02 Apr PARSHAS SHEMINI: IT IS CERTAINLY NOT MY FAULT!

This week’s parsha
begins with the “Eighth
Day.” During the
previous week the
Jewish people had
occupied themselves
with what is known as
the “Seven Days of Consecration” leading up
to the inauguration of the Mishkan. All that
was left to happen on the eighth day was for
the Divine Presence of G-d to descend and
become noticeable in the Mishkan.
Rashi, at the beginning of the Parsha, cites the
following Medrash: “When Aharon saw that
all the sacrifices were offered and all the rituals
were performed, yet the Shechinah did not
descend upon Israel, he was distressed. He
said, ‘I know that G-d is angry with me and
because of me, the Shechinah did not descend
upon Israel.’” Moshe tried to tell Aharon this
was not the case, but Aharon remained
distressed.
Let us imagine how Aharon must have felt.
Here he was, serving as the Kohen Gadol. He
was representing the entire Jewish nation.
Only recently, the entire nation had sullied
themselves through the sin of the Golden Calf.
The active participants were killed shortly
after the incident. However, it was not only the
active participants who perpetrated that sin.

Virtually the entire nation was sullied by the
Golden Calf. When Moshe, having descended
from the mountain, discovered what had
transpired, he raised the banner and called
“Who is for G-d, let him join with me.” Only
the Shevet Levi gathered around Moshe to
defend G-d’s honor. The rest of the people
were tolerant enough of what had transpired
that they did not rally around that banner.
If we were Aharon, we could have very easily
shifted the blame, for the failure of the
Shechinah to descend, to the nation. “We acted
for the Sake of Heaven. We, the tribe of Levi
and the Kohanim are not to blame. It is the
people’s fault that the Divine Presence failed
to descend! It is certainly not our fault!”
Rav Yeruchem Levovitz says that this
Medrash demonstrates the tremendous
strength of character of Aharon. When
something goes wrong, most of humanity
says, “it is HIS fault!” When there are
gatherings for repentance and introspection as
a result of tragedies in a community, Heaven
forbid, our reaction is invariably “I wonder
what OTHER people are doing wrong!”
Aharon demonstrated the exact opposite
reaction. His a priori assumption was “it must
be MY fault!” If more of us had this attitude,
rather than looking around and saying “who
could it be?” or “what are THEY doing

wrong?” then we would be a better people and
the community would be a better community.
I once heard a very powerful insight from the
Brisker Rov, zt”l. When Yonah was on the
boat and the boat was about to break up, all the
sailors prayed to their gods. Again, if we were
in a similar situation, what would our reaction
be? What if we were on an airplane and things
became very turbulent, or Heaven forbid there
was engine trouble? Everyone would become
panicky and would start praying to the ‘gods’
of their religion. Wouldn’t our reaction be
“You guys keep quiet — I’ll daven!”? Would
we not think “How will we ever survive if
these guys are worshiping foreign gods – they
are making matters worse, not better”?
Yonah was in a similar situation. He was on
the boat and everyone was carrying on. This
sailor invoked this Avodah Zarah and that
sailor invoked that Avodah Zarah. The boat
was on the verge of shattering. Yet, Yonah – in
the presence of all the idolaters – was
convinced that it was his own fault. The boat
was not on the verge of destruction because of
the idolaters. Yonah was convinced that the
boat was on the verge of destruction because
of him, the righteous prophet.
Yonah was in fact correct. It was the very fact
of his righteousness and lineage and stature
that convinced him – correctly – that it was

HIS fault! He should know better. More is
expected of him. The greater the person is, the
greater the responsibility for success or failure.
This too was the reaction of Aharon. The
blame was not placed on the people who just
worshiped the Golden Calf. He accepted the
blame on his own shoulders, because
responsibility comes with greatness.
This must be our attitude as well. Our “holy
community” ought not look elsewhere to find
blame when “bad things happen.” Yes, there is
intermarriage and yes, there is abandonment
of Torah and the basics of Judaism elsewhere.
Yet despite many failings of so much of the
Jewish People who are not observant, it is not
necessarily THEIR fault. “For I know that it is
because of me that this great tempest is upon
you” [Yonah 1:12].
When a community ‘knows better’ – when
they know what is right and what is wrong, the
responsibility lies with them. This must be our
attitude, the attitude of Aharon the Kohen
Gadol and of Yonah the prophet. If we would
have that attitude and use it to improve our
lives then we would merit the descent of the
Shechinah, speedily may it come in our days.