Raising the Bar

(based on an original Meturgeman Drasha, Parshat Shmini, 24 Nisan, 5762)

In my very first post, I brought proof from the Torah that Hashem has a double standard, judging B'nei Yisrael more harshly than the other nations. I also made the claim, there and in other places, that within Am Yisrael He raises the bar for those that are (or claim to be) closer to Him...but I never brought proof. It's about time I did. (There are other Midrashic interpretations to these events, but here we are dealing with the simple pshat in the Torah.)

(Some of this pshat comes from the Hertz Chumash, which was a tremendous aid to my understanding in my early days as a Ba'al T'shuva.)

Parshat Shmini begins with high hopes; Aaron and his sons are about to assume their roles as the Cohanim in the Mishkan. And suddenly it changes to tragedy, as his two eldest sons, Nadav and Avihu, are stricken dead before him. Aaron has yet to say a word, but one can imagine what might come out of his mouth if given the chance: anger, bitterness, protest. Immediately Moshe says to him, "This is what Hashem has said: 'by those close to Me will I be sanctified, and in front of all the people I will be honored.'" And Aaron is silent. (VaYikra 10:1-3)

What's happening here? What were Nadav and Avihu doing, and why did they die? What would Aaron have said and why was he silent? And what does it mean for us?

Physically we know what they were doing. They took censers and brought "strange fire before Hashem, which He had not commanded them." On that miraculous day, all the fire was supposed to come directly from Hashem, and none of the Cohanim should have created any fire.

The Torah doesn't say why they did it, but from the context it would appear that they were trying to participate in the joy and celebration. They wanted to do that little bit extra to show their love of God. So what's the big deal? Why shouldn't they be allowed to do so? And even if not, is this a sin worthy of death? This was probably Aaron's first reaction; what he might have said if Moshe hadn't stopped him.

If you or I had done something like that, Aaron would have been right. It's no big deal. But what Moshe was reminding him was that he and his sons had reached the highest level of Kedusha, they had come closer to Hashem than anyone else except Moshe himself. And when you are that close, nothing less than perfection is expected or allowed, especially 'in front of all the people.' If they had not been punished, if Aaron had protested, or if he or his two remaining sons had mourned, Hashem would NOT have been honored in front of all of B'nei Yisrael, and the nation would have been doomed to perish -- just like every other nation where it is understood that the powerful are above the law.

And Aaron understood this, so he was silent.

And WE need to understand. In this day and age, the world sees everything that happens; there is no understanding for weakness that can lead to hypocrisy, only scorn and hatred for the hypocrites. When Jew with Kippot on their heads (or black hats or shtreimels) behave badly, it shows the world that our religion has no value...and Hashem is NOT sanctified and NOT honored. It doesn't matter that there are also great acts of chesed in the dati community; that gets buried under the bad.

The Gemara (Yevamoth 121b) says that Hashem judges Tzaddikim "to the degree of a hair's-breadth." In this day and age, EVERY DATI JEW IS CONSIDERED A TZADDIK! Until we learn to ACT as such, we will live in constant fear of 'fire from Hashem,' either delivered directly or through our enemies. Once we do learn the lesson, all the rest will follow and it will be time for Mashiach.

Ad D'Lo Yada:a Foundation Stone

When I was still a relatively newly minted Ba'al T'shuva (over 30 years ago), I used to go almost every year to Rav Shlomo Riskin's first Purim Seuda (he made two...an early one for his talmidim, and a later one with his shul, Lincoln Square Synagogue.) Every year, he had a new p'shat for the mitzva of Ad D'Lo Yada; one of them had a profound effect on the way I look at the world; you could call it one of the foundation stones of my beliefs. I'd like to share it with you.

It's simple. Chazal tell us to drink until we can't distinguish between 'Baruch Mordechai' and 'Arur Haman'...between cheering for the good guy and booing the bad guy.

But why bless Mordechai? Was he really deserving of our cheering? After all, according to p'shat in the Megila, he was trying just as hard as all the other Jews to assimilate, even telling Esther to hide her affiliations! (I know, and I'm sure Rav Riskin knows, that the Midrash says Mordechai was a holdout from the assimilationists, but here we are going with p'shat, and I believe this is the reason that the text was written as it was.)

And why curse Haman? What brought about the salvation of the Jewish people? What woke them up to the fact that they are always a nation apart and they had better live up to it? It was Haman! If he had left us be there never would have been the greates T'shuva in history! Maybe he deserves some of the blessing!

We are our own worst enemies! And the outside foes are the TOOLS Hashem uses to punish us and to wake us up! This is what I have been saying in just about every post on this blog, and will continue to say.

(Note that in this year's D'var Torah, Rav Riskin speaks about part of this again; but he concentrates on the Haman part.)

I understand this interpretation to the core...and so, in light of my previous post on over-indulgence on Purim, I don't have to worry...I've fulfilled the Mitzva before I ever pick up a cup!

I wish everyone a happy and safe Purim, and may we all work to and come to the day when we no longer have enemies, neither from within nor from without.

Ad D'Lo Yada: the Danger and the Shtuyot

Purim is here, and all over Jewishdom people are looking forward to getting stinking drunk.

Not a pretty picture.

But don't Chazal tell us to get drunk? It says one is required to drink Ad D'Lo Yada, until one can't distinguish, between 'curse Haman' and 'bless Mordechai." That sounds like a lot of drinking.

Not necessarily; and the prohibitions against all sorts of indecent behavior, such as the actions that could be brought about by too much drunkenness, are still in effect. We can't use the excuse of Purim joy to behave like animals.

And then there are the dangers -- the rise of alcohol and drug abuse in the frum community, as well as the teens who end up in the hospital or the cemetery from their Purim (and sometimes Simhat Torah) drinking. There is a clear and present danger here that, based on Pikuach Nefesh, overides Ad D'Lo Yada.

It's not just me saying this...read this article from Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Weinreb related to the OU's campaign against alcohol abuse in the frum world. Many other people are working towards this goal...while others just ignore it.

Many years ago I worked for a frum company in Boro Park. One of the very haredi young women who worked there, daughter of a well-known Rav, came in after Purim one year all excited that she had gotten to smoke a cigarette for Purim! And she said, "Next year, I'm going to try marijuana!"

Purim isn't about doing things that are wrong! Cigarettes and marijuana are both drugs that are forbidden by Torah law (not according to everyone, unfortunately.) Purim should be about relaxing enough to reach a high level of simcha; to celebrate our redemption. A little bit of drinking can help with that. (Never forget also the Ramban, who said you should just drink enough to make you sleeply and then take a nap, because when you're asleep you can't distinguish anything.)

Rav Shlomo Riskin one year quoted someone else (it might have been the Kotzker Rov but I don't remember for sure,) about the difference between drinking of drunkenness and drinking of the Mitzva. If you feel joy inside, and drink to help yourself express it, that is drinking of the Mitzva. But if you feel no joy, and drink to try to put joy inside you, that is the drinking of drunkenness. Too much of the behavior we see on Purim demonstrates the latter.

So have a wonderful Purim, but try to remember to be a mentsch, and express your simcha instead of drowning your neshama.

Or, as Rav Riskin put it another time, "Eat, drink, and be careful!"