In parshas Shemini, the Torah records a dispute between Moshe and Ahron regarding the Chattas offering of Rosh Chodesh. While Moshe felt that Ahron should have eaten the Chattas offering, Ahron had it burned because he was an onen, having recently lost his two sons. Despite his initial disappointment in the seeming departure from halacha, Moshe ultimately acquiesced to Ahron’s judgment. The verse in which this dispute is introduced, which begins “And Moshe inquired insistently about the Chattas offering”, is…

In this week’s parsha, Hashem tells Moshe “Speak to the B’nei Yisrael and tell them “These are the creatures that you may eat”. What follows are the dietary laws of Kosher, detailing which animals may be eaten by a Jewish person. Rav Moshe Tzvi of Savran quotes a teaching from Chazal which states that Hashem took each animal by the tail in order to demonstrate which animals the Jewish nation may eat. What is the significance of Hashem’s taking each…