The Eagle's Watch and the Death of Nadab and Abihu

(Job 39:29:) "From there it digs out food (its eyes behold from afar)." From there it would search and spy out the food for the whole year entire. (As it says there:) "Its eyes behold from afar" — he (the High Priest) would know from beginning to end. How so? When he would gaze and see the smoke of the altar-pile rising toward the south, he would know that in the south there would be plenty; and so too for the north, and so too for the west, and so too for the east. When it rose toward the firmament, he would know that the whole world would have plenty. [And after all this praise, (Job 39:30:) "And its nestlings lap up blood, etc." — he (Aaron) saw his nestlings cooing in blood, and he kept silent; rather, (as it says, Job 39:30:) "and where the slain are" — Nadab and Abihu — "there it is" — there is the Divine Presence.] R. Judan said in the name of R. Joshua ben Levi, in the name of R. Berekhyah, in the name of R. Hiyya bar Abba: "Draw near, carry your brothers away from the holiness" is not written here, but rather "from before the holiness" (Lev. 10:4) — like a man who says to his fellow: "Remove the dead one from before his father. How long shall he look upon his son dead?" Therefore it is written (Lev. 16:1): "After the death of the two sons of Aaron."