Shemini
Parashat Shemini tells of the many animal sacrifices that were offered on the eighth day, the final day of the Mishkan's inauguration. The Midrash takes note of the fact that G-d required the offering of different types of animals, and it comments that Benei Yisrael had to atone for "the sin of the beginning" and for "the sin of the end." On this day Benei Yisrael offered sacrifices from goats, to atone for the selling of Yosef, which Yosef's brothers concealed by dipping his coat in goat's blood, and they also offered a calf, to atone for the more recent sin of the golden calf. This day's rituals served to earn expiation for both the ancient sin, of the sale of Yosef, and for the sin the nation had just committed – the golden calf.
Many Rabbis asked the question of why Benei Yisrael are suddenly called upon to atone for their ancestors' sin of selling their brother. The incident of the golden calf occurred quite recently, and so understandably they required atonement for that wrong. But the sale of Yosef was already ancient history; it occurred many years earlier. Why did G-d demand at this point that Benei Yisrael offer a sacrifice to atone for that sin?
One Rabbi offered the following explanation. The Torah says explicitly that the brothers' animosity towards Yosef stemmed from jealousy. Yaakov had given Yosef a special garment, designating him for a special status, and they felt envious. The institution of the Mishkan had the potential for this same problem to surface once again. In the Mishkan there was a Kohen Gadol (high priest) and a tribe of Kohanim that were given special garments and the unique privilege of performing the Avoda (ritual service). The concern once again arose that the rest of the nation would feel slighted and harbor feelings of jealousy towards the Kohanim. Sure enough, later, in the Book of Bamidbar, we read of Korach and his followers, who were angry over the special designation of Aharon and his sons and fought for the right to perform the Avoda like Kohanim.
Therefore, on this day, when the Mishkan began functioning in full capacity, G-d demanded that Benei Yisrael once again atone for the sin of the sale of Yosef, that they remind themselves not to feel envious of those whom have been designated for a specific role. In an orchestra, it cannot be said that one instrument is more important than the next; the violinist is just as important as the pianist, and they are both just as important as the trumpets. Even the musician who strikes the metal triangle just four times throughout the concert is no less important than the other musicians. Everyone has a specific role to fulfill in life, and his role is of no less importance than somebody else's. There was no reason for the brothers to feel envious of Yosef, and there was no reason for a member of the other tribes to feel jealous of the Kohanim. G-d assigned different roles to different people, but this does not mean that one individual is less or more important than the next.
Who is more important, the plumber or the electrician? Of course, they are both important. If a person has a problem with his pipes, then the plumber is more important that day; if he has an electrical problem, then the electrician is more urgently needed. The same can be said about the mailman and the milkman. No job is more important than another; all of us are musicians playing together in an orchestra.
This message takes on particular importance within the framework of marriage. Tensions often arise between husband and wife when one fails to acknowledge the role of the other. When one spouse feels that the other is trying to play his/her role, he/she is threatened and resentful. Feminism teaches that men and women have to be perfectly equal; no role can be assigned only to men and not to women. But the Torah teaches us that different people are given different roles, both of which are of equal importance, as indispensable components of the grand orchestra of G-d's world.
