At the end of Parshat Shmini we learn about the
types of animals which are permitted and forbidden to eat. We are told in Vayikra
11:43-45:

Do not make yourselves abominable by means of any
teeming thing; do not contaminate yourselves through them lest you become
contaminated through them. For I am HaShem, your God- you are to sanctify
yourselves and you shall be holy, for I am holy; and you shall not contaminate
yourselves through any teeming thing that creeps on the earth. For I am HaShem
Who elevates you from the land of Egypt to be a God unto you; you shall be
holy, for I am holy.

Rashi comments: I elevated you from Egypt on condition that you should accept
My commandments.

Rashi also
quotes the Talmud, Bava Metzia 61b: In all other places it is written, “I
brought you forth”, and here it is written “Who elevates you” — in reference to
this it was taught in the school of Rabbi Yishmael: If I had brought up Israel
from Egypt only to effect this one thing — that they do not defile themselves
by reptiles as do the other peoples, that should be sufficient for them and it
should be regarded by them as an elevation for themselves — this is what is
implied in the expression used here: Maaleh- I raised you above the people of
the land of Egypt.

This
sounds link the song “Dayenu”, “It would have been enough”, that we sing at the
Passover seder.

In honor of
Rabbi Yishmel, we could add a new stanza to “Dayenu”:

If You
only elevated us from Egypt and brought us into Israel to keep us away from
non-kosher food, it would have been enough!

Rav
Shimshon Rephael Hirsch explains that the redemption from Egypt elevated us
from the low moral values of the Egyptians. Moral freedom is the reason for why
national freedom exists.

In honor
of Rav Hirsch, we could add another stanza:

If You
only elevated us from Egypt so that we could be on a higher moral level in
Israel, it would have been enough!

This
Pesach we all have one more additional stanza on our minds:

If You can
help us win the war against our enemies that surround us and return all of our
hostages it will be enough!

In Parshat Shmini we learn about which animals are kosher and which
animals are not. What is the Torah’s view on eating meat?

After Adam and Chava were created (Breisheet 1:28-30) they were told:

God
blessed them and God said to them, “Be fertile and increase, fill the earth and
master it; and rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and all the
living things that creep on earth.” God said, “See, I give you every seed-bearing plant that is upon
all the earth, and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit; they shall be yours
for food. And to all the animals on land, to all the birds of the sky,
and to everything that creeps on earth, in which there is the breath of life, I
give all the green plants for food.” And it was so.

At the time of the creation of the
world, everyone was a vegetarian.

After the flood, we see a similar
commandment to Noach (Breisheet 9:1-4) and his family with a slight change due to the desire for meat. The hierarchy that people are above the animals is reinforced.

God
blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fertile and increase, and fill
the earth.  The fear and the dread of
you shall be upon all the beasts of the earth and upon all the birds of the
sky—everything with which the earth is astir—and upon all the fish of the sea;
they are given into your hand.  Every creature that lives shall be yours to
eat; as with the green grasses, I give you all these. You must not,
however, eat flesh with its life-blood in it.

Although meat was permitted after
the flood, there was a restriction of not eating “Ever Min HaChai”, flesh with
its life-blood in it, meaning a limb cut from a living animal.

Rambam, who tries to find the
reasons behind the mitzvot explains in Moreh Nevuchim (Guide of the Perplexed)
Part 3, 48:7:

It is prohibited to cut off a limb
of a living animal and eat it, because such an act would produce cruelty and
develop it: Besides, the heathen kings used to do it: It was also a kind of
idolatrous worship to cut off a certain limb of a living animal and to eat it.

We see that the Rambam points out
that we should not be cruel to animals but he also mentions the issue of
staying away from practices that look like Avoda Zara, idol worship.

At Mount Sinai, B’nai Yisrael
received the Torah including the laws of kashrut-keeping kosher- further limiting
the permission to eat meat which was given to Noach. There was now a listing of
which animals we are permitted to eat and how they must be slaughtered.

Rambam explains (48:9):

The commandment concerning the
killing of animals is necessary, because the natural food of man consists of
vegetables and of the flesh of animals. The best meat is that of animals
permitted to be used for food. No doctor has any doubts about this. Since
therefore, the desire of procuring good food necessitates the slaying of
animals, the Law enjoins that the death of the animal should be the easiest. It
is not allowed to torment the animal by cutting the throat in a clumsy manner
or by cutting off a limb while the animal is alive.

Some things have changed since the
days of the Rambam (1138-1204). There are many vegetarians and vegans today who
have found protein alternatives and are able to live healthy lives without
meat. There are plenty of doctors today who don’t have any problem with their
patients refraining from eating meat. Most health care professionals suggest
that meat only be eaten in moderation.

Are the kosher animals the
healthiest? I don’t think that has been proven.

The Akedat Yitzchak (Yitzchak Arama
1420-1494) points out:

The non-Jews who eat pork and the
meat of other impure animals, birds and fish, enjoy good health and are not
affected adversely by these.

 What still holds true from the Rambam’s words
is that Shechita (ritually slaughtering the animal) has to be done with the
sharpest blade in order to make the process as painless as possible for the
animal. As well, ripping a limb off a living animal is unacceptable.

Although the ideal in the Garden of
Eden was a vegetarian diet, meat was permitted as part of the Sheva Mitzvot
B’nai Noach as long as one didn’t eat the limb torn off of the animal or the
blood. Once the Kosher laws were set up, the laws of eating meat were limited
to certain animals which had to be killed through Shechita.

There is much speculation over
whether in the days of the Mashiach we will go back to the vegetarian diet of
the Garden of Eden. Rav Yosef Albo (1380-1444) believes that meat eating is an
intermediate phase and that we will go back to vegetarianism.

Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook
(1865-1935), Chief Rabbi of pre-State Israel looked at Zionism as a precursor
to the Messianic Age and therefore wrote about it in “Chazon HaTzimchonut
v’HaShalom,” A Vision of Vegetarianism and Peace. He also wrote in “Olat Rayah,”
that the korbanot (sacrifices) in the Third Beit HaMikdash would be vegetarian.

Will we be returning to the diet of
the Garden of Eden?

I guess that we will have to wait
and see.

Israelis eat more turkey per capita than residents of any country in the
world (probably due to the large number of schwarma stands and the readily
available lunch meats) so how can we even think that turkey may not be kosher?

In Parshat Shmini (Vayikra 11:13-19), we read about the species of birds
that are not Kosher (since we don’t know the exact translations of what these
birds are today, I am using the original Hebrew names of the birds with the
probable English translations in parentheses):

These shall you abominate from among the birds, they may not be eaten-
they are an abomination: the nesher (eagle), the peres (bearded vulture), the
ozniah (sea eagle), the da’ah (falcon), the ayah (vulture), to its kind. Every
orev (raven), to its kind. The Bat HaYa’anah (ostrich), the tachmas (owl), the
shachaf (seagull) and the netz (hawk), to its kind. The kos (little owl), the
shalach (heron) and the yanshuf (eagle owl). The tinshemet (bat), the kaas
(pelican) and the racham (carrion vulture). The chasida (stork), the anafah
(heron) according to its kind, the duchifat (hoopoe) and the atalef (bat).

In Parshat Re’eh, Dvarim 14:11-20 we do not just learn about what we
can’t eat, but also what we can eat:

Dvarim 14:11 states: You may eat any pure bird.

After an almost identical list of birds that are not permissible, with
the addition of a bird called the ra’ah (from the family of the da’ah and the
ayah) we are informed in verse 19:

And all flying creeping creatures are ritually unclean for you. They may
not be eaten.

Then the whole segment is capped off with (verse 20): Every ritually
clean bird you may eat.

From here we should conclude that if the bird is not one of the 24
species (20 listed + 4 times where it says “to
its kind”) then it is kosher.

The only problem is that we don’t know the exact translations of what
these birds are today, so we can’t guarantee that they will be accurately
identified.

We learn in the Mishna Chulin 3:6:

The signs of a kosher bird were not
explicitly stated in the Torah. But the Sages stated certain signs in a bird: Any
bird that claws its prey and eats it is non-kosher. Any bird that has an extra
digit behind the leg slightly elevated above the other digits, and a crop,
which is a sack alongside the gullet in which food is stored prior to
digestion, and for which the yellowish membrane inside its gizzard can be
peeled, is kosher. Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Tzadok, says: Any bird that
splits the digits of its feet when standing on a string, placing two digits on
one side of the string and two on the other, is non-kosher.

Shulchan Aruch- Yoreh Deah 82:3 teaches: There are those who say that all birds that have a wide beak
and the palm of its foot is wide like a goose, and it is known that it is not a
bird of prey, and is permitted to eat if it has the three signs on its body.

Rama takes a stricter approach: And
there are those who say that we don’t rely even on this, and one should only
eat a bird with an accepted tradition that it is kosher (Arukh) and we are
accustomed to this and it should not be changed.

According to the Rama, in order not to make a mistake, over the generations,
only birds that have traditionally been known to be kosher were eaten.

This brings us back to turkey which was a new world bird, only
introduced to Europe in the 16^th c, the time period when the Rama
lived.

One possible answer is that the turkey made it in right on time. It had
the signs of a kosher bird as explained by the mishna and it was already being
eaten before it was taught that there must be a mesorah (accepted tradition).

As well, since the turkey can mate with chickens, they can be looked at
as their relatives making them permissible as well.

So go ahead and enjoy your turkey but if you come across a bird that you
don’t recognize, even if it fits into all of the categories, chances are that
the rabbis will not permit it as it was not part of the mesorah.

In Parshat
Shmini we read about animals which are classified as kosher as well as animals
that are not kosher. The name of one of the non kosher birds, chasida (righteous),
most probably the Ciconia, stork is surprising.

Rashi asks why
it is called chasida and brings Rabbi Yehuda’s answer (Chulin 63a): because it
does kindness (chasidut) by distributing food to its fellows.

According to the
Rambam, all of the impure animals are naturally cruel. If the chasida is
compassionate then why is it stigmatized as a non-kosher bird?

Chidushei HaRim
points out that the chasida doesn’t make the kosher list because it directs its
kindness exclusively towards “chavroteha”, its fellows. Chesed, loving kindness
should not only be done for our friends, it should be done with all of God’s
creations. Whoever only performs acts of chesed with their fellows but will not
help others has a cruel streak which is a sign of impurity.

We hear about
the chasida again in Yirmiyahu 8:7. When God rebuke’s B’nei Yisrael for being
rebellious and not repenting:

Even the chasida
in the heavens knows its migration seasons and the turtledove, the swift and the
crane observe the time of their arrival; but My people do not know the judgment
of the Lord.

The storks have
a set migration schedule where they pass through Israel when they fly from the
south to the northern countries in the spring. In the fall, they fly from the
northern countries returning to Africa.

Very few of the
storks stay in Israel. The ones who do nest in tall trees as we see in Tehilim,
Psalm 104:17, Barchi Nafshi, which we recite on Rosh Chodesh:

As for the
chasida, the cypress tree is her house.

We see from here
that even the chasida, which is not the most favoured bird knew what was
expected yet B’nai Yisrael refused to follow God’s plan for them which
ultimately led to the destruction of the First Beit HaMikdash (Temple) and our
being exiled from the Land of Israel.

May we look at
the mistakes of the past and see where we can improve in the future. Let’s take
the chasida’s behaviour one step further and try to do acts of loving kindness
for all, not just for our friends.

Locusts are on our minds lately. We
just finished reading about the plague at the Pesach seder and now we are
hearing about swarms of locusts that are attacking Africa. To top it off, in
Parsha Shmini, locusts are listed as kosher!

In Vayikra, 11:21-22 we read “These
you may eat of all flying insects that walk on four legs, those which have
knees extending above their legs so that it hops on the ground with them. Of
them, these you may eat; the locust (arbeh), to its kind, the solom locust to
its kind, the grasshopper, to its kind and the chagav hopper, to its kind,”

Ibn Ezra explains that they are
called “Arbeh” from the word “harbeh”, as there are many of them.

In the Talmud, Chulin 65a, we learn
the reason why the Torah says “to its kind” after each of the four types of
locusts are listed: “It comes to include (four more species of locust) as
kosher the vineyard tziporet, the Jerusalemite yochana, the artzuvya and the
harzavnit.”

In the Shulchan Aruch (Code of
Jewish Law), Yoreh Deah 85, we learn:

Kosher signs for locusts: All that
have four legs and four wings, and its wings cover most of the length of the
circumference, and has two legs to jump with, even if it doesn’t have now, but
is destined to grow them over time. And even if it has all of the signs, it is
not permitted unless its name is “chagav” or they have a tradition that its name
is chagav.

Between the Torah, the Talmud and
the Shulchan Aruch, we see eight types of locusts that would be considered
kosher as well as more if they fit in to the species mentioned above. So why
don’t we see locusts on the menu at kosher restaurants?

The Yeminite Jews actually did have
the tradition of eating the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria). This
tradition was lost right before the Jews of Yemin made aliya in the middle of
the 20^th century.

The Jews of Djerba and Tunis,
Tunisia had the tradition of eating locusts until at least the mid 18^th century.

We see that the Jews of Yemen and
Tunisia followed traditions that knew which type of locust was acceptable and
kept that tradition for centuries.

Rabbi  Joseph Hertz in his Chumash wrote: “None of
the four kinds of locust mentioned (in the Torah) is certainly known. For this
reason also, later Jewish authorities, realizing that it is impossible to avoid
errors being made declare every species of locust to be forbidden.”

Moshe Basson, executive chef and
owner of Eucalyptus restaurant in Jerusalem which specializes in Biblical food,
explains that you won’t find locusts on the menu at the restaurant since they
are not everyone’s tradition and therefore according to Rav Ovadia Yosef z”l,
they wouldn’t be considered kosher for everyone. However, he has been known to
cook them on demand, especially during the locust infestation that hit Egypt
and Israel in 2013.

May we be able to put all of the
plagues behind us.

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In Parshat Shmini, we are
informed of which animals are kosher and which are not.

The explanation of why we are
not allowed to eat animals that do not have split hooves and chew their cud is
in Vayikra 11:8 “tmeim hem lachem”, “they are ritually impure to you.”

The description of why we
don’t eat fish without fins and scales and creatures that creep in the water is
because “sheketz hem lachem”, “they are repulsive to you.”

The non-kosher birds are also
listed as “repulsive.”

Aside from the descriptions
of “ritually impure” and “repulsive”, no actual reason is given for why we are
not allowed to eat them and why some animals are ritually unclean or repulsive
while others are not. The only thing that we are told is (Vayikra 11:45)
“Vehayitem Kedoshim ki Kadosh Ani”, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Commentaries throughout the
ages have tried to figure out the reason why God permitted certain animals
while forbidding others.

The Rambam (1135-1204), in
Moreh Nevuchim explains that pigs are dirty animals, forbidden to be eaten for
health reasons.

Sefer HaChinuch, published
anonymously in 13^th century Spain, adds that even if the
harmful character of some of the forbidden foods is unknown to us or to medical
science, the True Physician (God) Who admonished us regarding them is wiser.
How foolish and rash is he who considers himself as the sole judge of what is
beneficial and harmful!

Akedat Yitzchak (1420-1494)
explains that the dietary laws are not motivated by therapeutic considerations.
If that were so then once the cure for the illnesses caused by eating non-kosher
animals would be found people would stop keeping Kosher.

Sefer HaChinuch points out
that it is for our benefit that the reasons were not divulged, lest people with
scientific pretensions argue: The harm attributed by the Torah to this food
only applies to certain types of climates and persons. Some thoughtless people
may accept such arguments. To save us from such pitfalls, the reason was not
revealed.

Sefer
HaChinuch was right. Six hundred years later, the Reform movement’s position
was set out in the Pittsburgh Platform of 1885: We hold that all such Mosaic
and Rabbinical laws as regulate diet, priestly purity and dress originated in
ages and under the influence of ideas altogether foreign to our present mental
and spiritual state. They fail to impress the modern Jew with a spirit of
priestly holiness; their observance in our days is apt rather to obstruct than
to further modern spiritual elevation.

It is
interesting to note that over the years many Reform Jews have rejected what was
said in the Pittsburgh Platform and have taken on some form of keeping kosher.
As well, many Reform Temples have dietary restrictions in their kitchens. In
2010, the laws of keeping kosher were included for the first time in a book put
out by the Reform rabbinical association.

The Ramban’s
(1194-1270) view is that the laws of kashrut protect our souls. We are
forbidden to eat birds of prey lest their bloodthirstiness affect those who eat
them.

Abravanel
(1437-1508) also believes that the unkosher animals are called ritually impure
and repulsive, not poisonous, stressing the spiritual rather than physical
source of the prohibition.

We see from
here that God intentionally did not give us reasons for why certain animals are
kosher while others are not as He didn’t want us to find an excuse to cancel
the restrictions.

The bottom
line is that we observe the mitzvah of keeping kosher because God commanded us
to observe it. Without the Beit HaMikdash, we do not have an obligation to eat
meat so those who want to be stringent and choose to be vegetarians are welcome
to do so but those who choose to eat meat may not abandon the laws set out for
us in the Torah.

In Parshat Shmini, we learn about
the laws of keeping kosher by being presented with a list of which animals we
are allowed to eat based on the characteristics of the animal (the animal must
have both a split hoof and chew its cud, the fish must have fins and scales etc).

Thinking about where our food comes
from and not just eating anything that we see teaches us sensitivity towards
animals.

When we use other articles that come
from animals such as leather shoes, we must also be conscious as to where they
came from. The Rema quotes Rav Yaakov Weil (Mahari Veil 37) who says that
although it is customary to bless others when they wear a new article of
clothing with the words “tibale v’titchadesh”, “may you wear it out and acquire
a new one”, this blessing would not be appropriate for leather shoes which
would entail killing another animal as it says in Tehillim, Psalms 145:9 “And
His tender mercies are over all His works.”

The same can be said for a fur coat.
If you tell someone to wear out their fur coat, then you are wishing that down
the line more animals will need to be killed to produce a new fur coat.

Nowadays, people often buy more than
they need to for the sake of fashion and often don’t think about where their
leather shoes came from. On the other hand, there are a lot of shoes being made
today that are not leather. Warm coats are now being produced from other
materials so fur is not as necessary as it once was and fur coats are not as popular
today as they used to be, partially due to the campaigns of the animal rights
activists and partially due to their high price tags.

We can learn from the laws of
kashrut that animals should be treated with respect and only killed when
necessary. The next time that we shop for meat, shoes or coats we should ask ourselves
if we really need these particular products and remember that these items
should be used in moderation. 

The first pasuk of Parshat Shmini states: “And it was on the
eighth day that Moshe called to Aharon and to his sons and to the Zkenim
(Elders of Israel).”

If God was commanding Aharon to bring the Korbanot
(offerings), then why was it necessary for the Elders to be there as well?

According to Rashi, God wanted to announce to the Elders
that it was by Divine command that Aharon entered the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and
served as the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) so that they should not say that he
entered into it on his own authority.

God also wanted to make sure that everyone knew that it
wasn’t Moshe who chose Aharon (his brother) to become the Kohen Gadol but
rather God’s choice.

In Israel,
we have the concept called Protectzia (connections) where “it doesn’t matter
what you know but rather who you know.”

Many people with Protectzia will get jobs/keep jobs that
they are not qualified for.

There is a current member of Knesset who was accepted into a
Master’s/PHD Program at one of Israel’s
top universities yet he never completed his High School Bagrut (Matriculation
exams).

There are also many people who are extremely qualified for a
job and having Protectzia may help them get it over someone who doesn’t have
Protectzia.

For those of us without Protectzia, we know that whatever we
have it is because we worked for it and earned it.

Although it may seem that Aharon had Proectzia, God made it
very clear that it was His choice alone to make Aharon the first Kohen Gadol.

According to Ramban, “vachai bahem” refers to the mishpatim,
the “mitzvot ben adam l’chavero”, the social mitzvot between a person and their
fellow person. These laws were given so that man should live. Following these
laws ensures peace among men so that no one should cause harm to his fellowman
or kill him.

A society that does not observe these social mitzvot will
not be able to function and people will literally not be able to live in that
type of a society.

We also learn from the words “vachai bahem” that we perform
the mitzvot in order to live. If there is an issue of pikuach nefesh (danger to
life) then one can break Shabbat laws as well as most of the commandments in
order to make sure that you can continue to live your life.

We learn in the Gemara in Shabbat 151b: Rabban Shimon ben
Gamliel says: To save a live day old baby we may profane Shabbat…This is
because the Torah said in Shmot 31:16, “B’nai Yisrael shall observe Shabbat in
order to perform Shabbat throughout the generations”. Profane one Shabbat on
his account so that (the baby) will live and grow to observe many Shabbatot .

During the Holocaust, the issue of “vechai bahem”
unfortunately came up a lot. A case that really stands out is the prayer for
eating Hametz on Pesach.

By 1944 there was no question that Jews must eat
hametz to stay alive. Rabbi Avraham Levisson from Holland
dealt with this issue in Bergen-Belsen. In
1944 Rabbi Levisson and his father, along with the Chief Rabbi of Rotterdam Rav
A.B. Davids and a number of Jews gathered in a barrack to quietly hold a seder.
The Dutch rabbis, seeing the Jews could not survive without eating bread on Pesach,
composed a prayer to recite upon eating hametz.

To be said with utmost
concentration before eating hametz on Pessah:

Master of the Universe,
It is manifest and known to You we want to fulfill Your commandment that we
celebrate the holiday of Passover by eating matza and abstaining from hametz.
But to our great sorrow our servitude prevents us from fulfilling these
precepts.
We are not masters of our own fate and our lives are in danger.
Therefore we are ready and willing to keep the mitzva: “So that you shall live
by them” and not die because of keeping the mitzvot. Therefore we are commanded
to do what we must in order to remain alive; thus by eating hametz we will be
keeping Your other precept, “Be ever so careful with your life.” (Devarim 4:9)
We pray that You keep us alive and sustain us so that we merit to survive to
fulfill Your commandments wholeheartedly in the future. Amen.

We learn from here that
we must do what we can to live by the commandments and that at times it is even
a mitzvah to transgress them.

Parshat Shmini (Vayikra 9:1) which talks about the
dedication of the Mishkan begins with the word “Vayehi” (And it was). “And it
was on the eighth day (bayom haShmini) that Moshe called to Aharon and to his
sons and to the elders of Israel”.

Megillat Ester also begins with the word “Vayehi”. “And it
was in the days of Achashverosh…”

The Tamud, Megilla 10b states that there is a tradition
passed down to us from Anshei Knesset HaGedola (The Men of the Great Assembly)
that the term “Vayehi” introduces a painful narrative.

According to the Maharsha, “Vay” means woe and “hi” means
mourning.

The Gemara lists painful narratives that come after the word
“Vayehi” including, Vayehi, in the days of Achashverosh, Haman sought to
destroy the Jews. Vayehi, in the days when the Judges judged, Shfot HaShoftim
(Megillat Rut), there was a famine. Vayehi, man began to increase on the earth
(Breisheet 6:1), God saw that the wickedness of man was great. Vayehi, when
they journeyed from the east (Breisheet 11:2) they said let us build a city
(the Tower of Bavel.).

The Gemara challenges this assertion by bringing the first
pasuk from Parshat Shmini:

Vayehi, “And it was on the eighth day”. It was taught in a
Braita: On the day of the dedication of the Mishkan, there was much happiness
before God as on the day when the heavens and earth were created.

On the first day of creation it said “Vayehi Erev Vayehi
boker…” It was evening, it was morning one day.

From this Braita it seems that the word “Vayehi” could also
be used for fortunate times as both the dedication of the Mishkan and the
creation of the world were happy occasions.

The Gemara explains that since Nadav and Avihu, Aharon’s
sons died on the day that the Mishkan was dedicated, the term Vayehi is
appropriate on account of the tragedy.

According to Rav Ashi, there are some instances in the Torah
where Vayehi refers to fortunate times (like during the creation of the world)
and there are other instances where it refers to painful times. The words “Vayehi
Biymei” (and it was in the days of), always introduce a painful narrative.

There are five instances of “Vayehi Biymei” in the Tanach and
they all refer to painful times:

“Vayehi Biymei Achashverosh”, “Vayehi Biymei Shfot
HaShoftim”, “Vayehi Biymei Amrafel” (Breisheet 14:1, when the four kings waged
war against the five kings and as a result, Lot, Avraham’s nephew was captured),
“Vayehi Biymei Achaz” (Yishayahu 7:1, a war against Jerusalem), “Vayrhi Biymei
Yehoyakim” (Yirmiyahu 1:3, the exile from Eretz Yisrael and the destruction of
the Beit HaMikdash took place during his lifetime).

Although Purim is a happy time for us now, if we really
focus on the story we see what a painful time it was for the Jews who were
living at the time of Achashverosh.

The dedication of the Mishkan in Parshat Shmini was also
bittersweet. It was a happy time to celebrate yet the happiness was dampened by
the fact that two of Aharon’s sons died.

Let’s hope and pray that we can return to the true happiness
from the days of the creation when the word “Vayehi” was not followed by
negativity but was rather followed by a description of the wonderful world that
God created for us.