Eight, according to the popular Passover melody, are the days Brit Milah, circumcision. But, eight from the Torah’s perspective is the name of this week’s Torah portion – Shmini – referring to the eighth day in the consecration of the Tabernacle. This is a day fraught with danger. What was supposed to be a day of celebration, turned into a tragedy of immense proportions, when Aaron’s sons Nadav and Abihu were killed in a sacrificial offering gone wrong.
Eight is the first day of the new week, when after our respite for Shabbat we are most prone to accidents. What seemed familiar, now is foreign. As Aaron’s sons learn, basic communal sacrifices, things their father would do time and time again, carry immense unseen danger. Eight is the day we take our guard down and are most at risk.
We understand this more fully in the pandemic, when just as it appeared we had the virus under control, cases have risen steadily – not among our seniors, but among our juniors, as increasing numbers of our teens and twenty somethings have developed Covid, some with serious consequences. The lesson of this week’s Torah portion is the race is not over until we have crossed the finish line. Even as jubilation enters our hearts, our focus should remain strong. Who knows eight? We all should in order to keep our world and those around us safe.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex
Last Updated on 04/12/2021 by Marc Slonim