Parshat Shemini – Puzzle

The outline of this week’s parsha bothers me. Here’s the basic structure of the parsha following the breaks in the Torah text:

Leviticus 9:1 – 10:7

For the first time Aaron and his sons perform the priestly service.

In a burst of enthusiasm Nadav and Avihu bring “strange fire” and are killed.

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Leviticus 10:8 – 10:11

The priests are commanded about drunkenness.

Leviticus 10:12 – 10:20

Moses tells Aaron and his surviving sons how to complete the service on that day.

Moses gets angry because a sin offering was not eaten.

Aaron explains why the offering was not eaten and Moses admits that he was wrong.

Leviticus 11:1 – 11:47

The kosher dietary laws are given. (These 47 verses do have a couple of breaks in the text, but I’m going to ignore them.)

Why Kosher Laws?

What are the dietary laws doing here? I don’t understand why they should be included in the parsha mostly filled with the events of Aaron and his sons.

What do you think?

Word Search Puzzle

If you need a break from the serious matters of the parsha, here’s a fun puzzle for you to try.

Shemini Puzzle

Which bird do you see first? Please share your findings in the comments.

Picture Credit: from Harris’s Hawk

A Note on the Translations
The translation of Bible verses is based on the Judaica Press Tanach.
The translation of Gemara is based on the Soncino Talmud.
Click here to grab your copy of my free ebook How to Learn Chumash with Rashi.

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