On the Weekly Torah Portion of Shemini
Maimonides
The Torah portion for last week was shemini (Leviticus 9 – 11). For various constraints, I was not able to submit the commentary on the portion before Shabbat, which is what I attempt to do normally; but the commentary on this week’s portion, tazria (Leviticus 12 – 13), will in fact pertain to both portions, as it will concern itself with the symbolism of the number eight (shemini means “eighth”).
However, in the spirit of the Talmudic statement:
לפוטרו בלא כלום אי אפשרOne cannot get away with nothing (Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Chullin, 27b)
I hereby offer a short comment regarding last week’s reading. not, however, with regards to the weekly reading of the Torah, but rather the reading of the haftarah*.
On the Weekly Torah Portion Bo
If the Torah was a movie, then this week’s Torah portion, bo (Exodus 10:1 – 13:16), would have to be accompanied by the most dramatic musical score. The theme that started in the previous Torah portions–the negotiations between Pharaoh and Moses, the repeated refusal of Pharaoh to accept Moses’ demands and the escalating drama of the plagues that are brought on Egypt as a result of Pharaoh’s obstinance–reaches a climax with the tenth plague: the death of every Egyptian first born.