"It’s Not An Excuse"
Parashat HaShavua Shemini / Eighth
This Week's Reading List:
VaYikra / Leviticus 6:8-8:36
Sh'muel Bet / II Samuel 6:1-7:17
Ma'asei Talmidim / Acts 10:9-22
Vayikra {10:16} Moshe (Moses) diligently sought the goat of the sin-offering, and, behold, it was burnt: and he was angry with El'azar and with Ithamar, the sons of Aharon (Aaron) who were left, saying, {10:17} Why have you not eaten the sin-offering in the place of the sanctuary, seeing it is most Kadosh (Holy), and He has given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make Kapparah (Atonement) for them before HaShem? {10:18} Behold, the blood of it was not brought into the sanctuary within: you should certainly have eaten it in the Sanctuary, as I commanded. {10:19} Aharon spoke to Moshe, Behold, this day have they offered their sin-korban (draw near / offering) and their burnt offering before HaShem; and there have befallen me such things as these: and if I had eaten the sin-offering today, would it have been well-pleasing in the sight of HaShem? {10:20} When Moshe heard that, it was well-pleasing in his sight.
I have always had difficulty with this portion of Scripture. In fact I had a problem properly understand it, until now that is. The goat of the sin offering, according to HaShem’s command, was to be slaughtered. Portions were to be burnt, and a portion was to be eaten in the sanctuary by Aharon and his two remaining sons. However, were they not to eat their portion of the offering the blood of that offering was to be brought into the Tent of Meeting for an atonement. Failure to follow HaShem’s instruction could have meant dire consequences for the entire camp of bnei Yisrael (children of Israel).
Vayikra {6:25} "Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, 'This is the law of the sin offering: in the place where the burnt offering is slain the sin offering shall be slain before HaShem; it is most holy. {6:26} 'The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. It shall be eaten in a holy place, in the court of the Tent of Meeting... {6:29} 'Every male among the priests may eat of it; it is most holy. {6:30} 'But no sin offering of which any of the blood is brought into the Tent of Meeting to make atonement in the holy place shall be eaten; it shall be burned with fire.
Moshe was angry with Aharon because he and his remaining two sons did not eat their portion of the sin offering nor was the blood brought into the Sanctuary. Aharon did do according to the instructions which Moshe received from G-d. As Yisreal had found out many times before, failing to follow HaShem’s instructions can have dire consequences.
However, when Aharon offered Moshe a logical explanation for not following the L-rd’s instructions Moshe accepted the explanation and all was forgiven. This is where I always got confused. Does HaShem bend His rules if we happen to come up with good excuses for not following His instructions? Before I deal with this I would like to deal with Moshe becoming seemingly angry.
Scripture says that Moshe was the humblest man that ever lived, yet, the text indicates that he became angry with his brother and nephews when they did not do as they were told. Is it possible to get angry and still be considered meek and humble? The answer is obviously yes, if your anger is righteous indignation. Moshe was angry not because Aharon and his two remaining son did something wrong to him, but because they did something against HaShem.
Many times I have become angry with people for things they have done or for things that they neglected to do here at Shul (Synagogue) ; things such as making a vow and not keeping it, disrupting the services as they are in progress or disrespecting the leadership of the congregation. These are not things that they did against me, but theses are things that they did against HaShem! It is out of my love for HaShem and my desire to only do His will that I am angered. Yeshua did something similar:
Yochanan (John) {2:15} And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the Bet HaMikdash (Temple), with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the moneychangers, and overturned their tables; {2:16} and to those who were selling the doves He said, "Take these things away; stop making My Father's house a house of merchandise."
So, how about the idea that HaShem bends the rules if we come up with a good excuse? Well, Aharon did not come up with an excuse he had good reasoning! His two eldest son’s had just died, perhaps he even felt a little responsible for their deaths. If these were your children you probably would have felt guilty for their deaths as well; thinking that if you had only monitoring them better they would not have died. Aharon and his remaining sons, because of the events of the day, had no appetite for food or for fulfilling the Sanctuary requirements. Certainly, if we were in Aharon’s position, the last thing on our minds would have been food or our jobs. Is it proper to do something for the L-rd when your heart is not in it? I do not think any one of us would have a problem answering that question in the negative. When we do something unto HaShem with the wrong heart it is neither acceptable nor pleasing unto the L-rd. In addition if Aharon would have done something with the wrong heart he would have profaned this holy thing, which is essentially the same thing that Nedav and Avihu did.
I think what we learn from the portion of Scripture I quoted from this week’s Parasha is, as we have seen by my explanations, that Aharon was not coming up with an excuse he was actually doing what was right – distinguishing the holy from the unholy.
Vayikra {10:10} You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean,
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Baruch HaShem
Rabbi Ya'acov Farber
