Dear Friends;
I hope that you will enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;
” Parsha in a Nutshell “
Parshat Shemini begins by discussing the events which occurred on the eighth and final day of the inauguration service in the Mishkan (Tabernacle). After months of preparation and anticipation, Aaron and his sons are finally installed as Kohanim (priests) in an elaborate service. Aaron blesses the people, and the entire nation rejoices as Hashem’s presence rests upon them. However, the excitement comes to an abrupt halt as Aaron’s two elder sons, Nadav and Avihu, offer a “strange fire before G-d, which He commanded them not” and die before G-d. Aaron is silent in face of his tragedy.
Aaron is informed that the Kohanim are forbidden to enter the Mishkan while intoxicated, and the Torah continues to relate the events which occur immediately after Nadav and Avihu’s tragic death. The portion concludes with a listing of the kosher and non-kosher animals, and various laws about tumah, ritual contamination!
“ Dvar Torah “
Enthusiasm! Oxford dictionary defines it as “a feeling of energetic interest in a particular subject or activity and an eagerness to be involved in it.” Enthusiasm creates passion and excitement in people. It creates a positive energy to do more. Successful individuals have achieved their positions because they enthusiastically pursued their goals. To have a dream and to run after it will all your heart and soul, is what enthusiasm is all about.
Although enthusiasm is extremely essential to have in order to achieve success, but Rabbi Jonathan Sacks believes that it does not work in every field, especially in regards to religion. Enthusiasm in religion can result in over-confidence. A religious enthusiast can come to believe that he is being inspired by G-d himself, and is thus empowered to disregard reason and restrictions. He may think that he’s qualified to approach the Divinity, without any human mediator. The person with spiritual enthusiasm may feel so holy that he feels able to override the rules given by priests and prophets. Rules and regulations, thinks the enthusiast, are for ordinary people, not for me. We, inspired by God, know better. And this is a kind of enthusiasm that can be very dangerous indeed.
In this week’s Parsha, we learn about the tragic death of Nadav and Avihu, the two elder sons of Aaron. The story goes as follows: After the completion of the construction of the “Mishkan”, it was time for it’s inauguration. The excitement was filled in the air. Everyone came to watch this joyful event. All the vessels were placed in their right spots and the altar was all ready to begin the first sacrifice ceremony. Aaron and his sons have been appointed as the only Priests to do the ceremonies. For seven days Moshe, Aaron and his sons rehearsed the inauguration ceremony procedures, and finally, it was on the eighth day that G-d’s Presence would finally descend upon the Mishkan, and it was time for the ceremony to start. The congregation were anxiously waiting to watch this fascinating, never-seen-before event.
But, suddenly, the celebration went terribly wrong. The Torah tells us that just before the ceremony started, the two eldest sons of Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, entered the Mishkan without authorization. They decided to offer their own incense, something they assumed would surely bring joy to their Creator. But tragedy struck. A fire came forth from the heaven. And the fire that should have consumed their offerings, consumed them instead, and they both died in an instant! The Torah tells us that the reason for their death was because they brought an alien fire before Hashem, that He had not commanded them. Evidently our sages felt that there must have been something else, some further sin or character flaw, to justify their harsh punishment.
A variety of commentaries were given by our sages to justify their death. Some speculated that they were guilty of entering the Holy of Holies; that they had given a ruling of their own accord without consulting Moses or Aaron; that they had become intoxicated; that they were not properly robed; that they had not purified themselves with water from the laver; that they were so self-important that they had not married, thinking no woman was good enough for them; or that they were impatient for Moses and Aaron to die so they could become the leaders of Israel.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks says, although all these interpretations may be true, valid and important, they are not the plain sense of the verse. The text is quite clear. The Torah says merely that they offered “unauthorised fire”. The sin was that they did something that had not been commanded. Nadav and Avihu, he says, were religious “enthusiasts”! They were people who, full of religious passion, believed that God was inspiring them to do deeds in defiance of law and convention. They were very holy but they were also potentially very dangerous. To bring unauthorised fire to the Tabernacle might seem a small offence, but a single unauthorised act in the field of holiness can cause a gap in the laws around the sacred that can grow in time to a big hole. Enthusiasm, as harmless as it may seem, can quickly become extremism, fanaticism and religiously motivated violence. That’s why religion needs to be under control by laws and rituals in order to contain the fire of faith. Otherwise it can eventually become a raging inferno, spreading destruction and claiming lives. Nadav and Avihu surely brought their offerings, for the highest motives and good intentions, but that wasn’t good enough. Because in order to get close to G-d, you need to follow the rules of G-d!!
Yes my friends, enthusiasm is a positive force needed to achieve success, but in religion, it can be potentially dangerous. That is why our holy places and rituals must be guarded with rules, the same way a nuclear power station must be protected by the most careful insulation. You see, when you are inspired by religion, you can easily add your own interpretation of holiness. People kill other people in the name of religion. People even kill themselves thinking that they are getting closer to G-d! Once you feel that you have become holy, you think that you can override the rules and regulations. Killing, stealing and committing adultery becomes justifiable by your own interpretation of religion. Religious advancement without being assessed by authorized leaders and teachers can easily turn into fanaticism and extremism. It can happen to anyone in any religion!
Remember that Nadav and Avihu lost their lives because they were overconfident in their holy action. They thought that they were doing the right thing, but it ended up being the worse thing they could ever do!
Shabbat Shalom & Regards;
Martin