(א) וַיִּקְח֣וּ בְנֵֽי־אַ֠הֲרֹן נָדָ֨ב וַאֲבִיה֜וּא אִ֣ישׁ מַחְתָּת֗וֹ וַיִּתְּנ֤וּ בָהֵן֙ אֵ֔שׁ וַיָּשִׂ֥ימוּ עָלֶ֖יהָ קְטֹ֑רֶת וַיַּקְרִ֜בוּ לִפְנֵ֤י ה' אֵ֣שׁ זָרָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֧ר לֹ֦א צִוָּ֖ה אֹתָֽם׃ (ב) וַתֵּ֥צֵא אֵ֛שׁ מִלִּפְנֵ֥י ה' וַתֹּ֣אכַל אוֹתָ֑ם וַיָּמֻ֖תוּ לִפְנֵ֥י ה'׃ (ג) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֜ה אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֗ן הוּא֩ אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֨ר ה' ׀ לֵאמֹר֙ בִּקְרֹבַ֣י אֶקָּדֵ֔שׁ וְעַל־פְּנֵ֥י כָל־הָעָ֖ם אֶכָּבֵ֑ד וַיִּדֹּ֖ם אַהֲרֹֽן׃
And the sons of Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, took each of them his fire-pan and put fire in it and placed upon it and brought forward alien fire before the Holy One, which God had not charged them. And fire came out from before the Holy One and consumed them, and they died before God.
And Moses said to Aaron, "This is just what the Holy One spoke, saying:
'through those close to Me shall I be made holy and in all the people 's presence shall I be honored.'"
And Aaron was silent.
Guide:
1. Upon your initial reading of this Torah text, what is your understanding of the death of Nadav and Avihu? Is there any lesson to draw from it?
2. In your own words, restate Moses' words to his brother Aaron. What would you say if you were Moses?
3. How do you understand Aaron's silence? How would you have reacted to Moses if you were Aaron?
(ד) נִמְצָא עַל־יְדֵי רִקּוּדִין, שֶׁשּׁוֹתֶה יַיִן הַמְשַׂמֵּחַ, שֶׁהֵם שֹׁרֶשׁ הַגְּבוּרוֹת שֶׁבַּבִּינָה, וְנִמְשָׁכִין לְמַטָּה בְּתוֹךְ הָרַגְלִין, הַיְנוּ שֶׁמְּרַקֵּד, בָּזֶה מְגָרֵשׁ הַחִיצוֹנִים מִשָּׁם, וְזֹאת הִתְלַהֲבוּת שֶׁל הָרִקּוּד, וְהוּא אִשֵּׁה רֵיחַ נִיחוֹחַ לַה' (במדבר כח).
(ה) אֲבָל מִי שֶׁמְּרַקֵּד בְּהִתְלַהֲבוּת הַיֵּצֶר, זֶה נִקְרָא חֵטְא שֶׁל נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא, שֶׁכָּתוּב בָּהֶם (ויקרא י): וַיַּקְרִיבוּ אֵשׁ זָרָה.
(ו) נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא הֵם נֶצַח וָהוֹד, וְהִתְלַהֲבוּת שֶׁבִּקְּדֻשָּׁה נִקְרָא יַיִן הַמְשַׂמֵּחַ, שֶׁעַל־יָדוֹ נִמְתָּקִים הַבְּכוֹרוֹת. וְאֵשׁ זָרָה, נִקְרָא יַיִן הַמְשַׁכֵּר, הִתְלַהֲבוּת הַיֵּצֶר. וְשָׁם יֵשׁ, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, אֲחִיזָה לְהַחִיצוֹנִים, אֲשֶׁר לֹא צִוָּה אוֹתָם:
Thus it is that by dancing—when he drinks the wine of joy, which is the root of the gevurot in Binah, and they are drawn and revealed below within the legs, namely, he dances—he thereby expels the external forces from there. This is the excitement in dance, an aspect of “an offering by fire, a pleasing fragrance to God” (Numbers 28:8).
But when someone dances with the excitement of the evil inclination, this is called the transgression of Nadav and Avihu. Concerning them it is written (Leviticus 10:1), “They offered… a foreign fire, <which He had not instructed them [to offer]>.”
Nadav and Avihu are Netzach and Hod. And the <fire and> excitement in holiness is called the wine of joy, through which the bekhorot are mitigated. But the foreign fire is called wine that intoxicates, the excitement of the evil inclination. That is where the external forces have a hold, God forbid.
Rabbi Nachman of Breslov is teaching through classical Kabbalistic tropes. Yet, at the essence, he is teaching about two different dances, two different expressions of our passion. On both a mussar (ethical) or chassidic (spiritual) level, Torah attempts to direct our passions in appropriate ways.
1. Give an example of one desire or passion that is expressed in a positive way in one context and a negative in another context. What differentiates the two?
2. What additional insights do you derive from this teaching?