Moshe said to Aaron, "This is what Hashem spoke of, saying, 'I will show myself holy to those who come near me, and before all the people I will be glorified.'" Aaron held his peace.
The Ohr Hachaim asks why the Torah uses the word הוּא – he is the one that Hashem spoke of. What is the purpose of this extra word?
The possuk says לֵאמֹר – saying. What was Moshe told to say to anyone? Was he told, in Har Sinai, to tell everyone that Hashem would sanctify Himself with those that are close to him? If so, why did he wait until now to repeat it to anyone?
The Toras Cohanim writes that when Nadav and Avihu passed away, Aharon was standing and wondering to himself, trying to figure out which Aveira he had done to deserve this terrible punishment of half his family being wiped out on his day of happiness. Moshe went to him to appease him, telling him, “Aaron my brother, I was told at Sinai that Hashem was planning on sanctifying His new house with a great man. I thought it would be either myself or you. Now I see that your sons are greater than all of us.
Another explanation the Medrash offers is that these words were told to Moshe at Sinai, but he did not know them until the story occurred. Moshe told Aharon, “your children only died for the sake of holiness of Hashem’s name, as the possuk says, וְנֹעַדְתִי שָמָה לִבְנֵי יִשְרָאֵל וְנִקְדַש בִכְבֹדִי - I will meet there with the Children of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by My glory. When Aaron heard that his children were close to Hashem, he kept quiet.
According to the first explanation of the Medrash, the word הוּא was an answer to Aaron’s pain at the loss of his children. He thought that he was to blame for their untimely passing, and Moshe explained that he was wrong – Aaron thought one thing, but really this was included in the original prophecy that holy people would sanctify the Mishkan when it was erected. The word הוּא is referring to the death of his children.
However, according to the second explanation, the word הוּא refers to the possuk. Now Moshe understood what the words meant; this is what Hashem meant with these words. When Hashem said those words of וְנֹעַדְתִי שָמָה לִבְנֵי יִשְרָאֵל וְנִקְדַש בִכְבֹדִי, he was not told to say it to anyone. Only now, when he understood what the words referred to, did he know that he was supposed to repeat them and to whom. This is the meaning of the word לֵאמֹר.
Although the second explanation of the Toras Cohanim answers all of our questions, the first one fails to account for the לֵאמֹר.
Another issue that we need to understand in the first explanation of the Medrash is the language it uses. Moshe told Aaron that he did not know which holy people would be used to sanctify the new Mishkan, או בי או בך – or me or you. The correct way to write this would be בי או בך – myself or you. Why is there an extra או at the beginning of the sentence?
The Ohr Hachaim explains that two things are being dealt with here. First, the incredible level of the departed Tzadikim, and second, that which happened to them, which was a sudden Heavenly death.
If he would have said בי או בך – myself or you, he would have meant that Moshe was closer to Hashem than Aaron. Moshe was the one without the qualifier of או, but Aaron was qualified with a maybe. That would make Moshe the greater one of the two, and Moshe did not want to talk like that. This is why Moshe added the או to his own name too. If he would have said Aaron’s name first, saying בך או בי, it would have sounded like he was blaming Aaron for what happened by not qualifying his name. By saying או בי או בך, he was placing both of themselves in the doubt, and even the question that was now answered with the passing of Nadav and Avihu was said with respect.
However, one question remains. The Torah only promised that one holy person would die, sanctifying the Beis Hamikdash. Moshe did not expect both himself and Aaron to die, only one of them. Why did two children of Aaron have to die?
This question is only relevant when we learn the possuk of וְנִקְדַש בִכְבֹדִי as וְנִקְדַש בִמְכוּבָדִי which would mean that someone who is respected by Hashem would sanctify the Beis Hamikdash. In this case, only one Tzadik is mentioned, as it uses a singular expression. Now that two Tzadikim died to sanctify Hashem’s name, Moshe realized that his explanation was wrong. The explanation of the words must now be that Hashem will be sanctified בִכְבֹדִי for the sake of His honor. Now the word is to be read literally, and not changed to בִמְכוּבָדִי.
This is the meaning of our possuk בִקְרֹבַי אֶקָדֵש וְעַל פְנֵי כׇל הָעָם אֶכָבֵד – Hashem will be sanctified with those who are close to Him. Not that וְנִקְדַש בִמְכוּבָדִי that He will be sanctified with an honored person, but that Hashem’s honor will be increased with the sanctification of the passing of Tzadikim.
This is the meaning of the word לֵאמֹר. Now Moshe knew the meaning of the words, now he could tell them what Hashem said.
