Shemini: holiness and danger

Shemini: holiness and danger

The climax of the parsha is  the death of Nadav and Avihu. They brought a strange fire into the sanctum. They did not follow the prescription for the service.  They wanted to do something original, something creative, something that might make sense to them .  They violated the rules of sanctity  and they died. 

This week, we supplement the parsha with Parah, the cleansing ritual of the ashes of the red heifer. The traditional epitome of the incomprehensible,  The ritual that the wisest of men, Solomon, the builder of the Temple, could not fathom. The inability to properly perform this ritel blocks the construction of  another Temple.   

Were we not in the pre-Passover maftir cycle, the haftorah for parshath Shmini  would include a story of the death of Uzzah, who reached out to steady the toppling Ark as it was transported to Jerusalem.  Uzzah had a normal reaction.  The precious, super-holy Ark of the Covenant was unsteady, he put his hand out and touched it... and died.  He had violated the rule.

Holiness is dangerous, potentially lethal.  The holiness exists only by mutual agreement: between the nation and Gd.  But once it exists, it tolerates very little variation.   It is rock climbing, It is nuclear, it is chemotherapy, it is sex.  

The stakes get higher, the danger becomes greater, as you  ascend.  In the haftorah, Nathan conveys Gd's message to David: Do not build the temple.  Good intentions are not enough.   When the stakes are  so high, it all has to be just so. Holiness generates unforeseen forces that can break trough and kill with minimal provocation. 

Beware of your instincts. 

Curb your enthusiasm