By Rabbi Joshua (gastronomically known as The Hoffer) Hoffman z"l
In this week’s parsha, we read of the tragic death of Nadav and Avihu, sons of Aharon, who were killed by a fire that descended from heaven after they brought a strange fire in the mishkan on the day of its inauguration. The Torah then presents various laws that arose in the aftermath of this event. These laws include, among others, the prohibition for a kohein to drink intoxicating wines before performing service in the mishkan or rendering halachic decisions, as well as the laws regarding the consumption of the various sacrifices that had been brought that day. These laws regarding consumption of the sacrifices were important since Aharon and his sons had the status of onein, or one whose close relative died and has not yet been buried. Usually, an onein cannot consume meat or wine, but in the case of Nadav and Avihu, the situation was different, since their deaths occurred on a day of general rejoicing. After these laws are presented, followed by a dialogue between Moshe and Ahron about the consumption and burning of the sacrifices, the Torah goes on to present the kosher dietary laws, describing which animals, birds ands fish we are permitted to consume. Why did the Torah choose to present these laws at this juncture, after the deaths of Nadav and Avihu? Is there any inherent connection between that tragic episode and these laws?
Rabbi Don Yitzchak Abarbanel, in his commentary to parshas Shemini, writes that the laws of kashrus are connected to the laws prohibiting the drinking of intoxicating wine before rendering an halachic decision. The Torah describes the rendering of these decisions as ‘ teaching and separating.’ (Vayikra 6:10 ). The laws of kashrus, as well, required the halachic decisors to be able to separate, or to differentiate, between the kind of animal that is permitted for consumption and the kind that isn’t. In fact, the midrash, as cited by Rashi (Vayikra 11:2) tells us that Hashem held up each of the animals and showed them to Moshe so that he would be able to identify them properly. If the kohein drank wine or similar drinks before engaging in these matters, he would not be able to discern the differences between the various animals, birds and fish that were kosher and those that were not kosher, and therefore would be unable to render a correct decision. For this reason, says Abarbanel, the laws of kashrus follow the laws that curb the drinking of wine that were given in the aftermath of the deaths of Nadav and Avihu. This explanation, while it may conform with the strictly literal understanding of the text, does not tell us anything about the essence of the laws of kashrus that may connect them with the tragic events of the day on which they were presented. I would like to suggest another explanation, that will, hopefully, provide us with some insight into the nature of these laws.
Rabbi Joseph B. (Yosef Dov) Soloveitchik, zt"l, in an essay entitled “An Exalted Evening : The Seder Night", which is included in a recently published collection of his writings, Festival of freedom : Essays on Pesach and the Haggadah, writes that the Pesach Seder is the prototype of the halachic ‘seudah,’ or meal, a seudah par excellence. All of the elements which make the seder such an exalted event are, in fact, existent in the halachic definition of the everyday seudah, an important halachic institution. While man shares with animals the neeed to take in nourishment, there are several elements that differentiate man’s consumption of food and animal’s consumption of it. Through the halachos of the seudah, man can convert his act of eating into an institution which is uniquely human, freely willed and meaningful. Most importantly, man must realize that he is eating before God. Two key elements involved in eating before God are the factor of selectivity in what one eats, as defined by the halachos of kashrus, and the element of joining with others while eating, rather then eating in isolation. By following the laws of kashrus in preparing his seudah, a Jew differentiates himself from the animal, who eats whatever it wants to indiscriminately. When he then realizes that others are in need, either of food itself, or of companionship in eating their food, even if they have all the food they need, he invites them to his meal and thereby joins in a ‘chesed community,’ a community of people not interested solely in their own gratification, but in the needs of others, as well. In this way, one can exalt the act of eating into a seudah that one partakes of before God. With this approach to the seudah in mind, we can return to our parsha, and better understand the placement of the laws of kashrus within it.
Anyone who has gone through the experience of mourning for a close relative is aware that one’s supply of food at such a time is a matter of concern for those who are engaged with caring for the mourners’ needs. The first meal consumed by the mourner, known as the ‘seudas havra’ah,’ or’ literally, the meal of condolence, must be provided by the community, and not come from the mourner himself. This is seen, by some halachic authorities, as a means of slowly bringing the mourner back into the community. Subsequent meals, as well, are often provided by members of the community, thus reflecting the notion of the ‘chesed community’ that Rav Solovetchik says is brought out in a typical halachic seudah. As we noted above, Moshe and Aharon engaged in a discussion about the consumption of the inaugural sacrifices after Nadav and Avihu died, and how that consumption fit into the general restrictions imposed upon an onein. These elements point to the role that food consumption plays even in the most tragic of circumstances, and how it relates to one's inclusion in the community. The elements of selectivity and community, as part of the halachic definition of s seudah, then, clearly play a role in the events following the tragedy of Nadav and Avihu, and perhaps this can help explain why the Torah then goes on to present the laws of kashrus immediately afterwards.
