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<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>From: Richard Wolberg <A
href="mailto:cantorwolberg@cox.net">cantorwolberg@cox.net</A><BR><BR>>>This
is not at all uncommon throughout the Torah. When Yitzchok is
<BR>about to be sacrificed, the Torah doesn't say a peep about how he
<BR>reacted; when Aaron loses Nadav and Avihu, he too, is
silent.<<<BR></FONT></DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"
face=Arial color=#000000 size=2></FONT></DIV><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>>>>>></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>In both those cases the Torah does say a peep, but -- you have to
pay attention to catch it. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>In the case of the akeidah, here is the relevant passage (using the
A/S translation): "And Avraham took the wood for the offering, and placed
it on Yitzchak his son. He took in his hand the fire and the knife, AND THE TWO
OF THEM WENT TOGETHER. Then Yitzchak spoke to Avraham his father and said,
'Father--' And he said, 'Here I am, my son.' And he said, 'Here are the
fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the offering?' And Avraham
said, 'G-d will see the lamb for Himself for the offering, my son.'
AND THE TWO OF THEM WENT TOGETHER."</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>Rashi picks up on the significant repetition of that sentence, "Vayelchu
sheneihem yachdav." After Yitzchak asked his father "Where is the lamb?"
and heard his father's answer, he understood that he himself was the lamb who
was about to be slaughtered, and nevertheless he kept going without hesitation,
"together" -- as Rashi says, "belev shaveh." The A/S translates "belev
shaveh" as "with an equal heart -- i.e., with the same enthusiasm" but that
doesn't quite capture the poignance of Rashi's actual words "belev
shaveh." The pasuk says it delicately but does say it: Yitzchak knew
where he was going and went with the same heart as did his father Avraham -- a
heart willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for Hashem. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>In the case of Nadav and Avihu, the pasuk /does/ say what Aharon's
reaction was. It actually says, "Vayidom Aharon." </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2> "Vayidom" is a verb, it means doing something. It doesn't
mean, "there was no reaction." It means Aharon did something -- he silenced
himself and stopped himself from showing any outward reaction, consciously
choosing to accept Hashem's will without complaint.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>There are not one, but two, references to Aharon's grief in the pasukim
following. See Vayikra (P' Shmini) the whole of Perek 10. One reference is
when Moshe tells Aharon and his sons to carry on with the avodah and not to show
any outward signs of mourning, and he also says, ""Veacheichem kol bais Yisrael
yivku es hesereifah asher saraf Hashem" -- obviously meant as comfort --
i.e., don't think your sons will not be mourned, just because you as the kohanim
are forbidden to mourn right now. All of Klal Yisrael will mourn for
them."</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>The other reference is in the same perek (10:16-20), when Moshe shouts at
Aharon's remaining two sons, Elazar and Isamar (clearly angry at Aharon too but
doesn't address him directly), angry that the goat from the chatas was burnt and
not eaten. He is angry because he is fearful that they too may die -- you
can tell from the flow of the pesukim that his emotion is similar to the
emotion a parent might feel after losing a child c'v when another child does
something even slightly dangerous -- the over-reaction, the anger that expresses
fear of loss. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial
color=#000000 size=2>Anyway, although Moshe yelled at the sons, it is Aharon who
answers, and he says, "Hen hayom....VATIKRENA OSI KA'EILAH, veachalti chatas
hayom, hayitav be'einei Hashem?" </FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial
color=#000000 size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial
color=#000000 size=2>"When such things happened to me today, if I ate the
chatas, would that be good in Hashem's eyes?" IOW he is supposed to carry
on with the avodah despite the deaths of his sons, but he is not actually
supposed to eat the meat--that already gets to his private mourning rather than
the public avodah. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial
color=#000000 size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial
color=#000000 size=2>"Vayishma Moshe vayitav be'einav." -- Moshe heard and
realized that Aharon was right.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial
color=#000000 size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial
color=#000000 size=2>The words "Vatikrena osi ke'eilah" definitely evoke an
awareness of Aharon's grief despite his conscious decision to say nothing.</DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff></FONT></FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"><BR><B>--Toby
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