Parshas Shemini 5785

Shuey was overflowing with excitement. It was his mother’s birthday, and he had decided to make her a cake-from

scratch.

Home alone for a couple of hours, the rambunctious and energetic eight-year-old seized the moment. He pulled all the ingredients from the cabinets and got to work. The kitchen soon transformed into a whirlwind of baking soda clouds, flour explosions, and sugar dust carpeting the floor.

Finally, the cake was finished just as his mother walked in.

“Happy Birthday, Mom!” Shuey shouted.

Bursting with pride, he held out a lopsided, frosting-laden cake like a trophy and added, “And enjoy your surprise birthday cake!”

His mother looked at the kitchen, which now resembled the aftermath of a tornado, then at the cake, and finally at

Shuey’s eager eyes, waiting for her admiration.

“Shuey,” she said with a smile, “thank you so much for the cake! This was so thoughtful of you! I really appreciate it.”

Her expression then turned serious. “However, Shuey, it’s very dangerous to use the oven by yourself. It can get very hot, and you could burn yourself. Next time, you must ask for permission, or you will be punished. It’s also important that you clean up the kitchen after yourself to be considerate to other people.”

Shuey gave an unwittingly exaggerated nod of understanding and once she saw he understood the lesson, she gave him a big hug.

Shuey felt happy that his mother appreciated his effort and that she didn’t let the mess overshadow his good

intentions.

In this week’s parsha, we read about the sons of Aharon, Nadav and Avihu, who were punished with a Heavenly-administered death for bringing a “foreign fire” of incense before Hashem. The passuk says:

The commentaries (see Rashi KiPeshuto) explain that what made this sacrifice “foreign” was twofold: The daily incense service was a required communal service (chovah), and the spices were to come from public funds (mishel tzibbur).

Nadav and Avihu, however, transgressed by bringing an incense offering voluntarily (nedava) and from their

own funds (mishel yachid).

Yet, Chazal teach that the deciding factor in their punishment was not merely the act itself, but that they acted on their

own initiative without first consulting Moshe, their teacher.

The Gemara in Eruvin 63a says:

The commentaries (see Rashi Ki Peshuto ibid.) draw an important inference from the wording of the Gemara.

It doesn’t say plainly, “They died because they issued the ruling before Moshe.” Rather, it is phrased as an exclusionary statement: “They did not die until they issued a Halachic ruling in the presence of Moshe.”

This implies that although offering a foreign fire was itself a punishable offense, their death was specifically due to the lack of respect shown by issuing a ruling without Moshe.

There’s an important lesson here for us in everyday life. When someone does something wrong or rubs us the wrong way, it’s crucial to clarify exactly which aspect of their action was problematic. If we dismiss the entire act, we risk discouraging people from things that could really be to our benefit and miss out on valuable and great experiences.

In the case of Nadav and Avihu, Hashem’s primary concern was not their passion or desire to serve, but their failure to show deference to their teacher. In Shuey’s case, it was the very real danger of being close to a potential fire hazard.

In both instances, their enthusiasm was not the problem; their passion was praiseworthy. The “teachable moment”, rather, was about respecting proper process and authority, without discounting their initiative and devotion.

So, let’s be open and accepting to acts of kindness and passion from those around us.

But maybe keep a fire extinguisher handy. Just in case.

Good Shabbos!