Moshe Rabbeinu and Aharon HaKohen had opposing views concerning the Rosh Chodesh he-goat. The kohanim burned it, because they felt it was kodshei doros, consecrated forever, to be offered again and again. They felt that, since they were onenim, mourners, who had just witnessed the tragic deaths of Nadav and Avihu, they could not partake of the meat. Although Moshe had said they were allowed to eat the first two korbanos (meal-offerings), they were kodshei shah, offering consecrate specifically for the Inauguration of the Mishkan. Moshe, however, felt they could eat the seir Rosh Chodesh, as well. Moshe accepted Aharon’s logic that it should not be eaten. The Lev Simchah asks a practical question: Where was Moshe? He should have been present, instructing the kohanim to eat the korban and not burn it. The Rebbe explains that Moshe was attending the funeral of Nadav and Avihu. Thus, he was not present when the Kohanim burned the korban.
The Pnei Menachem (Lev Simchah’s brother and successor) explained: Concerning Nadav and Avihu’s deaths, the Torah writes: V’acheichem kol bais Yisrael yivku es ha’sereifah asher saraf Hashem, “And your brethren, the entire Bnei Yisrael, shall bewail the conflagration that Hashem ignited” (Ibid. 10:6). The word yivku, shall bewail, is future tense. It should have been in present or even past tense – not future. He explains that, when a tzaddik passes, the void his loss leaves becomes greater, and the people feel it more each day. Thus, the Torah writes it in future tense. Alternatively, it was Rosh Chodesh Nissan, on which we neither render eulogies nor fast. Indeed, this continues for the entire month. Thus, Moshe used the word yivku in future tense, alluding to the fact that the real eulogy and weeping would be delayed until the end of the month.
