Kol Ramah

Join Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky for Parsha Talk! Parashat Sh’mini [Leviticus 9-11] coincides with Shabbat Parah this year, the third of the four special shabbatot before Passover, each with its own maftir [this week Numbers 19] and haftarah [Ezekiel 36:16-38]. The Torah reading features the culmination of the ordination ceremony for the priests and sacrifice with its unexpected ending in the deaths of Aaron’s two older sons, Nadav and Avihu, and the dietary laws. The special maftir describes the curious rite of the red heifer, and provides a different counterpoint to the story of Nadav and Avihu than the usual haftarah [2 Samuel 6:1-7:17]. As is often the case, I do not always remember what we discuss before we record and what we discuss on the program! You may send questions and comments to parshatalk@gmail.com. Shabbat Shalom!