Bar’chu
et YHVH ha-m’vorach, Baruch YHVH ha-m’vorach l’O’lam va-ed!
Baruch
ata YHVH Eloheinu melech ha-olam asher bachar banu m’kol ha-amim, v’na-tan lanu
eht Torah-to. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Bless YHVH the blessed One; Blessed is YHVH, the
blessed One for all eternity. Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim, King of the
Universe, you have selected us from among all the peoples, and have given us
your Torah.)
The message and instruction of this week’s Torah
portion are difficult for most believers to accept – both Jew and Gentile
believers struggle to come to terms with a completely restored Temple and
Levitical priesthood. Yet the coming restoration of all things cannot happen
without this priesthood and service to be fully restored. Truly Yahshua spoke to
this situation when he said: “Many are called but few are chosen” – Matt 22:14
Lev 22:1 And יהוה spoke to
Mosheh, saying,
Lev 22:2 “Speak to
Aharon and his sons, that they separate(Heb – yi nazru – niphyl fut. tense verb
– to dedicate, consecrate or separate) themselves from(Heb – for) the set-apart
offerings of the children of Yisra’ĕl, and that they do not profane My
set-apart Name in what they set apart to Me. I am יהוה.
Lev 22:3 “Say to
them, ‘Any man (Heb - every man)of all your offspring throughout your
generations who draws near the set-apart offerings which the children of
Yisra’ĕl set apart to יהוה, while he has
uncleanness upon him, that being shall be cut off from before Me. I am יהוה.
We must sadly assume that because of a defiled
priesthood, there is no Temple and there is no longer a functioning priesthood
because they have been cut off by YHVH as the above verse warns. There remains
however many promises that the priesthood will one day be restored again.
Lev 22:4 ‘Any man
of the offspring of Aharon, who is a leper or has a discharge, does not eat the
set-apart offerings until he is clean. And whoever touches what is
rendered unclean by a corpse, or a man who has had an emission of semen,
Lev 22:5 or a man
who touches any creeping creature by which he would be made unclean, or any
being by whom he would become unclean, even any of his uncleanness;
Lev 22:6 the being
who has touched it shall be unclean until evening, and does not eat the
set-apart offerings, but shall bathe his body in water.
Lev 22:7 ‘And when
the sun goes down he shall be clean, and afterward eat the set-apart offerings,
because it is his food.
Lev 22:8 ‘He does
not eat that which dies or is torn by beasts, becoming unclean by it. I
am יהוה.
Lev 22:9 ‘And they
shall guard My Charge, lest they bear sin for it and die thereby, when they
profane it. I יהוה set them
apart.
Lev 22:10 ‘And no
stranger eats the set-apart offering. A sojourner with the priest, or a hired
servant, does not eat the set-apart offering.
Lev 22:11 ‘But
when the priest buys a being with his money, he does eat of it. And one who is
born in his house does eat his food.
Lev 22:12 ‘And
when a priest’s daughter is married to a stranger, she does not eat of the
set-apart offerings.
Lev 22:13 ‘But
when a priest’s daughter is a widow or put away, and has no child, and has
returned to her father’s house as in her youth, she does eat her father’s food,
but no stranger eats of it.
Lev 22:14 ‘And
when a man eats the set-apart offering by mistake, then he shall give a
set-apart offering to the priest, and add one-fifth to it.
Lev 22:15 ‘And let
the priests not profane the set-apart offerings of the children of
Yisra’ĕl, which they lift up to יהוה,
Lev 22:16 or allow
them to bear the crookedness of trespass when they eat their set-apart
offerings. For I am יהוה, who sets them
apart.’ ”
Lev 22:17 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Lev 22:18 “Speak
to Aharon and his sons, and to all the children of Yisra’ĕl, and say to them,
‘Any man of the house of Yisra’ĕl, or of the strangers in Yisra’ĕl, who brings
his offering for any of his vows or for any of his voluntary offerings, which
they bring to יהוה as a burnt
offering,
Lev 22:19 for your
acceptance, is a male, a perfect one from the cattle, from the sheep, or from
the goats.
Lev 22:20
‘Whatever has a defect, you do not bring, for it is not acceptable for
you.
Lev 22:21 ‘And
when a man brings a peace offering to יהוה, to complete a
vow, or a voluntary offering from the cattle or the sheep, it is to be perfect
to be accepted, let there be no defect in it.
Lev 22:22 ‘Those
blind or broken or having a cut, or have an ulcer or eczema or scabs, you do
not bring to יהוה, nor make an
offering by fire of them on the altar to יהוה.
Lev 22:23 ‘As for
a bull or a lamb that has any limb deformed or dwarfed you do prepare as a
voluntary offering, but for a vow it is not accepted.
Lev 22:24 ‘Do not
bring to יהוה what is bruised or crushed, or torn or
cut, nor do it in your land.
“Castrated animals
were not to be sacrificed, nor in fact to be kept in the land at all. The
castration of animals is a mutilation of YHVH's creation, and the prohibition
of it was based upon the same principle as that of mixing heterogeneous things
in Lev_19:19”
Lev 22:25 ‘And
from a son of a stranger’s hand you do not bring any of these as the bread of
your Elohim, for their corruption is in them, and defects are in them, they are
not acceptable for you.’ ”
Lev 22:26 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Lev 22:27 “When a
bull or a sheep or a goat is born, it shall be seven days with its mother. And
from the eighth day and thereafter it is acceptable as an offering made by fire
to יהוה.
Lev 22:28 “But do
not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young on the same day.
Lev 22:29 “And
when you bring a slaughtering of thanksgiving to יהוה, bring it for
your acceptance.
Lev 22:30 “It is
eaten that same day, leave none of it till morning. I am יהוה.
Lev 22:31 “And you
shall guard My commands and do them. I am יהוה.
Lev 22:32 “And do
not profane My set-apart Name, and I shall be set-apart among the children of
Yisra’ĕl. I am יהוה, who sets you
apart,
Lev 22:33 who
brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim, to be your Elohim. I am יהוה.”
Lev 23:1 And יהוה spoke to
Mosheh, saying,
Lev 23:2 “Speak to
the children of Yisra’ĕl, and say to them, ‘The appointed times of יהוה, which you are to proclaim as set-apart
gatherings, My appointed times, are these:
Lev 23:3 ‘Six days
work is done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a set-apart gathering.
You do no work, it is a Sabbath to יהוה in all your
dwellings.
Lev 23:4 ‘These
are the appointed times of יהוה, set-apart
gatherings which you are to proclaim at their appointed times.
Lev 23:5 ‘In the
first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, between the evenings, is the
Passover to יהוה.
Lev 23:6 ‘And on
the fifteenth day of this month is the Festival of Unleavened Bread to יהוה – seven days you eat unleavened bread.
Lev 23:7 ‘On the
first day you have a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work.
Lev 23:8 ‘And you
shall bring an offering made by fire to יהוה for seven
days. On the seventh day is a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work.’ ”
Lev 23:9 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Lev 23:10 “Speak
to the children of Yisra’ĕl, and you shall say to them, ‘When you come into the
land which I give you, and shall reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf
of the first-fruits of your harvest to the priest.
Lev 23:11 ‘And he
shall wave the sheaf before יהוה, for your
acceptance. On the morrow after the Sabbath the priest waves it.
Lev 23:12 ‘And on
that day when you wave the sheaf, you shall prepare a male lamb a year old, a
perfect one, as a burnt offering to יהוה,
Lev 23:13 and its
grain offering: two-tenths of an ĕphah of fine flour mixed with oil, an
offering made by fire to יהוה, a sweet
fragrance, and its drink offering: one-fourth of a hin of wine.
Lev 23:14 ‘And you
do not eat bread or roasted grain or fresh grain until the same day that you
have brought an offering to your Elohim – a law forever throughout your
generations in all your dwellings.
Lev 23:15 ‘And
from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of
the wave offering, you shall count for yourselves: seven completed Sabbaths.
Lev 23:16 ‘Until
the morrow after the seventh Sabbath you count fifty days, then you shall bring
a new grain offering to יהוה.
Lev 23:17 ‘Bring
from your dwellings for a wave offering two loaves of bread, of
two-tenths of an ĕphah of fine flour they are, baked with leaven, first-fruits
to יהוה.
Lev 23:18 ‘And
besides the bread, you shall bring seven lambs a year old, perfect ones, and
one young bull and two rams. They are a burnt offering to יהוה, with their grain offering and their drink
offerings, an offering made by fire for a sweet fragrance to יהוה.
Lev 23:19 ‘And you
shall offer one male goat as a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old, as
a peace offering.
Lev 23:20 ‘And the
priest shall wave them, besides the bread of the first-fruits, as a wave
offering before יהוה, besides the
two lambs. They are set-apart to יהוה for the
priest.
Lev 23:21 ‘And on
this same day you shall proclaim a set-apart gathering for yourselves, you do
no servile work on it – a law forever in all your dwellings throughout your
generations.
Lev 23:22 ‘And
when you reap the harvest of your land do not completely reap the corners of
your field when you reap, and do not gather any gleaning from your harvest.
Leave them for the poor and for the stranger. I am יהוה your Elohim.’ ”
Lev 23:23 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Lev 23:24 “Speak
to the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of
the month, you have a rest, a remembrance of blowing of trumpets, a set-apart
gathering.
Lev 23:25 ‘You do
no servile work, and you shall bring an offering made by fire to יהוה.’ ”
Lev 23:26 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Lev 23:27 “On the
tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be a
set-apart gathering for you. And you shall afflict your beings, and shall bring
an offering made by fire to יהוה.
Lev 23:28 “And you
do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement
for you before יהוה your Elohim.
Lev 23:29 “For any
being who is not afflicted on that same day, he shall be cut off from his
people.
Lev 23:30 “And any
being who does any work on that same day, that being I shall destroy from the
midst of his people.
Lev 23:31 “You do
no work – a law forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
Lev 23:32 ‘It is a
Sabbath of rest to you, and you shall afflict your beings. On the ninth day of
the month at evening, from evening to evening, you observe your Sabbath.”
Lev 23:33 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Lev 23:34 “Speak
to the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, ‘On the fifteenth day of this seventh
month is the Festival of Booths for seven days to יהוה.
Lev 23:35 ‘On the
first day is a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work.
Lev 23:36 ‘For
seven days you bring an offering made by fire to יהוה. On the eighth
day there shall be a set-apart gathering for you, and you shall bring an
offering made by fire to יהוה. It is a
closing festival, you do no servile work.
Lev 23:37 ‘These
are the appointed times of יהוה which you
proclaim as set-apart gatherings, to bring an offering made by fire to יהוה, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a
slaughtering and drink offerings, as commanded for every day –
Lev 23:38 besides
the Sabbaths of יהוה, and besides
your gifts, and besides all your vows, and besides all your voluntary offerings
which you give to יהוה.
Lev 23:39 ‘On the
fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you gather in the fruit of the land,
observe the festival of יהוה for seven
days. On the first day is a rest, and on the eighth day a rest.
Lev 23:40 ‘And you
shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of good trees, branches of
palm trees, twigs of leafy trees, and willows of the stream, and shall rejoice
before יהוה your Elohim for seven days.
Lev 23:41 ‘And you
shall observe it as a festival to יהוה for seven days
in the year – a law forever in your generations. Observe it in the seventh
month.
Lev 23:42 ‘Dwell
in booths for seven days; all who are native Yisra’ĕlites dwell in booths,
Lev 23:43 so that
your generations know that I made the children of Yisra’ĕl dwell in booths when
I brought them out of the land of Mitsrayim. I am יהוה your Elohim.’
”
Lev 23:44 Thus did
Mosheh speak of the appointed times of יהוה to the
children of Yisra’ĕl.
Midrash – Ez 44
Baruch atah
YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-‘Olam, asher natan lanu Toraht-emet, v’chay-yeh o’lam
nata-b’tochenu. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Blessed are
you YHVH, our Elohim, King of the Universe, you have given us your Torah of
truth, and have planted everlasting life within our midst. Blessed are you,
YHVH giver of the Torah – Ameyn