The long-awaited day has arrived. For weeks now, we’ve all been preparing for the great concert. Everything is ready. The musicians have been rehearsing for the past seven days. The stage, the lights, the special effects—all are in place. The sound and lighting technicians await the signal to begin. The lead performer steps onto the stage, and the audience erupts in cheers and applause. Suddenly, two of the lead musicians begin playing an unfamiliar rhythm—out of sync with the rest. Shockingly, the two collapse from cardiac arrest. What was meant to be a moment of joy and celebration turns into a scene of sorrow.
This story helps us understand what happened on the eighth day, following the days of preparation for the priests to serve in the Mishkan (Tabernacle). Aharon’s two sons, Nadab and Abihu, died after bringing “strange fire” to the altar of incense. They were guilty of committing one of the gravest violations—‘Abodah zarah (foreign worship = idolatry). The Eternal—blessed be His Name—told Moshe that this was what He meant when He said He would be sanctified among His people.
After the sin of the golden calf, many deserved to die. Yet Moshe interceded so that no more lives would be taken. Apparently, the Blessed God was waiting patiently for the proper moment to glorify His Name. From the juxtaposition with the prohibition for priests to consume alcohol before officiating, we can infer that Nadab and Abihu had likely drunk wine prior to entering into service. But how could two members of the priestly family—chosen by the Eternal, praised be He—have taken such a holy moment so lightly?
HaGeburah—the Mighty One, blessed is He—wanted to demonstrate to the people of Yisrael that He is to be honored and feared. The Torah contains 365 negative commandments (“you shall not…”). To uphold these, one must have yir’ath shamayim—fear of Heaven. Without awe, there can be no reverence. As it says in Mishlé: “The fear of Aḏonay is the beginning of wisdom.” From a comparison of verses, we may deduce that Nadab and Abihu did not conduct themselves with reverence before Heaven.
Heaven’s desire is for us to learn to distinguish between the profane and the sacred, between the pure and the impure. This is why the Creator prescribes a diet for the children of Yisrael. Moreover, touching the carcass of a forbidden animal, bird, fish, reptile, or insect renders a person ritually impure. The purpose of these laws is to maintain a state of ceremonial purity necessary to approach the realm of the Creator—the Temple.
In truth, maintaining such a level of purity is extremely difficult, which implies that frequent visits to the Temple were not feasible. The Sage Maimonides explains in Moreh Nevukhim that someone who visits his friend’s house too often will be resented. From the visitor’s side, one might say he begins to take his friend’s home for granted. This is precisely what Aḏonay, the Blessed One, wishes to emphasize to His beloved people.
“For I am Aḏonay your God. Sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy—for I am holy… and I brought you out of Miṣrayim to be your God. Be holy, for I am holy.”