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![]() Shabbat Parashat Shemini 5781Parashat Hashavua: Make Sure your Head Is StraightRav Daniel MannIn the aftermath of the death of two of Aharon’s sons, who brought “a foreign fire” (Vayikra 10:1), the Torah commands kohanim not to drink wine or other intoxicating drinks before entering or serving in the holy sanctum (ibid. 9). The Torah goes on: “… and to make rulings for Bnei Yisrael on all of the statutes that Hashem spoke to them by Moshe’s hand” (ibid. 11). Chazal understood that in addition to entering the sanctum, it is forbidden for anyone to make halachic rulings under the influence of alcohol (Sifra, Shemini 1). Those who count the mitzvot (see Rambam, Lo Taaseh 73, Sefer Hachinuch 152) include the two as one mitzva, even though the violations come while doing very different actions: entering a holy place; rendering a ruling. What the prohibitions share is what was done previously that makes the subsequent important actions inappropriate. Is the logic behind the two even the same? I would have thought that the matter of entrance/service in a state of intoxication is a matter of respect and comportment (although it is forbidden even if one drank only a few ounces). Who comes before the king in a state that can make him light-headed or worse? The matter of rendering rulings is ostensibly an intellectual matter. If you are not “at the top of your game,” you may overlook something, equate between matters that are not similar enough, etc. It does not seem to be a matter of behavior but of expected results. So why lump them together? Maybe the comparison teaches us something in each direction. First, let us learn from rulings to the Mishkan. One might think that the most important thing in working or visiting the inner sanctums is enthusiasm and positive emotion. Perhaps then a little wine is just the thing to “light a holy fire.” On Purim, many people use a state of at least partial intoxication to experience what many report to be great spiritual highs. Indeed, there may be important elements of avodat Hashem in which the level of excitement and “letting go” spiritually may be positive. But one needs to know that there are limits! There are places that are just too holy to try to get by with emotion. You have to be sure that every step one takes and action he perform will be exactly as it should. Thus, wine is forbidden at that time. ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() More articles from this issue: We daven for a complete and speedy refuah for: Nir Rephael ben Rachel Bracha Rivka Reena bat Gruna Natna Arye Yitzchak ben Geula Miriam Neta bat Malka Meira bat Esther Together with all cholei Yisrael Hemdat Yamim is dedicated to the memory of: for our homeland Eretz Hemdah's beloved friends and Members of Eretz Hemdah's Amutah Rav Shlomo Merzel z”l Rav Reuven Aberman z"l Tishrei 9 ,5776 Mr. Shmuel & Esther Shemesh z"l Sivan 17 / Av 20 Mr. Moshe Wasserzug z"l Tishrei 20 ,5781 R' Eliyahu Carmel z"l Rav Carmel's father Iyar 8 ,5776 Mrs. Sara Wengrowsky bat R’ Moshe Zev a”h. Tamuz 10 ,5774 Rav Asher & Susan Wasserteil z"l R' Meir ben Yechezkel Shraga Brachfeld z"l & Mrs. Sara Brachfeld z"l Tevet 16 ,5780 R' Yaakov ben Abraham & Aisha and Chana bat Yaish & Simcha Sebbag, z"l Rav Yisrael Rozen z"l Rav Benzion Grossman z"l Rav Moshe Zvi (Milton) Polin z"l Tamuz 19, 5778 R' Abraham Klein z"l Iyar 18 ,5779 & Mrs. Gita Klein z"l Av 4 Yitzchak Zev Tarshansky z"l Adar 28, 5781
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