Jewish Recovery Thought - Shmini

And Aaron's sons... brought before the L-rd foreign fire, which He had not commanded them. And fire went forth from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.

Levitcus 10:1-2

In this week's portion, the sons of the High Priest, Aaron, die in a most curious manner. While performing their priestly service, they are consumed by a heavenly fire. What caused them to meet such an unusual demise?

One interpretation is that they were punished for entering the Sanctuary while intoxicated. In the verse immediately following the description of their deaths, G-d warns Aaron: (Lev. 10:9) "Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the Tent of Meeting, so that you will not die...." From context it is gathered that Aaron's two sons had done just that.

On a deeper level, it is explained that upon entering the Sanctuary, the sons of Aaron were so enthralled with feeling the nearness of G-d that they no longer wished to cling to their physical bodies and thus allowed their souls to be swept up in rapturous union with G-d. As the verse states: "They died before G-d." It was their sense of being close to G-d that caused them to expire. The "fire" that "consumed them" was the fiery passion to abandon worldly existence and be united with G-d.

In truth, both interpretations are correct and both are saying the same thing. The sons of Aaron were intoxicated and they longed to be at one with G-d. They were disdainful of worldly existence and thus they yearned for escape. This is what led them to seek release through drinking wine and this is what led them to allow their souls to leave their bodies behind when given the chance. The motive was the same in both cases and the result was identical as well -- they died.

AA co-founder,Bill W., indirectly received his first glimmer of insight that the treatment for alcoholism was spiritual in nature from Dr. Carl Jung. (Big Book, 4th Edition, pp. 26-27) Jung had advised a patient to seek a spiritual experience as a solution to his alcohol problem. Years later, Bill wrote the doctor and asked him how he had ever been able to figure out the answer that no one else had come up with before. Jung wrote back regarding his assessment of the patient whom Bill had known, "His craving for alcohol was the equivalent on a low level of the spiritual thirst of our being for wholeness, expressed in medieval language --
the union with God."

Is it really any wonder that the same sons of Aaron who drank wine also allowed their souls to take flight when given the chance? Weren't they looking for the same thing in both cases?

This may come off sounding like an excuse or even glorification of their behavior, but it is not at all. In truth, it is just the opposite. The desire for unity with G-d is indeed the most noble and wholesome objective for which a man or woman can strive. But what is meant is true self-transcendence through service of G-d and not self-destruction. For the sons of Aaron to leave their bodies behind in the desire to become close to G-d was equally as misguided as their attempt to do so through intoxication.

In Jung's letter, he says of his description of the alcoholic as one seeking unity with G-d, "How could one formulate such an insight in a language that is not misunderstood in our days? The only right and legitimate way to such an experience is, that it happens to you in reality...."

True union with G-d is the bond of selfless surrender to doing His will. Escape of any kind -- be it chemical or even spiritual -- is still just that -- escape and is, as such, an indulgence. Although there is a certain sensitivity underlying this desire, the oneness with Him that G-d desires for us must take place in this world, in our bodies where we can choose of our free will to do His will and be useful to both Him and our fellow.