TORAH SPARKS ניצוצות תורה
פרשת שמיני
PARASHAT SHEMINI BIRKAT HAHODESH
April 18, 2009 24 Nisan 5769 — כ"ד ניסן תשס"ט
Annual: Leviticus 9:1 11:47 (Etz Hayim, p. 630; Hertz p. 443)
Triennial: Leviticus 10:12 11:32 (Etz Hayim, p. 635; Hertz p. 447)
Haftarah: II Samuel 6:1 7:17 (Etz Hayim, p. 645; Hertz p. 454)
Prepared by Rabbi Joyce Newmark
Teaneck, New Jersey
TORAH PORTION SUMMARY
On the eighth and final day of the ordination ceremony Moses instructs Aaron, his sons, and the Israelites in the proper rituals of consecration. Aaron offers his own purification offering and burnt offering. He then offers a purification offering, a burnt offering, and an offering of well-being on behalf of the people. Aaron and then Moses and Aaron together bless the people. The Presence of the Lord appears and a fire comes forth and consumes the offering on the altar.
Aaron s sons Nadav and Avihu offer alien fire before the Lord. A fire comes forth and kills them. Moses tells Aaron and his two remaining sons that they must not engage in the normal mourning rituals, but the rest of the Israelites will mourn. The kohanim are prohibited from drinking alcohol while they are engaged in their sacred duties. Moses instructs Aaron, Eleazar, and Itamar about the various portions of the offerings they may eat.
God tells Moses and Aaron to instruct the people about the animals they are permitted to eat. Land animals must have cloven hooves and chew their cud. Animals that have only one of these signs and therefore are not permitted are listed. Sea creatures must have fins and scales. No signs are given for birds; forbidden species are listed. Permitted insects are listed; all the rest are forbidden.
Animals whose carcasses transmit ritual impurity are listed. A general warning to guard against defilement and to be concerned about ritual purity is given.
1. FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Speak to the Israelite people thus: These are the creatures that you may eat from among all the land animals. Leviticus 11:2
A. I maintain that the food that is forbidden by the Torah is unwholesome. There is nothing among the forbidden kinds of food whose harmful character is doubted. . . . Rambam, Guide for the Perplexed, (Rabbi Moses ben Maimon),
1135-1209, Spain and Egypt
B. According to the sense of Scripture, and in answer to the heretics, all the flesh, fish, fowl, or vermin forbidden to us are unwholesome and harmful to the body; on this account they are termed impure. Rashbam (Rabbi Shmuel ben Meir), 1080-1158, France, grandson of Rashi
C. We would do well to bear in mind that the dietary laws are not, as some have asserted, motivated by therapeutic considerations. God forbid! Were that so, the Torah would be denigrated to the status of a minor medical treatise and worse than that. Apart from that, the alleged ill effects could be treated with various drugs, just as there are antidotes to the most powerful poisons. In that event the prohibition would no longer apply and the Torah would be superfluous. Akedat Yitzhak (Rabbi Isaac Arama), 1420-1494, Spain
D. You should know that the cause and effect of these prohibitions were not divulged for our benefit, lest people with scientific pretensions should argue: The deleterious effects attributed by the Torah to this food is only applicable in certain climates and with certain types of people. To save us from falling into this pitfall the reason was not revealed. . . . Sefer HaHinukh (attributed to Rabbi Aharon of Barcelona), 13th century, Spain
E. All this comes to teach us that the Divine Law did not come to take the place of a medical handbook but to protect our spiritual health. It therefore forbade foods that revolt the pure and intellectual soul, clogging the human temperament, demoralizing the character, promoting an unclean spirit, defiling in thought and deed, driving out the pure and holy spirit. . . . Don Isaac Abravanel, 1437-1508, Spain and Italy
F. Every Jew must be set apart in laws and ways of life from the nations and not imitate their deeds, always cleaving to the God of his forefathers. . . . Rabbi Shmuel David Luzzatto, 1800-1865, Italy
G. [The laws of kashrut have] high survival value for the Jewish group, serving as a reminder to Jews of their identity and as a deterrent to their being swallowed up by the non-Jewish world. Judaism, like all minority faiths, is always at risk of being absorbed into oblivion. Only on a foundation of preservative group practices can it persevere in its higher aims. Rabbi Milton Steinberg, Basic Judaism, pp. 117-118
H. Rabbi Eliezer ben Azariah said: How do we know that a person should not say: I can t abide wearing shatnez, I can t abide port, it is impossible for me to commit incest, but rather, I can, but what shall I do when my Father in Heaven has declared such things out of bounds for me? Sifra Kedoshim
SPARKS FOR DISCUSSION
The Torah provides no reason for the laws of kashrut, only For I the Lord am your God: you shall sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am holy (Vayikra
11:44) Still, over the centuries many commentators, some quoted here, have tried to understand the reasons for these commandments. Can you think of other reasons? Do any of them resonate with you? Do any of them make you cringe? What reasons do people give for not keeping kosher? How would you counter them? What argument might you offer for a friend or relative to begin keeping kosher?
2. PEACE AND PROSPERITY
The stork (hasidah); herons of every variety; the hoopoe, and the bat. Leviticus
11:19
A. Rabbi Yehudah said: Why is the stork called hasidah, the kind one ? Because it shows kindness to its fellow storks by sharing its food with them. Talmud Hullin 63a
B. According to Rambam, every non-kosher bird is cruel by nature. Why, then, is the stork considered to be a non-kosher bird? The reason is because it helps its fellow storks and no one else. We must help all others, and a person who only helps his own fellows cannot be considered to be truly righteous. Hidushei HaRIM (Rabbi Isaac Meir Alter, the Gerer Rabbi), 1799-1866, Poland
C. For the sake of peace, the poor of the non-Jews should not be prevented from gathering gleanings, forgotten sheaves, and corners of the field. Our rabbis taught: For the sake of peace, the poor of the non-Jews should be supported as we support the poor of Israel, the sick of the non-Jews should be visited as we visit the sick of Israel, and the dead of the non-Jews should be buried as we bury the dead of Israel. Talmud Gittin 61a
D. Hillel taught: If I am not for me, who will be? If I am for myself alone, what am I? And if not now, when? Avot 1:14
SPARKS FOR DISCUSSION
According to our commentators, taking care of our own whether our own family or our own fellow Jews is not sufficient; we are to extend our tzedakah and our hesed beyond our own family, friends, and community. But where should one draw the line? Studies show that younger Jews give a larger share of their charity dollars to non-Jewish causes colleges, arts organizations, social
action organizations than do their parents. What does this mean for Jewish organizations? How do you decide between giving to Jewish and non-Jewish causes? Between local needs and Israel? Between educational and cultural organizations and those that provide food, shelter, and other care to the needy? How do we make sure our giving is kosher?