A fire came forth from Hashem and consumed them [Nadav and Avihu] … (Vayikra 10:2)
On the eighth day of the dedication of the Mishkan (Tabernacle), which was a day of great happiness and joy for all, Nadav and Avihu were consumed by fire and died. Undoubtedly, Hashem’s pleasure was marred, as was the euphoria of the Jewish nation, and Moshe and Aharon.
The question is asked why their punishment could not be delayed for another day. After all, we know that already at Har Sinai, Nadav and Avihu and the Elders were deserving of retribution for their sin of looking at the Shechina. Rashi tells us there (Shemos 24:10) that Hashem did not want to upset the joy of the Torah and therefore they were not disciplined at that time. Why was it preferable, then, for Hashem to penalize Nadav and Avihu for their wrongdoing on this very special day during the chanukas hamishkan when it certainly detracted from the happiness of all the people gathered?
An analogy is made of a king who wished to build a city in which his subjects would be content and at peace. He engaged an architect to implement his specifications and a beautiful city was built for the people.
The inhabitants of the city made a grand reception for the king when he came to check out the architect’s creation. In the middle of the sumptuous feast, the king rose to his feet and asked whether his subjects were pleased with the results. They all loudly answered in the affirmative. When the king inquired whether there were any complaints, one individual called out that there was no doctor in the city.
The king immediately promised to send a highly qualified physician from the capital city. When the doctor arrived, the citizens, as well as the king, went out in their Yom Tov attire to greet him and celebrate their good fortune. The doctor was taken aback by the exuberance of the reception and wondered whether they understood that his abilities were limited. He could not, after all, perform miracles or revive the dead.
The king then questioned whether, in fact, anyone was not present at the celebration because he was not well. When he was informed that there was such an individual, he instructed the doctor to go attend to him. After checking out the patient and prescribing some medicine, the physician rejoined the gathering. About an hour later the assemblage was informed that the sick man had died.
Understandably everyone was very upset that this renowned professional had disappointed them. The king angrily demanded an explanation, since the man had not been deathly ill.
The doctor told the king that he had personally killed the patient because he wanted to impress upon the citizens of this city that his skills were limited and he wouldn’t always be able to save the people from death.
The Shaarei Armon observes that before the building of the Tabernacle, the Jewish nation was careful not to transgress any aveiros because there was no possibility for atonement. Now with the introduction of korbanos in the Mishkan they might wrongly believe that they were free to do whatever they wanted because their sins would be atoned with the korbanos. In order to correct this fallacy, Nadav and Avinu died particularly at this time of the dedication of the Mishkan. The Jewish people were made aware of the severity of transgressing Hashem’s Torah, to the extent that neither the personal merits of Nadav and Avihu, nor the merits of their father Aharon and their uncle Moshe could protect them.
The sifrei mussar list a number of reasons why a person procrastinates doing teshuva. One reason given is that often the person believes that a situation or event will of its own nature serve to atone for his sin. This is a misconception perpetrated by the Evil Inclination whose mission is to discourage the person from doing teshuva. In fact, repentance is difficult, even without the machinations of the Evil Inclination. In addition, man is innately lazy and disinclined to take the steps that repentance requires, i.e. leaving the sin, regret, confession before Hashem, resolving never to commit the sin again. Others may not realize the gravity of their actions. Some people believe they have their whole lifetime to repent, while others may believe they can justify their transgressions. In truth, though, every sin – no matter the intentions that motivated its commission – needs to be rectified.
The Talmud (Me’ilah 17a) relates that the great Tanna R’ Reuven ben Isroboli cut his hair in the Roman fashion so that he could mingle freely with the Roman officials. He did this in order to advocate for the Jews in Eretz Yisrael, because the government had decreed that they could no longer keep Shabbos, milah and the laws of family purity. The laws were, in fact, annulled until it was discovered later on that he was a Jew.
R’ Mendel of Riminov elaborates that when the Tanna departed this world, he rose higher and higher in Heaven each day until he reached a gateway upon whose gate were written the words (Vayikra 19:27), “You shall not round off the edge of your scalp, and you shall not destroy the edge of your beard.” The angel guarding that entrance would not allow R’ Reuven to enter because he had transgressed that command. R’ Reuven argued that he had done so only to save the Jewish nation.
The guard replied that it made no difference to him what the underlying reasons were for the commission of the transgression, as these were his orders. If R’ Reuven wished to challenge the directive he could take his argument to the Heavenly Court for a decisive ruling.
R’ Reuven presented his case in the Heavenly Court and it was decreed that although his intentions had been favorable, even a great tzaddik such as R’ Reuven needed a small tikkun (repair) before he could enter that gate. He was mandated to go through the world enveloped in a passing cloud.
