In following these laws i can never just go and eat. After many months of labor and anticipation, the sanctuary had finally been set up in the israelite camp, and the divine presence came to rest within it. And the story of nadav and avihu, through what is not explained, invites the reader to examine the timeless issues of both life and death. Leviticus 10 nadav and avihu, the sons of aharon, each took his censer, and put fire in it, and laid incense on it, and offered strange fire before the lord, which he had not commanded them. Both the death of uzzah and that of nadav and avihu seem to.
The mysterious death of nadab and abihu chassidic masters. Nadav and avihu, the irrefutable future leaders of israel, were never granted the opportunity to assume power, whereas the shepherd david began the eternal lineage of kings up to the future. But instead they did it presumptuously deliberately and arrogantly, and in contempt of gods majesty and justice. Two rising stars cut down in their prime, at the height of one of historys greatest celebrations. It feels almost like these two halves of shemini are entirely distinct from one another.
The story of nadav and avihu is shrouded in the smoke of their incense. The yitzchak isaac of kamarna in his book heichal berecha notes that the souls of nadav and avihu left their bodies in a state of union with hashem and that they ascended above to cling to the tree of life. Yet, what i have come to appreciate about leviticus through this juxtaposition is the commentary that it makes about human responsibility. The torah tells us that nadav and avihu died during the joyous dedication ceremony of the mishkan. It tells us, in a horrifyingly stark way, that we must not let generous motives get disconnected from the reality on the ground. When nadav and avihu get too close to god, they end up being devoured by god. Nadav and avihu, on the other hand, viewed the lord, they ate and drank. But the deity who lies at the heart of both stories, and several others in the torah and. A central event in the parshah of shemini is the death of aaron s two elder sons, nadav nadab and avihu abihu, who offered a strange fire before g. If nadab and abihus deed had been done through ignorance, they would have been told to bring a sinoffering. The book of leviticus speaks of the tragic death of aaron s two elder sons, nadav and avihu after many months of labor and anticipation, the sanctuary had finally been set up in the israelite camp, and the divine presence came to rest within it. Veelmoshe amar aleh eladonay atah veaharon nadav va avihu veshivim mizikney yisrael vehishtachavitem merachok. If you wish to republish this article in a periodical, book, or website, please email.
They offered a sacrifice with strange fire before gd, disobeying his instructions, and were immediately consumed by gds fire. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces. Death and sacrifice the death of aharons sons nadav and avihu is puzzling on many levels. His sons consumed by fire, aaron teaches us a silent. But nadav and avihu, sons of aharon, each took his censer, put fire in it, laid incense on it, and offered unauthorized fire before adonai, something he had not ordered them to do. Apr 05, 2018 fire came forth from the presence of adonai, consuming the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. Under his feet was something like a sapphire stone pavement as clear as the sky itself. Nadav nodded, understanding exactly what avihu was.
Sheila tuller keiter judaic studies faculty, shalhevet high school. Nadav and avihu were priests who immediately following the consecration of the. Leviticus 10 cjb but nadav and avihu, sons of aharon. For a deeper analysis of exactly which sin nadav and avihu died for and why, see the holy souls of nadav and avihu in garments of light. Veatah hakrev eleycha etaharon achicha veetbanav ito mitoch beney yisrael lechahanoli aharon nadav va avihu elazar veitamar beney aharon. The tragic death of aarons two elder sons, nadav and avihu. Thus, only eleazar and ithamar served as priests during their father aarons lifetime.
This idea predates the arizal, and is found in the zohar iii, 56b, which compares nadav and avihu to the two goats sacrificed on yom kippur. The book is lively with examples drawn from popular culture, such as how we interpret headlines in supermarket tabloids, and references to the work of movie directors like akira kurosawa and pedro almodovar. Nadav and avihu drank in a holy fashion, so much so that through their drinking wine yain nichnas sod yotzeh, they were able to achieve a tremendous level of divine love and revelation, and that is why they were able to give halachic decisions in front of moshe. The mystery surrounding the deaths of nadav and avihu, as well as moses and aarons responses to their deaths, provide rich material through which we can explore our own relationship to death, grief, consolation, and the nature of life. Our faculty and teachers bring the depth and breadth of jts learning directly to you through a rich collection of contemporary jewish content. Designed for both jewish and nonjewish readers alike, the israel bible offers a unique commentary that seeks to explain gods focus on the land of israel alongside the original hebrew text, transliteration of select hebrew verses, and the new jewish publication society translation. The severe consequence of this act was that they were then.
Furthermore, the next time we find eating and drinking is at the golden calf. Nadav and avihu, sons of aharon, took their incense pans and put fire and incense in them, and offered an unauthorized fire before god, which he did not command them to do. The only other narrative in the book of leviticus, the sin of nadav and avihu during the establishment of the tabernacle, expresses a similar concern that gods tabernacle could be profaned. First, both were believers of the most high and holy god. Nahum 1 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. The israelites complete the tent that will serve as a portable temple at the end of the book. The sons of aaron, nadav and avihu, took a pan, and placed fire within, and put incense upon the fire.
Aarons sons, leviticus, moses and aaron, nadav and avihu, ordination, prophets and priests, torah portion. The komarno rebbe in his hechal berecha notes that the souls of nadav and avihu left their bodies in a state of union with hashem and that they ascended above to cling to the tree of life. The meaning of nadav and avihus death 5769 torah mitzion. According to the plain meaning of the text nadav and avihus sin consisted in that they introduced alien, i. After recounting the story of nadav and avihu, which is about ecstasy, wild abandon, supreme intoxication, shemini goes on to describe the path of discernment, responsibility and sobriety. Under his feet was like a paved work of sappir stone, like the skies for clearness. Nadav and avihu died because they offered unauthorized, literally strange, fire, meaning that which was not commanded.
And pinchas the son of elazar the son of aharon the kohen, saw bamidbar 25. When, in the dedication of the tabernacle, the fire came down and filled the area, the people hid their faces. After a heavenly fire descended and consumed the sacrificial offerings, revealing the divine presence, the verse states that these two of aharons sons offered before hashem alien fire, which he had not enjoined upon them leviticus 10. Menachem kasher lists 17 suggestions from midrash and commentaries for their lethal sin.
The real torahbased reason why god killed ananias and sapphira in the book of acts. It was the first of many lessons we would have together in the course of their bar mitzvah studies and we were discussing their torah portion assignments. Nadav and avihu died before god when they offered unauthorized fire to god in the sinai desert. Contextual overview 9 moshe, aharon, nadav, avihu and seventy of the leaders went up. Nadav and avihu were priests and ananias and sapphira were early disciples of yeshua. The story of the blasphemer reflects the israelite concern lest god be profaned and the holiness of the camp be threatened. We have this fire and passion in the love and deaths of nadav and avihu and then the highly ordered structure of kashrut. Particularly effective are the chapters dealing with the binding of isaac by abraham and sibling rivalry in the stories of moses and his brother aaron, sister miriam and nephews nadav and avihu. The torah stresses that nadav and avihu had no children. Nadav and avihu are presented by the torah with the words, and the sons of aharon, nadav and avihu, took vayikra 10. They reason that only the spiritual elite are privileged on this day to divine revelation, and the masses are not entitled to such direct contact with god.
The tragedy of nadav and avihu as refracted through ibn ezras focus on commandedness versus volition can teach us something about our service to other people. The israelites complete the tent that will serve as a portable temple at the end of the book of exodusshemot. Nadab and abihu were in a great position to become honorable and respected priests. Vayamot nadav va avihu lifney adonay behakrivam esh zarah lifney adonay bemidbar sinay uvanim lohayu lahem vayechahen elazar veitamar alpeney aharon avihem. Study the bible online using commentary on nahum 1 and more. Therefore, although the actions of nadav and avihu were incorrect, their intentions were pure.
Only one person, the kohen gadol high priest, maybut once a year, on yom kippurenter the innermost chamber in the sanctuary to offer the sacred ketoret to god. Now aarons sons nadav and avihu each took his fire pan, put fire in it. The big lesson here is that no matter what is at stake, you do the right thing. Separate your brother aaron and his sons from among the israelites, and bring them close to you so that aaron, and his sons, nadav, avihu, eleazar and ithamar, can become priests to me. The verses are cryptic, and the talmud berachot 54ab fills in the details with the following story. The torah column is supported by a generous donation from eve gordonramek. Those who are near to god are held to a higher standard than those who are not. Contextual overview 9 then moshe, aharon, nadav, avihu, and seventy of the zakenim of yisrael went up. The eighth day and the sin of nadav and avihu vbm haretzion. They came forth and carried nadav and avihu outside the camp, in their tunics, as moses had said. It is not sin, but a lack of spiritual maturity, that results in their engulfment. The beauty of the perfect light of the divine entering the world and the love of god that i felt in that moment. The second, incense offered by aarons sons nadav and avihu, elicited gods wrath and swift punishment. Whether their internal motivations were suspect or understandable, the violent deaths of nadav and avihu are still traumatic.
The real torahbased reason why god killed ananias and. The time and place for spontaneity my jewish learning. And there came forth fire from before hashem and consumed them, and they died before hashem. To understand the significance of this we must go back to first principles and remind ourselves of the meaning of kadosh, holy, and thus of mikdash as the home of the holy. Nadav and avihu felt that this generation needed a new approach, one that should have been adopted in the garden instead of hiding from god, they confronted god. After a heavenly fire descended and consumed the sacrificial offerings, revealing the divine presence, the verse states that these two of aharons sons offered before hashem alien fire, which he had. As the inauguration of the tabernacle mishkan is drawing to a close, these two brothers are struck dead by fire, because they offer up a strange fire of their own volition. This week we read about the aftermath of the most tragic event in the torah. Our spiritual challenge is to embrace the wisdom of both of these paths. Read nahum 1 commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete.
The zohar states that the two brothers were equal in. May 01, 2017 following the deaths of nadav and avihu, god warns against unauthorized entry into the holy. The book of samuel ii 6,1 records another event when treating a holy object. From the beginning of the book until the act of aarons two sons, the. The israel bible about the israel bible designed for both jewish and nonjewish readers alike, the israel bible offers a unique commentary that seeks to explain gods focus on the land of israel alongside the original hebrew text, transliteration of select hebrew verses, and the new jewish publication society translation.
Torah parsha achareikedoshim assembly of calledout believers. We learn in parashat shemini of the episode of the deaths of two of aarons sons, nadav and avihu. At first glance, the noquestionsasked instant execution of these two groups seems hardly the behavior one would expect from a god who places such a high value on life, love, and mercy. Throughout the ages, this story has generated countless commentaries that ponder what great sin could warrant such a divine act of severe retribution. The book of shemot exodus ends with the divine presence kavod filling the portable. In the biblical books exodus, leviticus and numbers, nadab and abihu were the two oldest sons of aaron. Moses said to aaron and his sons, eleazar and ithamar, do not go without a haircut and do not tear your vestments. Jtss extensive online torah resources reflect todays most compelling conversations, research, and teaching from leaders in jewish studyall available for learners around the world to explore and enjoy. The israel bible about the israel bible designed for both jewish and nonjewish readers alike, the israel bible offers a unique commentary that seeks to explain gods focus on the land of israel alongside the original hebrew text, transliteration of select hebrew verses.
This weeks parashah includes the tragic story of nadav and avihu, aarons two eldest. In his commentary on the torah, the great sage and mystic rabbi chaim ibn attar explains that nadav and avihu died from an overdose of love. The slonim rabbi in his book netivot shalom explains and verifies a few facts. The book of leviticus speaks of the tragic death of aaron s two elder sons, nadav and avihu. A fire went out from before gd and burned them up, and they died before gd. Nadav and avihu concentrated their efforts on their own spiritual attainments, without integrating the discipline of torah. I am constantly coaching myself to get the benefits of delayed gratification. You do the right thing even if your life depends on it which nadav and avihu knew was a possibility. A fire went out from before god and burned them up, and they died before god. The story of nadav and avihu is one of the alltime torah tragedies. Moses instructed aaron and his family not to mourn, although the people at large were permitted. Jun 07, 2002 nadav and avihu, sons of aharon, took their incense pans and put fire and incense in them, and offered an unauthorized fire before gd, which he did not command them to do. The deaths of nadav, avihu, and uzzah lessons for yom hashoah by beit hillel on april 14, 2015 in divrei torah as we mark yom hashoah this week, jews in the diaspora will read parshat shemini, describing the violent deaths of nadav and avihu, as well as the tragic killing of uzzah in this weeks haftarah.
The fall from glory, for nadav and avihu and the entire jewish nation was swift and stunning, and weve never recovered. As to the nature and cause of the sin, the commentaries based on various midrashim differ. The torah reading concludes with an obscure reference to the book of gods wars, describing the arnon canyon near the border between the land of israel and moab. According to leviticus 10, they offered a sacrifice with foreign fire before the lord, disobeying his instructions, and were immediately consumed by gods fire. We are warned that if we like esav, nadav, and avihu do not think before drinking or eating we will run the risk of giving up our longterm aspirations for shortterm rewards. In the beginning, kayin son of adam made an offering to hashem from the fruits of his labors. The book is lively with examples drawn from popular culture, such as how we interpret headlines in supermarket tabloids, and references to the. March 29, 2019by mychal springer commentary shemini shabbat parah. The smoke is dissipated to a degree by reading the haftara, relating the story of avinadavs son, uzza.
The contrast between these two parts of parashat shminione capped off by a holy revelation and a sacrificeconsuming fire and the other by sudden. Nadav and avihu were not the first examples of presumptuousness in the torah. The deaths of nadav and avihu are among the most troubling narratives in. Why was the lord so severe in how he dealt with nadav and avihu. The eighth day is a continuation of the revelation at mt. So, i think ill hang out with this birthday book a bit longer. This is the side of gods attributes that have been pushed to the back by wellmeaning clergy who.
Apr 08, 2010 nadav and avihu, sons of aharon, took their incense pans and put fire and incense in them, and offered an unauthorized fire before god, which he did not command them to do. Chazal chose the book of shmuel ii, chapters 67, as the haftara for parashat shmini. Second, both were directly killed by yhvh for what seemed to be nothing more than mere breaches of protocol. A central event in the parshah of shemini is the death of aaron s two elder sons, nadav nadaband avihu abihu, who offered a strange fire before g. But the deity who lies at the heart of both stories, and several others in the torah and tanakh, remains a mystery. The commentators struggle mightily with what exactly their sin was, and why they were punished so severely and with. We are always concerned about opinions about what our friends might think of us, what our family might think of us. Download all mp3s for this book download this lesson.
Strangely, the result of the ecstatic religious experience is eating and drinking. Nadav and avihu, the sons of aaron, each took his censer, and laid fire and incense on it, and offered this strange fire before hashem, which had not been commanded. They were highly aware of their own spiritual greatness, but personal holiness must be negated before the higher light of torah. The zeal of moshe, nadav and avihu, and pinchas vbm haretzion.