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Moshiach in the Parsha
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EVEN IN THE BAIS HAMIKDOSH
Vayikra 10:9.
Source: Toras Kohanim When Hashem told Aaron that Kohanim may not enter the Mishkan after drinking wine, He said, When you come into the Ohel Moed ... it shall be an everlasting law. But all of Hashems laws are everlasting. Why did Hashem say especially about this law that it is everlasting? This is because the first part of the posuk only tells about the prohibition of entering the Ohel Moed in the Mishkan. By saying it is an everlasting law Hashem included the Bais Hamikdash also.
THE NUMBER 8 AND MASHIACH
Vayikra 9:1.
Sources: Kli Yakar. Michah 5:4 The name of this weeks parsha is Shemini (8th) because the Mishkan was completed and Hashem revealed Himself there on the 8th day of the dedication ceremony. What is so special about the number 8, that only on the 8th day was Hashems presence revealed? The number 7 stands for the regular cycle of creation (7 days of the week). The number 8 stands for holy things which are even higher than the cycle of the world. This is also the reason why the kinor (violin) in the 1st and 2nd Bais HaMikdosh had 7 strings, but the kinor in the days of Mashiach will have 8 strings. This is because the number 8 is, just like Mashiach, much higher than the world is now. Mashiach is also called the 8th of the princes of men.
BAIS HAMIKDOSH, NOW!
Vayikra 10:9.
Sources: Taanis 17a. Likutei Sichos 2:618 The Torah prohibits a Kohen from entering the Bais HaMikdosh if he drinks too much wine. If he drinks a reviis of wine, he must wait about 24 minutes before he may enter the Bais HaMikdosh to serve Hashem. There is one opinion in the Gemara that even today, when we do not have the Bais HaMikdosh, a Kohen is still forbidden from drinking wine, because maybe the Bais HaMikdosh will suddenly be rebuilt . If that happened, and he had just drank wine, he wouldn't be allowed to enter the Bais HaMikdosh! But if all he has to do is wait 24 minutes, what would be the problem anyway? From this we see that the entire Bais HaMikdosh could miraculously appear in less than 24 minutes!
PLAN FOR THE BIG MEAL
Vayikra 11:2.
Source: Vayikra Rabba 13:3 When Hashem told us which animals are kosher and which animals are non-kosher, He had something very special in mind. Rabbi Berachya explained that in the days of Mashiach Hashem is going to make a special meal for tzadikim in the future. People who are careful to eat only kosher food now, will be allowed to eat from that meal. This is what Moshe Rabbeinu had in mind when he gave the mitzvah, This kind of animal you may eat. He wanted us all to eat kosher in order to merit and be able to eat at this very special meal.
RETURNING FROM GOLUS
Vayikra 11:7.
Source: Vayikra Rabba 13 Kosher animals have 2 signs: they chew their cud and have split hooves. The Torah lists 4 animals that have only one of these signs, and are therefore non-kosher - gamal, shafan, arneves and chazir. Each of these four animals stands for one of the four nations which enslaved the Bnei Yisroel in golus. We are now in the last of these four exiles, which corresponds to the chazir (the swine). The word chazir means return. This is because after this fourth golus, the glory of the B'nei Yisroel will return to the way it was originally, before there was any golus.
THE LAST GOLUS
Vayikra 11:7.
Source: Vayikra Rabba 13:5 From the 4 animals mentioned before, the gamal, shafan, and arneves chew their cud, but do not have split hooves. Only the chazir has split hooves but does not chew its cud (geira lo yigor). The word geira (cud) is just like the word grara (to drag). This is because the fourth golus is the last golus, and won't have another one following it. This is the meaning of geira lo yigor - the fourth golus (which corresponds to chazir) will not have another one dragging along after it. It will be the last golus, and afterwards we will have geulah forever.
THE WHISTLING BIRD
Vayikra 11:18.
Source: Chullin 63a. One of the non-kosher birds listed in this weeks parsha is the racham (magpie). In the Gemara, our Sages tell us that this bird makes special whistling noises. They also tell us that this bird gives us a sign for when the geulah is coming. When the racham sits on the ground and begins to whistle, this announces the geulah. This is hinted to in the posuk (Zechariah 10:8), I will whistle to them and gather them in [from golus].
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