Parshas Shemini: Get It Right The First Time |
In our previous blog post on Vayikra, we discussed the valuable role Aharon fills in providing the laws of the Mishkin (and the entire Torah) to the Jewish people. We now can appreciate having had the many laws of the beginning of this Sefer as reference to what Aharon and his sons would be performing on this auspicious Eighth Day of Consecration.
וַיַּקְרֵב אֶת־הָעֹלָה וַיַּעֲשֶׂהָ כַּמִּשְׁפָּט׃ He brought forward the burnt offering and sacrificed it according to regulation. (9:7)
ויעשה כמשפט. הַמְפֹרָשׁ בְּעוֹלַת נְדָבָה בְּוַיִּקְרָא: ויעשה כמשפט AND HE DID IT ACCORDING TO THE MANNER that is set forth in the section ויקרא (ch. 1) in respect to the burnt offering brought as a free-will gift (Beitzah 20a).
We see the important role learning the Torah and repeating its teachings plays in the early stages of the Mishkin and how this translates into the expected role of the Kohein for all future generations. In fact, we make it a central lesson of the tragedy of Nadav and Avihu:
וּלְהוֹרֹת אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֵת כׇּל־הַחֻקִּים אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יְהֹוָה אֲלֵיהֶם בְּיַד־מֹשֶׁה׃ {פ} and you must teach the Israelites all the laws which יהוה has imparted to them through Moses. (10:11)
ולהורת. לִמֵּד שֶׁאָסוּר שִׁכּוֹר בְּהוֹרָאָה, יָכוֹל יְהֵא חַיָּב מִיתָה, תַּ”ל אַתָּה וּבָנֶיךָ אִתָּךְ, וְלֹא תָמֻתוּ, כֹּהֲנִים בַּעֲבוֹדָתָם בְּמִיתָה, וְאֵין חֲכָמִים בְּהוֹרָאָתָן בְּמִיתָה (שם): ולהורת AND TO TEACH [THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL] — This informs us that an intoxicated person is forbidden to pronounce religious decisions. One might think that if he does so he is liable to the death penalty! It, however, says: “[Do not drink wine] thou (Aaron), nor thy sons with thee … lest ye die” — priests when they minister in a state of intoxication are punishable by death, but the Sages when they thus render decisions are not punishable by death (Sifra, Shemini, Section 1 6).
The sanctity of the Mishkan is maintained not only through the precision of ritual sacrifice but through the cognitive clarity of those who administer it. By connecting the requirement that Aharon perform the offerings “according to the manner” (9:7) with the subsequent mandate “to teach the Israelites” (10:11), a clear standard is established: the Kohein’s role is as much pedagogical as it is ceremonial. This dual responsibility necessitates the strict prohibition against the consumption of alcohol, as the act of הוראה—rendering halakhic decisions and distinguishing the sacred from the profane—demands an unclouded mind. Thus, the tragedy of Nadav and Avihu serves as a foundational lesson that the transmission of the Torah is a necessity of the Priesthood, requiring a level of sobriety and intellectual integrity that mirrors the holiness of the Sanctuary itself.
The Sefer HaChinukh #152 echoes this sentiment in recording the Mitzvah........