Drash Cards for Acherei Mot (5760)

by Marc Mangel

• After the death of Nadav and Avihu we have Yom Kippur and the scapegoat, the location of sacrifices, the holiness code and rules about sexual relations.

• Ch 16, v 1:  “when they approached before God”, which is not mentioned before in Ch 10, v 1-2

• The Bishop of Cologne once noted that we cannot seek spiritual ecstasy without obligation.

• Rav A. Hertzberg when asked about renewing Judaism, said “do any mitzvah as long as it is not self-focussed”

• Why did Nadav and Avihu die?  Madras Rabba says that they committed the moral crimes of arrogance and uncaring.

• R. Einat Ramon quotes Leviticus Rabba (20:10) says, no — they were righteous men who experienced a mystical closeness to God of such an intensity that they could not continue to live among other mortals.

• Put another way: nearness to God is captivating and hypnotic but often comes at the expense of closeness to fellow human beings. With great power comes great responsibility.