Parshat Shemini Part 2: The Tragedy of Nadav and Avihu

Moshe and Aaron entered [music] the tent of meeting and when they came out suddenly fire came out from before the Lord and consumed all the offerings that were [music] on the altar. All the people saw it and they were so overwhelmed with excitement that they fell on their faces and began to sing and praise Hashem. But then something terrible happened. [music] Nadav and Abihu, Aaron's two eldest sons, each took his own pan, a special vessel used for incense, and offered a foreign fire. It refers to fire they offered that God had not commanded them to bring. They were righteous and deeply desired to draw close to God, but they did it in the [music] wrong way. Suddenly fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them. But before they died, the fire pushed them outside [music] so that the tabernacle would not become impure. No one saw that they had died. >> [music] >> Everyone was lying on the ground singing praises to God. When they got up, they saw that only Nadav and Abihu did not rise. They [music] approached them and saw that they had passed away. Suddenly there was complete silence. Moshe approached Aaron and said, "This is what God said. I will be sanctified [music] through those near to me." Meaning God is so holy that even the greatest righteous people must be extremely careful >> [music] >> and do exactly as he commands. Aaron remained silent. He accepted the judgment with love despite the terrible pain.