Shemini
Nature moves in increments of seven. But what moves nature?
On the eighth day, the priests begin the service. A fire sparks and the Divine Presence is at home. The Temple is the nucleus of existence; as with all nuclear levels, one must be humble. Nadav and Avihu, Aaron’s two eldest sons, walk into the holy nucleus and do not walk out. The holy nucleus must walk into you before you walk into it. Aaron grieves in deafening silence. When it comes to the offerings, Aaron is the expert and Moses acquiesces. After understanding the humbling power we hold in our hands, here are the Laws of Kosher: chewing cuds and split hoofs for animals, fins and scales for fish, heritage for birds and insects. Clarity bathes us, allowing for the differentiation between the pure and impure.
The Kosher Pig?
Why do pigs receive so much flak, and what is unique about the pig that causes it to be the universal symbol of degradation and insult?
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A Young Man’s Advice
A Chassidic story of unquestioning faith and action as told by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi.
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Barefoot Beasts: The Spiritual Meaning of Shoes
The spiritual meaning of shoes: Chassidic teaching speaks of an equally critical need for spiritual shoes—for a shield between the person and the “earth.” Learn about the connection between shoes, going barefoot, and prohibited animals.
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Shemini: A Tale of Two Titanics
Titanic embodied the dangerous overconfidence of an immature generation. A new revolutionary Chassidic treatise, the longest and deepest mystical epic, now teaches the critical need for humility to check our ravenous and all-consuming self-assurance.
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Shemini: Shame On You
Our challenge – and choice – is to use technology and all the gifts we were blessed with not merely for personal gain and self-interest, or for entertainment and killing time, but for bettering the world in which we live.
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Shemini-Passover: Kaddish
Nothing can console those who have lost a loved one. The only thing keeping them whole is a connection something greater than death and life, G-d.
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Shemini: Religious Selfishness
Using personal anecdotes, Rabbi Jacobson explores of the side effects of practicing religion by rote, and the beauty of a true “religious” experience.
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Shemini: By the Rivers of Babylon
The current state of the world, as examined through the lens of Babylon, can trace its roots to a fundamental religious and ideological conflict of ancient days.
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