A thought on פרשת שמיני
"...ויקרהבו לפני ה' אש..."
"...and they offered fire before HaShem..." (10:1)
The incident involving Nadav and Avihu, who were punished for entering unbidden into the Holy Temple with a fire offering, is a very demanding passage. So much has been written in analysis of their motivations, their error and its consequences. They were men of great spiritual stature who voluntarily brought forth an offering, drawing nearer to the Shrine where HaShem's Divine Presence was sensed. What happened there? What went wrong?The Recanati directs his focus towards a different issue. Beyond analyses of their plan and motivation, he addresses the act itself. What did Nadav and Avihu offer?
Basing his interpretation on a careful reading of the verses, with attention to the Zohar here, the Recanati notes that these two Kohanim, sons of Aharon, brought forth incense. Sweet smelling scents rose above in a transformation of solid to vapor. The smoke of the ketores serves as a symbol that our nation is poised to make transformation. It represents our plea and request that any strict decree or impending measure of din be rescinded.
Incense is different than a sacrificial offering. A korban is substance, material. It may be of animal or grain origin but it has form and quantity. Such an offering is precisely that - it is something which is "offered" in homage to and service of HaShem. It proclaims in concrete as well as in symbolic terms that we acknowledge HaShem's majesty and dominion.
In the abstract, a sacrifice is the gift which announces that "HaShem, we know that You are there." The incense is the quiet request which follows, hinting that "HaShem, we are here."
When Nadav and Avihu ventured forth, they came with a "request." They sought to intervene on behalf of the nation, on behalf of themselves, by coming near with fragrant petition. They did not initiate that request with a formal offering, however. They asked for something without first making a declarative greeting in the form of a sacrificial offering. It would be like approaching a king and without saluting, bending knee or head, or greeting him with words of praise and proffering a gift, to simply start telling the king what you need from him.
The Recanati suggests that before one can make supplication asking that din be set aside, it is important to acknowledge that din may well be deserved. Had Nadav and Avihu brought forth such an acknowledging offering to the King, it is possible that the Divine response to the incense-plea would have been one of favor, of mercy. Instead, the response from Above was undiluted din. No steps had been taken in advance to address that din. The entire nation then saw a manifestation of Divine Might and Power, where there might have been a sense of awe and closeness instead.
In our own lives, the Recanati says, we have a rule, a halacha which expresses this same principle of "korban before incense": Chazal composed our prayer liturgy as a parallel to the sacrificial services. They placed a blessing just before the Amida prayer, which we know as "Go'al Yisroel" - HaShem is the Only Redeemer of Israel. That blessing is referred to as "Ge'ula," the declaration of HaShem's Redemptive Majesty. We have a halacha that one must be very careful to begin the Amida immediately upon declaring Go'al Yisroel. This is known as positioning Ge'ula l'Tefilla.
The Recanati explains that the declaration of Ge'ula is like a coronation of HaShem. It is our way of asserting that we acknowledge His Majesty. He is our King, we offer this up verbally via that praise. It is at that very moment when we are then supposed to begin our pleading and asking. We transition from the "offering" into the "incense." We must not distance the two. Once we accept that HaShem Alone is our One Lord, we must turn to Him with our pleading, demonstrating that He is One, He is The One, and He is the Only One we can turn to.
In closing, I note that in Anim Zemiros, we capture this same thought!
Tehillasi tehi l"Roshcha ateres, u'tefilasi tikon ketores -
May my praise be a crown for Your head,
and may my prayer be accepted as incense.
Wishing you a good, fragrant Shabbos. D Fox
"...and they offered fire before HaShem..." (10:1)
The incident involving Nadav and Avihu, who were punished for entering unbidden into the Holy Temple with a fire offering, is a very demanding passage. So much has been written in analysis of their motivations, their error and its consequences. They were men of great spiritual stature who voluntarily brought forth an offering, drawing nearer to the Shrine where HaShem's Divine Presence was sensed. What happened there? What went wrong?The Recanati directs his focus towards a different issue. Beyond analyses of their plan and motivation, he addresses the act itself. What did Nadav and Avihu offer?
Basing his interpretation on a careful reading of the verses, with attention to the Zohar here, the Recanati notes that these two Kohanim, sons of Aharon, brought forth incense. Sweet smelling scents rose above in a transformation of solid to vapor. The smoke of the ketores serves as a symbol that our nation is poised to make transformation. It represents our plea and request that any strict decree or impending measure of din be rescinded.
Incense is different than a sacrificial offering. A korban is substance, material. It may be of animal or grain origin but it has form and quantity. Such an offering is precisely that - it is something which is "offered" in homage to and service of HaShem. It proclaims in concrete as well as in symbolic terms that we acknowledge HaShem's majesty and dominion.
In the abstract, a sacrifice is the gift which announces that "HaShem, we know that You are there." The incense is the quiet request which follows, hinting that "HaShem, we are here."
When Nadav and Avihu ventured forth, they came with a "request." They sought to intervene on behalf of the nation, on behalf of themselves, by coming near with fragrant petition. They did not initiate that request with a formal offering, however. They asked for something without first making a declarative greeting in the form of a sacrificial offering. It would be like approaching a king and without saluting, bending knee or head, or greeting him with words of praise and proffering a gift, to simply start telling the king what you need from him.
The Recanati suggests that before one can make supplication asking that din be set aside, it is important to acknowledge that din may well be deserved. Had Nadav and Avihu brought forth such an acknowledging offering to the King, it is possible that the Divine response to the incense-plea would have been one of favor, of mercy. Instead, the response from Above was undiluted din. No steps had been taken in advance to address that din. The entire nation then saw a manifestation of Divine Might and Power, where there might have been a sense of awe and closeness instead.
In our own lives, the Recanati says, we have a rule, a halacha which expresses this same principle of "korban before incense": Chazal composed our prayer liturgy as a parallel to the sacrificial services. They placed a blessing just before the Amida prayer, which we know as "Go'al Yisroel" - HaShem is the Only Redeemer of Israel. That blessing is referred to as "Ge'ula," the declaration of HaShem's Redemptive Majesty. We have a halacha that one must be very careful to begin the Amida immediately upon declaring Go'al Yisroel. This is known as positioning Ge'ula l'Tefilla.
The Recanati explains that the declaration of Ge'ula is like a coronation of HaShem. It is our way of asserting that we acknowledge His Majesty. He is our King, we offer this up verbally via that praise. It is at that very moment when we are then supposed to begin our pleading and asking. We transition from the "offering" into the "incense." We must not distance the two. Once we accept that HaShem Alone is our One Lord, we must turn to Him with our pleading, demonstrating that He is One, He is The One, and He is the Only One we can turn to.
In closing, I note that in Anim Zemiros, we capture this same thought!
Tehillasi tehi l"Roshcha ateres, u'tefilasi tikon ketores -
May my praise be a crown for Your head,
and may my prayer be accepted as incense.
Wishing you a good, fragrant Shabbos. D Fox
posted by Rabbi Dr. Fox at 8:57 PM
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