Shemini

Embark on a journey of Jewish learning and discovery, exploring the depth of our Shemini resources, where tagged items including audio, programs, and podcast episodes await your exploration.

Shmini: Tragic Lessons

Rabbi Jay Kelman

When tragedy strikes there is a tendency to search for some rational explanation as we subsequently attempt to find meaning and a degree of comfort, however inadequate. Tragic events often afford an opportunity to learn from what transpired, thereby…
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Shmini: Seek the Middle

Rabbi Jay Kelman

“Moshe then inquired, darosh darash, about the goat of the sin offering, and it had been burned” (Vayikra 10:16). Judaism has always stressed the importance of the middle position. Ideologically, the Rambam teaches, we should seek the…
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Shemini: Holy Cow!

Rabbi Jay Kelman

In Jewish law, it is the middle that is most important. We surround the sefer Torah with gabbaim on either side, and ideally we place the bimah in the middle of the shul. A Torah scholar, who as a living sefer Torah is worthy of more…
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Shemini: Counting to Eight

Rabbi Jay Kelman

"And it was on the eighth day" (Vayikra 9:1). While this verse is the beginning of a new parsha, the Torah clearly links it to the previous parsha in which the seven-day celebratory festivities for the dedication of the…
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Shemini: Close to G-d

Rabbi Jay Kelman

The deaths of Nadav and Avihu have long troubled biblical commentaries. The multiple suggestions put forth demonstrate that—objectively speaking—whatever the true nature of their sin may have been, it does not seem to have warranted the…
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