Parshat Shemini: Finding Holiness Where We are

This week's parashah/portion Shemini (Vayikra/Leviticus 9:1 – 11:47) begins with the last phase of the installation ceremony of Aaron and his sons as the Kohanim/High Priests in the Mishkan/Tabernacle which the Israelites constructed in order to worship God during their time of wandering in the desert from Egypt to the Promised Land of Canaan.  During the installation ceremony Aaron and his sons perform the first animal sacrifices, which are consumed by fire coming from heaven.

No sooner are the sacrifices completed, when two of Aaron's sons, Nadav and Avihu, decide to make sacrifices on their own, without being instructed by God or their father to do so.  When they bring “strange fire which God had not commanded” to the altar, fire again descends from the heavens, but this time it consumes Nadav and Avihu. This is a strange and troubling end to the narrative. And yet it is not the end of the parashah, for not long after it continues with a list of animals which are to be considered kosher, or fit for consumption. 

As with the death of Nadav and Avihu, neither God nor Moses provides any reasoning behind the choice of the specific animals. The only “reason” provided for the list of chosen animals is: “For I the Lord am your God: you shall sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am holy.  For I, the Lord God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God, you shall be holy for I am holy.”  Clearly the eating restrictions have something to do with the desire to emulate God’s holiness.

Somewhat similarly, the only verse that provides the reader with even a hint of a reason for Nadav and Avihu’s death is when Moses says to Aaron, after their death “this is what the Eternal meant when saying :  Through those near to Me I show Myself holy and gain glory before all the people.” Though this really doesn’t provide the reader with much of a reason, it is somehow connected to the concept of holiness. In the case of Nadav and Avihu, it would seem that somehow God is showing God’s self as holy through their death. In the case of the animals, it would seem that eating what has been deemed clean or fitting is what makes one holy as part of emulated the Divine, even if no reason is provided as to why those specific animals have been chosen. 

Yet, nowhere now where do we even find a definition of the word kadosh/holy. What does it even mean? We know from Genesis that we are created in b’tzelem elohim/God’s image. Yet, we don’t find that phrase in Leviticus or anywhere other than the creation story. However we find holiness everywhere, especially in Leviticus. In this week’s parashah and elsewhere throughout the Torah it seems that holiness is seen as a synonym for godliness. For the only reason ever given for being holy is because God is holy, as above. However, rather than simply being something with which we were born or created, like b'tzelem elohim/the image of God, it is now something to which we aspire and which is achieved through our actions. But what does holiness even mean? And do the people understand it?

In looking at the parashah in its entirety it would seem that the answer to that question is most likely “no.” In my reading of the narrative, Nadav and Avihu clearly feel the holiness of the moment when they witness the prescribed sacrifices. Then they desire so much to bring the holiness of the divine fire again that they don’t wait for instructions and they die because of their well-intentioned impulsivity (that is one of the many interpretations of the text). 

Following their death the people as a whole are provided with rules to help them achieve holiness through, among other things, the eating of animals which have been designated as permissible. The sacrifices by which the people will praise God’s holiness are also of animals that are included on this list. No one was to question why only certain animals were chosen.Not even Moses or Aaron. They didn’t need to know why they could eat grasshoppers, but not worms. It didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was that they knew that in following these rules they were somehow connecting themselves to the divine not only by worshipping God’s holiness, but by being holy, by being godly, themselves.

When the events in this parashah take place the Israelites are in a place of transition.  They are no longer enslaved in Egypt and they have left Mt. Sinai with the tablets of the ten commandments. However, they are still far from their destination. They’re new home in Canaan. Rather, they are still in the desert. They are in the land of the unknown. They are in a place of uncertainty. They are on a journey.  However, the dedication of the mishkan and the installation of the High Priests reminded them that they were indeed somewhere. They were in a holy place. They were in God's presence. The exact geographic location was of no concern. It was the spiritual location which truly mattered. The mishkan and the sacrifices reminded them that no matter where they were, they could be holy. In addition, the new rules taught them that how they behaved in terms of eating and other areas, created a holy space and affirmed them as holy beings, no matter where they were physically.

In this time of uncertainty, living in the middle of what seemed a never-ending expanse of sand and emptiness, they could now see themselves as surrounded by and connected to the divine through their individual and communal behaviors. 

Living in our own time of uncertainty, our own individual and communal wilderness, provides an important lesson for us. For just as our ancestors found holiness through their individual actions, and also through community, we can do the same. We may not be physically in community with others, but thanks to the world in which we live, many of us can still find holiness in community via video chat, telephone or other means.

As important as that is, let’s not forget that we can also find holiness through our individual actions. By focusing on actions that will bring meaning and joy to ourselves and others, we can bring holiness into our lives and into our world. There may be no God-given rules for the kashrut of life in lockdown, but we can use the divine spark within each of us and the teachings we have received to create holiness through our actions, both individually and communally.

If our ancestors learned anything in this parashah, and during the subsequent years of wandering in the wilderness, it was that one could find holiness wherever one happened to be in that moment. Conversely, one can also profane holiness wherever they are just as easily. It’s about our behavior and all of  our choices. It's not only about how we eat, but how we sleep, how we speak, and all the choices we make in our life. Especially in these days every moment and every action can have meaning and holiness or they can not. It's up to us.

Nadav and Avihu thought they were making the right choice and bringing down holiness from above. They discovered a little late that they were not. Later in the Torah 10 of the 12 spies sent to scout out the land of Canaan learned as well that they could even enter the holy land and still not find holiness. For holiness is a state of mind which affects our behavior and actions. It’s not about location.

As we celebrate this Shabbat, whether alone or with the few people with whom we live, let us remember this lesson. We have the power to choose whether or not we will act in a holy manner that connects us with God through personal actions and communal connections each moment.  It’s up to us.

Shabbat Shalom.