shemni: consequences.

I remember a telelevion show from my boyhood: "Truth or Cosequences.  In the show , the contestant woud be asked a question  that was either uanswerable or nearly so.  The contestant would always get it wrong and would then be tasked with an embarassing stunt.  If the actons were performed successfully, she would get a wonderful prize, if not he would get a booby prize.  The parsha reminds me of that TV show. 

The parsha starts with the completion of the Priestly initiation sacrificial rite: a complex task that leads to the first priestly sacrifice and, ultimately, the appearance of the Holy Spirit.  A difficult task rewarded by a great prize. 

This is followed by the central story of Vaikra: the inappropriate offering of Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aaron, and their resulting death ( by exposure to excessive sanctity).  Their death demonstrates how dangerous the Holy area and rite are.  They did it wrong, so they died.  Consequences. 

But their deaths occured in the midst of the 8 day long initiation, which cannot be halted. The father and  surviving brothers cannot interupt the process that has begun.  Nevertheless, Aaron, Elazar and Ithamar lose their apetitite for the sacred meat that they are obliged to eat.  Initially Moshe criticizes them fro their deviation, but then, he sees their point.  This deviation does not have ill consequences. It might even be positive.  It is certainly moving.

Judaism has a set of rules. Over the centuries, the rules have been redefined and,consequently, expanded. Deviations happen, but the significance of the deviation depnds upon the motivation.The inappropriate, dangerous, rebellious actions of Nadav and Avihu set up a series of consequences. The human reaction to that is seemly. There is an element of intermittent reinforcement  and high stakes chance here. 

Do you think that the sacrifical rite would make good television?