We have lost many special people to the coronavirus, tzadikim and tzidaniyos, righteous men and
women. As we turn towards this week’s Parsha, we discover some of the lessons and perspectives the
Torah teaches us about the death of the righteous.
The first section of this week’s Parsha is dedicated to the Yom Kippur service. The Parsha introduces this
section by mentioning the death of Nadav and Avihu, “Hashem spoke to Moshe after the death of
Aharon’s two sons, when they approached before Hashem, and they died.” (Vayikra 16:1)
The commentaries discuss the Torah’s intention in this juxtaposition; there must be a correlation
between the death of Nadav and Avihu and the Yom Kippur service. Rashi cites the Toras Kohanim
which offers a very practical explanation which fits very well with the two verses that follow. The Torah
mentions the death of Nadav and Avihu who died “when they approached before Hashem” (ie. entering
the Holy of Holies), to emphasize the seriousness of following the Torah’s protocol when entering the
Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur.
The Toras Kohanim uses an analogy that has chilling relevance to us today. “Rabbi Elazar be Azaria compared this to a sick person who is visited by a doctor. The doctor prescribes that he must not eat cold food or rest in a damp, chilly place. A second doctor visits and tells the sick fellow that he should not eat cold food or rest in a damp, chilly place, so that he should not die the way another fellow did. The second doctor has given much greater motivation to the sick person than the first.” (Toras Kohanim, Acharei, Parshasa 1:3).
We too, must continue to abide by the prescribed protocol to protect our health, so that we should not suffer the fate of so many others. The Talmud Yerushalmi in the beginning of Tractate Yoma offers a different explanation for the connection between the death of Nadav and Avihu and Yom Kippur. “Rabbi Chiya the son of Bo said, the sons of Aharon died on the first of Nisan, why is their death mentioned with Yom Kippur? This is to teach you that just as Yom Kippur brings atonement for the Jewish people, so to the death of the righteous brings atonement for the Jewish people.” (Talmud Yerushalmi, Yoma 1:1)
The commentaries vary in their understanding of this concept. Some explain that this process takes
place in the spiritual realm, and some take a more practical approach.
The Ramchal in Derech Hashem (Part 2, Chapter 3, which was covered in last week’s class!) describes
this as one of Hashem’s many ways of executing justice in a merciful way. He explains that the Jewish
people are one unit, our spiritual pursuits are all intertwined. It is therefore possible for Hashem to
cause the righteous to suffer for the benefit of the entire people. He adds that this form of atonement
is very powerful.
The Tzadik, who is already complete and has perfected himself in his service of Hashem, for him even the smallest (“undeserved”) suffering can remove a tremendous “debt” from the Jewish people. This process gives the Tzadik a unique spiritual status as someone who suffered for the betterment of others, making him a leader in the world to come.
The Meshech Chochma (Vayikra, Acharei Mos) also explains that the death of the righteous
accomplishes atonement through spiritual means. He writes that just as Yom Kippur is a holy time,
when Hashem’s Divine mercy is stirred, so too, when the righteous move on from this world and join the
many other righteous souls under Hashem’s Divine throne, it gives Hashem a certain joy (k’viyachol,
anthropomorphically speaking) and triggers a wave of Divine mercy.
He adds that Yom Kippur only acts as an opportunity for atonement for those who recognize what Yom Kippur is and approach it with awe and reverence. When a Tzadik dies, the Divine mercy that is created is also only available to those who appreciate who the Tzadik was and internalize the significance of the loss.
The Torah Temimah offers a much more practical approach to the concept of the Yerushalmi. The Torah
Temimah cites the Pirkei D’Rebbe Eliezar (Chapter 17) which comments on the following verse in Sefer
Shmuel (Shmuel 2, 21:14), “And they buried the bones of Shaul… and they did all that the king
commanded, and Hashem answered the prayers of the land after that.”
The Pirkei D’Rebbe Eliezer explains, “When Hashem saw that they did Shaul a kindness (that they properly mourned and eulogized him), immediately Hashem was filled with mercy, as it says, ‘Hashem answered the prayers of the land’.”
Torah Temimah highlights that this Pirkei D’Rebbe Eliezar clearly understands that it is not the death of the righteous itself that brings atonement, but rather the honor and mourning that is offered when a Tzadik passes, for their honor is Hashem’s honor.
Rav Kook, in an essay in Midbar Shur (the end of ma’amar 36), follows a similar approach to the Torah Temimah, but he takes it further. He writes that, certainly, the primary source of atonement comes through the inspiration to emulate the ways of those who have passed.
When we learn from the sterling middos that these righteous people developed and refined over a lifetime of hard work, and we strive to do the same, then we receive atonement. When we learn from their self-sacrifice, and super-human care and compassion for others, and we strive to do the same, then we receive atonement.
When we learn of their scrupulous observance and constant study of Hashem’s holy Torah, and we strive to do the same, then we receive atonement. This is what is meant by the statement of our Sages, “The death of the righteous atones for us”.
As we reflect on the many tragedies of the coronavirus and the many lives that have been lost, we must focus our lens to the Torah view and learn the lessons from this week’s Parsha. We learn the importance of guarding public health with the self-discipline to carefully practice the appropriate protocol.
We must honor those precious souls who have passed on and we learn from them how we can become better people. We must turn to Hashem in prayer in this unique time of Divine mercy and we beg for atonement and redemption.
May this difficult time indeed inspire Divine mercy. May Hashem answer our tefillos, and may we soon
come to the time when “He will eliminate death forever, and erase tears from every face.”