A Strange Fire: Shemini.22

A Strange Fire: Shemini.22

By Rabbi Boaz D. Heilman

A running theme through the Torah is how brothers interact. Beginning with Cain’s murder of Abel and continuing through the selling of Joseph into slavery by his brothers, the Torah gives one lesson after another. In this week’s Torah portion, Shemini (Leviticus 9:1—11:47) we have a beautifully constructed (yet tragic) tale of two sets of brothers: Moses and Aaron on the one hand, and two of Aaron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu, on the other. 

But though the behavior of the two sets of brothers is important to the story, there’s something else, even more central to this portion’s message: community and the role of religion in sustaining it or creating conflict. 

From the start, Moses and Aaron complement one another. Aaron is chosen by God to be Moses’s spokesman (according to the Torah, Moses had a speech impediment). The two brothers work together in every respect, whether in Pharaoh’s court or in the Sinai Wilderness. When it happens that they disagree, they work it out by talking rather than fighting. An example for this is found in this portion (Lev. 16:16-20). Each knows his place and role; they consult with one another; they collaborate in providing vision and leadership for the Israelites.

Nadav and Avihu prove a striking contrast to this relationship. 

The Torah does not specify what exactly Nadav and Avihu do wrong. It simply says, “They offered before Adonai alien fire [אש זרה], which had not been enjoined upon them” (Lev. 10:1). The Torah is content leaving this as it is. The Midrash, however, offers four possible explanations.

Starting with the text itself, the Rabbis first suggest that what made the fire “alien” was that it was brought from the common kitchen, not from the holy altar—the only sanctioned source of fire for the sacrifices.

Then, based on a commandment given a few verses later, the rabbis offer that the two brothers may have been intoxicated at the time.

The third possibility is that, in a display of ego and greed, they did not consult with one another, and that each was trying to outdo the other.

Finally, the rabbis suggest that their action was an attempted insurrection. By preempting their father and uncle, Nadav and Avihu were trying to usurp power.

Whatever the transgression, Nadav and Avihu paid for it with their lives.

This tragic story is part of a larger narrative—the ceremony of the dedication of the Tabernacle. In this context, it’s more than just about brothers. It’s also about religion and how it can be misused. Moses and Aaron’s behavior illustrates the true function of faith: to create community and to give humanity purpose and direction. Nadav and Avihu, on the other hand, use their position and power to sow discord and division. The results, as this portion teaches us, are inevitable. But the choice is always ours. We can follow Moses and Aaron’s example, or give in to whatever base impulse motivated Nadav and Avihu. The lesson is timeless.

© 2022 by Boaz D. Heilman