In this Torah portion, God commands Aaron and his sons to make the burnt and sin offerings at the Tabernacle. When God accepts the offerings, the people shout with joy. But when two of Aaron’s sons make an offering that was not commanded of them, they die. God describes to Moses the laws of kashrut, making distinctions between land animals, birds and animals in the water. Also in Shemini are some of the laws of ritual purity.
The purpose of these commentaries is to provide Jewish Journal readers with a brief, general entree into the multifaceted study of Torah from different denominational perspectives.
Rabbi Edward Feinstein
Valley Beth Shalom (Conservative)
Americans have an infatuation with leaders. The English philosopher Thomas Carlyle believed that history is propelled by “the great man” (Carlyle’s phrase), whose values and energy animate our institutions. For Americans, “leadership” is a sacred word. Read more.
Rabbi Chaim Mentz
Chaim Mentz Chabad of Bel Air
In the early years of American Jewish history, there was a debate about whether American life was different from the shtetl life of Europe. Many embraced the idea of assimilation and secularization, yet others held strong and kept their traditional religious practices in this modern “new” world. Read more.
Rabbi Jonathan Hanish
Temple Kol Tikvah (Reform)
We are all human, so we all stumble at some point in our lives. If and when our stumble is discovered, we pay the price for our actions through repentance and transformation, and then, hopefully, we move forward and leave the past behind. But, on occasion, our actions come back to haunt us over and over again, like a never-ending echo. Read more.
Rabbi Sarah Bassin
Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills (Reform)
If you have spent any amount of time with a 3-year-old, you know this age comes coupled with a barrage of “why” questions: Why do you stop at red lights? Why do you put milk in your coffee? Why do birds chirp? Read more.
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