I Desire Mercy Not Sacrifice (Sh'mini 2003)

It is yom ha sh'mini the eighth day. For seven days the preparations and celebrations for the dedication of the Mishkan have been going on. The mood is festive, joyful, exciting, filled with promise for a glorious future. As Aaron finishes presenting the t'nufah, the wave offering to the Lord, he lifts his hands joyfully and blesses all the people. God responds to their joy with a glorious and awesome display of his favor. Fire comes out from before the Lord and consumes the offering. All is well and wonderful. 

But suddenly, everything changes. 

In a moment of indiscretion Aaron's sons offer aish zarah strange fire to the Lord. Where, only moments ago fire coming forth from the Lord had signaled His favor, now its coming forth signaled judgement. Where moments ago Aaron and the people were jubilant, now they are frozen in shock and grief. A very disquieting episode. 

But there are two things we can learn from this story. First, that being in the presence of G-d, especially for those who have the privilege to come near to Him, is a serious matter. One which can not be taken whimsically, or casually. Despite our love for Him, and His for us, we are not buddies. 

Perhaps as some commentators think, Nadab and Abihu were drunk and came to make an offering in ways not prescribed. They took for granted their positions as priests and cavalierly presented the offering. Unlike the account of the offering made by Aaron, in which there was a detailed description of his personal preparation , and the care he took in making his offering, his sons we are told took their censers, put fire in them and burned the incense. 

Too often we take our relationship with G-d for granted. Particularly for some believers in Messiah Yeshua, we have reduced our relationship to G-d to a casual thing. Treating this relationship like any other we might have. In some cases reducing it to a matter of mere convenience. No longer do we make those clear distinctions between the holy and the profane. But G-d is a G-d of distinctions and He will not be trivialized. So Moses declares; "It is what the LORD spoke, saying, 'By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be honored." (Lev. 10:3) 

Yet despite this insistence on honor, order, and propriety G-d is a G-d of compassion. His justice is tempered with mercy, His holiness is crowned with kindness and goodness. 

As we have noted, Aaron is almost paralyzed with grief and fear. Yet he is expected to fulfill his duties as High Priest. Moses, perhaps inappropriately, insists on reminding Aaron about his responsibilities. Yet in the face of such grief, what is our responsibility to others? What did G-d expect from Aaron and his remaining sons? 

Moses, concerned with G-d's anger insists that Aaron and his sons complete their work and eat their portions of the sacrifice. He is enraged that they have allowed the goat to be burned up on the altar. But his anger seems out of place when compared to the pain and grief that his own brother is suffering. Where, we might ask, is his own compassion for Aaron and his sons? It seems that it has been swallowed up by Moses' need for everything to be done appropriately and halachicly. 

It is Moses, not G-d who insists that Aaron continue right then and there to complete his duties. It is Moses not G-d who berates Aaron and his sons about eating the offering. But Moses has miscalculated G-d, and G-d's holiness. It seems Aaron in his pain is more attuned to G-d's heart in this case, he says; "Behold, this very day they presented their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD. When things like these happened to me, if I had eaten a sin offering today, would it have been good in the sight of the LORD?". (Lev. 10:19) 

Ultimately, Moses recognizes this. He in his typical humble way is willing to be corrected. It says; And when Moses heard that, it seemed good in his sight.(Lev. 10:20) 

Sometimes in our desire to uphold the honor of G-d, we are willing to sacrifice others. This violates the very Spirit of G-d. G-d is capable of upholding His own honor without our help. We do not honor G-d, when for the sake of our sense of correctness and propriety, or our particular way of observing the commandment we are willing to sacrifice or destroy others. Messiah Yeshua, when arguing another halachic dispute said this; "But if you had known what this means, 'I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent." (Matt. 12:7) 

I hope like Moses, it will seem good in our sight as well