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on the eighth day called to Aharon, his brother, to begin officiating? Why # 26347-EYAL-6BOOKS - 26347-Vaikra-EYAL | 5 - B | 18-08-19 | 15:24:54 | SR:-- | Black 26347-EYAL-6BOOKS - 26347-Vaikra-EYAL | 5 - B | 18-08-19 | 15:24:54 | SR:-- | Cyan 26347-EYAL-6BOOKS - 26347-Vaikra-EY
did Moshe also call the sons of Aharon, when it is not specified what he
instructed them? It states, “And Aharon fell silent” when he heard of the
death of his two sons. In the Midrash Peliah it states that Aharon could
have said, “On the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin shall be
circumcised.” This is truly perplexing. One can find clarification in the
sefer Ohr Penei Moshe.

I have additional questions: Why did Moshe not continue to officiate as
the Kohen on the eighth day? In this way the sons of Aharon would not
have lit an “alien fire” of their own. Also, why did Moshe not encourage
Aharon’s sons to marry in order to be worthy of serving in the Mishkan
in a permissible manner? Above all, why did Hashem choose to disturb
His joyous festivities of the inauguration of the Mishkan with the death
of Aharon’s sons? Why could their punishment not be postponed to a later
date?

When Adam Harishon sinned, the spiritual light of the seven days of
Creation, illuminating the world, was eliminated. Am Yisrael succeeded
in repairing the damage prior to Matan Torah while counting seven full
weeks, corresponding to the seven days of Creation. Moshe Rabbeinu
wanted to repair those very lights that were dimmed by the sin of the
Golden Calf and restore them during the seven days of miluim. During
these days, he would erect and dismantle the Mishkan, thereby arousing
Am Yisrael to do teshuvah. Only on the eighth day, when they had
succeeded in correcting their sin and returning the original light to
illuminate the world, Hashem descended His Shechinah upon them.

Moshe Rabbeinu alone could repair the damage, because only he ascended
to Heaven and beheld the Shechinah. Therefore, only he could bring it
down to earth. It was only after seven days of serving as Kohen Gadol in
the Mishkan that Moshe completed the task of repairing the damage that
had been caused to the seven days of Creation. Then, he felt prepared to
transmit the job of Kohen Gadol to his faithful brother, who had originally
been appointed by Hashem.