Aaron’s Silence
讜讬拽专讗 驻专拽 讬 驻住讜拽 讟讝- 讬讝
讜职讗值转 砖职讉注执讬专 讛址讞址讟指旨讗转 讚指旨专止砖讈 讚指旨专址砖讈 诪止砖侄讈讛 讜职讛执谞值旨讛 砖止讉专指祝 讜址讬执旨拽职爪止祝 注址诇 讗侄诇职注指讝指专 讜职注址诇 讗执讬转指诪指专 讘职旨谞值讬 讗址讛植专止谉 讛址谞旨讜止转指专执诐 诇值讗诪止专: 诪址讚旨讜旨注址 诇止讗 讗植讻址诇职转侄旨诐 讗侄转 讛址讞址讟指旨讗转 讘执旨诪职拽讜止诐 讛址拽止旨讚侄砖讈 讻执旨讬 拽止讚侄砖讈 拽指讚指砖执讈讬诐 讛执讜讗 讜职讗止转指讛旨 谞指转址谉 诇指讻侄诐 诇指砖值讉讗转 讗侄转 注植讜止谉 讛指注值讚指讛 诇职讻址驻值旨专 注植诇值讬讛侄诐 诇执驻职谞值讬 讛’
Leviticus 10:16鈥�17
[16] And Moses diligently inquired for the goat of the sin-offering, and, behold, it was burnt; and he was angry with Eleazar and with Ithamar, the sons of Aaron that were left saying: [17] “Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin offering in the place of the sanctuary, seeing it is most holy, and He hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord . . .”
讜讬拽专讗 专讘讛 (讜讬诇谞讗) 驻专砖讛 讬讙
讜讬拽爪讜祝 注诇 讗诇注讝专 讜注诇 讗讬转诪专 讜讻讬讜谉 砖讻注住 谞转注诇诪讛 诪诪谞讜 讛诇讻讛 讗”专 讛讜谞讗 讘砖诇砖讛 诪拽讜诪讜转 讻注住 诪砖讛 讜谞转注诇诪讛 诪诪谞讜 讛诇讻讛 讜讗诇讜 讛谉 讘砖讘转 讜讘讻诇讬 诪转讻讜转 讜讗讜谞谉… 讘讗讜谞谉 诪谞讬谉 砖谞讗诪专 讜讬拽爪讜祝 注诇 讗诇注讝专 讜注诇 讗讬转诪专 讜讻讬讜谉 砖讻注住 谞转注诇诪讛 诪诪谞讜 讛诇讻讛 砖讗讜谞谉 讗住讜专 诇讗讻讜诇 讘拽讚砖讬诐
Va-yikra Rabbah Parashah 13
And he (Moses) was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, and on account of his anger his knowledge of halakhah departed from him. Rabbi Huna said, in three places Moses got angry and his knowledge of halakhah departed from him. They are (related to) Shabbat, metal tools, and the laws of an onen (one who lost a close relative but has not yet buried the dead) . . . From whence do we know this in regard to the onen? As it is written: “And he (Moses) was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar,” and on account of his anger his knowledge of halakhah departed from him. Specifically, that an onen is forbidden from eating from sacrifices.
There are many rich lessons in this portion. To give greater context, at the beginning of it, Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu are struck down by God for bringing what we only know of as a “strange fire.” In the wake of their deaths, their bodies are removed, but the sacrificial ritual continues in the hands of their brothers. Moses becomes angry when he sees Eleazar and Ithamar making the sacrifices but not eating from them. The midrash suggests that in Moses’s anger鈥攑resumably driven by his zeal to get this ritual “right”鈥攈e overlooks their position as mourners who cannot rightfully eat from this sacrifice. The midrash is a sound warning to us all that our anger clouds our judgment and, worse, can inhibit our compassion. These, after all, were Moses’s nephews, both those lost and those mourning.
Interestingly, Aaron has been silent until this point. Much has been made about Aaron’s silence in the moment he loses his sons. However, his first words after that loss come at our very incident鈥攁fter Moses turns his anger on Aaron’s sons Eleazar and Ithamar, it is not they who respond, but Aaron who rises to their defense. Aaron answers in verse 19: “And Aaron spoke unto Moses: ‘Behold, this day have they offered their sin-offering and their burnt-offering before the Lord, and there have befallen me such things as these; and if I had eaten the sin-offering to-day, would it have been well-pleasing in the sight of the Lord?'” Aaron’s answer is both a reminder to Moses of this point of law he has forgotten and a rebuke of Moses’s apparent lack of compassion. This powerful exchange reminds us all to make every effort to allow our anger to give way to compassion, so that our knowledge of what is right may not depart from us.
