Moshe Katsav, former president of Israel, has no shame. That’s a bad thing. This week’s Torah portion, Shemini, contains an instruction from Moses to Aaron: “Moses said to Aaron, approach the altar and prepare your sin-offering…” (Leviticus 9:7). Why does Aaron need to be told to approach the altar? The midrash says it...
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And Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aaron, took each of them his censer, and put fire in it, and put incense on it, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. Then...
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Is it possible for a human being to understand Divine justice? In this week’s Torah reading, Aaron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu, are killed by God for a seemingly minor infraction. The Torah tells us that each of them took his incense pan, put fire and incense in it, and offered aish zarah, strange fire,...
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And it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel; And he said to Aaron, Take a young calf for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the Lord. …Leviticus 9:1-2 Aaron was told...
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