Introduction to Torah portion.
‘’This Torah portion has often escaped the understanding of even the most
seasoned Jewish commentators and scholars throughout history.’’ The instruction
given to us in this portion is often understood as containing some mystical
hidden meaning regarding our ritual cleansing before YHVH in order that one may
partake of the Temple service in order to come into the presence of YHVH.’’- 2Co 3:14 But their
minds were hardened, for to this day, when the old covenant is being read, that
same veil remains, not lifted, because in Messiah it is taken away. 2Co
3:15 But to this day, when Mosheh is being read, a veil lies on their
heart. Mat 23:39
One thing we can know for certain that before Messiah returns the
instructions of this Torah portion will be clearly understood and once the
altar has been rebuilt and a priesthood dedicated, strictly observed.
תורת המצרע
If Messiah took upon himself our infirmities to
become our ‘’metzorah’’ then according to the scriptures (Rom 8:29) we too, who
are being conformed into his image are called upon to take upon ourselves the
infirmities of others, so that Messiah’s image can been seen by others in us.
Messiah takes upon himself the ‘’filth’’ of humanity in order not only to expose the ‘’filth’’ but to provide an opportunity for cleansing and healing for all within the camp of the redeemed community.
2Co 4:11 For we, the living, are always delivered to death for the sake of יהושע, that the life of יהושע might also be manifested in our mortal flesh, 2Co 4:12 so that death indeed is working in us, but the life in you. (Is Messiah the manifestation of the ‘’metzorah’’ in the flesh?)
Lev 14:1
And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Lev 14:2 “This shall be the Torah(Mat 5:17-19) of the leper (המצרע)for the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought to the priest,
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ב זֹאת תִּהְיֶה תּוֹרַת הַמְּצֹרָע, בְּיוֹם טָהֳרָתוֹ: וְהוּבָא,
אֶל-הַכֹּהֵן. |
2 This shall be the law of
the leper in the day of his cleansing: he shall be brought unto the priest. |
Note the future tense of the Hebrew verb – “ti heyeh.” Does this also imply some future application?
As long as we are dwelling on this present earth, we will be exposed to different forms of defilement (tamei).
We can defile ourselves. We can be defiled by others. We can also be defiled by demonic forces by yielding to temptation, yielding to unrighteous counsel and from demonic oppressions and strongholds.
The great yearning of our souls should be the
return of the Temple service and the priesthood in order for us to fully obey
all YHVH’s instructions regarding our preparation to be presented by the
Messiah into the Father’s presence without spot or wrinkle and with exceeding
joy. It is YHVH who has taken the initiative to accomplish this. No religion
can show us the way back into His Presence – only the Torah gives us very clear
instruction on how this is to be expedited and accomplished.
As we see in the following verse YHVH takes the initiative to solve our dilemma by sending His Son to us while still outside the ‘’camp’’ of the set apart to cleanse us from all our unrighteousness. -
Lev 14:3 and
the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall look and see, if the leprosy
is healed in the leper,
Lev 14:4 then the priest shall command, and he shall take for him who is to be cleansed two live and clean birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop. See Ex 12:22; John 19:29-30.
The time is fast approaching when an end time remnant will have to separate themselves from anything and anyone who brings defilement into the camp of the righteous.
2Co 6:17 Therefore, “Come out from among them and be separate, says יהוה, and do not touch what is unclean, and I shall receive you. Eph 4:11 and Lev 10:10.
Isa 8:20 To the Torah and to the witness! If they do not speak according to this Word, it is because they have no daybreak.[a] Footnote: aOr light.
In this regard there is a great deception amongst many believers. They will often typically say ‘’all we need is Jesus’’. The scripture says in Joh 3:36 “He who believes in the Son possesses everlasting life, but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of Elohim remains on him.”
YHVH presented Yahshua to the world according to
the Torah – ‘’the volume of the Book’’ - Heb
10:7 “Then I said, ‘See, I come – in the roll of the book it has been
written concerning Me – to do Your desire, O Elohim.’ ” Psa_40:6-8.
Psa 40:7 Then I said, “See, I have come; In
the scroll of the Book it is prescribed for me.
Psa 40:8 I have delighted to do Your pleasure, O my Elohim, And Your Torah is within my heart.”b Footnote: b Psa_37:31, Psa_119:11, Isa_51:7, Heb_10:7-9.
If you believe and receive and proclaim a ‘’Jesus’’ that has not come and walked fully according to the Torah you could be in danger of bringing a curse upon yourself and those you minister too.
Gal 1:6 I marvel that you are so readily
turning away from Him who called you in the favour of Messiah, to a different
‘Good News,’[a] Footnote: a 2Co_11:4.
Gal 1:7 which is not another, only there are
some who are troubling you and wishing to pervert the Good News of
Messiah.
Gal 1:8 However, even if we, or a messenger
out of heaven, bring a ‘Good News’ to you beside what we announced to you, let
him be accursed.
Gal 1:9 As we have said before, and now I
say again, if anyone brings a ‘Good News’ to you beside what you have received,
let him be accursed.
Gal 1:10 For do I now persuade men, or Elohim? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I should not be a servant of Messiah.
Remember ‘’half a truth can be a whole lie’’.
Lev 14:5 “And
the priest shall command, and he shall kill one of the birds in an earthen
vessel over running water.
Lev 14:6 “Let him take the live bird and the cedar wood and the scarlet and the hyssop, and dip them and the live bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water.
The Hebrew word for ‘’running water’’ is ‘’מים חיים’’ or ‘’waters of life’’ our ‘’born from above’’ encounter with Messiah was always meant to be ‘’fresh and living’’ and ongoing, too often we hear testimonies of how believers responded to YHVH’s call that happened long ago and have lost their ‘’freshness’’ and ability to bring revelation of His righteousness to a lost and dying world who desperately are in search for that which is authentic and eternal.
YHVH has called a set apart remnant to walk in a fresh and living and ongoing revelation of His redemption that will cause them to separate themselves from anything or anyone who will bring any form of defilement into the camp of His Called Set Apart ones.
This form of revelation is revived and grows when we study and embrace the weekly Torah portions that were meant to be taught and received under the anointing and guidance of the Set Apart Spirit.
According to Rashi the Hebrew words “yikach otah” – “he shall take it” says the bird is singled out to indicate that it is treated separately from the three other items used in this ritual. The cedar wood and the hyssop are tied together with the red thread. Then the bundle is held together in the right hand together with the bird and they dipped into the blood water mixture.
It appears that Messiah has also signalled out a small remnant of his disciples to accomplish his mission on earth. Mat 22:14 “For many are called, but few are chosen. Mt 4:4
How do we know when a revelation from YHVH is fresh
and life changing”?
When spiritually hungry people embrace the message and religious people will reject the message and persecute the messenger.
This Messianic message of cleansing is also found in the mysterious “chok” of the Parah Adumah - the statute of the ashes of the Red Heifer. We find this in Numbers 19:2 - Parashat 39 – “Chukat” vs 10 of the same chapter says this is a statute forever – “le chukat olam.”- Num 19:6 And the priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet, and throw them into the midst of the fire burning the heifer.
There are unconfirmed reports that a pure red heifer was found in Israel in October 2023.
Lev 14:7
“And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed from
the leprosy, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the live bird loose
in the open field.
Lev 14:8
“And he who is to be cleansed shall wash his garments, and shall shave
off all his hair and wash himself in water, and shall be clean. Then after that
he comes into the camp, but shall stay outside his tent seven days.
Lev 14:9 “And on the seventh day it shall be that he shaves all the hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shaves off. And he shall wash his garments and wash his body in water, and shall be clean.
This was to make sure that absolutely no trace of ‘’tzra at’’ was present on the ‘’metzorah’s’’body.
Lev 14:10 “And
on the eighth day he takes two male lambs, perfect ones, and one ewe lamb a
year old, a perfect one, and three-tenths of an ĕphah of fine flour
mixed with oil as a grain offering, and one log of oil.
Lev 14:11
“And the priest who is cleansing shall present the man who is to be
cleansed, with these offerings, before יהוה, at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
Lev 14:12
“And the priest shall take one male lamb and bring it as a guilt
offering, and the log of oil, and wave them as a wave offering before יהוה.
Lev 14:13
“And he shall slaughter the lamb in the place where he slaughters the
sin offering and the burnt offering, in a set-apart place. For the guilt
offering, like the sin offering, belongs to the priest. It is most set-apart.
Lev 14:14
“And the priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering, and
the priest shall put it on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be
cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right
foot.
Lev 14:15
“And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the
palm of his own left hand.
Lev 14:16
“And the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his
left hand, and shall sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times
before יהוה.
Lev 14:17
“And of the rest of the oil in his hand, the priest puts some on the tip
of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right
hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the blood of the guilt offering.
Lev 14:18
“And the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he puts on the
head of him who is to be cleansed. And the priest shall make atonement for him
before יהוה.
Lev 14:19
“And the priest shall make the sin offering, and make atonement for him
who is to be cleansed from his uncleanness. Then afterwards he slaughters the
burnt offering.
Lev 14:20
“And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on
the altar. And the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean.
Lev 14:21
“But if he is poor and is unable to afford it, then he shall take one
male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, and
one-tenth of an ĕphah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering,
and a log of oil,
Lev 14:22
and two turtledoves or two young pigeons, such as he is able to afford,
and one shall be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering.
Lev 14:23
“And he shall bring them to the priest on the eighth day for his
cleansing, to the door of the Tent of Meeting, before יהוה.
Lev 14:24
“And the priest shall take the lamb of the guilt offering and the log of
oil, and the priest shall wave them as a wave offering before יהוה.
Lev 14:25
“And he shall slaughter the lamb of the guilt offering, and the priest
shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the tip of the
right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and
on the big toe of his right foot.
Lev 14:26
“Then the priest pours some of the oil into the palm of his own left
hand.
Lev 14:27
“And the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil
that is in his left hand seven times before יהוה.
Lev 14:28 “And
the priest shall put some of the oil that is in his hand on the tip of the
right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of the right hand, and
on the big toe of his right foot, on the place of the blood of the guilt
offering.
Lev 14:29
“And the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he puts on the
head of him who is to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before יהוה.
Lev 14:30 “And
he shall prepare one of the turtledoves or young pigeons, such as he is able to
afford,
Lev 14:31
that which he is able to afford, the one as a sin offering and the other
as a burnt offering, with the grain offering. And the priest shall make
atonement for him who is to be cleansed before יהוה.
Lev 14:32 “This is the Torah for one who had an infection of leprosy, who is unable to afford for his cleansing.”
The
third and final stage of purification was the offerings. In this matter the
metzorah is an exception to the rule, since sin and guilt offerings are not
usually accompanied by meal offerings. According to Rashi it may be that the
metzorah is accorded this honour as YHVH’s Own testimony to the sincerity of
his or her repentance, as evidenced by the removal of their bodily affliction.
The
grain offering can be compared to ‘’breaking bread’’ with someone. Perhaps more
than we realize our walking in obedience to all of His Torah determines whether
or not we will ‘’break bread’’ with YHVH in the ‘’eighth day’’ or ‘’Shemeni
atzaret’’
Psa
24:3 Who does go up into the mountain of יהוה? And who does stand in His set-apart place?
Psa
24:4 He who has innocent hands and a clean heart, Who did not bring his
life to naught, And did not swear deceivingly.
Psa
24:5 He receives a blessing from יהוה, And righteousness from the Elohim of his deliverance.
Psa
24:6 This is the generation of those who seek Him; Ya‛aqoḇ, who seek Your
face. Selah.
The Torah is the Supreme
Court of the Universe.
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 – Amein.