Consultation Persuasion

“…Speak to your brother Aharon, that he should not come at all times into the Kodesh…” (Vayikra 16:2)

After the death of Aharon’s two sons, Moshe told Aharon that he shouldn’t enter the Kodesh Hakodoshim, so that he shouldn’t die like his sons. Rav Yosi Hagalili confirms that their death was due to their entry into the Kodesh Hakodoshim.

This needs explanation. If Nadav and Avihu were punished for bringing a strange fire or for being intoxicated, one could argue that they’d been warned. But there’s no hint at all that the brothers were not allowed to enter the Kodesh Hakodoshim. Why the punishment? (Rabbi Sender Haber, Out of the Loop)

I’ve always dabbled in trying to set up shidduchim, but I’ve never been successful. Then one night at 3 a.m. — a time when my best ideas always seem to come to me — it hit me. Why not create some sort of global initiative, where the whole world would say Tehillim together for shidduchim?

I was so excited, I couldn’t fall back asleep. I was raring to try out my fantastic sleep-deprived epiphany.

Usually, when those creative ideas strike in middle of the night, it’s a letdown when I get up in the morning and examine those same incredible inspirations. In the harsh light of day, they generally seem improbable at best and ridiculous in most cases.

The Midrash teaches that Aharon’s sons actually committed four sins: They entered the Kodesh Hakodoshim, they brought a strange fire, they brought the wrong sacrifice, and… they did not consult with one another. Some explain this last transgression based on the rule that only one person may enter the Kodesh Hakodoshim at any given time. Since Nadav and Avihu didn’t collaborate, they ended up coming simultaneously, and were therefore deserving of death.

But at 7 a.m., I was still pretty excited about the idea. And at 2 p.m. when I ran it by my husband, I was working up to real enthusiasm.