Illustration Credit: Rebecca Kerzner
Commentary פַּרְשָׁנוּת
וַיִּקְחוּ בְנֵי אַהֲרֹן נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא אִישׁ מַחְתָּתוֹ וַיִּתְּנוּ בָהֵן אֵשׁ וַיָּשִׂימוּ עָלֶיהָ קְטֹרֶת וַיַּקְרִיבוּ לִפְנֵי ה' אֵשׁ זָרָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא צִוָּה אֹתָם׃
וַתֵּצֵא אֵשׁ מִלִּפְנֵי ה' וַתֹּאכַל אוֹתָם וַיָּמֻתוּ לִפְנֵי ה':
Aharon’s sons Nadav and Avihu each took his fire pan, put fire in it, placed a ketoret (incense) offering on it, and offered before God a strange fire which God had not commanded them.
Fire came forth from God and consumed them, and they died before God.
What went wrong here? What exactly was Nadav and Avihu’s mistake? Our פַּרְשָׁנִים (parshanim, commentators) offer many explanations. Here are two.
ר' יִשְׁמָעֵאל אוֹמֵר: שְׁתוּיֵי יַיִן נִכְנְסוּ לַמִּקְדָּשׁ. תֵּדַע שֶׁאַחַר מִיתָתָן הִזְהִיר אֶת הַנּוֹתָרִים שֶׁלֹּא יִכָּנְסוּ שְׁתוּיֵי יַיִן.
R. Yishmael said: They died because they entered the mishkan when they were drunk.
The proof is that, right after their death, God warns the remaining kohanim (priests) not to go into the mishkan when drunk (see 10:8-9).
Drinks with alcohol can affect a person’s brain and behavior, and can even be dangerous. Rashi and others notice that God immediately commands Aharon and his children to never go into the mishkan after drinking alcohol.
- There are many other stories in the Torah where drinking wine leads to a bad result. (Some people think the fruit eaten by Adam and Havah was actually grapes for this very reason–because grapes make wine!) What lesson should we be learning here?
שֶׁנִּכְנְסוּ מֵאֵשׁ הִתְלַהֲבוּת שֶׁל אַהֲבַת יהוה. וְאָמְרָה תּוֹרָה דְּאַף עַל גַּב דְּאַהֲבַת יהוה יְקָרָה הִיא בְּעֵינֵי יהוה, אֲבָל לֹא בָּזֶה הַדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר לֹא צִוָּה.
They entered with the fire of inspiration from their love of God. The Torah says that love of God is precious in God’s eyes, but not when that love is expressed in a way that God didn’t command.
- If Nadav and Avihu had good intentions (because they loved God), what was the problem with inventing their own way to show that?
- Show me the evidence! Can you find and explain which words in the Torah support each interpretation? (Hint: Look for support for Rashi in 10:9 and support for Ha’amek Davar in 10:1.)
- How does your understanding of Nadav and Avihu change if you read the story Rashi’s way vs. Ha’amek Davar’s way? How does the message of the story change?
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