[Index of all Weekly Divrei Torah pages]
As a general rule, the written Torah doesn’t explain itself. Although it is a book of directives (“Torah” is from the word hora’ah – instruction), the reasons for the directives are generally found in the oral Torah, not in the five books of Moses. That’s because the written Torah is a set of commandments from G-d above to us here, in the physical world. Explanations are the domain of the oral Torah, that vast ocean of discussions of the sages that explains the details and the reasons for the six hundred and thirteen commandments. So, when in our Torah portion (Acharei Mos/Kedoshim), we receive an explanation of what happened to the two sons of Aharon the High priest (they died while trying to offer a foreign substance on the altar), it’s noteworthy.
What is especially noteworthy about the explanation in our parsha is that it’s not the first one written in the Torah, on this very subject. Indeed, immediately after the Torah narrated the death of Aharon’s sons, way back in parshat Shmini (two or three weeks ago, depending on the year), it commanded the priests not to approach the site of the holy of holies while inebriated. According to Rashi (on Lev. 10:2) the fact that the command follows the narrative of their death indicates that it is also the reason for their deaths – they died while inebriated. Since Rashi explains the pshat, or straightforward textual meaning of the verse, from him we know that this is the reason that they expired – they “drank” before attempting to offer up their strange incense.
But, a lot of written text follows in the Torah before it arrives to our parsha – Acharei Mos – and offers a second explanation of the death of Aharon’s sons. After interrupting the inauguration of the mishkan, or tabernacle with the death of Aharon’s sons, the Torah returns to the narrative, and then concludes parshat Shmini with the laws of animals, fowl and fish (which are permitted to eat and which are forbidden). Subsequently, there are two more Torah portions (Tazriah and Metzora) that deal with various types of impurities, both of man and of various physical objects, such as clothes and houses. Finally, at the beginning of our parsha, there is an instruction to all of the Cohanim, Ӆdo not enter at just any time into the Holy [of Holies]Ŕ (Lev 16:2). Rashi explains that this is a warning to the priests not to approach the holy site without proper preparation, “lest they die like the sons of Aharon.” So, a lot of text interjects between the two explanations of the deaths of the sons of Aharon. The questions are; one, why are there two explanations of one event, and two, why does one follow immediately after the event, while the second explanation comes only significantly later in the Chumash?
One possibility that emerges has to do with the order of events in the written Torah. First, the Torah was given. That was way back in Exodus, during the parsha of “Yitro.” Then, civil laws were presented (Mishpatim) and instructions for building the tabernacle were given (Terumah). All of this was about bringing G-dliness down from Above to below. And in order to properly receive G-dliness from above, it is necessary to be in the proper frame of mind. Inebriation (and indeed any other form of foreign substance) is antithetical to receiving G-dly influx. Kedusha – holiness – can only reside in one who approaches G-d as he truly is, with his own mind and awareness.
Later, in Leviticus, the Torah launches into the laws of sacrifices that man must bring to the Tabernacle, and into the laws of purity and impurity of man. This of course is all about man’s relationship with G-d in the opposite direction - from below to Above. It is man that brings the sacrifices to the Temple, in order to approach G-d, and it is man who must purify himself for this task. Then, in the beginning of our parsha, we are presented with the laws of the priestly service in the holy of holies, the tabernacle (subsequently, the holy Temple) on the day of atonement (Yom Kippur). When man has to deal with the world, from below to Above, he sometimes make mistakes, transgresses, and falls from his high spiritual aspirations. At such time, he is given an opportunity to do ‘tshuva,’ atone for his sins, and return to the One above. Here, it is necessary for man to know how to approach holiness properly, with real meaning and intention, in order to attain forgiveness. Therefore, here we find the explanation that “not under all circumstances may you approach kedusha – holiness.” Only when you are properly prepared – from below to Above – may you approach Him. Hence, the Torah brings two explanations for one event; one when relating to the event from Above to below, and the other from below to Above.
However, we still need to understand why these two explanations should occur so far apart from each other in the narrative. If we are discussing one event, why explain it two different ways in two separate Torah portions? For this, further explanation is needed. Based upon the tragic experience of the sons of Aharon, we know that kedusha – holiness – offers tremendous attraction to the man who has gotten a taste of it. Once he knows of the sweetness of spiritual experience, he becomes a different person, and wants nothing else in life. However, the experience is not enough. The One above put us down here in this world for a purpose – to bring the spiritual sweetness down here to permeate and imbue the physical world. For that, we were given the mitzvoth, or six hundred thirteen commandments, most of which are physical or deal with physical objects. And since that is the case, one may aspire to the spiritual world for two different reasons. One, perhaps purely because of the sweetness of it, to which he aspires to cleave at all times. And two, because he loathes the physical world, with all of its false temptations and lies.
The two motivations correspond to two classes of Jews – those who are absorbed in holy work all day long, such as learning Torah, teaching, and writing – and those who are involved in the world, working, making a living and dealing with kosher but secular matters. Each has his own reasons for aspiring to the realm of spirituality and kedusha, and each need to be warned that the real “action” is down here in the physical world. The Torah scholar (or teacher, or one involved in holy matters all day long) strives for G-d because he has some idea of and longs for the sweetness and spiritual completeness of being only involved in holy matters. He may become “drunk” with love of Torah – both the revealed dimensions of Talmud and Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish law) and the inner dimensions of the Kabala (secrets of the Torah) – so that his soul wants to expire and cling only to G-d. He must be warned as the priests were warned in parshat Shmini – “do not drink wine or spirits before approaching the Holy of Holies.” Don’t get so high on Torah and mitzvoth that you’re not able to descend to the physical world and imbue it with spirituality.
The other type of person, who is involved in the physical world, making a living from secular matters, who sees through the veneer and temptations of the physical, longs for kedusha because he loathes everything that hides and contradicts G-dliness. His motivation is negative – he wants to run away from the secular world and cling only to that which is holy and spiritual. He needs a second type of warning; not everyone who wants to can get close to G-d, and not just whenever they want. As the beginning of our parsha (Acharei Mos) says, “Not at all times may you approach the Holy of Holies.” Only when you have prepared yourself properly and when the time is right from Above may you become holy. Otherwise, you may actually hurt yourself. Unless you have cleansed the garments of your soul (your thought, speech and action) and purified yourself, it’s not a good idea to get too close to the realm of holiness, because you may get “burnt.” So, the two explanations of the deaths of the sons of Aharon apply to two different types of people – those who are attracted positively to G-dliness, and those who react negatively to the secular world and therefore seek G-dliness.
The distance that separates the two explanations in the text is what separates the two kinds of motivations. When the Torah was given from Above to below, the sweetness of the spiritual experience became revealed in the world. Whoever was attracted to that, as were the sons of Aharon, needed to be warned not to expire out of ‘drunkness’ over kedusha, but rather to return their souls to the physical world. Then, the Torah proceeded to describe how the Jew has to be involved in the physical world – by eating only kosher meat, fish and fowl (end of Shmini) and by knowing how to differentiate between that which is pure and that which is impure (Tazria and Metzora). One who differentiates, and maintains a holy lifestyle in the face of all the impurity which surrounds him, knows how to deal with the world from below to Above. He comes to loathe the physical world and desire to escape from it. To him applies the second warning, stated at the beginning of our parsha (Acharei Mos) – “not everyone and not just anytimeŔ You have to continue to deal with the physical world, and only at certain times and circumstances (designated by the Torah) is it appropriate to throw yourself into holy matters. But, in order to get to that point, it was necessary for the Torah to interrupt with all the laws of kosher vs. treif, and pure vs. impure. Only when a Jew knows how to deal with the physical world properly can he purify himself and ascend to kedusha.
From Likutei Sichot of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, ztz’l, vol. 27, pp. 116-123 Rabbi David Sterne, Jerusalem Connection in the Old City of Jlm