Parashat Shemini, Let us Sanctify the Name of the Lord in our Lives!

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 In this week’s portion from Parashat Shemini (Vayikra / Leviticus 9:1-11:47) we read on the eighth day Moshe called Aharon and his sons and told them to take a bull for a Chatat Korban (Sin offering) and a ram for a Olah Korban (Whole burnt offering) and offer them before the Lord (ื   ื•ึทื™ึฐื”ึดื™ ื‘ึผึทื™ึผื•ึนื ื”ึทืฉึผืึฐืžึดื™ื ึดื™ ืงึธืจึธื ืžึนืฉืึถื” ืœึฐืึทื”ึฒืจึนืŸ ื•ึผืœึฐื‘ึธื ึธื™ื• ื•ึผืœึฐื–ึดืงึฐื ึตื™ ื™ึดืฉึฐึนืจึธืึตืœ: ื‘   ื•ึทื™ึผึนืืžึถืจ ืึถืœ-ืึทื”ึฒืจึนืŸ ืงึทื—-ืœึฐืšึธ ืขึตื’ึถืœ ื‘ึผึถืŸ-ื‘ึผึธืงึธืจ ืœึฐื—ึทื˜ึผึธืืช ื•ึฐืึทื™ึดืœ ืœึฐืขึนืœึธื” ืชึผึฐืžึดื™ืžึดื ื•ึฐื”ึทืงึฐืจึตื‘ ืœึดืคึฐื ึตื™ ื™ึฐื”ื•ึนึธื”:).  Moshe then commanded that they are to take a male goat for a Chatat Korban, a calf and a lamb both one year old as an Olah Korban, these are for the people.  Moshe tells Aharon and his sons to offering an ox and a ram for peace offerings and a grain offering mixed with oil because today the Lord will appear to them.  Then Aharon and his sons proceeded to make the offering before the Lord according to the instruction of Moshe (9:7-23).  The Scriptures indicate that Aharon did these things, offering the Korbanot (sacrifices) before the Lord by fire and in Vayikra 9:24 it says ื›ื“   ื•ึทืชึผึตืฆึตื ืึตืฉื ืžึดืœึผึดืคึฐื ึตื™ ื™ึฐื”ึนื•ึธื” ื•ึทืชึผึนืื›ึทืœ ืขึทืœ-ื”ึทืžึผึดื–ึฐื‘ึผึตื—ึท ืึถืช-ื”ึธืขึนืœึธื” ื•ึฐืึถืช-ื”ึทื—ึฒืœึธื‘ึดื™ื ื•ึทื™ึผึทืจึฐื ื›ึผึธืœ-ื”ึธืขึธื ื•ึทื™ึผึธืจึนื ึผื•ึผ ื•ึทื™ึผึดืคึผึฐืœื•ึผ ืขึทืœ-ืคึผึฐื ึตื™ื”ึถื:   9:24 Then fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces. (NASB)  Following the offerings, it is recorded in Scripture that Nadav and Avihu went before the Lord with fire in their firepans and offered strange fire before the Lord and God killed them (10:1-5).  The Lord then spoke to Aharon saying “Do not drink strong drink when you come into the Ohel Moed” (ืึนื”ึถืœ ืžื•ึนืขึตื“, Tent of Meeting) so that he and his sons will not die, the purpose it saysื™ ื•ึผืœึฐื”ึทื‘ึฐื“ึผึดื™ืœ ื‘ึผึตื™ืŸ ื”ึทืงึผึนื“ึถืฉื ื•ึผื‘ึตื™ืŸ ื”ึทื—ึนืœ ื•ึผื‘ึตื™ืŸ ื”ึทื˜ึผึธืžึตื ื•ึผื‘ึตื™ืŸ ื”ึทื˜ึผึธื”ื•ึนืจ: to make a distinction between the holy and profane, between unclean and clean.  Moshe again instructs Aharon and his sons to eat of the Mincha (grain) offering because it is their portion; the grain offering is to be eating beside the altar of God because it is most holy.  The breast of the wave offering and the thigh are to be eaten in a clean place (not alongside the altar) this was their portion to be eaten.  At this point Aharon and his sons do not eat the portion of meat and Moshe is angry, he says ื™ื–   ืžึทื“ึผื•ึผืขึท ืœึนื-ืึฒื›ึทืœึฐืชึผึถื ืึถืช-ื”ึทื—ึทื˜ึผึธืืช ื‘ึผึดืžึฐืงื•ึนื ื”ึทืงึผึนื“ึถืฉื ื›ึผึดื™ ืงึนื“ึถืฉื ืงึธื“ึธืฉืึดื™ื ื”ึดื•ื ื•ึฐืึนืชึธื”ึผ | ื ึธืชึทืŸ ืœึธื›ึถื ืœึธืฉึตึนืืช ืึถืช-ืขึฒื•ึนืŸ ื”ึธืขึตื“ึธื” ืœึฐื›ึทืคึผึตืจ ืขึฒืœึตื™ื”ึถื ืœึดืคึฐื ึตื™ ื™ึฐื”ื•ึนึธื”: ื™ื—   ื”ึตืŸ ืœึนื-ื”ื•ึผื‘ึธื ืึถืช-ื“ึผึธืžึธื”ึผ ืึถืœ-ื”ึทืงึผึนื“ึถืฉื ืคึผึฐื ึดื™ืžึธื” ืึธื›ื•ึนืœ ืชึผึนืื›ึฐืœื•ึผ ืึนืชึธื”ึผ ื‘ึผึทืงึผึนื“ึถืฉื ื›ึผึทืึฒืฉืึถืจ ืฆึดื•ึผึตื™ืชึดื™:  10:17 ‘Why did you not eat the sin offering at the holy place? For it is most holy, and He gave it to you to bear away the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord.  10:18 ‘Behold, since its blood had not been brought inside, into the sanctuary, you should certainly have eaten it in the sanctuary, just as I commanded.’ (NASB)  The goat was for the Chatat Korban (Sin offering) and the Cohen was to eat a portion of the offering in order to bear the guilt of the people and then make atonement on behalf of the people before God.  Aharon says that his sons dying are the reason he did not eat of the offering as he was commanded to do (10:19).  Following these things, the Lord gives the Mitzvot (commands) on Kashrut, the dietary laws relating to what foods are clean and unclean to eat.  The purpose was to ืžื–   ืœึฐื”ึทื‘ึฐื“ึผึดื™ืœ ื‘ึผึตื™ืŸ ื”ึทื˜ึผึธืžึตื ื•ึผื‘ึตื™ืŸ ื”ึทื˜ึผึธื”ึนืจ ื•ึผื‘ึตื™ืŸ ื”ึทื—ึทื™ึผึธื” ื”ึทื ึผึถืึฑื›ึถืœึถืช ื•ึผื‘ึตื™ืŸ ื”ึทื—ึทื™ึผึธื” ืึฒืฉืึถืจ ืœึนื ืชึตืึธื›ึตืœ:  11:47 to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the edible creature and the creature which is not to be eaten. (NASB)
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Duane D. Miller received his Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. Degree in Chemical Engineering from The University of Akron Ohio. He is currently a Chemical Engineering Researcher. Duaneโ€™s research expertise has focused upon functional materials development for the control, conversion, and release of process gases in Energy production technologies. His R&D interests include computational chemistry, developing novel technologies for converting biomass to fuels and studying their fundamental interactions during the chemical conversion process. His past experience includes sorbent development for pre- and post-combustion CO2 and SO2 capture, selective absorption of H2S from methane streams, O2 capture for oxy-fuel combustion, photocatalytic reduction of alcohols, NOx reduction catalysis, the development of oxygen carriers to combust fossil fuels (CH4 and coal) for the chemical looping combustion processes, and the extraction of rare earth elements using patent pending sorbents. His research expertise has focused on operando-characterization using Infrared, Raman, and UV-Vis spectroscopy to observe the nature of the catalytic active sites and reaction intermediates under realistic reaction conditions, allowing direct correlation of molecular/electronic structures with catalyst performance during Gas-Solid / Liquid-Solid Adsorption and Photocatalytic Processes with real time online analysis of reaction products using ICP-MS and mass spectrometry. His current work involves a multi-disciplinary approach to developing, understanding, and improving the catalytic gasification of coal and methane, high temperature chemical looping combustion, and the catalytic decomposition and gasification of biomass and coal using novel microwave reactor.โ€‹ He has been studying the Hebrew Scriptures and the Torah for 20+ years and sharing what he has learned. The studies developed for MATSATI.COM are freely to be used by everyone, to God be the Glory!