The Deaths of Nadav and Avihu

For seven days Moses constructed and dismantled the Mishkan, the Tabernacle, and brought all the various sacrifices to inaugurate the Mishkan. And nothing happened; Hashem did not yet appear.

It was the eighth day and the Jewish people were anxiously waiting Hashem’s appearance. Then finally it happened. Moses and Aaron blessed the people “and the glory of Hashem appeared to the entire people! A fire went forth from before Hashem and consumed upon the Altar the elevation-offering and the fats; all the people saw and sang glad song and fell upon their faces” (Vayikra 9:23-24).

Can you imagine the ecstasy? But then, at the very climax of the Mishkan's inauguration, Nadav and Avihu brought an unauthorized sacrifice and a fire came forth from Hashem and killed them. Immediately after their death, Moses consoled Aharon by saying, “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’; and Aaron was silent” (ibid 10:3).

According to the Talmud (Zevachim, 115b), Moses told Aaron that the Almighty spoke to him in a prophecy and told him that when the Mishkan would be inaugurated, “I shall set My meeting there with the Children of Israel, and it shall be sanctified with My honor (bichvodi)” (Shemos 29:43). Do not read it “with My honor,” says the Talmud, but “through My honorable ones (b’mechubadai).” Moses said, “Aaron, I knew that this House would be sanctified through the death of Hashem’s beloved, but I thought it would be through either you or me. Now I see that Nadav and Avihu were greater than you and me!” (Vayikra Rabbah 12:2. See also Midrash Tanchuma, Shemini).

Aaron was silent, indicating that understanding the role their deaths played did indeed console him.

Why would God tell Moses that the greatest Jews will die on a day of such celebration and joy? The Almighty does not need blood and death. The presence of His Shechinah brings blessing, transcendental pleasure, and healing. Why were their deaths necessary?

A Dire Warning

Every prophecy that predicts disaster is only a warning. The Almighty in effect told Moses, "Watch out. You better take care of this issue – otherwise, when I appear, the greatest of the Jewish people will die." It did not have to happen. Had the Jewish people heeded the warning and taken the necessary steps to avoid making a critical mistake, they could have averted the tragedy. But what mistake was Hashem telling Moses to correct?

If you pay close attention to how the Jewish people responded when Hashem appeared you will see what they were lacking. "A fire went forth from before Hashem and consumed upon the Altar the elevation-offering and the fats; all the people saw and sang glad song and they fell upon their faces" (Vayikra 9:24). What was missing? The Torah does not say that they were afraid. Where was the fear of Heaven?

That lack was corrected through the deaths of Nadav and Avihu. When the fire came down and killed the greatest Jews on the spot, boy, were they afraid. When the Almighty comes, it is not enough to rejoice and be ecstatic. It is not even enough to humble yourself. You need to tremble at the awesomeness of Hashem’s presence.

Hashem tried to warn Moses ahead of time, so that He would not have to bring about such a calamity. Instead, He had to correct the mistake for them, by killing the greatest of the Jews, which restored the proper level of awe.

But why did Hashem bring about this fear specifically through the death of Nadav and Avihu?

Because ultimately they were responsible for this problem not being corrected.

The Talmud (Sanhedrin 52a) tells us that Nadav and Avihu were once walking behind Moses and Aaron and Nadav said to Avihu, “When will these two elders get out of the way so we can lead the Jewish People?”

The Talmud’s characterization of Nadav and Avihu as arrogant upstarts, impatient with the current leadership, is not very flattering. However, the Midrash – cited by Rashi, and mentioned above – describes Nadav and Avihu as being greater than even Moses and Aaron.

Which is the true depiction of Nadav and Avihu? Were they brash upstarts, or greater than Moses and Aaron?

The Sages do not contradict themselves. Therefore, these descriptions must be two sides of the same coin.

Nadav and Avihu were in a certain respect greater than Moses and Aaron, and it was this greatness that caused them to become arrogant and impatient with Moses and Aaron’s leadership. But there is another, more subtle mistake described in the Talmud’s narrative, and it is a mistake we all commonly make in relating to the leaders of our generation and their handling of the Jewish people’s deficiencies.

Nadav and Avihu thought that you are only responsible to address the problems of the Jewish people once you are appointed to a position of leadership. This is antithetical to the Torah’s approach to responsibility, as the Torah says, “The hidden [sins] are for Hashem, our God, but the revealed [sins] are for us and our children forever.” (Devarim 29:28). The Torah holds each and every one of us accountable to undertake to solve the problems we see the moment we become aware of them.

Taking responsibility for the Jewish people is not just an obligation of those in leadership positions; we are all equally responsible. But how can the Jewish people function if everyone takes responsibility to address the problems they see in the manner they deem fitting? That would create anarchy.

There is a balance between individually taking responsibility and respecting the current leadership. All of us, regardless of our position or stature, are equally responsible to address the problems that we see. There is no hierarchy when it comes to responsibility. When it comes to implementation of solutions, however, we must work under the guidance of the existing leadership to ensure that our proposal is sound and that our problem-solving is conducted properly.

Nadav and Avihu perceived a lack of fear of God in the Jewish people. That was part of their greatness – but because they did not address this problem in their lifetime, Hashem arranged for their death to be the means with which to resolve it. (This is one aspect of the concept that “misas tzaddikim mechaperes” – the death of the righteous atones.) Nadav and Avihu mistakenly thought they had to wait until they were appointed leaders to implement a solution to the problem they saw. Instead, they should have gone to Moses and Aaron, explained to them the problem they saw, and presented their proposed solutions. After receiving the support and backing of Moses and Aharon, they should have then implemented their strategy. That is the way to address problems constructively.

We often make the same mistake as Nadav and Avihu. We all see problems within the Jewish people, but instead of taking responsibility for them, we tell ourselves that it is our leaders’ job to address them. Then, when the leaders are completely overwhelmed by the problems, we criticize them for not acting more boldly and aggressively, and then we become frustrated and even resentful of the lack of progress in these crucial areas.

The proper outlet for our concern is to develop a strategy and discuss it with our leaders, and then implement it with their backing and guidance. This approach ensures that people are empowered to take responsibility and confront the challenges they see without undermining the leadership.

The Greatest Difference

Just after the founding of the State of Israel, there was a bris in Jerusalem that was attended by many Roshei Yeshiva and great Rebbes of the time.

Rav Chatzkel Sarna, the Rosh Yeshiva of Chevron, was asked to speak. Rav Chatzkel was known to be a colorful personality and his words that day did not disappoint.

Rav Chatzkel began as follows:

“I know all of you here think that it was your Zaide that had the greatest impact on Klal Yisrael over the last 100 years, but I am here to tell you today that it was none of them.”

That certainly raised a few eyebrows.

“Furthermore,” Rav Chatzkel continued, “the person who did have the biggest impact on Klal Yisrael, the Jewish Nation, was not a talmid chacham, a Torah scholar – in fact the person could not read a page of Gemara.” The rabbis asked Rav Chatzkel to change topics.

Pushing on, Rav Chatzkel said, “When I tell you the person’s name all of you will agree with me immediately.” Given the people in attendance at the bris, that statement was simply outrageous.

“The person who had the greatest impact on Klal Yisrael over the last 100 years,” Rav Chatzkel concluded, “was Sarah Schneirer.”

Everyone agreed without hesitation.

Without Sarah Schneirer, the Jewish people would have been decimated. While young men were in yeshiva being educated and inspired with Torah and mitzvot, the young women were going to public school and losing their connection to Yiddishkeit. Without a generation of religious women, there can be no next generation of the Jewish people. She recognized this problem and created the Bais Yaakov movement of Jewish schools for girls.

What was Sarah Schneirer’s secret? How did she address a problem of the Jewish people that even great men like the Chofetz Chaim, Rav Chaim Ozer, and the Gerrer Rebbe did not address?

In her diary, she tells her secret. She was a seamstress, and young women would come to her to have clothing made. She would talk to them, and she saw up close how weak these girls were in their commitment to Yiddishkeit and understanding of Torah. She writes in her diary that she would cry for them, thinking, "I am sewing beautiful clothing to cover their bodies, but their souls are bare, because they lack mitzvot."

Sarah Schneirer saved the Jewish people because she saw a critical problem, took it to heart, and took action. She saw the tragedy unfolding and understood that the entire future of Klal Yisrael was at stake. Most importantly, she avoided the mistake of Nadav and Avihu; she did not pass the buck and wait for the leaders of her generation to step in and address the crisis. She took action, working with the blessing of the leading rabbis of her generation, and made the difference that saved the Jewish people.