The sons of Aharon, Nadav and Avihu, each took his fire pan, they put fire in them and placed incense upon it; and they brought before Hashem an alien fire that He had not commanded them. A fire came forth from before Hashem and consumed them, and they died before Hashem. – VaYikra 10:1-2

The death of Aharon’s sons may be one of the most difficult events to understand. Many times people speak of this in simplistic terms, saying they were killed because they “did it their way.” While there appears to be some truth in that, it is far short of the whole story. The fact that these sons are mentioned in other places of the Torah indicates that they were beloved of Hashem and begs a question.

Immediately following the death of Aharon’s sons, Moshe went to him and told him and his other sons that they were not to display any signs of mourning. They had to continue the services of the day. Aharon was silent. This silence spoke extraordinary faith. What was Hashem doing? Wasn’t his family just punished for some sin? Wasn’t this a humiliation of the priestly family before the whole nation? Yet Aharon was silent. He thus removed himself from the situation. He offered no opinion, no pleading words, no self-justification. He accepted that Hashem knew what He was doing, even if he could not see it at that moment. He accepted and let go of his will into Hashem’s will. He was totally surrendered to real belief in Hashem’s actions as the ultimate good.

This is one of the hardest things we can ever be asked to do: stand aside. There comes a time in situations wherein we are no longer allowed to participate. We have to let go and trust that Hashem Himself will bring it to fruition as He sees fit. He doesn’t need our help. In fact, if we don’t stand aside, we are actually in danger of crossing the line into manipulation. Even our prayers can fall into this category, so we have to be sure that we are ALLOWED to pray and then ask HOW to do so. Otherwise, our own ideas get mixed in, as we are assuming that Hashem can’t manage without us. At that point, we’re no longer being a vessel of His will, but rather acting out of our own.

This is a great lesson in the esoteric area of Hod, which is the prophetic sefirah (divine attribute) personified by Aharon. Torah priesthood has its opposite in the sitra achra (other side). During Biblical times it was manifested in obviously idolatrous priesthood; but it can be manifested in any of us through refusal to surrender our interests in a given situation to Hashem’s. When we continue to be involved, talking this way or that, praying this or that, trying to control the outcome of a situation, we are over the line into the sitra achra. Aharon was silent. He just stopped. This is what Hashem asks of us sometimes. Just stop, maybe even step away completely, and trust that He will bring the outcome HE wills. Don’t be attached to the outcome yourself; this is a breach of trust in Him.

Later Moshe asked about the sin-offering, why it had been completely burned rather then being eaten, as was required. This time Aharon was not silent, but rather explained that it would not have been appropriate for him, after what had happened to his sons. Regardless of the actions required of him, Aharon was still in a person newly in mourning, officially a position called onain, which would render his sacrifice invalid. Therefore, he could not eat the sacrifice made on behalf of the whole community. Moshe conceded that he was correct. Through the telling of this incident, we see that Aharon was not simply a meek person; he was not a “quiet man”. Aharon had been the spokesman for Moshe before Pharaoh. However, he had the wisdom to know when to speak up and the reverence for Hashem to know when to be still.

Moshe said to Aharon: “Of this did Hashem speak, saying: ‘I will be sanctified through those who are nearest Me, thus I will be honored before the entire people.’” -- VaYikra 10:3

This passage shows that what happened that day was not a simple incident of Hashem punishing errant behavior. Indeed, the sons of Aharon were considered like sacrifices themselves when the fire of Hashem came out of the Holy of Holies, as it had to consume the sacrifice upon the altar, and consumed them from the inside. They were the ones “nearest” to Hashem, through whom He would “be honored before the entire people.” Chazal (the Sages) say that when Hashem spoke those words to Moshe, he thought He was referring to Aharon and himself. But a sacrifice has to be without blemish, and he and Aharon were not. According to Chazal, Hashem further told Moshe to say to Aharon : “Your sons’ positions in olam haba (the world to come) are in the innermost compartment of the Shechina. They rank above even your and your brother Moshe’s.”

Whenever we are going through the fiery crucible it’s not always easy to realize that Hashem is still with us. We may feel that He’s angry and even hates us so much that He’s turned away. Feeling this way, we’re not able to perceive His constant care. Yet even while we’re suffering, something else is happening simultaneously -- something very special, something more tremendous than we possibly can imagine. We’re being purified of the dross; we’re being strengthened to withstand pressure; we’re being created a vessel for honored use. And all the while, more is occurring: the stage is being set for that specific moment for which we are being uniquely prepared.

On the Shabbat during the week of Pesach, the Haphtorah reading is the passage of Yechezkiel concerning his vision of the valley of dry bones. “Can these bones come to life?” Hashem asks him. His answer is: “Lrd Hashem / Elohim, You know!” (37:3). These dry bones are “the whole House of Israel”, saying: “Our bones are dried out and our hope is lost; we are doomed!” (37:11).

Many times our imaginations are fertile with ideas of how Hashem should fix something. Aharon was silent. Yechezkiel’s answer was: “Lrd Hashem / Elohim, You know!” -- in other words: “I don’t know.” We don’t know, but Hashem knows. To be a vessel of Hashem we must be completely submissive to His will. Our minds can go crazy trying to figure things out; we have to come to a place of resting in the faith that He knows, and that that is truly enough. Realizing we just don’t know, we need to be silent and do nothing. Then Hashem can work. Then we aren’t in the way of His flow. Then, if He so chooses, He can flow through us, unencumbered by our ideas and “help”.

Thus said the Lrd Hashem / Elohim: “Behold, I am opening your graves and raising you up from your graves, My people, and I will bring you to the soil of Israel. Then you will know that I am Hashem, when I open your graves and when I raise you up from your graves, My people, and when I put My spirit into you, and you come to life, and I set you on your soil. Then you will know that I Hashem have spoken and I have fulfilled – the word of Hashem.” -- Yechezkiel 37:12-14

Shabbat shalom,
Miriam