SHEMINI_LEVITICUS IX:1-XI:47

The Mishkan was to serve as “the House of God,” the holy place from which Moshe will have direct communication with the Creator, although, as the Tora warns, God resides betocham, in the bosom of the Hebrew people. At the same time, the Mishkan was the site for offerings. These chapters recount the ceremony on the eighth day after Aharon and his sons were set apart for seven days of purification before undertaking the service of sacrifices. 

Indeed, the first Korban was a calf, a Chatat sacrifice of atonement, and this calf was intended to request forgiveness for the sin of the “golden calf,” an idol they made when Moshe was slow to descend Mount Sinai. Although Aharon participated in the making of the “golden calf,”  the Tora testifies that his repentance for this sin allowed him to lead the offering service with his sons at the time of the inauguration.

The Talmud speculates that Aharon would never have made this mistake had it not been because the hordes killed Chur, son of his sister Miryam when he tried to prevent the making of the idol.  Aharon thought he would suffer the same fate as Chur and feared the Divine reaction against the people afterward. He did not fear for his life because he was willing to offer it; his suspicion focused on the consequences that the assassination could bring to the people.

Aharon possibly thought that if Moshe did not return, the people would be punished for idolatry, but if, in their fury, they had killed him, the punishment would be greater. Because the Creator can forgive a fault against Him, He is stricter in the face of the murder of a human being. However, Aharon’s behavior is improper, especially when contrasted with the decisive action of Moshe, who descended from Mount Sinai and observed the fervor of the idolatrous dance, summoned: My LaShem elai, “whoever is with God, let him come to my side.” 

The tribe of Levi answered the call. Moshe perceived that there was a group faithful to the teachings of the patriarchs, for whom the revelation at Sinai had been an unforgettable, meaningful, and lasting experience. Instead, Aharon leaned only on his person and felt he could not face a crowd clamoring for a new leader because of Moshe’s absence.

In effect, Moshe had to repeat the Divine command for Aharon to approach the Mizbeach, the altar on which the offering would be made. Aharon was unsure he had obtained God’s forgiveness after the “golden calf” episode. He felt enormous love and empathy for the people, but he also felt uncertain whether he deserved to be the people’s representative at the time of the offering.

The Tora teaches that the humblest human being was Moshe, but this does not mean he could not face an emergency and would not react energetically in the face of injustice. Unlike the father, the sons of Aharon, Nadav, and Avihu suffered from an excessive dose of pride. According to the Talmud, their mistake was to anticipate the death of Moshe and Aharon to inherit the command. They felt too sure of themselves.

Aharon used the clothes acquired by the donation, and the participation of the entire people, Nadav and Avihu brought their personal utensils to the Mishkan as if it were an individual service and not representative of them the collective. 

Perhaps Tora wishes to emphasize that both Aharon’s insecurity, on the one hand, and his children’s overconfidence in themselves, on the other, did not make them fit for leadership. The religious leader must represent a synthesis of these feelings: humility towards the neighbor whom he must serve and, at the same time, confidence in the certainty and justice of his spiritual mission.

MITSVA: TORA ORDINANCE IN THIS PARSHA

CONTAINS 6 POSITIVE MITZVOT AND 11 PROHIBITIONS

1. Leviticus 10:6 Kohanim should not enter the Temple with long hair.
2. Leviticus 10:6, 21:10 Kohanim should not enter the Temple with torn clothes.
3. Leviticus 10:7 Kohanim should not leave the Temple during Holy Service.
4. Leviticus 10:9 Kohanim should not enter the Temple after drinking wine, nor should they pronounce judgment when drunk.
5. Leviticus 11:2,3 Obligation to examine the signs of domestic and wild animals (to determine whether they are kosher).
6. Leviticus 11:4-7 Do not eat domestic or wild animals that are non-kosher.
7. Leviticus 11:9 Obligation to examine the signs of fish (to determine if they are kosher).
8. Leviticus 11:11 Do not eat fish that are non-kosher.
9. Leviticus 11:13 Do not eat non-kosher birds.
10. Leviticus 11:21 Obligation to examine the signs of insects (to determine if they are kosher).
11. Leviticus 11:29,30 Laws governing the ritual impurity of the eight animals that walk on land.
12. Leviticus 11:34 Laws about the ritual impurity of food.
13. Leviticus 11:39 Laws about the ritual impurity of animal carcasses.
14. Leviticus 11:41 Do not eat animals that crawl on land.
15. Leviticus 11:42 Do not eat diminutive insects that accompany grains and fruits.
16. Leviticus 11:43 Do not eat small creatures that inhabit the waters.
17. Leviticus 11:44 Do not ingest insects that form from decaying matter.