A Thought on Parashat Bechukotai: What Type Of Work Ethic Do You Really Have?

There is a well know pasuk in Iyov that says אדם לעמל יולד, a person was born to toil. What kind of toiling is this referring to?

Last week we discussed the concept of seeing our growth in avodat Hashem as an עול,  a yoke. It is crucial that we work on ourselves and not just do what comes easy in our service to Hashem. Rather, we should strive to toil and improve in areas that may be more difficult for us.

This idea connects beautifully to the first pasuk and Rashi in this week’s parasha.

״אם בחקתי תלכו״

רש׳׳י - שתהיו עמלים בתורה

Loosely translated, the Torah explains, “If you walk in My ways….” And what ways are these? To toil in Torah. To toil in avodat Hashem.

The Talmud in Mesechet Megilah (6b) says:

אם יאמר לך אדם יגעתי ולא מצאתי - אל תאמין

לא יגעתי ומצאתי - אל תאמין

יגעתי ומצאתי - תאמין

“If a person tells you I have worked hard and not been successful - don’t believe him,

If he says I have not worked hard, and have been successful - don’t believe him,

But if he says I worked hard and was successful - believe him.”

The Talmud is referring to our work in our Torah learning and avodat Hashem. If a person toils to study and understand Torah, he will surely accomplish this. But even after understanding the concepts, it will feel like he found a lost object, like he found something that he is fortunate to have. He will not see it as something he had it coming to him. He won’t see it as something he accomplished himself. Certainly, he he won't maintain it without continued work. He recognizes that he has to toil to both acquire and maintain it. That's why the Talmud said, if you don't toil and say you found it anyway, that can’t be true.

The Talmud continues: הני מלילי בדברי תורה, אבל במשא ומתן סייעתא דשמיא

״This need to toil is only by Torah. But parnasa, our livelihood is all from Hashem. What does this mean?

The sefer Otzrot Hatorah explains that this means that we work hard for livelihood, not because it will produce more money. Rather, we work hard due to the curse of Adam Harishon, בזעת אפך תאכל לחם, that is just our reality. But we should not mistakenly think that if we devote 24 hours a day to work and leave our avodat Hashem aside that we will make a better or even the same livelihood. Our livelihood is set by Hashem on Rosh Hashanah as the Talmud in Beitza 16 says, מזונותיו של אדם קבוצין לו מראש השנה עד ראש השנה.

The message of this week’s parasha is that we must not misplace our priorities. Some people reverse things and  they toil only in parnasa but when it comes to Torah they say "Hashem will help.” The reality is just the opposite. It is our spirituality that needs constant toiling.

There is a story with the great Rabbi Yosef Dov Halevi Soloveitchik (grandfather of the The Rav) who once asked a student, “how are you doing?” and the student proceeded to tell him all the details of his professional successes and how he was seeing blessing from his toil. Rabbi Soloveitchik again asked, “how are you doing?” The student thought the Rabbi didn’t hear him the first time and repeated his answer about his financial successes. The Rabbi responded, I did not ask you how Hashem is doing, I asked how you are doing!”

The lessons seem obvious. We can all devote ourselves to learning more Torah, more often. There are so many shiurim in the community or online that we should take advantage of these opportunities to continue our learning. We are able to maximize the “downtime” we have, the in between moments when we can add a few drops of extra Torah into our lives.

A Thought on Parashat Behar - The Power of Earning Interest

A few years ago I had the pleasure of sharing the following thoughts while delivering the drasha in shul for my son Kovi’s bar mitzvah.

(אל תיקח מאתו נשך ותרבות.... אני ה׳ אלקיכם אשר הוצאתי אתכם מארץ מצרים (כה:לו-לח

The Torah warns us that when loaning money to a fellow Jew, we may not charge interest (known as Ribis). Regardless of the percentage, you cannot charge a penny more than the amount lent. 

Chazal, in numerous places, discuss the severity of one who violates this prohibition. Listed below are the exact quotes - essentially the violator is compared to one who denies the existence of G-d (quote #1), as if he committed the most horrible of sins (quote #3), as one who will not receive his share in Olam Haba (quote #4), as one who has given up the yoke of heaven (quote #5) and as one who denies the reality of yetziat Mitzrayim (quote #6).

דברי חז׳׳ל על איסור ריבית

1. (כל המלוה בריבית כופר בעיקר (ירושלמי בבא מציאה ה:ח

2. (המלוה בריבית אין הקב׳׳ה נושא ונותן בדינו, אלא פוסק את דינו מיד (תנחומא משפטים טו

3. (מי שנוטל ריבית מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו עשה את כל הרעות והעבירות שבעולם (שמות רבה לא:יג

4. (וחי לא יחיה – אמר הקב׳׳ה מי שחי בריבית בעולם הזה לא יחיה לעולם הבא (שמות רבה לא:ו

5. אני ה׳ – מכאן אמרו כל המקבל עליו עול ריבית מקבל עול שמים, וכל הפורק ממנו עול ריבית פורק ממנו עול שמים (תו׳׳כ כה

6. אני ה׳ אלוקיכם אשר הוצאתי אתכם מארץ מצרים – על תנאי הוצאתי אתכם מארץ מצרים, על תנאי שתקבלו את מצות ריבית, שכל המודה במצות ריבית מודה ביציאת מצרים, וכל הכופר במצות ריבית כאילו כפר ביציאת מצרים (תו׳׳כ בהר

Q: The obvious question: what makes the prohibition of Ribis so crucial? Why is the punishment so harsh? It is as if I deny G-d? As if I did all of the worst sins? As if I deny the exodus from Mitzrayim? How are we to understand this?

The Malbim explains: We find in this mitzvah the reality of Hashem, His presence and interaction in this world, and how He took us out of Mitzrayim; who denies the mitzvah of Ribis, denies all of this, for this mitzvah teaches us how to believe and have trust in Hashem. For one who lends his money for free, shows his trust that Hashem has given him enough money so he can afford to lend to others.

The Kli Yakar adds the reason for the prohibition of Ribis is it removes our trust in Hashem. One who does business with the recognition that it is the hand of Hashem driving his success, and that he looks to Him, is increasing his level of trust in Hashem. Equally, one who lends with Ribis has a fixed profit and is not depending on Hashem to make his money. It is for this reason the mitzvah of Ribis is put alongside the mitzvah of Shemita; another sign of our trust in Hashem.

Trust in Hashem is not some lofty ideal for only pious people of the generation. Rather, it is an obligation of every Jew; it is sacred in the eyes of Hashem. That is why Chazal provide harsh descriptions for one who lends with Ribis, and doesn’t trust in G-d.

Let’s explore the last question: If a person has issues with money and he can’t forgo on charging his fellow Jew interest, does that mean that he denies the historical fact of יציאת מצרים?

The Sefer Sifsei Chaim quotes the Maharal who explains Ribis is an עול, a yoke on a person because it is against his nature, and is more of a yoke than any other mitzvah. Why? Because it is beneficial for both parties to charge interest; the lender obviously has to gain and the borrower would rather pay interest so he can receive the money now. Therefore, it is a challenging mitzvah, because it is so beneficial to everyone involved. Therefore, when you lend money without charging interest, you are going against your nature and that is why it is compared to מקבל עולו של הקב''ה, accepting the yolk of heaven, and it is like you are fulfilling the entire Torah. The opposite is also true. If you reject Ribis it is as if you reject עול מלכות שמים וכופר בכל התורה כולה. This is because the entire Torah is an 'עול של ה' and when you charge interest you reject the yoke of Hashem, and with that you are considered rejecting the yoke of mitzvot because all mitzvot together = עולו של הקב''ה, the yoke of heaven.

So rejecting Ribis does not mean you reject the historical facts of יציאת מצרים, but that is a rejection of the essence of יציאת מצרים. Because had you felt what יציאת מצרים represents, then you would be prepared to accept the עול מצות in their completion, even mitzvot that you do not understand, and that are against your nature.

These are the lessons we should all glean from this mitzvah:

1) Rav Yisrael Salanter explains our purpose in the world is to toil in fulfilling mitzvot and learning Torah. It is a lifelong battle always trying to do what is expected of us. If you are rich, are you using your money the way you should? If you are poor, how are you responding? And so on… Our responsibility is to toil - the outcome is not always what is important, rather it is our effort that matters most.

2) But this toil is not just in the areas of Mitzvot that are easy for us. We also have to toil in the areas that are harder for us and not in our nature to perform as well. G-d doesn’t want our natures to be serving Him, he wants US to serve Him. R’ Yisrael explains that is the problem with many people; they do what is easy for them or they do what they seem to understand, but if it is against their nature or they do not understand, they don’t do it,  rationalizing that they don’t have to be concerned by it. The lesson here is we that is like serving our Master half way. We can all do more; let's aspire to reach beyond our nature and become great!

A Thought on Parashat Emor: Sefirat Haomer - Maintaining the Continuity

With Pesach in our rearview mirror we begin the race to Shavuot. We may not be sure if it is savta's cheesecake or our internal desire for matan Torah; nevertheless, we eagerly count down the days to Shavuot. It is this countdown, or the mitzvah of Sefirat Haomer that occupies our thoughts as Shavuot approaches.

As we all know, there is a mitzvah to count the omer every night. However, on occasion it is possible that someone might forget to count one night and is then left with the dilemma of what to do from that night onward. Tosfot in Mesechet Menachot (66a) quotes the opinion of the Ba’al Halachot Gedolot who says that if you miss an entire days count (both that night and the entire next day) you can no longer continue to count. He reasons that the Torah describes these seven weeks of Sefirah to be Temimot, or complete. Thus requiring you to have a complete count, so missing even one day will prevent you from fulfilling the mitzvah. Tosfot, however, disagrees and allow you to continue counting future days (even with a brocha) despite missing an entire day.

The classical approach to understanding this machloket is whether to look at the seven week period of the omer as one big seven week mitzvah with forty-nine little parts, or to view it as forty-nine separate and independent mitzvot. Apparently, the Ba’al Halachot Gedolot sees it as one big mitzvah, and therefore, once you miss one day you have lost out on the mitzvah entirely (even counting without a brocho would be meaningless according to this position). The Pri Migadim adds that according the Bahag, all the brochot from the days you counted before the missed day retroactively become brochot l’vatalot. Tosfot, on the other hand looks at Sefirah as forty-nine separate mitzvot and therefore, just because you missed out on one day, does not affect you on the next day. Therefore, one should continue to count with a brocha.

Halacha L’maaseh, the majority of the Rishonim rule like Tosfot that one should continue to count the remaining days of the omer. However, the Shulchan Aruch (489/7) rules that although we should continue to count, in deference to Bahag, we should not make a brocha. This is the accepted custom.

There is however, a difficulty that this classical interpretation encounters. Are we to believe that the Bahag really believes that if you miss one full day you have missed your chance? Have you really lost the entire mitzvah of Sefirat Haomer? And are we to believe that if one misses day 49 that he now has rendered the first 48 brochot in vain?

Although I never had the great zechut of hearing the shiurim of Harav Yosef Dov Halevi Sloveitchik, I have had the opportunity to hear a number of my Rebbeim recount The Rav’s novel approach to understanding the opinion of the Ba’al Halachot Gedolot. The Rav maintained that even the Bahag agrees that each of the forty-nine days is a separate mitzvah, the best proof that everyone must agree to this is that Chazal declared that a brocha should be recited on each of the forty-nine nights. If the classical interpretation was correct, the Bahag should have held that only one brocha be recited for all forty-nine days. If this is true, then why does the Bahag not allow you to continue counting if you missed a complete day? The Rav explained that the Bahag was of the opinion that despite the fact that each day is a separate mitzvah, the counting must be sequential. If one were to count day 1,2,3,4,6, the sequence is impaired so by missing day 5 one can no longer continue to count in the future. However, that which you counted correctly maintains intact, those days (in our example days 1-4) were done in perfect sequence, the Bahag was only concerned about the future counting.

The Rav brings a proof to his explanation by looking at another comment of the Bahag. The Bahag rules that if one forgot to count at night, but realizes it the next day, he may count, but without a brocha. One should ask, what halachic opinion would say that you can fulfill the mitzvah during the day, just don’t make a brocha? The Rav explained that this makes perfect sense with what we said before. You count during the day merely to maintain the continuity, the sequence, but you are not fulfilling that days mitzvah. So although we missed out on that days mitzvah by not counting at night, we at least maintain the sequence that allows us to continue counting in the future.

This novel explanation has a number of practical ramifications. There is a well known halacha that an Onen (a person who has lost a close relative who is lying in the period between the death and the burial) is not permitted to do mitzvot. The Nodah B’yehuda (siman 27) therefore asks, what is an Onen to do during sefirah? Many poskim maintain that if one becomes an Onen during sefirah he is not permitted to count the omer because doing so is a mitzvah. Moreover, if someone is in the unfortunate position lo aleinu, with a close relative on their death bed just before Pesach, perhaps the relative should not even begin to count Sefira from the first night? This is because according to the Pri Migadim cited above if on day ten this person becomes an Onen and may not have the ability to count, this would make the first ten brochot l’vatala. Similarly, if someone is scheduled for surgery during the Omer and due to the time of the procedure and the recovery period, it may be possible that he may miss an entire days counting, once again, perhaps he should not even begin counting on day one? In fact, most Poskim would rule like the Pri Migadim.

However, if we understand the Bahag like Rav Soloveitchik did, then our conclusion would be completely different. First of all, an Onen does not have to ever miss out on counting Sefira. Tell him not to count at night since doing so would be performing a mitzvah which he is not allowed to do, rather let him count during the daytime without a brocha. In this way he can maintain his sequence which will allow him to continue counting normally when his Onen period ends. And furthermore, with a relative on their deathbed or with one scheduled to have surgery there is no reason not to count from the beginning. Even if they do miss a complete day, according to The Rav’s explanation of the Bahag what was counted originally is still intact contrary to the ruling of the Pri Migadim.

It goes without saying that in the above cases, one should consult with his local orthodox Rabbi to determine the correct path of action. Some may rule like Rav Soloveitchik, but I suppose many would be hesitant to dismiss the words of the great Pri Migadim. There is however, one practical point that I believe we can all glean from the explanation of Rav Soloveitchik. That is that even the Bahag agrees that it is a mitzvah each and every day to count the omer. And even if we miss a complete days counting, we must not give up and assume that we have lost our chance. We must strengthen ourselves and begin the count again showing that we can not wait to receive the Shechinah of Hashem on Shavuot.

A Thought on Parashat Kedoshim: The Road to Holiness

דבר אל כל עדת בני ישראל ואמרת אלהם קדשים תהיו

This week’s Parasha sets us apart; Hashem commands us to be holy. But how do we accomplish this? This is the subject of a famous debate between Rashi and Ramban.

After discussing the forbidden relationships in last week’s Parasha, Rashi says that being holy means avoiding any forbidden relationships. The Ramban, on the other hand, explains that to be holy means separating from that which is permitted to us. Although the Torah permits you to drink wine and eat meat, spending day and night indulging in them would not only lack a positive effect, but would have a negative one. The Torah tells us that all good things should be taken or done  in moderation, with a limit. The common denominator from both commentators is a lesson in self-control. We all have desires for physical pleasures, and we must learn to take control of them rather than letting them take control of us.

Let’s dig in a bit deeper:

It seems that the Torah is commanding each and every Jew to be “holy”. Yet, when one reads the famous ancient Jewish text מסילת ישרים, The Path of the Just, you find the opening chapter teaches us:

רבי פינחס בן יאיר that תורה מביאה לידי זהירות, זהירות מביאה לידי זריזות, זריזות מביאה לידי נקיות, נקיות מביא לידי פרישות, פרישות מביאה לידי טהרה, טהרה מביאה לידי חסידות, חסידות מביאה לידי ענוה, ענוה מביאה לידי יראת חטא, יראת חטא מביא לידי קדושה, קדושה מביאה לידי רוח הקודש, רוח הקודש מביאה לידי תחיית המתים (תלמוד בבלי עבודה זרה דף כ

Kedusha is explained as the point when a person clings to Hashem so tightly that none of his actions ever take him away from Hashem, and he does not sway at all from His path. This makes it seem like kedusha is a lofty character trait that only the selective righteous attain in their lifetime. If this is true, why then does the Torah in this week’s Parasha make it seem like not is it only attainable to all of us, but that we are obligated to pursue it?

Furthermore, asks the commentary Ohr Hachaim, why is the phrase קדשים תהיו written in the future tense? Shouldn’t it be written in the present tense?

The sefer Otzrot HaTorah suggests that we can answer both of these questions with one answer. The Torah did not command us to be holy in the present tense, because that is not something that can be commanded to every individual as not all of us are on that high level. Rather, it is written in the future tense to teach us that acting in a certain way will raise us to a level of holiness, should we limit our want for forbidden pleasures.

This is similar in concept to the words of a few passages in the the Talmud:

1) Masechet Shabbat (104b) - הבא ליטהר מסייעין אותו
When a person comes to purify himself, Hashem helps him achieve this.

2) Mashecht Yoma (39b) - אדם שמקדש עצמו מעט מקדשים אותו הרבה
A person who purifies himself a little bit, Hashem will help him purify himself a lot.

3)Medrash Rabbah - Shir Hashirim 5:2) - פתחו לי פתח אחד כחודה של מחט ואני אפתח לכם לפתחים שיהיו עגלות וקרונות נסנסים בה.
Hashem is telling us that in our attempt to improve and do Teshuvah, if we open the gates of Teshuvah up a little like the eye of the needle, He will open it up the rest of the way.

4)Masechet Makot (6a) - בדרך שאדם רוצה לילך בה, מוליכין אותו
Whatever path a man wants to take, Hashem will help him take that road.

If we put these ideas together, we understand that the Torah’s commandment to be holy is not in conflict with the words of the רבי פינחס בן יאיר. We all can accomplish holiness. It is up to us to take small, consistent steps in the right direction. We can each take small steps to manage our lusts and desires, and Hashem will help us achieve a true level of to holiness.

A Thought on Yom Ha'atzmaut

A few years ago, just before Yom Ha’aztmaut, the Modern Orthodox world lost a Torah giant, with the passing of Rav Aaron Lichtenstein, zt”l. Rav Lichtenstein was an ardent religious zionist and inspired thousands of people with his Torah and his love for Israel. I thought it appropriate to share some of his Torah on Israel in celebration of Medinat Yisrael’s 71st birthday. The following d’var torah is based on a shiur delivered by one of Rav Aaron’s students, Rav Moshe Taragin.

The Torah teaches us that Yaakov Avinu describes the land of Israel in two ways:

1. Eretz migurei aviv - the land that my forefathers inhabited

2. Eretz Canaan - the land of the Canaanites.

Rav Aaron asked: Why would the Torah need two different descriptions? What is each adding to the other? Why exactly would someone want to live in the homeland of his parents?

Rav Aaron suggested two possibilities:

1. Yaakov wanted to return to live with family and make up for time away from his father. Yaakov spent many years living in the house of Lavan and felt that in order to maintain his lineage properly, he would have to return to the land of his father.
2. Yaakov understood that the land of Israel has an inherent kedusha; a special sanctity that one cannot find anywhere else in the world. He sought to grow closer to his Creator and felt that the land of Israel was the only place to do that.

Rav Aaron pointed out that Yaakov was fortunate that he could accomplish both of these ideals - maintaining both his lineage and the path to ideal spirituality -  by living in Israel. He understood that his children and subsequent generations would not be as fortunate to have this convergence. This is why he chose to describe the land of Israel in two ways. He wanted to teach us that even if our parents do not live in Israel and that aspect of maintaining lineage is not applicable to us, the kedusha of Israel is reason enough for us to strive to live there. For those who are not able to make the leap and live in Israel, at the very least we should all have an internal magnetic draw to Israel. Recognizing the spiritual exaltedness of Israel is crucial.

Who could visit Israel and without being drawn closer to Hashem? Rav Aaron would say that when we visit Israel, it cannot be the same feeling as when we visit, let’s say, California, for example. Israel is the land that Moshe Rabbeinu and Aaron Hakohen wanted so desperately to reach, even though they were not given that opportunity. For those of us who have traveled to Israel numerous times, we must appreciate the zechut of being able to step into the holy land.

Rav Aaron discussed three main aspects that created his love for Israel and his desire to be there:

1. Religious uniqueness of living in Israel
2. Standing in the presence of Hashem
3. Continuity of living in Israel

Let’s discuss each of the three aspects in a bit more detail:

1. Religious uniqueness of living in Israel

1. Performance of mitzvot: One cannot fulfill all 613 mitzvot by living in the diaspora. There are many mitzvot, mostly in the agricultural realm -such as Terumot and Maasrot, that only apply in the land of Israel.
2. There is mitzvah of Yishuv Eretz Yisrael. There is actually a commandment to live in Israel. Obviously, the only way to fulfill this is to move and live in the Holy Land.
3. Rav Aaron also was fond of quoting the Ramban who says all mitzvot are really only applicable in Israel. He says that what we do in the Diaspora is really just practice for when we are able to return to Israel. Rav Aaron quotes his Rebbi Rav Yizchak Hutner zt”l who had the practice whereupon landing in Israel, he would don his tefillin for a 2nd time that day, as if to show that his putting on tefilin earlier that day in the diaspora did not count in the same way.

2. Standing in the Presence of Hashem
1. It is common knowledge that the resting place of Hashem’s presence, His shechina, is in Israel. The Beit Hamikdash is the center of our universe and it is the ideal place to experience the shechina.
2. Rav Aaron quotes the Rambam in Hilchot Taanit, who discusses what to do when a land experiences drought. The Rambam quotes the Talmud which says that our response is to fast in the merit that Hashem should bring rain. But for some reason, the Rambam repeats himself and says that when the land of Israel experiences a drought, you should fast as well. Why the need for repetition? Rav Aaron explained that when there is no rain in the United States or in another country, it is very difficult. It can cause agricultural and economic issues. However, when there is a drought in Israel, that is an act of Hashem turning his back on us- a much bigger problem.
3. Israel is the epicentre of Jewish life. Although other Jewish communities are important, the vital center of Am Yisrael is only in Israel. If the Jewish people want to be part of the action, here in Israel is where it is.

3. Continuity of Jewish living is in Israel

Despite the fact that we have a fixed Jewish calendar, only the Jews living in Israel have the authority to designate the new moon, which determines when our weeks, months and Jewish holidays take place. We need Jews living in Israel so that Jewish life around the world can exist. The Rambam says that there will always be a group of Jewish people living in Israel to ensure our existence as Jewish people will continue indefinitely.

Rav Aaron concludes by reiterating that even those of us who, for personal or professional reasons, must live in the diaspora, at the very least we should feel this emotional and halachic pull towards Israel, a bond that exists within ever Jew.

A Thought on Parashat Acharei Mot: Where Did Nadav and Avihu Go Wrong?

In this week’s parasha, two of Aharon’s sons have just died. There are different understandings behind what sin led to the death of the Nadav and Avihu: 1. They brought an unwarranted korban, 2. They came into the Mishkan drunk, or 3. They determined and judged halacha in front of Moshe and Aharon.

Let’s try to understand on a deeper level exactly where they went wrong.

Our Rabbis teach us that the building of the mishkan atoned for two major sins:
1. It was built as an atonement for the chet ha’egel, “Hashem said, bring a golden mishkan to atone for the golden calf. Hashem said to the Jews, at the time you created the calf, I got angry, but now that you made the mishkan, I am appeased."
2. It was build as an atonement for Mechirat Yosef, the brothers sale of Yosef.

What is the message here? What is the connection between the chet ha’egel and the sale of Yosef?

The sefer Drash Dovid explains that both sins were a result of not seeking guidance from those bigger than themselves. The sons of Yaakov should have consulted with Yaakov and had they, it could have avoided mechirat Yosef. The Jewish people should have consulted Aharon or the zekainim, and had they, it could have prevented chet ha'egel.

The mishkan was built by the zekainim calling Aharon and his sons to put it together. Hashem’s intent was to show the value of the zekainim and to show the Jewish people that they should be mevatel themselves, and not act on their own logic alone, but rather to always seek guidance from their elders.

Let's review the words of the Brisker Rav that I discussed a few weeks ago, during Parashat Parah and see how it connects to Nadav and Avidu and the building of the mishkan. Rashi discusses the fact  hat the Para Adumah was an atonement for the chet ha’egel. Aside from them both being in the cow family, what is the connection? He explains that the Jewish people’s sin with the egel was that they acted based on their own understanding of things, rather than on the foundation of Hashem’s commands. This was not idol worship, rather they had just received the Torah and heard אנכי ה׳ אלקך. They could not be looking for a new G-d. Rather, they had good intentions to find another medium to reach Hashem. But despite these good intentions, they made their own determination rather than seeking an answer from Hashem.

So we davka take a para aduma, a calf, which the Torah describes as a chok, something we do not understand or are not given reasons for. We are commanded to do it just because. Just because Hashem wants us to. Doing this can atone for us trying to use our own initiative in a place it wasn’t warranted.

Perhaps this is also why the Torah, in Parashas Pekudei, says by each detail in building the mishkan,

כאשר צוה ה׳ את משה

To show that the mishkan was also an atonement for the egel, and that we do each thing simply because Hashem commands us to do it.

The moral for us is that the Mishkan is about nullifying our own daat, our own logic before Hashem. This does not mean that He doesn’t want us to think for ourselves or to have creative minds, but rather, He wants us to understand that our thinking is second to His and should never conflict with His commandments.

Perhaps we now understand that this was also the sin of Nadav and Avihu, in the sense that they did something other than what they were commanded to do. Despite their good intentions, similar to the Jewish people and the chet ha’egel, the brothers defiled the kedusha of the mishkan by not fully grasping the true meaning behind its creation. As Jews, we look to the 10 commandments and to the Torah for guidance. While we are born with free will, we must comprehend that Hashem guides us clearly and before making a rash decision of our own, we should look to him, to our Rabbis and Chaachamim, rather than determining what is best on our own.