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Orchard of Delights

Haran, also died through the agency of fire: “A fire came forth from
before God and consumed them, and they died before God.” In a
sense, Nadav and Avihu gave up their lives to rectify both Aaron’s
inability to give up his life rather than participate in the sin of the
Golden Calf and Haran’s attitude towards sacrificing himself.

The Torah relates that Nadav and Avihu brought an offering
that “He [God] had not commanded.” This verse might be the key
to understanding not only their failing but also to understanding
their offering – at least from their perspective – as an heroic one.
By taking the initiative, they wanted to joyously draw closer to
God without literally and figuratively prostrating themselves as 11
their elders continuously did. Rabbi Kahn points out that Moses,
Aaron, Nadav, Avihu and the seventy elders were granted a unique
eViticusViticusViticus
e e
vision of God when they ascended Mount Sinai shortly before the l l l ll leViticuseViticuseViticus
Giving of the Torah. Nadav and Avihu responded by eating and
א ָר ְק ִי ַוא ָר ְק ִי ַוָר ְק ִי ַוא ָר ְק ִי ַוא ָר ְק ִי ַוָר ְק ִי ַו
drinking, not by prostrating themselves (Exodus 24:1-11); they
wanted to develop a new paradigm for relating to God, offering their א א
generation a new, more proactive relationship with the Divine. (For
another explanation of this incident, see “Reactions to an Awesome
Vision” in the portion of Mishpatim. For a fuller explanation of the
soul histories of Nadav, Avihu, and Aaron, see Return Again: The
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V V V V V Vayikraayikraayikraayikraayikraayikraayikraayikra
a a
Dynamics of Reincarnation, pp. 158-164.) V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V ayikrayikrayikrayikrayikrayikrayikrayikrayikrayikrayikra
Although the fire of passion deeply embedded in Nadav and Avihu’s
souls ultimately led to their deaths, their boldness and willingness to
give their all has a very positive side to it (see the portion of Acharei
Mot for further elaboration). These qualities saved the day during
another crisis that took place near the end of the forty years in the
desert. In the midst of a veritable orgy, wherein the Israelite men
had been seduced en masse by Moabite women, Zimri, a prince of the
tribe of Simon, publicly challenged Moses by taking Cozbi, a Moabite
princess, to his tent, where he had sexual relations with her. Matters
had gotten so out of hand that even Moses and the elders did not
know how to react.
Pinchas took the initiative and after respectfully reminding Moses
of the appropriate legal remedy, received Moses’ permission to act.
He took a spear and killed Zimri and Cozbi, thus stopping the plague

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