Parashat Shemini

Parasha Thoughts

By Rabbi Shlomo Zargari

Shalom, our parasha is one of the main sources for the laws of kashrut.

דַּבְּר֛וּ אֶל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר זֹ֤את הַֽחַיָּה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תֹּאכְל֔וּ מִכָּל־הַבְּהֵמָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר
עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

Speak to the Bene Yisrael thus: These are the creatures that you may eat from among all the land animals:(Vayikra 11,2)

Rabeinu Ovadia Seforno asked what is the connection between the laws of kashrut and the inauguration of the Mishkan and the services?
It is so to teach us that as we know, the Mishkan is the place where the Shechina of HaShem rests, but the goal is to have it rest in the hearts of every Jew, as the well-known verse says:

וְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם׃

And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.(Shemot 25,8)

Meaning, by observing the services being performed in the Mishkan and the Bet HaMikdash, the fear of HaShem will be instilled in our hearts.
But there’s a prerequisite for this: to keep the sanctity of the foods and not to contaminate our soul with food that is not allowed by the Torah. One who consumes these foods damages his Neshama and distances the Shechina from himself:
Like it says at the end of the parasha:

אַל־תְּשַׁקְּצוּ֙ אֶת־נַפְשֹׁ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם בְּכָל־הַשֶּׁ֖רֶץ הַשֹּׁרֵ֑ץ וְלֹ֤א תִֽטַּמְּאוּ֙ בָּהֶ֔ם וְנִטְמֵתֶ֖ם בָּֽם׃

You shall not draw abomination upon yourselves through anything that swarms; you shall not make yourselves unclean therewith and thus become unclean.