Fwd: Homeward Bound

And he will initiate atonement for himself and for his household. (Vayikra 16:6)

 

Homeward Bound

One of the integral components of the Kohen Gadol's Yom Kippur service was the bull offering, the blood of which he sprinkled in the Kodesh Hakadashim, the Holy of Holies, to atone "for himself and for his household." His household, explains the Mishna (Yoma 1:1), refers to his wife. The Mishna deduces from here that an unmarried Kohen Gadol was not suitable for the Yom Kippur service.

The requirement that the Kohen Gadol be married contrasts the mistake made by Nadav and Avihu, whose deaths are mentioned at the beginning of this parsha. They were punished, according to one opinion in the Midrash, because they never married, or according to another opinion, because they (consequently) never had children (see Vayikra Rabbah 20:8). As Chassidus explains, Nadav and Avihu sought spiritual ecstasy and rapturous love of G-d to such an extent that they lost sight of G-d's desire that we all sanctify our physical lives, not abandon them. As a result, they neglected the Divine precept of marrying and building a family, opting instead for a more spiritual existence—a choice for which they were ultimately punished. Conversely, the Kohen Gadol must predicate his extraordinary spiritual service on a commitment to G-d's desire that we fuse our spiritual pursuits with our physical lives. His entry to the Holy of Holies is therefore not in contrast with his family life; it is contingent upon it.

The Kohen Gadol's synthesis of his extraordinary spiritual life and his more mundane family life serves as a lesson to us all. Our physical lives and our spiritual experiences must not be mutually exclusive; in our moments of spiritual excitement and inspiration—"in the Holy of Holies"—we must plan concretely how we will translate these spiritual highs into enhanced Torah observance in our mundane day-to-day lives. At the same time, we must imbue our families with the conviction that an increase in spiritual wealth, such as devoting additional time to prayer and Torah study, is not a cause for financial concern; on the contrary, this will bring us abundance and prosperity in our physical and material lives as well.

-Likutei Sichos, vol. 3, pp. 989-993