Sifrei Chasidus states that by using the word “b’karvasam” (when they came close before Hashem), the Torah is hinting to the cause of Nadav and Avihu’s death. It is saying that while they did merit coming close to Hashem and connecting to Him, they only were concerned with their own stature. They only wanted for themselves to get close to Hashem, but they were not concerned about other people. Thus, the pasuk is saying that they themselves came close to Hashem, but they did not bring others close to Him. They did not emulate their father, Aharon, who brought others close to Hashem, and they were punished for this. They were taken from this world because they were not fit to become the leaders of the nation, as the main purpose of a leader of Klal Yisroel is to worry about the welfare of the nation and to ensure that they are well taken care of both in ruchnius and in gashmius.
This concept is clearly seen in the following incredible story:
Shortly after the Holocaust, the Ponovizher Rov, Rav Yosef Shlomo Kahanamen zt”l, opened a home in Bnei Brak for orphaned young survivors, where he took care of all of their needs. In 1948, three years after the end of the war, a 10-year-old orphaned boy arrived at the home. This boy had lost his entire parents in Auschwitz and a relative had looked after him and brought him to the home.
The staff warmly welcomed him, but the boy was severely traumatized and, as a result, he was cold and distant. The first night, when he was served supper, he hid a few pieces of bread in his pocket. He was so used to being afraid that he would have no food that he was still obsessed with hiding food for later. When it was time to go to sleep, they brought him a set of pajamas, but he insisted in sleeping in his worn-out, shabby clothes. He also refused to take a shower.
This went on for several days. He refused to remove his clothes, no matter what. Even when he was promised sweets and prizes if he would change his clothes, he still refused.
The Ponovizher Rov was a surrogate father for all of the orphans. He would hug and kiss them as if they were his own children. Every Friday, he would hand out money for them to buy candy for Shabbos. He personally approached the new boy and asked him why he wouldn’t change his clothes or take a bath; however, the boy would not answer.
After another few days passed, the Rov saw that this must stop. He went to ask the Chazon Ish zt”l, who lived nearby, what to do.
When the Chazon Ish heard about the problem, he immediately got up and went to see the boy. He smiled broadly at him and asked, “Why don’t you want to bathe?”
The boy finally opened his mouth and said in a pained voice, “I don’t want to take off my clothes because whenever I take off my clothes they are taken from me. This happened in Bergen Belsen, in Auschwitz, and in every other camp I was in. My clothes were always stolen from me because I had no one to watch them. So I won’t take them off again!”
Everyone there was shocked by his words. They were greatly saddened to see how the boy had lost his trust in humanity. The Ponovizher Rov was so distressed that he ran out of the room and began to cry.
The Chazon Ish then told the child, “Don’t worry. The housemother will stand guard over your clothing while you take a bath.”
The boy said, “I don’t trust her!”
The Chazon Ish then said that the Ponovizher Rov himself would watch his clothing, but the boy said that he didn’t trust him either. Finally, the Chazon Ish said that he would personally would watch his clothing. The boy seemed doubtful. He couldn’t believe that the Chazon Ish would stay there to watch his clothing but the Chazon Ish said, “I have never said a lie in my life. I promise you that I will watch your clothing.”
The boy then said, “If you will guard my clothing, I will do it.”
The boy was given a bathrobe and he went into his room,. He came out a few minutes later and handed his clothing to the Chazon Ish, who took them from him. He was then taken for a bath. After he left, the Chazon Ish said to the Ponovizher Rov in a tearful voice, “We must now be this boy’s father and mother!”
The Chazon Ish took off his frock and got a large basin. He filled it up with water and the two of them began to scrub the boys’ filthy clothes. The clothing were so dirty that the water turned black and had to be changed several times. There was a young man who worked in the home named Rabbi Grondowitz who tried to stop the Rabbanim from doing such menial work, saying that he would wash the clothes instead; however, they insisted that it was their job. When they finished washing the clothes, they hung them up to dry. About a half hour later, the boy came back from his bath and he asked the Chazon Ish for his clothes. The Chazon Ish told him that they were still wet but he promised to continue to watch them while the boy slept.
Slowly, the boy returned to a normal life, and he ultimately got married and built his own home.
From this story, we can see that a manhig in Klal Yisroel has to worry about each individual. Even the Chazon Ish closed his Gemara and went to take care of a young orphan and to put him back on his feet.
