Shalom Friends;
This week, our Parshat HaShevua — Shemini is being sponsored by Ben and Gina Fishman of Ramat Beit Shemesh dedicated for Mazal Tov on the birth of Efrat bat Sarah Bracha Elisheva and her parents should merit to raise her Torah, Chuppah, Meisim Tovim. To Mishpochat Fishman, many thanks for your sponsorship, and your continued kindnesses.
You can celebrate a Simcha — a birth, a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, a Chassuna or other Simcha event in your life, or commemorate a Yahrtzeit of a loved one, or for whatever other reason by sponsoring a Parshat HaShevua.
Please forward to your relatives and friends and encourage them to sponsor a Parshat HaShevua. And please be in contact with me with any questions, or for further details.
Best Regards,
Moshe Burt
olehchadash@yahoo.com
skype: mark.burt3
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In previous years, this author discussed the several aveirot (wrong-doings) of Aaron’s sons Nadav and Avihu, including their performance of the unauthorized Service, the offering of a “strange fire …”, uncommanded by Hashem. Also discussed in previous years’ Parshat Shemini, was how Nadav and Avihu sought to perform a unique service, apparently thought by each of them to be pleasing to Hashem, and how many others through our history have sought to alter, to change the traditional modes of service, more often than not, in ways and for reasons not L’Shem Shemayim (not honoring Hashem’s name) and perhaps, eventually rendering whatever service they attempted as unrecognizable in Shemayim, and actually an aveirah (a sin).
Torah relates regarding Nadav and Avihu’s inebriation and their offering of the “strange fire” :
“Hashem spoke to Aaron saying: Do not drink intoxicating wine, you and your sons …, when you come to the Ohel Mo’ed (the Tent of Meeting), that you not die — this is an eternal decree for your generations. In order to distinguish between the sacred and the profane …” (Rendered to English in the Artscroll Stone Chumash, Vayikra, Perek 10, posukim 8-10).
A small sefer was compiled based on Chovos Halevovos: Cheshbon HaNefesh, with insights from HaRav Chaim Zev Malinowitz, z”l was distributed lilui nishmas on the occasion of the Shloshim after his passing. Page 26 of the sefer, including additional insights from Rav Malinowitz, seems to strongly relate to Hashem’s speaking to Aaron HaKohen Gadol:
Reflect on fearing the punishment of a human king when not following a royal command. Do I feel that way before Hashem?
Don’t scare with the idea of onesh (punishment), we are told!
[It] didn’t seem to bother Aaron HaKohen, as Rashi explains in the beginning of [Parshat] Acharei Mos — Hashem says: Don’t enter the Kadoshei HaKadoshim willy-nilly, so that you not die like your children Nadav and Avihu. Aaron HaKohen needs that? Well, maybe he doesn’t need it, but it surely helps.
Chazal tell us in Pirkei Avos that if not for fear of punishment from a governing body, civilization as we know it would collapse into chaos.
In our Parshat HaShevua, this author discusses the exchange between Aaron and Moshe about the status of Aaron and his remaining sons, Elazar and Ithamar, as mourners and as to whether or not Hashem would approve of their partaking of meal-offering.
Our Parshat relates:
“Moshe spoke to Aaron and to Elazar and Ithamar, his [Aaron’s] remaining sons; ‘Take the meal-offering that is left from the fire-offerings of Hashem, and eat it unleavened near the Mizbeiyach [Altar]; for it is the most holy.'” (Rendered to English in the Artscroll Stone Chumash, Sefer Vayikra, Perek 10, posuk 12)
“Moshe inquired insistently about the he-goat of the sin-offering, for behold, it had been burned! –and he was wrathful with Elazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons, saying: ‘Why did you not eat the sin-offerings in a holy place; for it is most holy; and He gave it to you to gain forgiveness for the sin of the assembly and to atone for them before Hashem? Behold, its blood was not brought into the Sanctuary within; you should have eaten it in the Holy, as I had commanded!'” (Rendered to English in the Artscroll Stone Chumash, Sefer Vayikra, Perek 10, posukim 16-18)
“Aaron spoke to Moshe; ‘Was it they who this day offered their sin-offering and their elevation-offering before Hashem? Now that such things befell me — were I to eat this day’s sin-offering, would Hashem approve?’ Moshe heard and he approved.” (Sefer Vayikra, Perek 10, posukim 19-20, translation rendered in the Artscroll Stone Edition Chumash, page 597 )
The Artscroll Stone Edition Chumash then cites Rashi on the above posukim (page 597):
“Was it they who this day…?” We deduce from Aaron’s response… [a]… possible reason why they might have burnt the offering. Since the service of an onen [a more intense mourning upon a close relative’s passing, prior to burial and subsequent shiva] is disqualified, the offering that they performed had to be burned. To dispel this idea, Aaron said that it was not they, but he, the Kohen Gadol, who performed the day’s entire service — and a Kohen Gadol is permitted to serve as an onen.
However, Aaron went on to say, even though the service was properly performed, no one was permitted to eat the offering, for even a Kohen Gadol may not eat while he is an onen.
“Now that such things befell me…” Now that this tragedy has made me an onen, and therefore, disqualified me from eating the sacrificial meat.
“Would Hashem approve?” Would it have been proper for me to eat the Rosh Chodesh offering? Surely Hashem would not have approved.
Rabbi Zelig Pliskin, in his sefer “Growth Through Torah” cites S’forno (page 251) and comments regarding Moshe’s approval of Aaron’s understanding of the Halacha and his wisdom:
Moshe was under the impression that Aaron made a mistake and censured him for it Aaron then told Moshe the reason why his behavior was proper: “And Moshe heard and it was good in his eyes.” (Translation of Sefer Vayikra, Perek 10, posuk 20 rendered by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin, in his sefer “Growth Through Torah”, page 251)
S’forno comments…: Moshe felt joy upon hearing the reasoning of Aaron. He had pleasure that Aaron was correct in his decision.
People who love wisdom will derive pleasure when they come up with an original idea or when they find that they are correct in some intellectual matter. But it is a rare quality to have such a love of wisdom that one derives pleasure when another person comes up with a good idea. What was special about Moshe’s joy was that he himself made an error and Aaron was right. Many people would feel upset that they made a mistake. But not Moshe Rabbeinu. He was joyful that his brother had an awareness of truth, even though this meant that he was wrong. Moshe’s love of wisdom should serve as our model to strive for.
We see throughout history, and particularly today, that people, politicians, governances err, often abysmally — again and again and again, and yet are too proud, too stuck on their agendas or prejudices to admit error. In fact, going back to the citing of Pirkei Avos by HaRav Chaim Zev Malinowitz, z”l about lacking fear of punishment by governing body thus leading to chaos, it would seem to this author that such a governing body which admits when it was in error would be a righteous governance.
Today, we seem to see the emergence of chaos evolving from peoples’ loss of respect for agendized, self-serving, stubborn and flawed ideological governments whose credibility is lacking in sufficient wisdom, virtue, morality or righteousness.
May we, the B’nei Yisrael be zocha that our brethren — the refugee families from Gush Katif be permanently settled and be made totally whole — be totally restituted for all that was stolen from them and that the thrice expelled families of Amona be restored to their rebuilt homes, and the oft-destroyed Yeshiva buildings in Yishuv Chomesh be rebuilt at government expense; both due to alt-leftist-agendized, supreme court legalized Yassamnik gunpoint. Baruch Hashem that our dear brother Jonathan Pollard is now free of his parole and restrictions and that he is now in his second year at home in Eretz Yisrael. May Esther Yocheved bat Yechiel Avraham have an aliyah in Shemayim and may her memory and spirit continue to lift Jonathan to at least 120 years. May the MIAs be liberated alive and returned to us in ways befitting Al Kiddush Hashem — as with the return in April, 2019, via Russia, of the remains of Zachariah Baumel, as should the remains of the two chayalim from the Gaza War of five and a half years ago. May we have the courage and strength to stand up and physically prevent the possibility of Chas V’Challila any future eviction of Jews from their homes and prevent Chas V’Challila the handing of Jewish land over to anyone, let alone to enemies sworn to Israel’s and Judaism’s destruction and eradication. And may we soon and finally see the total end to the Communist Chinese corona virus pandemic and all like viruses. May we fulfill Hashem’s blueprint of B’nei Yisrael as a Unique people — an Am Segula, not to be reckoned with as with “the nations” and may we be zocha to see the Moshiach, the Ge’ula Shlaima, as Dov Shurin sings; “Ki Karov Yom Hashem Al’Kol HaGoyim”, the Ultimate Redemption, bimhayrah b’yamainu — speedily, in our time”, — Achshav, Chik Chuk, Miyad, Etmol!!!
Good Shabbos!
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Moshe Burt, an Oleh, is a commentator on news and events in Israel and Founder and Director of The Sefer Torah Recycling Network. He lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh.
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