Ten Minutes of Torah

with

Rabbi Chaim Weiner

 

 

Shimini  – 5767

 

 

ויקרא פרק י

 

(ג) וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֶל אַהֲרֹן הוּא אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר ה' לֵאמֹר בִּקְרֹבַי אֶקָּדֵשׁ וְעַל פְּנֵי כָל הָעָם אֶכָּבֵד וַיִּדֹּם אַהֲרֹן:

 

Leviticus 10:3  

 

Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD meant when He said: Through those near to Me I show Myself holy, And gain glory before all the people." And Aaron was silent.

 

 

 

 

Rashi:

 

This is what the LORD meant when He said. Where had He spoken this? In the statement: “And there I will be met by the Children of Israel and it [the Mishkan] will be sanctified by My Glory.” Read not My Glory (כבודי) but rather My Honoured Ones (מכובדי).

 

Moses said to Aaron! I knew that this House was to be sanctified by those who are beloved of God and I thought that it would be either through me or through you; now I see that these are greater then me and you.

 

 

 

QUESTIONS

 

  1. What problem in the verse is Rashi addressing?
  2. The commentator Tzeida la Derech corrects Rashi and changes the words “either through me or through you” to “through me and you”. Why does he do this?

 

 

 


 

ANSWER TO LAST WEEK’S QUESTION:

 

1. Why is the prohibition against eating blood repeated in Chapter 17? What is added there to what was said in our Parasha?

 

 

Chapter 7 deals with the laws of the sacrifices, specifically the laws of the Shelamim offerings. These offerings were partially burnt on the altar, and partially eaten by the person who brought them to the Mishkan. This section concludes with a list of those parts of the offerings which were considered unsuitable for consumption. This includes the prohibition against eating blood that appears in verse 26.

 

Chapter 17 deals with slaughter of animals outside of the Mishkan for the sake of food. Here it reiterates that the consumption of blood is prohibited, and must be brought to the altar.

 

The prohibition is repeated because one could easily have thought that the prohibition against blood was part of the sacrificial rite, and didn’t apply to secular slaughter – i.e. it belongs to the laws of the temple and not to the laws of Kashrut. Chapter 17 turns the prohibition into a general prohibition.

 

 

 

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Ten Minutes of Torah was prepared by Rabbi Chaim Weiner, based on the methods of Prof. Nechama Leibowitz. Rabbi Weiner studied and corresponded with Prof. Leibowitz for several years.

 

 

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Girona - One Day Special

15 July, 2007

 

 

The Programme

 

Nestled in the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains, on the border between Spain and France, the beautiful city of Girona was one of the most important centres of Jewish life in the Middle Ages. It has left a lasting mark on Jewish life to this day. Looking at the back of my Talmud, I once discovered that almost all of the commentaries were written in Girona. This was the home of Ramban - Nachmanides - who wrote an important commentary on the Torah, hundreds of Responsa, profound commentaries on the Talmud and was also an important Kabbalist.

 

Girona was the northern most Jewish community in Spain, and it sat on the cultural border between the Ashkenazi and Sephardic worlds. This is where Spanish and Ashkenazi Jews first met each other, with surprising results.

 

We will walk the narrows lanes of the old city where the Jewish quarter is preserved, visit the home of Ramban, walk the walls of the city, and open Girona's secrets through its sites and literature. This short trip will whet your appetite and leave you wanting more.

 

Cost: Only £60.00 pp + flights. This includes all transportation in Spain, one Kosher meal and all entrance fees, sessions and programmes.

 

 

CHECK IT OUT AT: www.jewishjourneys.supanet.com