This week’s commentary is dedicated to Adonai in prayer for a swift recovery for all those in Israel who were injured in this latest bombing attempt, for their families, friends - in fact, for all who were affected by this particular violence - and all those who have been murdered, injured, and affected by all of the violence, both man-made and natural.  May we come to know peace soon, and in our time.  I also pray that those directly affected by the man-made violence not loose faith in Adonai, and don’t allow those who mean harm to have power over you by having you turn your heart to their ways.

        It is always uplifting to me how each week’s Torah portion brings a lesson, or lessons, relevant to today.  This week is no different.  This week, we find Aaron in the difficult position of having witnessed Adonai kill two of his sons.  There are any number of things Aaron could have chosen to do, or to feel:  He chose Adonai.  Aaron chose to continue leading our people in service to Adonai at a time when his heart was being sorely tested, as his faith could have been.  His faith never wavered.  Two of Aaron’s sons tried to profane the sacred, and Aaron didn’t allow them the ability to blur the lines.

        While we are not told whether Aaron tried to reason with his sons, had Aaron stopped the services, or eaten of the sacrifice, the sacred and the profane would have been entwined.  History as we know it would have been completely and profoundly changed.  This parashah in particular comes to teach us no matter our own personal sufferings, publicly or otherwise, there is a difference between what is holy, and what is not, and we should never allow the profane to insinuate itself with what is most important and holy, service to Adonai. 

        This parashah combines the sad, but too often well-known difficulties, of ever having a happy occasion come off without a hitch - some type of drama, with the laws of kashrut (keeping kosher).  At first, it may appear the Torah quickly changes the subject and deliberately attempts to keep us from thinking about all aspects of the killing of Aaron’s sons during the last day of their inauguration into the priesthood; bear in mind, though, the laws of kashrut, by their placement and by what is emphasized continually in these laws, actually serve to drive home the lessons taught and to steer us in the direction of how we are to think about the tragedy Aaron so publicly experienced.

        I’ll begin with what is emphasized in the relaying of the laws of kashrut before discussing Aaron and his sons.  In defining for us what we can and cannot eat, we are constantly reminded the animals, fish, and poultry we are permitted to eat bear some similarities to those which we cannot.  Some similarities, but easily discernable.  You see, evil tries to cloak itself in the form of good.  This is how evil gets in the door - so to speak - in the first place.  If things really were as different and distinguishable as black and white, we would always know what to allow into our lives and hearts, and what not to.  Unfortunately, by masquerading as good, evil blurs the lines - intentionally so - and tries to make us see gray.

        For example, while pretending to be interested in peace, Arafat always had his underlings and minions perpetuate a long-held mission of annihilating Israel.  To add insult to injury, they would spin their evildoings in an attempt to appear as if they themselves - the obvious perpetrators - are the victims.  This horrific behavior continues today, and will continue as long as the perpetrators are given a stage and allowed to appear legitimate.  Evil always shows its face, because masquerading as good isn’t the same thing as being good, and pretense can only be held for so long.

        Aaron and his sons were being inducted as the first Jewish priests, or kohanim, at the beginning of the birth of the Nation of Israel.  What an utterly incredible honor!  Yet, sacrifice is about raising the soul to Adonai, to get closer to Adonai.  This means it is a separation, intentional, of the ego from the soul.  Serving G-d is about UNDERSTANDING, i.e. serving Adonai is about Adonai - not about self-glorification.  If the leaders of the service are leading for egomaniacal purposes - for their own self-aggrandizement - the service is meaningless.

        Aaron’s two sons who were killed publicly got drunk, and then proceeded to bring a sacrifice of their own device, one which pagans had done, to show off.  Clearly showing off was their intention, as the list of sacrifices Adonai proscribed were delineated multiple times, and with details about the what, where, why, and how.

        A lot of times children of great men and/or women, but especially of great men, try too hard to prove they are better than their parents were.  While yes, Aaron’s sons were selected as priests due in part to the greatness of their father, part of the reason (at least it seems so to me) was due to their own abilities to earn Adonai’s favor.  After all, Moses’ own sons weren’t chosen to be Kohanim, and he is still known as our greatest teacher.  They were chosen by Adonai to lead the holy Nation of Israel in righteousness - lead by example, that is. 

        Let us not forget, this meant knowing the commandments, and especially the first ten, which include “honor thy father and thy mother”.  Getting publicly drunk and showing off is hardly the mature leadership necessary for a nation formed for the sake of Adonai - 0r any other type of leadership for that matter!  Apparently, they were only thinking of themselves.  I could go on and on, but I believe you get the picture!

        So what was a father to do?  Aaron’s sons were not boys, but grown men with children of their own.  Even if they had no wives, nor children, grown men - especially ones in leadership positions - shouldn’t have to be told how to act appropriately, or that their actions reflect upon their father (a father who was physically present no less!), nor should they need to be reminded not to embarrass themselves or their father.  Certainly, they shouldn’t need reminding that the purpose of their new position was to serve Adonai, not themselves.

        But, they were, after all, Aaron’s sons - his flesh and blood - and we must assume he loved his children, or else he wouldn’t merit his own position as a leader.  He must have had a lot of mixed emotions going on inside, but his actions in dealing with their deaths were literally the making or breaking of this new nation.  Had Aaron eaten of the sacrifice, as directed, before his sons acted out, he would have been trying to pretend what happened didn’t.  He taught us that while adults are responsible for their own behavior, and for their own choices, the resulting consequences are suffered by the family, friends, community, by everyone else.  Aaron had to separate the sacred from the profane by not allowing the selfish and evil actions of those two sons to stop the development of this newly formed nation.  Mourning, especially publicly, would have made this momentous occasion about him and his personal loss.

        Aaron teaches us when our own flesh and blood acts despicably, we absolutely shouldn’t condone it, but we are still sullied by it.  This is why he didn’t eat the holy sacrifice in the holy place as was supposed to happen.  He protected his people, he protected the sacredness of the proceedings, and he directed our attention towards Adonai.  He never wavered in his faith, trust, and love of Adonai, and demonstrated he understood - in a profound way - we are each accountable for our own actions, and therefore must suffer the consequences of our choices.  Aaron didn’t even plead to Adonai on behalf of his sons.  He understood the importance of recognizing the profane, and not making excuses or asking for exceptions for evil behavior.  No matter who the perpetrator is, their evil actions cannot be condoned and must be answered for, and should be prevented from insinuating themselves into society disguised as serving G-d.

        I am compelled to wonder publicly about why terrorists who say they are serving G-d haven’t gotten the message yet that our being the chosen people of Adonai is fact, not fiction.  Doesn’t history bear out the lesson Adonai will not let our people die?  Doesn’t it bear out our inheritance is the state of Israel?  The obvious ineptitude of Hamas would be laughable, if it wasn’t so blatantly obvious they won’t succeed, because G-d’s hand is still - to this very day - protecting us as a people.  Yes, our enemies will have some minor success, and we will suffer casualties, but WE ARE STILL HERE, AND AS LONG AS WE CONTINUE TO LEAD THE WORLD BY EXAMPLE, TO BE A FORCE FOR GOOD AND NOT EVIL, TO BE A LIGHT UNTO THE NATIONS, WE WILL CONTINUE TO BE PROTECTED BY ADONAI’S HAND.  While we protect ourselves because we must, we don’t start wars, and we don’t promote violence.  I am speaking about the Jewish people as a nation; obviously, we have people in our midst who choose to sever themselves from us, from Adonai, and align themselves with evil.  It is a shanda, but one which has always happened whenever there is more than one person, Jewish or otherwise.  As a people, we do what we can to keep those who choose evil from infecting our purpose of serving Adonai.  My intention is not to challenge our enemies to pursue us further, but rather to help them to see the truth, give up the fight, and truly turn towards G-d in love and peace.  It is way past time to turn our swords into plowshares, don’t you think?  The commandments aren’t solely about how to raise our souls towards Adonai, they also teach us how Adonai wants us to treat each other.  Remember, thou shalt not kill, steal, or covet?  Thou shalt not worship idols, or false gods, nor those of greed, lust, power, etc.  G-d is a god of love, kindness, fairness, and peace.  I know I cannot make people choose to listen, or to learn, but I am obligated to try.

        Shabbat Shalom, may we all be blessed with peace.  I’d love to know what you think, and ask your forgiveness for the lateness of this posting, as I had computer troubles.

Kosher Soul