TORAH READING FOR 23 ADAR II 5782 SHMITAH Mar 25-26, 2022
PARSHA
From Reform Judaism https://reformjudaism.org/torah/portion/shmini
Sh’mini (שְׁמִינִי — The Eighth [Day]) – Leviticus 9:1-11:47
On the eighth day Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel. – Lev. 9:1
SUMMARY:
- Aaron and his sons follow Moses’ instructions and offer sacrifices so that God will forgive the people. (9:1-24)
- Two of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, offer “alien fire” to God. God punishes these two priests by killing them immediately. (10:1-3)
- God forbids Moses, Aaron, and his surviving sons from mourning but commands the rest of the people to do so. Priests are told not to drink alcohol before entering the sacred Tabernacle and are further instructed about making sacrifices. (10:4-20)
- Laws are given to distinguish between pure and impure animals, birds, fish, and insects. (11:1-47)
From Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shemini_(parashah)
Shemini (שְּׁמִינִי — Hebrew for “eighth”) – Lev. 9:1-11:47
Parashah Shemini tells of the consecration of the Tabernacle, the deaths of Nadab and Abihu, and the dietary laws of kashrut (כַּשְׁרוּת).
HAFTARAH
Ezekiel 36:22-36 [historic: Ezekiel 36:16-38]
Shabbat Parah
From Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shemini_(parashah)
On Shabbat Parah, the Sabbath of the red heifer, Jews read Numbers 19:1–22, [Maftir] which describes the rites of purification using the red heifer (parah adumah). Similarly, the haftarah in Ezekiel 36 also describes purification. In both the special reading and the haftarah in Ezekiel 36, sprinkled water cleansed the Israelites.
RECOMMENDED READING
From Reform Judaism https://reformjudaism.org/torah/portion/shmini
Birds of a Feather (Don’t Always) Flock Together: Sacred Ornithology and Efforts for Peace
By: Cantor Jill Abramson
STRUGGLING WITH TORAH and REFLECTION
You can read this week’s full Torah Portion at https://www.sefaria.org/Leviticus.9.1-11.47
From “The Torah / A Women’s Commentary” edited by Dr. Tamara Cohn Eskenazi and Rabbi Andrea L. Weiss, Ph.D.
שמיני Sh’mini – Leviticus 9:1-11:47
Purity and Danger in the Sanctuary and the Home by Lisbeth S. Fried, p.615
Parashat Sh’mini (“eighth,” referring to the eighth day of ordination) describes the ritual on the day after Aaron’s ordination ceremony. In the previous two parashot, Leviticus 1–7 presented rules for the sacrificial service, while Leviticus 8 described the priestly ordination of Aaron and his sons. In this parashah, Aaron begins to officiate as chief priest.
This parashah includes a strange story of the fire from God which kills Nadab and Abihu, Aaron’s oldest sons (10:1–7). It concludes with dietary laws and with the demand that Israel be holy–for God is holy (11:45). In this parashah, the theme of holiness expands from the sanctuary to the priests and to the people.
Contemporary readers are often troubled by the descriptions of the sacrificial service. Nevertheless, sacrifice was an integral part of society in the ancient Near East. Every major city in antiquity had its temple where specially ordained priests conducted animal sacrifices. As elsewhere in antiquity, Leviticus also demands that no one can eat meat unless a portion of it is offered first as a sacrifice to God. The sacrificial altar is God’s dining table.
This parashah says practically nothing about women. Many temples in the ancient world included women as priests, but ancient Israel seems to have recognized only males in this role (see… 9:1). Although the priestly laws in the Bible mostly concern men, priests’ daughters–and presumably wives–were able to partake of some of the offerings, as 10:14 indicates (see also 22:12–13).
Of special relevance to women are the dietary laws in Leviticus. These apply to all Israelites. However, because women were responsible for food preparation, they were responsible for applying these laws (see at Leviticus 11).
Another View – by Diane M. Sharon, p. 630
Parashat Sh’mini challenges the notion of a rational religion, yet we still seek a logical basis for the food laws in Leviticus 11. Mary Douglas, who examines the food prohibitions in Leviticus from an anthropological perspective, looks for the underlying rationale. In her influential work Purity and Danger (1966), she concludes that the distinctions between pure and impure animals are based on the principle that pure animals are those that stay well within the bounds of their habitat. The qualities of impure animals are seen as unsuitable for their habitat, thereby threatening to blur the boundaries established by pure animals, who possess qualities seen as suitable for that habitat. Douglas’s categories rely largely on the means of locomotion appropriate to each sphere: wings for air, cleft hooves for earth, fins and scales for water. Everything that blurs these boundaries is segregated and put into a category of defilement.
Less well known is a brilliant and complex later essay, “Self Evidence” (in her book Implicit Meanings, 1975) in which Douglas suggests how biblical food prohibitions fit into the wider historical and sociological realities of the Israelites and later of the Jews, throughout their history. This preoccupation with distinguishing what is inside bounds from what is outside bounds is a reflection, according to Douglas, of Israelite history and sociology. Inside Israel’s frail boundaries is a small political unit surrounded by powerful enemies. Douglas concludes that here is a people who cherish their boundaries and want nothing better than to keep them strong and high; any attempt to cross them is seen as a hostile intrusion.
The mysteries of the parashah and the rational connection between religion and culture come together here. For biblical Israel, being holy means being set apart. Food prohibitions reflect Israel’s preoccupation with clearly defined categories. This preoccupation continues to be expressed when Jews differentiate between the holy and profane, between light and darkness, between Israel and other nations, between Shabbat and the rest of the week. What Douglas illustrates, in both her earlier and later works, is how such religious practices and systems are shaped by sociopolitical circumstances, and, in turn shape the norms of the community.
PESACH
In Ladino there is a song by Flory Jagoda of blessed memory that goes: “Purim, Purim, Purim lano, Pesah, Pesah a la mano.” It means that Purim is over and Pesach is at hand – and it is time to prepare. This year Pesach begins the evening of Friday, April 15. The Reform Movement celebrates seven days as in Israel. Others observe eight days ending on Saturday, April 23, 2022. Please refer to the 3/25/22 email from Dr. Sam Caron, Congregational President, regarding the pending plans for a Temple Kol Hamidbar community Seder.
PRAYERS
From “Mishkan T’filah / A Reform Siddur”:
FOR OUR COUNTRY p.516
THUS SAYS ADONAI, This is what I desire: to unlock the fetters of wickedness, and untie the cords of lawlessness; to let the oppressed go free, to break off every yoke. Share your bread with the hungry, and take the wretched poor into your home. When you see the naked, give clothing, and do not ignore your own kin.
O GUARDIAN of life and liberty, may our nation always merit Your protection. Teach us to give thanks for what we have by sharing it with those who are in need. Keep our eyes open to the wonders of creation, and alert to the care of the earth. May we never be lazy in the work of peace; may we honor those who have [served, suffered or] died in defense of our ideals. Grant our leaders wisdom and forbearance. May they govern with justice and compassion. Help us all to appreciate one another, and to respect the many ways that we may serve You. May our homes be safe from affliction and strife, and our country be sound in body and spirit. Amen.
FOR HEALING
We recite MI SHEBËRACH for the victims of abuse, brutality, conflicts, fear, natural disasters, pandemics, tragedies, violence of all kinds especially directed at individuals and specific communities including us, and war; for all those at home alone or lonely; for all those in need of physical, emotional, and mental healing. “R’fuah sh’lëmah” – a complete recovery!
YAHRZEITS/ANYOS
We say KADDISH YATOM for those of our friends and families who have died and been buried this last week; those in the period of Sh’loshim (30 days since burial); those who have died in the last year; and those whose Yahrzeits/Anyos occur at this time; as well as the victims of brutality, conflict, disease, natural disasters, pandemics, tragedies, violence of all kinds, and war.
This coming week, 23 Adar II through 1 Nisan, we lovingly remember:
Lillian Leah Salomon
Mother of Barbra J. Salomon
Those victims of the Sho’ah (Holocaust) who died at this time of year.
“ZICHRONAM LIV’RACHAH” – MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE FOR BLESSING.
TORAH STUDY AND SHAZOOM
We will meet as usual at the regular times for Torah Study and Shazoom this evening, Friday, March 25, 2022.
Zoom regularly updates its security and performance features. Making sure you have the latest version of Zoom, please join us online this Friday evening with wine/grape juice for Kiddush and Challah for Motzi.
Topic: Torah Study – Shemini (triennial part) Lev 11:1-47
Time: Mar 25, 2022 06:00 PM Arizona
and/or
Shazoom – Erev Shabbat Service
Time: Mar 25, 2022 07:30 PM Arizona
To join Torah Study and/or Shazoom click on the following link [you may need to copy it into your browser]: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/72510500854?pwd=Z3VQZWF4U1BBZytNYmh3aHFTWkFDZz09
Meeting ID: 725 1050 0854
Passcode: 4NrMk0
Hint: The last character of the password is the number zero.
Shabbat Shalom – Buen Shabbat!
-Ruben