The Number Eight

 Shmini

Lev. 9:1-11:47

Précis: On the final day of the ordination ceremony, Moses instructs Aaron and his sons on the proper rituals. Aaron makes his offering. Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu offer “strange fire” before God. They are slain. Moses tells Aaron that he must not engage in normal mourning rituals. The Priests are prohibited from drinking alcohol while they are engaged in their sacred duties.  Next, God tells Moses and Aaron to instruct the people about the animals they are permitted to eat (part of the laws of kashrut). A general warning to guard against defilement and to be concerned about ritual purity is given.

 

Lev. 9:1 “And it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel...”

 

Rabbi Andy Gordon has written about the significance of the number 8 (10 Minutes of Torah, 4/21/25). Why was the moment of ordination set for the eighth day? If we were to select a special day, would it not be the seventh (the Shabbat, the days of creation, the days in the week, the weeks of the Omer, and Joseph’s dreams for seven years of plenty and seven years of famine)? Even today, seven is important: we recite seven blessings at a marriage ceremony, and we observe seven days of shiva. Seven is a number for reflection and competition.

But this week we start with an eighth day. While eight is an important number in Jewish tradition (the number of days before a brit milah, the eight nights of Chanukah), it pales in comparison to the number seven. Rabbi Gordon suggests that the eighth day marks the start of a new journey, marking something new. It is a day on which we return to normal everyday life, as a Sunday follows Shabbat, as newlyweds mark the start of their marriage after a traditional week of celebration, and when mourners begin to reenter life after shiva.  

In this week’s reading, the priests had taken a full week of preparation for a special day.  On the eighth day, they reentered society as religious leaders. The eighth day was the start of a new adventure, a new beginning. For us, we all have many moments in our lives when we have seven days, whether to celebrate, mourn, rest, or take comfort. But we always know that an eighth day will follow. The next day of the rest of our lives is coming.