Making sense of the sedra: Shemini
Navigating sanctity, compassion and communal responsibility
This week’s Torah reading, Shemini, marks a pivotal moment in the Israelite journey—the inauguration of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). Tragedy mars this sacred occasion, as Aaron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu, offer an unauthorised fire-offering before God; in devastating punishment, divine flames consume them.
Divine worship requires profound sanctity. The term shemini (eighth) signifies a realm beyond the natural order, introducing a supernatural dimension to the spiritual event of the consecration reported on in this reading. The fatal incident resulting underscores the necessity of adhering strictly to divine commandments, highlighting that even well-intentioned deviations can lead to dire consequences. This perspective stresses the importance of discipline and reverence in religious observance, ensuring that worship aligns with God’s explicit instructions. Where in this is there any evidence of compassion for the erring individual, for the human in us all? Why cannot God’s law be more humane?
In contrast, note Aaron’s response to his sons’ deaths. Despite his profound grief, Aaron stays silent on the matter and chooses not to partake in the sacrificial meal. When Moses questions this abstention, Aaron explains that consuming the offering in his bereaved state would be inappropriate. Moses accepts this reasoning, illustrating the Torah’s acknowledgment of human emotion and the necessity for compassion in leadership. Impliedly, this is a directive for future leaders to deliver halacha (Jewish law) with empathy, recognising the individual’s circumstances and emotional state. This viewpoint champions a leadership style that balances strict adherence to law with sensitivity to human experience.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks offers a synthesis of these perspectives by exploring the dual themes of universality and particularity in Shemini. He describes Shemini Atzeret, the “eighth day of assembly,” as a time when God invites the Jewish people to linger, symbolising an intimate relationship between the divine and the individual. Rabbi Sacks interprets this as an embodiment of both the sanctity of divine worship and the compassion inherent in God’s relationship with humanity. He posits that true religious observance requires a balance between keeping the sanctity of rituals while exercising compassion and understanding to oneself and to others. This quest for an equilibrium ensures that religious practices are both meaningful and accessible, fostering a community that upholds divine commandments with empathy and care.
In contemporary times, this balance is exemplified by leaders who navigate the complexities of tradition and modernity with wisdom and compassion. In the Christian world, the experience of the late Pope Francis has exemplified a leadership cognisant of the humanity of leadership and the needs of ordinary people. This should be recognised, even if in his latter days his interventions on Israel proved controversial in the Jewish community. The Jewish experience is one which demands at least as much – if not more – compassion than technical halachic standards. This emphasises that compassion is for the Jewish people, the human actors of divine Torah, the bottom line, and the basic standard, beneath which we must never drop.
Rabbi Ariel Abel CF LLM is a solicitor and British army chaplain
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