Shnayim Yomi - Emor - Shlishi - #3 - Rabbi Meir Gavriel Elbaz - The Importance of Shabbat

The Torah in the middle of this Aliyah discusses Shoro o Kesiv o Ez Ki Voled, the special Halacha that when a any animal is born, it cannot be offered as a korban in the Beis Hamikdash until it is a minimum of 8 days old. Interestingly, we find a similar minhag the Rama in Yoreh De'ah Siman Resh Samech Hey brings down the minhag that Ashkenazim have. Sefardim usually have a Brit Yitzchak Zohar on the night before the Brit Milah. Ashkenazim celebrate with a different kind of Seudat Mitzvah. It's called the Shalom Zachar. And the Leil Shabbat before the Brit Milah, everybody gathers and they speak Divrei Torah and they partake of a Seudat Mitzvah. That's the Rama. The Taz, Rabbi Dovid Halevi, writes on that Halacha that one of the Mekorot, one of the sources for Shalom Zachar is Davka Midrash in this week's Parasha, on this Aliyah, which is just like we find, why is it that as soon as an animal's born, you can't bring it as a korban. You have to wait 8 days. The Midrash says Hakadosh Baruch Hu says, before an animal is brought as a korban to meet the king, it has to meet the queen first. Who's the queen? Shabbos Hamalka. Anytime an animal is brought as a korban, it's got to go through Shabbat first. Similar to that, he says, when a child is given a Brit Milah, offered on the altar, on the knees of the Sandak, to bring a Brit Milah, it's got to make sure to go through Shabbat first. That's why Brit Milah is also on the eighth day. It really points out, accentuates, the importance of Shemini Atzeres and how it protects us and how it prepares us for when we stand before Hakadosh Baruch Hu. It is an everlasting Brit, a testament and a treaty between us and Hakadosh Baruch Hu. This Shabbos Hamalka, which manifests itself not only in Shemini Atzeres, but in many other Mitzvos, as we see as well.