Blessing of Torah.
Hebrew:
Baruch atah YHVH eloheinu melech
ha-olam, asher kideshanu b'mitzvotav, v'tzivanu la'asok b'divrei Torah.
V'ha'arev na YHVH eloheinu et divrei toratecha befinu uvfi amecha beit Yisrael.
V'niyeh anachnu v'tze'etze'einu v'tze'etza'ei amecha beit Yisrael kullanu yodei
sh'mecha v'lomdei toratecha lishmah. Baruch atah YHVH hamelamed Torah le'amo
Yisrael. Baruch atah YHVH Eloheinu melech ha-olam, asher bachar banu mikol
ha'amim venatan lanu et torato. Baruch atah YHVH, notein haTorah.
English
translation: Blessed are You, YHVH
our Elohim, King of the universe, who has made us set apart through His
commandments and commanded us to actively study Torah. Please YHVH, our Elohim,
sweeten the words of Your Torah in our mouths and in the mouths of all Your
people Israel. May we and our offspring, and the offspring of Your people, the
House of Israel, may we all, together, know Your Name and study Your Torah for
the sake of fulfilling Your desire. Blessed are You, YHVH, Who teaches Torah to
His people Israel. Blessed are You, YHVH our Elohim, King of the universe, Who
chose us from all the nations and gave us the Torah. Blessed are You, YHVH,
Giver of the Torah.
There seems to be an important
continuity flowing from the previous two Torah portions (Acharei Mot and K’doshim)
into this present Torah portion – “Emor.”
We conclude that if there is really
going to be a redeemed set apart people there will be a set apart priesthood
guiding and establishing YHVH’s Kingdom truth amongst His people 99- Yisrael.
Lev 21:1 And יהוה said to
Mosheh, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aharon, and say to them: ‘No one is
to be defiled for the dead among his people,
“Emor” or “speak!” to the priests. The focus is clearly
on the priesthood. It is critical for the priesthood not to defile themselves
with death. This would hinder their ministry to Yisrael as mediators. Here we
can conclude that it is not only physical death but also the disobedient
behavior that causes death.
Lev 21:2 except
for his relatives who are nearest to him: for his mother, and for his father,
and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother;
Lev 21:3 and for
his maiden sister who is near to him, who has had no husband – for her he is
defiled.
Why is an exception made of the priest’s direct family?
We see here the heart of an intercessor – one who is
willing to lay down his life for those who are close to him or her. The priest
would contaminate himself thus disqualifying himself from ministry for a while
to attend to the needs of his family.
Shaul goes even further when he says:
Rom 5:7 For one shall hardly die for a righteous one,
though possibly for a good one someone would even have the courage to die.
Rom 5:8 But Elohim proves His own love for us, in
that while we were still sinners, Messiah died for us.
Shaul goes on to say:
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.
Lev 21:4 ‘A leader
does not defile himself among his people, to profane himself;
Lev 21:5 they do
not make any bald place on their heads, and they do not shave the corner of
their beard, and they do not make a cutting in their flesh.
These were the practices of pagan priests - like the Baal priests on Mount Carmel – 1
Kings 18.
Lev 21:6 ‘They are
set-apart to their Elohim and do not profane the Name of their Elohim, for they
bring the offerings of יהוה made by fire,
and the bread of their Elohim, and shall be set-apart.
Lev 21:7 ‘They do
not take a woman who is a whore or a defiled woman, and they do not take a
woman put away from her husband, for he is set-apart to his Elohim.
Lev 21:8 ‘And you
shall set him apart, for he brings the bread of your Elohim, he is set-apart to
you. For I, יהוה, setting you
apart, am set-apart.
Lev 21:9 ‘And when
the daughter of any priest profanes herself by whoring, she profanes her
father. She is burned with fire.
Lev 21:10 ‘And the
high priest among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil was poured and
who is ordained to wear the garments, does not unbind his head nor tear his
garments,
Lev 21:11 nor come
near any dead body, nor defile himself for his father or his mother,
Lev 21:12 nor go
out of the set-apart place, nor profane the set-apart place of his Elohim, for
the sign of dedication of the anointing oil of his Elohim is upon him. I am יהוה.
Lev 21:13 ‘And let
him take a wife in her maidenhood.
Lev 21:14 ‘A widow
or one put away or a defiled woman or a whore – these he does not take. But a
maiden of his own people he does take as a wife. (Sages say High priest was commanded to take a wife)
Lev 21:15 ‘And he
does not profane his offspring among his people, for I am יהוה, who sets him apart.’ ”
Lev 21:16 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Lev 21:17 “Speak
to Aharon, saying, ‘No man of your offspring throughout their generations, who
has any defect, is to draw near to bring the bread of his Elohim.
Lev 21:18 ‘For any
man who has a defect is not to draw near: a man blind or one lame or disfigured
or deformed,
Lev 21:19 a man
who has a broken foot or broken hand,
Lev 21:20 or is a
hunchback or a dwarf, or a man who has a defect in his eye, or eczema or scab,
or is a eunuch.
Lev 21:21 ‘No man
among the offspring of Aharon the priest, who has a defect, is to come near to
bring the offerings made by fire to יהוה – he has a
defect, he does not come near to bring the bread of his Elohim.
Lev 21:22 ‘He does
eat the bread of his Elohim, both the most set-apart and the set-apart,
Lev 21:23 only, he
does not go near the veil or approach the altar, because he has a defect, lest
he profanes My set-apart places. For I am יהוה, who sets them
apart.’ ”
Lev 21:24 Thus
Mosheh spoke to Aharon and his sons, and to all the children of Yisra’ĕl.
Midrash:
The primary purpose and goal of the Levitical priesthood
was to establish without any doubt that Yahshua was the only mediator who was
able to reconcile man to YHVH.
This Torah portion may have hidden insights we may need
to consider.
Maybe these instructions are pointing to a time when the
priests would have such a deep and profound impact on Yisrael resulting in
those living under their influence being protected against all harm sickness
and even death.
Is this possible?
There seems to be evidence that during the Messianic age
the bride of Messiah will have immortal bodies. This Bride or priesthood would
have the “spark of eternal life” dwelling within them. Those who have righteous
associations with these priests could also be “ignited” by these priests to
live in the same state of immortality.
It seems to be a fact that our bodies should renew
themselves and were designed to live for 1000 years.
Let’s look at the life of Messiah. We don’t know much
about his relatives, but let us consider from historical sources the life of
his half-brother Yaakov. Yahshua had a profound effect on Yakov his half-brother.
“The Torah wants us to make a connection between
the high priest and Nazarite. Both High Priest and Nazarite enjoy a status of
separation called "nezer" which is theirs by virtue of a ritual
marking on their heads. For the High Priest it is the anointing oil poured out
on his head that grants him the nezer status. For the Nazarite it is the hair
on his head that grants him the nezer status.
Concerning Ya'akov (Hebrew)
the Hebrew equivalent of Jacob/James who was called Ya’akov HaTzaddik, Ya’akov the
righteous, the Brother of Yahshua:
Eusebius quotes Hegesippus in his Ecclesiastical History regarding the
martyrdom of Ya’akov. He writes, "James drank no wine or intoxicating
liquor and ate no animal food; no razor came near his head; he did not smear
himself with oil, and took no baths. He alone was permitted to enter the Set
apart Place, for his garments were not of wool but of linen. He used to enter
the Set apart place alone, and was often found on his knees beseeching
forgiveness for the people..." This text raises an intriguing problem. We
find here a very strong and early tradition about James that places him inside
the Temple Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is forbidden to all except for the
priesthood. How is it that James, a man descended from the House of David and
the tribe of Judah has access to the Sanctuary where only priests are allowed?
How is it that we find James clothed in linen garments? that is, priestly
garments? praying inside the Temple proper? Is it because James was a Nazarite,
and as a Nazarite, he obtained some kind of quasi-priestly status? We must
either accept it as so or reject the tradition of Hegesippus all- together.”
Jewish
Commentary:
“Death is thus an aberration, unnatural to a world intrinsically one
with its Creator. Indeed, death became part of our reality only after man
distanced himself from G-d with his transgression of the divine will. By the
same token, the annihilation of evil and the restoration of perfect harmony
between G-d and His creation in the era of Moschiach will bring the cessation
of death from our experience.
In the same vein, the prophet Isaiah describes G-d's descent into the
impurities of galut ("exile") to redeem His people: "Who
is this, coming from Edom? Of soured and reddened clothes, from Bozrah? ... I
[replies G-d], who speaks in righteousness, mighty to save... all My garments,
I have soiled" (Isaiah 63:1-3). What about the law that forbids a Kohen to
contaminate himself? The Zohar explains: Israel is G-d's "virgin sister,
who has not married a man"--who has resisted all the alien masters and
influences she has been subject to throughout her exile. For her, G-d
"contaminates" Himself entering the morgue of galut to raise
her from the dust.
Isa 63:1 Who is this coming from Eḏom, with garments of
glowing colours from Botsrah, who is robed in splendour, striding forward in
the greatness of His strength? “It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to
save.”
Isa 63:2 Why
is there red on Your raiment, and Your garments like one who treads in the
winepress?
Isa 63:3 “I
have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with Me. And
I trod them down in My displeasure, and I trampled them in My wrath. Their
blood is sprinkled upon My garments, and I have defiled all My raiment.
But
one thing remains unresolved: surely G-d is no ordinary Kohen, but a Kohen
Gadol, whose greater holiness proscribes any exposure to impurity, even for the
sake of his closest relatives. How, then, could G-d "contaminate"
Himself, even for His "children" or His "sister"?
Put
another way: if, in His relationship with us, G-d assumes the role of an
ordinary Kohen, whose lesser holiness allows him contact with impurity for the
sake of "Israel, His kin," G-d certainly transcends this role, possessing
also the inviolable sanctity of the Kohen Gadol. Does this mean that only the
Kohen in G-d buried Moses? Or that G-d's involvement in our redemption is
limited to a lesser expression of His holinesss, while the height of His
"priesthood" remains aloof from the mortality of our galut-state?
Based on the
teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson; adapted
by Yanki Tauber.
In the light of these sayings listen to the wisest of
Hebrew Rabbi’s:
Col 2:8 See to it that no one makes a prey of you
through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men,
according to the elementary matters of the world,1 and not according
to Messiah. Footnote: 1See v. 20, and Gal. 4:3 & 9.
Col 2:9 Because in Him dwells all the completeness of
the Mightiness bodily,
Col 2:10 and you have been made complete in Him, who
is the Head of all principality and authority.
Now finally listen to the words of Paul describing the position of the
Bride of Messiah and a restored Levitical priesthood.
2Co 5:1 For we know that if the tent of our earthly
house, is destroyed, we have a building from Elohim, a house not made with
hands, everlasting in the heavens.
2Co 5:2 For indeed in this we groan, longing to put
on our dwelling which is from heaven,
2Co 5:3 so that, having put it on, we shall not be
found naked.
2Co 5:4 For indeed, we who are in this tent groan,
being burdened, not because we wish to put it off, but to put on the other,
so that what is to die might be swallowed up by life.
2Co 5:5 Now He who has prepared us for this same
purpose is Elohim, who has given us the Spirit as a pledge of what is to come.
2Co 5:6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and
knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Master –
2Co 5:7 for we walk by belief, not by sight –1
Footnote: 1See 4:18, and 1 Cor. 2:14.
2Co 5:8 we are of good courage, and are well pleased
rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Master.
2Co 5:9 So we also make it our aim to be
well-pleasing to Him, whether being at home, or being away from home.
2Co 5:10 For we all have to appear before the judgment
seat of Messiah, in order for each one to receive according to what he has done
in the body, whether good or evil.1 Footnote: 1See Mt.
16:27, John 5:29.
2Co 5:11 Knowing, therefore, the fear of יהוה, we persuade
men, but we have been made manifest to Elohim, and I also trust in your
consciences to have been manifested.
2Co 5:12 For we do
not again commend ourselves to you, but give you an occasion to boast on our
behalf, in order that you have an answer for those who take pride in
appearance and not in heart.
2Co 5:13 For
whether we are beside ourselves, it was for Elohim, or whether we are of sound
mind, it is for you.
2Co 5:14 For the
love of Messiah compels us, having judged this: that if One died for all, then
all died;
2Co 5:15 and He
died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves,1
but for Him who died for them, and was raised. Footnote: 1Rom
14:7-8, Gal. 2:20.
2Co 5:16 So from
now onwards we know no one according to the flesh. And if we have known Messiah
according to the flesh, yet now we no longer know Him thus.
2Co 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Messiah, he is a renewed creature –
the old matters have passed away, see, all matters have become
renewed!1 Footnote: 1Rom. 6:2-22, Gal. 2:20, Eph.
4:22-24, Col. 3:10, 1 John 3:9-10.
2Co 5:18 And all matters
are from Elohim, who has restored us to favour with Himself through יהושע Messiah, and has given us the service of
restoration to favour,
2Co 5:19 that is,
that Elohim was in Messiah restoring the world to favour unto Himself, not
reckoning their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of
restoration to favour.
2Co 5:20 Therefore
we are envoys on behalf of Messiah, as though Elohim were pleading through us.
We beg, on behalf of Messiah: Be restored to favour with Elohim.
2Co 5:21 For He
made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the
righteousness of Elohim.
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 Yahweh, 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
Please
note these notes are under construction and are subject to correction and are
in no way a final authority on any subject.