Parshat Shemini: Take My Advice - It Could Save Your Life
by Rabbi Lobel

(Leviticus; Chapter 10, Verse 1 - 2) "The sons of Aaron, Nadab and Avihu, each took his fire pan, they put fire in them and placed incense upon it; and they bought before G-d an alien fire that he had not commanded them. A fire came forth from before G-d and consumed them, and they died before G-d.

These were not simple people. Nadab and Avihu were destined to be the future leaders of the Jewish nation. Nadab was to inherit his father's position as Kohen Gadol (High Priest) (Yalkut Shemoni 524). Both men were great tzaddikim (righteous people).

According to Rebbe Eliezer (Eruvin 63b, see Rashi on the verse) Nadab and Avihu were not punished for creating the alien fire. Rather, they were punished for creating the alien fire in front of Moses, their teacher, without his consultation.

The Yalkut Shemoni (524) says they not only neglected to consult with Moses but even with each other. Apparently, Nadab and Avihu each felt his action was correct because they both independently came to the same conclusion. However, if they had first discussed their actions, they would have realized, at the least, that they should consult Moses before creating the alien fire. If they had only asked for each other's advice, their fatal error would have been avoided.

It seems that simply consulting with others opens windows and vistas that would otherwise have been missed. The human mind is very smart but, on its own, often becomes "single-minded." This simple mistake cost Nadab and Avihu their lives.

We see many people, from all levels of society, making mistakes which were easily avoidable. This occurs in all facets of daily life, from business to family. The remedy for avoiding future mistakes is proper consultation with others so we can broaden our spectrum and see all of our options.