וַתֵּ֤צֵא אֵשׁ֙ מִלִּפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֔ה וַתֹּ֙אכַל֙ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ אֶת־הָעֹלָ֖ה וְאֶת־הַחֲלָבִ֑ים וַיַּ֤רְא כָּל־הָעָם֙ וַיָּרֹ֔נּוּ וַֽיִּפְּל֖וּ עַל־פְּנֵיהֶֽם׃

Fire emerged from before the Lord and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fats; all the people saw it, the fire consuming the offerings, which was a sign that God accepted their service and their prayers, and sang praise, or shouted, and fell upon their faces due to this revelation. Now the people knew that the Tabernacle was properly constructed and that the presence of God dwelled within it.

וַיִּקְח֣וּ בְנֵֽי־אַ֠הֲרֹן נָדָ֨ב וַאֲבִיה֜וּא אִ֣ישׁ מַחְתָּת֗וֹ וַיִּתְּנ֤וּ בָהֵן֙ אֵ֔שׁ וַיָּשִׂ֥ימוּ עָלֶ֖יהָ קְטֹ֑רֶת וַיַּקְרִ֜בוּ לִפְנֵ֤י יְהוָה֙ אֵ֣שׁ זָרָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֧ר לֹ֦א צִוָּ֖ה אֹתָֽם׃

Each of the two eldest sons of Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, took his fire-pan and placed in it coals of fire, and placed incense upon the fire, and they offered before the Lord strange fire that He had not commanded them.

וַתֵּ֥צֵא אֵ֛שׁ מִלִּפְנֵ֥י יְהוָ֖ה וַתֹּ֣אכַל אוֹתָ֑ם וַיָּמֻ֖תוּ לִפְנֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃

Fire emerged from before the Lord and consumed them. It is uncertain from where this fire emerged. And they died before the Lord, inside the Sanctuary. As will soon be made evident, although the fire killed them, their bodies were not burned, as would have been the case in a regular fire. Rather, their deaths resembled a death by electrocution or by lightning strike, as their bodies remained physically intact.

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֜ה אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֗ן הוּא֩ אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֨ר יְהוָ֤ה ׀ לֵאמֹר֙ בִּקְרֹבַ֣י אֶקָּדֵ֔שׁ וְעַל־פְּנֵ֥י כָל־הָעָ֖ם אֶכָּבֵ֑ד וַיִּדֹּ֖ם אַהֲרֹֽן׃

Moses said to Aaron: This incident is that about which the Lord spoke, saying: Through those who are near to Me I will be sanctified. That is, My sanctity will be manifest among those who are close to Me, and then before all the people I will be glorified; and Aaron was silent. It is possible that before this statement, Aaron cried in shock at the sudden deaths of his sons, but upon hearing Moses’ statement he voiced no complaints and remained silent. There is no doubt that Aaron’s silence stemmed not from indifference, but from his acceptance of this divine decree.

וַיִּקְרָ֣א מֹשֶׁ֗ה אֶל־מִֽישָׁאֵל֙ וְאֶ֣ל אֶלְצָפָ֔ן בְּנֵ֥י עֻזִּיאֵ֖ל דֹּ֣ד אַהֲרֹ֑ן וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֗ם קִ֠רְב֞וּ שְׂא֤וּ אֶת־אֲחֵיכֶם֙ מֵאֵ֣ת פְּנֵי־הַקֹּ֔דֶשׁ אֶל־מִח֖וּץ לַֽמַּחֲנֶֽה׃

Moses called Mishael and Eltzafan, the sons of Uzziel, an uncle of Aaron. They were Levites and family members. And Moses said to them: Approach, carry your brethren, your cousins, from inside the Sanctuary to outside the camp.

וַֽיִּקְרְב֗וּ וַיִּשָּׂאֻם֙ בְּכֻתֳּנֹתָ֔ם אֶל־מִח֖וּץ לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֑ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר דִּבֶּ֥ר מֹשֶֽׁה׃

They approached and carried them by their tunics to outside the camp, for the dead were not left inside the camp, as Moses had spoken. It is clear from the verse that Aaron’s sons were not burned in an ordinary manner, as they were carried out in their garments, indicating that the garments were whole and durable enough to pull their wearers with them.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֣ה אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֡ן וּלְאֶלְעָזָר֩ וּלְאִֽיתָמָ֨ר ׀ בָּנָ֜יו רָֽאשֵׁיכֶ֥ם אַל־תִּפְרָ֣עוּ ׀ וּבִגְדֵיכֶ֤ם לֹֽא־תִפְרֹ֙מוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א תָמֻ֔תוּ וְעַ֥ל כָּל־הָעֵדָ֖ה יִקְצֹ֑ף וַאֲחֵיכֶם֙ כָּל־בֵּ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל יִבְכּוּ֙ אֶת־הַשְּׂרֵפָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֖ר שָׂרַ֥ף יְהוָֽה׃

Moses said to Aaron, and to Elazar and to Itamar, his, Aaron’s, other sons: Despite the tragedy that has occurred, you shall not grow out the hair of your heads. Do not allow your hair to grow wild during the mourning period, and you shall not rend your garments in the manner of mourners, that you will not die. If you observe the usual customs of mourning, you will be liable to death, and not only will you be punished, but He will rage against all the congregation, as you are now their priests. And your brethren, the entire house of Israel, shall weep over the burning that the Lord has burned. Mourning and weeping are of course a natural response to death. However, you have been consecrated, and you must remain in your posts within the confines of the Tabernacle. Consequently, you must not let their deaths affect you.

וּמִפֶּתַח֩ אֹ֨הֶל מוֹעֵ֜ד לֹ֤א תֵֽצְאוּ֙ פֶּן־תָּמֻ֔תוּ כִּי־שֶׁ֛מֶן מִשְׁחַ֥ת יְהוָ֖ה עֲלֵיכֶ֑ם וַֽיַּעֲשׂ֖וּ כִּדְבַ֥ר מֹשֶֽׁה׃ (פ)

From the entrance of the Tent of Meeting you shall not emerge for the entire period that you are obligated to be within the sacred area, so that you not die, as the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you. Since you have been anointed and consecrated for the service, you are no longer private citizens who may act according to their own discretion. They acted in accordance with the word of Moses, that is, Aaron and his surviving sons did not display any signs of mourning and they remained in the Tabernacle.

וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֖ן לֵאמֹֽר׃

The Lord spoke to Aaron, saying:

יַ֣יִן וְשֵׁכָ֞ר אַל־תֵּ֣שְׁתְּ ׀ אַתָּ֣ה ׀ וּבָנֶ֣יךָ אִתָּ֗ךְ בְּבֹאֲכֶ֛ם אֶל־אֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵ֖ד וְלֹ֣א תָמֻ֑תוּ חֻקַּ֥ת עוֹלָ֖ם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶֽם׃

You shall not drink wine or any intoxicating drink , neither you nor your sons with you, upon your entry into the Tent of Meeting, that you not die; this is an eternal statute for your generations. This prohibition is not restricted to the unique occasion of the inauguration ceremony. Rather, it remains in force for all generations in which the priestly service is performed.

וּֽלֲהַבְדִּ֔יל בֵּ֥ין הַקֹּ֖דֶשׁ וּבֵ֣ין הַחֹ֑ל וּבֵ֥ין הַטָּמֵ֖א וּבֵ֥ין הַטָּהֽוֹר׃

The eternal prohibition against intoxicated priests performing the Temple service is not due merely to their presence in the Tent of Meeting. In addition to performing sacrificial rites, the priests must fulfill other functions: To distinguish for the people between the sacred and the profane, and between the impure and the pure,

וּלְהוֹרֹ֖ת אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אֵ֚ת כָּל־הַ֣חֻקִּ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר דִּבֶּ֧ר יְהוָ֛ה אֲלֵיהֶ֖ם בְּיַד־מֹשֶֽׁה׃ (פ)

and to teach the children of Israel all the statutes that the Lord spoke to them at the hand of Moses. The roles of instructing the people and teaching them to distinguish between the sacred and the profane demands that the priests avoid drunkenness, as this can easily lead to error and confusion.