Tragedy Over Triumph or Triumph Over Tragedy

Nowhere does the Torah tell us explicitly for what sin Aharon’s sons, Nadav and Avihu, died. The episode where they offer up “strange fire” and, in consequence, were consumed by fire follows immediately after the induction ceremony where Aharon and his sons were consecrated as kohanim (priests) offering up special sacrifices which were also totally consumed by fire to great popular acclaim. The rabbinic tradition offers a variety of different explanations to reckon with what possible wrong Aharon’s son might have committed to bring about such tragic consequences. Most focus, in one way or another, on the two brother’s actions.

One explanation stands out not only because it places the blame for this tragedy elsewhere, but also for the particular verse from the Torah on which it chooses to append said blame. First, let’s examine the verse:

The Lord spoke to Moshe and Aharon, saying to them (leimor aleihem): Speak to the children of Israel saying: (Leviticus 11:1)

In context, this verse follows the episode of mourning over the death of Nadav and Avihu but has nothing to do with that story. Instead, this verse serves as the introductory verse to the parashah explicating the ritual purity and impurity of animals, i.e. the dietary laws, marking this as an odd verse to associate with the above subject. This said, marking the words “saying to them” as otherwise superfluous, one midrash sees them as addressing the remaining sons of Aharon, Elazar and Itamar, regarding the death of their brothers:

“The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them.” Rabbi Pinḥas and Rabbi Yermiyah began: “An ear that heeds life’s rebuke…” (Proverbs 15:31). “An ear that heeds life’s rebuke,” these are the sons of Aaron. “Will abide among the wise” (Proverbs 15:31), as they were close to death, yet the divine speech was directed to them, to their father, and to their father’s brother during their lifetimes. (adapted from Vayikra Rabba 13:1, Margulies ed. pp. 268-69)

According to this midrash, the deaths of Nadav and Avihu were aimed at Aharon for the sin of the “egel hazahav – the golden calf” and, according to this midrash, this was to have been applied to the remaining sons as well, but they were spared by heeding God’s message. We learn this, according to the sages, from the fact that the Torah refers to Elazar and Itamar as Aharon’s “remaining sons – banim hanotarim”. (See Rashi on this verse and Yoma 87a)

What are we to garner from this surprising and disturbing midrash? Clearly, there were voices in the rabbinic world who were disturbed that Aharon was never held accountable for the sin of the golden calf. Since the Torah did not provide a definitive explanation for the death of the two brothers, it served as an opportunity to assert that Aharon was ultimately answerable for his sin.

We might find this sort of ancestral accountability disturbing. This idea, however is clearly stated in the Torah and can also be seen explicitly in the death of King David’s first son born of his adulterous relationship with Batsheva. (See 2 Samuel 12:15-23) [Of course, two prophets,  Yermiyahu and Yehezkel railed against this idea, but, nevertheless, the idea is clearly present in the tradition. See Jeremiah 31:28-9 and Ezekiel 28] The import of this idea reminds us that the liability for sinful behavior extends beyond the sinner, tainting those around them as well as themselves.

More significantly, the sages declare in this midrash that those in high position do not get away from answering for their sins. Justice is only justice if it applies to all.