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While numerous reasons are given for their deaths, they can all be summed up by the first pasuk in our reading, B’karvatam lifnei Hashem, vayamutu. They came (too) close to G-d - & they died. All their actions were intended to add to the prescribed offering; entering the Mishkan when it was not called for; getting drunk; even refraining from having children, so that they could devote themselves 24/7; all these were done in an effort to supercharge their spirituality & come closer to the Almighty.
But how do we reconcile Nadav & Avihu’s fate with the opening pasuk of our second Sedra: "Kedoshim tihyu, ki kadosh ani Hashem Elokeychem; Be holy, for I, G-d, am Holy." If Hashem wants us to be kadosh/holy, a word which means, "to separate ourselves for a higher purpose" - then isn’t this exactly what Nadav & Avihu did?! So why were they punished?
I want to suggest that Nadav & Avihu were not so much punished, as they were the victims of their own actions. They took so much upon themselves, they so overloaded their circuits with such massive spiritual energy, that the whole system broke down, & they experienced burn-out. They came too close to the Heavenly fire &, despite their good intentions, their wings got singed & they crashed.
There is a profound lesson to be learned here. G-d surely wants us to get close to Him, to come under His wings & within His protective force-field. But if we get too close, if we cross the Divine line into the "red zone," we risk losing everything & plummeting into the depths of despair, or worse. And if we take the law into our own hands - deciding for ourselves, rather than reacting to the will of Hashem and doing what He wants us to do - than the gain is swallowed up by the loss.
This message is a timely one for our present situation. We want, of course, to pray communally, in minyanim - and the more the merrier, as we generally hold by the principle of "B'rov am, hadrat Melech," the larger the gathering, the more it honors the monarch. And we want to learn together as a group, in shiurim where we can share with others around us. But if this endangers our lives - and the lives of others - than we have to step back, and follow the directives of our spiritual leaders, who (hopefully!) follow the advice of the medical experts to contract our public activities and thus safeguard our lives.
Any competent doctor will tell you that prescriptions are carefully calibrated to bring relief from illness. If you are prescribed to take 2 pills, but instead you take 4 - assuming that you will now receive twice the relief - the exact opposite may result. Kedusha, the ultimate form of spiritual medicine, is sometimes best consumed in small doses.
Rabbi Stewart Weiss
Was ordained at the Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois, and led congregations in Chicago and Dallas prior to making Aliyah in 1992. He directs the Jewish Outreach Center in Ra'anana, helping to facilitate the spiritual absorption of new olim.
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Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
Ein Aya Armies Still Necessary for Balance & the War Against Wars
Rav Kook explains why the world was originally divided into the various seemingly contradicting ideologies and cultures, in order to develop each one respectively. Swords or armies symbolize how each respective ideology defends themselves, as well as deters their opposing ideologies and cultures. On the other hand, the messianic era will be one of peace, and Rav Kook explains the transition to that stage, which mankind is already undergoing.
The Land of Israel LGBT'S IN ISRAEL
The question was asked, how can one make Aliyah with the LGBT parades?
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 7 - Five Accumulative Proofs of G-d
As a preparation for the Kuzari's classic proof of G-d from the mass-revelation at Sinai, we start here with 5 other directions to strengthen our belief which also contribute to what the Kuzari will present as well.
Ein Aya Muscle & Meaning: The Dual Nature of Gevurah (Physical Strength)
Is physical strength and fitness a necessity or an ideal? Although it if often totally overlooked among topics of Judaism, Rav Kook writes that it clearly is also a necessity to deter the many enemies of Israel, but even in Y'mot HaMashiach, in the Messianic era, to a certain extent, it's ideal continues even after our enemies will have been finished off.
