Parashat Shemini – Puzzle
The outline of this week’s parasha bothers me. Here’s the basic structure of the parasha following the breaks in the Torah text:
Vayikra 9:1 – 10:7
For the first time Aharon and his sons perform the priestly service.
In a burst of enthusiasm Nadav and Avihu bring “strange fire” and are killed.
Vayikra 10:8 – 10:11
The priests are commanded about drunkenness.
Vayikra 10:12 – 10:20
Moshe tells Aharon and his surviving sons how to complete the service on that day.
Moshe gets angry because a sin offering was not eaten.
Aharon explains why the offering was not eaten and Moshe admits that he was wrong.
Vayikra 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 parasha mostly filled with the events of Aharon and his sons.
What do you think?
Word Search Puzzle
If you need a break from the serious matters of the parasha, here’s a fun puzzle for you to try.
Which bird to you see first? Please share your findings in the comments.
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