The two sons of Aaron that died during the dedication of the Tabernacle/Mishkan exploit their priestly power. They were convinced that they had the right to substitute their own form of worship and service for the instructions that they were given by God through Moshe. The Talmud also ascribes to them impatience and unacceptable ambition.

 

They looked at their father and uncle and thought: “When will these two old men pass from the scene so that you and I can become the leaders of the generation.” The corruption of power affects even the closest family bonds and relationships. The Torah sees itself as the final arbiter of power, clearly limiting and defining in detail the roles and actions of the priests and kings of Israel.

 

The prophets of Israel, as well as its religious leaders throughout the generations, always served as a brake against runaway power. The moral law was meant to accomplish what the legal law alone would be unable to achieve. The value system of the Torah, with its stress on humility, obedience to the law and the realization that the Lord takes all of our actions into consideration and judgment, is meant to temper and channel ambition and power into the constructive national good.

 

We are warned against the vice of greed. The Talmud states the case very succinctly: “He who has one hundred, wishes to have two hundred.” Such is human nature. The Torah warns us many times against the corruption that the pursuit of wealth can bring to leadership. It blinds otherwise great leaders and distorts and skews the thoughts and words of even holy people.

 

Even a cursory review of the books of the prophets of Israel reveals constant emphasis on rooting out corruption and graft from the highest levels of government. Of course, this innate quality of greed, which exists amongst us all, when it is combined with the above described vice of overreaching power, becomes lethal to all concerned. It is greed that blinds our vision to the consequences of our behavior. Greed forces us to somehow believe that enough is never enough.

 

This week's parsha clearly details for us the forbidden sexual relationships enjoined by Torah law. This section of the parsha constitutes the Torah reading for the afternoon services of Yom Kippur. A holy people cannot be a society that condones all types of sexual activity and promiscuity. This type of behavior has become the scourge of our society. Untold tragedies and family dysfunction have resulted because of this very dubious type of “freedom” that is now such an entrenched part of Western civilization.

 

The Torah again points the way towards normal, productive and healthy living. All of the lessons and messages of this week's Torah reading should be the constitutional basis for current Jewish life and our continuing national renaissance.

 

Shabbat shalom

Rabbi Berel Wein