Parashah Roundup: Shemini 5770

by Steve Brizel (reposted from last year due to Steve's computer troubles)

The Dedication of the Mishkan

R. Issac Bernstein zt"l suggests why the day of the dedication of the Mishkan is referred to as the eighth day: link (audio)

The Routine, Extraordinary,Innovation and Routine

R. Aharon Lichtenstein explores the innate tension between the requirements of rigorous routine, the need to infuse the ordinary with a spiritual dimension, Kehunah and Nevuah: link 1, link 2

The Ziknei Yisrael and the Error of Nadav and Avihu

R. Mordechai Willig and R. Mayer Twersky underscore the importance of adhering to the views of those Talmidie Chachamim with a greater knowledge of Shas and Poskim on matters of halachic policy and proper leadership and in considering who is capable of rendering Psak Halacha: link 1, link 2

R. Dovid Horwitz warns us against the error of religious subjectivism: link

Horaah and Kohanim

R. Yitzchak Etshalom elucidates the connection between Horaah ( instruction and teaching on a practical level) with the role of Kohanim and why any Jew who rises to this level acts as a Divine agent: link

Accepting Divine Will and Discipline

R. Berel Wein, R. Jonathan Sacks and R. Avraham Gordimer demonstrate the connection between the episode of the death of the sons of Aharon HaKohen and the laws of Kashrus: link 1, link 2, link 2

R. Shlomo Riskin suggests that silence, building, planting and preserving, as exemplified by Aharon HaKohen, as opposed to protest, was the best means of maintaining our relationship with God after the Holocaust: link

The Nesivos Shalom, as elucidated by R. Yitzchak Adlerstein, explains why adherence to the halachos of Arayos and Kashrus, sanctifies a Jew's life: link

The Midpoint of The Torah

R. Yissocher Frand reminds us that the transmission of Torah SheBaal Peh , as opposed to literal Biblical interpretation, is the key to Torah understanding: link

The Laws of Kashrus

R. David Brofsky provides a survey of the Halachos of Kashrus: link

R. Ephraim Buchwald surveys numerous rationales for the Halachos of Kashrus: link

R. Asher Weiss explores the halachic issues involved in deriving financial benefit from prohibited foods: link

R. Dovid Gottlieb discusses the Kashrus of turkey: link (audio)

R. Baruch Simon investigates the hashkafic bases of the Simanei Taharah, the presence of only one Siman Tahor in the Behemos Sheino Tahor and a well known statement of Rabbeinu Bechayeh about the Chazir: link (audio)

Sidras and Haftoras

R. Soloveitchik zt"l explores the relationship between the Parshiyos and Haftoras in Sefer Vayikra: link