This week’s Torah portion, Parshas Shemini, details the events that took place the day the Mishkan was consecrated. Aaron brings special sacrifices in honor of the occasion. Moshe and Aaron bless the assembled Jews with the benediction that G-d’s glory should rest on their handiwork, the Mishkan.

Tragically, Aaron’s two sons, Nadav and Avihu, die during the ceremony, which casts a pall over the day’s joyous events. Aaron, while overcome with grief, accepts G-d’s decree in silence.

The portion also discusses the laws of Kashruth and their significance in Jewish life. The Torah details what types of animals we may eat and other dietary laws. Kashruth is one of the most fundamental laws of Judaism, as it concerns one of our most basic necessities - the food that we eat.

We read from a second Torah scroll this week, the opening chapter of Parshas Chukas. It discusses the laws of the "red heifer." All Jews who come into contact with a dead body are to be sprinkled with ashes of a red cow (mixed with water) before they are able to enter the Temple or eat from a sacrifice. On Passover, everybody would eat from the Pascal offering, so this Torah reading serves as a reminder for people to purify themselves before Passover, if necessary. In our time, we read it as a remembrance of those days.