Shmini: Too Much Love?

By Eric Lenefsky

If one looks through the מדרשים and מפשרים he will find a number of reasons why נדב and אביהוא, the two sons of אהרן, were tragically killed in this week’s parsha. The commentaries really leave no stone unturned, offering a plethora of reasons as to why Hashem decided this was their time. Maybe they were drunk when they did the עבודה. Perhaps, they brought a קרבן when they weren’t supposed to. Maybe they wanted to supplant Moshe and Aharon as the leaders of כלל ישראל. Whatever it is, they did something wrong, and if one didn’t know better he would come away with the idea that נדב and אביהוא are רשעים גמורים - they are wicked, evil, sinners.

We know better though. They were the sons of אהרן הכהן, and they were great in their own right. In fact, משה רבינו tell his brother that this is what Hashem meant when he said בקרובי אקדש. Moshe knew from the time of הר סיני that upon the completion of משכן, someone great was going to perish. Moshe assumed it was he or אהרן, but he realized now that it was נדב and אביהוא and tells אהרן that they were greater than we. Clearly they are not רשעים גמורים. So what happened? How could they sin, and why are we left with so many explanations of their sin?

As we mentioned above, there are many answers to this question, but I’d like to offer a more recent answer, that of Rav Shimon Schwalb, a great rav of the 20th century. Rav Schwalb explains that the sin of נדב and אביהוא did not stem from a lack of אהבת ה׳, but from too much אהבת ה׳. They were filled with passion, with fervor, and were zealous to do the will of God. They loved Hashem so much that they could not contain themselves. It was an אהבה המקלקלת את השורה, a love that defies logic, and they were too in love with Hashem. They wanted to do his will so much that they ended up going too far. It’s like the relative at a simcha who gives you a hug that is just too hard. It comes from love, but it is a bit too much and hurts. An אהבת ה׳, unbounded by a יראת ה׳, is destructive.

This, according to Rav Schwalb, is what happened to נדב and אביהוא. Perhaps they got drunk in order to serve Hashem with more simcha. Maybe the offered a קרבן they weren’t supposed to, because they were so full of אהבת ה׳. Perhaps they wanted to take over, because they were in so in love and wanted to get that much closer to הקב”ה. Rav Shimon explains that this is what we say in davening each morning in the ברכות השחר. Not only do we say ואל תשלט בנו יצר הרע, but we add וכוף את יצרנו להשתעבד לך. Save us from the good and the bad. It is in these times that we need to consult with our friends, mentors, and others to see if we are doing the right thing, to see if we are leaving the bounds of הלכה. The Kotzker may have lamented that a chassid serves הקב”ה while the misnagged serves the שולחן ערוֹך, but this is precisely when we need to check the שלחן ערוך and check with our teachers, to make sure our unbridled passion and desire for a personal connection with Hashem does not lead to destruction, to make sure this love is a true אהבה.

May we take this message from נדב ואביהוא, let their death not be in vain, let us see the mistakes of the past, and grow for the future. May we aspire to have just as much אהבת ה׳ as they had, but let us check this אהבה with the הלכה and with our teachers.

Have a great shabbos!