Parshat Shmini answers

Shmini 5731
Alef.

1. The problem for all three commentators is the antecedent of Moshe’s statement, “this is what HaShem has Said”. Where in fact did HaShem State such a thing that He will Be Sanctified via those who are closest to Him?

2.  RaShI: This was implied in Shemot 29:43 when HaShem States that He will Make Himself known over the course of the dedication of the Mishkan.

     Ibn Ezra: Since HaShem Inspires Fear of Heaven by Carrying out punishments of wrongdoers, it should not be surprising that when someone does something wrong, as did Nadav and Avihu by bringing a strange fire before HaShem, He would Punish them in public to elicit Fear of Heaven.

      RaMBaN: This is an intention that becomes evident as a result of HaShem’s Actions. Anything that happens as the result of God’s Will is by definition something that God has Decided.  “Asher Diber HaShem” = that HaShem Thought/Decided.

3.  

בראשית פרק לב פסוק יג

ואתה אמרת היטב איטיב עמך ושמתי את זרעך כחול הים אשר לא יספר מרב:

רש"י בראשית פרק לב פסוק יג

ושמתי את זרעך כחול הים - והיכן אמר לו כן, והלא לא אמר לו אלא (שם כח יד) והיה זרעך כעפר הארץ. אלא שאמר לו (כח טו) כי לא אעזבך עד אשר אם עשיתי את אשר דברתי לך, ולאברהם אמר (כב יז) הרבה ארבה את זרעך ככוכבי השמים וכחול אשר על שפת הים:

In this case, it would appear that RaShI assumes that what is attributed was actually said at a previous time. Yaakov’s prayer is referencing something that was said to Avraham.

שמות פרק יד פסוק יב

הלא זה הדבר אשר דברנו אליך במצרים לאמר חדל ממנו ונעבדה את מצרים כי טוב לנו עבד את מצרים ממתנו במדבר:

רש"י שמות פרק יד פסוק יב

(יב) אשר דברנו אליך במצרים - והיכן דברו, (שמות ה כא) ירא ה' עליכם וישפוט:
The people prior to the splitting of the sea are repeating what was said to Moshe after his first attempt to request from Pharoah to let the Jews leave, resulted in the workload being increased for the Jews, i.e., HaShem should Judge whether you have done us a disservice or not (the irony of course is that HaShem was the one who insisted that the reluctant Moshe undertake this mission in the first place.)

שמות פרק לב פסוק כז

ויאמר להם כה אמר יקוק אלקי ישראל שימו איש חרבו על ירכו עברו ושובו משער לשער במחנה והרגו איש את אחיו ואיש את רעהו ואיש את קרבו:

רש"י שמות פרק לב פסוק כז

(כז) כה אמר וגו' - והיכן אמר, (שמות כב יט) זובח לאלהים יחרם, כך שנויה במכילתא:

It would have been inappropriate to execute people without prior warning that they are engaging in a capital offense. Consequently a prohibition against idolatry with the punishment of destruction is pointed out as already having been established In Parashat Mishpatim.

דברים פרק ה פסוק יא

שמור את יום השבת לקדשו כאשר צוך יקוק אלקיך:

רש"י דברים פרק ה פסוק יא

כאשר צוך - קודם מתן תורה במרה:

Shabbat is considered one of the three or four Mitzvot that were given to the Jewish people at Mara, prior to Sinai in order to help them adapt to the idea of structuring their lives in accordance with Halacha. See Shemot 15:25.

דברים פרק יב פסוק כא

כי ירחק ממך המקום אשר יבחר יקוק אלקיך לשום שמו שם וזבחת מבקרך ומצאנך אשר נתן יקוק לך כאשר צויתך ואכלת בשעריך בכל אות נפשך:

רש"י דברים פרק יב פסוק כא

וזבחת וגו' כאשר צויתך - למדנו שיש צווי בזביחה היאך ישחוט, והן הלכות שחיטה שנאמרו למשה בסיני:

While in this case RaShI assumes that the rules of Shechita were part of the Tora SheB’Al Peh given to Moshe at Sinai, in contrast to the four previous cases, this time there is no earlier reference in Tora SheB’Ktav to this information. Consequently it is relegated to being part of the Oral Tradition, that was first written down when R. Yehuda HaNasi began to compile the Mishna.

3.  From Amos 3:2, Ibn Ezra demonstrates that due to God’s Intimate Relationship with the Jewish people, it is to be expected that He will Punish them for transgressions, in order for them to develop Fear of Heaven, and this is why Nadav and Avihu received the punishments that they did.

4. 

שמות פרק יד פסוק יב

הלא זה הדבר אשר דברנו אליך במצרים לאמר חדל ממנו ונעבדה את מצרים כי טוב לנו עבד את מצרים ממתנו במדבר:

Ibn Ezra assumes that when the Tora states (Shemot 6:9) that the people did not listen to Moshe when he came to them a second time, after causing them so much grief during his first visit, that they said something to this effect, even though it is not explicitly stated. In this way he is consistent with the passage in VaYikra 10:3 in the sense that something to this effect is written generally somewhere and therefore lends itself to such an interpretation somewhere else.

שמות פרק טז

(כג) ויאמר אלהם הוא אשר דבר יקוק שבתון שבת קדש ליקוק מחר את אשר תאפו אפו ואת אשר תבשלו בשלו ואת כל העדף הניחו לכם למשמרת עד הבקר:

HaShem Informs Moshe in Shemot 16:5 that there would be a double portion on Friday so that on Shabbat they would not have to go out and gather the Manna; the fact that he now says to them that this is what HaShem has Said indicates that he had omitted that detail in his previous discussions with them on this matter. Consequently, once again there is a text to rely on when Ibn Ezra mentions his understanding of this particular verse.

6. 

בראשית פרק כד פסוק נא

הנה רבקה לפניך קח ולך ותהי אשה לבן אדניך כאשר דבר יקוק:

אבן עזרא

(נא) דבר ד' גזר, וכן בדבר ד' שמים נעשו (תה' לג, ו). או הוכיח בחלום:

Once again there is an instance where the verse lends itself to an interpretation that something was Said by God, without there being a clear referent for that Statement.

In this instance, since there is no verse which even remotely suggests such a thing, Ibn Ezra resorts to either a reinterpretation of the word (HaShem didn’t Articulate this, He Simply must have Decreed it if it took place—similar to RaMBaN’s own interpretation of VaYikra 10:3) or the assumption that there was a prophetic communication via a dream with Eliezer that is simply unstated in the text.

7.  Kur HaBarzel’s change in the words of RaMBaN by omitting the “Vav” that preceeds “במכובדי” suggests that the word is not referring to the people who are witnessing this event, but rather to Nadav and Avihu who were the victims of the Divine Punishment—they were individuals whom I Honored, in the sense perhaps of holding Tzaddikim accountable to a higher standard than others—כחוט השערה.

8.  While a distinction could be made with respect to human will vs. carrying that will out, with respect to God, His Will is synonymous with His Decree. Consequently, whether God Wills something or Decrees something is the same thing and therefore RaMBaN is consistent in his interpretation.

9.  I Melachim 16:34

     “In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho; with Abiram his first-born he laid the foundation thereof, and with his youngest son Segub he set up the gates thereof; according to the word of the LORD, which He spoke by the hand of Joshua the son of Nun.”

     Yehoshua 6:26

      “And Joshua charged the people with an oath at that time, saying: 'Cursed be the man before the LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this city, even Jericho; with the loss of his first-born shall he lay the foundation thereof, and with the loss of his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.' “

     Although there is no record of this being said to Yehoshua by God, apparently God was behind the Decree in light of its being carried out when someone deigned to defy it during the period described in I Melachim.

10. BaMidbar 16:5

      “ And he spoke unto Korah and unto all his company, saying: 'In the morning the LORD will show who are His, and who is holy, and will cause him to come near unto Him; even him whom He may choose will He cause to come near unto Him.”

     Although, at least according to ChaZaL, there are instances where Moshe decides something and HaShem Approves and Allows the thing to happen, e.g., Shabbat 87a re the breaking of the Tablets containing the Ten Commandments, separating from Tziporra, adding a day to the days of separation prior to the Tora being Given on Sinai, the instance of making an arrangement with Reuven, Gad and half of Menashe so that they could reside on the far side of the Jordan could only have been done with God’s explicit prior Approval, although the Tora does not record this. Consequently, RaMBaN invokes the principle that the Tora does not always spell out God’s Instructions to Moshe or Moshe’s instructions to the people, and it is for us to assume that the interchange has taken place. (The matter of the Egyptian plagues is a case in point with respect to HaShem’s Prediction on the one hand, and Moshe’s conveying the warning to Pharoah on the other.)   Therefore in VaYikra 10:3, Moshe could be saying something that was explicitly Told to him previously by HaShem, but of which we first hear in this verse.  

     BaMidbar 32:31

     And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying: 'As the LORD hath said unto thy servants, so will we do.

      RaMBaN on VaYikra 10:3 redefines “Spoke” as “Decreed” suggesting that no previous communication had taken place on this subject between God and Moshe. However in the case of the land distribution RaMBaN posits that it must be assumed that Moshe received explicit authorization from HaShem before he proposed the deal to the 2 ½ tribes.  In the former case, it is a formulation of something after the fact, whereas in the latter situation, in order for there to be a proposal that is seriously considered, Moshe had no authority to make such an offer on his own.

Beit.

1. Abrabanel—Aharon was devoid of all emotion.

    Shem Olam—Aharon had emotion, that of being at peace and accepting what had happened as the Will of God.

    The text suggests that Aharon’s response (or lack thereof) comes about as the result of Moshe’s words to him. Therefore it would make more sense that Aharon accepted Moshe’s words and therefore was at peace, as opposed to assuming that Aharon was cold and unfeeling with Moshe’s words having no effect.

2.  Tehillim 37:7

      “Resign thyself unto the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.”

      This would seem to be an argument for engaging in Tzidduk HaDin, which according to Shem Olam, Aharon did at this point.