What does God's commandment mean?
לא תצא שבעת ימים, “do not leave (the door) of the tent for seven days;” this is not to be understood as a house arrest, but means that Aaron and his sons are not to undertake any other activities and not go to another tent even....
Is the penalty really death?
Despite the separation God commands, we are confronted by a striking irony. God clearly specifies the benefit of the imposed isolation in the Tabernacle for seven days — “that you may not die.” Aaron and his sons faithfully adhere to the prescribed isolation.
However, just over a chapter later — at the pinnacle of the consecration — two of Aaron’s four sons, Nadav and Avihu, offer a “strange fire,” one that they were not commanded to offer. Their punishment for this transgression is death, and they are consumed by Divine flame. The echo of the verses prescribing isolation rings in our ears as we read of their death. Nahmanides relates to this echo in his commentary on these verses:
"In every other place it says, ‘As God commanded through Moses,’ but here, because they added to the commandment it did not describe their actions using this language, because they did not do ‘as God had commanded Moses.’ Rather, they did ‘all the things God commanded’ and added on to them, as it was written, ‘alien fire, which He had not enjoined upon them.’"
- Rabbi Steven Exler, https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/challenging-isolation/
What are we to learn from this commandment of isolation and the threat of death if not followed? What about the deaths of Nadav and Abihu?
Nahmanides points out astutely that Aaron’s sons did not merely follow God’s word — they added something of their own. Perhaps it is in their very addition to the command for isolation that Nadav and Avihu get carried away and offer this strange fire. God commands them to separate for seven days to prepare for the consecration of the Tabernacle. In their detachment they lose sight of their role to lead the community and instead offer up their own fire.
This fire is brought on the eighth day. Was it this extra day of isolation that pushes Nadav and Avihu over the edge? The Sages support this idea.... We now see the irony in sharp relief: the isolation that was meant to be their very protection from death becomes, so painfully, their downfall.
The story of Nadav and Avihu teaches us that isolation should be treated as a means to accomplishing a goal, not an end unto itself, and that isolation is never meant to be a permanent state.
- Rabbi Steven Exler, https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/challenging-isolation/
What does this mean for us today in our own isolation?
It is incumbent on us to understand that we have to endure this isolation for as long as possible. It is a matter of life and death - for us, for others. This is not an easy task and can be very frustrating, upsetting, depressing, anxiety-inducing, and so many other things, but we do not have a choice. Our responsibility is to take care of ourselves and our community by heeding the laws being put forth and replacing the emotional for the rational. It is easier said than done, but in order to save our communities, we must follow this.
Physical distancing does not mean social distancing and we should reach out to others and engage in conversation. We have those resources and should take advantage.
This may be difficult to remember, but as our movement has stated, "But as diverse as circumstances might be, the overarching Jewish value common to every circumstance is pikuach nefesh, the supreme value of saving a life. We would be remiss if we didn’t express in the strongest possible terms our conviction that whatever the present impact of the virus on your community, the greatest caution will save the greatest number of lives."