Shemini - Destruction and Ruin (Shmuel II 1:1-7,12)

 

1. a.    Introduction

     Our Haftora comprises three issues: the first attempt at bringing up the Ark, the second attempt, and David's wish to build the Temple and Hashem's response. Of these three, the first subject has a clear parallel in the parasha, but the other two seem to lack any such connection, and careful examination is required to discover what the reason for their juxtaposition might be.

     

1. b.    Joy and Blessing

     There is a command that is common to the beginning of the parasha and the beginning of the Haftora. In both instances there is great excitement amongst the nation – in the case of the parasha, in anticipation of Hashem's revelation in the Mishkan ("for this day Hashem will appear to you" – 9:4, "And the glory of Hashem will be revealed to you" – 9:6), and in the Haftora, in anticipation of the Ark being brought to its proper place. There must certainly have been expressions of joy in the desert celebrating the fact that the Shekhina would from now onwards be resting on the Mishkan, but the Torah does not dwell on them, sufficing with a general and laconic description: "All the people saw, and they shouted and fell upon their faces" (9:24). What is the meaning of "and they shouted?" Onkelos translates this to mean "and they praised." But how they praised is not made explicit by the Torah. In contrast, in the Haftora the images of joy and praise are vividly portrayed: "And David and all the house of Israel danced before Hashem with instruments made of cypress wood, with lyres and with lutes, with drums and with rattles and with cymbals" (6:5). There may have been a similar outpouring of joy in the desert, but the text gives no indication of it. The blessing and joy bring each other in their wake: in the parasha the blessing precedes the joy – "And Aharon lifted his hands to the nation and he blessed them… and Moshe and Aharon came to the Ohel Mo'ed, and they emerged and blessed the nation" (9:22-23), and only in the next pasuk was the glory of Hashem revealed, followed by their joy. In the Haftora, the blessing follows in the wake of the joy. After David and all of Israel bring up the Ark (the second time) with great celebration and joy, then "David blessed the nation in the name of the Lord of Hosts" (6:18).

 

1. c.    Joy in the Morning and Mourning in the Evening/The Common Sin

     Undoubtedly what is common to the parasha and the Haftora is the destruction that took place on the happiest of days and at the height of the celebrations, bringing the joy to an end. In the parasha there is the sudden death of Nadav and Avihu, and in the Haftora – the death of Uzza ben Avinadav. (Obviously by means of this name the latter incident hints strongly at the former.) And in both instances death is meted out by Heaven: "And a fire emerged from Hashem and consumed them, and they died before Hashem" (10:2); "And Hashem's anger burned against Uzza, and the Lord struck him there for his error, and he died there by the Ark of the Lord" (6:6).

     

     In both cases the text indicates which sin led to death. In the parasha we read, "And they offered a strange fire that Hashem had not commanded them" (10:1), while in the Haftora we are told "And Uzza stretched out to the Ark of the Lord and he held it, for the oxen shook it" (6:6). Nevertheless we are still shocked by the result, and the Sages throughout the ages sought a significant sin – beyond the seemingly trivial mistake mentioned in our chapters respectively. Perhaps what is common to both sins bears a lesson for us. It would seem that both the action of Nadav and Avihu and that of Uzza reflect the perception that the Holy One needs, as it were, assistance from below; that something could be beyond His control. In the mishkan it would have seemed that He needed a fire from below, while in the case of the Ark it would have appeared that He needed a supporting mortal hand in order that the Ark would not topple to the ground. This dangerous thought demands a harsh response from Above in order that it be rooted out. And it was necessary that this take place specifically on the day of the inauguration of the Mishkan, and on the day of the celebration of bringing up the Ark, in order that the lesson stand for all future generations. 

     

1. d.    Shaul's Daughter and the Sons of Aharon

     What do we learn from the second attempt at bringing up the Ark? It would seem that it teaches us that even if the first attempt failed, despair is not appropriate. For even if King David did not, the plan of bringing up the Ark was postponed. This was a temporary postponement that was used to draw conclusions and learn lessons from the disaster. When it appeared that Hashem's anger had dissipated and that Hashem gave His blessing to His temporary dwelling, the time was right for a second attempt, and once again there was great joy and anticipation.

     

     But is there any connection between the parasha and the continuation of the story, where we find an argument between King David and his wife, Mikhal, daughter of Shaul?

     

     The text sees fit to tell us that "Mikhal, daughter of Shaul, had no child until the day of her death" (6:23). Similary, we find with regard to Nadav and Avihu – "And Nadav and Avihu died before Hashem as they offered a strange fire before Hashem in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children" (Bamidbar 3:4).

     

     Perhaps this hints at some personality traits that were common to the sons of Aharon and to Mikhal, daughter of Shaul. In the Haftora we hear Mikhal's derisive criticism of King David for walking in the company of the common people. A similar criticism may have lurked in the hearts of Nadav and Avihu, who felt that they had a better idea of how to lead and how to behave. A similar idea is suggested by Chazal: "Moshe and Aharon walked in front, and Nadav and Avihu walked behind them, saying, Soon these two old people will die, and we will lead the nation" (Pesikta de-Rav Kahana, Aharei Mot).

     

1. e.    Building that Follows Understanding 

     From here we move on to the third subject of the Haftora. David tells the prophet of his yearnings to build a house for the Ark of Hashem's covenant, such that it will not be housed behind a curtain. After the prophet supports the idea, an order is conveyed from Hashem that David be halted. The time for the building of such a house has not yet come. This may be teaching us that what seems in the parasha to be the climax of all our aspirations, with no higher state imaginable, is in fact only another stage along the way. Hashem tells us in the Haftora, "I have walked in a tent and in a mishkan" (7:6) – Hashem has not yet reached His ultimate destination among Bnei Yisrael. This may be bringing us back to the crux of the message.

     

     The prophet speaks to David at length explaining why the time is not yet ripe and why he himself is not worthy of building the Temple. But after all of this it is still not clear why in fact David is not being permitted to build. The key may lie in the words, "And I have made a place for My nation, Israel, and I have planted them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be troubled no more, nor shall the children of wickedness torment them any more" (7:10), and "And I will set up your seed after you, he who will proceed from your bowels, and I will establish his kingdom" (7:12). In other words, before Bnei Yisrael can build the house of Hashem, Hashem will first build a house, a dual house: a national home for the nation, and then a royal house for their king. When this house is firmly established then it will be time for a house built by mortals. Only then will there no longer be any danger of a sense that Hashem needs support from mortals; only then will it be clear that they are dependent on Hashem for their entire existence and security. When they understand that "If Hashem does not build a house, the builders work in vain" (Tehillim 127:1), then will they be able to build with no danger of destruction.

     

1. f.    A Memorial to the Deceased

     It is the way of the world that when a person passes on, there is a desire to make some memorial to him, especially if the person died at a young age and had no children to continue his path. This may have been David's intention in calling the place where Hashem struck Uzza "Peretz-Uzza," commemorating both the person and the event.

     

     What was done in memory of Nadav and Avihu? It may be that their memorial is not in space but rather in time. This idea arises from the beginning of the Torah parasha that discusses Yom Kippur. There we are told that the mitzva of Yom Kippur was given "after the death of the two sons of Aharon when they offered before Hashem" (16:1). The Torah seems to be indicating not so much a chronological fact as rather a lesson of principle. It is only on Yom Kippur, the day of forgiveness and atonement for the individual and the nation, that there is an entry into the Kodesh Kodashim. Nadav and Avihu may have been the forebearers of this entry. By bursting through into the Kodesh Kodashim they revealed the depth of the love that demands closeness to the point of physical destruction. This being so, a way was sought to allow a representative of the nation of Israel to enter and stand directly before Hashem. And thereafter Nadav and Avihu were remembered every Yom Kippur, for they by their lives paved the way into the Kodesh Kodashim.

 

[Translated by Kaeren Fish.]