Parashat Shemini
Rabbi’s Drosh
This past week was a difficult one as we farewelled Graham Resnick. Our thoughts and prayers are with Gail, Tony, Geniene, Ariane and all the family.
This shabbat we read Parashat Shemini. We read about Aaron’s two sons offering an alien fire and immediately dying. We read that in response to his sons’ deaths, Aaron remains silent.
The Talmud explores a variety of explanations for what they did wrong to be punished so severely, but regardless of the reason, we learn something powerful from Aaron’s reaction about dealing with tragedy.
Perhaps silence is much more powerful than words and reflects the fact that G-d’s ways are above and beyond our human understanding.
If this is the case when we talk about the two sons of Aaron, how much more so it is incomprehensible to understand the Shoah.
On Yom Hashoah, standing in silence, we mirror the powerful actions of Aaron as we also deal with our grief for the six million Jewish men, women and children murdered in the Holocaust. May their memories be a blessing to us all. We will not forget them.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Friedler