Sacrifice, Service, and Sanctification—Thoughts on Leviticus 10

All of the events in Leviticus 10 - the unauthorized incense, supernatural sudden deaths, seemingly callous and disconnected commands, and the various silences - take place during the same detailed, ritualistic inauguration of Aaron and his sons begun in chapter 9 that included blood on earlobes, thumbs and big toes, etc. This particular ritual was, as I understand it, a combination of public installation, the 'activation' of a set means for communal cleansing/relationship with God and a hands-on 'boot camp' for actually performing the various activities correctly.

In the midst of this critical learn-as-you-do process, with Moses providing the ritualistic instruction in much the same way he had assembled all the parts of the Tabernacle as he was shown 'on the mountain' (Exodus 25:40, 40:17-35), Nadav and Avihu decide to add an incense ritual of their own—one not authorized by God nor instructed by Moses. Up until this point, as the sons of Aaron, their role had been to assist their father, the High Priest. Their authorized duties had included preparing sacrifices and bringing the blood to their father to use in the various ritual offerings and ceremonies. Not glamorous work by any means, but much more than the average Israelite, observing from a distance, was allowed to do in the service connecting God and man.

Whatever Nadav and Avihu's desired outcome: drawing closer to God, highlighting their willingness to serve 'above and beyond' the mundane, or a desire to be the focus of attention like their father, the result is the end of their lives and service to God altogether. As the prophets would later state, God desires obedience even more than ritual sacrifice (1 Sam 15:22) As priests, their job was to draw the Israelites towards God—not themselves. Disobedience, in this instance, could be seen as a form of idolatry—placing personal desires or ambitions (no matter how pure or worthy) before God's instructions and sovereignty—results in 'alien fire.' Motives matter, especially in a place of public leadership in the service of God.

This act of disobedience—stepping outside the bounds of Divine orchestration through Moses—demands a response from God who desires that those near to Him be humble enough to accept the instructions He gave Moses. God's intervention in speaking to Aaron with the command not to drink while performing this ritual service may be both part of the shakedown training and a way on asserting that God rather than Moses is the source of these rituals. The rituals serve a Divine purpose and not human need for the Divine alone.

Aaron is silent in shock/grief, but like Job, also in his refusal to blame God. Moses' silence, and later anger, rather than comfort, reflect his understanding of God's power and judgment and the importance to not only Moses, Aaron and the immediate family, but to the whole community that this process for providing individual and communal atonement be completely and correctly activated. However, Aaron understands that this is - and needs to be - about more than rote ritual for atonement and connection with God to be successful.

Ironically, Moses' and Aaron's very different approaches to relationship with God (Moses stressing of ritual perfection and Aaron's focus on the emotional components) does seem to have created a breach in their own relationship.

I don't believe I've presented a radical approach by any means, just a slightly different nuance to this text. However, I do believe this nuanced reading can teach us valuable lessons regarding our own contemporary struggles with religion and spirituality:

• We need not choose between 'ritual' and 'emotional' fulfillment in our spiritual journeys or communities. Both have a role to play in our growth and connection to the Divine.

• A community that seeks to be holy, to serve the Divine beyond just self-interest, requires those who are passionate advocates of ritual and tradition serving alongside those equally as passionate about sensitivity to human emotion and imperfection.

• We can only be fully sanctified, reaching our full potential for service to both the Holy and the human, when we can accept others' perspectives and roles alongside our own and not see them as opposition to our own.

With gratitude to Rabbi Gary Creditor, whose Torah Study inspired this post, and to Rabbi David Mark for his input as I developed my ideas. I'm fortunate to count both among my teachers.