Nadav and Avihu – The Time for Script and the Time for Improvisation

By: Jeffrey Dweck

Scripts normalize human behavior. They are guarded by strict guidelines, surveillance
and punishment for deviation. Human behavior, left to its own, is abnormal, or in flux.
Scripts have predictable endings. Most human endeavors do not.

For the service of Hashem, we require a beginning and an end, a predictable roadmap
which to follow in order to achieve “Kiruv,” or closeness to Hashem. That is unique to
Hashem and to the rituals of Judaism that are between Man and G-d– we don’t veer left
or right, but rely on the immutable wisdom of the Torah’s commandments in guiding us.

This is unlike many areas of Judaism between Man and Man in which, for better or for
worse, the intellect and initiative are invited to play a role and the unpredictable prevails.

The Korbanot – Script or Improvisation?

The perasha opens with the promise of a momentous drama:

“On the eighth day Moshe called Aharon and his sons and the elders of
Israel....today Hashem will appear to you.” (9:1-4).

This sets the background for a tragedy hence unexpected:

“Now Aharon’s sons Nadav and Avihu each took his firepan, put fire on it, and
laid incense upon it; and they offered before Hashem strange fire, of which they
had not been commanded. And fire came forth from Hashem and consumed
them; and so they died before Hashem.

There are at least eight different opinions as to what the transgression of Nadav and
Avihu was. The peshat mentions “strange fire” and that “they had not been
commanded.” The assumption is that it was not the time for the fire and incense offering
they were bringing. At a time when total obedience and a very specific sequence was in
order, individual initiative was not. And Hashem’s reaction to that was swift.

The peshat (plain meaning of the text) immediately following the incident, and
again at the opening of Aharei Mot (to be read in a few weeks), makes no repeat mention
of the strange fire or, for that matter, any specific transgression. Note that Hashem
expresses no anger (compare this with the striking of Uzzah in the Haftara) and Moshe
shows no outright disapproval of Hashem’s act (compare this to King David’s reaction in
the Haftara).

“Then Moshe said to Aharon, This is what Hashem said: ‘Through them that are
near [kerovai, from the word karov] unto Me will I be sanctified, and before all the
people I will be glorified,’ and Aharon held his peace.” (Vayiqra 10:3)
 “The LORD spoke to Moshe, after the death of the two sons of Aharon, when they
drew near [korvatam, from the word karov] before the LORD and died.” (Vayiqra
16:1)

This implies that Hashem wishes to be sanctified and glorified by those “close” (from
which the word Korban is derived) -- to Hashem and through the mechanism of the
korban. The deaths of Nadav and Avihu exemplified this.

Nadav and Avihu, leaders of their people, were stepping into roles as Kohanim, where
their functions were prescribed and fixed. The Kohen is a tool of Hashem. The korbanot
are tools of Hashem. The Mishkan service leaves no room for creativity and innovation.
“Avodah,” or service, therefore imply pure dedication, loyalty and obedience. There are
prescribed rituals, not to be veered from or manipulated in any way. Their role is only
the glorification of G-d.

This is one of the reasons that Vayiqra provides so little narrative or drama. It doesn’t
allow for any bit of improvisation.

The Script of the Korbanot – “Vayikrav”

It seems that whenever the miskan service or the kohanim are referred to in Vayiqra
(with one telling exception in Shemot), the word “karov” is used. If you look carefully at
the vocabulary of Bereshit and Shemot, the word “Vayigash” is preferred to “VaYikrav.”
“Approach” is preferred to “Come near.”

In our perasha and in the remaining chapters of Vayiqra, the word “karov” is used to
denote “coming near” and not “yigash.” The Bnei Yisrael are said to have “draw near”
(karov) and stood before Hashem as Aharon prepared the sacrifices of the Eighth Day.
Moshe commands Aharon to "draw near (karov) to the altar,” and later calls the sons of
Uz'ziel (the uncle of Aharon), to "draw near (karov),” and “carry your brothers from
before the sanctuary out of the camp." Later, the Torah commands that “no one who has
a blemish shall draw near (karov)…” “no man of the descendants of Aharon the priest
who has a blemish shall come near (karov) to offer Hashem’s offerings by fire.” Where
there is no room for discretion, “karov” is used. In Shemot, when Moshe approaches the
burning bush to receive his charge, the word “tikrav” is used.

On the one occasion when the “vayigash” term is used for the Kohanim (in the book of
Shemot), the Torah issues a severe and foretelling warning: “let the priests who come
near (nigashim) to the LORD consecrate themselves, for Hashem may break out
(“yifrotz,” the same word used when Uzzah is stricken).

Human Initiative – “Vayigash”

On the other hand, almost every time the term ”close” or “near” is referred to in Bereshit
or Shemot, it signifies a defining moment of the Bible – a fateful choice or an event
unfolding in the course of human history. Abraham, unprompted by G-d (or anyone),
intervenes for the people of Sodom -- he “drew near” (vayigash) to ask Hashem ‘Will
You destroy the good with the wicked?’

When Isaac calls Jacob over to give him the coveted bechor blessing, the term
“vayigash” is used four times in the same sequence.

When Jacob and Esav approach each other and reunite after a long separation, the term
“vayigash” is used. When Joseph approaches his conspiring brothers in the field,
“vayigash” is used, and when Yehuda approaches Joseph the viceroy to plead for his
brother, the same term is repeated. When Joseph finally reveals himself, he calls his
brothers near (geshu). And in Jacob’s final days, Joseph brings his sons near for a
blessing (vayagesh).

When humans take initiative and act to change the course of history, they are “vayigash.”

The lesson of Perashat Shemini is that to achieve the glory of Hashem, our recipe is
fixed. If we follow the Torah, we will earn a place next to Hashem. But our work is not
done there. The course of human history – the affairs between Man and Man --
commands more and Hashem relies on us to take initiative and to innovate and thus to
write the course of our own fate and our own history.