ויקחו בני אהרן נדב ואביהוא איש מחתתו ויתנו בהן אש וישימו עליה קטרת, ויקריבו לפני ה’ אש זרה אשר לֹ֦א צוה אתם.
And the children of Aharon, Nadav and Avihu each took their pan, and they placed fire in them, and put incense on it – and they brought close before G-d a strange fire, which [G-d] had not commanded of them.[i]
Introduction: the Minhag of the Nasi-of-the-Day
To start off the month of Nisan, as we do every year, there is a custom to recite the verses noting the inaugural offering of the corresponding day that was offered during the inauguration of the Mishkan. Each tribe’s prince offered their offering. After the verses recited we also recite a prayer stating that if a person is from the tribe for which the verses were recited, then we ask G-d to incorporate all the positive aspects of that tribe within us.
Question
- Why do we commemorate the inauguration of the Mishkan?
Interestingly, this prayer is recited even if one is certain that he is not a descendant of that tribe; for example, a Kohen, who is a descendant of the tribe of Levi, recites this same prayer every day the same way as a regular Jew does.
- Why do we recite a prayer stating “if we are from this tribe” even when we know for certain we are not from that tribe?
There is one inaugural offering which is not recited, even though it was stated in the Torah as occurring on Rosh Ĉodesh Nisan – namely the offering of Nadav and Avihu.[1]
Instead, to correspond to the tribe of Levi, we recite the summation at the end of all the tribal offerings. And, unlike the other tribes / days, we do not recite thereafter the prayer of “if we are from this tribe”.
- Why do we not recite a prayer to incorporate within us all the lights from the tribe of Levi?
Background information
The tragic offering of Nadav and Avihu
After Moshe had trained the Kohanim, which at that time included Aharon and his four (4) sons only, for a complete week on how to serve in the Mishkan, G-d commanded that this day, the eighth (8th) day of the inauguration, which fell out on Rosh Ĉodesh Nisan, would be a special day. On this day, G-d’s presence in the form of a heavenly fire, would descend onto the altar to consume the offerings, demonstrating to all that G-d’s presence rested with the Jewish people, and that their service was accepted by G-d.
When Nadav and Avihu, the two eldest sons of Aharon, saw this, they were overcome with spiritual zealousness, and determined, without asking Moshe, that they would offer a personal offering of incense within the Mishkan. Their punishment was immediate. The Gemara[ii] notes that two threads of divine fire entered their nostrils and consumed their souls, leaving their bodies and garments completely intact.
The Halaĉic Considerations – Strange Fires
Rashi, in his commentary on the verse, notes as follows:
- ותצא אש – Rabbi Eliezer says, the children of Aharon only died because they taught a Halaĉa in front of Moshe their master. Rabbi Yishmael says, they were drunk on wine when they entered the Mikdash. As a proof: after their death, the remaining [children of Aharon] were warned against drinking wine in the Mikdash. A parable: there was a king who had a household member etc. As was taught in the Midrash.[iii]
Side note: At first glance, this would seem to present two differing opinions, those of Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yishmael. However, a closer look might reveal that these are actually two aspects of the same understanding.
As explained by Rabbi Yishmael, G-d immediately reaches out to Aharon in the next section of the Torah, telling him:[iv]
יין ושכר אל תשת… ולהבדיל בין הקדש ובין החול… ולהורת את בני ישראל את כל החקים אשר דבר ה’ אליהם ביד משה
Do not drink wine or intoxicating beverages… so that you may distinguish between that which is holy and that which is mundane… and so that you will guide the Jewish people about all the statutes which G-d, through Moshe, spoke about.
As explained in the Gemara[v] which notes the juxtaposition of this verse to the clauses immediately preceding it, Rashi notes: this teaches us that an intoxicated person is forbidden to render Halaĉic rulings.
In other words, both the answers of Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yishmael are part of the same answer, as derived by the Gemara. Serving while intoxicated and issuing their own rulings were not separate either-or sins committed. They were cause and effect of the same sin – Nadav and Avihu were spiritually (and presumably physically) intoxicated, and from that state of intoxication, they arrogantly issued an independent Halaĉic ruling.
The Anatomy of Intoxication: The Drunken Lion
How exactly does wine lead to a rogue Halaĉic ruling? As taught in the Midrash[vi] the stages of drunkenness are reflected in the nature of various animals:
When a person drinks one cup, he is docile like a lamb. But when he drinks a second cup, he becomes like a lion—he boasts, feels invincible, and declares, “Who is like me?!” Etc.
This is the exact psychological link between the wine and the ruling. The wine fueled the “lion” stage of their ego – their ישות. Their spiritual intoxication puffed them up like Ĉometz, causing them to roar with self-importance. In this state of “Who is like me?”, they felt completely justified in bypassing Moshe, relying entirely on their own intellect to deduce that bringing their unauthorized offering was a brilliant idea.
The Witnesses in the Names: Eliezer and Yishmael
If both Sages agree on the synthesis of the event, why does each emphasize a different half of the equation? The answer lies in the symbolism of their names. In Jewish tradition, a Sage’s name is not a coincidence; it is a reflection of their spiritual essence and their unique understanding of the Torah.
- Rabbi Eliezer (אליעזר): “G-d is my help.” Rabbi Eliezer’s name represents the fundamental recognition that a human being is limited and requires divine assistance and the grounding tradition of a teacher. Therefore, he focuses on the arrogance of their actions. Nadav and Avihu rejected the concept of “G-d is my help.” They acted independently, casting aside the tradition of Moshe to rely solely on themselves.
- Rabbi Yishmael (ישמעאל): “G-d listens” / “He will hear.” Rabbi Yishmael’s name represents the trait of absolute receptivity—the ability to be a pure vessel that listens to the Divine command. Therefore, he focuses on the flaw in their motivation. By becoming intoxicated, Nadav and Avihu destroyed their capacity to listen. Instead of making themselves a quiet, flat vessel (like Matzah) to hear what G-d actually commanded of them, they drowned out the Divine voice with the roaring “lion” of their own passionate desires.
The Complete Picture
Through this synthesis, the tragedy becomes a single, continuous thought:
Nadav and Avihu stopped listening to the quiet command of G-d (Rabbi Yishmael’s perspective). This deafening of the spirit was fueled by the “lion’s roar” of their intoxication. Blinded by this spiritual Ĉometz, they rejected the necessity of relying on their teachers (Rabbi Eliezer’s perspective), and in a state of absolute self-assurance, issued a fatal Halaĉic ruling that brought about their deaths.
The Halaĉic Teaching of Nadav and Avihu
- What exactly was the Halaĉic teaching they issued, which they believed gave them license to act as they did?
The Gemara[vii] expounds on this as follows: When Moshe issued the instructions for how to bring a burnt offering, the Torah states[viii]
ונתנו בני אהרן הכהן אש על המזבח
and the sons of Aharon the Kohen shall place a fire on the altar.
Since, as we noted previously, the fire actually descended from Heaven what is the purpose of this verse requiring the sons of Aharon to place a fire on the altar.
The answer is the Halaĉic ruling[ix], as quoted by Rashi: even though a fire descends from Heaven, it is a Mitzva to bring fire from the הדיוט (the regular person).
Normally, to fulfill the Mitzvah to add regular fire to the altar, the Kohanim would take a piece of wood and light it from an ordinary source of fire[2], which would then be placed on the altar. This was the ruling that Nadav and Avihu issued. And tragically, they were actually correct. But because they did so while intoxicated, without consulting with Moshe, this Halaĉic ruling resulted in their death.
The Fatal קל וחומר (fortiori)
The Netziv[x] explains; while under the influence, Nadav and Avihu took their correctly derived Halaĉa, requiring mundane fire to be added to the altar, and extended that ruling through an improper קל וחומר as follows:
- If G-d requires human input in the form of ordinary fire to be brought on the outer altar – which purpose is to elevate the course animalistic nature of a person – then certainly he needs human intervention in the form of ordinary fire to be brought on the inner altar[3] – which purpose is to elevate the more refined human nature of a person.
However, had they not been intoxicated, they would never have made such a fundamental error in logic. G-d doesn’t need anything from a human. His command to a person, that mundane fire be added to the process of elevating the animal soul, is there to give the person a sense of effort and accomplishment in the process. And so, the קל וחומר falls apart on closer examination:
Elevating the animalistic nature of a person is not an easier task, while the effort to refine the human nature a more difficult task – the opposite is true. An animal soul is by its nature further removed from G-dliness.
Adding to that the concept of G-d “needing” human input, and the entire קל וחומר shows itself for what it is, drunken logic. Which leaves us asking the next question:
- How and why would Nadav and Avihu get themselves intoxicated to the point where they made these obvious mistakes?
Spiritual Intoxication
The holy Or HaĈaim explains as follows: when Nadav and Avihu witnessed the Divine Presence manifest and the heavenly fire descend, they were overcome by an intense, deadly ecstatic love for G-d – אהבה רבה עד כלות הנפש.
They desired to draw even closer. In Jewish thought, the offering of the incense is the most intimate, spiritual, and unifying of all the offerings. Therefore, this is the way in which they sought to get as close to G-dliness as possible.[4]
Ramban describes this differently. He points out that the divine fire actually originated from between the כרובים, burst outward and landed on the outer altar. Seeing this incredible manifestation of divine fire moving through the Mishkan, Nadav and Avihu rushed to “greet” it with their incense.
The Strange Fire
If Nadav and Avihu were correct, that the Halaĉa requires מצוה להביא מן ההדיוט – an obligation to use ordinary fire, why then would the Torah describe the fire as an אש זרה – a strange fire. In the context of the service in the Mishkan and Mikdash, the term זר means one who is not mandated to serve. Seemingly, in this case, the mundane fire was indeed mandated by Halaĉa, how then can it be deemed strange.
The Torah provides this answer immediately, with its statement of אשר לא צוה אתם – which had not been commanded to them.
Nadav and Avihu were not acting in their capacity as Kohanim, servants to the Almighty performing their sanctified and mandated service in the Mishkan. They were acting on their own. They allowed their own excitement and desire to become close to G-d to render themselves intoxicated, and with this surfeit of ego rushed to come closer to G-d.
True closeness to G-d demands humility and ביטול. Which is why the one who achieved the ultimate closeness to G-d, Moshe, is described[xi] as עניו מאד מכל האדם אשר על פני האדמה – extremely humble more so than any human [ever] on the face of the earth.[5]
Nadav and Avihu were consumed with their selves, with their own ego in issuing the ruling, and with their own sense of closeness in being chosen to offer the incense – and intoxicated by their ego – they died.
The Cantillation of the מרכא כפולה
On the verse אשר לא צוה אתם, the Torah reading has an unusual cantillation mark on the word לא – namely, the מרכא כפולה.
The term מרכא כפולה means a double lengthening, the Aramaic word מרכא being associated with the Hebrew word אריך – long. This length refers to the conjunctive-ness of the accent between one word and another. In other words, to ensure that the negative connection between אשר and צוה אתם is broken in a way that cannot be misunderstood – so that no one will think to read this as אשר צוה אתם – that they were commanded – we sing the word לא with double the length of a connecting cantillation.
Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Schneerson points out that there are three (3) times where the מרכא כפולה is used to accent a version of the word לא:
- The Hamlets of Novaĉ and Yair: on the verse[xii] ויקרא לה נובח בשמו – and he called them Novaĉ in his name.
During the conquest of the Gil’ad (near modern day Golan Heights), half of the tribe of Menashe was assigned that territory by Moshe. Novaĉ and Yair, children of Maĉir son of Menashe, went and conquered the various cities and hamlets in the area – renaming these conquered places in their own names.
Rashi, quoting the teachings of Rabbi Moshe the Darshan, explains that the letter ה in the word לה lacks a מפיק – the dot of permanence. Accordingly, this word instead is rendered as if it were negative. In other words, without the dot, the proper meaning of the verse is ‘and he didn’t call them Novaĉ in his name.’
- The Wine of Yaakov (and Yitzĉok): on the verse[xiii] ויבא לו יין וישת – and he [Yaakov] brought him [Yitzĉok] wine, and he [Yitzĉok] drank.
When Yaakov came to take the Beraĉos of Yitzĉok, to ensure they passed to him and not to Esav, Yaakov brought his father wine in addition to the requested meat. This was successful, as it ‘loosened’ Yitzĉok’s tongue and resulted in extremely great blessings.
Incidentally, and obviously not coincidentally, based on the verse[xiv] קח לי משם שני גדי עזים – take for me from there, two (2) kid goats, the Midrash[xv] explains that there were two (2) goats, one to be used as a meal, and one as a Pesaĉ offering. This means, the blessings of Yitzĉok to Yaakov took place on the first night of Pesaĉ.
Why was it, that of these three: Yaakov, Nadav & Avihu, Yair & Novaĉ – only Yaakov succeeded in rendering a positive result? The answer can be understood by understanding the מרכא כפולה.
Each of them attempted to draw down divine light from sources beyond the normal, (a doubling of אריך) but the vessels chosen by each were not the same:
Nadav & Avihu – and the unsounded Aleph
The letter Aleph does not have a vocalization sound. It represents a sublimation of the vessel to the light within it.
Nadav and Avihu attempted to insert the highest levels of G-dliness into this world without any of the proper vessels. They sought to bring it down even into the fire of the הדיוט. They were of course unsuccessful.
Bringing G-dly light into a negative vessel simply results in the destruction of the vessel. No matter how refined or sublime the vessel, a human vessel is not naturally a container for the divine. At that level, the ego, no matter how relatively small compared to that of other people, or other letters, serves as sufficient friction to completely destroy the vessel. And thus, they died.
Yair & Novaĉ – and the impermanent Hey
In contrast (or perhaps similarly) the letter ה also has no active vocalization. It is pronounced by expelling breath forcefully. And yet, the expelling of breath is the source of all letters.
These two descendants of Menashe[6] possessed great spiritual capacity and the desire to actualize it. But they did not have the proper vessels (children) to contain the transmission of what they had accomplished. Instead, they conquered the cities and hamlets of the Amorites in the area and named those places after themselves.
However, dirt and stone [the ה of the Sefira of מלכות] is not a proper vessel for divine inspiration. Without even the dot of permanence[7], their legacy within the land of Israel faded and was rendered as if it were negative.[8]
Yaakov – and the perfectly conductive Vav
The letter Vav is often associated with the six (6) emotional attributes. Furthermore, it means hook representing the ability of connection (when used as a prefix) and unification (rendering the plural into one word when used as a suffix). Furthermore, its shape itself reflects this aspect of its purpose – a perfect line functioning as an unbroken conduit between Heaven and earth.
Yaakov, representative of the Sefira of Tifferes – the fundamental essence of the six (6) emotional attribute Sefiros – sought to bring these blessings down into a perfectly refined[9] vessel. Which is why he succeeded.
The lingering questions
However, we are still left with a question. The miraculous punishment for Nadav and Avihu seems to be unrelated to what was going on.
- Nadav and Avihu hadn’t been commanded not to serve while intoxicated. How could they be punished so drastically without having been warned?
- While they ruled in front of Moshe, and doing so is against Halaĉa, their actual ruling – that mundane fire must be added even with the fire from heaven descending – is in fact the correct Halaĉa. How could such a drastic[10] punishment be the result of properly teaching the Halaĉa?
- While the punishment for improper service in the Mishkan / Mikdash is generally a death sentence by heavenly decree – the miraculous nature of the punishment, with twin jets of fire coming up their nostrils and burning them without touching their bodies or clothing needs an explanation. Why did G-d perform such a miracle?
The Original Eighth Day – ראש חודש ניסן
The Torah begins the narrative of Nadav and Avihu by pointing out that this was the eighth day of the inauguration – which was Rosh Ĉodesh Nisan[11]. The same day that only a year previously, G-d had issued the first official Mitzva to the Jewish people: the Mitzva of קידוש החודש – the sanctification of the month.
While still in Egypt, the Jewish people were commanded as follows[xvi]:
החודש הזה לכם ראש חדשים ראשון הוא לכם לחדשי השנה
this month is your as the head of the months, it shall be for you as the first of the months of the year.
The Sanhedrin are commanded to determine the start of a new month, and this authority is granted to them [the Sanhedrin / Jewish people], as the Gemara[xvii] says, ‘even if they are mistaken, even if they are deliberately [establishing the month incorrectly], even if they are tricked.
In other words, the Jewish people are given the mandate, to sanctify the months – time itself – and this mandate is not dependent on nature. The Sanhedrin can make a mistake, and still the month is sanctified. They can deliberately choose the “wrong” day for the start of the month, and still the month is sanctified. They can be fooled by false witnesses who claim to have seen the moon, and still the month is sanctified. Unlike Shabbos, who sanctity is “natural” – an extension of G-d’s natural order that every seventh (7th) day is a Day of Rest – the holidays are defined by human determination as to when the month begins.
The ability to sanctify time is completely in the hands of the Sanhedrin.
And it was on that one-year anniversary that the Jewish people were given a new mandate. Make a Mishkan[12] – a mandate to sanctify space as well. Not by prayer or other spiritual endeavors, but by physical construction. By physical donations of gold, silver and copper mirrors, etc. By physical sacrifices.
It is thus no wonder that Nadav and Avihu made the leap of logic, intoxicated though they were, to the point where they felt the need and individual authority to be able to act as they did.
Not punishment but success
Taken in this light it is difficult to see their actions as anything other than inspired. Why then were they punished.
The answer is, they weren’t punished. They were rewarded – the Torah uses the exact same phrase for both the heavenly fire that went form to consume the proper sacrifices and the heavenly fire that went forth to consume Nadav and Avihu – ותצא אש מלפני ה’ ותאכל. They sought closeness to G-d – they got it. They sought to be consumed by their love for G-d – they got it; G-d declared them קרבי – the ones closest to him. They succeeded in drawing down the exact divine presence they set out to bring into this world – G-d’s presence within the Mishkan. And, since they did so with their ego fully intact, they were consumed by it.
The Pesaĉ Connection
During the Hagada, after discussing the four (4) children, we ask a somewhat strange question:
יכול מראש חדש: תלמוד לאמר “ביום ההוא”. אי “ביום ההוא”, יכול מבעוד יום: תלמוד לאמר “בעבור זה” – “בעבור זה” לא אמרתי אלא בשעה שיש מצה ומרור מנחים לפניך.
You could think [that the discussion of the Exodus must begin at the start of the month of Nissan], therefore, the verse[xviii] states ביום ההוא – on that day. [With only the phrase ביום ההוא – on that day,] you might think [that the discussion of the Exodus must begin] during the day, therefore the verse states בעבור זה – because of this. ‘Because of this’ is only stated when there are Matza and Ma’roar placed before you.
- The Hagada provides no explanation as to why we would think the obligation[13] should start on ראש חודש – why would we think that the obligation should kick in on ראש חודש, when the exodus which we are required to talk about only happened on Pesaĉ?
The purpose of the Seder and the Mitzva of והגדת לבנך
While we find in the Torah a general Mitzva to recall the miracles and wonders done for us personally, and for the Jewish people as a whole, there is only one miracle that includes the obligation of talking about the negatives of our Jewish history – that we, like all peoples of the earth, are descendent initially from people who worshipped idols.[xix]
Unlike the other miracles done for the Jews over the course of Jewish history, the miracle of the exodus is fundamentally a miracle done to the Jewish people.
G-d chose the Jewish people as his nation, even though at the time, they too worshipped idols.
What it means to be Chosen
To choose the Jewish people, G-d didn’t simply randomly select people by lottery and stand them on one side, with the Egyptians on the other. He selected each and every Jew he would redeem and chose them individually. Forging a connection between G-d and a mortal being, by exercising his divine will. Thus, to be Jewish means that G-d’s will is being manifest. Simply by our existence.
And this exercise of divine will is actualized by the provision of commands specific for the Jewish people, each of which cements the realization of choosing the Jewish people. Specifically, the first of the Mitzvos given is the command that provides the mandate to the Jewish people to infuse holiness within time. By declaring a specific date is the start of the month – upon which is dependent when G-d’s holidays are observed – we infuse time itself with holiness.
Accordingly, renewing and celebrating the miracle of the exodus – which is the renewal of the choice G-d makes in choosing the Jewish people as his Chosen Nation – should seemingly be connected with the beginning of the month, when the first Mitzva is renewed by establishing an otherwise mundane day as the start of the month of Nisan.
The ביום ההוא and the בעבור זה caveats
However, we do not begin the Seder at ראש חודש. The reason we don’t is because contained within the very command to conduct the Seder are two (2) caveats; 1) the requirement of ביום ההוא – during this particular day [the fifteenth (15th) of Nisan, and 2) בעבור זה – because of this, the requirement for the presence [and consumption] of Matza and Ma’roar in front of you.
The day of the fifteenth (15th) of Nisan is the day in which the moon has reached its fullest point in the cycle. The moon, which represents the Jewish people, has gone through its renewal cycle, each day building on the last. It isn’t in its nascent potential existence it is shining at its fullest possible strength. The caveat of ביום ההוא thus teaches us that we cannot come upon this service in leaps and bounds. That G-d can פסח skip over the entire process he set forth in creation, to have mercy on his people, is possible for G-d, because he is Almighty, and nothing can prevent him. But for us to achieve this service of Pesaĉ, that cannot be done suddenly. It requires work, day by day, until one reaches the fullest potential of human capacity.
- This gradual process of taking the potential inherent in each Jew and gradually building upon and refining the vessels is reflected in the custom of reciting the Nasi-of-the-day. Unlike Nadav and Avihu, who sought to completely skip and negate the vessels (their utilization of the א in לא) we carefully build out our entire dimensional structure of vessels – which allows us to be proper receptacles for being G-d’s chosen people.
The second caveat, that of בעבור זה teaches us what we need to do in order to internalize the experience. Internalization is critical for the process of Pesaĉ, otherwise, it will simply pass over a person leaving them the same individual they were from before Pesaĉ. And this internalization is only said about Matza and Ma’roar – the items which symbolize and internalize faith in G-d, humility, and bitterness over our exile.
- Unlike Nadav and Avihu who acted with the Ĉometz of their ego.[xx] It should be noted, just like with Yaakov and Yitzĉok, there is a need to incorporate wine within the Seder. To drink in accompaniment to the meals, the two (2) kid goats of Rivka. Drinking in this fashion does not cause intoxication (like Nadav and Avihu). Instead, it allows the vessels to be receptive to the secrets which spill out – the hidden light of Pesaĉ – which can now be revealed as the greatest of Beraĉos.
Side note: this brings us back to our previous mention of the holiday of Ĉanuka. The Midrash notes that the Mishkan was actually completed on the twenty-fifth (25th) of the month of Kislev. G-d however decided to push off the inauguration of the Mishkan until Nisan – which has we noted is related to the purpose of the Mishkan, the open manifestation of G-dliness, which is related to the month of Nisan – the month which is the head of all months of the year, the month which the Jewish people are mandated to infuse holiness into time itself.
Understandably, the month of Kislev was upset by this. Accordingly, G-d promised it a different holiday. Therefore, when the Ĉashmonaeans defeated the Greeks, they set forth the holiday of Ĉanuka on the same day that could have been the date of the inauguration of the Mishkan. That was the day on which they rededicated the Base Hamikdash, removing all aspects of Tum’ah from it.
Interestingly, during the original Ĉanuka, the Gemara[xxi] notes that the Menorah had to be lit from the fire of the altar. However, as the fire had not been kept burning, they Ĉashmonaeans had to strike stones to generate a spark and light the improvised Menorah that they made out of the iron spits[xxii].
G-d thus essentially completely reversed the tragedy of Nadav and Avihu’s offering in the inauguration of the Mishkan:
- Instead of being punished for taking their own fire, they were required to make their own fire by striking stones.
- Instead of using the cooking utensils (see Rabbi Akiva’s opinion above on where the mundane fire came from) improperly to produce an אש זרה – a strange fire, now they were required to use the spits from those same cooking arrangements as the Menorah which would produce the light of the Base Hamikdash.
Bringing it Back to the Seder
No Alone Rangers
Finally, the Midrash[xxiii] notes that not only did Nadav and Avihu not consult with Moshe, but they didn’t even consult with each other. Each acted with their own selfish initiative.
The Mishkan is the collective project of the Jewish people. And although the Midrash on the verse states that G-d rests בתוך כל אחד ואחת – amongst each and every one [of the Jewish people], the verse[xxiv] states ושכנתי בתוכם – and I will dwell among them.[14] As the people had experienced previously at Mount Sinai[xxv] the true revelation of G-d among his people is when they are unified.
Therefore, we spend the first half of the month integrating the entire nation, as individual tribes, and as a whole, into our personal lives and service. Regardless of our personal genealogy, we are all part of the same people, and it is only when we come together, incorporating into our own souls the service of each of the twelve tribes, that we properly render ourselves fit for being receptacles of G-d’s presence on this world.
And even though the tribe of Levi did not explicitly offer an inaugural sacrifice, the obvious answer is that he offered all of them. Aharon, the Kohen from the tribe of Levi, and his remaining sons Elazar and Isamar were the ones who actually brought each and every offering – as commanded by Moshe, from the tribe of Levi.
Perhaps we can also say, as a contrast to the ego in which Nadav and Avihu acted, Aharon and his remaining sons Elazar and Isamar performed their actions with a complete lack of ego. They serve as perfect Vav’s (hooks) to bring the divine presence down to this world, in the Mishkan, and in the Mishkan of our personal lives. Because Levi represents the ego-less conduit that connects all the other tribes, we do not need to pray to internalize their specific light; rather, their selfless service is the very mechanism that allows the entire Mishkan and national mission to function.
To further sweeten this, we have an interesting paradox related to the laws of the Pesaĉ offering: although the Gemara[xxvi] engages in a technical debate as to whether it is possible to offer a Pesaĉ sacrifice alone, if one had an immense appetite and could consume it in its entirety, never the less, the reality is, as stated in the Gemara[xxvii] that no Pesaĉ sacrifice was offered without a minimum of ten (10) registered participants. Thus, even though the obligation to eat the Pesaĉ offering is a personal obligation, it could only be performed when in a group[xxviii] – completely contrary to the approach of Nadav and Avihu.
Side Note: Interestingly, I was only able to find one other Mitzva from the Torah which is a universally personal obligation, that can only be fulfilled when in a group of Jews – and that is, the Mitzva of הקהל – gathering the Jewish people.
As it says in the Torah[xxix]
הקהל את העם האנשים והנשים והטף והגר אשר בשעריך למען ישמעו ולמען ילמדו
Gather the nation, the men, and the women, and the children, and the convert living in your cities; in order that they hear and in order that they learn.
At the end of every Shemita cycle the Jewish people were individually obligated[xxx] to ascend to the Base Hamikdash and hear the king reading the Torah.[15] Although this is an individual obligation, it obviously can only be performed when one joins the nation.
And the purpose for both the Seder with its Mitzva of והגדת לבנך and the Mitzva of Hakhel with its Mitzva-purpose of למען ישמעו ולמען ילמדו is to prepare the children. To teach them how to behave, and to bring them up as those who will live with G-d in their midst.
[1] While their offering is not recited individually, it is recited communally, although not necessarily on the day it occurred. The Parsha of Shemini is always recited in conjunction with Pesaĉ – as we will explain further.
[2] For example: from the בית המוקד – the chamber of the hearth. In the Base Hamikdash there was a room in which off-duty Kohanim would sleep in the half of the room that was located outside the walls of the Base Hamikdash. A large bonfire was kept burning there to keep the Kohanim from getting too cold.
Alternatively, there were cooking stoves which the Kohanim would use to cook the meat they were required to eat from the sacrifices. Fire from that flame could be taken for the altar. In fact, according to Rabbi Akiva (see Sifra Shemini 32) this is where Nadav and Avihu got their fire from.
Finally, it was also possible to simply spark a new flame into existence.
[3] On which only incense is offered.
[4] Similarly, during a certain period in the times of the second Base Hamikdash, the post of Kohen Gadol – which automatically conferred the right to offer the קטורת – became politicized and was put up for sale. Many many unworthy individuals purchased it during that time period, none of whom lived out the year. But they did not care, because with the position, they were able to enter the inner sanctuary of the Mikdash and offer the קטורת. A literal once-in-a-lifetime experience.
[5] Perhaps this explains Moshe’s comment to Aharon. In attempting to comfort his brother over the deaths of Nadav and Avihu, Moshe states [Vayikra 10:3] הוא אשר דבר ה’ לאמר בקרבי אקדש ועל פני כל העם אכבד – this is what G-d said saying, ‘amongst those who are close to me I will be sanctified and before all the nation I will be honored.
Moshe had thought, that as the closest to G-d, Moshe and Aharon would be the ones whose souls would leave their bodies. But Moshe, humblest man on earth, and Aharon, who kept silent in face of this tragedy, were not subject to the kind of ego that for a person close to G-d would get him killed.
[6] About whom the Torah states גם בני מכיר בן מנשה יולדו על ברכי יוסף – they were brought up by Yosef, the first exiled Jew who yearned for his homeland, and caused the entire nation to swear they would not leave Egypt without taking him with them, so at least his body could be interred in the land of Israel. This love for Israel was what grandfather Yosef taught them when he brought them up as little children – and this love for the land of Israel burned in the hearts of Yair & Novaĉ. And while they couldn’t themselves have children to inherit the land, they at least sought to participate in its conquest.
[7] Which can represent the feminine – a daughter.
[8] While we don’t know the exact date this occurred, we do know the general time frame. Moshe began his talks to the people on the first of Shevat 2,488. Less than a couple of months before that, the nation had fought and destroyed the armies of the giants Siĉon and Og, as well as the perverted Midianite army of Balak and Bill’am. Miriam and Aharon had both passed away the prior year, as had all the final remnants of those destined to die in the wilderness. Their time in the wilderness was ending – and perhaps they knew of their cousins, the daughters of Tzelafĉad’s successful actions in securing their inheritance. This gave them a now-or-never mentality to go and attempt to secure for themselves a legacy within the land of Israel, before it was too late. The aggressive attempt was unsuccessful, as noted within this essay, but it was still worthy of mention in the Torah: it couldn’t accomplish what it needed to in the physical reality of the world, but it did impact the spiritual worlds.
[9] In contrast to Nadav & Avihu, whose ego guided them, Yaakov refused to let his ego interfere at all. Even though he knew he was entitled to the blessings, having purchased the firstborn rights from Esav, his still suppressed his essential nature – that of Truth – and would have allowed Esav to receive the blessings. As further evidence of his lack of ego, when his mother told him to do it, he raised only a vague protest before completely subjugating his will and misgivings, and proceeding to meet with Yitzĉok with a complete lack of ego, allowing him to preface his identity simply as אני – with no further name or adjective that could be applied to him.
[10] To make this question stronger, Elazar and Pinĉas also both ruled in front of Moshe. Pinĉas who reminded Moshe about the law of הבועל ארמית קניאין פוגים בו – one who sleeps with a gentile can be killed [while in middle of the action] by a zealot, became a Kohen as a result. And Elazar, who ruled about the soldiers who killed the Midianites, that they had to render the spoils they had taken Kosher through a process of fire / and or the Mikva, only received a mild punishment. He was initially promised ולפני אלעזר הכהן יעמוד ושאל לו – that Yehoshua would have to consult the Urim v’Tumim through Elazar. For ruling in front of Moshe Elazar was punished in that we do not find Yehoshua coming to him to ask the Urim v’Tumim – a seemingly mild punishment.
[11] Incidentally, as we will discuss further, there is another connection between the counting of eight (8) days and the Mishkan. The initial completion of the Mishkan’s construction occurred on the 25th of Kislev – the start of the eight (8) day holiday of Ĉanuka. G-d though delayed the inauguration until Nisan.
[12] Granted the original Mishkan did not sanctify the space on which it stood. It was only when the Mikdash was commissioned that space became sanctified. And yet, the Mishkan started it all. A physical space (whether between the כרובים during the Mishkan, or on the הר הבית during the Mikdash) in which G-d’s divine presence could be seen by all.
[13] The Hagada doesn’t even explain what obligation it is talking about that should start on ראש חודש – it proceeds as if the discussion about the four (4) sons should naturally make one assume that the obligation referred to is that of telling over the Hagada, and that there is a reason to think it should start at the beginning of the month.
[14] Gem. Kesuvos 62b offers a different explanation – that G-d loved the Jewish people so much, he did not want to wait until the Mikdash would be built to dwell among them. Therefore, he asked that they construct the Mishkan in the interim.
[15] Incidentally, Tosefos explains there, that this is the source for why adults bring their children to Shul – so that they may hear and learn.
[i] Vayikra 10:1
[ii] Gem. Sanhedrin 52a
[iii] Vayikra Rabba 12:1
[iv] Vayikra 10:9-11
[v] Gem. Eiruvin 64a
[vi] Tanĉuma Noaĉ 13
[vii] Gem. Yoma 21b. See also Sifra and Gem. Eiruvin 63a
[viii] Vayikra 1:7
[ix] See Gem. Zevaĉim 18a
[x] העמק דבר
[xi] Bamidbar 12:3
[xii] Bamidbar 32:42
[xiii] Beraishis 27:25
[xiv] Beraishis 27:9
[xv] Pirkay d’Rav Eliezer 32
[xvi] Shemos 12:2
[xvii] Gem. Rosh Hashana 25a
[xviii] Shemos 13:8
[xix] See Mishna Pesaĉim 10:4, presumably derived from Yehoshua himself who recited the verses [Yehoshua 27:2-4] that come next in the Hagada – בעבר הנהר ישבו אבותיכם מעולם: תרח, אבי אברהם ואבי נחור, ויעבדו אלהים אחרים
[xx] See the Maharal in Gevuros Hashem 51 for the source that Ĉometz is a representation of the ego.
[xxi] Gem. Bay’tza 33a
[xxii] Gem. Avoda Zara 43a
[xxiii] Vayikra Rabba 12:10
[xxiv] Shemos 25:8
[xxv] Shemos 19:2
[xxvi] Gem. Pesaĉim 91a
[xxvii] Gem. Pesaĉim 64b
[xxviii] See Rambam קרבן פסח 2:2
[xxix] Devarim 31:12
[xxx] See Rambam חגיגה 3:1