Torah Portion of the Week

Building Character through the Themes of the Weekly Torah Portion

Torah

Leviticus 9:1–11:47

Next Reading:

April 11, 2026

24 Nissan, 5786

Haftarah

2 Samuel 6:1–19

וַיְהִי בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁמִינִי קָרָא מֹשֶׁה לְאַהֲרֹן וּלְבָנָיו וּלְזִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃

Vai-hi ba-yom ha-sh’mi-ni ka-ra Mo-sheh l’A-ha-ron ul-va-nav ul-zik-nei Yis-ra-el;

And it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel;

Leviticus 9:1

Shemini means “eighth.” This portion begins by describing the eighth day of the inauguration of the Tabernacle, on which Aaron and his sons began to serve as Priests. During this final day of the inauguration, Moses’ brother Aaron was faced with a tragic and sudden event: Two of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, were killed by God when they offered strange fire before Him, which He had not commanded. Moses tried to console his brother with these words: “This is it that the Lord spoke, saying: ‘Through them that are nigh unto Me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified’” (JPS 1917, Lev. 10:3).

What was Aaron’s response to this terrible and unthinkable tragedy? He did not complain, scream out in grief, or lash out with an angry voice toward God or man. He was completely silent.

Jewish tradition has much to say about Aaron’s silence. Some say that it was from shock, grief, and depression. Others say that it was from an acceptance of fate. Even so, Aaron’s silence gives us the opportunity to talk about the importance of silence.

Shhh …

Silence can come in many ways. At times, it comes from a place of fear, grief, shock, or despair. At other times, it comes from a place of wisdom, self-control, sensitivity, and thoughtfulness.

What are some positive aspects of silence?

Silence is wisdom. Those who are wise are watchful over the words that come out their mouth. It takes strength, dignity, responsibility, and self-control to be silent.

Silence is a great teacher. It teaches you to listen when others are speaking, and gives you an opportunity to hear someone else. If you speak when someone else is talking, the worth of your own words is diminished. Listening means paying attention and being silent so that others can speak and be heard.

Silence can help master adversity and keep the peace. Sometimes when we are angry, we say things that we don’t mean and end up regretting it later on. Silence helps you to think before you decide to speak—and helps you determine if you need to speak at all. Remember, you cannot misquote silence.

Silence can be challenging at times, but sometimes a person’s silence can be more powerful than a thousand words. Take some time to consider the silences in your life, and think about what silence—in its many forms—has taught you.

It is Jewish tradition that when visiting the mourner in the house of mourning during Shivah (the week-long period of mourning following the death of a loved one), one must not speak to the mourner until he or she speaks first. One must wait until the mourner is ready to speak. Sometimes, that silence is exactly what is needed to comfort the pain of a loss that is beyond words. Sometimes, that silence is more comforting than a thousand words. And this is another lesson we learn from Aaron’s silence.

A Glance of Hebrew | Shemini STBM Messer

Pronunciation Guide for Transliterated Hebrew Words

a

[a] as in arm

ai

[ai] as in Thailand

e

[e] as in red

ei

[ei] as in eight

i

[i] as in ski

o

[o] as in score

oi

[oi] as in oil

u

[u] as in rule

ui

[ui] as in gluing

ch/kh

[ch] as in the Scottish loch

g

[g] as in good (not as in giant)

tz

[ts] as in hats

‘

short “eh” or “uh” sound

The Hebrew Scriptures in this text have been derived from the Westminster Leningrad Codex (WLC), and the English translation is based off of the JPS 1917 Tanakh.