Shemini: The Lessons of an Alien Fire

This upcoming Sunday night, April 7th, begins Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yom Ha-Shoah. What are we supposed to remember on that day? We know WHO we are meant to recall, and in fact, our Jewish community of Delaware County is going to join together at Temple Sholom in Broomall to spend 24 hours reading aloud the names of victims of

the Holocaust. Please join us, and if you'd specifically like to read some of those names, you can sign up here for a 15-minute slot. Yes, we certainly must recall all the innocent victims who perished in the Shoah, but is there not also another message to keep in our hearts and minds on Holocaust Remembrance Day? I think that Aaron's two sons, Nadav and Avihu, remind us of a very crucial lesson in this week's Torah portion.

Both of them die tragically. While serving as priests along with their father, Avihu and Nadav take it upon themselves to offer 'alien fire' - 'eish zarah' - on the altar. In chapter 10, verse 2, we are told that

'a fire came forth from the Lord and consumed them; thus they died at the instance of the Lord.' What a horrific story! And how could this possibly relate to the Holocaust in any way??? I'll admit that the link isn't obvious, but I think it's an important one nonetheless. To me, it's all about fire. In fact, this whole Torah portion, Shemini, deals heavily with the subject of fire. The fire that consumes sanctioned sacrifices, the 'alien fire' (whatever that means) of these two young men, or the fiery passion of religious zealotry. 

Fire can be an incredible tool. It's one of the first skills mastered that separated us out from among the animals, thousands of years ago. It's a symbol of civilization, innovation, industrialization, and progress. And as such, as with the permitted sacrifices on the ancient altar, it can be used for good. It can

symbolize the spreading of light and warmth. But it doesn't take much for it to turn into 'alien fire.' The very same flame that creates civilizations can also enable the most cultured society to invent crematoria and genocidal concentration camps. But both the story of Aaron's sons and the nightmare of the Second World War and the Nazis teach us that we must remain vigilant. We can't expect the forces of destruction to announce themselves and wear signs that identify them as 'evil incarnate.'

We must all recognize the potential for 'alien fire' that exists in each of us. Nadav and Avihu became the victims of their own misdeeds, but they've given us the gift of learning from their mistakes. Rather than

frivolously calling anything we don't like a 'Nazi,' or using the Holocaust as justification for Middle East policy, we need to examine ourselves, and remain vigilant to forces around us in the world that advocate destruction or oppression. Passion and zeal can be powerful and even positive. However, it doesn't take much for them to turn, or for the fire that we utilize for good to become toxic and harmful. Let us spend this Yom Ha-Shoah thinking BOTH about the victims of other people's devastating fires, but also about how to improve our communities and our world, through the spreading of warmth and light using a very different sort of fiery passion.

Photos in this blog post:

1. CC image of Holocaust Memorial Sculpture in Berlin courtesy of Umschauen on Flickr

2. CC image courtesy of Artnow314 on Flickr

3. CC image from Sachsenhausen, Germany courtesy of quinet on Flickr

4. CC image courtesy of cyOFdevelin fame on Flickr