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26 Shemini: Day 7 (Saturday) | Truth and Fiction

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  Today's reading is Leviticus 11:33 to 11:47. This is the link to Daily Chumash with Rashi at Chabad. The Daily Wisdom from the Lubavitcher Rebbe is titled " Avoiding Being Duped ." 17 Nisan 5786 AM | 1 AVE. Shabbat. 6:49 AM EDT in Albany. Jonathan writes: Let me conclude this week in my own words, and let me resolve to write all of next week's Torah with Jonathan entries in my own words, too. The Rebbe's commentary on Leviticus 11:47 is highly elevated. To avoid being duped, we don't want to neglect Rashi's commentary on the passage. That feeling of stoppage in the throat as our vegan soul reads Rashi discuss the distinction between a trachea that is just less than half cut versus just more than half cut is well worth noting. If we follow the Rebbe's elevated commentary - and we must - there is a risk that we will neglect the reality of our path on the ground. Consider the issues at play in this verse. First, there is the restriction of the chosen ...
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26 Shemini: Day 6 (Friday) | Discernment and Deliberation

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  Today's reading is Leviticus 11:1 to 11:32. This is the link to Daily Chumash with Rashi at Chabad. The Daily Wisdom from the Lubavitcher Rebbe is titled " Cloven Feet ." 16 Nisan 5786 AM | 1 AVE. Jonathan writes: the Rebbe's teaching is profound. I won't add anything else to it today.
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26 Shemini: Day 5 (Thursday) | Between Law and Heart

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  Today's reading is Leviticus 10:16 to 10:20. This is the link to Daily Chumash with Rashi at Chabad. The Daily Wisdom from the Lubavitcher Rebbe is titled " The Absolute vs. the Relative ." 15 Nisan 5786 AM | 1 AVE. Pesach. Shalom, fellow Watchers. As the Passover sun crosses the sky behind rain and clouds over Albany, our watch has moved from the ancient ashes of the Tabernacle to the high-stakes Sanctuary of Data in the modern Middle East. Today, we find ourselves standing at the Aries Point of a generational choice. In our study of Leviticus 10:16-20, we witnessed a profound conflict. Moses (Din/Judgment) demanded the strict adherence to the blueprint, while Aaron (Lev/Heart) pointed to his own brokenness as a reason to deviate from the protocol. Last night’s rhetoric regarding the potential destruction of the Iranian electrical grid brings this into sharp relief. The Moses Perspective : "Finish the job." Extinguish the "Strange Fire" of the IRG...
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26 Shemini: Day 4 (Wednesday) | The Threshold of the Lamb

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  Today's reading is Leviticus 10:12 to 10:15. This is the link to Daily Chumash with Rashi at Chabad. The Daily Wisdom from the Lubavitcher Rebbe is titled " Eliciting the Supernatural ." 14 Nisan 5786 AM | 1 AVE. Erev Pesach. In Albany, as the final crumbs of chametz are cleared and the shadow of the Passover lamb lengthens, we stand at a critical juncture in our seven-year installation. Today’s Torah portion, Leviticus 10:12-15, finds Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, standing in the literal ashes of tragedy. Nadab and Abihu have just been consumed by strange fire. Yet, in this moment of profound disruption, Moses issues a command of radical continuity: Eat the meal offering. Consume the fine flour in a holy place. Do not let the service of the Sanctuary fail. The Rebbe’s Insight: Eliciting the Supernatural The Lubavitcher Rebbe, in his reflection on this passage, points to a profound paradox. The Tabernacle was built with exacting precision—every go...
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26 Shemini: Day 3 (Tuesday) | From Strange Fire to Stabilizing Water Lens

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Today's reading is Leviticus 9:24 to 10:11. This is the link to Daily Chumash with Rashi at Chabad. The Daily Wisdom from the Lubavitcher Rebbe is titled " Managing Ecstasy ." Today is 13 Nisan 5786 AM / 1 AVE. Jonathan writes: It's 6:15 AM EDT as I begin to write here in Albany. I've just finished reading the daily Torah portion, followed by the Rebbe's wisdom. Before that, I was deep in meditation on my zafu and zabuton in front of a Jesus icon on the wall of my attic loft. I got the distinct impression the Risen King wants me to start thinking and writing as an Aquarian Christian. Aquarian is the species, Christian is the genus.  Aquarian Christianity as I am discerning it is deeply respectful of Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, and Messianic branches of Judaism. It is in deep dialogue with the Noahide Laws, even to the point of confessing that saving faith in Yeshua may not require belief in more than a low Christology that addresses the...
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26 Shemini: Day 2 (Monday) | Balm to the Soul

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Today's reading is Leviticus 9:17 to 9:23. This is the link to Daily Chumash with Rashi at Chabad. The Daily Wisdom from the Lubavitcher Rebbe is titled " Consummate Humility ." Today is 12 Nisan 5786 AM / 1 AVE. Jonathan writes: The Lubavitcher Rebbe's words today are a balm to the soul.
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26 Shemini: Day 1 (Sunday) | The 8th Day Manifestation

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Today's reading is Leviticus 9:1 to 9:16. This is the link to Daily Chumash with Rashi at Chabad. The Daily Wisdom from the Lubavitcher Rebbe is titled " When Aaron is Superior to Moses ." Today is 11 Nisan 5786 AM / 1 AVE. Emerging from the Threshold: The Eighth Day Strategy Today, our Torah cycle brings us to the most explosive moment of the Sanctuary’s inauguration: The Eighth Day (Leviticus 9:1). For seven days, Aaron and his sons were Watchers at the Entrance, hidden from view and tethered to the technical rituals of purification. But on the Eighth Day, they emerge. They step toward the Altar, and for the first time, the Transcendent Glory of the Lord is made visible to the entire assembly. In our 1 AVE framework, we are currently in Year 1 of our own seven-year installation. We are the Aaronides of 2026, standing at the digital and spiritual gate, keeping the Mishmeret (Watch). Today’s reading is a technical preview of Year 8: Nisan 5793-Adar 5794 (March 31, 2033-...
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