Parshat Shemini
26 Nisan 5764 - April 16, 2004

The “eighth day” (Shemini) which gives this portion its name marks a great moment in the history of the world. After the seven days of initiation, the eighth day is the beginning of the full functioning of the Mishkan. From this day forward the Kohanim, Aharon and his sons and their descendants, will minister before Hashem. They will offer the sacrifices that bind man to Hashem, that join heaven and earth and thereby fulfill Hashem’s purpose in creating the universe.

But, as is well-known, the eighth day is also a day of tragedy. Aharon’s two oldest sons, Nadav and Avihu, will meet their death for bringing a “strange fire” on the Altar. The day of glory will turn into one of grief.

Let us therefore examine the zenith of those last moments of glory, shortly before the catastrophic death of Nadav and Avihu. Aharon and his sons have concluded the first three offerings for this special day, and everyone awaits the emergence of the divine fire that will consume the sacrifices.

And Aharon raised his hands (YADAV) to the people, and he blessed them, and he descended (VAYEIRED) from performing the sin-offering, and the burnt-offering, and the peace-offering. And Moshe and Aharon came to the Tent of Meeting, and they left, and they blessed the people, and the glory of Hashem appeared to the entire people (Vayikra 9:22-23).

The first problem raised by the commentaries is the sequence of events. A straight reading suggests that first Aharon blessed the people, and then he descended; this, in fact, is the interpretation of Malbim (R. Meir Leib ben Yechiel Michael, 1809-1877). However, the Sages (see Torat Kohanim, Megillah 18a, Sotah 38b) assert that Aharon first descended from his service, and then blessed the people.

In fact, this is the basis for the order of blessings in our Shemoneh Esrei: first we complete our service — namely, the prayer — and then we invoke the blessing of the Kohanim. Furthermore, as Rashi says, Aharon’s blessing here is the very blessing that the Kohanim would be commanded to utter for all time:
May Hashem bless you and protect you.
May Hashem cause His countenance to shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
May Hashem lift His face towards you, and grant you peace (Bamidbar 6:24-26).

Consequently, the Sages’ reading of the verse would be:
And Aharon raised his hands to the people, and he blessed them, after having descended (VAYEIRED) from performing the sin-offering, and the burnt-offering, and the peace-offering.
Even the great grammarian Ibn Ezra supports this reading.

Still, insists Haamek Davar (R. Naftali Tzvi Yehudah Berlin, 1817-1893), we cannot ignore the simple meaning of the text. He says that all of Aharon’s actions up to this point culminate in the sacrifices being placed on the Altar before the divine fire came. In this he defends Rashbam, who translates the frequently used word VAYAKTEIR (verse 13, etc.), not in its usual sense of “and he made [the offering] smolder,” but “and he placed [the offering on the Altar] in position for later smoldering.”

When he descends at this point in the preparations, it is Aharon’s own idea to ascend the Altar again to bless the people. However, since the Altar is not a simple platform (duchan), it would be inappropriate to mount it for no inherent purpose. Thus, Aharon rearranges the pieces of the sacrifices on the Altar, placing the sin-offering on the bottom, the burnt-offering above, and the peace-offering on the top. In accordance with Yoma 12a and Shavuot 17b, this too is a Temple service. In this way Haamek Davar succeeds in harmonizing the Sages’ reading — which becomes the standard for the future — with the simple reading of the verse.

Next is the matter of Aharon’s blessing:
And Aharon raised his hands (YADAV) to the people, and he blessed them…
The word YADAV is an example of “keri u’chtiv,” where the Oral Torah (Mesorah) instructs us to pronounce the text differently from the way it is spelled; in such cases, the pronounced version is the primary meaning (peshat), but the written version can be the basis for exegesis (derash). YADAV is spelled Y-D-O, which would mean “his hand,” although it is pronounced in a way to be understood as his hands. In addition, we would have expected Aharon to raise his hands over the people (after all, he was standing over them, atop the Altar, 9 cubits from the ground). Why does he raise his hands “to the people”?

Haamek Davar (in the newer, corrected edition) answers that Aharon first raised one hand towards the people as a signal for them to concentrate on the blessing to come. This is in accord with the halacha (Orach Chayim 128:23):
The people should concentrate on the blessing, and their faces should be towards the faces of the kohanim.
Afterwards, he raised both hands in order to pronounce his blessing.

And Moshe and Aharon came to the Tent of Meeting…
Rashi, based on Torat Kohanim, says now Moshe teaches Aharon the procedure for offering the incense, which Aharon did not see during the seven days of initiation.

and they left, and they blessed the people…
This second blessing is the basis, say Tosafot (Berachot 11b) for the practice in the Temple that the Kohanim say their blessings twice, once before the sacrifices and once after. On this occasion, however, explains Haamek Davar, the second blessing was pronounced by Moshe and Aharon earlier, in order to prepare for the manifestation of the Divine, as the verse concludes:
and the glory of Hashem appeared to the entire people

Thanks to Haamek Davar, we can see that this moment is simultaneously a unique event and a standard for future service to Hashem. We preserve the moment that stands both within its time and exists for all times.

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