This week’s Torah reading, Acharei, describes the sacrificial worship carried out in the Temple on Yom Kippur, but it prefaces that description with an allusion to the death of Aaron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu. Why did Nadav and Avihu die?
The Torah relates previously that they entered the Holy of Holies with “a strange fire that G-d did not command them [to bring].”
Consuming Desire
Now on Yom Kippur, the High Priest would enter the same sacred place, the Holy of Holies. And so, the Torah warns him not to repeat the error made by Aaron’s sons.
What was the mistake of Aaron’s sons? They sought closeness to G-d and were willing to give up everything, even their lives, to achieve that.
The Or HaChayim, one of the classic commentaries on the Torah, explains that their death did not come as a punishment. Instead, their souls appreciated the G-dly light manifest in the Holy of Holies and clung to it. Their desire for G-dliness was so great that their souls simply expired.
Serving G-d in this World
This was the error that the High Priest was to avoid on Yom Kippur. Although he would enter the Holy of Holies and come face to face with the Divine presence, he was warned to keep in focus that the intent of his service was life in this world, not a bond with G-d in the spiritual realms.
Rather than seek out closeness with G-d, his purpose in entering was to evoke atonement and blessing for the Jewish people as they exist in this material realm.
What is the core of the issue? Aaron’s sons sought their own spiritual satisfaction; what was gratifying for them. The High Priest, on the other hand, is a servant, carrying out G-d’s will, aware that what G-d desires is not a bond with Him in the spiritual realms, but rather the observance of His will and His mitzvot in this material world.
The Most Encompassing Bond
Similar concepts apply with regard to the ultimate, desired state of existence. Maimonides maintains that the ultimate is the spiritual world of souls, the afterlife. All material existence, even the heights to be reached in the era of the Redemption and the era of the Resurrection, he maintains, is secondary to the G-dliness to be experienced when the soul leaves the body.
The Sages of the Kabbalah, the Jewish mystic tradition, differ and maintain that the ultimate state will be the Resurrection of the Dead. Souls that have enjoyed spiritual bliss in the afterlife for thousands of years will descend and live again in a material body. For G-d’s essence is invested in this material world, and it is through life in this world that the most encompassing bond with Him can be established.
From the teachings of the Rebbe; reprinted from Keeping in Touch with perm. from Sichos in English.
On the tenth day of the seventh month you shall afflict yourselves" (Lev. 16:29)
The Apter Rav, author of Ohev Yisrael used to say: "Were I only to have the authority I would annul all the fast days on the Jewish calendar with two exceptions. Those are the Ninth of Av, the date of the destruction of the Temple - for who can eat on such a day - and Yom Kippur (the tenth day of the seventh month), the holiest day of the year - for who needs to eat on such a day?"
And you shall keep My statutes, and My ordinances, which if a person will do them (otam) he shall live by them (Lev. 18:5)
The word "otam" - "them" - is spelled without the Hebrew letter vav. It is therefore the same letters as the word "emet," which means "truth." This hints to us that if a person lives his life according to truth, acts truthfully in all areas, speaks and thinks honestly, it is promised him that "he shall live by them." For clinging to truth is a special merit for long life. (Degel Machane Efraim)
Because the life of all flesh is in the blood. (17:11)
The blood is the "soul" of man and beast. G-d permitted us to eat only an animal's body, and not its soul. Since the blood of a beast is its soul, we do not want to take an animal's soul into our bodies. We must have an elevated consciousness in order to study Torah and perform mitzvot. That which a person eats turns to blood in his body and his mind is nourished by it. (Ramban)
Do not follow the ways of Egypt where you once lived, nor of Canaan, where I will be bringing you. Do not follow any of their customs (Lev. 18:3)
This verse is not exhorting us concerning transgressions; those are detailed later. Rather, it is informing us concerning the actions and deeds which are permitted; they must be performed in a different manner from the non-Jewish people in Egypt and Canaan. Even our eating and sleeping should be done in a Jewish way. (Siftei Emet)
From our Sages & Moshiach Now! reprinted from www.LchaimWeekly.org – LYO / NYC
