Parashat Shemini
The Role Of The
Elders
Several
commentators discuss the relationship of the elders to the priests, the people,
Moses, and God.
By Rabbi Avraham Fischer
The following article is reprinted with permission from
the Orthodox Union.
The great day has finally arrived! All that preceded this
day--the Exodus from Egypt, the Revelation at Sinai, and the building and
dedication of the Mishkan (Tabernacle)--was a process designed to bring
Hashem’s uninterrupted Presence into the camp of Israel. The shameful sin of
the golden calf nearly brought about the destruction of the people of Israel.
However, after much painful soul-searching, Hashem and His
people are reconciled. For seven days, Aharon and his sons have trained to
serve as the Kohanim (priests); now, on the eighth day, nearly one year
since the Exodus on the first of the month of Nisan, the moment of
Divine union is here:
1) And it was on the eighth day that Moshe called for Aharon
and for his sons and for the elders of Israel.
2) And he said to Aharon: Take for yourself a young calf for
a sin-offering, and a ram for an elevation-offering, complete without blemish,
and offer them before Hashem.
3) And to the Children of Israel you shall speak, saying:
Take a he-goat for a sin-offering and a calf and a sheep in their first year,
complete without blemish, for an elevation-offering,
4) And an ox and a ram for a peace-offering to sacrifice
before Hashem, and a meal-offering mixed with oil; for today Hashem appears to
you.
5) And they took that which Moshe had commanded before the
Tent of Meeting, and the whole congregation drew near and they stood before
Hashem.
6) And Moshe said, “This is the thing that Hashem has
commanded you to do, and the glory of Hashem will appear to you” (Vayikra,
chapter 9).
Why does Moshe call the elders of Israel? What is their place in the initiation
of the Kohanim?
Rashi says that Moshe summons the elders so that they can hear for themselves
that Hashem wants Aharon to serve as kohen gadol (high priest). In this
way, they cannot claim that he is usurping his position. Rashi considers the
elders’ role as evidential, not functional.
Haamek Davar (R. Naftali Tzvi Yehudah Berlin, 1817-1893) agrees that the
elders are not part of the investiture of the Kohanim. Rather, he says, quoting
Torat Kohanim (also known as Sifra, the Jewish legal midrash on
Vayikra) and other midrashim, the elders are called only to accord them honor.
Not all the elders are summoned, but only the greatest among them; their
students are not included since, as we learn in Tractate Bava Batra 130b, we do
not honor students when their teachers are being honored.
Ramban (Nachmanides), on the other hand, sees the role of the elders as
an integral part of the installation of the kohanim (priests). He suggests two
possible readings of these verses:
In verses 2-4, Moshe speaks to Aharon, commanding his
brother to bring his own offering and then to be the one to command the
Children of Israel to bring their offerings. This procedure will elevate Aharon
in the eyes of the people. The elders are to stand together with Aharon.
Moshe speaks to Aharon in verse 2 only, telling him to bring
his own offerings. Then Moshe speaks to the elders in verses 3-4, commanding
each of them to instruct the people regarding their offerings.
In both of these readings, the elders are part of the chain
of authority that consecrates the kohanim. However, while in the first reading,
the elders form part of Aharon’s authority, in the second reading the authority
of the elders derives from and is an extension of Moshe’s. In other words, the
elders may be regarded either as part of the institution of the priesthood or
of the institution of Torah-teaching. In both readings, the elders are
indispensable to the initiation of the kohanim.
(It is interesting to note that although the sons of Aharon
are summoned, they are not addressed directly, because their function is
completely subordinate to Aharon’s. This foreshadows the later actions of Nadav
and Avihu, who, in offering strange fire before Hashem (10:1), try to set
themselves up as an independent authority.)
After the people obey these commands, Moshe reminds them,
This is the thing that Hashem has commanded you to do, and
the glory of Hashem will appear to you (9:6).
Ultimate authority derives from Hashem.
The people’s sacrifices mentioned in verses 3-4 are not part of the offerings
described for the seven days of training and inauguration (Shemot 29). Rather,
says Ramban, in addition to serving as a means of dedication, the purpose of
the sacrifices on this eighth day may be to atone for the sin of the golden
calf. Indeed, these offerings are similar to those brought on Yom Kippur
(16:3). Also, the people’s offering of a he-goat for a sin-offering atones for
the sin of the selling of Yosef.
A fourth view of the role of the elders may be found in Vayikra Rabbah (11:8):
Rabbi Akiva says that the people of Israel need their elders just as birds need
wings. In this simile, the elders enable the people to ascend, even as the
Divine Presence descends towards them. In addition, the elders protect the
people from the intensity of their ascent.
The day of the Revelation is compared to a wedding (end of Tractate Ta’anit;
Torat Kohanim 7:16). The joy of that day, like the union of bride and groom,
was kept within, and mixed with anxiety. Now, with the union of the shechinah
(divine presence) with the people of Israel, that joy can be expressed fully
and openly. The kohanim make that union possible. And the elders of Israel, who
support the kohanim with testimony and the chain of Torah authority, and the
people with inspiration and protection, provide a crucial, honorable link in
that union.
Then, as now, the people of Israel depend upon their Torah sages to join with
Hashem in joyous unity.
