“And Moshe called to Misha’el and to Eltzafan, the sons of Uzi’el the uncle of Aharon, and he said to them, ‘go closer and carry your brothers (i.e. your relatives, referring to Nadav and Avihu, their cousin’s sons, who had just died when they brought a strange fire before G-d) from before the face of the holy to the outside of the camp.’ And they came closer and they carried them in their tunics to the outside of the camp, as Moshe had spoken.” The last three words of the second of these verses (Vayikra 10:4-5) would seem to be extraneous; why reiterate that they had done what Moshe asked of them if we were just told that Moshe asked them to do it and that they did it? Isn’t it obvious that they were following Moshe’s instructions?

Almost as if to highlight the issue, the very next verses (10:6-7) also contain instructions given by Moshe, this time to Aharon, Elazar and Isamar, and conclude with a similar expression; “and they did as Moshe had spoken.” There, however, the narrative does not include that Moshe’s instructions were followed; we only know that they were from these concluding words. Regarding Misha’el and Eltzafan, on the other hand, we are given the “play-by-play” of their following Moshe’s instructions before being told that they did “as Moshe had spoken.” What do these words add?

Netziv suggests that since Levi’im were chosen to move the dead bodies from the Mishkan because Yisra’elim weren’t allowed to go there, once the corpses were removed from the Mishkan the task of taking them “outside the camp” could have been handled by Yisra’elim. Yet, Misha’el and Eltzafan did it themselves, and we might have thought that this was not included in Moshe’s instructions. Therefore, the Torah says it was “as Moshe had spoken,” i.e. his instructions included taking the corpses outside the camp, not just removing them from the Mishkan complex (as having such important people do so honored the dead). Nevertheless, Moshe’s instructions (10:4) include the exact same words (“to the outside of the camp”) as their fulfillment does (10:5); I’m not sure why we would think they mean different things in the two (consecutive) verses.

According to Rabbi Akiva (Toras Kohanim, Sh’mini, M’chilta d’Milu’im 35), Nadav and Avihu died inside the Kodesh HaKadashim (i.e. literally “before G-d,” see 10:2). In order to avoid entering the inner sanctum unnecessarily, Misha’el and Eltzafan used metal spears (or long-handled metal hooks) to grab onto their garments and pull them out. It is possible that in order to make sure we know that the manner in which they removed the corpses (“by their tunics”) was also included in Moshe’s instructions (not just that they should remove them), the Torah added “as Moshe had spoken.”

Midrash Lekach Tov says that the reason there are two musical notes under the word “go closer” is because Misha’el and Eltzafan were afraid to, so Moshe had to tell them to do so twice. Oznayim L’Torah adds that this is why the Torah says Moshe “called them” and then “said to them,” as they were afraid that they would be swallowed by the fire that had consumed Nadav and Avihu, and had to be asked twice. If so, it is possible that the extra “as Moshe had spoken” also alludes to Moshe having to ask them more than once (with his communication with them described in three ways; calling, saying and speaking).

There are several other places in the Torah where the expression “as was spoken” or “as was commanded” is used despite it being accompanied by words that already indicate that the instructions were followed properly. For example, when the nation was commanded to send all who were ritually impure out of the camp(s), we are told that “the Children of Israel did so, and they sent them to the outside of the camp, as G-d had spoken to Moshe, so did the Children of Israel do” (Bamidbar 5:4). The words that are most similar to the extra words in our verse are “as G-d had spoken to Moshe,” but the Sifre includes them with the rest of the end of the verse, understanding the double clause to mean that not only did the nation send out those who were ritually impure, but those who needed to leave did so without having to be forced to by others. When the Sabbath violator was stoned to death (Bamidbar 15:36), after G-d instructed the nation to stone him (15:35) and we are told that they did stone him (15:36), the Torah adds, “as G-d had commanded Moshe.” The Sifre explains that the verse is telling us that “He told them to stone him, and they stoned him; He told them to hang him [afterwards] and they hung him [afterwards].” Again the extra clause teaches us an additional aspect not explicit in the verse. When the blasphemer was stoned (Vayikra 24:23), the instructions were laid out (24:14), they were carried out (24:23), and then we are told that “the Children of Israel did as G-d had commanded Moshe. Like the Sifre, Toras Kohanim understands these extra words to refer to the additional aspects of the “stoning” process (see Rashi and Ramban). The implication is clear; adding that “it was done as had been spoken” or “as had been commanded” means that all the aspects of the commandment were fulfilled. In regards to removing the bodies of Nadav and Avihu, it could refer to finding a way to do so without entering the Kodesh HaKadashim, or to removing the corpses from the camp even though they could have asked a Yisra’el to do it once they were outside the Mishkan.

After Ramban quotes Toras Kohanim, he adds that the additional clause (by the blasphemer) teaches us that the motivation behind the action was pure; the nation stoned the blasphemer because it was what G-d had commanded them to do, not because they held a grudge against the blasphemer (who was the son of an Egyptian and was fighting with a Yisra’el). If we were to apply this to our verse, it could be suggested that the Torah is informing us that Misha’el and Eltzafan followed Moshe’s instructions because he asked them to, not because of any personal motivation. What kind of personal motivation could they have possibly had? Korach, and other Levi’im, were jealous of Aharon and his sons for being chosen over them as Kohanim (see Oznayim L’Torah on 10:5 regarding Kohanim having special clothing that Levi’im couldn’t wear). Did Misha’el and/or Eltzafan feel this kind of jealousy? Did they experience any sort of glee when their cousin’s sons, who were chosen over them to have a more primary role in the Mishkan, died when they weren’t careful enough with their special access to G-d’s sanctuary? Did they relish the opportunity to be the ones to remove their corpses when their lofty position contributed to their downfall? “And they came closer and they carried them in their tunics to the outside of the camp, as Moshe had spoken.” Not for any other reason or any other motivation; only because Moshe told them to do it.