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." (Leviticus 10:6)


Why were Aaron and his sons not permitted to publicly mourn the death of Nadav and Avihu?


Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi's Final Day

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

To better understand Moses' unusual instructions, we should examine the Talmudic account of the death of another great personality: Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi ('the Prince'), the redactor of the Mishnah. Rabbi Yehuda was the central religious and political figure during the second century. His influence was so profound that all referred to him as simply Rebbi ("my teacher"); and his passing was a traumatic event for the nation. Here is the description of his final hours, from Ketubot 104a:


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 with them). 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 sages, however, continued praying for mercy without a break; so the maidservant took a jar and threw it down from the roof. The sudden noise momentarily disrupted their prayers - and Rebbi's soul departed.


The sages asked Bar Kappara to investigate. He went and found Rebbi dead. Bar Kappara rent his garment and reported back: "Both the angels and the mortals held on to the Holy Ark; but the angels overpowered the mortals, and the Holy Ark has been captured."


Why did the scholars and the maidservant disagree about whether to pray for Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi to live? And why did Bar Kappara refer to his illustrious teacher as "the Holy Ark"?


Two Benefits of Tzaddikim
The key to this story is to understand that Torah scholars benefit the world in two ways. The first benefit is apparent to all: the spread of Torah wisdom and the instruction of people in the proper path. But besides their revealed activities, there is an intrinsic value, a segulah quality, that is rooted in the Divine holiness of the Torah itself. This hidden benefit exists even without any external activity, providing merit and protection for society, refining the nation and elevating the world.

Torah scholars benefit the world in two ways.



Thus, the sages in Sanhedrin 99b taught that one who complains, "What do Torah scholars contribute? They only study for themselves" is to be considered a heretic. Even if we do not see their benefit to society, the intrinsic holiness of Torah brings blessing and merit to all, as it says, "I will spare the entire area for their sake." (Genesis 18:26)


Bar Kappara's Message
Now, we can begin to understand the story of Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi's death, and the disagreement between his disciples and the maidservant.


There are cases 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). But this does not hold true for a tzaddik. With regard to righteous Torah scholars, the very existence of their Torah in the world is a hidden asset outweighing considerations of physical pain and suffering. For these special individuals, it is correct to pray even for chayei sha'ah, even for a limited extension of life. For this reason, the scholars continued praying for Rebbi, even though his illness was terminal.


Rebbi's maidservant also initially 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 could no longer have an active influence on the world, and that the only possible gain 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 world, 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, Rebbi's primary benefit to the world. In this way, a tzaddik is like the Holy Ark. The Ark contained the original luchot (tablets) from Mount Sinai, and symbolized 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 represented the intrinsic holiness of Torah. It was located in the holiest inner sanctum of the Temple, emanating sanctity to the nation and the entire world.


No Public Mourning for Nadav and Avihu
We can now 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

The benefit of the inner segulah of tzaddikim is so great that it cannot be expressed in words.

magnitude of this loss. Rather, any 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, knew that he could not possibly convey this loss in words. Thus, "Aaron was silent." (Leviticus 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 since this quality cannot be expressed in words, it is preferable 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]