The counting of the Omer (S’firat HaOmer), which lasts for 49 days, takes place at night, commencing on the second night of Pesach. Those who "count the Omer" recite a blessing each night of the 50-day period:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּֽנוּ עַל סְפִירַת הָעֹֽמֶר.
Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha’olam asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav vitzivanu al sefirat ha’omer. Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, who sanctifies us with mitzvot, and commands us concerning the counting of the Omer.
הַיּוֹם תִּשְׁעָה יָמִים שֶׁהֵם שָׁבֽוּעַ אֶחָד וּשְׁנֵי יָמִים לָעֹֽמֶר.
Hayom tishah yamim shehem shavua echad ushnei yamim la-omer.
Today is nine days, which is one week and two days of the Omer.
(א) וַיִּקְח֣וּ בְנֵֽי־אַ֠הֲרֹ֠ן נָדָ֨ב וַאֲבִיה֜וּא אִ֣ישׁ מַחְתָּת֗וֹ וַיִּתְּנ֤וּ בָהֵן֙ אֵ֔שׁ וַיָּשִׂ֥ימוּ עָלֶ֖יהָ קְטֹ֑רֶת וַיַּקְרִ֜יבוּ לִפְנֵ֤י יְהֹוָה֙ אֵ֣שׁ זָרָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֧ר לֹ֦א צִוָּ֖ה אֹתָֽם׃ (ב) וַתֵּ֥צֵא אֵ֛שׁ מִלִּפְנֵ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה וַתֹּ֣אכַל אוֹתָ֑ם וַיָּמֻ֖תוּ לִפְנֵ֥י יְהֹוָֽה׃ (ג) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֜ה אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֗ן הוּא֩ אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֨ר יְהֹוָ֤ה ׀ לֵאמֹר֙ בִּקְרֹבַ֣י אֶקָּדֵ֔שׁ וְעַל־פְּנֵ֥י כׇל־הָעָ֖ם אֶכָּבֵ֑ד וַיִּדֹּ֖ם אַהֲרֹֽן׃
(1) Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his fire pan, put fire in it, and laid incense on it; and they offered before יהוה alien fire, which had not been enjoined upon them. (2) And fire came forth from יהוה and consumed them; thus they died at the instance of יהוה. (3) Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what יהוה meant by saying: Through those near to Me I show Myself holy, And gain glory before all the people.” And Aaron was silent.
Question:
How do you understand Aaron's response to his son's death?
1. Rashi:
(ג) וידם אהרן. קִבֵּל שָׂכָר עַל שְׁתִיקָתוֹ, וּמַה שָּׂכָר קִבֵּל? שֶׁנִּתְיַחֵד עִמּוֹ הַדִּבּוּר — שֶׁנֶּאֶמְרָה לוֹ לְבַדּוֹ פָּרָשַׁת שְׁתוּיֵי יָיִן (ויקרא רבה י"ב):
(3) וידם אהרן AND AARON WAS SILENT — He received a reward for his silence. And what was the reward he received? That the subsequent Divine address was made to him alone and not to Moses also — for to him alone was spoken the section (vv. 9—11)
2. Biur:
In my opinion, this does not denote a mere absence of weeping but also resignation and inner composure… as in “Rest in the Eternal and wait patiently for him (Ps. 37:7) Similarly Aaron overcame his grief and his soul adhered to God, who is sanctified through His holy men.
3. Isaac ben Judah Abravanel (1437–1508)
Vayidom aharon - His heart turned to lifeless stone (domem - mineral), and he did not weep and mourn like a bereaved father, nor did he accept Moses' consolation for his soul had left him and he was speechless; Aaron was in so much pain that he couldn’t say anything at all. That’s why he was silent.
4. Rabbi Shai Held:
In other words, Aaron's silence was a function of shock rather than piety. Aaron is presented not as a hero of faith but simply as a human being, a father stunned into numbness by the unthinkable - the sudden, completely unexpected death of two of his children. He does not speak because there are no words --
5. Sefat Emet, c.1860 - c.1900 CE
Aaron was quieting not only his voice, but his whole self. He did that because he wanted to hear G*d in this difficult moment, and to do that he had to quiet his whole self and listen.
Question:
What perspectives do the commentators express?
Rabbi Eliezer Diamond: In Parashat Sh'mini we read of a great tragedy that befalls the people of Israel on the very day that it celebrates the dedication of the Mishkan, the sanctuary in the desert. We are told that when Aaron was informed of his sons' death he said nothing: And Aaron was silent.
The meaning of silence is of course ambiguous. In the Talmud there is a dispute as to whether, in a case where one party claims that another owes him money and the other party remains silent, we should interpret the silence as being an admission of obligation. Of course, the failure to respond to an accusation may be an act of concession, but it may equally well be means of indicating that the accused feels no need to respond to what he considers a baseless accusation.
Silence may also be an act of contempt. It may be the equivalent of someone saying, "I will not dignify that remark with a reply." Indeed, Proverbs advises us, "Do not answer a fool in his foolishness."
The ambiguity of silence's significance is rooted in its avoidance of dialogue; it indicates that no further discussion is necessary, either because what has been said is obviously correct or because it is clearly baseless. That is, silence may indicate an embrace of what was said previously or it might be its opposite, an act of total disengagement.
What was going on in Aaron's mind as he stood there speechless? It may be, and there is a rabbinic tradition to this effect, that Aaron's silence expressed his acceptance of the Divine decree. As painful, and perhaps inexplicable, as his sons' deaths may have been, Aaron deferred to God's greater wisdom.
However, there are at least two other possibilities. One is that Aaron was furious with God for having taken the lives of his sons, but he was reluctant to express this anger. It may be that he feared that in his rage he would utter some blasphemy. Alternatively, he may have seen such an outburst as pointless in the face of Divine Will.
There is, I believe, another possibility as well. Perhaps Aaron's silence was a form of disengagement, an emotional reaction beyond his control. The horror of what had occurred was so great that Aaron's mind may have shut down, thereby blanking out what had befallen his sons. Perhaps it was only in this way that he could bear the pain of his loss at that moment.
(ד) וַיִּקְרָ֣א מֹשֶׁ֗ה אֶל־מִֽישָׁאֵל֙ וְאֶ֣ל אֶלְצָפָ֔ן בְּנֵ֥י עֻזִּיאֵ֖ל דֹּ֣ד אַהֲרֹ֑ן וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֗ם קִ֞֠רְב֞֠וּ שְׂא֤וּ אֶת־אֲחֵיכֶם֙ מֵאֵ֣ת פְּנֵי־הַקֹּ֔דֶשׁ אֶל־מִח֖וּץ לַֽמַּחֲנֶֽה׃ (ה) וַֽיִּקְרְב֗וּ וַיִּשָּׂאֻם֙ בְּכֻתֳּנֹתָ֔ם אֶל־מִח֖וּץ לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֑ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר דִּבֶּ֥ר מֹשֶֽׁה׃ (ו) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֣ה אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֡ן וּלְאֶלְעָזָר֩ וּלְאִֽיתָמָ֨ר ׀ בָּנָ֜יו רָֽאשֵׁיכֶ֥ם אַל־תִּפְרָ֣עוּ ׀ וּבִגְדֵיכֶ֤ם לֹֽא־תִפְרֹ֙מוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א תָמֻ֔תוּ וְעַ֥ל כׇּל־הָעֵדָ֖ה יִקְצֹ֑ף וַאֲחֵיכֶם֙ כׇּל־בֵּ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל יִבְכּוּ֙ אֶת־הַשְּׂרֵפָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֖ר שָׂרַ֥ף יְהֹוָֽה׃ (ז) וּמִפֶּ֩תַח֩ אֹ֨הֶל מוֹעֵ֜ד לֹ֤א תֵֽצְאוּ֙ פֶּן־תָּמֻ֔תוּ כִּי־שֶׁ֛מֶן מִשְׁחַ֥ת יְהֹוָ֖ה עֲלֵיכֶ֑ם וַֽיַּעֲשׂ֖וּ כִּדְבַ֥ר מֹשֶֽׁה׃ {פ} (ח) וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר יְהֹוָ֔ה אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֖ן לֵאמֹֽר׃ (ט) יַ֣יִן וְשֵׁכָ֞ר אַל־תֵּ֣שְׁתְּ ׀ אַתָּ֣ה ׀ וּבָנֶ֣יךָ אִתָּ֗ךְ בְּבֹאֲכֶ֛ם אֶל־אֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵ֖ד וְלֹ֣א תָמֻ֑תוּ חֻקַּ֥ת עוֹלָ֖ם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶֽם׃
(4) Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, “Come forward and carry your kinsmen away from the front of the sanctuary to a place outside the camp.” (5) They came forward and carried them out of the camp by their tunics, as Moses had ordered. (6) And Moses said to Aaron and to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not bare your heads and do not rend your clothes, lest you die and anger strike the whole community. But your kin, all the house of Israel, shall bewail the burning that יהוה has wrought. (7) And so do not go outside the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, lest you die, for יהוה’s anointing oil is upon you.” And they did as Moses had bidden. (8) And יהוה spoke to Aaron, saying: (9) Drink no wine or other intoxicant, you or your sons, when you enter the Tent of Meeting, that you may not die. This is a law for all time throughout the ages,
Question: What do you think of Moses' response to his brother?
Interpretation:
וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה.....
Moses said to Aaron, and to Elazar and to Itamar, his, Aaron’s, other sons: Despite the tragedy that has occurred, you shall not grow out the hair of your heads. Do not allow your hair to grow wild during the mourning period, and you shall not rend your garments in the manner of mourners, that you will not die. If you observe the usual customs of mourning, you will be liable to death, and not only will you be punished, but He will rage against all the congregation, as you are now their priests. And your brethren, the entire house of Israel, shall weep over the burning that the Lord has burned. Mourning and weeping are of course a natural response to death. However, you have been consecrated, and you must remain in your posts within the confines of the Tabernacle. Consequently, you must not let their deaths affect you.
א"ר יוחנן אין מנחמין רשאין לומר דבר עד שיפתח אבל שנאמר (איוב ג, א) אחרי כן פתח איוב את פיהו
R. Yohanan teaches that “comforters are not permitted to say a word until the mourners open conversation
Rabbi Cary Kozberg: Moses addresses Aaron with an explanation of God’s reasons for what happened. However, the text itself does not cite any specific explanation by God. Are Moses’ words merely his own interpretation of the tragedy? If so, what are their implications?
Question: What can we learn about silence in response to personal tragedy?
(יז) שִׁמְעוֹן בְּנוֹ אוֹמֵר, כָּל יָמַי גָּדַלְתִּי בֵין הַחֲכָמִים, וְלֹא מָצָאתִי לַגּוּף טוֹב אֶלָּא שְׁתִיקָה. וְלֹא הַמִּדְרָשׁ הוּא הָעִקָּר, אֶלָּא הַמַּעֲשֶׂה. וְכָל הַמַּרְבֶּה דְבָרִים, מֵבִיא חֵטְא:
(17) Shimon, his son, used to say: all my days I grew up among the sages, and I have found nothing better for a person than silence. Study is not the most important thing, but actions; whoever indulges in too many words brings about sin.
Rabbi Angela Buchdahl Sermon, Bereshit 5784
https://www.centralsynagogue.org/worship/sermons/israel-at-war-in-the-beginning-there-was-the-word
As a Jewish people, we understand the power of WORDS to create a reality. Words bolster nations, build bridges, and bring healing. But words can also become barriers, curses and weapons. Jews have never ascribed to the childhood rhyme that ‘words will never hurt us.’ We know how very potent they are. And we also know how silence— the absence of words— can enable evil, and chaos.
Silence.
Where in this holocaust is the word of God?
The world was silent; the world was still.
And now, survivors stammer; their words are haunted.
Behind the silence,
a witness to the sin of silence...
And in the camps and streets of Europe
mother and father and child lay dying,
and many looked away.
To look away from evil:
Is this not the sin of all "good" people?
Elie Wiesel, "The Silence of the Bystander"
Alan Morinis. Everyday Holiness (pp. 144-145).
The Mussar masters are referring to a silence that is life giving, not death dealing, entered voluntarily in pursuit of spiritual insight and wisdom. This is contemplative silence, taken on voluntarily as spiritual practice. A soul deprived of silence loses track of itself. It is afflicted. Sooner or later, it will in desperation seek its need, or capitulate to negative forces.