Aaron’s two oldest sons, Nadav and Avihu, offered a “strange fire before G-d, which He commanded them not.” Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh writes, “[Theirs was] a death by Divine “kiss” like that experienced by the perfectly righteous—it is only that the righteous die when the Divine “kiss” approaches them, while they died by their approaching it . . . Although they sensed their own demise, this did not prevent them from drawing near in attachment, delight, delectability, fellowship, love, kissing and sweetness, to the point that their souls ceased from them.”
The Torah states, “Aaron came near to the Altar, and slaughtered the sin offering...” After Aaron was installed as the Kohen Gadol, he needed to bring a calf as a sin offering to atone for his participation in the Golden Calf. In addition, he brought a sin offering on behalf of the Jewish people to atone for their participation in idolatry.
Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh writes, “The Jerusalem Talmud states that they had consulted with Prophecy (Nevuah), ‘What should be the fate of the sinner?’ Prophecy responded, ‘The life of the sinner should be taken.’ However the Torah tells us, ‘If one were to sin, He should repent and bring a sacrifice to be atoned.’ This is based on the Attribute of Mercy. The process of atonement is based upon the mindset of the one who brings the sacrifice.
Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh continues, “In truth, the individual who sins deserves to be slaughtered and burned upon the Altar as the animal. When one understands and appreciates the severity of transgression and that the only reason he is spared is due to the Mercy of G-d, then the sacrifice can atone on his behalf. When the Torah states, ‘Aaron came near to the Altar...’ it means that he fully internalized that he had relevance to the Altar within the context of himself deserving to be slaughtered and sacrificed. However, he slaughtered the calf in his place because of the Mercy of G-d.
Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh continues, “The Midrash states, ‘G-d had taken an oath that the world should function within the context of Justice.” The Gemara in Bava Kama tells us that if one were to say that G-d overlooks and does not evaluate and judge every aspect of one’s behavior, he deserves that his life should be compromised. If this is so, then how is the bringing of a sacrifice instead of the sinner in conformance with this principle?” Based on the Attribute of Justice, the individual who had sinned should be put to death.
Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh explains, “In fact, if one’s life were to be taken after he had repented, it would be considered a miscarriage of justice. When one sins, it is not within the context of rational behavior for a Jew. The sinner assumes the persona of an (intellectual) animal. As the Zohar states, ‘A person does not sin unless he is overtaken by a spirit of irrationality (ruach shtus).’
Therefore, when one sins, he is not sinning as a person who is classified as a human being (Adam) but rather as an animal who is not endowed with discretion. After one introspects and appreciates the wrong that he had done, and begins the process of repentance, he regains the status of a human being (Adam). Therefore, it would be unconscionable to take the life of a human being for an act that was perpetrated by an animal. Therefore, justice dictates that the animal must be sacrificed in the stead of the sinner in conjunction with the sinner recognizing the wrong that he had done. This is the understanding of the verse in Psalms, ‘Man together with the animal, G-d will assist...’ Meaning, if one employs his intellect to repent and appreciates the degree of travesty that in fact he deserves to be slaughtered and sacrificed together with the offering, he will achieve full atonement.”
“And about the goat of the sin offering Moshe had inquired, and behold it was burned, and he was angry at Elazar and Ithamar...” (VaYikra 10,16)
The Medrash (Sifri 31,21) says that three times in his lifetime Moshe Rabbeinu became angry and invariably, each of these times he made a mistake. He became angry when heavenly manna was left over, and consequently, he forgot to teach the laws of Shabbos. Moshe also became angry at the officers of the army during the war with Midian causing him to forget the laws of purification of vessels. Finally, Moshe became angry at Aharon and his sons for not eating the sin offering, he forgot the halacha that only the offerings necessitated by the inauguration service were supposed to be eaten.
Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh asks that the Medrash seems to imply that before Moshe Rabeinu became angry he knew the halacha of not eating this offering. In that case what initially provoked Moshe’s anger on Aharon. He concludes that the cause of his anger must have been different. He suggests that Moshe became angry because Aharon apparently had ruled on the matter of these offerings himself, without consulting his rebbi. Once Moshe became angry, he forgot the halacha regarding the offering and inquired why it was burned.
