פרשת שמיני

“And it was, on the eighth day … and Nadav and Avihu, Aharon’s sons, each took a censer ….” (Vayikra, 9:1, 10:1)
The death of Nadav and Avihu is related to what is said in the Pirkei Avot (and Masechet Tamid, 32b), “who is wise? He who sees what will be born in the future.” On the one hand, we are told (Devarim, 18:13), “be honest [simple] with Hashem your God,” which means not to be overly clever (becoming involved in predictions of the future). Yet still, we are to fulfill the advice of “seeing what is born in the future.” One does this by looking into the very action he is doing, deeply investigating and contemplating whether this action is refined to the extent that it will endure for all time, even in the world to come. The matter of the incense offering is as is said in the holy Zohar (Bamidbar, 151b), “what is incense [ketoret]? It is the connection [ketira] of everything.”
This means that God is involved in all the actions that are done from the creation of the world until its end, and without His will nothing could be done. The incense teaches of this, as it taught in the Mei HaShiloach in Parshat Tetsave (v. “and he made”). For truly, the closer a man brings himself to God, the more he merits the light of God without its garments, which are the borders and fences that protect the Divine Law. The light itself is completely refined, with no fences or prohibitions, and there it is made totally clear that all the actions of man are wholly given over to God. This is the matter of the incense, which is a secret of the Torah and forbidden to delve into with guile. With the four sages who entered the garden (Chagiga, 14b, the mystic plane of Divine secrets uncovered) only Rabbi Akiva left in peace (one died, one stricken with madness, one abandoned the Torah).
This is why it says of Nadav and Avihu (Vayikra, 16:1), “who came close before God and died,” for they would bring themselves close to God, looking into the hidden depths, and wanted to stand on the refined, undressed truth of God’s conduct. This is why the cantillation marking on the word “not” [lo] in the verse, “which He commanded them not” (Vayikra, 10:1) is a mercha c’foola.
This shows how their hearts burned with such an intense love of God that they gave over their very lives, for mercha is related to rach, or soft, that their hearts became weak; and cfoola, or cfool, meaning double, or an increase of good that God did not command. Since they were young, they were not included together with Moshe and Aharon, as it is said in the holy Zohar (Shemot, 37b), “they did not take their [Moshe and Aharon’s] advice.”
What advice did they disregard? One opinion in the Gemara tells us that “they were drunk from wine,” claiming that they came to this state of intense closeness and became, God forbid, irreverent. Thus their intention was to remove all borders, as is explained, and here we have (the other advice that they disregarded in) the Midrash, which says that they entered missing some of the priestly garments. The missing garment was the me’il, the coat (made entirely of t’chellet, sky-blue wool, teaching of the intense fear of God, see Mei HaShiloach Parshat Tetsave) (Vayikra Rabba, 20:6). Even though the me’il is only for the high priest, they brought themselves to a place where they needed to wear the me’il, and understand.

THIS IS THAT THE ETERNAL SPOKE, SAYING: ‘THROUGH THEM THAT ARE NIGH UNTO ME I WILL BE SANCTIFIED.’ “Where had He spoken this? In the verse, and [the Tent] shall be sanctified ‘bichvodi’ (by My Glory). Do not read the word as bichvodi (by My Glory) but bimechubodai (through My honored ones). Moses said to Aaron: ‘My brother Aaron, I knew that this Sanctuary was to be hallowed by those who are beloved of the Holy One, blessed be He, and I thought that it would be either through me or through you. Now I see that your sons were holier than I and you.’” Thus the language of Rashi, based on the interpretation of our Rabbis. But if so, the verse, and [the Tent] shall be sanctified ‘bichvodi’ means “that it will become holy in the eyes of all the people through my honored ones, and they will know that I dwell therein.”
Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra also wrote: “This is that the Eternal spoke, saying, means: G-d had already told me that He would show His sanctity through those that were near to Him. This is similar in meaning to the verse, You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will visit upon you all your iniquities. And when I will show them this holiness of Mine, then I will become glorified before all the people and they will fear Me.” But if this is so, then this is a statement not written [in the text], that G-d informed Moses of His ways and that such is the nature of His attribute!
In my opinion there is no need for all this. For by way of the plain meaning of Scripture, the expression “G-d spoke” refers to His decrees, His thought, and the manner of His ways, and the term “speaking” is used with reference to all these [in humans]. Thus: I spoke with my own heart, means “I reflected on this thought.” And this is ‘hadavar’ that Joshua did circumcise, means “this is ‘the cause’ why Joshua did so.” ‘Al d’var’ (because of) the money. Similarly, And let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the Eternal hath spoken, means “as He hath decreed.” Likewise: In his days did Hiel the Beth-elite built Jericho; with his firstborn he laid the foundation thereof, and with his youngest son Segub he set up the gates thereof; according to the word of the Eternal, which He spoke by the hand of Joshua the son of Nun. Thus Moses said here: “This incident is that which G-d decreed, ‘saying to His heart': Through them that are nigh unto Me I will be sanctified so that they should not break forth into My sanctity; and before all the people I will be glorified, so that they treat My dwelling-place with respect.”