Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto’s talks are known throughout the Jewish world. They combine chassidic teachings and philosophy, along with tips for a better life. We have collected pearls from his teachings that are relevant to our daily lives. This week he comments on the Torah section of Acharei Mot.
"And the Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron when they drew near before the Lord, and they died."
In this week's Torah section we find the description of the death of Aaron’s two sons, Nadav and Avihu. Besides the reason given in the verse, our holy sages expounded on various reasons why Aaron’s sons deserved death. Some say it was because they did not take wives, some say because they performed their service while intoxicated, and some say that they said, “When will Moses and Aaron die so we can take their place?” There are many interpretations as to what they did wrong and why they died on the day when the Tabernacle was finally erected. This was a great day for both the heavens and earth, a day when God brought His Divine Presence from the Upper Worlds to dwell in the Lower World.
Our Sages tell us, "Who is wise? One who perceives the ramifications." (Tamid 32a). When a person sees what is happening now and understands what its ramifications will be, his whole life is different. He learns from the Sages of similar events and what were their ramifications were. He understands what is then likely to occur and is careful that it shouldn’t happen to him.
It is stated (Job 19:20) "I will behold God from my flesh." Every event that happens to a person can teach him something relevant to how he can serve God. He can learn it not only for himself, but also to teach others, to alert people how to conduct themselves no matter what happens to them.
When learning of the death of Aaron's sons, we have to learn a lesson for ourselves. Our holy Torah is not a collection of stories to entertain us, but it provides us knowledge to guide us in all generations. Everything that happened to our ancestors and our sages is an example to us of how to conduct ourselves and our lives, following the axiom, "Who is wise? One who perceives the ramifications."
The Gemara (Ketubot 67b) relates that a poor man came before the amora Rava who asked him “What are you eating today?” The poor man said to him, "Fatted fowl and aged wine." Rava asked him in surprise, “Aren’t you worried what the public will think about you eating such expensive things?” The poor man said to him, "I do not eat from people's money; I eat from God's money, as the verse states, ‘Everyone’s eyes are turned to You, and You give them their food in his season’ (Psalms 145:15). The verse doesn’t say ‘in their season’ but ‘in his season’, meaning that God gives to each one according to his needs.” While they were talking, Rava's sister, who had not seen him for thirteen years, came and brought him a fatted fowl and aged wine. Rava told the poor man, “Arise and eat, because God provided for you just as you said.”
We learn from here that everything a person says with his mouth, whether good or bad, in the end comes true and materializes. So whatever happens to a person should be viewed in the light of "Who is wise? One who perceives the ramifications." Every small shift that happens in a person's life, gives him a clue. Every thing that a person utters is a hint of events and things that are going to happen.
We find this with King David. The children of Israel were fighting the Philistines, led by Goliath who arrogantly blasphemed God. David came to King Saul and told him, "Let no man's heart fail because of him! Your servant will go and battle with the Philistine." (Samuel 17:32). David explained to King Saul, "Your servant was shepherding his father’s flock, and a lion and a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock. I went out after it and smote it and saved [the lamb] from its mouth. It got up on top of me and I grasped its mane and smote it and killed it. Your servant smote both a lion and a bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has blasphemed the soldiers of the living God.” David added, "The Lord who saved me from the lion and from the bear will save me from the hand of this Philistine." (ibid. 34-37)
That is what happened. David went out to fight Goliath without a sword and a spear. Only equipped with a stone, "he smote the Philistine on his forehead, and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell upon his face on the earth." Rashi explains that David said to King Saul, “I know that this thing [overcoming the lion and bear] did not happen to me for nothing, and that in the future I will have to do something similar to save Israel. I relied on this prior event to go out to fight now.”
This was one of the most difficult battles that the Israelites had faced until then. David told King Saul, “When God gave me the strength to smite the lion and the bear to save the lamb, it was a portent from God.”
"Who is wise? One who perceives the ramifications." One who perceives an event should consider what ramifications will come from it and how it will effect the Jewish people. God had already sent the sign to David that he will have to endanger his life to fight and save the Jewish people even in a matter that seems humanly impossible.
We learn from this a great principle for life. Even the most trivial things that occur to a person including the words that he says, or anything that he did, it is a portent of future things that will come upon him in life.
Rabbi Jochanan said, “On the day that the Temple was destroyed, prophecy was taken from the prophets and given to fools and children.” What does it means that prophecy was taken from the prophets and given to “fools and children”? The answer is that even the words of a fool and a baby are a portent that can be understood as having significance like prophecy. The aphorism, "Who is wise? One who perceives the ramifications" means that a person should view events and messages akin to a prophecy informing him what will be in the future and what is about to happen.
When we see in this week's Torah section how Nadav and Avihu died and the many reasons for it, this teaches us which things we should be careful about, which things we should guard against, and which things a person should pursue with all his might until the end, because the holy Torah is a beacon that illuminates our lives, and gives us signs the entire way and in every matter how to conduct our lives.
This article was written in cooperation with Shuva Israel