VOLUME 105 NUMBER 4
Iyar 8, 5783
April 28, 2023
PARSHAS ACHAREI MOS-KEDOSHIM
Candlelighting Time 7:33 PM
During these days of counting from Pesach until Shavuos we mourn the loss of thousands of students of the great Talmudic Sage Rabbi Akiva. A plague consumed them and a dearth of Torah excellence and study ensued in their absence until Rabbi Akiva was able to begin anew. Obviously, their stature was imposing and their prudence in Talmud was extraordinary. Yet we are told that their conduct did not match their presumed aristocracy and therefore they did not merit longevity. We avoid haircuts, music and weddings to revere them and they are held in high esteem despite their lack of deportment.
This week’s parsha discusses in great detail the service that the High Priest attended to on Yom Kippur. The Jerusalem Talmud mentions that on Yom Kippur we evoke the names of the two sons of Ahron that died when they violated certain laws when they brought their sacrifices during the inauguration of the Mishkan. The reason is that just as Yom Kippur atones for our sins, so too, the righteous of each generation, upon their demise, atone for the iniquities of their respective generations. Our Sages and commentators expound in great length what caused their death. However, their death is maintained with such veneration and their passing and of other righteous is upheld with tremendous diligence and honor. Certainly, we can afford to understand that nobody is perfect and mistakes are part of our uniform but can we still expect that their departure from this world serves as an atonement for our generation?
Moshe remarked to Ahron that he knew that a great man would be taken away during the Mishkan’s inauguration ceremony. However, he assumed it would be either him or Ahron. When Ahron’s two sons died, then Moshe realized the extent of their greatness which they had apparently concealed from the public. Clearly, even though they erred and their mistake cost them their lives, still their greatness achieved a global cleansing of the entire nation. How can we explain this apparent dichotomy that these great people were removed from our midst and achieved the ultimate distinction of providing us with atonement while the thousands of extraordinary disciples of Rabbi Akiva did not rate as such?
Perhaps we can suggest that in the final analysis although Ahron’s two sons erred in their service to Hashem however, they fundamentally considered that what they were doing was acceptable. Others on a lower level of observance would not have been allowed to follow their example but at their exalted heights, they were coordinated with their preeminence. Their error does not diminish the magnitude of their repute rather it amplifies their pure intent.
In contrast to the students of Rabbi Akiva that although we mourn their loss however, their eminence is eclipsed by their lack of civility as pointed out by our Sages. To assume that they also had the stature to atone for their generation’s blemishes runs askance our perception of their enormity.
We value the enormity of our predecessors and are awestruck by their nobility and dignity. And we must treasure their ability to assess their obligations to the continuation of our nation and therefore take stock of our obligation to carry forth their torch!
A BYTE FOR SHABBOS
Our forefathers catapulted themselves from a menial level of workers for Pharoah to receive Hashem’s Torah on Shavuos. They instilled in these days a tremendous dose of Heavenly assistance and we can tap into that reservoir of strength and conviction as well.
S’FAS EMES
GOOD SHABBOS
