Breathing Life Into Stones: On Aaron, Emotional Labor, and Parashat Shemini
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the passage just before the beginning of Shemini (Leviticus 9:1–11:47) explains that “Aaron and his sons did all the things which the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses.” Given the events that transpired in Ki Tisa, from the construction of the golden calf to the inscription of the stone tablets to the diverse fire imagery to the highlighting of G-d’s attributes, Aaron is managing countless emotions and grappling with accountability concerns by the start of Shemini.
The focus of the following reflections will be Leviticus 10:3 which chronicles Aaron’s reaction to the fiery deaths of his sons. After Nadab and Abihu were consumed by flames after offering a “strange fire” to the Lord, an act that was not commanded of them, Aaron “held his peace.” Other translations of the text describing Aaron’s actions include “Aaron remained silent,” “Aaron kept silent,” “Aaron said nothing,” “Aaron was pricked in his heart,” and “Aaron was speechless.”
15th century Portuguese philosopher and Jewish statesman Abarbanel’s commentary on the passage explains that ”[Aaron’s] heart became like an inanimate (domem) rock, and he did not raise his voice in crying or eulogy, as would a father for [his] children; he also did not accept condolences from Moses. For he had no breath…
