Parashat Sh'mini begins with the induction of the
priests, continues with the disaster that strikes Aaron’s sons and ends with a
detailed list of kosher animals. Is there an internal connection between the list
and the previous chapter? Wait and see.
“Now Aaron’s sons Nadav and Avihu each took his censer, put
fire in it, and laid incense on it; and they offered alien fire before the
Lord, which He had not commanded them. And fire came forth from the Lord and
consumed them; thus they died before the Lord.”
Difficult verses, whose interpretations
can be classified into two main categories. Some try to clarify what exactly
“strange fire” means. Others answer the question, “What was the sin of Nadav
and Avihu?” even though there is a clear answer in the text, “They offered
alien fire.” The discussion is shifted in completely different directions by claiming
that Nadav and Avihu were drunk or jealous of Moses and Aaron, or did not agree
to start a family etc.
What makes a commentator wander
so far from the text? One possibility is that Nadav and Avihu are only a
starting point for a preacher who wants to talk about a burning issue in his
community. Reasonable, but there is another possibility, that doesn’t
contradict the first: they found it difficult to deal with the non-proportional
punishment, with the possibility that ritual sin – that isn’t even idolatrous –
can be so severe that it leads to death.
Following Rabbi Naftali Zvi
Yehuda Berlin (“Netziv,” late 19th century) I want to make a
suggestion that combines these two directions: he taught that Nadav and
Avihu, “Entered fired with enthusiastic love for God, but Torah tells us: the
love of God is precious in God’s eyes, but not in a way which was not
commanded.” Their intense devotion was their sin.
Yes, religiosity can be overly
excessive. In Israel 2013, at the end of Passover, there is no need to describe
the extremes to which religion can go and the sacrifices it exacts. I dare not
guess what the Netziv might say...
Instead, I want to continue with
the laws of kashrut and the following sections of Leviticus that refer to
sexual behavior. At first glance, these laws do nothing more than ban foods,
restrain sexuality and limit human enjoyment. But, in the spirit of the
Netziv’s warning against excessive devotion, they can also be understood as
permissive rather than restrictive, reining in not only permissiveness but also
abstinence. Torah teaches us that there is value in restraining our passions,
but also rejects the impulse to suppress them entirely.
Many cultures and religions
strive to stifle the appetite for food or sex or both. Apparently the two are
related. In a fascinating article, “Is Food the New Sex?” Mary Eberstadt of the
Hoover Institution of Stanford University describes the 180° switch in the
behavior patterns of younger adults in the U.S. today. They grew up in an
atmosphere of sexual freedom where the only limitation – beyond personal taste
– is the prohibition against hurting others. Except for abuse and cheating,
anything goes. Yet among this generation, there is a growing culture of complex
restrictions on food, with concern for every detail and ingredient, a new set
of moral imperatives.
To which the Torah would say, “A
plague on both your houses!” Be neither ascetic nor unbridled. Do everything in
good measure. Just as the life of the soul and spirit are good, so the life of
the body is good. Eat delicacies and drink your fill, take delight in your
spouse, but always seek the golden mean. The Torah, Jewish law and broader Jewish
tradition offer many details that serve as signposts on our way to finding
balance. But ultimately every individual, couple, family and community must
forge its own path using logic, reason and faith. How will we recognize the
right path? How will we know we have reached our destination or found the
appropriate way? That’s the real challenge. There is a reason the philosopher
Emmanuel Levinas called Judaism a “religion for adults,” and included an essay
by that name in a collection entitled “Difficult Freedom.”
We left
Egypt, and have started the road to freedom, to adulthood. I hope and pray we
do not lose ourselves and our independence in the quicksand of simple answers,
or by childishly following false Messiahs.
