Don’t Ride the Highs Too High…

(In honor of my daughter Shelbelle’s wedding to Leivy Lapidus)

 

In this week’s Parsha we read of the tragic passing of the two sons of Aaron. In the height of the dedication of the Mishkan, on the 8th day of celebration, the Torah tells us they entered with a strange fire, intoxicated and a fire came forth and consumed them and they died.

 

Moses tells Aaron that Nadav and Avihu, his two sons were holy and sanctified G-d’s name. These two seemingly opposite messages as to whether this was a good thing or a bad thing is reconciled in the teachings of Chasidus.

 

Nadav and Avihu were in love with G-d. As a matter of course their bodies were refined to the point that they were in touch with their souls and her yearning for Divine connection. Alcohol helps break down barriers (when consumed in proper measure) and as such they drank in order to break down whatever interference from their body remained.

 

Imagine that, to feel such passion and yearning for G-d on this earth that your body as a hard time holding your soul from literally leaving your body – that’s holy!

 

The problem is that holy in Hebrew means separate. And G-d doesn’t want us to be separate. G-d wants us to be present.

 

Indeed, there is a paradox to be had. On the one hand we ought to work on our relationship with our soul and our souls relationship with Hashem so much so that our soul will want to soar out of us. On the other hand we need to remember that G-d wants us to remain present and that to fulfill our souls journey on this earth can only take place when we are present in the physical space doing physical Mitzvos with physical things.

 

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I venture to say that most of you/us/me reading this are not soul soaring challenged. So what is the relevance of this teaching in our lives?

 

It happens at times, that we have profound experiences in life. Great simchos, great celebrations, wonderful blessings that occur to us, etc. When these things happen we tend to feel a sense of gratitude to Hashem for His kindness.

 

And then times move on and the gratitude seems to have fizzled. The excitement dissipates. And while that is all normal, it begs the question; what practical good has come as a result of all those good feelings?

 

In a sense it is the other side of the coin of the sons of Aaron. It’s a yearning and recognition of Hashem but it doesn’t produce anything because we didn’t translate it down into something practical, something relevant, something physical.

 

Being in the moment, recognizing the blessing and translating it into something that has shelf life is key. Resolving to take the good feelings and committing to an act of kindness, a mitzvah that will translate the emotion into something very tangible is how we ensure that while the excitement will pass, its effect will continue on.

 

Have a great Shabbos!