Matos: 5786 - "Speak to Aharon your brother, that he come not at all times into the Holy [place]." The Midrash cites: "And he shall see you, and his heart shall rejoice." What is the connection between these two things? Rabbi…

00:00 Speaker 1 Please.

00:02 Speaker 2 In the weekly parsha, the opening verses say, “Hashem said to Moshe: Speak to Aharon your brother.” There is a Midrash here in which Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah says something that, at first glance, is hard to understand. On “Speak to Aharon your brother,” he says: Hakadosh Boruch Hu says to Moshe Rabbeinu, “But I already told you that Aharon is your brother, and ‘he will see you and rejoice in his heart.’” What is the connection between the two? Hashem told Moshe, “He will see you and rejoice in his heart,” when He spoke to him about the Exodus from Egypt. What is the connection here? So they give a very beautiful explanation. Hakadosh Boruch Hu tells Moshe Rabbeinu: Tell Aharon, “He must not enter the Holy at any time.” The Gemara says, in a teaching in Toras Kohanim that also appears in the Midrash, that Aharon is included in “he must not enter,” but Moshe is not included. In other words, Moshe Rabbeinu could enter whenever he wanted, not only on Yom Kippur. Moshe Rabbeinu was concerned that if he came and told Aharon, “He must not enter the Holy at any time,” it would stir up jealousy in Aharon: Moshe could enter whenever he wanted, while Aharon could enter the Holy only on Yom Kippur. So he was concerned. How could he tell Aharon such a thing? Aharon would feel embarrassed; he would be jealous of him. Hakadosh Boruch Hu tells Moshe Rabbeinu: When He sent Moshe Rabbeinu from Midian to take the Jewish people out of Egypt, it was the same story. Moshe did not want to go. Perhaps Aharon was greater than he was. Hakadosh Boruch Hu told Moshe, “Aharon your brother—he will see you and rejoice in his heart.” He will not be jealous. Aharon Hakohen was on such a level that he would not be hurt or jealous of you, or anything like that. So here, too, Hakadosh Boruch Hu says: I already told you, “He will see you and rejoice in his heart.” You have no reason to worry that he will be jealous of you. So speak to

02:12 Speaker 2 Aharon. You have no reason to worry. That is the meaning and the connection in this Midrash. “Hashem spoke to Moshe after the death of Aharon’s two sons.” Why did they die? There are many explanations. Why did they die? There is a question people ask: The Gemara says that the Heavenly Court does not punish anyone under the age of twenty, and the Zohar says that they were under twenty. Nadav and Avihu were not yet twenty years old. So the question is: Why did Hashem punish them from Heaven? They were not of an age to be held liable for punishment; they were under twenty. So why were they punished? The explanation is that the Gemara in tractate Berachos implies that although the Heavenly Court does not punish someone under twenty, if a person under twenty is more developed and wiser than usual, he can be punished even under twenty, if he is so great and wise. They bring a proof from Shmuel Hanavi. His mother brought him to the Mishkan when he was two years old. Then, when he stated a halachic ruling in the presence of Eli Hakohen, Eli Hakohen judged him liable for death. At first glance, how could that be? Why did he judge him liable for death? He was only two years old! But since Shmuel Hanavi was already so advanced at the age of two, he was liable for punishment as well. The same was true of Nadav and Avihu. Although they were under twenty, they were on such a high level of holiness that they were punished even under twenty. That is what the verse says: “After the death of Aharon’s two sons.” Why did they die, when they were under twenty? “When they drew near before Hashem”—because they were so close and on such an exalted level of holiness, they were punished even under

04:24 Speaker 2 the age of twenty. Chassidus explains that the sin of Aharon’s sons was that they had ratzo without shov, a yearning to draw near without a return to this world. “When they drew near before Hashem, they died.” But the ultimate purpose is, “He did not create it for chaos; He formed it to be inhabited.” There must be both ratzo and shov. They had only ratzo—“When they drew near before Hashem, they died”—without shov. This is also what it says: Four entered the Pardes. Among them were Rabbi Akiva, Ben Azzai, and Ben Zoma. It says that one of them was harmed—he gazed and was harmed. Another “cut down the plantings.” Rabbi Akiva entered in peace and left in peace. The Rebbe asks a question: Didn’t they all enter in peace? The remarkable thing about Rabbi Akiva is that he also left in peace. Why emphasize that he entered in peace as well? The answer is that when he entered, he had in mind that he must also leave in peace. That is why he both entered and left in peace: the ultimate purpose is to make a dwelling for Hashem in the lower realms, here below. So there must be both ratzo and shov. Have a good Shabbos, and may we hear good news.

05:40 Speaker 3 Amen.