What Is the Connection Between Shemini L'Miluim and Eating Kosher?

00:00 In a letter written in 5704, the Frierdiker Rebbe vividly describes an incident that happened to him in Tammuz 5680. The year 5680 was the year of his father’s passing, the Rebbe Rashab, and Tammuz was only a few months—four months—after the passing. He relates that he was in Rostov, where he lived at the time, and that he had to lead the prayers that day because he was in his year of mourning. That Monday, in the middle of [unclear], a group of policemen suddenly came in, armed with rifles and other weapons, their faces flushed, and asked, “Where is Reb Mendelson?” They approached him and tried to seize him. He was standing at the prayer lectern in his tallis and tefillin, and they wanted to drag him away. He calmly replied that he was in the middle of davening: “When I finish davening, I’ll go with them.” A commotion broke out; others began shouting, “No, now, this instant!” And he said firmly, “I am in the middle of davening. Let me finish, and then I’ll go.” Among them were also Jews, may Hashem have mercy, from the group known as the Yevsektsiya. The Yevsektsiya was

01:45 a group of Jews who worked, may Hashem have mercy, with the Communists in those days. They caused a great deal of trouble and distress, and persecuted Jews and Judaism. They were ready to tear off his tallis and tefillin, but there was a non-Jew among them who said they had to wait, so they waited until he finished davening. Then they took him away. This was one of his arrests. As you know, the Frierdiker Rebbe was arrested six or seven times; this was one of them. They took him to a place in their building, belonging to the KGB—the GPU, as it was called then. The Frierdiker Rebbe went in, and around the table sat a number of their people, more than a minyan. At the head of the table sat two of their senior officials. They were all tense, with [unclear] on their faces. The Frierdiker Rebbe sat on the other side of the table. They began to [unclear] him, to put him on trial. They said they had summoned him specifically for a hearing because they knew what kind of [unclear] he was conducting in matters of Judaism. They wanted to speak with him and hear his answers to several questions they had.

03:26 The Frierdiker Rebbe began speaking to them in Yiddish. They told him that Russian was spoken there. The Frierdiker Rebbe said that he had principles and would not budge from them. He spoke with great firmness and severity, [unclear], and said, “I am a man who cannot be moved from his position. The person has not yet been born,” he wrote in 5704, “who will move me from my principles. Under no circumstances will I budge from them, not even in the slightest. And one of my principles is that I speak Yiddish, especially when I am sitting here [unclear] among Jews.” The people sitting there were [unclear], and an ordinary person could not have told at all that they were Jews. In every respect, they looked just like complete non-Jews. More than that, their very expressions were [unclear], positively murderous. It was to them that the Frierdiker Rebbe said these things. Finally, one of them took a pistol and placed it on the table. This is a well-known story—yes, this week I—this is one of the famous stories. He picked up a pistol from the table and, may Hashem have mercy, threatened the Rebbe with it. He said, “If you don’t behave properly, and you don’t say what we want you to say...” [unclear] He aimed it at him and said that this was how they made a person

05:12 behave properly and say what they wanted him to say. The Frierdiker Rebbe replied that this toy could frighten people who had nothing beyond this world, [unclear] people attached to idols and heresy, who had nothing beyond this world. This toy, this little pistol, could frighten them and make them tremble. But a person who has more than one world, who has two worlds—this world and the World to Come—and G-d cannot be frightened. This toy cannot frighten him. They saw that they were dealing with a man who rose above himself and was not intimidated, and they softened somewhat. Among the questions they asked him, as the Frierdiker Rebbe explains in his account, was whether his Judaism, his observance of the mitzvos, the fact that he kept Torah and mitzvos, was based only on faith and his way of life, or whether it also had a rational basis: could he explain his Judaism and his observance of Torah and mitzvos intellectually? The Frierdiker Rebbe replied that Torah and mitzvos are not only a matter of faith; they also have a rational basis. He could understand them well and explain them clearly—

06:48 the truth of Torah and mitzvos and of Judaism. They said, “Well then, by all means, explain it to us. Once you explain it to us intellectually, we’ll be ready to do it.” The Frierdiker Rebbe replied, “I am prepared to explain it to you so that you understand it well, but for that you must make a change in your lives. If you agree to stop eating from non-kosher utensils, come to the beis midrash, and be willing to learn, then I will explain the truth of Torah and mitzvos so that you understand it well.” They replied, “The other way around: teach us and explain it to us, and then we’ll do it.” In response, the Frierdiker Rebbe gave an analogy: Imagine you are walking down the street and meet a great professor, an expert with extensive knowledge of astrology and astronomy, of the stars and everything connected with them. And you say to him there on the street, “Explain all the details to us: how the stars, the moon, and the sun work, all of that knowledge and everything connected with it. Help us understand.” That person would say, “Are you serious? You want me to explain it to you just like that, here in the street? There is a place, an observatory, that we can go to, where there is a tower with the [unclear].

08:25 the stars and the sun—the place where you can see all the details and the movements of the stars. There I can explain it to you properly. But here in the street, am I supposed to stand and explain it all on one foot?” And the same applies here. We can add another analogy: When a person wants to understand all the details taught in medicine and science—which foods are healthy, how they benefit health, which foods are right, what vitamins they contain, and how the body processes the food we eat—that is an entire field of knowledge. If someone were to say that he refuses to eat until he knows and understands every detail and every explanation of how it works, and only then will he be willing to eat, such a person would never reach the point of studying that field. First, he simply has to eat and follow the doctors who have explained which foods are healthy and how they should be eaten. Only afterward can he study the subject and understand its depth and fine points. And on the contrary, [unclear] like a person who is told to put things aside, that it is only... And the same applies...

09:51 The point is not that you first convince him intellectually and only afterward lead him to love Torah and mitzvos. It does not work that way. As long as a person eats non-kosher food and remains in an atmosphere full of kelipah and impurity, his mind cannot absorb Judaism or Torah and mitzvos. The right approach is that first of all [unclear], he should eat kosher food and come to a place where he can refine himself. Only then can he see that it is true not only from the standpoint of faith, but also intellectually. Because a person cannot understand the truth of G-dliness and the truth of Torah and mitzvos. This was a dialogue [unclear], and they came with this whole story. And it was not just [unclear]; the entire exchange helped clarify even further the principles by which one must conduct oneself. Now, what is the order of Parshas Shemini about? Parshas Shemini has a first half and a second half. At first glance, there seems to be no connection between the two halves. More than that, they even seem to be opposites. The first half of the parsha speaks

11:18 About one of the greatest and holiest moments in the entire order of creation, in the whole history of the Jewish people: “And it came to pass on the eighth day.” This was the eighth day of the inauguration of the Mishkan, and as Rashi says, “That day took ten crowns.” It was the great day of Rosh Chodesh Nissan, in the first year after the Exodus from Egypt. It was the eighth day of the inauguration, after the Mishkan had been built. From 23 Adar until Rosh Chodesh Nissan, Moshe Rabbeinu erected the Mishkan each day, and then erected it again and again, as the Torah tells us in Parshas Pekudei. Similarly, Parshas Tzav recounts everything that took place during the seven days of the inauguration. And on the eighth day, “Moshe called Aharon and his sons and the elders of Israel,” and Aharon stood before all the Jewish people. On that day came the great revelation: “Fire came forth from before Hashem and consumed the burnt offering and the fats upon the altar.” This was the greatest revelation of the Shechinah since the creation of the world. As the Midrash says, this is what the verse means: “I have come into My garden, My sister, My bride.” Hakadosh Boruch Hu returned to His garden. “The primary dwelling place of the Shechinah was in the lower realms.” The Rebbe explains that “My garden” means this physical world, which was His garden. That is the main point. “My garden” also refers to the Jewish people. But because of sins, the Shechinah withdrew from one heaven to the next, up to the seventh heaven. Then came seven righteous men, from Avraham to Moshe Rabbeinu, who brought the Shechinah down, until Moshe Rabbeinu brought

13:02 the Shechinah down below. This was the primary revelation of the Shechinah in a permanent way. This is what happened on the eighth day, when the Mishkan was erected, on the eighth day of its inauguration, as fire descended from heaven. Then the purpose of creation—“the primary dwelling place of the Shechinah was in the lower realms”—was fulfilled: Hakadosh Boruch Hu returned to dwell permanently in the world, in the Mishkan. That was the great significance of Rosh Chodesh Nissan. And as the Kli Yakar explains, the fact that it happened specifically on the eighth day is essential. Eight is not just the number that comes after the seven days of inauguration. The name of Parshas Shemini expresses the greatness of that day. The Kli Yakar explains the number eight: What is eight? One above seven. Seven represents the seven days of creation; the natural world is associated with the number seven. The seven days of creation, the seven middos, the seven days of creation—all aspects of nature and the world are associated with seven. Eight is one above seven: it is the Master of the World, above the order of creation, above nature. This is also the meaning of “Then Moshe and the children of Israel sang,” after the Exodus from Egypt and the splitting of the sea. The Hebrew word for “then” is made up of an alef riding above a zayin—a one above a seven. It is a revelation of what transcends all seven powers, the seven middos, and every aspect of the order of creation. That is the nature of the revelation of G-dliness on the eighth day: Hakadosh Boruch Hu, who transcends the entire order of creation, was revealed in the Mishkan. This is the great significance of what is recounted in the first half of Parshas Shemini. After that,

15:10 the parsha continues with all the details of the account of Nadav and Avihu, who reached a state in which their souls expired in longing for G-d. It explains the details of what happened to Aharon’s sons: their souls expired from their intense attachment, affection, kisses, and the sweetness of life. Parshas Acharei explains what happened to Aharon’s sons: their souls expired because of the overwhelming revelation, the great light they experienced. And this, too, is the order of the Geulah. After the parsha presents the great light of that day, Rosh Chodesh Nissan, the Torah moves to the opposite extreme. What does the second half of the parsha discuss? Matters relating to forbidden foods. In other words, where do we find the laws concerning fish? All the things one may and may not eat—the laws of forbidden foods. The signs of permitted animals: split hooves, chewing the cud; the signs of fish and birds; and all the details the Torah discusses. At the end of the parsha, it speaks of creeping and crawling creatures and of eating foods, of [unclear], and “you will become defiled by them.” Yes, matters of creeping and crawling creatures, down to “anything that goes on its belly”—the very lowest things. And the parsha concludes with “to distinguish between the living creature that may be eaten” and, yes, “the living creature that may not be eaten.” That is the parsha’s conclusion. So the question arises: What is the connection between the two halves of this parsha? It begins, “And it came to pass on the eighth day,” speaking of lofty matters, and suddenly turns to what seem to be coarse, lowly things—forbidden foods

17:05 and creeping and crawling creatures, about which it also says, “Do not defile yourselves with them.” Yet the Torah deals with all this in the same sequence, in the same Parshas Shemini. Another question arises: Rashi says that eight sections of the Torah were spoken on that day. In other words, this section, too, was spoken on the very day when the Shechinah was revealed—the eighth day, Rosh Chodesh Nissan, the greatest revelation of G-dliness. The explanation is that this is precisely where the point is expressed: through care in avoiding forbidden foods, we become vessels for the level of eight. In other words, the greatest revelation of G-dliness on the eighth day must be reflected in the simplest matters, where a person has to be careful about what he eats—in matters of kashrus, eating and drinking. Specifically in these details, as the verse says: “You shall be holy people to Me, and you shall not eat flesh torn in the field.” Refraining from forbidden foods, and a person’s care over what he eats and what he eats, make him a vessel to receive G-dliness and attain the G-dliness of the eighth day. To explain how this is expressed in a person’s inner service: the level of eight in the soul is the level of chayah and yechidah. Among the soul’s faculties, there is

18:38 the service in which a Jew serves Hakadosh Boruch Hu through intellect and through the middos. Broadly speaking, that is the realm of seven—the seven days of creation, the seven middos. A person works on himself to understand G-dliness, to attain love and awe of Hashem, to serve Hakadosh Boruch Hu and observe Torah and mitzvos. But within the order of service, there is service in which a person serves Hakadosh Boruch Hu according to reason and intellect. And then there is the concept of eight. Eight is the bond between a Jew and Hakadosh Boruch Hu that transcends intellect. That essential bond, the absorption of G-dliness, its taste, richness, sense and Divine feeling—all these take a Jew beyond his limits and connect him with the essence of his soul, with the Essence of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. This, in general, is the meaning of the eighth day: the eight that is above nature, above limits and boundaries. In one’s service, it is the service of mesirus nefesh, the service of “with all your might,” in which a Jew goes beyond his limitations and connects with G-dliness that is above [unclear]. That is the inner meaning of Shemini. And we are told that for a Jew to receive the level of the eighth day, he must do so through being careful about the foods he eats. When a Jew is careful about food, careful to avoid forbidden foods, that very care makes him a vessel for G-dliness. And the point is what [unclear] notes precisely—and this is the final verse of the parsha.

20:10 What else is meant by “to distinguish”? In the Torah’s laws of forbidden foods, we see that the distinctions are as fine as a hair’s breadth. At the end of the parsha, on the verse “to distinguish between the pure animal and the impure, and between the impure bird and the pure,” Rashi says that the verse is not coming to teach us to distinguish in the simple sense—to know which animal is pure and which is impure. Rather, as Rashi says, a hair’s breadth separates a slaughter performed properly from one that was not. Was the shechitah performed as it should be? There is a windpipe and an esophagus, and one must cut through the majority of each, not just half. A single hair’s breadth determines whether the shechitah is kosher. A single hair’s breadth determines whether this food is kosher or not. And here the primordial serpent intervenes. When it comes to these matters—eating and drinking, and whether what one eats and drinks is kosher—human reason comes along and says: What’s all the fuss about? It’s a kosher animal, a permitted animal. Well, one tiny bit more or less, one hair’s breadth more or less—what great difference does that make? After all, shechitah was performed. So one detail is missing, a small detail, and people make a whole issue of it. This is where the Torah comes in, with the concept of Shemini. If your connection to Hakadosh Boruch Hu is based only on intellect, then there is room for all these calculations. Then a person can sometimes come to—

21:55 Calculations. By reasoning things through, a person reaches the conclusion: Well, this isn’t really necessary, and it’s fine. One detail is missing—what’s the fuss? How does that make it impure? But when the “eighth” shines within him, when the point beyond all measure—his connection to Hashem—shines within him, as the concept of the eighth is plainly connected with the yechidah of the soul, that yechidah holds firm that every point in Torah and mitzvos, every detail of halachah, must be exactly as it is. If even one detail is not as it should be, the whole matter is not as intended. Then his care with the kashrus of food and drink, with forbidden foods, is absolute. He needs to have the “eighth” within him so that he can truly “distinguish between the pure and the impure”: whether half was slaughtered or the majority was slaughtered—if one detail, one point, is not as it should be, the whole matter is not as it should be. That is what it means to be careful. His care with kashrus must be absolute, and that comes from this point shining within him, from the concept of the eighth being alive within him. When we look at the Torah’s decrees and see how many detailed laws it adds concerning the kashrus of food and drink, all the details that demand care in every matter, we see that there are identifying signs. This will also help us understand the deeper meaning of the signs the Torah gives. We see something interesting:

23:37 There are signs the Torah lists for domestic and wild animals. The Torah states what they are: they must chew the cud and have split hooves. Chassidus explains in detail what these signs mean. The commentaries offer explanations; the Ramban explains the matter, and there are many explanations on the levels of pshat, remez, drush, and sod of what chewing the cud and having split hooves signify. Likewise, fish have signs; the meaning of fins and scales is explained, whether in relation to the body or to the soul. The commentaries discuss this. Chassidus also explains fins and scales in a person’s spiritual service in several places. But there is something interesting: when we come to birds, the Torah does not state their signs. It lists only the names of all the non-kosher birds. It is explained that the names of the non-kosher birds are listed because kosher birds are so much more numerous. But the signs are not stated—only the names. The Gemara, however, has a whole discussion about this. It explains what the signs are; it is not that there are no signs. There are several signs that distinguish non-kosher birds from kosher birds. Generally speaking, non-kosher birds

25:15 have identifying signs. We see discussion of their feet, as well as several other matters; there are a number of details. The Gemara lists many relevant signs: the condition of the feet, whether the bird has a crop, whether it seizes prey with its talons, and so on. But the signs are not written in the Torah. What is the reason? The Gemara says that the Torah does not state signs for birds because, with birds, there is a matter of mesorah—tradition. Yes. When ruling that a bird is kosher, we rely on tradition. A person can say that he had a teacher who taught him about birds. Yes. A person can come and say, “My teacher told me”—meaning the one who taught me which bird is kosher. Yes. And he told me: this particular bird—I believe him; that particular bird—I do not believe him. We rely on tradition when it comes to birds. What does this mean in the service of Hashem? The Rebbe explains the point in a sicha. Chassidus explains that everything has a counterpart in a person’s spiritual service. There are domestic animals, wild animals, fish, and birds. What do birds represent in our service? In general, all these categories exist within a person, in the animal soul; there are many aspects to this. What is the analogy? What do birds symbolize and suggest? Chassidus explains that a bird’s nature is this:

26:51 A bird flies. It has wings and flies upward. The bird represents the intellectual soul. The human intellect naturally seeks to rise higher. An animal, generally speaking, is not connected with intellect. It is connected with emotions, material things, and desires; the spirit of the animal descends downward. More physicality, more materiality, and then still more. But a bird’s nature is to rise, to fly upward. In the soul, this represents the intellect, because the intellect seeks to reach higher and deeper. It wants to understand, to rise, to fly. That is the intellect’s nature. So the intellectual soul—man as an intellectual being—has this upward movement within it. That is what birds represent. And here the Torah tells us that when it comes to birds, mesorah is needed; a teacher is needed. What does that mean in spiritual service? The Rebbe explained this in the early years, in 5711. Yes. “My teacher told me”—what is happening here? This is the matter of mesorah and received teaching. After all, mesorah comes from the word “to transmit.” The tradition that I heard from my teacher is precisely a matter of transmission and received teaching. So what does “my teacher told me” mean? Those are two words. On the one hand, there is the intellect. But for the intellect to be in the right place and not stray from the path of truth, mesorah and received teaching are needed. Where are they found? The Rebbe says: in the teacher’s words. That is what mesorah and received teaching mean—the words of the teacher. In other words, learning from one’s teachers, studying the books, studying the teacher’s words, strengthening one’s faith, and paying close attention: What does the Rebbe say? What is stated in the teacher’s words? Through mesorah

28:47 and received teaching, the intellect can be elevated so that it becomes sound intellect. In other words, for the bird—the intellectual soul—to be kosher, it needs “my teacher told me.” The bird must come specifically through mesorah and received teaching. And what is that? The path shown by a teacher. When a person has a teacher, a guide, he leads him on the straight path. This can guide the intellect in the right direction, rather than, G-d forbid, letting it wander somewhere it does not belong. This is the special quality of “And it was on the eighth day.” The meaning of “on the eighth day” is that “the one rides upon the seven.” This applies in our spiritual service: in the work of the intellect, the heart, and the soul, “the one must ride upon the seven.” We must remember the self-nullification of the yechidah of the soul, through mesorah and received teaching. This comes through our connection to the Rebbe, to Moshe Rabbeinu, who leads us so that we can see what sound intellect is. Then the bird is kosher. This is the lesson we learn from Parshas Shemini for our service of Hashem, and this must be our approach to everything, even the simplest matters. When the point of Shemini is present, we have the right approach: not to become coarse, G-d forbid, and not to fall into the nature of the seven. And in the coming week, according to this year’s calendar, Shabbos Parshas Shemini coincides with Shabbos Parshas HaChodesh. That does not happen every year. It works out wonderfully that this year Shemini and HaChodesh come together, and that is remarkable. Parshas HaChodesh speaks about Rosh Chodesh Nissan, which comes together with Parshas Shemini. When we speak of Shemini, this is connected with the Exodus from Egypt. Rosh Chodesh Nissan was the eighth day of the inauguration. And in Parshas HaChodesh it says: “This month shall be for you the first of months; it shall be for you the first of the months of the year.” How do we…

30:46 reach Rosh Chodesh Nissan? What we are discussing here has to come through Shemini, so that our work in the world stays in the right place and a person does not fall, Heaven forbid, into error. The work of Shemini is needed. In this connection, there is the well-known story relating to Parshas HaChodesh, told by the Gemara in tractate Shabbos and cited in the maamarim about HaChodesh. It is the familiar story of Rabbi Elazar ben Arach. The Gemara tells us that Rabbi Elazar ben Arach was one of the greatest Tannaim. The Mishnah says in Pirkei Avos that if all the Sages of Israel were on one side of a scale, Rabbi Elazar ben Arach would outweigh them all. He was one of the greatest Tannaim, a student of Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai. The Gemara says that he once went to Diomses, where there was “the wine of Phrygia and the waters of Diomses.” It was a place with an abundance of material pleasures, good wine and good water, and he was drawn after them. That is enough to say about material things. When he returned, he wanted to read the verse “This month shall be for you,” but instead of saying that, he said, “Their hearts were deaf.” In other words, he experienced a dulling of the mind and heart. The Sages prayed for him until his learning returned to him. How do we understand this story in light of what we discussed earlier? He was drawn after them, drawn toward material pleasures. And the Rebbe emphasizes that one need not eat forbidden foods: even with permissible things, when a person becomes coarse through indulgence in permitted desires, it can cause a dulling of the mind and heart. That is why he said “deaf.” A deaf person “neither hears nor speaks.” “Does not hear” refers to a dulling of the mind, because hearing is associated with understanding; and “does not speak”—speech is connected with the heart, and speech is expressed through the heart. This is connected with a dulling

32:54 The heart. “He neither hears nor speaks”—there was dullness of both mind and heart. This is the very opposite of HaChodesh. HaChodesh is about renewal. Its purpose is to bring in renewal, to bring in G-dliness, to see G-dliness and feel G-dliness, whereas he was drawn after material and physical things, with dullness of mind and heart. And this is the theme of Parshas HaChodesh: What is the meaning of the Geulah, whose theme is expressed in these days? That one can leave one’s personal exile, leave Egypt, leave one’s inner exile—and this is the theme of the month of Nissan and of HaChodesh, the month of Geulah—only by leaving behind the pull of material and physical things, connecting with the eighth, connecting with Geulah, going beyond all measures and limitations, and, rather than remaining on a level bound by measures and limitations, connecting with the Master of the world. Through the alef, we bring about the inner Geulah in the soul, and through that we bring about the general Geulah in the world, in the time in which we find ourselves. About this the Gemara says: “In Nissan they were redeemed; in Nissan they are destined to be redeemed.” They say that perhaps it can happen already after the month of Adar—and more than that, the Geulah can begin right here, “joining one Geulah to another.” So the entire month of Nissan is the HaChodesh of Geulah, and “in Nissan they are destined to be redeemed”—with the true and complete Geulah.