Parashat Shemini The Sounds of Silence……….
Parashat Shemini is compared to an emotional roller coaster that seems all too familiar to many of us in our own lives.
The Parashah opens with the completion of the construction of the Mishkan, the dedication celebration of the Mishkan and the first day of the Mishkan being the Home of Hashem.
However, during this day of intense joy and celebration, an unfortunate event occurs- the death of Aaron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu.
Nadav and Avihu brought a “strange fire” to the Mishkan, to the Mizbayach, and were immediately consumed by fire, issued by Hashem himself.
Upon learning of the tragic deaths of his sons, Aaron must have been horrified, shocked.
Yet, the Pasuk reads differently:
וַתֵֵּ֥צֵא אֵֵ֛שׁ מִלִפְנֵֵּ֥י יְהֹוָָּ֖ה וַתֹּ֣אֹכַל אוֹתָָּ֑ם וַיָּ מָ֖תוּ לִפְנֵֵּ֥י יְהֹוָָּֽה׃
וַיֹּ֨אֹמֶר מֹשֶֶׁׁ֜ה אֶָֽל־אַהֲרֹֹ֗ן הוּא֩ אֲשֶׁר־דִבֶֹּ֨ר יְהֹוָָּ֤ה ׀ לֵאמֹר֙ בִקְרֹבַֹּ֣י אֶקָּדֵֵ֔שׁ וְעַל־פְנֵֵּ֥י ׇ כל־הָּעָָּ֖ם
אֶכָּבֵָ֑ד וַיִדָֹ֖ם אַהֲרָֹֽן׃
And after all was said and done, Aaron was silent.
Silent? Aaron’s two sons were just killed by Hashem Himself, and for what? For Honoring and serving Hashem.
How was Aaron able to remain silent at such a moment? We would have expected a father to have an emotional outburst, a cry of grief…anything but stone silence.
The Rabbi’s in explaining the reason why the Brother’s were killed, focus on their actions- The taking of a strange fire.
Many explanations are given for their death- from being Tameh, to being improperly dressed, to entering the Holy of Holies without authorization, to even being drunk.
What we can conclude from all of these possibilities is that no one is completely sure of the reason.
However, I would like to focus on Aaron and his actions, or should I say- lack of action.
וַיִדָֹ֖ם אַהֲרָֹֽן ”
This story is more about Aaron than the Sons. This story is about not mere silence, but the absence of speech. Despite Aaron being completely dumbstruck, there is a profound silence.
By using the wordוַיִדָֹ֖ם ”, the Torah may be saying that while Aaron remained silent on the outside, his blood was raging with emotion on the inside.
In his great wisdom, Aaron realized that he had to accept the reality of the deaths of Nadav and Avihu.
What could he possibly say at such a moment? Words were meaningless in the face of death. The wise response was- Silence.
Aaron had the wisdom and self-control to remain silent, even while he was experiencing turmoil deep inside himself.
We can learn from this that Silence is, at times, the wise response to many tragedies that take place in our lives.
But, I say, sometimes, silence is the wrong response. Sometimes we must cry out.
When we see injustice in the world, when one sees poverty in the world, when one sees pain the world, we, as Jews, must not remain silent!
We cannot live in the dark, in the silence, ignoring the afflictions of our Nation.
There was once a group of people hiding in a dark basement from an enemy, singing songs with the hope of rescue.
Another person was walking by and heard the singing. He was invited down to the dark basement.
Walking into the darkness, he cried out: How can I go down there, it’s too dark. I cannot see where I am going.
They answered “Don’t worry, if you sit here long enough, your eyes will get used to the darkness.
But the man answered back: that is precisely the problem. If you sit in darkness long enough, you get used to it.
You do not realize the need for light…the need for sound... the need to speak up...the need to object…
Words bear fruit…and perhaps, your words of protest will empower others to add their voices of protest.
In the face of tragedy, as we learn from Aaron, silence may often be the appropriate and wise response.
But in the face of contemporary evil, antisemitism, hatred and injustice to our fellow Jews and the World, silence is not an option.
One must scream out, one must protest, one must demand justice.
Remaining silent makes us complicit, and that is not an option.
We must help others see the light.
We must let our Brothers and Sisters know that they are not in this alone.
We are a Nation, a proud Nation….and we must help our fellow mankind!