This week’s Torah reading, Shemini, contains the commandment: “Do not drink intoxicating beverages... when you come to the Tent of Meeting,” prohibiting priests from bringing sacrificial offerings when inebriated.
Seemingly, the intent of the command is so obvious that it need not be stated. When a priest is drunk and no longer in control of his faculties, he is obviously not fit to offer a sacrifice to G‑d. Who would think otherwise? Is there any way one could think that it is fitting to serve G‑d in such a manner?
While the straightforward interpretation of verse must be upheld in the context of Torah law, on the non-literal level of interpretation referred to as derush, there is room for an extended interpretation.
The Hebrew word for sacrifice, korban, shares the root kerov, meaning “close.” Offering a sacrifice meant coming closer to G‑d. At present, our prayers take the place of sacrifices and it is through prayer that we develop intimacy with Him.
Now a person so preoccupied with his material affairs that he cannot think of the spiritual can be considered as drunk. He may pray, but when he prays he is thinking about his material needs. For whom is he praying — for himself or for G‑d? Prayer as connection to G‑d — indeed, prayer for any purpose other than serving his own needs, is beyond him.
Spiritually Drunk
Just like a drunkard is so stupefied that he cannot appreciate the reality he confronts; so, too, such a person cannot conceive of the real intent of prayer. He cannot appreciate what it means to pray for the reasons for which G‑d intended us to pray.
There are others who are spiritually drunk, who seek spiritual satisfaction rather than material satisfaction. But they are still praying for their own benefit. They conceive of prayer as a time to satiate their yearning for G‑dliness, to take pleasure in closeness to Him. They too are “under the influence” and unable to see past their own personal wants and desires.
Commitment out of Love
What is the alternative? To come close to G‑d for His sake, not for our own. On a personal level, we are all familiar with self-serving love, coming close to another person for one’s own gratification. Yes, at times, that may also make the other person feel good. But one is taking as much — or more — than giving.
But there is a deeper kind of love, one where we devote ourselves to another person for that person’s sake, where we care about them and are willing to sacrifice ourselves on that person’s behalf. There is no expectation of receiving anything in return; we make the commitment out of love, because we feel for that person.
Such a relationship should be paralleled in our Divine service. G‑d should be served and we should come close to Him without any ulterior motive — neither material or spiritual.
Such a commitment can only be genuinely made when one is level-headed and looking at the world objectively. Only when a person is in control and makes decisions with composure can he truly act for others.
Based on the teachings of the Rebbe.
Shabbos Table and Moshiach Now! from Keeping in Touch, Vol. 3, Sichos in English.
