Parasha Sh'mini - Leviticus 9:1-11:47 -March 25, 2022

Summary:

In our portion this week, Aaron and his sons follow Moses' instructions and offer sacrifices so that God will forgive the people. Two of Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, offer "alien fire" to God. God then punishes these two priests by killing them immediately. God forbids Moses, Aaron, and his surviving sons from mourning but commands the rest of the people to do so. The portion continues as Priests are told not to drink alcohol before entering the sacred Tabernacle and are further instructed about making sacrifices. Laws are given to distinguish between pure and impure animals, birds, fish, and insects.

Lessons from our Haftarah – 2 Samuel 6:1-7:17:

In our Torah portion, two of Aaron’s sons die as a punishment for bringing “alien fire” into the Tabernacle.  In our haftarah portion Uzzah dies for inadvertently touching the ark during the procession to bring it to Jerusalem.  In both cases the punishment is severe while the act for which Nadab, Abihu and Uzzah are being punished is not clearly understood. 

All three people who are killed in our portions die for a ritual violation.  Clearly the holiness of the ark – in the tabernacle and on its way to Jerusalem – is not a trivial thing.  By bringing “alien fire” into the holy space, Nadab and Abihu break the law and their punishment is harsh.  However, the situation is not as clear when it comes to Uzzah.  The text tells us that the oxen carrying the cart on which the ark had been placed, stumble. In order to stabilize the ark, Uzzah reaches out and “seizes hold of the Ark of God.” 

What is Uzzah’s crime? It seems that he was simply helping to ensure that the ark didn’t fall.  Rashi, the great commentator, sees the evil act as defying God.  According to Rashi, the Ark is such a holy vessel that it is actually carried by God.  Humans are not necessary.  In this case, Uzzah’s sin was that he didn’t have confidence that God would protect the ark. Rabbi Yochanan in the Talmud  has trouble with this interpretation.  Like Rashi, Yochanan understood Uzzah’s actions as a sin.  However despite the sin he ascribes to Uzzah eternal life.  Even though Uzzah dies as a result of his sin, his sin isn’t so serious as to deny him immortality! 

Traditional commentators are uncomfortable with severe punishment when the sin is unclear.  They struggle to find meaning with the verdict of death when it seems unfair.  We are not alone in questioning God’s actions when they seem so inexplicable. 

Death – as well as so much else in life – is impossible to understand.  For the storyteller in our texts, what is beyond understanding must be as a result of God’s will. For us, as modern scientific thinkers, we search for deeper meaning.  However, our haftarah reminds us that there is so much we cannot understand.  Thousands of years after our haftarah, there are still much in our world that is beyond our comprehension, that remains a mystery.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Don Goor