Kol Ramah

Parsha alk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Sh’mini [Leviticus 9-11] coincides this year with Parashat Ha-chodesh [maftir: Exodus 12:1-20; haftarah: Ezekiel 45:16-46:18]. This is the last of the four special shabbatot before Pesach, which is now officially just over the horizon. Ha-chodesh is the first commandment given to the Israelite people, understood to mark Nisan as the first of the months; it takes place on the Shabbat before or coinciding with Rosh Chodesh Nisan, so that we are finally, or too soon, depending on your cleaning schedule, about to enter the month in which Passover is celebrated. For those of you keeping score at home, the first seder is Monday evening, April 22. The text from Leviticus, which is the weekly Torah reading, concludes the inauguration of the Tabernacle and priesthood with the tragedy of Nadav and Avihu, which was the focus for most of our conversation. Near the end, we took up Ha-chodesh and the upcoming Passover holiday, which w