On Parashat Shemini

B"H

The most famous incident of Parashat Shemini is the tragic death of the two sons of Aharon HaCohen, Nadav and Avihu.
The two bring a "strange fire" into the Mishkan and the Talmud states that, as they died, their souls just left their bodies. However, there are so many different commentaries on why Nadav and Avihu had to die. Some claim that they were drunk, others say that the two wanted to take over leadership from Moshe and Aharon; it was a punishment for them for not getting married and becoming to arrogant. Another reason is that they simply were so terribly overwhelmed that they wanted to get closer to G - d and didn't think about the consequences.

The Apter Rav, Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Heshel (1748 - 1825), actually said that each of us should get closer to G - d in stages. Uplift our souls (Neshamot) step by step and not just running into everything.

Through Torah Mitzwot you may raise higher and higher but do it slowly and at your pace. No rush but "mi madrega le'madrega - one step after the other". Only this way you succeed and even if there are many Mitzwot today, you don't understand, reject or simply think that they are unnecessary, don't give up hope that one day you may fulfill and understand them. If you are not on the level now, don't just forget about the main goal - maybe getting to a higher level and understanding the this particular law you once rejected.