This week’s parashah, Shemini, contains the infamous story of the death of Aaron’s two sons. Aaron and his 4 sons have been assigned the priestly mantle and sons Nadav and Avihu soon err and bring a ‘strange fire’ before Gd. In an instant Gd strikes them dead. Though the story certainly raises theological questions, the more immediate question may be: why did Lynne and I choose the name Nadav for our first born child? Permit me to explain…We wanted a name from the Bible but one that is still modern enough to be identified with the pride of the contemporary State of Israel. We wanted a name whose meaning would be a blessing for our child’s character– נדב means ‘giving’and is the root for the Hebrew word נדיב (generous) and מתנדב (volunteer) – it also describes his grandparents’ nature. With sensitivity for of our American mishpacha and our son, we wanted a name that is pronounced the same in English as in Hebrew. Finally, I refer to the film, “The World According to Garp.” In the movie, Garp is viewing a house for purchase. Suddenly, a twin engine plan crashes into the house destroying the top floors (the pilot is okay). Garp exclaims, “We’ll take it!” When confronted by his wife he says “what are the chances of a plane ever hitting this house again?!” Amen, selah.
