A few years ago I wrote about Eisav. I posed the question as to whether or not he was aware of the wicked person he was. I quoted the Shem miShmuel who writes that Esav was not aware of his wickedness, nor did he ever stop to question his behavior. It was that lack of self-questioning, that surety that as the son of Yitzchok he could not possible be doing anything wrong, that led him to become the evil person he was.
I want to elaborate on this point.
HaChalban, in his commentary on Vayikra, while discussing the story of Nadav and Avihu, explains that before sinning Adam HaRishon had an instinctive understanding of the will of God. This instinct was lost after the Sin and no humans possessed that instinct until the time of the Avos (the Patriarchs). Our Sages teach us that Avrohom fulfilled all the Mitzvoth of the Torah. How did he know what to do if the Torah was not yet given? By instinct.
This sheds some light on the mindset of Esav. He saw his father and grandfather were people who always knew instinctively what it was that God wanted of them. He assumed that his instincts were equally in sync with God's will. He never thought twice that that might not be the case, nor did it dawn on him that his ancestors had worked on their character to become the people they were; he neglected to do so.
Taking this one step further, we can understand the sin of Nadav and Avihu. At the giving of the Torah the world returned to a state akin to that which existed in Gan Eden. They intentionally did something that they were not commanded, but that they instinctively felt was the right thing to do, because they felt that they were living in an age where instinctive service of God was paramount.
Their mistake was predicated on their only relying on their instinct and not combining it with the wisdom of their elders. חכם עדיף מנביא we are taught. A prophet who understands God's will instinctively, still needs the checks and balances created by a Wise Sage to ensure that his instinct is not leading him out of bounds.
For this reason we find that when Pinchas killed Zimri and Cuzbi he was then filled with the souls of Nadav and Avihu. This is because that killing is not halachically mandated, but, in this case, what he did was the will of God. Interestingly, we are taught that prior to killing Zimri Pinchas went to Moshe to ask if it was the right thing to do. Moshe told him that this was outside the realm of Halacha, but if he was so angered by their behavior he was permitted to do so. We see than that Pinchas, even when acting instinctively and even though he was right, first consulted with the Sages to make sure that his instinct was not misleading him.
I want to elaborate on this point.
HaChalban, in his commentary on Vayikra, while discussing the story of Nadav and Avihu, explains that before sinning Adam HaRishon had an instinctive understanding of the will of God. This instinct was lost after the Sin and no humans possessed that instinct until the time of the Avos (the Patriarchs). Our Sages teach us that Avrohom fulfilled all the Mitzvoth of the Torah. How did he know what to do if the Torah was not yet given? By instinct.
This sheds some light on the mindset of Esav. He saw his father and grandfather were people who always knew instinctively what it was that God wanted of them. He assumed that his instincts were equally in sync with God's will. He never thought twice that that might not be the case, nor did it dawn on him that his ancestors had worked on their character to become the people they were; he neglected to do so.
Taking this one step further, we can understand the sin of Nadav and Avihu. At the giving of the Torah the world returned to a state akin to that which existed in Gan Eden. They intentionally did something that they were not commanded, but that they instinctively felt was the right thing to do, because they felt that they were living in an age where instinctive service of God was paramount.
Their mistake was predicated on their only relying on their instinct and not combining it with the wisdom of their elders. חכם עדיף מנביא we are taught. A prophet who understands God's will instinctively, still needs the checks and balances created by a Wise Sage to ensure that his instinct is not leading him out of bounds.
For this reason we find that when Pinchas killed Zimri and Cuzbi he was then filled with the souls of Nadav and Avihu. This is because that killing is not halachically mandated, but, in this case, what he did was the will of God. Interestingly, we are taught that prior to killing Zimri Pinchas went to Moshe to ask if it was the right thing to do. Moshe told him that this was outside the realm of Halacha, but if he was so angered by their behavior he was permitted to do so. We see than that Pinchas, even when acting instinctively and even though he was right, first consulted with the Sages to make sure that his instinct was not misleading him.
