פרשת שמיני

Dvar Torah

Proper Respect

(ויקרא י:א-ב) וַיִּקְחוּ בְנֵי־אַהֲרֹן נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא אִישׁ מַחְתָּתוֹ וַיִּתְּנוּ בָהֵן אֵשׁ וַיָּשִׂימוּ עָלֶיהָ קְטֹרֶת וַיַּקְרִיבוּ לִפְנֵי ה' אֵשׁ זָרָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא צִוָּה אֹתָם: וַתֵּצֵא אֵשׁ מִלִּפְנֵי ה' וַתֹּאכַל אוֹתָם וַיָּמֻתוּ לִפְנֵי ה':

“Nadav and Avihu, each took his fire pan, they put fire in them…” “A fire came forth from before Hashem…” (Vayika 10: 1-2)

The Torah tells us, on the day of the inauguration of the Mishkan (Tabernacle), Aaron and his sons performed all their duties as Kohanim (Priests), but the heavenly fire did not come down.  Aaron felt rejected since it was he who made the golden calf.  Nadav and Avihu, two of Aarons sons thought that to bring their own fire would help bring the Divine Holiness to the Mishkan.  In the end, they were both killed by the fire of Hashem.

Rashi quotes the Talmud (Eruvin 63a) that teaches us; Rabbi Eliezer says the only reason that the sons of Aaron died was that they acted without first asking their teacher Moshe.

Is this such a terrible sin?  The Torah never tells us how one should treat their teachers, rather it is learned from the Mitzvah of how to treat parents.

We see from this story how important respect for teachers and parents really is.  Nadav and Avihu were both very holy people, yet they were punished for not consulting their teacher before acting even if they were right in their actions.

Often we may forget how much we need to show our parents and teachers respect.  Here are some quick Halachot to remember:

1)   Do not sit in their place

2)   Do not contradict their words

3)   Stand when they enter a room

4)   Always ask before acting

5)   Never interrupt while they are talking

6)   Do not answer for them

7) Call them by, and refer to them by their proper title

Let us remember this lesson and work on constantly improving our respect to our teachers and parents!

Shabbat Shalom!!!

Parsha Questions

1) The פרשה begins by telling us that it was the eighth day. What was it the eighth day of?

(רש"י ויקרא ט:א)

2) What was the date? (רש"י ויקרא ט:א)

3) רש"י tells us that there were 10 crowns on this date. What are they? (ויקרא ט:א עיין במעם לועז)

4) What קרבן did משה tell אהרן that he should take first? Explain. (רש"י ויקרא ט:ב)

5) After bringing the קרבנות, what blessing did אהרן give the people? (רש"י ויקרא ט:כב)

6) What did נדב and אביהוא do that was not part of the עבודה? (ויקרא י:א)

7) What happened to them? (ויקרא י:ב)

8) What was the reason for this being their punishment? Explain all parts. (רש"י ויקרא י:ב)

9) How did אהרן respond to hearing this news? (ויקרא י:ג)

10) Who buried them? Why do you think that they were asked to do this? (ויקרא י:ד)

11) Why do you think that ה' told אהרן directly that a כהן should not drink wine before doing the עבודה? (מפרשים) (ויקרא י:ח-יא)

12) What constitutes an eatable חיה (Kosher)? (ויקרא יא:א-ג)

13) What constitutes an eatable דג (Kosher)? (ויקרא יא:ט)

14) Why do you think that we are supposed to keep Kosher? (Based on your knowledge)

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Torah Math

Don't allow humility to prevent

you from accomplishing.

Rabbi Zelig Pliskin

"And Moshe said to Aharon: go close to the altar." Rashi cites Toras Kohanim that Aharon was afraid to go close to the altar out of embarrassment. Moshe said to him, "Why are you embarrassed? For this reason, you were chosen." Rabbi Yitzchok of Volozhin explained: Aharon in his humility felt that he was unworthy to be the Kohain Gadol. This is exactly what makes you worthy of this position, replied Moshe.

The lesson from this is that while we need to be humble, never allow humility to stop us from our accomplishments.

TORAH TRIVIA!

Super Stumper Question:

This a question to ask others and discuss the answers.

Answer to last week’s question:

We read Parshat Shemini 8 time on a year when Pesach begins on a Shabbat.

Question of the week:

What is the ONLY Mitzvah that can only be done sitting down???

 FOOD Section!

Can you guess what this recipe connects to this week’s Parsha?

Rabbi Pepper’s Famous Homemade PIZZA

This recipe makes enough for two 16-inch pizzas to be cut into eight slices.

What you'll need:

1 pkg. active dry yeast

1 cup lukewarm water

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

3 cups flour, sifted

Sauce:

1 can (16 oz) tomato sauce

a dash of salt to taste

a dash of pepper to taste

a dash of onion powder to taste

a dash of oregano to taste

a dash of sugar to taste

Additional flour or cornmeal for rolling out the dough:

How to make it:

Dissolve the yeast in water in your processor or mixing bowl and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the sugar and salt. Mix in 1 1/2 cups of flour. Add the rest of the flour, processing or stirring until the dough forms a ball. Turn out the dough onto a board dusted with flour or cornmeal, and knead for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth. Divide it into equal round portions, and roll and gently stretch out. Press onto pans, cover with a dry towel, and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 15 minutes. The crusts are then ready for toppings, or you can freeze them for up to a month.

Spread sauce. Sprinkle cheese. Add any desired toppings. Bake in preheated oven of 375 for 22 min.

Cut into eighths and serve.

To make stuffed crust simply fold over the 3 inches of the crust before baking.

Note: When eating pizza as a meal, the Bracha of Hamotzi is said.