Ra'anana Community Kollel

The Makings of Greatness

Rabbi Binyomin Lipson

“And it was, on the eighth day of the inauguration of the Tabernacle . . . And Aharon’s sons Nadav and Avihu each took a fire pan with incense and brought before Hashem foreign fire which they were not commanded. And a fire went out from before Hashem and consumed them, and they died before Hashem. Then Moshe said to Aharon, ‘This is what Hashem intended when he said, ’I will be sanctified with my select ones in the view of all the people . . .’”
(Vayikra 9:1, 10:1-3)

“Moshe said to Aharon, ‘Aharon my brother, I was aware that the Mishkan would be sanctified with the life of one of Hashem’s dear ones, and I reasoned that it would be either you or I. However, now I realize that they were indeed greater than we.”
(Midrash Rabbah 12:2)

“Whenever a truly righteous person is taken from this world, Hashem’s attribute of judgment is also removed. For the death of a tzaddik atones for the transgressions of the generation. This is the reason why on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, we read about the deaths of Aharon’s sons Nadav and Avihu, in order that they should serve as an atonement for the misdeeds of the Jewish people. For there were none like them in Israel.
(Zohar, Achrei Mot 56a)

The Zohar tells us that Aharon’s sons Nadav and Avihu reached such an elevated level that their deaths not only served as an atonement for the people of their generation, but also for generations to come when we recall them in the Torah reading every Yom Kippur. Thus, Moshe’s words to Aharon were not merely said as a consolation. As is the case with every expression recorded in the Torah, Moshe’s words can hardly be regarded as a polite half-truth, poetically composed to comfort Aharon at this time of great sorrow. Rather, as we can see clearly in the Midrash and Zohar, Moshe’s words expressed the spiritual truth that in a specific way, the greatness of Aharon’s sons reached a level far superior even to that of Moshe and Aharon. Nevertheless, despite their greatness, the Torah testifies that their actions were improper and warranted immediate Divine retribution.

According to the Zohar (Achrei Mot 56b) the transgression committed by Aharon’s sons was not simply that they coveted a level of spirituality which was far beyond them, for they were indeed qualified to assume the role of High Priest to which they aspired. Rather, their mistake was in their enthusiasm which led them to assume this position before their time had come. With the inner knowledge that they were indeed worthy of this level of Divine service, their inner drive for spiritual growth led them to pursue that for which the time was not yet ripe. Due to a slight lack of self awareness, they were convinced that the correct time had arrived for them to assume this new stage of their spiritual development.

The Gemara (Nedarim 32b) tells us that every person experiences times when his spiritual state and religious beliefs are strong and fortified, and other periods in which his commitment is weak and he remains more vulnerable. However, in addition to these changes that originate from within oneself, the world itself was created with the reality that certain times are more conducive to growth than others. As Hashem created man as a microcosm which reflects all of the world’s complexities, the creation as a whole also goes through periods which are more conducive to the advancement of one’s spiritual goals like Shabbat, and the Mo’adim, as well as the times of personal spiritual ascent and descent which each person experiences.

While we can understand the existence of the different spiritual and emotional states which every person undergoes, as resultant of his actions and choices, why did Hashem create time itself with a fluctuating level of spiritual potential? The reason for this phenomenon, explained R’ Dessler, was in fact two-fold. On one hand, Hashem created times of spiritual limitation in order to slow down the ascent of the righteous and to prevent them form becoming haughty, and on the other He provided times of spiritual enlightenment in order to prevent people from descending too far. In this light, a person’s approach to his spiritual growth must be appropriate for the conditions which he is currently experiencing. While during times of spiritual enlightenment it is appropriate for one to strive to move himself upwards to new levels of achievement, when experiencing a time of limitation his primary concern should be to strengthen himself and proceed about his affairs with care so as not to make errors in judgment. However, on their lofty level, Nadav and Avihu lacked a certain awareness of their own limitations and thus were convinced that they still could move on to a new level of Divine service even during such a time.

From the account of Nadav and Avihu’s error we gain an extremely valuable lesson. Despite the fantastic potential for greatness which each one of us possesses, we must also remain sensitive to our spiritual and emotional state and conduct ourselves accordingly. While we all desire to grow and progress in our faith and commitment to Torah, not all times are ripe for moving forward. Each person must know himself and his personal situation in order to be able to recognize the times of his life in which it is appropriate for him to take a step towards the next level of achievement. Just before the Jewish people received the Torah on Mount Sinai, Hashem commanded Moshe several times to warn the people not to ascend the Mountain and to build fences to prevent them from doing so.

Why was Hashem so concerned that the people would transgress this particular command? The reason was because internally we all desire spiritual greatness to the extent that we may sometimes try to pursue it even when we are not yet ready to do so. One of the hardest things for a Jew to do is to recognize his limitations and to only pursue his upwards journey at the proper time. On the other hand, we cannot use this reasoning as an excuse for spiritual stagnation, and while we must be cautious of jumping forward, we must be equally reluctant to stay put for too long. Undoubtedly, the only way that we can expect to make the right decisions in these areas is by possessing a thorough self-knowledge and by seeking the advice of our great Torah leaders to guide us.