Acharei Mot / K’doshim

Leviticus 16:1-20:27

The Limits Of Spirituality

Nadav and Avihu died in an act of sanctification; our goal should be to sanctify God through our lives, not our deaths.

By Rabbi Moshe Morduchowitzprovided by the Orthodox Union, the central coordinating agency for North American Orthodox Congregations for MyJewishLearning.com

Nadav and Avihu, two of Aaron‘s four sons, were killed, the Torah states, "when they came close before God." The Torah then goes on to describe the service performed by Aaron on Yom Kippur.

Who were Nadav and Avihu, and what do their deaths have to do with Yom Kippur?

Furthermore, why were they killed? Is it not the duty of every Jew to strive to come close to God?

Nadav and Avihu died during the sanctification of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). "They offered before the Lord an alien fire, which He had not commanded… and a fire came forth and consumed them."

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Tazria/Metzora

Leviticus 12:1-15:33

By Rabbi Joseph Ozarowski, provided by the Orthodox Union, the central coordinating agency for North American Orthodox Congregations for MyJewishLearning.com
The opening verses of Tazria deal with the various rituals a woman undergoes after childbirth. After the birth of a child she brings two offerings: a year-old lamb or a turtledove or a pigeon as an olah, a burnt offering; and a turtledove or a pigeon as a chatas, a sin offering.

The Talmud questions the order of the offerings as they are described in the Torah, pointing out that when these two offerings are brought as a pair, the chatas is always offered first. Yet in these verses about childbirth, the olah is listed first.

Raba maintains that, in fact, the chatas is brought first. Why, then, is it listed second?

The late Rabbi Menachem Sacks of Chicago, in his wonderful homiletic work, Menachem Tzion, views this sequence as a message on how we ought to view our children’s future.

Parents continually sacrifice for their offspring, with their efforts, funds and time spread out on the altar of child development. The olah and the chatas symbolize the dual nature of parenting.

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Shemini

Leviticus 9:1-11:47

By By Rabbi Avraham Fischer, provided by the Orthodox Union, the central coordinating agency for North American Orthodox Congregations for MyJewishLearning.com

The Role Of The Elders

Several commentators discuss the relationship of the elders to the priests, the people, Moses, and God.

The great day has finally arrived! All that preceded this day--the Exodus from Egypt, the Revelation at Sinai, and the building and dedication of the Mishkan (Tabernacle)--was a process designed to bring Hashem’s uninterrupted Presence into the camp of Israel.

 The shameful sin of the golden calf nearly brought about the destruction of the people of Israel.

However, after much painful soul-searching, Hashem and His people are reconciled. For seven days, Aaron and his sons have trained to serve as the Kohanim (priests); now, on the eighth day, nearly one year since the Exodus on the first of the month of Nisan, the moment of Divine union is here:

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8th Day of Passover

Deuteronomy 14:22 - 16:17 & Numbers 28:19 - 28:25; maf: Numbers 28:19-25

Haftarah: Isaiah 10:32 - 12:6 

From Temple B'nai Emet

Words of Torah for the End of Passover

At the end of the Passover holiday two significant customs are observed. One is the Torah reading about the crossing of the Red Sea. Tradition teaches that this happened on the 7th day of the Exodus.

The other tradition is reciting the Yizkor memorial service at the end of the holiday.

While there is no obvious connection between these two customs, I believe if we read the Torah text along with the Rabbinic commentary as brought by Rashi, perhaps we will understand how these two customs are connected.

We read in the Book of Exodus, in the section (Parasha) called “B’shallach,” the story of when the Israelites left slavery in Egypt, actually, when they were sent out of Egypt by Pharaoh.

The text reads: “Moses took Joseph's bones with him, for he [Joseph] had adjured the sons of Israel, saying, God will surely remember you, and you shall bring up my bones from here with you” Exodus 13:19

Rashi, the medieval Biblical commentator, has two interesting comments on two phrases found in this verse:

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