Once the bodies of Nadav and Avihu were removed from the Tabernacle, the installation ceremonies could resume, so Aaron offered up the additional sacrifices for the first of the month.
Once all the sacrifices had been offered up, the question arose as to whether the portions of the sacrifices designated to be eaten by the priests should indeed be eaten by Aaron and his two remaining sons, since they were in mourning. As will be recounted later, the princes of the 12 tribes donated dedication offerings for the inauguration of the Altar, and God told Moses to offer up one of these each day during the first 12 days of the full functioning of the Tabernacle. The first one to be offered up, on the 1st of Nisan, was that of Nachshon the son of Aminadav, prince of the tribe of Judah. These dedication offerings included grain-offerings, part of which were also to be eaten by the priests, so the same question applied to Nachshon’s grain-offering.
Moses spoke as follows to Aaron and his surviving sons, Eleazar and Itamar: “Even though only a high priest is permitted and required to eat his sacrifices on the day his close relatives die, all three of you—in this respect, too—are subject to the stringencies of the high priest. You must therefore all eat the portions of the installation grain-offering and of the dedication grain-offering of Nachshon the son of Aminadav that are designated to be eaten by the priests. Thus, take the portion of the grain-offerings left over after their ‘memorial portions’ were burned up as God’s fire-offerings and eat them as unleavened loaves. You must eat these grain-offerings near the Altar, i.e., within the Tabernacle precincts, for they are sacrifices of superior holiness.
And, as you have been commanded, and similar, too, to a high priest, do not go out of the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, lest you die, because God’s anointing oil has been placed upon you.” They did according to Moses’ order.
