In Menachos (29a) we find a quote from Tanna D’bai R’ Yishmael that Moshe found three things difficult to understand and Hashem showed them to him with His “finger,” indicated by the word, “zeh, this.” They were: The Menorah, Rosh Chodesh and Sheratzim (impure creepy crawlies.)
This week, Parshas Shmini which deals with impure animals, coincides with Parshas HaChodesh, which discusses the New Moon, Klal Yisrael’s first national mitzvah, so we get two of the three.
What can we learn from this statement of R’ Yishmael?
Tosfos in Menachos asks that we know Hashem also showed Moshe the half-shekel coin, so why are only these three mentioned?
He answers that Moshe simply didn’t know what the coin looked like, but the other things were “difficult.”
This is because they required more understanding and knowledge. In order to differentiate between the slight variations in the moon, or certain rodents and creatures, understanding what makes one pure and another not, one must be granted Divine insight.
However, the understanding was only granted to Moshe after he’d tried to understand and differentiate. Then, Hashem aided him and made him successful.
Our job as Jews is to separate between the holy and profane. It is challenging, but if we work at it, Hashem will inspire us and enable us to see with clarity.
