Making Sense of the Sedra: What is spirituality?
In our thought-provoking new series, rabbis and rebbetzins relate the week’s parsha to the way we live today
The book of Vayikra is almost entirely legal. Starting with detailed lists and laws of the sacrifices, the book runs through a vast array of legislation covering purity, forbidden relationships, broad societal principles (do not place a stumbling block before the blind; love your friend as yourself; pay wages promptly). It culminates in the framework for Jewish society and land – the laws of Shemitta and Yovel, which govern the resting of the land, freeing slaves, cancelling of debts and returning property to its ancestral owners. The singular story, therefore, that we learn about in this week’s parsha, Shemini, is an invaluable lesson in itself as well teaching us about the book of Vayikra as a whole.
The stage was set: the culmination of many months’ preparation, the dream of a liberated nation coming into physical form in the Mishkan, the portable sanctuary in which God and Man could commune and communicate. The technical details we had spent so many verses learning about – from the intricate clothing of the Kohanim, to the daily order of sacrifices – were at last to be seen in action. After completing their final acts in dedicating the Mishkan, ‘Moshe and Aaron came out, and blessed the people: the glory of God was visible to the entire people. A fire burst forth from before God, and consumed the offering and fats on the alter; the people saw, sung joyously, and bowed on their faces.’
The height of joy, yet it was almost immediately marred. Nadav and Avihu, two sons of Aaron, stepped forth and offered an ‘alien fire’ before God. Shockingly, and in a chilling repetition, another fire comes from before God, but this time it consumed the priests and not the portion. Our Sages explore their motives and the necessity for such a punishment; their unbridled enthusiasm – motivated or enabled by arrogance or ambition – meant they crossed a line and faced the consequences of coming within a hairsbreadth of the Divine.
Tragedy at the height of joy. Aaron, the first Kohen Gadol (the high priest at the centre of the Mishkan) struck with the death of two sons, in public view, for what seems to be an enthusiastic breach of protocol.
‘And Aaron was silent.’ Stoic. Brave. Layers and layers of emotion hidden beneath a steely silence.
We vacillate between our desire for independence and the wish to be so much bigger than we really are. The laws of Vayikra say that a desire for transcendence has a path: the opportunity for mistakes facilitated by the sacrifices, the laws of communal holiness, as well as laws and principles governing the minutiae of relationships between people.
Spirituality is not a feeling, a state of mind or a sense of euphoria. It does not come from connection to a guru or from an induced elevated state. Spirituality comes from the self-sacrifice of living in harmony with the Creator, creation and the created – sincere prayer, hours spent contemplating Divine Wisdom, self-sacrifice for those in need, or a conscious effort to not be defined by past failings.
Aaron’s sons may have felt spiritual, and acted in the heat of the moment, yet this ersatz feeling is nothing compared to the silence of Aaron – the momentary disconnect, disbelief, the gap before processing the enormity of tragedy, coming after his years of dedication to God and Man.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
