Experiencing utmost joy and shattering tragedy when they are packaged together is among the great wonders of our world. For someone living in Israel in our generation, more than other places and at other times, this type of dual reality is axiomatic.
In our Parsha, Parshat Pekudai, we read of the day of Hakamat HaMiskan, the day that the Mishkan (Tabernacle) was inaugurated. The Gemara Megilla (10b) teaches us that the joy of Hakadosh Baruchu on this day, Rosh Chodesh Nissan (almost a full year after Yitziat Mitzrayim), was as great as the day when Hashem created the heavens and earth. On this day the honor and glory of Hashem appeared in front of Bnai Yisrael. At this peek moment of dvakut and exhilaration, the Jewish people simultaneously witnessed the two son’s of Aharon, Nadav and Avihu, incinerated in front of their eyes. The emotions of that particular moment are beyond understanding and certainly have no expression.
The Shem Mishmuel, Rav Shmuel of Sakachov, asks how could such great individuals err in a way which cost them their lives at this pinnacle moment?
The rebbe explains that when a person experiences a true moment of joy he is able to tolerate his adversaries and those that hate him. He does not see these people as disrupting; rather, they are adding and contributing to the joy.
This will in fact be an aspect of our final redemption. Even those among our people that had been completely distant will be drawn in and allowed to participate in the Geula Haatida. They will taste the sweetness of Torah, Mitzvot and coming close to Hashem, rid themselves of their mistaken path and eventually achieve earned acceptance into the dance with the righteous. They will not disrupt the simcha of redemption, they will add to it.
Nadav and Avihu made this very miscalculation. They presumed, teaches the Shem Mishmuel, that the joyful day of the inauguration of the Mishkan was the day of the “final tikkun.” The son’s of Aharon incorporated an aish zarah, “a foreign fire” that they had not been commanded to bring, thinking that now was the time to elevate and include “foreign” aspects into the worship of Hashem. Tragically, the time had not arrived and their misjudgment, as lofty as it was, cost them their lives.
This “joy of opposites,” is a major aspect of the great simcha of Adar and Purim. Haman’s attempt at genocide of the Jewish people and all other elements of the story which ultimately reverse themselves are every bit as much involved in our joy as the victory in the war and the salvation themselves. Furthermore, our extension, inclusion and expression of love for all Jews on Purim indeed gives us a taste of the final Geula.
The 30th day of Adar (Rosh Chodesh for Adar II) is the 14th birthday of our son Tuvia Eliezer. It is also the 14th anniversary of the Merkaz Harav massacre. (Note: The 30th day of Adar only appears on the calendar during a leap year. When Adar is only one month there are just 29 days.)
We were sitting at home in our Givat Mordichai, Jerusalem apartment on a Thursday night. My wife Batya was due to give birth and she decided to “make Shabbos” to pass the time. All of a sudden we start hearing siren after siren. We said to ourselves this can’t be good. We turned on the radio to hear mass hysteria and mass confusion. It was clear that something very serious was happening in Kirayat Moshe, just a few neighborhoods over from us. “A shooting”, “Injured”, “one terrorist?”, “two terrorists?”, “a man-hunt”, were the reporter’s vague descriptions, as we continued to hear the live sirens in the background. We went to sleep knowing that there had been a very serious terrorist attack at Yeshivat Merkaz Harav and that there were victims that had been murdered and those that were seriously wounded.
Our night’s rest was short lasting. Batya began to experience contractions, which steady became heavier and heavier. By 5am Friday morning we were in the cab heading to Shaare Tzedek Hospital, just two minutes up the road. Two hours later Batya gave birth to a healthy baby boy, our first son after two girls. There was great joy in our hearts. However, we knew that we were sharing a hospital with families of those that had been wounded (slain and) in the terror attack from the night before.
This type of story is not too uncommon in Israel and daily life here. We live with the dual reality of the joy of rebuilding our homeland in Eretz Yisrael, in Medinat Yisrael, while also experiencing constant pain and tragedy of seeing our fellow Jews being terrorized and murdered by our enemies. Just as there are no words to describe the events that took place on the day when the Mishkan was inaugurated, there are no words to describe the joy and pain we experienced today 14 years ago.
We longingly await the day when our joy will be complete and untainted.
Shalom Tzvi
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