Weekly Services

Summary:

The ordination ceremony of the Cohen family, the priesthood of Israel, now reaches its climax: The 4 Cohanim and their father Aaron, the High Priest, who have been studying and meditating in the Tabernacle for a week, are joyously summoned by Moses on the “Eighth Day” (“Shmini”). And as they do, a great celebration awaits these newly ordained religious leaders of Israel!   

Then suddenly, tragedy strikes: Aaron’s two oldest sons mysteriously perish after having brought an "alien fire" to the newly dedicated altar.  (This is one of the most enigmatic stories in the Bible. Commentators through the ages have endeavored to explain the exact nature of this "alien fire" and the sin committed by these two young men.) The account ends with two Hebrew words, fraught with anguish: “And Aaron remained silent…"

The Torah reading concludes with a detailed explanation of “Kashrut,” the Kosher laws.  Moses entrusts the tribe of Kohen with the task of teaching the people to distinguish between “…the foods that are fit to be eaten, and foods that are not fit.” The word “Kosher” literally means “fit.”

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Alvin Wainhaus