Perashat Shemini Article

Nadav and Avihu – The Time for Script and the Time for Improvisation By: Jeffrey Dweck Scripts normalize human behavior. They are guarded by strict guidelines, surveillance and punishment for deviation. Human behavior, left to its own, is abnormal, or in flux. Scripts have predictable endings. Most human endeavors do not. For the service of Hashem, we require a beginning and an end, a predictable roadmap which to follow in order to achieve “Kiruv,” or closeness to Hashem. That is unique to Hashem and to the rituals of Judaism that are between Man and G-d– we don’t veer left or right, but rely on the immutable wisdom of the Torah’s commandments in guiding us. This is unlike many areas of Judaism between Man and Man in which, for better or for worse, the intellect and initiative are invited to play a role and the unpredictable prevails. The Korbanot – Script or Improvisation? The perasha opens with the promise of a momentous drama: “On the eighth day Moshe called Aharon and his sons and the elders of Israel....today Hashem will appear to you.” (9:1-4). This sets the background for a tragedy hence unexpected: “Now Aharon’s sons Nadav and Avihu each took his firepan, put fire on it, and laid incense upon it; and they offered before Hashem strange fire, of which they had not been commanded. And fire came forth from Hashem and consumed them; and so they died before Hashem. There are at least eight different opinions as to what the transgression of Nadav and Avihu was. The peshat mentions “strange fire” and that “they had not been commanded.” The assumption is that it was not the time for the fire and incense offering they were bringing. At a time when total obedience and a very specific sequence was in order, individual initiative was not. And Hashem’s reaction to that was swift. The peshat (plain meaning of the text) immediately following the incident, and again at the opening of Aharei Mot (to be read in a few weeks), makes no repeat mention of the strange fire or, for that matter, any specific transgression. Note that Hashem expresses no anger (compare this with the striking of Uzzah in the Haftara) and Moshe shows no outright disapproval of Hashem’s act (compare this to King David’s reaction in the Haftara). “Then Moshe said to Aharon, This is what Hashem said: ‘Through them that are near [kerovai, from the word karov] unto Me will I be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified,’ and Aharon held his peace.” (Vayiqra 10:3)

“The LORD spoke to Moshe, after the death of the two sons of Aharon, when they drew near [korvatam, from the word karov] before the LORD and died.” (Vayiqra 16:1) This implies that Hashem wishes to be sanctified and glorified by those “close” (from which the word Korban is derived) -- to Hashem and through the mechanism of the korban. The deaths of Nadav and Avihu exemplified this. Nadav and Avihu, leaders of their people, were stepping into roles as Kohanim, where their functions were prescribed and fixed. The Kohen is a tool of Hashem. The korbanot are tools of Hashem. The Mishkan service leaves no room for creativity and innovation. “Avodah,” or service, therefore imply pure dedication, loyalty and obedience. There are prescribed rituals, not to be veered from or manipulated in any way. Their role is only the glorification of G-d. This is one of the reasons that Vayiqra provides so little narrative or drama. It doesn’t allow for any bit of improvisation. The Script of the Korbanot – “Vayikrav” It seems that whenever the miskan service or the kohanim are referred to in Vayiqra (with one telling exception in Shemot), the word “karov” is used. If you look carefully at the vocabulary of Bereshit and Shemot, the word “Vayigash” is preferred to “VaYikrav.” “Approach” is preferred to “Come near.” In our perasha and in the remaining chapters of Vayiqra, the word “karov” is used to denote “coming near” and not “yigash.” The Bnei Yisrael are said to have “draw near” (karov) and stood before Hashem as Aharon prepared the sacrifices of the Eighth Day. Moshe commands Aharon to "draw near (karov) to the altar,” and later calls the sons of Uz'ziel (the uncle of Aharon), to "draw near (karov),” and “carry your brothers from before the sanctuary out of the camp." Later, the Torah commands that “no one who has a blemish shall draw near (karov)…” “no man of the descendants of Aharon the priest who has a blemish shall come near (karov) to offer Hashem’s offerings by fire.” Where there is no room for discretion, “karov” is used. In Shemot, when Moshe approaches the burning bush to receive his charge, the word “tikrav” is used. On the one occasion when the “vayigash” term is used for the Kohanim (in the book of Shemot), the Torah issues a severe and foretelling warning: “let the priests who come near (nigashim) to the LORD consecrate themselves, for Hashem may break out (“yifrotz,” the same word used when Uzzah is stricken). Human Initiative – “Vayigash” On the other hand, almost every time the term ”close” or “near” is referred to in Bereshit or Shemot, it signifies a defining moment of the Bible – a fateful choice or an event unfolding in the course of human history. Abraham, unprompted by G-d (or anyone),

intervenes for the people of Sodom -- he “drew near” (vayigash) to ask Hashem ‘Will You destroy the good with the wicked?’ When Isaac calls Jacob over to give him the coveted bechor blessing, the term “vayigash” is used four times in the same sequence. When Jacob and Esav approach each other and reunite after a long separation, the term “vayigash” is used. When Joseph approaches his conspiring brothers in the field, “vayigash” is used, and when Yehuda approaches Joseph the viceroy to plead for his brother, the same term is repeated. When Joseph finally reveals himself, he calls his brothers near (geshu). And in Jacob’s final days, Joseph brings his sons near for a blessing (vayagesh). When humans take initiative and act to change the course of history, they are “vayigash.” The lesson of Perashat Shemini is that to achieve the glory of Hashem, our recipe is fixed. If we follow the Torah, we will earn a place next to Hashem. But our work is not done there. The course of human history – the affairs between Man and Man -commands more and Hashem relies on us to take initiative and to innovate and thus to write the course of our own fate and our own history.