Parshas Shemini contains the tragic event of the sudden death of Aharon’s two eldest sons, Nadav and Avihu. Chazal note on the opening words of the parsha (“Vayehi b’yom hashemini”) that the term “Vayehi” connotes pain. In this context, tragedy struck on the eighth day (which coincided with Rosh Chodesh Nissan), following the shivas yimay hamiluim (seven days of inauguration) of the Mishkan, during which Moshe served as the Kohen.
Just as Aharon was taking over the job as Kohen Gadol and his sons were taking over the jobs of serving as the Kohanim in the Mishkan, Nadav and Avihu brought an “eish zarah” (foreign fire) and were struck down right then and there. Whenever I read this parsha I think to myself, imagine if there was a Chanukas Habayis of a Beis Haknesses (dedication ceremony for a new shul). Everyone is dancing. It is a beautiful moment in time, and then suddenly a beam from the roof collapses and hits someone on the head and kills him on the spot. It would be an untold tragedy. People would never look at that shul the same. How much more so in this case.
Aharon’s two eldest sons die, righteous leaders of Klal Yisroel, right there in the Mishkan! It must have had a horrible effect.
The pasuk says: “Moshe said to Aharon: Of this did Hashem speak, saying: ‘I will be sanctified through those who are nearest Me, thus I will be honored before the entire people; and Aharon was silent.” (Vayikra 10:3). Rashi writes: “Aharon my brother, I knew that this House would be sanctified through those who were closest to the Omnipresent. I figured it would be through either me or you. Now I see that they (Nadav and Avihu) were greater than me or you.”
This is a very powerful, yet enigmatic statement by Rashi. “I knew that this had to happen.” What does that mean? Can it mean that a tragedy needed to happen? Why would a tragedy need to happen upon the inauguration of the Mishkan? We never consider such a possibility when we plan a Chanukas Habayis!
The Dubno Maggid in his Ohel Yaakov gives a beautiful parable explaining what it means when Moshe said “I knew that this was going to happen.” As is his style, the Dubno Maggid asks “Mashal l’mah ha’davar domeh” (To what can this matter be compared)? Imagine that a country wanted to build a capital city to be the most beautiful city in the world. They hired the greatest architects and the most professional builders in the world. (When Washington D.C. was being designed, the fledgling American Government brought in Pierre Charles L’Enfant, a French army engineer who fought in the Revolutionary War, to build the most beautiful capital city imaginable. Washington D.C. is indeed a beautiful place.) So, they build in the finest of everything, the finest materials, the finest architects, etc., etc., etc.
Of course, being a world-class city, as they envision, they want to also build there for themselves a world class hospital, the greatest hospital the world has ever seen. Again, it would have the latest technology, the best staff, the best equipment, all the ‘hidurim‘. And of course, it would need to have the greatest doctor in the world. Since this is the capital city, the city that is going to put all other cities in the world to shame, and since this is going to be the hospital that is the most world-renowned medical center, it needs to have at its head the greatest doctor to walk the face of the earth.
And so it was. On the day they cut the ribbon to go into the city, everything opened as planned. People were overwhelmed by the beauty. One fellow started not feeling well on this first day of the inauguration of the city. He complained of a headache. He went into the hospital and became the first patient in the hospital. Of course, the head of the hospital, this world-renowned doctor treated him personally. (It is just a headache. “Take two aspirin and call me in the morning.”) A few days later, the person died. He died in the best hospital in the world, in the greatest city in the world, under the care of the best doctor in the world, from a headache yet! What happened? How did this go wrong?
The Board of the Hospital gets together to analyze what happened. It is so embarrassing. The mayor comes to join in the investigation. The head doctor gets up and says, “The fact that this person died is the most fortunate thing that could have happened to this city.” He explained: If we have the greatest city in the world, the most pleasant city to live in, and we have the best hospital in the world, everyone will say “I don’t need to take care of myself. I can eat without caring about my weight gain. I don’t need to watch my cholesterol. I don’t need to monitor my blood pressure. I don’t need to exercise. I have no worries about my health because I live in the city with the best hospital in the world. If I get sick, I will go to the hospital and be treated by the best doctor in the world and everything will be fine.”
The doctor said that this is why it was important, and even helpful, that the first patient in the hospital died. This lets people know that such calculations are incorrect. Someone can have the most beautiful city, the greatest technology, the greatest hospital with the greatest equipment and the greatest doctor, but you still need to take care of yourself.
The Dubno Maggid explained the ‘nimshal’ (object of his comparison): Klal Yisroel now had a Mishkan. A Mishkan is a place where Korbonos are brought. The people might figure that now we can do whatever we want. All we need to do now is go to the Mishkan, bring a Korban, recite the Vidui (confession), v’Nomar Amen! (L’Havdil, this is a phenomenon found in the Catholic Church. Catholics feel that they can do anything that they want, go to the priest and say, “Forgive me father, for I have sinned” and their sins are atoned for, without even needing to fast on Yom Kippur!)
People might think: We have a Mishkan. We can now do anything that is forbidden and be guaranteed forgiveness. So, Moshe Rabbeinu told Aharon that it was important to disabuse the masses of such a notion. More importantly, Heaven needed to teach a lesson that it is crucial to be careful with the Mishkan and its holiness. If not treated with the proper deference, the Mishkan itself can kill. This thing that people think is the cure-all and panacea for all ills may actually cause fatalities, if people don’t act properly.
That is what Moshe Rabbeinu meant when he said, “I knew that this House would be sanctified through those who were close to the Omnipresent.” The Mishkan is akin to radiation. It is very powerful. It has much positive potential, but someone who is not careful with it may be killed by it. (R’ Frand)
