Weekly Parsha

Mazal Tov to : My dear friend Wolmar Faria.

Ore por Refuah Sheimah : Stephen Waczkiewicz (Shimon ben Sarah), Yossefa (Josie) "bat Sharon", Rafael ben Gladis e Esther Bracha "bat Sarah".

Continue orando por : Teddy Welz, Miriam (Mariana) "bat Zulay", Adina (Heidi) "bat Sarah" e Yosefa (Josie) "bat Sharon".

Shemini

Leviticus 9:1 - 11:47

Shemini (שְּׁמִינִי‎ — Hebrew for "eighth," the third word, and the first distinctive word, in the parashah) is the 26th weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה‎, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the third in the Book of Leviticus.

Completing the 7-day inauguration of the Mishkan (Portable Sanctuary), Aaron the High Priest brings sacrifices for himself and the entire nation. Nadav and Avihu, sons of Aaron, bring an offering of incense on their own initiative, and are consumed by a heavenly fire (perhaps the only time someone did something wrong and was immediately struck by "lightning").

Cohanim are commanded not to serve intoxicated. The inaugural service is complete. G‑d then specifies the species that are kosher to eat: mammals (those that have cloven hooves and chew the cud), fish (those with fins and scales), birds (certain non-predators), and certain species of grasshoppers. The portion ends with the laws of spiritual contamination by contact with the carcasses of certain animals.

"And these ye shall deem an abomination among birds, they shall not be eaten; they are detestable..and the stork" (Leviticus 11:13,19).

The Hebrew name for the white stork is chasida, because it acts kindly, chesed, towards its friends.

The birds listed in this portion are prohibited for consumption because of their cruelty. Why, then, should the stork be considered "detestable" and an "abomination"? It must be permissible, since it does kindness!

The stork does favors only for his friends. As it does not do chesed to strangers, it is considered non-kosher. Chesed should be done for everyone, not just friends!

Kind words may be short and easy to say, but their echoes are truly endless. Think before you speak and don't judge anyone. We don't need a better world. We need better people. Start changing your habits now. Stop planning. Start taking action. A goal with no deadline is just a dream.

Shabat Shalom!

R. Tank

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Rabbi Tank is a professor at the American Jewish College, where he teaches classes on Talmud, Jewish History, and Contemporary Jewish Law. Rabbi Tank is dedicated to finding modern utility and meaning in ancient wisdom texts and is happy to provide spiritual, cultural, social and educational programming to communities around the world. 

Rabbi Tank was educated at Chabad Yeshivas in New York and Miami. He majored in Biblical Archeology from Bar Ilan University and from Harvard in Jewish Studies. He graduated in Business Administration and also graduated in International Economic Development from the University of Oxford. 

Rabbi Tank is actively involved in peace negotiations and relief operations and is a Member of the White House National Religious Leaders, an Executive Office of the President of the United States.

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