After the tragic deaths of Aaron's sons Nadav and Avihu, Moses instructed Aaron and his remaining sons not to display public signs of mourning:

"Do not let your hair grow untended, and do not rend your garments.... And as far as your brothers are concerned, the entire house of Israel will mourn the ones whom God has burned." (Lev. 10:6)

Why wasn't Aaron allowed to publicly mourn the death of his sons?

The Death of Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi

To better understand Moses' unusual instructions, we should examine the Talmudic account of the passing of another prominent individual: Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi ('the Prince'). Rabbi Yehudah was the redactor of the Mishnah, and a pivotal religious and political figure. His influence was so widespread that he was universally referred to as 'Rebbi' — 'my teacher' — and his death was a traumatic event for the entire nation. The Talmud in Ketubot 104a relates the story of his final hours:

When Rebbi became deathly ill, the scholars declared a public fast and prayed for him.

Rebbi's maidservant went up to the roof and prayed, 'On high they want Rebbi [to join them], and below they want Rebbi [to stay]. May it be Your will that those below should prevail.' But when she saw that Rebbi was suffering, she prayed, 'May it be Your will that those above will prevail.'

The scholars, however, continued their constant prayers for his recovery; so the maidservant took a jar and threw it down from the roof. The sudden crash momentarily disrupted their prayers — and Rebbi's soul departed.

The sages asked Bar Kappara to investigate. He went and found Rebbi dead. Bar Kappara tore his garment, and reported back:

"The angels and the mortals both held on to the Holy Ark. But the angels vanquished the mortals, and the Holy Ark has been captured."

Why did the scholars and the maidservant disagree about whether to pray for Rebbi to live? Who was right? And why did Bar Kappara refer to his illustrious teacher as 'the Holy Ark'?

Two Benefits of Tzaddikim

The key to understanding this story is to recognize that Torah scholars benefit the world in two ways. The first benefit is obvious to all: the spread of Torah and instructing the people in the proper path.

In addition to their revealed activities, however. there is an intrinsic quality, a segulah value that is based on the inner holiness of the Torah itself. Tzaddikim provide a hidden benefit to society even without any external activity, refining and uplifting society with their very presence.

Thus the Talmud in Sanhedrin 99b teaches that one who complains, 'What do Torah scholars contribute? They only study for themselves' should be considered a heretic. Even if we are not aware of the contribution of scholars to society, the intrinsic holiness of their Torah brings blessing and merit to all. Even Sodom would have been saved had ten righteous people lived there, as God told Abraham, "I will spare the entire area for their sake" (Gen. 18:26).

Bar Kappara's Message

Now we may understand the story of Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi's death, and the disagreement between his disciples and the maidservant.

There are instances when it is proper to pray for the release of those gravely ill — when they are suffering greatly and there is no hope for recovery (see Nedarim 40a). This, however, does not hold true for a tzaddik. With regard to Torah scholars, the very existence of their Torah in the world is a hidden asset that outweighs considerations of their physical pain and suffering. For these special individuals, it is proper to pray even for chayei sha'ah, even for a limited extension of life. This is why the scholars continued praying for Rebbi, even though his illness was terminal.

At first, Rebbi's maidservant also prayed for her master, but her motivation was that Rebbi should be able to continue his dissemination of Torah. When she realized that his illness was so grave that he would no longer have an active impact on the world, and that the only possible gain of prayer was a brief reprieve from death, she decided — mistakenly — that Rebbi no longer served a purpose in this world. Since he could no longer benefit this world, and was wanted in the next, she prayed that the angels and the righteous souls in Gan Eden would prevail.

Bar Kappara, however, recognized Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi's lofty inner quality and his hidden benefit to the world. Why did he refer to his teacher as 'the Holy Ark'? Bar Kappara wanted the people to recognize that this inner segulah was in fact his teacher's primary benefit to the world. In this aspect, a tzaddik is like the Holy Ark. The Ark contained the original luchot (tablets) from Mount Sinai, and was a symbol for the Torah. Yet the Ark was covered with a heavy plate of gold, so that it was impossible to actually study from the luchot within. Thus the Holy Ark represents, not the Torah's practical benefit to the world, but its intrinsic holiness. It was located in the Temple's inner sanctum, emanating holiness to the nation and the entire world.

We must appreciate Rebbi, Bar Kappara was saying, not just as the redactor of the Mishnah and for spreading the study of Torah, but primarily as a Holy Ark, as a receptacle of Torah and holiness.

Mourning for Nadav and Avihu

Now we can understand why Aaron and his family were not permitted to publicly mourn for Nadav and Avihu. The benefit of the inner segulah of tzaddikim is so great that it cannot be expressed in words. External displays of mourning cannot do justice to the magnitude of this loss. Outer signs of mourning only come to express our sadness at the cessation of their public activities.

Since the people could not truly value the hidden qualities of Nadav and Avihu, it was appropriate for the nation to publicly mourn the loss of their outward contributions to society. But Aaron, who recognized the lofty nature of his sons, realized that this terrible loss could never be conveyed in words. Thus, "Aaron was silent" (Lev. 10:3).

Moses instructed Aaron not to eulogize his sons even for their public activities, since this benefit is minor compared to the value of their inner segulah. And because this hidden quality cannot be expressed in words, it was preferable for Aaron to remain silent.

Often we eulogize a great individual so that people will become aware of the magnitude of the loss to society. In this particular case, however, Moses explained that such public mourning was unnecessary. Even without public eulogies, "The entire house of Israel will mourn the ones whom God has burned." The entire nation was aware of Nadav and Avihu's greatness, and would surely lament their absence.

(adapted from Midbar Shur, pp. 332-336, 341-342)

Copyright © 2006 by Chanan Morrison