1. TWO COMMANDS
A unique detail of the narrative of “the death of Aharon’s two sons” is that the Written Torah spells out the practical lesson for us.
As is well known, every part of Torah contains a lesson about a Jew’s conduct. This is the meaning of the word “Torah” — (etymologically related to the word) horaah {a lesson}.
However, when it comes to many narratives or elements in the Written Torah, we must rely on the Oral Torah to identify the lesson in the story, verse, or word.
In our context, however, the Written Torah itself states that as a result of “the death of Aharon’s two sons,” two (lessons or) commands were given:
1) “Do not drink intoxicating wine... when you come to the Tent of Meeting....” In his Torah commentary (indicating that this is the straightforward meaning of Scripture), Rashi notes that this precautionary warning was delivered (immediately) after the death of Nadav and Avihu, who died because “they entered the Sanctuary while intoxicated by wine.”
2) The command stated at the beginning of our parshah, “Hashem spoke to Moshe after the death of Aharon’s two sons, when they approached.... Speak to Aharon, your brother — he may not always come into the Sanctuary....” As Rashi explains, the link between the verse “after the death... when they approached...” and the command “he may not always come into the Sanctuary...” can be understood by analogy. A doctor who wants to encourage his patient to avoid harmful behavior warns him to refrain, “so that you do not die the same way as so and so.” Likewise, in our context: Aharon’s sons were punished as a result of sinning “when they approached before Hashem, and they died.” (They entered the Sanctuary when “He had not commanded them.”) Consequently, Aharon was commanded — “after the death... he may not come... — so that he will not die in the same way his sons died.”
There are marked differences between these two commands, which need to be understood:
The first command — “Do not drink intoxicating wine” — was given immediately (in parshas Shemini) after the death of Aharon’s sons. (Furthermore, to convey this command, the Torah interrupts its instructions to Aharon and his sons concerning the eighth day of inauguration.)
On the other hand, the command, “after the death... he may not always come into the Sanctuary...” is only recounted in our parshah, following a lengthy break of (approximately) two and a half parshiyos. The Torah first discusses “the law of the animals, the birds, every living creature....” It then discusses the specific laws of impurity recorded in parshas Tazria and Metzora. Only then does the Torah continue with — “Hashem spoke... after the death... — he may not come...”! {So why was the first command given immediately, whereas the second was not?}
2. THE ORDER OF THE PARSHIYOS
The order of these parshiyos — with parshas Acharei Mos (as a whole) following “the law of the animals, the birds...” (stated in parshas Shemini) and the laws of impurity (recorded in parshas Tazria and Metzora) — can be understood simply: These parshiyos follow a descending progression, starting with parshas Shemini:
The overarching theme of the first part of parshas Acharei is the order of the service of Yom Kippur — a day, as its name indicates, of kaparah {atonement}. “On this day He shall provide atonement for you to cleanse you from all your sins...,” “This shall be for you... to bring atonement upon the Children of Israel for all their sins once a year.”
This is why the Torah discusses “the law of the animals, the birds...” and the laws of impurity of parshas Tazria and Metzora before parshas Acharei:
Until parshas Shemini, the sedros speak (primarily) about holy matters: They start with the commands regarding the construction of the Mishkan, the making of the priestly garments, and so on; they continue by discussing the sacrifices (to be brought in the Mishkan and Temple) and the prescribed rituals of the days of inauguration. They conclude with the eighth day of inauguration.
The Torah then turns to the laws that relate to worldly matters, where good and evil are intermingled. In this realm, the “Torah of light” becomes essential, guiding us to “distinguish between the impure and the pure” and illuminating man's path, protecting him from the world’s negative influences.
In this light, we can also appreciate the specific diction used by our Sages (regarding the laws of parshas Tazria and Metzora): “Just as the fashioning of man came after all cattle, beasts, and fowl in the act of Creation, so is his law {ותרות} explained after the law of cattle, beasts, and fowl” — seemingly {leading to this challenge}:
How can they say that “his law” (of man) is first addressed in parshas Tazria and Metzora? There are a multitude of instructions and laws concerning man’s conduct that the Torah discusses earlier, specifically: The Ten Commandments, the parshas Mishpatim {a parshah entitled “laws”}, among others.
The explanation: The details (its explanation) and novelty of the Torah, הָרוֹת, (etymologically related to the word, האָָרוֹה, instruction) are manifest specifically in their ability to help a person “distinguish between the impure and the pure....” Therefore, the explanation of “his law” of man is the instructions of Torah that (speak not to man’s overall conduct, but instead) apply to impurities that come from the person’s own body (a woman who gives birth, tzaraas, zav, and so on). Here, Torah instructs, guides, and teaches the person how to separate himself from the impure things that exist within him naturally.
This is why the section of the service of Yom Kippur appears only after “the law of cattle, beasts, and fowl” and “his law” of man, because the effect of the Yom Kippur service is only relevant after these laws are discussed:
Before addressing the subject of atonement, the Torah first teaches the Jewish people how to live in the world — to guard themselves from undesirable influences and to “distinguish between the impure and the pure.” Only after laying this foundation does the Torah offer a further lesson: Even if a person stumbles, G-d forbid, and allows negativity from the world to cling to him, he must not despair. For once each year, “He shall provide atonement for you to cleanse you.”
3. NEED FOR DEEPER EXPLANATION
However, this is not a satisfactory explanation why the Torah would postpone recording the command, “he may not always come into the Sanctuary,” until parshas Acharei Mos: Although Yom Kippur is connected with “the law of cattle, beasts, and fowl” and “his law,” the law of man, the command “he may not always come into the Sanctuary” (“so that he will not die in the same way his sons died”) should have been stated immediately after the death of Aharon’s sons.
Even if we were to suggest that the command “he may not come” was conveyed by Moshe “immediately after their death,” and that the Torah merely recorded it later (out of chronological order) — which is indeed conceivable, since the Torah is not always recorded chronologically — the question remains.
Given that every detail in the Torah is exact, and that the Torah specifically placed the command “he may not come” at this point, it makes sense to say that its placement is intentional. It is not merely because the command relates to the service of Yom Kippur — teaching that entry into “the Sanctuary” is not permitted “at all times” but only on Yom Kippur — and that the service of Yom Kippur needed to be discussed here for reasons previously explained.
Instead, it is also because of the deeper meaning of the command itself. The warning that “he may not always come into the Sanctuary,” contrasting with the conduct of Aharon’s sons, becomes truly necessary only after the Torah has discussed the laws of “the cattle, beasts, and fowl” and “his law” of man.
4. THE POINT OF NO RETURN
The following is the suggested explanation:
As is well-known, the sin of Aharon’s two sons was not a real sin. As Or HaChaim elaborates, their “sin” was allowing and facilitating their deep connection with Hashem to reach a state causing their souls to expire — “when they approached before Hashem (to the extent that) and they died.”
For them, {however, since they were so righteous} this behavior was considered a sin. Although a Jew must yearn for his service to rise to a level where he transcends the physical (to free himself from physical constraints), he is confronted with a seemingly contradictory demand: When he is on the verge of expiring — “ratzo” — he is told to awaken within himself the “shov” — not to leave the world. Instead, he should bring himself back and serve Hashem as he should. As our Sages put it, “Against your will you live.” A Jew can only serve Hashem properly when his soul is enclothed within a body, in this physical world. Here, the Jew can fulfill Hashem’s desire of having “a dwelling place in the lower realm,” transforming this world into a dwelling place for Hashem.
There are two (opposite) causes that lead a Jew to a state of “ratzo” without a “shov,” and consequently, to withdraw from the physical world completely:
1) When a Jew recognizes the wondrous nature of G-dliness and — in the words of Or HaChaim, the “pleasantness... and sweetness” of cleaving to Hashem — it leads him to do everything in his power to achieve this attachment. He does this by investing himself with all his strength in “approached before Hashem,” doing so to the extent that “they died” (it raises him completely beyond worldly physicality) — the expiration of the soul.
2) Conversely, when a Jew senses how lowly this world is, it drives him to flee desperately from engagement with the physical (which could distance him from the realm of holiness). This flight can lead him to withdraw from the physical world completely — a “ratzo” without a “shov.”
5. HASHEM’S TRUE DESIRE
Generally speaking, these two above-mentioned approaches align with two general classes within the Jewish people: full-time Torah scholars, and the working class:
A Torah scholar — entirely devoted to exploring the depths of Torah and far removed from involvement in worldly affairs — has little need to be cautioned against fleeing the world's coarseness. After all, his entire world is the world of Torah.
He must primarily be cautioned from thinking that the Torah wants him to pursue a state of “ratzo” to its ultimate extreme: {He could mistakenly think that} since Torah transcends the world, he cannot appreciate Torah unless he completely and truly rises above the world. Thus, he would need to reach a state of total “ratzo” — to detach himself from his body and (spiritually) rise above it completely. Only then can he reach the truth of the Torah.
This Torah scholar is warned that, on the contrary, the only way to reach the truth of the Torah is by living in a state of “shov.” Specifically, as a soul in a body. [This state entails understanding Torah such that even his human intellect (of his natural soul) comprehends the concept. Moreover, his Torah learning “abides in (his) two hundred and forty-eight limbs”].
This is because “the Torah is not in Heaven.” On the contrary, Torah was entrusted to those in the lower realm specifically. Indeed, the celestial beings defer to the rulings issued by the earthly courts because the Torah is found specifically in the lower realm.
But of course, the celestial beings look to the rulings in the revealed {legal} dimension of the Torah. These rulings obviously “belong” to the lower realm (for those in the Higher realms have no way of truly studying worldly matters). Therefore, they must, so to speak, descend below to discover the ruling.
In addition, however, this supremacy of Torah study in the lower realm even applies to the secrets of Torah, which are also studied in the Heavenly study halls. Not only are they studied there, but arguably, they are studied there in far greater measure than they are studied down here. Nevertheless, the denizens of the Higher realms descend to hear how these concepts are learned here below.
This is further illustrated by the Alter Rebbe’s explanation of our Sages’ teaching: “In the Heavenly academy they were debating... in a case of uncertainty — Hashem says: He is pure; but the entire Heavenly academy says: He is impure. They said: Who can arbitrate... Rabbah bar Nachmani.” In Likkutei Torah, this dispute pertained (primarily) to the secrets of Torah, and nevertheless, “Who can arbitrate... Rabbah bar Nachmani.” This is because even when it comes to the secrets of Torah, the Jewish people, as they exist down here, as souls in bodies, have decisive authority.
A businessman, however, must be cautioned because of the opposite considerations: Since he is involved in worldly affairs, he might think, “How can I possibly withstand all of the challenges present in the physical world?”
He may conclude that he must have a complete “ratzo” and abandon his mundane work. He is therefore informed that Hashem’s ultimate desire is the “shov” — for the person to transform this lowly world into a dwelling place for Hashem. And since this is something that Hashem demands, and “I am only asking... according to their ability,” it is sure that Hashem gave him all the necessary strength and ability to withstand these challenges.
6. DRUNK ON DIVINE
This is the difference between the two commands that arose following the death of Aharon’s two sons:
This is why the first command that followed the death of Aharon’s two sons was directed toward Torah scholars. This command not to drink wine in an intoxicating manner was explicitly given to the kohanim. [Similarly, the halachah (derived from this verse) that “a person who is intoxicated is forbidden to render halachic decisions” is also associated with the kohanim — for regarding the kohanim, it says, “They shall teach your laws to Yaakov....”].
It was directed to them because the kohanim’s unique quality was to remain sequestered from worldly affairs (“set apart from the ways of the world”) and completely dedicate themselves to the Temple service. Similarly, every Jew has this level of “priesthood” within him (even ordinary Israelites). As Rambam rules, every individual whose “spirit generously motivates him... to set himself aside and stand before Hashem to serve him... removing from his neck the yoke of the many reckonings... he is sanctified as holy of holies ...and Hashem will provide for his needs in this world like He provides for the kohanim and the levites.”
This class of Jews must be cautioned — “Do not drink intoxicating wine”: “Wine” represents the secrets of the Torah: “wine enters, secrets emerge.” “Drinking wine” (wine with a flavor) represents a person who delights in comprehending the secrets of Torah. He is therefore commanded: “intoxicating wine — drinking wine in a manner that it intoxicates — do not drink”: The “wine” — the enjoyment of, and involvement in, the secrets of the Torah — must not bring him to a state that it “intoxicates,” nullifying his (mind and) existence, in a “ratzo” without a “shov.”
Nadav and Avihu’s conduct led them to enter “the Sanctuary while intoxicated by wine”: Their deep connection with “wine” — the secrets of the Torah — caused them to lose all sense of selfhood, leading their souls to literally expire (“when they approached before Hashem, and they died”).
Therefore, immediately after Aharon’s two sons died, the Jewish people who fall under the category of “kohanim” (like Aharon’s two sons) received the warning: “Intoxicating wine —
