Nadav and Avihu

Biblical Figures

Nadav and Avihu were Aaron's two oldest sons. Soon after being invested as priests, they brought an offering of “strange fire that had not been commanded” before the Lord. As a result, they were consumed by fire and succeeded by their younger brothers, Elazar and Itamar. It is not clear from the biblical text exactly what Nadav and Avihu did wrong, which has led biblical interpreters to offer many different explanations for their punishment.

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The Eldest Sons of Aaron

TANAKH

Nadav and Avihu, the eldest sons of Aaron, were ordained for the priesthood but died at God’s hand. The book of Numbers mentions their story in its account of the census of the Israelites in the desert.

This is the line of Aaron and Moses at the time that יהוה spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. These were the names of Aaron’s sons: Nadab, the first-born, and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar; those were the names of Aaron’s sons, the anointed priests who were ordained for priesthood. But Nadab and Abihu died by the will of יהוה, when they offered alien fire before יהוה in the wilderness of Sinai; and they left no sons. So it was Eleazar and Ithamar who served as priests in the lifetime of their father Aaron.

Numbers 3:1-4

An Alien Fire

TANAKH

After the dedication of the Tabernacle — the Israelites’ portable Temple during their time in the desert — Aaron’s sons Nadav and Avihu attempted to bring an offering to God. The book of Leviticus describes their attempt and God’s furious response.

Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his fire pan, put fire in it, and laid incense on it; and they offered before יהוה alien fire, which had not been enjoined upon them. And fire came forth from יהוה and consumed them; thus they died at the instance of יהוה. Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what יהוה meant by saying:
Through those near to Me I show Myself holy,
And gain glory before all the people.”
And Aaron was silent.

Leviticus 10:1-3

A Delayed Punishment

COMMENTARY

The Torah presents Nadav and Avihu’s deaths as a punishment for their actions after the dedication of the Tabernacle. But Rashi, in his renowned 11th-century commentary on the Torah, argues that Nadav and Avihu’s deaths were really a punishment for a sin they had committed nearly a year prior.

ויראו את אלהי ישראל NOW THEY SAW THE GOD OF ISRAEL — They gazed intently and failing in this they peeped in their attempt to catch a glimpse of the Supreme Being, and thereby made themselves liable to death. But it was only because God did not wish to disturb the joy caused by the Giving of the Torah, that He did not punish them instantly, but waited (postponed the punishment) for Nadab and Abihu until the day when the Tabernacle was dedicated, when they were stricken with death, and for the elders until the event of which the text relates, (Numbers 11:16) “And when the people complained ……

Rashi on Exodus 24:10:1

Punished on Four Counts

MIDRASH

The Torah mentions the deaths of Nadav and Avihu on four different occasions. Vayikra Rabbah, an ancient midrashic work on the book of Leviticus, offers four corresponding reasons for their punishment that emphasize the severity of their sin.

Bar Kappara said in the name of Rabbi Yirmeya ben Elazar: Due to four matters Aaron’s sons died: For drawing near; for sacrificing; for alien fire; and because they did not take counsel from one another. For drawing near, because they entered the innermost sanctum; for sacrificing, because they sacrificed an offering regarding which they were not commanded; for alien fire, they brought in fire from a stove; and because they did not take counsel from one another, as it is stated: “Each took his fire pan” (Leviticus 10:1), each on his own, as they did not take counsel from one another…

Vayikra Rabbah 20:8

Atonement and Tragedy

KABBALAH

After the deaths of Nadav and Avihu, the Torah introduces the sacrificial service of Yom Kippur. The Zohar, a foundational work of Jewish mysticism, connects the rituals of atonement and the sin of Nadav and Avihu.

They continued: “Whenever the righteous are removed from the world, punishment is removed from the world and the death of the righteous atones for the sins of the generation. Therefore we read the section dealing with the death of the sons of Aaron on the Day of Atonement that it may atone for the sins of Israel. God says: Recount the death of these righteous ones, and it will be accounted to you as if you brought an offering on that day to make atonement for you. For we have learnt that so long as Israel are in captivity, and cannot bring offerings on that day…

Zohar, Achrei Mot 1:9-11

The Alien Fire Within Us

JEWISH THOUGHT

The Torah recounts that Nadav and Avihu offered an “alien fire” to God that led to their punishment. Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, in his early 19th-century mystical work, Nefesh HaChayim, suggests a metaphorical understanding of the phrase and argues that it is relevant to every Jew.

And so it is with every sin that a person in Israel inserts into his heart/mind (heaven forefend), an unauthorized fire, via expressions of anger or other evil desires (may the Merciful save us), surely it is exactly as the matter about which is written (Yeshayahu 64:10): “Our Temple of holiness and beauty, where our fathers praised You, became a raging fire,” the Merciful One (blessed be His name) save us.

Nefesh HaChayim, Gate I 4:10

Misplaced Devotion

COMMENTARY

While the Torah is clear Nadav and Avihu were punished for bringing an offering God did not command, many commentators argue that they were nevertheless motivated by sincere devotion. In his 19th-century commentary on the Torah, Haamek Davar, Rabbi Naftali Zvi Judah Berlin warns about the circumstances in which such devotion may go awry.

a strange fire, which He had not commanded them: The language is not precise. As behold, it was forbidden to bring a strange fire. So how is it fit to say, "which He had not commanded" - as it implies that they were also not prohibited about it. And see what the Baal HaTurim wrote; and the homiletical approach mentioned in the Herchav Devar, that they came in with the fire of enthusiasm of the love of God. Whereas the Torah said that even though the love of God is precious in the eyes of God, it is not so when it is in this fashion that was not commanded…

Haamek Davar on Leviticus 10:1:4

The Haughty Students

TALMUD

Some interpreters make the case that despite the Torah’s emphasis on their misplaced sacrifice, Nadav and Avihu’s worst sin lay elsewhere. The Jerusalem Talmud in tractate Gittin argues that they were guilty of a totally different transgression.

It was stated: A student who gave instructions about practice in front of his teacher has committed a deadly sin. It was stated in the name of Rebbi Eliezer: Nadab and Abihu died only because they determined practice in the presence of their teacher Moses. It happened that a student gave instructions about practice in front of his teacher Rebbi Eliezer. The latter said to his wife Imma Shalom: That one will not live out his week. The week was not completed when he died. His students said to him: Rebbi, you are a prophet…

Jerusalem Talmud Gittin 1:2:6

Aaron’s Silent Grief

JEWISH THOUGHT

The Torah recounts that upon hearing about the death of his two sons Nadav and Avihu, Aaron is silent. In his 11th-century work of Jewish thought, Duties of the Heart, Bachya ibn Pekuda reads Aaron’s silent acceptance of his sons' death as a testament to his acceptance of God’s will.

(2) When he is struck with a severe financial loss, or some calamity occurs to one of his loved ones - if his calmness overcomes his shock, and he humbly accepts the Creator's decree, and justifies the Divine judgment - this attests to good submission and to his lowliness before G-d, as the verse tells of Aharon when Nadav and Avihu were killed (by a heavenly fire): "And Aharon was silent" (Vayikra 10:3), and David said: "Be silent to G-d and wait patiently for Him" (Tehilim 37:7), and "Therefore the wise shall keep silence in that time" (Amos 5:13).

Duties of the Heart, Sixth Treatise on Submission 7:3

Attached to the Light of God

CHASIDUT

While Nadav and Avihu were killed as a result of their attempt to approach God, some suggest that perhaps their devotion was praiseworthy. In his 18th-century Chasidic work Meor Einayim, Rabbi Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl uses kabbalistic language to explore the nature of their spiritual yearning.

Were not Your Torah my delight, then I would have perished in my poverty: When the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moshe (Exodus 28:1), "Now you shall bring forward your brother Aharon," it was difficult for him. [Hence] the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moshe, "The Torah was mine and I gave it to you. For were it not for it, I would have destroyed My world." To here is the language of the Midrash. The idea is that it is written (Leviticus 16:3), "after the death of the two sons of Aharon, when they came near before the Lord, and died…

Me'or Einayim, Achrei Mot 2

Receivers of Revelation

JEWISH THOUGHT

According to many interpreters, Nadav and Avihu were not only priests but prophets as well. Rambam, in his 12th-century philosophical work, Guide for the Perplexed, notes that Nadav and Avihu were present for an additional revelation on Mount Sinai along with a select few Israelites.

As to the revelation on Mount Sinai, all saw the great fire, and heard the fearful thunderings, that caused such an extraordinary terror; but only those of them who were duly qualified were prophetically inspired, each one according to his capacities. Therefore it is said, “Come up unto the Lord, thou and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu.” Moses rose to the highest degree of prophecy, according to the words, “And Moses alone shall come near the Lord.” Aaron was below him, Nadab and Abihu below Aaron, and the seventy elders below Nadab and Abihu, and the rest below the latter…

Guide for the Perplexed, Part 2 32:8

Atonement for Alien Fire

MISHNAH

The rituals of Yom Kippur appear after the deaths of Nadav and Avihu and are understood to be a response to their sin. Tractate Yoma of the Mishnah, the first codification of Jewish law, from the early third-century land of Israel, mentions that on Yom Kippur, the high priest would recite a portion of the Torah that mentions Nadav and Avihu.

The High Priest came to read the Torah. If he wished to read the Torah while still dressed in the fine linen garments, i.e., the priestly vestments he wore during the previous service, he may read wearing them; and if not he is permitted to read in a white robe of his own, which is not a priestly vestment. The synagogue attendant takes a Torah scroll and gives it to the head of the synagogue that stood on the Temple Mount; and the head of the synagogue gives it to the deputy High Priest…

Mishnah Yoma 7:1

Intoxicated Priests

COMMENTARY

Immediately following the deaths of Nadav and Avihu, God commands the Israelites not to offer sacrifices while drunk. Ramban, in his 13th-century commentary on the Torah, argues that this juxtaposition suggests that Nadav and Avihu made their offering while under the influence.

DRINK NO WINE NOR STRONG DRINK. “[Do not drink] wine to such an extent that it has an intoxicating effect.” This is Rashi’s language. The meaning thereof is that if he paused during the drinking [of a fourth of a log of wine], or if he mixed a little water into it, he is free from punishment. The opinion of the Rabbi [Rashi] is thus that the priests were only prohibited from drinking wine, but not from other intoxicating drinks, the meaning of the term sheichar (strong drink) mentioned here being derived from the law of the Nazirite [where a similar expression appears…

Ramban on Leviticus 10:9:1

The Spiritual Reincarnations of Nadav and Avihu

REFERENCE

Later commentators speculate about whether the deaths of Nadav and Avihu were really the end of their story. Rabbi Yechiel Heilprin, in his 18th-century chronicle, Seder HaDorot, argues that Nadav and Avihu reappear in the spirit of later biblical figures.

The first day, the 23rd of Adar, began the seven days of inauguration, in which he would put up the tabernacle each morning, offer the sacrifices upon it and take it apart in the evening. And on the eighth day, which was Rosh Chodesh [the first day of] Nissan, he put it up and did not take it apart. Seder Olam and S. K., p. 70a. On the first of Nissan, the sons of Aharon died. So is it in Vayikra Rabba at the end of Chapter 20; and R. Ibn Ezra on Parshat Shmini. But in Parshat Pekudei, he wrote that it appears that the eighth day was on the eighth of Nissan…

Seder HaDorot, Almanac 2448:22

The Sin of Nadab and Avihu, illustration from a Bible card, 1907

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