SHABBAT MESSAGE FROM RABBI ROB: No swimming: Dangerous current. Danger: High Voltage. Shut off electrical breaker before servicing. Reduce speed. Slippery when wet. Remove magazine and clear chamber, then engage safety. You damned well better get my daughter home by 11:00! The above are just a few examples of clear and concise warnings. However, not infrequently, the response to them seems to be... Hey, Earl! Hold my beer and watch this! What, you might ask, does all of this have to do with this weeks Torah portion? Fair question. Were talking about consequences; not the unseen kind but the kind where fair warning has been given. In the third reading of this weeks Torah portion we learn that the two oldest sons of Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, offer unauthorized fire in the Tabernacle even after God has forbidden it. They are consumed by fire and die. We should fess up. Weve all done things we should not have done in spite of prior warnings. Fortunately, most of the time we end up feeling embarrassed and fairly stupid for having done so. Anybody who has reared children know the tendency for the youngns to do stuff just to see what happens. Again, most of the time the results are, as often as not, either reasonably harmless or even funny. Were not talking about unforeseen consequences here, but the consequences of the actions we take in spite of warnings. Nadav and Avihu had been warned not to bring unauthorized fire into the Tabernacle, and they paid a terrible price for doing so. We can only speculate why they did what they did. Good intentions or bad, they had been warned. So often we seen, in biblical literature, warnings given and consequences suffered. Perhaps its a human condition thing. We push the envelope. Thats how we, as a species, gain knowledge; I wonder what would happen if..... We might ask ourselves why there are so many warnings in biblical literature? After all, were not little kids playing with a lighter, right? Sadly, sometimes we are, and sometimes we need to be protected from ourselves. All of thedo this, and dont do that stuff in biblical literature is there for a purpose. We understand that by observing the posted warning signs, if you will, we are not restricted. Rather, we are freed to do those things that are beneficial to us...for us....for everybody. There are a lot of actions we are forbidden from doing on Shabbat, for instance. Their purpose is to free us to engage in the complete meaning of Shabbat. They give us time to worship, the think, to reflect, and to feel the true purpose of Shabbat. SHABBAT SHALOM!
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 20:31:58 +0000
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