Shemini


Judgment and Silence


by Nechama Leibowitz (with a comment by Laura Duhan Kaplan)



Aharon's sons die while making a "strange" offering to God on the altar, an 
offering that was not specifically commanded. Moshe attempts to comfort Aharon:



And Moshe said to Aharon: This is that which the Lord spoke, saying: By those 
that are near unto Me will I be made holy, and before all the people I will be 
glorified. And Aharon was silent. (Vayikra/Leviticus 10:3)



What is Moshe saying, and why is Aharon silent? N.H. Weisel writes: "In my 
opinion, Moshe assured Aharon that his sons were holy men, close to God, whose 
downfall was a result of their greatness. God dealt with them sternly for an 
offence prompted by the love of and yearning for God."



N.H. Weisel teaches that God deals with the righteous harshly. Similarly, our 
sages teach that the righteous deal with themselves harshly. The Talmud states 
that the yetzer hara, the evil inclination, of the holiest people is huge. They 
work constantly to improve themselves, and experience the journey to goodness as 
long and formidable.



There is some wisdom in holding oneself to high standards. At the same time, 
there is wisdom in silencing the self-judging voice. Many commentators find 
Moshe's response to Aharon inappropriate, and Aharon's silence appropriate. 
Perhaps Aharon's silence reminds us: just as we learn to extend compassion 
towards others by balancing judgment with silence, so we must learn to extend 
the same compassion towards our own selves.


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