Summary of parashat Shmini
On the eighth day after the seven days of inauguration, Aaron and his sons begin to officiate as Kohanim (priests); a Divine fire appears to consume the offerings of the Altar and the Divine Presence comes to dwell in the Sanctuary.
Aaron's two eldest sons, Nadav and Avihu, offer "unauthorized fire before God, which He did not command," and they die in the Sanctuary. Aaron remains silent in the face of this tragedy. Moses and Aaron disagree on a specific point of the law concerning offerings, but Moses sides with Aaron.
God gives the laws of kashrut—food fit for consumption—identifying the species of animals that can be eaten and those that cannot. Land animals are permitted only if they have cloven hooves and are ruminants; fish must have scales and fins; a list of non-kosher birds is given, and a list of kosher insects (four types of locusts).
Certain laws of ritual purity are also given, including the purifying power of the mikveh (a ritual bath) and of springs. Thus, the Jewish people are commanded to "distinguish between the impure and the pure.""
