From the moon to Parshat Shemini, the same idea emerges: not to escape the world, but to remain within it and build real holiness.
This week, attention is on NASA’s Orion spacecraft, part of the Artemis II mission, the first crewed flight toward the moon since 1972. The astronauts have broken the record for distance from Earth, reaching over 460,000 kilometers. In short, this is a major step toward humanity’s return to the moon after more than fifty years.
So why is this such a big deal if we have already been there?
Because today is completely different from the Apollo era. In the 1960s and 70s, the goal was to get there first, ahead of the Soviet Union. They landed a few times and stopped. It was a short visit. It was expensive and not built to last.
Artemis is different. The goal is to build a permanent base where astronauts can live for weeks or months. The moon is a stepping stone to Mars; not another visit. It is a shift in mindset. The last mission was: we arrived, we won, we left. This mission is: we want to stay, build, and continue.
The hardest challenge is not reaching the moon, but living there. There is no air, no accessible water, no food. Everything must be recycled and if something breaks, it is very difficult to fix. Everything depends on everything else. No water means no plants and no plants means no oxygen.
We reached the moon decades ago. But learning how to live there long term is the real challenge.
Nadav and Avihu
In this week’s parsha, we read about the inauguration of the Mishkan, where the Divine Presence would dwell among the people. After months of preparation, the moment finally came. A fire descended from heaven and consumed the offering. The entire nation fell on their faces in awe and joy.
In that moment stood Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aharon. They were holy individuals on a high spiritual level. The revelation was so powerful that they felt an intense pull to come even closer. In their passion, they brought an offering that G-d had not commanded.
Their longing was so strong that they experienced what is called a complete yearning of the soul. They wanted to cleave fully to G-d. The physical world no longer held meaning for them.
As the Rebbe explains, quoting the Ohr HaChaim, they were drawn with such powerful desire to attach themselves to G-d that their souls expired in that closeness.
But here is the deeper point. This is not what G-d wants.
A person is not created to escape the world, but to live within it and transform it. The mission of a Jew is to take a physical world, with all its challenges, and make it holy.
In simple terms, Nadav and Avihu related to the world as visitors. Like someone who comes temporarily and leaves as soon as they can go higher. But that is not the true mission.
A Mission to Stay
You can see this in everyday life. Some people come to a place for a short time, help, contribute, and leave. That matters, but it is still a visit.
In contrast, the Rebbe’s shluchim go to distant places not for a year or two, but to truly settle there. They live with the people, face the challenges, and build something lasting.
Rabbi Lipa Kurtzweil, a Shliach of the Rebbe in Israel, devoted himself tirelessly to his work in Nachlas Har Chabad, Kiryat Malachi. It was difficult, with limited resources and lots of criticism. At one point, he wrote to the Rebbe with ten reasons why he should leave.
The Rebbe crossed them all out and responded: you have already been involved for some time and have succeeded beyond expectation. The need for this work is growing. You must continue and you will succeed. The main reason you want to leave, he wrote, is the persuasion of the yetzer hara.
In one moment, everything changed. What felt like valid reasons to leave were not reasons at all. They were challenges to overcome. And he continued his mission for the rest of his life.
There are many similar stories of shluchim who wanted to leave due to difficulty, yet were instructed to stay and ultimately saw success beyond nature.
This is the difference between Apollo and Artemis. Apollo came for a short visit. Artemis comes to stay, to build, and to transform.
And this is the message of Parshat Shemini. Do not be a visitor in this world, even in holiness. Be someone who stays, faces reality, and reveals holiness within it.
Because the true goal is not to escape the world, but to make it a dwelling place for G-d.