Its not so easy holding back when we get excited about someone new or something new to love....natural instincts may suggest to give it our all... completely invest and really show how absolute and true our passion is.... well , surprise, surprise... that may well not be the best way to go! Healthy boundaries and some distance seem to spell a better success rate....
and somehow this lesson is embodied in this week's Parsha.
In Parsha Shemini we read how on the 8th day the Mishkan or Tabernacle was finally consecrated, fire came down from Heaven and the climax of all of Creation seemed to be achieved. Heaven united with Earth and it seemed that the service of those on Earth was accepted and desired by G-d. In this climactic moment, Nadav and Avihu, two of Aaron's sons, decided to bring a fire offering of burning incense into the Mishkan, which they had not been commanded to bring.... the result.... their souls were consumed by an Heavenly fire that came down from above....and their bodies needed to be carried out ,not just out of the Mishkan, but out of the entire camp. Rabbi David Fohrman of Aish.com brings a comparison between the actions of Nadav and Avihu and Adam and Chava in Gan Eden. He illustrates this in a wonderful video presentation* that draws attention to many parallels in the two stories.
The bottom line seems to be this: Show love to Hashem in the way He commanded us to, not in the way we feel like doing, and stay within the parameters He set up.... the reasons He did so have something to do with those healthy boundaries we started this essay with... they serve a purpose....same with our human relationships... consider the needs of those we are attempting to love....not just our overwhelming desire and need to give....perhaps strange fire, not commanded... is not the best gift after all? Oh, and about Adam and Chava.... maybe they thought they were also giving Hashem the ultimate gift... wanting to be so close to Him, by becoming, as they believed maybe for just a few moments, even more similar to Him... but this was not the best path to intimacy... because He communicated very specifically... that that was not what He wanted....sometimes, just listening is the greatest act of love there is!
* Link to the video
http://www.aish.com/tp/i/10minuteparsha/Shemini-Why-Did-God-Reject-Nadav-and-Avihu.html
For a much more in depth discussion of this topic, listen in to our audio class:
Part 1: https://soundcloud.com/brachame/shemini-part-1-nadav-and-avihu
and part 2: https://soundcloud.com/brachame/shemini-part-2-loving-without
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