2 On Shmini By Me

Aharon raised his hand and blessed the people (VaYikra 9:22). Rav Naphtoli MiRupschitz notes the Hebrew word for Aaron's hands (yadav) is written with one letter missing (chaseir). His take on this is that Aharon happily blessed the people though his hands were not filled by them with payment. He contrasted this with some of his contemporaries who had their hands filled before offering blessings.

A wise man once said that the true character of a person is revealed by how he treats someone from who he stands to gain nothing. This is particularly relevant during the Omer when we work on being noheig kavod veh lazeh (see Yevamot 62b). May we all be blessed to strive for this high standard and to bless and help each other in the most genuine of ways.

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Why is the opening day of the Mishkan called the eighth day rather than being referred to as the first day? Rav Yaakov Kaminetzky explained that the Torah here is teaching the importance of preparation. There were seven days that preceded the “first” day, making it actually the eighth day rather than the first. Often what looks like the start comes along late in the process, following great preparation. May we be blessed to put effort  in and appreciate the roots of everything meaningful in our lives.