Original article: http://www.ou.org/torah/article/rabbi_weinrebs_torah_column_parshas_shemini#.T7pXqVLBtAM

http://www.ou.org/torah/article/rabbi_weinrebs_torah_column_parshas_shemini#.T7pXqVLBtAM

One of the things that Mr. Weinreb does not mention in the age old story is, what about the mother of the two children that died.

To begin with, I want to assure everyone out there that God/dess never, never, never creates any pain, tragedy, unhappiness or anything negative to us.  That is only what we humans conjure up ourselves.

We live on the otherside and the earth is our temporary immersion school for life’s lessons. Noting more.  People come and go, just as they did and still do to college.

So, to begin with, let’s try going back to the original story.  While Mr. Weinreb seems to make the obvious association with someone dying, esp. a child, with the wrath of an (read evil, demanding male deity) perhaps this is not so the case.

Nadab and Abihu

Acting on their own, Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his fire pan, laid incense on it, and offered alien fire, which God had not commanded. (Leviticus 10:1.) And God sent fire to consume them, and they died. (Leviticus 10:2.) Moses told Aaron, “This is what the Lord meant when He said: ‘Through those near to Me I show Myself holy, and gain glory before all the people,’” and Aaron remained silent. (Leviticus 10:3.) Moses called Aaron’s cousins Mishael and Elzaphan to carry away Nadab’s and Abihu’s bodies to a place outside the camp. (Leviticus 10:4.) Moses instructed Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar not to mourn Nadab and Abihu by rending their garments or leaving their hair unshorn and not to go outside the Tent of Meeting. (Leviticus 10:6–7.)

And God told Aaron that he and his sons must not drink wine or other intoxicants when they entered the Tent of Meeting, so as to distinguish between the sacred and the profane. (Leviticus 10:8–11.)

One really wonders 1) if the strange fire and incense killed the two boys (most likely not, from a scientific point of view, combustibles, esp. in that age probably weren’t very predictable, after all, combustion engineering was not the science it is today–I could go on about this since I took it in college and yes, rocket science is fun and not that terribly difficult), and 2) just because Aaron was silent about the death did not mean he did not deeply grieve, perhaps his wife and the women did that for him-no mention of that and 3) the tearing of clothes and wailing is not in and of itself necessarily indicative of “proper” grieving.

We know for a fact that men cry less than women and children.  However, we also know that men who do not cry are more prone to heart attacks.  So, this is not recommended if you are reading this and you are a guy.

I certainly  have to respectfully disagree with you, Mr. Weinreb, that having strange incense and fire was the cause of death of these two boys.  When it is our time, we go home.  And no, God/dess isn’t going to be “wrathful” and take someone out.  Those are only negative human emotions imputed (wrongfully) to God/dess who are all love and peace.

God/dess are the Divine Ones, the Blessed Ones. They are all peace and love.

Aaron may have been silent about the death of his children, but assuredly he grieved.  And in a primitive society that thought messy death, plagues and illness were brought about by behaviors and a male deity of vengeance, assuredly Aaron and the children’s mother grieved behind closed doors.

While your analysis was very short, Mr.Weinreb, respectfully it overlooked many other complexities on an entirely different level.

One of the worst things about Leviticus 10 is we don’t even know the name of the children’s mother and who she was and how she raised those boys and loved them and cared for them.  Fathers are wonderful too, but children need two parents and both should be mentioned.