Moshe Kollmar and Yakir Forman's Review of Rabbi Riskin on Parashat Shemini

The Message of Silence:Nadav and Avihu as Sacred Martyrs (by Rabbi Riskin, page 81)

וַתֵּצֵא אֵשׁ מִלִּפְנֵי יְהוָה, וַתֹּאכַל אוֹתָם; וַיָּמֻתוּ, לִפְנֵי יְהוָה (VaYikra 10:2)
Ironically, on the day when Aharon is appointed High Priest, progenitor of future priests, his two oldest sons are burnt alive by a heavenly fire. Rashi, commenting on “Hu Asher Diber Hashem Leimor BiKrovai Ekadeish” (VaYikra 10:3), explains that it is sometimes necessary for holy people today to bring further Kedushah. According to Rabbi Riskin, this is reminiscent of the Berit Bein haBetarim:
ז וַיֹּאמֶר, אֵלָיו:  אֲנִי יְהוָה, אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִיךָ מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים--לָתֶת לְךָ אֶת-הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת, לְרִשְׁתָּהּ ...
יז וַיְהִי הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ בָּאָה, וַעֲלָטָה הָיָה; וְהִנֵּה תַנּוּר עָשָׁן, וְלַפִּיד אֵשׁ, אֲשֶׁר עָבַר, בֵּין הַגְּזָרִים הָאֵלֶּה
יח בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא, כָּרַת יְהוָה אֶת-אַבְרָם--בְּרִית לֵאמֹר:  לְזַרְעֲךָ, נָתַתִּי אֶת-הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת, מִנְּהַר מִצְרַיִם, עַד-הַנָּהָר הַגָּדֹל נְהַר-פְּרָת. (BeReishit Perek 15)
In the Berit Bein HaBetarim, Hashem notes that exile is a necessary prelude to redemption. Rabbi Riskin points to some relevant practices on Pesach that highlight this point: the sandwiching of Matzah (symbolizing redemption) and Maror (symbolizing exile), and the combination of wine (symbolizing redemption) and sacrifice (symbolizing exile). Rabbi Riskin notes very insightfully that this is the reason for the present-day juxtaposition of Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut: to remember that Israel was bought with the sacrifice of the soldiers who fought for it. Rabbi Riskin also notes that terrorism victims in Israel make a similar sacrifice, which is very useful for the families of these victims, as it gives them an appropriate way to respond: in Rabbi Riskin’s words, “a heavy, poignant and accepting silence,” just like Aharon’s (10:3).

Rabbi Riskin also gives a story to illustrate this point.  Once, he attended a Chassidic Bris Milah, where, while reciting the words ”BDamayich Chayi”, the Rabbi, a Holocaust survivor,  became all choked up in emotion.  These words have a double meaning: 1)By your blood, you shall live, which is Pshat, and 2)By your silence, you shall live. Thus, we see a connection between blood - the sacrifice that holy individuals make - and silence - the response to that sacrifice. Rabbi Riskin notes that while silence is an appropriate response for mere humans, we pray, in the words of Sefer Tehillim (83:2-3), that Hashem will eventually have some response other than silence:

אֱלֹהִים אַל-דֳּמִי-לָךְ;    אַל-תֶּחֱרַשׁ וְאַל-תִּשְׁקֹט אֵל

כִּי-הִנֵּה אוֹיְבֶיךָ, יֶהֱמָיוּן;    וּמְשַׂנְאֶיךָ, נָשְׂאוּ רֹאשׁ

This was a very nice article.  Most of Y13 would have gone crazy with the parts that were slightly Chassidic in nature, but we are some of the more open-minded seniors in the class. We though his comparisonsto the Berit Bein HaBetarim and the Pesach exmaples were clever. We especially found it poignant that Rabbi Riskin’s message was so practical in dealing with the response to tragedies that occur so often in our time (including twice in Israel in the past two weeks). His message is extraordinarily important.