English translation — אחרי א

Sicha 1<pg>98</pg>

A.

In explanation of the reason that was explained in the Torah that the saying of the command to Aaron<sup>1</sup>

"And he shall not come at all times into the Holy" was "after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the Lord and died"<sup>2</sup>

— it is said in the words of our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed,<sup>3</sup>

that it is because the command came to admonish him more about that sin which his sons sinned,

that they entered the Holy

(in their drawing near before the Lord)

and died,

and therefore Aaron was commanded "And he shall not come at all times into the Holy etc. and he shall not die" — "that he should not die in the way that his sons died"<sup>4</sup>.

And behold, the Or HaChayim explains

(according to one of the possibilities)

that the verse at the beginning of the portion "And He spoke etc. after the death etc. in their approaching etc." is a speech by itself,

its content — the virtue of the service of the sons of Aharon who died "in their approaching before Hashem",

and in his language,

that "Hashem spoke to Moshe through their death, which was, this is the way,

[= on this way]

in their approaching before Hashem, meaning that they drew near before the upper light in the love of holiness and in this they died

(and it is the secret of the kiss through which the righteous died<sup>5</sup>)

",

and the text alludes to "the wonder of the love of the righteous that although they felt in their death they did not refrain from drawing near<sup>6</sup>

to the attachment, pleasantness, sweetness, friendship, belovedness, kisses, sweetness until the expiration of their souls from them"<sup>7</sup>.

[And according to this explanation it is resolved<sup>8</sup>

(also)

this that the text is silent here and did not explain their sin

(explained in the portion of Shemini<sup>9</sup>

"and they brought before Hashem a strange fire which He had not commanded them")

— but only "in their approaching before Hashem"<sup>10</sup>,

that the content of this matter

("their approaching before Hashem")

in itself is a matter of superiority].

And seemingly,

according to this explanation, it requires explanation why the place of the speech

(story)

this is adjacent to the command to Aaron that "he shall not come at all times into the Holy [Place] etc."?

And it must be said,

that even according to this explanation, the announcement about the manner of their death

(which is death by a kiss etc.)

is an introduction to the aforementioned command

("he shall not come at all times into the Holy [Place] etc."),

but not according to the explanation

(the aforementioned)

that it is like a warning against sin,

but for superiority.

2.

Also one must understand in the words of the Ohr HaChayim mentioned above: how does his interpretation fit in "בקרבתם

before the L-rd and they died"

("that they drew near before the light of the supernal One with the love of holiness..

until the expiration of their souls from them")

with the plain meaning of the narrative in Parshas Shemini⁹

that "and they took..

each man his fire-pan and placed fire in them and placed incense upon it and offered before the L-rd a strange fire which He had not commanded them",

that they did a deed "which He had not commanded them"

(that is,

that there was here a sin,

strange from the will of the L-rd)?

And behold, there are commentators<sup>11</sup>,

that according to the opinion<sup>12</sup>

that the sons of Aaron died because they entered the Sanctuary drunk with wine — "the explanation 'which He had not commanded them' is not the cause of their death but rather to inform that they volunteered of themselves in it and not that He commanded them..

And the explanation of 'when they offered a strange fire'<sup>13</sup>

at the time of their offering the strange fire, and the explanation of 'when they drew near' — at the time of their drawing near, not because of it did they die".

And in a similar manner one can explain the verse according to the Ohr HaChayim

(that their death was because of the intensity of their "drawing near before the Lord"),

that what is written "and they offered etc. a strange fire which He had not commanded them" is not a narration of an undesirable act,

but rather a parenthetical statement

(that they died at the time of their offering a fire which He had not commanded them but rather they volunteered of themselves in it).

But still needs explanation,

for according to all the opinions brought in the Midrash etc.¹⁴

the death of Aaron's sons was in the category of punishment for sin

(and the dispute is only — what is the sin,

and correspondingly — the magnitude and severity of their sin)¹⁵

; whereas according to the Ohr HaChaim a novelty emerges,

that their death was not a punishment for sin

(for they did not sin),

but on the contrary — a death by kiss

(in which the righteous die)

i.e., the soul's expiration due to the greatness of the attachment to G‑d.

3.

And it can be said,

that the foundation of the Ohr HaChaim's interpretation is

(also)

in the plain meaning of the verses of Parshat Shemini:

In the continuation of the story of the death of Aaron's sons, it is told there,

that Moses said to Aaron¹⁶

"This is what the Lord spoke, saying: 'Through those near to Me I will be sanctified'"¹⁷,

and our Sages explained¹⁸

(and brought in Rashi — the plain meaning of the verse — on the verse)

that Moses said "Aaron¹⁹

my brother, I knew that the House would be sanctified through those known to the Omnipresent, and I thought it would be either through me or through you; now I see that they are greater than me and you."

And behold, the content of the matter "Through those near to Me I will be sanctified" — the commentators explain according to the language of the Gemara²⁰

"in order to sanctify the honor of the Omnipresent through them" — "to make known that He is awesome upon those who fear Him and those known to Him"²¹,

and this means that because they are "those who fear Him and those known to Him",

who were closest before the Lord,

therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, was exacting with them to judge them even for a small error²²,

and through this

(i.e., through the punishment for<pg>100</pg>

precise as a hair's breadth²³)

The honor of the Place and His awe were established among all Israel²⁴.

But according to this, the language of our Sages "that the house be sanctified²⁵

through the acquaintances of the Place,"

for from this it is understood that the death of Nadav and Avihu caused

(not only that the name of the Place be sanctified among the children of Israel,

but also)

that the house be sanctified.

And if the entire matter is only the revelation of the honor and awe of the Holy One, blessed be He, through punishment etc. — it is perplexing,

at first glance,

for is it possible to say that an undesirable action

(even if the sin is only in the finest of fine etc.)

will cause the sanctification of the house?

!

[And one cannot say,

that regarding Nadav and Avihu themselves this was a desirable service,

and the deficiency was only because of the concern lest other Jews who are not on the level of Nadav and Avihu learn from their actions and service — because after all,

this very thing that their actions are liable to cause a stumbling block is itself considered a sin,

a kind of prohibition of "before a blind person"

(for specifically because of their great level they must be careful with extra caution that from their action&lt;sup&gt;26&lt;/sup&gt;

some corruption should not branch off among the rest of the Jewish people)

— and how can it be said that such an action would cause the sanctification of the Temple?].

And from here is a foundation for the words of the Ohr HaChayim,

that not only were Nadav and Avihu "greater than me and greater than you" before the offering of the strange fire,

but furthermore,

that this very action had in it no aspect of sin

(in any manner whatsoever)&lt;sup&gt;27&lt;/sup&gt;,

but on the contrary,

it was a most elevated service that drew down a most elevated level of holiness&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt;,

so that in its power it could sanctify the Temple.

And based on this, one can say according to the explanation of the Ohr HaChayim mentioned above,

that what the verse said "And they brought before the Lord a strange fire which He had not commanded them" comes to emphasize the greatness of their virtue,

that their service was on a most elevated level,

to the extent that it is impossible to command regarding it,

because it is above the category of commandment — and therefore "He had not commanded them",

as will be explained below.

[And therefore it is called "strange fire" — because being above ordinary service, it is in the category of "strange"

(in relation to ordinary service in the Temple),

"strange" for superiority].

4.

And this will be understood by prefacing additional explanation in the words of the Ohr HaChayim mentioned above, that what is written "in their approaching before Hashem" is the essence of their closeness and attachment of the two sons of Aharon to Hashem:

It is explicit in the verse that "in their approaching before Hashem" there was an additional action,

"And they took etc. and placed upon it incense and brought before Hashem strange fire etc.",

meaning that their "approaching" was connected with the act of the incense.

And it is logical to say,

that they are not two different matters,

but rather it is the same,

that the greatness of their attachment to Hashem until soul-expiration was expressed in that they offered incense "before Hashem".

And it can be said the explanation in this:

It is explained in many places²⁹

that there is a general and fundamental distinction between the service of the offerings that are on the altar<pg>101</pg>

The outer one for the work of the incense on the inner altar:

The offering of the sacrifices on the outer altar, its content is the elevation of physicality to G‑d³⁰,

and as it is simply,

that they bring a physical animal

(and the like)

and they raise its fat and its blood upon the altar,

and fire descends from heaven and consumes it³¹

and it is included in the fire of G‑d.

That is to say — the content of the service of the offerings is the action of man upon the objects of the world that are outside of him,

to elevate them to G‑d.

However, the incense that is upon the inner altar — its main point is not the elevation of physical things to G‑d

(and we were commanded³²

You shall not offer upon it

(strange incense and)

burnt offering and meal offering and libation you shall not pour upon it)

but rather the entry of the priest into the inner sanctum for the incense and the attachment³³

with the Holy One, blessed be He, through the elevation of the fire of the incense and the cloud³⁴.

And in the service of man²⁹

: the service of the offerings on the outer altar is the service that is from the aspect of the externality of the heart,

whose content is the action in the external part of man,

that man should fulfill the will of God in deed, speech and thought,

which are the garments of the soul of man;

And the service of the incense on the inner altar is the attachment of man with the Holy One, blessed be He, through the revelation of the inwardness of his soul

(which is connected with the Holy One, blessed be He)

— and this revelation acts in an automatic way in his garments of deed, speech and thought that they should be as proper,

according to the will of God.

And this matter is also hinted at in the distinction between the term "sacrifices" and the term "incense": sacrifice is from the word closeness³⁵,

that through the sacrifices a person draws close to God,

and it is possible that despite drawing close to God, he still remains a separate entity that is close to Him; whereas incense is a term of binding³⁶

and connection

(in the manner of³⁷

that which is said³⁸

"and his soul is bound to his soul",

and likewise regarding Jonathan and David it is said³⁹

"and the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul")

— for the content of the matter of incense is not only that a person draws close to God

(through his service in thought, speech, and action),

but rather that he becomes bound and connected to God⁴⁰.

5.

Based on this, the connection between the two matters in the service of the two sons of Aaron will be understood —

(a)

their offering [of fire] before God and they died,

(b)

the offering of incense:

The content of the matter of "in their drawing near before Hashem and they died",

the greatness of their closeness and their attachment to Hashem,

until the utter expiration of their soul,

it is exactly what they offered incense inside⁴¹,

namely that then

(on the eighth day of the consecrations)

there shone within them in revelation the inwardness of their soul,

from which aspect they offered incense — they became bound with the Holy One, blessed be He

(in the manner that is said regarding Rashbi⁴²

"in one bond I am bound with Him, with the Holy One, blessed be He")

;<pg>102</pg>

And this is also what is stated "and they offered etc. strange fire which He had not commanded them": regarding the service on the outer altar

(the externality of the heart),

there is in it a matter of commandment,

for when the person is an existence in his own right,

his drawing near to Hashem is through fulfillment of Hashem's command in positive and negative commandments; but not so in the service of the incense⁴³,

this that the person binds and connects his soul to Hashem,

behold when his connection is in a manner⁴⁴

most elevated⁴⁵,

then sometimes⁴⁶

there is no need for a command to fulfill His will, may He be blessed,

for the fulfillment of His will, may He be blessed, comes in a spontaneous manner⁴⁷,

because of this that there is felt by him the will and intention of the Name until so much that he becomes attached to Him.

[And it can be said that this is similar to the words of the Rambam&lt;sup&gt;48&lt;/sup&gt;

that when a person's evil inclination overpowers him

(and his inner will is hidden and concealed)

there is a need to coerce him to fulfill the will of G-d — but when his true will is revealed,

there is no need for coercion,

because the inner and true will of every single Jew is to fulfill the will of G-d].

And this is "which He did not command them",

that the service of the sons of Aaron was in the aspect of "which He did not command them" — that the category of command does not apply to it,

since they are on that level where they have no need for a command,

and all their actions and matters are done according to the will of G-d of themselves and automatically&lt;sup&gt;49&lt;/sup&gt;.

6.

Based on this, we can also explain why specifically about them it is said "I will be sanctified through those who are near Me,"

and Moshe said to Aharon, "Aharon, my brother, I knew that the House would be sanctified through those known to the Omnipresent, and I thought it would be either through me or through you; now I see that they are greater than me and than you."

For, at first glance, one must examine what is the content of the matter of "the House will be sanctified" — for this was after "all the seven days of the consecration, during which Moshe erected the Mishkan and served in it"⁵⁰,

and after the services on the eighth day of the consecration, when⁵¹

"the Shechinah descended for Israel"⁵²,

and as is explicit in the verse⁵³

"And the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people, and fire came forth from before the Lord and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fats; and all the people saw and shouted

(and praised⁵⁴)

and fell on their faces" — <pg>103</pg>

And since the Divine Presence already rested in Israel,

what was still lacking in the holiness of the Mishkan?

But just as in the service of man himself there are two manners and levels,

the service of the sacrifices that pertains to the outer altar

(the externality of the heart),

where the person is an entity in himself and fulfills the command of the Creator,

and the service of the incense on the inner altar

(the inwardness of the heart),

where the person fulfills the command of the Creator in a manner of incense,

that he connects and cleaves to the Creator until he becomes one thing —

Similarly regarding the object of the Mishkan, which has two modes and levels of holiness and the resting of the Shechinah: a)

"The Shechinah descended to Israel"⁵²,

meaning that the Mishkan is a matter in itself and in it the Shechinah descends; b)

that the house becomes holy,

that the resting of the Shechinah and holiness in the house is not in a manner that they are two separate things that come close,

but rather that the holiness is in the essence and body of the house⁵⁵.

And it can be said that they are the two levels in the "fire" that descended from before Hashem:

"And fire came out from before Hashem and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fats etc."

This is that the Shechinah descended to Israel,

that this came about through the service of Aharon,

as the precise wording of Rashi⁵⁰

"Aharon my brother is worthy and important more than me, that through his offerings and his service the Shechinah will dwell among you,"

namely through the service of the offerings that are outside — the outer altar;

"And fire came out from before Hashem and consumed them"⁵⁶

— this is that the Temple was sanctified,

and this came

(not through offerings — service in the outside,

externality of the heart,

but rather)

through the incense⁵⁷

of Nadav and Avihu "and they brought before Hashem strange fire which He had not commanded them,"

connection and attachment to Hashem that is above command.

And therefore Moshe said "Now I see that they are greater than me and than you,"

because he saw that through his service and the service of Aharon the house was not yet sanctified to the utmost perfection,

And according to what Rashi said earlier⁵⁰

"That all seven days of the consecration that Moshe set up the Mishkan and served in it and dismantled it each day, the Shechinah did not dwell in it,

and Yisrael were ashamed etc.,

therefore he said to them: This is the thing that Hashem commanded, do it, and the glory of Hashem will appear to you,

Aharon my brother is worthy and important more than me, that through his offerings and his service the Shechinah will dwell among you,"

And likewise also through Aharon who effected the dwelling of the Shechinah, still the house was not "sanctified" to the utmost;

Specifically Nadav and Avihu,

whose service was with the incense that was beyond the command,

the ultimate attachment and devotion to Hashem,

effected that the house be sanctified — and therefore "Now I see that they are greater than me and than you,"

for specifically they were "the intimates of the Omnipresent" through whom the house was sanctified.

7.

Based on this, we can also explain according to the commentary of the Ohr HaChayim why specifically here it is written about

(the virtue of the service of and)

the death of the sons of Aaron, which was in a manner&lt;pg&gt;104&lt;/pg&gt;

"For they drew near before Hashem and they died,"

because this matter is an introduction to the following section, in which is explained about the entry of the High Priest once a year into the Holy of Holies:

The content of the service of Yom Kippur,

that the Kohen Gadol entered as a messenger of all Israel to offer incense before and within⁵⁸,

is the entry of the inwardness of each one of Israel into the holy place and before and within of the world,

where the holiness of Hashem dwells and unites

(therefore the place of the Ark is not of the measure⁵⁹,

because in it there shone and was revealed the aspect that is above place in the physical place of the Holy of Holies),

And this itself is the reason that Yom Kippur atones "for on this day He shall atone for you to cleanse you from all your sins before Hashem you shall be cleansed"⁶⁰,

for the entire matter of sin and iniquity

("that separate between you and your God"^*60)

is only from the aspect that the children of Israel are an existence in themselves,

and their connection to Hashem is through the fulfillment of His decrees,

and therefore by this that they transgress G-d forbid the command of Hashem a weakening occurs in the connection; but when the inwardness of the soul is revealed in the children of Israel,

that even at the time of the sin it was in faith with Him⁶¹,

that it is embraced and attached to You,

unique to unify You⁶²,

that this pertains to "before Hashem",

inwardness and above

(the Name)

Hashem⁶³

— from the aspect of this, the sins and iniquities that were done in the external powers of the man are nullified.

And as explained at length elsewhere&lt;sup&gt;64&lt;/sup&gt;.

And regarding this level of Yom Kippur it is said at the end of the portion&lt;sup&gt;65&lt;/sup&gt;

"And this shall be for you a statute forever etc. once a year",

that this level of "one"

(yechidah&lt;sup&gt;66&lt;/sup&gt;)

which shines on Yom Kippur must affect all the days of the year,

that each Jew should be in such a state and condition,

that the innermost part of his heart should shine for him in revelation in such a way that all matters of Torah and mitzvos should be for him not

(only)

in a manner of yoke and coercion,

but rather that this should be his desire and innermost will,

and consequently he fulfills them in a manner as if of itself and automatically,

"which He did not command them",

in the manner of from himself he prostrates&lt;sup&gt;67&lt;/sup&gt;,

for superiority,

And as it is regarding the matter of the fast on Yom Kippur: from the aspect of the greatness of the level of Bnei Yisrael — that on Yom Kippur they are "in the likeness of ministering angels"⁶⁸,

behold, that they do not eat on Yom Kippur is not only from the aspect of the command, but from the aspect of the holiness of the day "who wants to eat"!

(known is the saying of the holy Rabbi etc. R. Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev),

and to such an extent that the fast of Yom Kippur is a matter of delight,

as it is said⁶⁹

"to give them life in famine",

that they receive vitality

(delight)

from the famine itself⁷⁰.

And this is the introduction of the statement "After the death of the two sons of Aaron, in their approaching before Hashem, and they died",

that from the aspect of the greatness of their approach and the attachment of their soul to Hashem until utter exhaustion of the soul,

there is effected and drawn forth in each one of Yisrael that "once a year" on Yom Kippur he can come to the revelation of his innermost soul in attachment to Hashem,

in a manner that he will not need a command to fulfill the supernal will.

except that at the dedication of the Mishkan on the eighth day of the consecration, this was in the manner of "and they shall die",

finish<pg>105</pg>

the soul in actuality,

since then⁷¹

it was necessary that "the house be sanctified

(in the acquaintances of the Place)

";

But after this⁷²,

behold the revelation of the aspect of the inwardness of the soul of every Jew must be specifically in a manner⁷³

of "and he shall not die",

soul in body specifically,

with length of days and good years,

to make for Him, blessed be He, a dwelling place in the lower realms.

(From the sicha of Shabbat Parshat Acharei-Kedoshim 5745)