Shemini

Shemini, Sh’mini, or Shmini (שְּׁמִינִי — Hebrew for "eighth,” the third word, and the first distinctive word, in the parshah) is the 26th weekly Torah portion (parshah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the third in the book of Leviticus. It constitutes Leviticus 9:1–11:47. Jews in the Diaspora read it the 25th or 26th Sabbath after Simchat Torah, generally in late March or April. In years when the first day of Passover falls on a Sabbath (as it does in 2012), Jews in Israel and Reform Jews can read Shemini one week before Conservative and Orthodox Jews in the Diaspora. In such years, Jews in Israel and Reform Jews celebrate Passover for seven days and thus read the next parshah (in 2012, Shemini) on the Sabbath one week after the first day of Passover, while Conservative and Orthodox Jews in the Diaspora celebrate Passover for eight days and read the next parshah (in 2012, Shemini) one week later. (Compare Union for Reform Judaism, “Torah Portion Schedule 5772” with Hebcal Jewish Calendar.)

The parshah tells of the consecration of the Tabernacle, the death of Nadab and Abihu, and the dietary laws of kashrut.

Summary

God Consecrated the Tabernacle

On the eighth day of the ceremony to ordain the priests and consecrate the Tabernacle, Moses instructed Aaron to assemble calves, rams, a goat, a lamb, an ox, and a meal offering as sacrifices (called korbanot in Hebrew) to God, saying: “Today the Lord will appear to you." (Leviticus 9:1–4.) They brought the sacrifices to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and the Israelites assembled there. (Leviticus 9:5.) Aaron offered the sacrifices as Moses had commanded. (Leviticus 9:8–21.) Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them. (Leviticus 9:22.) Moses and Aaron then went inside the Tent of Meeting, and when they came out, they blessed the people again. (Leviticus 9:23.) Then the Presence of the Lord appeared to all the people and fire came forth and consumed the sacrifices on the altar. (Leviticus 9:23–24.) And the people shouted and fell on their faces. (Leviticus 9:24.)

Nadab and Abihu

Acting on their own, Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his fire pan, laid incense on it, and offered alien fire, which God had not commanded. (Leviticus 10:1.) And God sent fire to consume them, and they died. (Leviticus 10:2.) Moses told 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 remained silent. (Leviticus 10:3.) Moses called Aaron’s cousins Mishael and Elzaphan to carry away Nadab’s and Abihu’s bodies to a place outside the camp. (Leviticus 10:4.) Moses instructed Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar not to mourn Nadab and Abihu by rending their garments or leaving their hair unshorn and not to go outside the Tent of Meeting. (Leviticus 10:6–7.)

And God told Aaron that he and his sons must not drink wine or other intoxicants when they entered the Tent of Meeting, so as to distinguish between the sacred and the profane. (Leviticus 10:8–11.)

Moses directed Aaron, Eleazar, and Ithamar to eat the remaining meal offering beside the altar, designating it most holy and the priests’ due. (Leviticus 10:12–13.) And Moses told them that their families could eat the breast of the elevation offering and the thigh of the gift offering in any clean place. (Leviticus 10:14.)

Then Moses inquired about the goat of sin offering, and was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar when he learned that it had already been burned and not eaten in the sacred area. (Leviticus 10:16–18.) Aaron answered Moses: "See, this day they brought their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord, and such things have befallen me! Had I eaten sin offering today, would the Lord have approved?" (Leviticus 10:19.) And when Moses heard this, he approved. (Leviticus 10:20.)

Dietary Laws

God then instructed Moses and Aaron in the dietary laws of kashrut (Leviticus 11), saying: “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:45)

In inner-Biblical interpretation

Leviticus chapters 8–9

This is the pattern of instruction and construction of the Tabernacle and its furnishings:

Item Instruction Construction
Order Verses Order Verses
The Sabbath 16 Exodus 31:12–17 1 Exodus 35:1–3
Contributions 1 Exodus 25:1–9 2 Exodus 35:4–29
Craftspeople 15 Exodus 31:1–11 3 Exodus 35:30–36:7
Tabernacle 5 Exodus 26:1–37 4 Exodus 36:8–38
Ark 2 Exodus 25:10–22 5 Exodus 37:1–9
Table 3 Exodus 25:23–30 6 Exodus 37:10–16
Menorah 4 Exodus 25:31–40 7 Exodus 37:17–24
Altar of Incense 11 Exodus 30:1–10 8 Exodus 37:25–28
Anointing Oil 13 Exodus 30:22–33 9 Exodus 37:29
Incense 14 Exodus 30:34–38 10 Exodus 37:29
Altar of Sacrifice 6 Exodus 27:1–8 11 Exodus 38:1–7
Laver 12 Exodus 30:17–21 12 Exodus 38:8
Tabernacle Court 7 Exodus 27:9–19 13 Exodus 38:9–20
Priestly Garments 9 Exodus 28:1–43 14 Exodus 39:1–31
Ordination Ritual 10 Exodus 29:1–46 15 Leviticus 8:1–9:24
Lamp 8 Exodus 27:20–21 16 Numbers 8:1–4

In Leviticus 9:23–24, the Presence of the Lord appeared to the people and fire came forth and consumed the sacrifices on the altar. God also shows approval by sending fire in Judges 13:15–21 upon the birth of Samson, in 2 Chronicles 7:1 upon the the dedication of Solomon’s Temple, and in 1 Kings 18:38 at Elijah’s contest with the prophets of Baal. (See generally Walter C. Kaiser Jr., “Leviticus,” in The New Interpreter's Bible, vol. 1, 1067. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994. ISBN 0-687-27814-7.)