Nehar Deah

Acharei Mot

What is “a strange fire”?

The weekly Torah reading of Acharei Mot begins with a detailed description of the ritual service performed by the high Priest once a year on Yom Kippur (“Day of Atonement”). During this ritual the priest enters the Holy of Holies after lengthy preparations, purification ceremonies and sacrifices, since he is commanded “do not come at all times to the holiness … lest you die” (Vayikra 16:2). This section is said to Moses “Acharei Mot” [after the death of] the two sons of Aaron, when they came near to God and died” (verse 1) - that is, as a result of an event where the priests came close to the holy place in an incorrect manner and were punished for this by immediate death.

What exactly did Nadav and Avihu, Aaron’s sons, do to incur such a decree? Of this the Torah tells, (Vayikra 10:1-2)” And the sons of Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, each took his fire-pan, and they put fire in them, and placed incense thereon, and they offered strange fire before God, which He had not commanded them. And a fire came forth from before God and consumed them…” This same “strange fire” appears also in other places which mention the death of the two brothers (Bamidbar 3:4; ibid 26:61), and many have wondered what was the exact nature of this “strange fire” that the brothers sinned with, a sin that brought about their punishment by ‘fire that was sent from heaven’.

A wide ranging collection of answers to this are found in the Midrashim (Homiletics) of the Sages. Midrash Rabbah deals widely with this, with chapter 20 of this work containing twelve different answers. It seems that the reading of this portion also on Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement but also the day one which ones fate is sealed - brought about the increased interest in the question of sin and punishment which arise from the verse that opens it. Certain of these answers deal with the nature of this “strange fire” and we will focus on them.

One of the answers, which seems to be the simple reading of the text, is the assertion that it is referring to “fire from a stovetop” (Vayikra Rabba 20:8), “fire of the layman” (Bamidbar Rabba 2:23) or “external [foreign] fire” (from an Aramaic translation of the Torah known as the “Jerusalem Translation” on the verse). According to this examination, the brothers did not bring holy fire on the altar, as is required in this Torah portion (16:12), but rather non-holy fire and in this they transgressed the proper order of the sacrificial service, in their bringing the profane together with the holy.

However other answers choose to understand the phrase “strange fire” as a metaphorical expression for behavior impelled by spiritual enthusiasm, both the enthusiasm of happiness and positive religious fervor and but also primarily enthusiasm which involves irresponsibility and rebelliousness. Many sources accuse Nadav and Avihu of a variety of sins, based on pride, excessive self-confidence and boastfulness. The brothers revealed these negative characteristics in all aspects of life and in all connections between a person and those surrounding him.

First and foremost the sages emphasize that “the two sons of Aaron died only because they taught the law in the presence of Moses their teacher”, as “whoever teaches the law in the presence of his teacher is liable for death” (Vayikra Rabba 20:6). The words “which he had not commanded them”, which in the simple reading seem to refer to God, are transferred by the Midrash to Moses, to the teacher, and according to this the great sin of Nadav and Avihu lay in a lack of obedience of a student to his teachers. In the world of the Sages, in which the authority of a teacher over students is a cornerstone of the passing on of tradition and the establishment of its authority, an attempt by a student to teach and give rulings before he has completed his learning is a serious transgression.

The Sages also continue and determine that the deaths of Nadav and Avihu could have been prevented if they had consulted each other before bringing the “strange fire”. As a result of their overweening pride, their excessive self-confidence, they did something they never would have done had they paused for a minute and discussed the issue between themselves. This is probably learnt out from the verse “And Nadav and Avihu took… each took of them his fire-pan”, that is each one separately placed the fire in the fire-pan that was in his hands, because each felt that he was better than the other and had nothing to learn from them.

If this is not enough, the sources continue and blame the deaths of Nadav and Avihu on their arrogant attitude to the young women who were interested in marrying them: “And many women would sit forlornly waiting for them. And what did they say: My father’s brother [=Moses] is king, my mother’s brother [=Nachshon son of Aminadav] is a prince [of the tribe of Judah]. Our father is High Priest, and we are assistants of the High Priest. What women are suitable for us?!" (Vayikra Rabbah 20:10). This assertion is only partly based on the biblical narrative (since Nadav and Avihu are mentioned as dying childless [Bamidbar 3:4]) and is expanded by knowing those who have overweening pride, in their eyes there is never any woman good enough for their status and superiority.

As well as the damage to the brothers’ relationship with each other, with their teacher and with the women who wished to marry them, the two are also accused of failing to have a proper relationship between sons and their parents. “Nadav said Avihu: When will these two elders die [=Moses and Aaron] so that you and I will lead the generation?!” (Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 52a) And those who wish for the death of their parents - are punished by death at a young age, instead of their parents, because - as the Talmudic epithet states - “many foals died and their hides were made into saddles on their mothers’ backs” (Vayikra Rabba, ibid). Also here it seems that the Midrash finds a problem which is found repeatedly through the ages, the problem of intergenerational tension and lack of tolerance by young people who wish to prematurely take the place of those who precede them.

In this way, the verse that opens this Torah portion, which seems to be just a description of the time frame when it took place, was transformed into a verse which caught the attention of many sages, who learnt and taught from it the need to take great care in issues between a person and their parents, teachers, friends and spouses. The biblical story, which deals with a certain two priests and a once-off event in the past, became, through the words of the sages, a story with an important message for ever person, in any place or time.

Professor Avigdor Shenan
Hebrew Literature Department

Literature of the Sages - Midrash Vayikra Rabba

At the beginning of the fifth century, in what was probably the Galilee region, lived the anonymous editor of Midrash Vayikra Rabba - a Midrash consisting mainly of a collection of homiletics surrounding the book of Vayikra (Leviticus). In all the Midrashim that preceded Vayikra Rabba (such as the Mechilta on the book of Shemot or Midrash Bereishit Rabba) homiletic writings were collected according to the verses of the biblical book, verse after verse, but this task was impossible with respect to the book of Vayikra, which is filled with laws and statutes, which leads to a dry and pointed involvement with matters of ritual law: forbidden foods, issues of sexual prohibitions, lists of festivals and other related issues. The editor solved this problem - and it seems that this was his own innovation - by deciding to deal only with certain selected verses from the book of Vayikra, which number about 35. However, the editor did not choose according to his own fancy; for this purpose, he aligned himself with the main Torah readers of the area in which he lived, where they customarily completed the Torah readings in a triennial cycle, across more than 150 Sabbaths, and for this purpose tens of Sabbaths were allocated to the book of Vayikra.

The editor wrote down the verses at which it was customary to begin on the various Sabbaths the units of the book of Vayikra and around these verses he built his work, in which he dedicates to each verse a long and comprehensive discussion on a topic that arises from it. Sometimes the topic can be found explicitly in the language of the verse, such as dealing with wine and inebriation as a result of the verse “do not drink wine and intoxicating beverages” (chapter 12), and sometimes the topic is linked indirectly to the verse, such as a discussion of lashon hara (evil gossip, slander), on the verse “this is the law of the leper” (chapter 15) by interpreting the Hebrew word for leper as two Hebrew words meaning “brings out bad [language/speaking]”. In the same vein the editor deals with the question of peace (shalom) and its importance when discussing the verse “this will be the law of the shlamim [offering]” (chapter 9).

In this way the editor was able to deal with the book of Vayikra without going into all its details. The biblical verses serve only as starting points for various religious, social and moral discussions (the reasons for the commandments, reward and punishment [while dealing with the portion “Acharei Mot”], oaths and vows, charity and more) and provide him with a platform to express his opinions on these issues, while including many parables and stories, some of which are amusing.

Paradoxically it can therefore be said that Midrash Vayikra Rabba is one of the most interesting and surprising of the Midrashim of the Sages, specifically because of the difficulties that the biblical book presented to the editor. The connotations that the name “The Book of Vayikra” arouses in those who know it are shattered by reading this age old Midrash which was based upon it.

[Midrash Vayikra Rabba was published in a scientific version by Mordechai Margaliot in Jerusalem in 5716 and a highly recommendable version was put out by M.A. Mirkin (Yavneh Publishers, Tel Aviv, 5721).]

Archaeology - The Fire-pan

The fire-pan (or coal-pan) was one of the vessels used in the Tabernacle (and later in the Temple). It was used both for the service on the burnt offering altar (“And [Betzalel] made all the vessels of the altar, the pots, and the shovels, and the basins, the flesh-hooks, and the fire-pans; all its vessels he made out of brass” [Shemot 38:3]) and for servicing the Menorah (“And he made its lamps, seven, and its tongs and its fire-pans, of pure gold.” [Shemot 37:23]). Thus the fire-pan is mentioned as a vessel upon which incense was placed for the incense offering, as is told of Nadav and Avihu in this Torah portion.

The fire-pan was, it seems, a flat square or rectangular vessel with a long handle whose main purpose was - as is suggested by the Hebrew verb “to rake [coals]” upon which it is based - to rake the fire, coals or burnt wicks and also to move them from place to place and this can also be seen in the biblical language in: “to take fire” (Isaiah 30:14), “because burning coals you collect up” (Proverbs 25:22), which also contains the same root verb.

In a number of archaeological digs, fire-pans were found: in the Judean Dessert - bronze fire-pans, at Zippori - pottery fire-pans. Also, the fire-pan can be seen in mosaics found various synagogues dating back to the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. There it symbolizes - together with other holy vessels such as the menorah (seven branched candelabra), shofar (rams horn) or ethrog (citron) - both memories of a glorious past and the hope to return the temple service in its rightful place.

Bible - Fire from the Heavens

In many ancient human cultures, fire represented divinity and the dual nature of fire - improving yet also destroying, purifying yet also burning, lighting yet also blinding - is what provided the basis for this worldview. The appearances of fire in the bible are also built upon this same dual nature and there are a number of stories of fire raining down from the heavens (or coming out of a holy place) and this serves a number of purposes: on one hand severe punishment of man and on the other hand a sign testifying to the presence of divine loving-kindness.

Punishing fire which rains down from heaven is mentioned, for example, in the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (“And God rained down on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire” [Bereishit 19:24]) and twice in the story of the meeting between Elijah and the messengers of the king Achaziyahu, who do not show respect towards him and are punished by fire from the heavens (Kings II 10-12). Therefore we need to connect to this what is written in our Torah portion about fire which comes forth “from before God” and consumes Nadav and Avihu (Vayikra 10:2) and other stories (e.g. Bamidbar 16:35 in connection with Korach and his followers).

Divine revelation through fire is mentioned in the bible many times (The Covenant between the Pieces, the Burning Bush, the Revelation at Sinai, the Pillar of Fire and others), sometimes in connection with the sanctification of a new place for ritual service. We find this twice in the book of Chronicles. When David purchases the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite and builds there an altar, “[God] answered him with fire from the heavens” (Chronicles I 21:26), a sign of the sanctification of the place where the Temple would later be built. The fire that dedicates the altar in Solomon’s temple also descends from the heavens: “When Solomon had finished praying, the fire came down from the heavens and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices” (Chronicles II 7:1). We are also told of such a fire in this Torah portion, at the conclusion of the dedication ceremony for the tabernacle: “And fire came forth from before God and consumed on the altar the burnt-offering and the fats” (Vayikra 9:24).

It is interesting to see that in this Torah portion of “Acharei Mot”, the fire that dedicates a place of ritual worship and the fire that punishes are mentioned in two consecutive stories and even using similar language (“And fire came forth from before God and consumed on the altar … And fire came forth from before God and consumed them and they died”). The juxtaposition of these two incidents teaches us the biblical approach of the multiple faces of God and his revelation to reward or punish. “For behold God will come in fire” (Isaiah 66:15); he can bring salvation through fire or through fire reveal his wrath.