Schmini tells the tragic story of how the great inauguration of the tabernacle,

a day about which the sages said that God rejoiced, as much as he had at the creation of the universe,

was overshadowed by the death of Erin's two sons, Nadav and Avihu.

Erin's sons, Nadav and Avihu took their senses, put fire in them and added

incense, and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which God hadn't instructed

them to offer. Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died

before the Lord. Many explanations were later given by the sages and the commentators as to what

not of an avihu sin actually was, but the simplest answer given by the Torah itself here and elsewhere

is that they acted on their own initiative. They did what they hadn't been commanded. They acted

spontaneously, perhaps out of

sheer enthusiasm in the mood of the moment, offering unauthorized fire. Evidently, it's

dangerous to act spontaneously in matters of the spirit. But is it? Moses acted spontaneously in far more fraught circumstances when he shattered

the tablets of stone on seeing the Israelites cavorting around the golden calf. The tablets

hewn and engraved by God himself were perhaps the holiest objects there have ever been. And yet Moses

wasn't punished for his act.

The sages said that though he acted on his own accord, without first consulting God,

God has sent it to his act. Rushie refers to this moment in his very last comment to the Torah,

whose last verse speaks about all the strong hand and the great awe which Moses performed,

Le'enekol Israel in the eyes of all Israel.

And Rashi says this refers to when Moses took the liberty of shattering the tablets before their eyes,

as it said, I shattered them before your eyes.

The Holy One, blessed be he consented to his opinion,

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