Lessons from the tragic end of Nadav and Avihu
This week the Torah portion of Shemini starts by recounting the offerings sacrificed in the context of dedication of the Mishkan in the desert.
After retelling the technical details of the offerings, the Torah describes the joy of the Jewish people during these services, noting: “The people saw and sang glad songs and fell upon their faces”(Vayikra 9:24).
Having a central place to worship God in the desert was a source of great joy for the Jewish people! They were able to gather in a dedicated location to offer up their praise and thanks and see the open miracles of God in their midst.
And yet, just a few verses later the parasha recounts the deaths of Aaron’s two sons, the priests Nadav and Avihu.
Such tragedy mixed with such joy!
Just as the Jewish people begin to get settled into the daily rhythm of joyfully serving God in the Mishkan, they are struck down with such sadness.
As priests, Nadav and Avihu were some of the most exceptional young men in the community of Israel. Priests were exulted before God and therefore, their deaths were even more grievous!
The most common explanation that is provided by the commentators for their deaths, is that these two priests had offered up unauthorised incense offering in the Holy of Holies sanctuary. This follows the opinion of the commentators the Sifra and the Ramban.
However, when considering the context of who Nadav and Avihu were, the sons of Aaron and exalted in their status, the fact they decided to offer sacrifices outside of their prescribed duties feels difficult to understand.
The services in the Mishkan were very regimented. Each day certain duties had to be undertaken and different priests were required to complete their roles so that the sanctuary operated in its intended manner: as a central location for prayer and worship.
The Sifra says that Nadav and Avihu were primarily driven by their love of God and they had been impressed by the earlier displays of sacrifices that had been consecrated during the Mishkan’s inauguration. Driven by what they had seen, they too decided to offer up their own additional sacrifices.
However, as soon as they did so they were consumed by God’s fire and their souls left their bodies.
While this outcome seems like a tough pill to swallow, it also provides a profound message.
In society today, it is well known that the rich and famous and those with status often think that a different set of rules apply to them when compared with the rules that apply to “ordinary” people. It’s the reason that such people sometimes behave confidently and publicly in an illegal manner, trusting that their status will protect them, and they will get away with it.
However, in Judaism the opposite is true.
God exacts a much higher standard of conduct from the righteous and those that serve in the priesthood.
Rashi says that when Nadav and Avihu died, God sent a strong message to the people. Not only were all people obligated in God’s laws and equally responsible for their actions, but those that had the privilege to serve in God’s inner sanctum were held to an even higher standard. This was aimed at impressing on regular people the strict and consistent justice imposed by God on all people.
While it is a difficult episode to understand, it provides some level of reassurance that in God’s service, all people are held to account. God emphasises the requirements of each and every person to adhere to Divine law, because before God we are all treated in the same way.
Rabbi Gabi Kaltmann is rabbi of the Ark Centre, Melbourne
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