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‫שמיני‬ ‫בס"ד‬

In a leap year, the Parsha read usually after Pesach is ‫אחרי מות‬, which
also speaks of the passing of ‫נדב ואביהוא‬. The number of pesukim in
Parshas ‫ שמיני‬is ninety one, and the ‫ סימן‬given is ‫עבדיה‬. The truth is,
the concept of ‫ שמיני‬and of ‫ עבדיה‬are opposites, the eighth being
‫ עולם השכר‬or ‫ימות המשיח‬, and ‫ יה‬-‫ עבד‬is the work needed to get there.
Parshas ‫ שמיני‬is usually the Parsha taking us into the month of ‫אייר‬,
whose ‫ מזל‬is ‫שור‬- an ox, and associated with the ‫שבט יששכר‬, who is
compared with a ‫חמור‬- donkey. Both the ox and the donkey, although
one is kosher and one is not, and they are not allowed to be ploughed
together, are animals used for hard work. Both of these animals the
‫ חז"ל‬use in describing "‫עבודת ה‬. The ‫ שור לעול‬is that a yid should serve
the Almighty like an ox, with a heavy load on its neck, and the
‫ חמור למשא‬is the donkey with a heavy load on its back. Nisan has a
‫ מזל‬of ‫טלה‬, a baby lamb, that doesn’t work and has all its needs given
to it. This refers to Pesach, when the Almighty brought us to the
highest levels- ‫התערותא דלעלה‬, w/o the yidden doing very much,
like the baby lamb. After Pesach we were taken down from this high
level of ‫שער נ‬, in order for us to climb back and elevate ourselves
during the ‫ימי הספירה‬. Then, primarily in the month of ‫אייר‬, we have
to work hard, like an ox or a donkey, to elevate ourselves. Parshas
‫ שמיני‬has both the concept of ‫פסח‬, where even a maidservant saw and
experienced great heights, and ‫ ימי הספורה‬when we work hard to
elevate ourselves.

The combination of Hashem’s name for the month of Iyar is derived

from the pasuk ‫יתהלל המהלל הסכל וידעי‬, hinting that Iyar is a month of
‫ידיעה‬, which is the concept of ‫אם אין דעת הבדלה מנין – הבדלה‬. With ‫ידיעה‬
we are able to distinguish between good and bad, that are mixed
together, due to the ‫חטא עץ הדעת טוב ורע‬. The entire Pesach, we are on
the highest levels, and then we start from the bottom. This is similar
to our Parshas ‫שמיני‬, the number eight referring to the future world.
The eighth day of the ‫ מלואים‬on ‫ר"ח ניסן‬, was one of the greatest days
in history equated with the creation of the world, as it says
‫גדול יום הקמת המשכן כיום שנבראו שמים וארץ‬. This was marred by the
death of ‫נדב ואביהוא‬. This is the reason this great Parsha begins with
‫ויהי‬, a language of ‫צר‬. The Rokeach and the ‫ בעל הטורים‬and others say
that if Moshe would have completed serving as ‫ כהן גדול‬on the eighth
day, which he had begun, the yidden would have entered the
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‫עולם התיקון‬. At the end of Parshas ‫לא‬:‫פקודי מ‬, Rashi says on the pasuk
‫ יום שמיני למלואים הושוו כולם לכהונה… ורחצו ממנו משה ואהרן ובניו‬The
Rokeach says this didn’t happen, since Moshe refrained from going
to Pharoh, for seven days. On this, the ‫ חידא‬asks that if so, Moshe
shouldn’t have served for the first seven days either. He answers that
it was because of Moshe’s tremendous humility that he refused to go,
in that he felt he wasn’t deserving. Moshe wished for Aharon, his
older brother to go, and so Moshe was worthy to serve for the seven
days. The ‫ בעל התניא‬says that if ‫ משה‬wouldn’t have turned his head by
the ‫סנה‬, but rather studied it, the yidden would have had their tikun.

Nadav and Avihu felt it was already the ‫עולם התקון‬, since they saw
Moshe begin to serve on the eighth day. It says in Gemorra Nida that
‫מצוות בטלות לעתיד לבא‬, and so bringing a "‫אש זרה אשר לא צוה ה‬, was no
problem. The ‫ תולדות יעקב יוסף‬says this doesn’t mean that there will
be no mitzvos in the future, as that goes against one of the thirteen
principles of faith. He says that yidden will be doing mitzvos on their
own, w/o a command, since there will be such a revelation of
Hashem in the world. The ‫ אור החיים‬says that "‫ויקריבו לפני ה‬, means
that Nadav and Avihu had a burning desire to come close to Hashem,
but came too close. The fact that Nadav and Avihu believed that it
was the ‫עולם התקון‬, answers all the other reasons given of why they
died. One opinion says they paskened in front of their Rebbi. In the
future there will be no ‫ רבי תלמוד‬relationship ‫לא ילמדו עוד איש אל רעהו‬
and "‫וכל בניך למודי ה‬. The fact that they died proved that they were
mistaken, as in the future there is no death. Another opinion says
they entered the ‫ ק"ק‬somewhat under the influence of wine, where in
the future, wine will not have a negative effect. One of the opinions
in the Gemorra is that the ‫ עץ הדעת‬was a grape. The Gemorra asks if a
yid could ‫ קובע‬a ‫ סעודה‬on wine, and answers ‫תיקו‬- that when Eliyahu
comes in the future, he will inform us.

In the world of ‫שמיני‬, wine is perfect. The reason wine has a negative
effect, is due to the ‫ ערבוביה‬of good and bad resulting from the
‫חטא עץ הדעת‬. The redness in the red wine, is the color of blood- ‫אדום‬,
judgement. In ‫ קידוש‬we make on Friday night ‫יום הששי ויכלו השמים‬
which is ‫וה‬-‫ר"ת יה‬, equaling twenty six. This is the good part of wine.
What’s left in the ‫=יין‬70, is 70-26=44=‫דם‬, the negative part of wine.
We make ‫ הבדלה‬on wine to be ‫ מבדיל‬between the good- ‫וה‬-‫יה‬, and the
bad- ‫דם‬. Havdala is said in the Bracha of ‫דעת‬, of what it says
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‫אם אין דעת הבדלה מנין‬. When we reach the level of ‫אין דעת‬, there is no
need for ‫הבדלה‬, that no need to make distinctions since there is no ‫רע‬.
After the death of ‫נדב ואביהוא‬, the Torah gives the negative command
‫יין ושכר אל תשת‬. Since we are not in the ‫ עולם השמיני‬there is still a
necessity for ‫הבדלה‬, as there is the ‫ רע‬part in wine. There will be a
tikun in ‫י"ם‬, and the ‫ יין ושכר‬will be permitted and the Kohanim will
be able to enter after drinking wine- ‫=יין ושכר‬596=‫ ירושלים‬The
yidden weren’t ready yet. Some ‫ מפרשים‬compare the death of
‫ נדב ואביהוא‬to what happened to ‫ בן זומה‬and ‫בן עזי‬, after they entered
the ‫פרדס‬.

The Zohar says that after the brazen act of Pinchas- "‫קנאית ה‬, in
killing ‫ זמרי‬and ‫כזבי בת צור‬, Nadav and Avihu, were fused into his
‫נשמה‬, (as it says- ‫‘ פנחס בן אלעזר‬who were’ the ‫)בן אהרן הכהן‬, and then
into ‫אליהו הנביא‬, who attends every bris on the eighth day -
‫=שני בני אהרן‬678=‫קול מבשר‬. Most yidden that sin, do not merit
becoming ‫אליהו הנביא‬. When ‫ אליהו‬was about to ascend to the
heavens, Elisha asked from him to merit double of his soul power
‫ נא פי שנים ברוחך אלי‬. How can someone bestow double of himself on
another? The answer is ‫ נא‬is the ‫ ר"ת‬of ‫נדב אביהוא‬. In ‫לקוטי מוהר"ן סו‬
Rebbi Nachman says that the ‫ צדיק‬has ‫שני רוהות‬- ‫רוח לעלה ורוח לתתא‬.
This proves the tremendous level that ‫ נדב ואביהו‬were on. The ‫חטאים‬
of the ‫ צדיקים‬of old, are much higher than any mitzvos performed by
the yidden in later generations. The ‫ חדושי הרים‬said that the thoughts
and intention that Adam had when he ate from the ‫עץ הדעת‬, he never
had even by ‫ נעילה‬of ‫יה"כ‬.

We juxtapose ‫ ספירת העומר‬to Pesach, in order to cushion the fall. In

the first two ‫ סימנים‬of ‫ ליל הסדר‬which are ‫קדש ורחץ‬- ‫ ורחץ‬is the only
‫ סימן‬with a ‫ו‬, hinting that Hashem takes us to the high level of ‫קדש‬,
and then there is a fall. First we reach the high levels of Pesach, and
then we start over, making a separation between good and bad,
between pure and impure, and between holy and profane. This takes
place during the weeks of ‫ספירה‬, in order to come once again to these
high levels of holiness by ‫שבועות‬, this time through our hard ‫עבודה‬.
Similarly in our Parsha, we begin on the highest level of ‫שמיני‬, and
end the Parsha in the Bronx Zoo, talking of the ‫ הבדלה‬between what’s
holy and what’s not. In the world of ‫ שמיני‬there is no ‫הבדלה‬. The first
request we make in ‫ שמונה עשרה‬is ‫חונן דעת‬, where we add the insert of
‫הבדלה‬, on ‫מוצ"ש‬, as it says ‫אם אין דעת הבדלה מנין‬, that is w/o ‫דעת‬,
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there’s no distinguishing between the ‫ ערבוביה‬caused by the

‫חטא עץ הדעת‬. Similarly, in our everyday ‫שמונה עשרה‬, we begin with
the high light of the ‫ אבות‬and ‫תחיית המתים‬, a "‫ בח‬of ‫למעלה מן הדעת‬, and
then we descend to the world of ‫דעת‬.

The ‫ חטא עץ הדעת‬is hinted in Parshas ‫שמיני‬, as it says that the exact
middle of the Torah is the ‫ ו‬in the word ‫גחון‬, where Rashi says is the
belly of the snake, the ‫נחש‬. The month of ‫ אייר‬was created with the
letter ‫ )ספר יצירה( ו‬the letter that connects Pesach to Shavuos, Nisan
to Sivan. Every daf in the Torah begins with a ‫ו‬, except five. The ‫ו‬
hints to us of the ‫עץ החיים‬. The ‫ ימי הספירה‬is really six-‫ ו‬weeks, as in
the first week of Pesach, there is no bad, no impurity. Then we have
these six weeks to purify ourselves from all the ‫טומאה‬, learning and
internalizing the six chapters of ‫פרקי אבות‬, by working on our ‫מדות‬.
An angel teaches the unborn baby the entire Torah, and then as he’s
born, causes him to forget. Hashem is giving us a taste of where he
wants us to be, and then the yid has seventy-eighty years to get there.
The purpose of this world of ‫רובה רע‬, is to elevate ourselves to high
levels of holiness, as it says at the end of the Parsha ‫מד‬:‫יא‬-
‫והתקדשתם והייתם קדשים‬. All the Parshios during the ‫ ימי הספירה‬-
‫ תזריע מצורה אמור ואחרי מות‬speak of ‫ קדושה‬and ‫טהרה‬.

When speaking of the kosher and treif animals, Rashi brings a

parable from the ‫מדרש תנחומה‬. There are two types of sick people, the
ones that are terminally ill, and the ones that will recover. The
terminally ill patients are told that they could eat whatever they
desire, since they have no chance to recover. The patients that will
recover, are given a strict diet, to facilitate their recovery. The Goyim
are the terminally ill patients, as they could never overcome all the
temptations and all the ‫ טומאה‬that’s in the world. However, the Jews,
who have the ‫תורה הקדושה‬, through which they could overcome the
evil and ‫ טומאה‬of the world, are given a diet of kosher food, and the
ability to be ‫מבדיל‬, where through this, they “will recover”.

The tikun for the ‫נחש הקדמוני‬, that is for the ‫חטא עץ הדעת טוב ורע‬, the
vav of ‫גחון‬, is the six weeks of ‫ספירה‬. At the beginning of the ‫מפטיר‬, it
says ‫ים‬-‫להית לכם לאלה‬, where the Rokeach says that ‫ להית‬is written
w/o a vav, to emphasize that the ‫ שם הויה‬in this world is ‫ חסר‬or
hidden, and in the future it will be revealed. Where is this missing
vav in this world? –in the vav of ‫גחון‬, or the ‫נחש‬. Likewise the vav in
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the name ‫ אליהו‬is missing in five places in ‫תנ"ך‬, written ‫אליה‬, and in
five places ‫ יעקב‬is written with a vav- ‫יעקוב‬. It says there that when
Moshiach will come, ushered in by Eliahu, then ‫ יעקב‬will return the
vav to ‫אליהו‬. The vav in the Torah represents ‫אחדות‬. The talmidim of
Rebbi Akiva were lacking in ‫אחדות‬, the vav, and so 24,000 students
died. It’s a possible phat, that because Rebbi Akiva was the one who
darshened the vavim in the Torah, that is he was the Neshama of the
vav, teaching the world that the ‫ כלל גדול‬in Torah, is ‫אהבת לרעך כמוך‬,
to love one’s neighbour like oneself, the students were judged more
strickly. The vav also represents the ‫ששה סדרי משנה‬, the sixth being
‫טהרות‬. When a yid merits ‫דעת‬, by making the proper ‫הבדלה‬, through
his ‫ה‬-‫עבד י‬, he will merit the sixth seder of purity -
‫=דלת עין תו‬970=‫ ואת רוח הטומאה אעביר‬The true ‫ דעת‬is the removal of
the ‫טומאה‬. The goal is to come to the eighth week of ‫ שבועות‬complete
-‫ תמים‬and pure, and then enter the ‫ מקוה‬of the ‫שערי חמישים דקדושה‬,
before sunrise -‫=תמימות‬896=‫ זה סדר טהרות‬. A ‫בעל גאוה‬, a haughty
person is a ‫בעל מום‬, whereas a ‫ תמים‬is an ‫ ענו‬-a humble man.

The eighth day of the ‫מלואים‬, which is the main theme of ‫שמיני‬, was
on ‫ ר"ח ניסן‬, and is equated to the creation of ‫שמים וארץ‬. The Gemorra
in Megilla considers this one of the greatest days in history, as the
holy ‫ שכינה‬descended again in the world ‫=יום השמיני‬471=‫הר המוריה‬.
There is another Gemorra in Gitten that says there were eight
Parshios taught on ‫ר"ח ניסן‬, the number eight being associated with
the future- ‫למנצח על השמינית‬. The Gemorra in Erchin says that the
Mashiach will play a harp of eight strings. The Parsha begins with
‫ויהי‬, which is a language of ‫צער‬, since this great day was marred by
the death of Nadav and Avihu, who ‫ חז"ל‬say were even greater than
Moshe and Aharon. The year of the ‫ הקמת המשכן‬was a year that
‫ ערב פסח‬was on Shabbos. The ‫ ירושלמי‬says that if the yidden keep two
‫שבתות‬, then ‫בן דוד בא‬. The only real time we have two ‫ שבתות‬is when
‫ ע"פ‬is on Shabbos, since Pesach is referred to as Shabbos, as it says
‫וספרתם לכם ממחרת השבת‬.

In ‫לעתיד לבא‬, that which is not kosher will be kosher, not because the
Torah will change ‫ח"ו‬, but the nature of the world will change, where
the animals will have ‫סימני כשר‬. The ‫ חז"ל‬say that Esther ate food that
was not kosher, to which Rashi says was ‘bacon’. Tosfos says either
she didn’t eat the food, or she was forced to. Since Purim is a light of
the future world, everything was okay to eat. The ‫ מר דרור‬was from
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the dried blood of a ‫( חיה טמאה‬Rambam), and this became the

‫ שמן המשחה‬the oil that will anoint the ‫מלך המשיח‬. On Purim, we reach
the level of ‫עד דלא ידע‬, the level of ‫עולם הבא‬, where there will be a
harp played with ten strings. We had already nine ‫’פרה אדומה‬s, and we
are waiting for the tenth, to completely rectify the ‫חטא העגל‬. The
‫ פרה אדומה‬is a ‫חוק‬, the concept of ‫עד דלא ידע‬. The mother will come to
clean up the mess made by the baby ‫עגל‬.

The only other time we have this excess drinking is ‫ליל הסדר‬, when
‫ אליהו הנביא‬comes (the fifth cup). Purim and Pesach are connected.
The miracle of Purim happened on Pesach. What Nadav and Avihu
did by entering the ‫ ק"ק‬under the influence, led to the prohibition of
‫יין ושכר‬. What Esther did with her entering that was not permitted, led
to a ‫ יין ושכר‬that was permitted and even encouraged. On Purim we
enter ‫עולם הבא‬, which no one knows of or ever saw ‫ים‬-‫עין לא ראתה אלוה‬
‫זולתך‬. On Chanuka we get a taste of ‫ ימות המשיח‬of which was seen by
the ‫נביאים‬. What ‫ נדב ואביהוא‬tried to accomplish here in ‫שמיני‬, we
received on ‫פורים‬. In the future, Hashem will serve us wine-
‫=יין המשומר‬661=‫אסתר‬. On Purim we get a taste of ‫יין המשומר‬. Purim
is a tikun for the ‫ חטא עץ הדעת‬and the ‫חטא המרגלים‬, where the yidden
brought back the cluster of grapes ‫=אשכול ענבים‬529=‫על מקרא מגילה‬.
Rav Shimshon Astropoli says from the pasuk ‫הימים ימי בכורי ענבם‬, that
the letters before (‫ )בכורי‬the word ‫ ענבם‬is ‫ סמאל‬that is these were
negative days, and under the power of the ‫שטן‬. Purim enters into the
boundary of Esav - ‫=טז אדר שני‬581=‫והימים ימי בכורי ענבים‬. The
cluster of grapes that the yidden brought back with them,
unfortunately was used to speak ‫ לשון הרע‬about ‫א"י‬. Later they used
these grapes for the ‫ יין הנסכים‬in the Mishkan. As a general rule,
something that was used for negativity or ‫ע"ז‬, is not used for ‫קודש‬.
However here we have a ‫ונהפוך הוא‬, where that which was used for
sin, is now turned into mitzvah -
‫=פרשת הנסכים‬1165=‫ונהפוך הוא אשר ישלטו היהודים המה‬

The main goal of ‫ יציאת מצרים‬was to come to the recognition that

Hashem is one. The ‫עטרות ישועה‬, the Jikover Rebbi says that
‫=זכר יציאת מצרים‬1118=‫ינו הויה אחד‬-‫שמע ישראל הויה אלה‬