← All Texts Midrash Tanchuma, Achrei Mot 5

Midrash Tanchuma, Achrei Mot 5

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Tanchuma, Achrei Mot 5

Curated by The Jewish Mythology Team · Published March 15, 2026

(Lev. 16:1:) “After the death of Aaron's two sons.” R. Berekhyah opened (his discourse with Prov. 17:26), “To punish also the righteous is not good; to smite the noble ones for uprightness.”<sup class="footnote-marker">35</sup><i class="footnote">Lev. R. 20:6; <i>PRK</i> 26(27):6/7.</i> Said the Holy One, blessed be He, “Although I punished Aaron (for the golden calf) by taking his two children from him, it is not good. It was only (according to ibid., cont.) “to smite the noble ones for uprightness<i>.”</i><sup class="footnote-marker">36</sup><i class="footnote">Perhaps either because they themselves had sinned or in order to sanctify the Divine Name, since (according to Lev. 10:3) Aaron accepted their deaths in silence. See Enoch Zundel in his commentary on <i>Tanh</i>., Lev. 6:5.</i>

Themes

Original Sources

Midrash Tanchuma, Achrei Mot 5

Continue Reading

Tree of Souls God's Sword This one’s half fire, half ice. Quite the contrast. According to 3 Enoch 32:1, when God opens this extraordinary book, s... Tree of Souls God's Prayer We often think of prayer as something we do, a way to connect with the Divine. But Jewish tradition sometimes paints a d... Tree of Souls The Casting Down Of The Shekhinah Jewish tradition has a powerful, even startling, way of expressing this idea, especially when talking about the destruct... Tree of Souls God Defers To The Earthly Court It might surprise you. Imagine all the angels gathered, a celestial court in session. They turn to the Master of the Uni... Tree of Souls The First Twelve Hours Of Adam's Life Jewish tradition offers a fascinating, almost dizzying glimpse into that unimaginable period. We know that on each of th... Tree of Souls God The Potter A potter takes clay, formless and without purpose, and shapes it into something beautiful, something useful. The clay sp... Tree of Souls Michael, The Patron Angel For the Jewish people, tradition answers with a resounding name: Michael. But it's not always a simple story of unwaveri... Tree of Souls The Keeper Of The Book Of Records He’s not exactly a household name, even in well-versed Jewish circles, but this heavenly prince has a pretty important j... Tree of Souls Guardian Angels Like there's someone... or something... watching over you? Well, Jewish tradition has a fascinating answer for that feel...