כלי יקר — אחרי מות שני בני אהרן / בקרבתם לפני ה' וימתו

Q — Verse 1 says 'וידבר ה' אל משה אחרי מות שני בני אהרן' but doesn't tell us *what* Hashem said — the explicit speech begins in verse 2 with 'דבר אל אהרן.' Where is the content of the first speech?

A — Kli Yakar's striking read: the four words 'בקרבתם לפני ה' וימתו' are not the Torah's narration to us — they are *the speech itself*. Hashem told Moshe: this is the reason. 'בקרבתם לפני ה'' — *because* of their closeness. Those near to the King are held to a different standard: 'וסביביו נשערה מאד' (Tehillim 50:3), 'מדקדק עם סביביו כחוט השערה' (Yevamot 121b). Even a small slip becomes lethal at the highest proximity. The four 'extra' words are themselves the eulogy and the warning — the closer you are, the smaller the margin.