין ושתק שנאמר “וידם אהרן”.ולמודים צדיקים שמצדיקים עליהם את הדין. אברהם צדק עליו את הדין שנאמר (בראשית יח, כז) “ואנכי עפר ואפר” עקב צדק עליו את הדין שנאמר (בראשית לב, יא) “קטנתי מכל החסדים ומכל האמת אשר עשית את עבדך”.

^[ii] בכל זמן שהצדיקים מסתלקים מן העולם, מסתלקים מן העולם הדינים, ומיתתם של הצדיקים מכפרת על עונות הדור. וע”כ פרשת בני אהרן, אנו קוראים ביום הכפורים, שתהיה כפרה לעוונות ישראל, אמר הקב”ה, התעסקו במיתתם של צדיקים אלו, ויהיה נחשב לכם, כאלו אתם מקריבים קרבנות ביום הזה לכפר עליכם. שלמדנו, כל זמן שישראל יהיו בגלות, ולא יקריבו קרבנות ביום הזה, ולא יוכלו להקריב שני שעירים, יהיה להם זכרון של שני בני אהרן, ויכופר להם. וע”כ ביום הזה, יוה”כ, קוראים, אחרי מות שני בני אהרן, כדי שישמעו העם ויצטערו על הצדיקים שנאבדו, ויתכפרו להם עונותיהם. כי כל המצטער על צדיקים שנאבדו, או מוריד דמעות עליהם, הקב”ה מכריז עליו ואומר, “וסר עונך וחטאתך תכופר”. ולא עוד, אלא שלא ימותו בניו בימיו. ועליו כתוב, “יראה זרע יאריך ימים” וגו’. (כמובא בס’ סוד ושורש העבודה, וזה הפירוש של זה”ק)

^[iii] כָּל מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ מִתְאַבֵּל כְּמוֹ שֶׁצִּוּוּ חֲכָמִים הֲרֵי זֶה אַכְזָרִי. אֶלָּא יִפְחַד וְיִדְאַג וִיפַשְׁפֵּשׁ בְּמַעֲשָׂיו וְיַחְזֹר בִּתְשׁוּבָה. וְאֶחָד מִבְּנֵי חֲבוּרָה שֶׁמֵּת תִּדְאַג כָּל הַחֲבוּרָה כֻּלָּהּ. כָּל שְׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים הָרִאשׁוֹנִים יִרְאֶה אֶת עַצְמוֹ כְּאִלּוּ חֶרֶב מֻנַּחַת לוֹ עַל צַוָּארוֹ. וּמִשְּׁלֹשָׁה וְעַד שִׁבְעָה [כְּאִלּוּ הִיא] מֻנַּחַת בְּקֶרֶן זָוִית. מִכָּאן וְאֵילָךְ [כְּאִלּוּ] עוֹבֶרֶת כְּנֶגְדּוֹ בַּשּׁוּק. כָּל זֶה לְהָכִין עַצְמוֹ וְיַחְזֹר וְיֵעוֹר מִשְּׁנָתוֹ. וַהֲרֵי הוּא אוֹמֵר הִכִּיתָה אֹתָם וְלֹא חָלוּ מִכְלַל שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לְהָקִיץ וְלָחוּל.

^[iv] אָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּא אָמַר שְׁמוּאֵל: שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים נֶחְלְקוּ בֵּית שַׁמַּאי וּבֵית הִלֵּל, הַלָּלוּ אוֹמְרִים: הֲלָכָה כְּמוֹתֵנוּ, וְהַלָּלוּ אוֹמְרִים: הֲלָכָה כְּמוֹתֵנוּ. יָצְאָה בַּת קוֹל וְאָמְרָה: אֵלּוּ וָאֵלּוּ דִּבְרֵי אֱלֹהִים חַיִּים הֵן, וַהֲלָכָה כְּבֵית הִלֵּל.