Shmini
Leviticus 9:1-11:47
II Samuel 6:1-7:17
At the moment of consummate ecstasy, tragedy strikes. For weeks, the Torah narrative has been building up to a climax of spiritual revelation. The sanctuary has been completed and the “cloud of glory” settled within the Holy of Holies. Moses is called into the cloud, and receives instructions guiding the sacred service of sacrifice, including the dedication ritual of God’s dwelling place and of the kohanim, the priests, who serve to bring God and the people into relationship one with the other.
On the eighth, and ultimate, day of the dedication, all of Israel experiences a moment of collective revelation as celestial fire, reminiscent of the fire of Sinai, descends upon the altar, ignites the sacrifices and “the Presence of YHVH appeared to all the people … {who} saw, and sang out with joy, and fell on their faces.” (9:23,24)
Then, tragedy, Aaron’s two sons, Nadav and Avihu, die in the sanctuary on the day of their consecration for bringing “an alien fire” before God. The moment of spiritual ecstasy, inexplicably, is marred by death and grief. Medieval commentators struggle to articulate the sin they were punished for, while mystic interpreters see in the flames an act of elevated consciousness.
My friend professor Eliezer Diamond suggests that the language of this difficult story invites another thought. Notice that the phrase “fire came forth from before YHVH and consumed the burnt offering” (9:24) is identical to the description of the fire that immolates the two young priests. (10:2)
The Midrash further draws a parallel between the requirement that Aaron eat “the meal offering that is left over” and the reference to Aaron’s other two sons “who are left over” in the same sentence (10:12), implying that both are the unconsumed portion of a sacred sacrifice. Moreover, God describes the two dead priests as kerovai, “those close to me,” using the same root word used for sacrifices, korban. The “glory of God,” which was to be revealed in the sacrifices of dedication, is now revealed in the death of the two young priests. (10:3)
The tragedy of this story is that Aaron comes to God with animal sacrifices and ends up with the sacrifice of his own sons. Is it possible this means to suggest that animal sacrifice is only a representation, that what God desires is the sacrifice of the ego and human heart?
The spiritual life is not meant to be easy, or even safe. There are moments of ecstasy and moments of painful loss. Those who wish to pursue a serious spirituality may feel called to sacrifice one’s own desires and grasping in order to be shaped into a pure vessel for God’s service. It requires a commitment to soul searching, to burning away the dross of character and polishing the spirit so that the light of divinity can shine through us.
Nor can this service dwell only in the sanctuary of the heart, or even in the synagogue. It must be a commitment to the Holy in the world, in the street, in the relationship with others and in the process of politics. Again, professor Diamond points out that the narrative of Nadav and Avihu is followed by instructions about how and what we eat, how we treat our neighbor, and our workers and the poor. “Vayikra,” this book of priestly conduct, ultimately will beg us to create holiness by loving our neighbors as ourselves.
The death of Aaron’s sons remains tragic, but the story serves as a reminder that if our spiritual lives are to be vital we must learn to offer our hearts:
“In my heart I will build a sanctuary, a dwelling place for the Presence
And in it I’ll place an altar, dedicated to the Essence
For my eternal light I will take the fire of Isaac’s binding
And for a sacrifice I will offer my soul, aflame, for God shining.”
Rabbi Lavey Derby is the senior rabbi of Congregation Kol Shofar in Tiburon.