Nissan | Friday | April 5, 2019 | 1:25 (17 chalakim) AM |
On the eighth day, following the seven days of their inauguration, Aaron and his sons begin to officiate as kohanim (priests); a fire issues forth from G‑d to consume the offerings on the altar, and the divine presence comes to dwell in the Sanctuary.
Aaron's two elder sons, Nadav and Avihu, offer a "strange fire before G‑d, which He commanded them not" and die before G‑d. Aaron is silent in face of his tragedy. Mosesand Aaron subsequently disagree as to a point of law regarding the offerings, butMoses concedes to Aaron that Aaron is in the right.
G‑d commands the kosher laws, identifying the animal species permissible and forbidden for consumption. Land animals may be eaten only if they have split hoovesand also chew their cud; fish must have fins and scales; a list of non-kosher birds is given, and a list of kosher insects (four types of locusts).
Also in Shemini are some of the laws of ritual purity, including the purifying power of the mikvah (a pool of water meeting specified qualifications) and the wellspring. Thus the people of Israel are enjoined to "differentiate between the impure and the pure."
PARAH
In preparation for the upcoming festival of Passover, when every Jew had to be in a state of ritual purity, the section of Parah(Numbers 19) is added to the weekly reading this week. Parah relates the laws of the Red Heifer with which a person contaminated by contact with a dead bodywas purified.
Ezekiel 36:16-36.
This week's special haftorah mentions the "purifying waters" that G‑d will sprinkle upon us with the coming of Moshiach. This follows the theme of this week's additional Torah reading — the purifying qualities of the "Red Heifer."
The prophet Ezekiel transmits G‑d's message: The Israelites have defiled the Holy Land with their idol-worship and immoral ways. As a result, they will be sent into exile. "And they came to the nations where they came, and they profaned My Holy Name, inasmuch as it was said of them, 'These are the people of G‑d, and they have come out of His land.'" So G‑d will take them out of their exile — but not by virtue of the Israelites' merits: "Not for your sake do I do this, O house of Israel, but for My Holy Name, which you have profaned among the nations."
G‑d will bring the Israelites back to the Holy Land and purify them with the waters of the Red Heifer. The people will feel ashamed of their actions, and after they will have undergone the process of purification and repentance, G‑d will rebuild the country and bestow upon it prosperity and bounty.
"I will resettle the cities, and the ruins shall be built up. And the desolate land shall be worked, instead of its lying desolate in the sight of all that pass by. And they shall say, 'This land that was desolate has become like the Garden of Eden, and the cities that were destroyed and desolate and pulled down have become settled as fortified [cities].'"
A red heifer (19:2)
A maid's child once dirtied the royal palace. Said the king: "Let his mother come and clean up her child's filth." By the same token, G‑d says: "Let the Heifer atone for the deed of the Calf."
(Midrash Tanchuma)
<><><><><><><><><><><><>
COMMUNITY • SHIURIM • REFUAH SHLEIMA • ITEMS FOR SALE • EMPLOYMENT • GENERAL ADS • BUSINESS ADS - GOODS • BUSINESS ADS - SERVICES • PROPERTIES FOR SALE OR RENT OFFERED - SEEKING
The Torah reading of Parah (Numbers 19) is added to the weekly reading. Parah details the laws of the "Red Heifer" and the process by which a person rendered ritually impure by contact with a dead body was purified.
(When the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, every Jew had to be in a state of ritual purity in time for the bringing of the Passover offering in the Temple. Today, though we're unable to fulfill the Temple-related rituals in practice, we fulfill them spiritually by studying their laws in the Torah. Thus, we study and read the section of Parah in preparation for the upcoming festival of Passover.)
This Shabbat is Shabbat Mevarchim ("the Shabbat that blesses" the new month): a special prayer is recited blessing the Rosh Chodesh ("Head of the Month") of the upcoming month of Nisan, which occurs next Shabbat.
Prior to the blessing, we announce the precise time of the molad, the "birth" of the new moon. See moladtimes.
It is a Chabad custom to recite the entire book of Psalms before morning prayers, and to conduct farbrengens (chassidic gatherings) in the course of the Shabbat.
Links: Shabbat Mevarchim; Tehillim (the Book of Psalms); The Farbrengen
<><><><><><><><><><><>
CLASSIFIEDS: www.bit.ly/e-classifieds
--
Disclaimer: Advertisements, notices, job offers, accommodation requests etc, do not carry any endorsement. Readers must make their own enquiries relating to any/all contents within this email. Occasionally, Motty & Pesach would appreciate a 'thank you' :-)
ADVERTISE: emmanuelsgroupmanager@gmail.com
... Submit daily ads by 5pm.
TEMPLATES: http://bit.ly/emmanuels (births/engagements/death/consecrations)
E-CLASSIFIEDS: http://bit.ly/e-classified (submissions)
JOIN: emmanuels+subscribe@googlegroups.com (from new email address)
UNSUBSCRIBE: (below)
CHANGE: Unsubscribe with old email, then Join with new email.
ARCHIVE: https://groups.google.com/d/forum/emmanuels (login required)
FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/groups/1035839189807083 (private)
HELP: emmanuelsgroupmanager@gmail.com (Pesach&Motty)
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Emmanuel's" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to emmanuels+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/emmanuels.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.