Parsha Shemini

[iitb]

Leviticus 9:1 - 11:47

I'll post text later. I just wanted to be the first to post in this forum. ;)

Edit: It's later!

Tanach - Leviticus Chapter 9
1. And it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel;
2. And he said to Aaron, Take a young calf for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the Lord.
3. And to the people of Israel you shall speak, saying, Take a kid of the goats for a sin offering; and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, for a burnt offering;
4. Also a bull and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the Lord; and a meal offering mixed with oil; for today the Lord will appear to you.
5. And they brought that which Moses commanded before the Tent of Meeting; and all the congregation drew near and stood before the Lord.
6. And Moses said, This is the thing which the Lord commanded that you should do; and the glory of the Lord shall appear to you.
7. And Moses said to Aaron, Go to the altar, and offer your sin offering, and your burnt offering, and make an atonement for yourself, and for the people; and offer the offering of the people, and make an atonement for them; as the Lord commanded.
8. Aaron therefore went to the altar, and slew the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself.
9. And the sons of Aaron brought the blood to him; and he dipped his finger in the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar, and poured out the blood at the bottom of the altar;
10. But the fat, and the kidneys, and the appendage of the liver of the sin offering, he burned upon the altar; as the Lord commanded Moses.
11. And the flesh and the hide he burned with fire outside the camp.
12. And he slew the burnt offering; and the sons of Aaron presented to him the blood, which he sprinkled around upon the altar.
13. And they presented the burnt offering to him, with its pieces, and the head; and he burned them upon the altar.
14. And he washed the entrails and the legs, and burned them upon the burnt offering on the altar.
15. And he brought the people’s offering, and took the goat, which was the sin offering for the people, and slew it, and offered it for sin, as the first.
16. And he brought the burnt offering, and offered it according to the prescribed manner.
17. And he brought the meal offering, and took a handful of it, and burned it upon the altar, beside the burnt sacrifice of the morning.
18. He slew also the bull and the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings, which was for the people; and the sons of Aaron presented to him the blood, which he sprinkled upon the altar,
19. And the fat of the bull and of the ram, the rump, and that which covers the entrails, and the kidneys, and the appendage of the liver;
20. And they put the fat upon the breasts, and he burned the fat upon the altar;
21. And the breasts and the right shoulder Aaron waved for a wave offering before the Lord; as Moses commanded.
22. And Aaron lifted up his hand toward the people, and blessed them, and came down from offering the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and peace offerings.
23. And Moses and Aaron went into the Tent of Meeting, and came out, and blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people.
24. And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat; which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.
Tanach - Leviticus Chapter 10
1. And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took each of them his censer, and put fire in it, and put incense on it, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not.
2. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.
3. Then Moses said to Aaron, This is what the Lord spoke, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come near to me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.
4. And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, Come near, carry your brothers from before the sanctuary out of the camp.
5. So they went near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp; as Moses had said.
6. And Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, nor tear your clothes; lest you die, and lest anger come upon all the people; but let your brothers, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the Lord has kindled.
7. And you shall not go out from the door of the Tent of Meeting, lest you die; for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses.
8. And the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying,
9. Do not drink wine nor strong drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the Tent of Meeting, lest you die; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations;
10. And that you may differentiate between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;
11. And that you may teach the people of Israel all the statutes which the Lord has spoken to them by the hand of Moses.
12. And Moses spoke to Aaron, and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his sons, who were left, Take the meal offering that remains of the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and eat it without leaven beside the altar; for it is most holy;
13. And you shall eat it in the holy place, because it is your due, and your sons’ due, of the sacrifices of the Lord made by fire; for so I am commanded.
14. And the waved breast and offered shoulder shall you eat in a clean place; you, and your sons, and your daughters with you; for they are your due, and your sons’ due, which are given from the sacrifices of peace offerings by the people of Israel.
15. The offered shoulder and the waved breast shall they bring with the offerings made by fire of the fat, to wave it for a wave offering before the Lord; and it shall be yours, and your sons’ with you, by a statute forever; as the Lord has commanded.
16. And Moses diligently sought the goat of the sin offering, and, behold, it was burned; and he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron, who were left alive, saying,
17. Why have you not eaten the sin offering in the holy place, seeing it is most holy, and God has given it to you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord?
18. Behold, its blood was not brought inside the holy place; you should indeed have eaten it in the holy place, as I commanded.
19. And Aaron said to Moses, Behold, this day have they offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord; and such things have befallen me; and if I had eaten the sin offering to day, should it have been accepted in the sight of the Lord?
20. And when Moses heard that, he was content.
Tanach - Leviticus Chapter 11
1. And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them,
2. Speak to the people of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which you shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.
3. What ever parts the hoof, and is cloven footed, and chews the cud, among the beasts, that shall you eat.
4. Nevertheless these shall you not eat of those that chew the cud, or of those that divide the hoof; the camel, because it chews the cud, but its hoof is not parted; it is unclean to you.
5. And the coney, because it chews the cud, but its hoof is not parted; it is unclean to you.
6. And the hare, because it chews the cud, but its hoof is not parted; it is unclean to you.
7. And the swine, though its hoof is parted, and is cloven footed, yet it chews not the cud; it is unclean to you.
8. Of their flesh shall you not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch; they are unclean to you.
9. These shall you eat of all that are in the waters; whatever has fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, those shall you eat.
10. And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination to you;
11. They shall be abomination to you; you shall not eat of their flesh, but you shall have their carcasses in abomination.
12. What ever has no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination to you.
13. And these are they which you shall have in abomination among the birds; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination; the eagle, and the bearded vulture, and the black vulture,
14. And the kite, and the buzzard after its kind;
15. Every raven after its kind;
16. And the owl, and the falcon, and the gull, and the sparrow hawk after its kind,
17. And the little owl, and the fish owl, and the great owl,
18. And the barn owl, and the jackdaw, and the gier-eagle,
19. And the stork, the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe, and the bat.
20. All birds that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination to you.
21. (K) Yet these may you eat of every flying creeping thing that goes upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap with upon the earth;
22. These you may eat: the locust after its kind, and the bad locust after its kind, and the cricket after his kind, and the grasshopper after its kind.
23. But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination to you.
24. And for these you shall be unclean; whoever touches the carcass of them shall be unclean until the evening.
25. And whoever carries anything of the carcass of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening.
26. The carcasses of every beast which parts the hoof, and is not cloven footed, nor chews the cud, are unclean to you; every one who touches them shall be unclean.
27. And whatever goes upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean to you; whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening.
28. And he who carries their carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean to you.
29. These also shall be unclean to you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the rat, and the mouse, and the tortoise after its kind,
30. And the gecko, and the monitor-lizard, and the lizard, and the snail, and the chameleon.
31. These are unclean to you among all that creep; whoever touches them, when they are dead, shall be unclean until the evening.
32. And upon whatever any of them, when they are dead, falls, it shall be unclean; whether it is any utensil of wood, or garment, or skin, or sack, whatever utensil it is, where any work is done, it must be put in water, and it shall be unclean until the evening; so it shall be cleansed.
33. And every earthen utensil, in which any of them falls, whatever is in it shall be unclean; and you shall break it.
34. Of all meal which may be eaten, that on which such water comes shall be unclean; and all drink that may be drunk in every such utensil shall be unclean.
35. And every thing on which any part of their carcass falls shall be unclean; whether it is an oven, or ranges for pots, they shall be broken down; for they are unclean, and shall be unclean to you.
36. Nevertheless a fountain or a pit, where there is plenty of water, shall be clean; but that which touches their carcass shall be unclean.
37. And if any part of their carcass falls upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean.
38. But if any water is put upon the seed, and any part of their carcass fall on it, it shall be unclean to you.
39. And if any beast, of which you may eat, dies; he who touches its carcass shall be unclean until the evening.
40. And he who eats of the carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening; he also who carries the carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening.
41. And every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten.
42. What ever goes upon the belly, and whatever goes upon all four, or whatever has more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, those you shall not eat; for they are an abomination.
43. You shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creeps, nor shall you make yourselves unclean with them, that you should be defiled by them.
44. For I am the Lord your God; you shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy; nor shall you defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.
45. For I am the Lord that brings you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God; you shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
46. This is the Torah of the beasts, and of the bird, and of every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps upon the earth;
47. To differentiate between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.

[iitb]

I think the Haftarah is 2 Samuel 6:1-19.

1. Again, David gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.
2. And David arose, and went with all the people who were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who dwells between the kerubim.
3. And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it from the house of Abinadab that was in Geba; and Uzza and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart.
4. And they brought it from the house of Abinadab which was at Geba, accompanying the ark of God; and Ahio went before the ark.
5. And David and all the house of Israel played before the Lord on all manner of instruments made of cypress wood, on lyres, and on lutes, and on tambourines, and on rattles, and on cymbals.
6. And when they came to Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it.
7. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God struck him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.
8. And David was displeased, because the Lord had made a burst out against Uzzah; and he called the name of the place Perez-Uzzah to this day.
9. And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and said, How shall the ark of the Lord come to me?
10. So David would not move the ark of the Lord to him into the city of David; but David carried it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.
11. And the ark of the Lord continued in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months; and the Lord blessed Obed-Edom, and all his household.
12. And it was told king David, saying, The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-Edom, and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the city of David with gladness.
13. And it was so, that when those who carried the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling.
14. And David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
15. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the shofar.
16. And as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.
17. And they brought in the ark of the Lord, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.
18. And as soon as David had finished offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts.
19. And he distributed among all the people, among the whole multitude of Israel, as well to the women as men, to every one a cake of bread, and a good piece of meat, and a flagon of wine. So all the people departed every one to his house.

[iitb]

I think I'm also going to start including the Brit Chadasha readings recommended by David Stern in his Complete Jewish Bible...mostly because I think it'll get more participation into these discussions. ;)

Mark 7: 1-23

1 The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come from Jerusalem,
2 and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed.
3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders;
4 and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.)
5 The Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the (6) tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?"
6 And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:
'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,
BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.
7
'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME,
TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.'
8 "Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men."
9 He was also saying to them, "You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition.
10 "For Moses said, 'HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER'; and, 'HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER, IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH';
11 but you say, 'If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is to say, given to God),'
12 you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother;
13 thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that."


The Heart of Man

14 After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, "Listen to Me, all of you, and understand:
15 there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man.
16 ["If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."]
17 When he had left the crowd and entered the house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable.
18 And He said to them, "Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him,
19 because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?" (Thus He declared all foods clean.)
20 And He was saying, "That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man.
21 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries,
22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness.
23 "All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man."

Acts 5: 1-11

1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,
2 and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife's full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles' feet.
3 But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?
4 "While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God."
5 And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it.
6 The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.
7 Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.
8 And Peter responded to her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?" And she said, "Yes, that was the price."
9 Then Peter said to her, "Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well."
10 And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
11 And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things.

Acts 10: 1-35


Cornelius's Vision

1 Now there was a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort,
2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and (4) gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually.
3 About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, "Cornelius!"
4 And fixing his gaze on him and being much alarmed, he said, "What is it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God.
5 "Now dispatch some men to Joppa and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter;
6 he is staying with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the sea."
7 When the angel who was speaking to him had left, he summoned two of his servants and a devout soldier of those who were his personal attendants,
8 and after he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
9 On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray.
10 But he became hungry and was desiring to eat; but while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance;
11 and he saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground,
12 and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air.
13 A voice came to him, "Get up, Peter, kill and eat!"
14 But Peter said, "By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean."
15 Again a voice came to him a second time, "What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy."
16 This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into the sky.
17 Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in mind as to what the vision which he had seen might be, behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions for Simon's house, appeared at the gate;
18 and calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there.
19 While Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men are looking for you.
20 "But get up, go downstairs and accompany them without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself."
21 Peter went down to the men and said, "Behold, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come?"
22 They said, "Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, was divinely directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear a message from you."
23 So he invited them in and gave them lodging.


Peter at Caesarea

And on the next day he got up and went away with them, and some of the brethren from Joppa accompanied him.
24 On the following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends.
25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him.
26 But Peter raised him up, saying, "Stand up; I too am just a man."
27 As he talked with him, he entered and found many people assembled.
28 And he said to them, "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.
29 "That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was sent for. So I ask for what reason you have sent for me."
30 Cornelius said, "Four days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house during the ninth hour; and behold, a man stood before me in shining garments,
31 and he said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God.
32 'Therefore send to Joppa and invite Simon, who is also called Peter, to come to you; he is staying at the house of Simon the tanner by the sea.'
33 "So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord."


Gentiles Hear Good News

34 Opening his mouth, Peter said: "I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality,
35 but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.

2 Corinthians 6: 14 - 7: 1
14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?
15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?
16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,
"I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM;
AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.
17
"Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE," says the Lord.
"AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN;
And I will welcome you.
18
"And I will be a father to you,
And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,"
Says the Lord Almighty.


2 Corinthians 7


Paul Reveals His Heart

1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Galatians 2: 11-16


Peter (Cephas) Opposed by Paul

11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.
12 For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision.
13 The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.
14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, "If you, being a Jew, (10) live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?
15 "We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles;
16 nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.

1 Peter 1: 14-16
14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,
15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;
16 because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."

[iitb]

As with the last Parsha discussion, I got these questions from Yashanet.com:

Questions and Concepts for Parsha Shemini
(Leviticus 9:1-11:47)

Aaron's sons, Nadav and Avihu, sinned with fire and were punished with death by fire. This seems like a very "negative" occurence, so why did Moses say of their deaths, "Of this did Hashem speak saying, 'I will be sanctified through those nearest Me, thus will I be honored before the entire people'."?
The name of the Parsha, Shemini, means "the eighth," and refers to the day on which Aaron and his sons were inducted as the priests of the Sanctuary. There is a relationship between the numbers "seven" and "eight" in Torah. "Seven" is associated with the physical space and time. The "level of holiness" man is capable of reaching in this world is symbolized by the number seven. "Eight" represents a level of holiness beyond the normal confines of space and time. It is related to "being wholly united with G-d as He is in Himself, rather than as He is related to the world." This is why a circumcision is done on the eighth day and can be performed on Shabbat (which is the "seventh day" of every week). Shabbat belongs to physical space and time, but circumcision belongs to the realm of the Holy. "Eight" thus represents a level of holiness that goes beyond the idea that G-d and the world are two distinct entities.
The number eight is associated with the Time of the Redemption. It is said that, "The harp of the Era of the Redemption will be of eight strands." Concerning the revelations of the Time of the Redemption, the prophets say "And the glory of G-d will be revealed and all flesh will see." How does this refer to a spiritual level above what we can experience in this present physical realm?
As seen in this Parsha, the "seven days" working on the Tabernacle prepared everyone for the "eighth" day, when they experienced the presence of God. How is this related to the idea of seven thousand years of human history (including the Millennial Kingdom) followed by the "eighth day" of the Olam Haba (World to Come)?
How is all of this related to the Shema, which tells us that "God is One," and the words of the prophet Zechariah who says, "In that day His Name will be One."?
How does Torah give us means for linking the spiritual and the material in this present age to enable us to spiritually prepare for the Time of the Redemption? (i.e., Shabbat, the Feast days, kosher laws, studying of Ezekiel's Temple.)
The laws of Kashrut (kosher commandments on clean and unclean food) are considered "chukim" - decrees from God that seem to be beyond human comprehension. (As opposed to "mishpatim," which we can more easily understand the reasons for.) By "unclean" the Torah does not mean they are "physically bad" for us. Rather, the Torah tells us not to eat certain foods, primarily because these foods are "spiritually unhealthy" - a detriment to holiness. How is believing in a God who tells us which foods are spiritually best for us, like trusting the doctor who prescribes healthy foods or proper medications?
How is the keeping of those commandments considered "chukim" (such as eating kosher) associated with the idea of the "eight day" and the holiness which goes beyond the physical world?
Consider this concept:
Parsha Shemini is read around Pesach, near the beginning of the seven week period of the counting of the Omer. What is the connection between the two? The Torah says about the Omer, "You shall count for fifty days." And yet in fact we count only forty-nine days. Why? In the seven weeks we remove ourselves step by step from the forty-nine "gates of impurity" and pass through the forty-nine "gates of understanding." The fiftieth, the ultimate level of understanding, is beyond us. But it is only when we have reached by our efforts the forty-ninth, that the fiftieth comes to us as a gift of G-d. The seven weeks of the Omer are like the seven days of consecration. They represent the spiritual achievement of man. The fiftieth day of the Omer is like the eighth day of the Sanctuary It is the revelation which breaks in on us from the outside, the answer of G-d to our endeavors. The fiftieth day is Shavuot, the day when the Torah was revealed on Mt. Sinai. And that day was a foretaste of the revelation of the Messianic Age.