Shemini - 2021

Chevre, this week’s parsha is שְׁמִינִי (Shemini). This week’s parsha starts off with the priestly service. If we continue a theme we’ve spoken about periodically where the Mishkan is like a Data Center / AZ / Region, then the priests would be the caretakers of the infrastructure. Only the priests are allowed to enter the Mishkan and at certain times for specific purposes. Similarly, only authorized people are allowed in Data Centers for specific tasks. Not only that, but priests were special, they had to have a specific pedigree and the Data Center caretakers also have background checks and specific training.

Later in the parsha, we see the sons of Aharon, Nadav and Avihu are killed because they didn’t perform the service as specified (or they were not authorized or they were intoxicated, there are many ideas what caused their deaths). If we continue our comparison, the caretakers of the Data Centers need to be careful and perform their work meticulously. Given the amount of data, equipment, and electricity in the Data Centers, they can be a dangerous place. I personally remember replacing a large Cisco switch. Some of those chassis based beasts can weigh up to 40kg (85lbs) and require 2 people to move them. If they are placed high in a rack and the rack wasn’t secured properly or not balanced properly, it could fall over becoming dangerous. 

May we all learn to do our professions to the best of our ability and protect our customers from dangerous situations. Shabbat Shalom.