Shimini 2026

וַיִּדֹּ֖ם אַהֲרֹֽן
And Aaron was silent.

-Leviticus 10:3 Shimini

Parashat Shimini holds a sharp and sacred contrast: the joy of Divine presence in the Mishkan, and the sudden grief of Nadav and Avihu’s deaths. In the face of this, we read: “Vayidom Aharon”…“And Aaron was silent.”

His silence exemplifies something we know but do not always acknowledge. Not every moment can be explained or fixed. Sometimes, the holiest response is simply presence.

As we hold both joy and sorrow in our own lives, may we learn to sit with one another in that quiet, sacred space.

L’Shalom,

Cantor Paula Baruch