At 7:22 a.m. on the morning of April 15, 1865, Abraham Lincoln took his last breath. Amid the overcrowded room Edwin Stanton, the Secretary of War, tearfully uttered that, “Now he belongs to the ages.” Tragically, John Wilkes Booth had shot President Lincoln the previous night while he attended a performance at Ford’s Theater. Mortally wounded, Lincoln was taken across the street to the Petersen House and placed on a bed in the tiny back room where people stood vigil until he passed away.
This past week we commemorated the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s assassination and, as such, interest in all the details of that fateful evening has been reignited. Looking back at Lincoln’s life and examining his legacy, who could disagree with Stanton? If any American icon belongs to history and is relevant to all ages, Lincoln is certainly that man. The only problem is, did Stanton really say that Lincoln belonged to the “ages”? There are various sources that quote Stanton slightly differently. Instead of belonging to the ages, it is claimed he said, “Now he belongs to the angels.” Stanton, a religious Christian who believed in a heaven with angels certainly believed that is where Lincoln would be going.
Essayist Adam Gopnik, in a recent article on this subject (Smithsonian Special 150th Anniversary Issue: Assassination! March-April 2015), suggests a possible theory. Perhaps at the actual moment of Lincoln’s death Stanton said Lincoln “belongs to the angels.” But with everyone weeping some people thought they heard him say “ages.” Had he been asked which one he actually said, Gopnik avers that Stanton would have been torn as to what to respond. “He (Stanton) might have decided to enable the mishearing, in order to place Lincoln in history, not Heaven. It seemed possible that both versions were true, one to the intention and the other to the articulation, one to the emotion of the moment and one, in retrospect, to the meaning of the life. Angels or ages? Lincoln belongs to both” (p.103).
Lincoln was not a perfect man. But he rose above his imperfections to do what he thought was right no matter the obstacles. In this regard he earned both his place with the angels and his relevance for history. To this day, people from all walks of the political spectrum claim Lincoln as their own. For leaders, Lincoln demonstrates that one need not choose between angels and ages. A person can be both a relevant and impactful leader, while at the same time staying true to his moral compass. Unfortunately, all too often people think it’s an either/or decision – angels or ages. The Torah in this week’s parsha already teaches us that this is not so.
Following the tragic and premature death of Aharon’s sons, Nadav and Avihu, Moshe consoled his brother by informing him that he knew the Mishkan would only attain its full sanctification through the sacrifice of some holy people. Rashi (10:3), quoting the midrash, elaborates. Moshe explained to Aharon that all along he thought that he and Aharon would be the sacrifices. Now that he saw that Nadav and Avihu were the sacrifices, he realized that they were, in fact, the holier ones.
Commentators throughout the centuries have suggested various explanations as to Nadav and Avihu’s actual sin. The possibilities range from entering the Mishkan in an inappropriate state of intoxication to their mistaken view that they no longer needed a rebbe. Perhaps the common denominator of all the suggestions is that despite their complete and totally pure dedication to G-d, they set a potentially dangerous precedent by improvising on a service that requires strict guidelines and adherence to those guidelines. It is only by virtue of their tremendous righteousness that their deaths taught this lesson. Had they been guilty of any other sin people would have attributed their deaths to it. Additionally, people understood that if even righteous people like Nadav and Avihu are prohibited from improvising on the religious service, all the more so everyone else.
As leaders, Nadav and Avihu remained true to their holy values, and therefore, belong to the angels. By sacrificing their lives for the nation they taught Bnei Yisrael a very painful, yet critical lesson. As such, they belong to the ages. May G-d provide our leaders with the inspiration and guidance to make their impact while staying the moral course. May their epitaphs ultimately be that they also belong to both the angels and ages.