Parashat Shemini - Shemini- Eighth
HEART OF THE TORAH:
In this portion we find the middle letter and
two middle words of the entire Torah sefer. The sages call this Torah Portion
the heart of the Torah because they say the Torah was founded upon this
Parashah Portion.
There are 304805 letters in the Torah, the
middle letter of Torah is the “vav” of Gachon (belly)
Lev 11:42 –
The middle words of the Torah is in Lev 10:16
– “Drosh drash” and means “ in searching
you must search.” (Which mean you must truly search for the truth)
The middle verse is found
in the previous parashah ( 5845 verses in the Torah) Lev 8:8 and put the breastplate on him, and
put the Urim and the Tummim in the breastplate. (light and perfections refers
to Moshiach)
The sages teach that we
can see from this middle letter, word and verse that the first has to do with
the spirit soul and body. The heart or central instruction of the Torah has to
do with the whole man - 1Th 5:23 And the Elohim of peace Himself set you
completely apart, and your entire spirit, and being, and body - be preserved
blameless at the coming of our Master יהושע Messiah!
1Th
5:24 He who calls you is trustworthy,
who also shall do it.
The
number 26 we know is also extremely significant as it pertains to the gematria
of the name of YHVH – (yud = 10, hey=5, vav-6, hey=5 total 26)
Lev 9:1 And on the
eighth (shemeni) day it came to be that Mosheh called Aharon and his sons and
the elders of Yisra’ĕl.
That day was as joyous to YHVH as the day
on which heaven and earth were created. (Talmud, Megillah 10b)
This eighth day was the first day (rosh chodesh – new moon day) of the
first month (Aviv/Nisan) On this day the tabernacle and priesthood was
dedicated and established by YHVH to be His eternal pattern of provision for
our return back into His presence – Ex 40:2
The sages tell us that
there were many significant new beginnings introduced in this parasha:
- First day of the
week – (or eighth day) The book of Leviticus introduces this concept more
than any other book in scripture – (nine references) Yahshua rose from the
dead on the 8 th day of the week (which is also the first day) - sealed the promise of the New Covenant
for ever - now it could never
change - He established the surety of a new beginning for all humanity.
- Here we see the
first day the princes of Israel bring special gifts. The tribe of Judah
was the first in dedicating gifts to the altar.
- On this eighth day Aaron’s sons become
priests serving Israel performing priestly service
- Eighth day fire
descended on the altar –that came from Elohim.
- Eighth day was the
first “tamid” ie continual offering morning and afternoon.
- First offerings
eaten or totally consumed –
- First evidence of
the “shechina” or presence of YHVH entered into the tabernacle
- First day the Aharonic
blessing was spoken.
- First time new
instruction given about altars. No other altars where priestly duties
carried out were to be erected - no one could just go and erect an altar
and bring an offering to Yahveh.
- First time “rosh chodesh” – new moon ceremony
conducted.
Lev 9:1 And on the eighth day it came to be that
Mosheh called Aharon and his sons and the elders of Yisra’ĕl.
Lev 9:2 And he said to Aharon, “Take for yourself a
young bull as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering, a perfect one, and
bring them before יהוה.
Lev 9:3 “And speak
to the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, ‘Take a male goat as a sin offering, and a
calf and a lamb, both a year old, perfect ones, as a burnt offering,
Lev 9:4 and a bull
and a ram as peace offerings, to slaughter before יהוה, and a grain
offering mixed with oil. For today יהוה shall appear
to you.’ ”
Lev 9:5 And they
took what Mosheh commanded before the Tent of Meeting, and all the congregation
drew near and stood before יהוה.
Lev 9:6 And Mosheh
said, “This is the word which יהוה commanded you
to do, so that the esteem of יהוה appears to
you.”
Lev 9:7 And Mosheh
said to Aharon, “Go to the altar, and prepare your sin offering and your burnt
offering, and make atonement for yourself and for the people. And make the
offering of the people, and make atonement for them, as יהוה has commanded.”
Lev 9:8 So Aharon
came near to the altar and slaughtered the calf of the sin offering, which was
for himself………..
Note the order of these offerings – first was the sin
offering which emphasizes that without purification there can be no
communication or fellowship with the Father. The burnt offering came next which
allows for intimacy with YHVH. The grain offering follows in which we enjoy a
covenantal meal with YHVH, we” break bread” together enjoying fellowship with one
another. Finally the peace offering is the blessing we enjoy of knowing that it
is well between YHVH and us as well as our fellowman and ourselves.
If our relationship with Yahshua is not ‘packaged’ in the
history and context of the Living Torah, then we will not know the Messiah as he is meant to be
known.
Lev 9:22 Aharon
then lifted up his hand toward the people and blessed them, and came down from
making the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings.
Lev 9:23 And
Mosheh and Aharon went into the Tent of Meeting, and came out and blessed the
people. And the esteem of יהוה appeared to
all the people,
Lev 9:24 and fire
came out from before יהוה and consumed
the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. And all the people saw and cried
aloud and fell on their faces.
Lev 10:1 And Naḏaḇ and Aḇihu, the sons of
Aharon, each took his fire holder and put fire in it, and put incense on it,
and brought strange fire (esh zara) before יהוה, which He had
not commanded them.
Lev 10:2 And fire
came out from יהוה and consumed
them, and they died before יהוה.
Nadab means “generous” one who freely gives without
considering too much the consequences of his actions.
Abihu means “He is my Father” perhaps there was a
familiarity in his life which cost him his death.
Jas 2:19 You believe that Elohim is one. You do well.
The demons also believe – and shudder!
Lev 10:3 Then
Mosheh said to Aharon, “This is what יהוה spoke, saying,
‘By those who come near Me let Me be set-apart! And before all the people let
Me be esteemed!’ ” And Aharon was silent.
Aharon must have known deep in his spirit that a great
violation of YHVH’S set apartness had taken place.
In youth, one learns
to talk; in maturity, one learns to be silent. This is man's problem: that he
learns to talk before he learns to be silent (Rabbi Nachman of Breslav)
Said
Rav Papa: The merit of attending a house of mourning lies in the silence
observed (Talmud, Berachot 6b)
Lev
10:4 And Mosheh called to Misha’ĕl and
to Eltsaphan, the sons of Uzzi’ĕl the uncle of Aharon, and said to them, “Come
near, take your brothers from before the set-apart place out of the camp.”
Lev 10:5 So they
came near and took them by their long shirts out of the camp, as Mosheh had
said.
Lev 10:6 And
Mosheh said to Aharon, and to Elʽazar and to Ithamar, his sons, “Do not unbind your heads
nor tear your garments, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the people. But
let your brothers, all the house of Yisra’ĕl, bewail the burning which יהוה has kindled.
Lev 10:7 “And do
not go out from the door of the Tent of Meeting, lest you die, for the
anointing oil of יהוה is upon you.”
And they did according to the word of Mosheh.
Lev 10:8 And יהוה spoke to Aharon, saying,
Lev 10:9 “Do not
drink wine or strong drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the
Tent of Meeting, lest you die – a law forever throughout your generations,
Lev 10:10 so as to
make a distinction between the set-apart and the profane, and between the
unclean and the clean,
Lev 10:11 and to
teach the children of Yisra’ĕl all the laws which יהוה has spoken to
them by the hand of Mosheh.”
Lev 10:12 And
Mosheh spoke to Aharon, and to Elʽazar and Ithamar, his sons who were left, “Take the grain
offering that is left over from the offerings made by fire to יהוה, and eat it without leaven beside the
altar, for it is most set-apart.
Lev 10:13 “And you
shall eat it in a set-apart place, because it is yours by law and your sons’ by
law, of the offerings made by fire to יהוה, for so I have
been commanded.
Lev 10:14 “And the
breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution you eat in a
clean place, you, and your sons, and your daughters with you. For they are
yours by law and your sons’ by law, which are given from the slaughterings of
peace offerings of the children of Yisra’ĕl.
Lev 10:15 “The
thigh of the contribution and the breast of the wave offering they bring with
the offerings of fat made by fire, to bring as a wave offering before יהוה. And it shall be yours and your sons’ with
you, by a law forever, as יהוה has
commanded.”
Lev 10:16 And
Mosheh diligently looked for the goat of the sin offering and saw it was burned
up. And he was wroth with Elʽazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aharon who were left,
saying,
טז וְאֵת שְׂעִיר הַחַטָּאת, דָּרֹשׁ דָּרַשׁ מֹשֶׁה
Lev 10:17 “Why
have you not eaten the sin offering in a set-apart place, since it is most
set-apart, and Elohim has given it to you to bear the crookedness of the
congregation, to make atonement for them before יהוה?
Lev 10:18 “See,
its blood was not brought inside the set-apart place. You should have eaten it
without fail in a set-apart place, as I have commanded.” (Aaron and his sons
could not really bear the crookedness of the nation and Yahshua’s blood was not
brought into the set apart place)
Lev 10:19 And
Aharon said to Mosheh, “See, today they have brought their sin offering and
their burnt offering before יהוה, and matters
like these have come to me! If I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have
been right in the eyes of יהוה?”
Lev 10:20 And when
Mosheh heard that, it was good in his eyes.
Moshe was deeply concerned over the consequences of any
form of disobedience from the priests and feared additional calamity as a
result of this departure of Aarons when they did not eat from the sin offering
as they were meant to. Aaron sensed that this departure would be a once off
event that YHVH had prompted him to follow. Moshe was satisfied with his answer
because he knew and understood that it seemed to have come by YHVH’S leading.
Why? Once again I believe we need to seek for answers in the life and ministry
of our Messiah, he was an offering that no man could perform on his behalf.
This can be compared by this once off exception that Aaron made in regards to
the sin offering.
Once again we see that it is impossible to understand the
Torah without seeing the fulfillment and manifestation of our Messiah in its
pages.
The Torah-dietary instructions
Lev 11:1 And יהוה spoke to
Mosheh and to Aharon, saying to them,
Lev 11:2 “Speak to
the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, ‘These are the living creatures which you do
eat among all the beasts that are on the earth:
Lev 11:3 ‘Whatever
has a split hoof completely divided, chewing the cud, among the beasts, that
you do eat.
Lev 11:4 ‘Only,
these you do not eat among those that chew the cud or those that have a split
hoof: the camel, because it chews the cud but does not have a split hoof, it is
unclean to you;
Lev 11:5 and the
rabbit, because it chews the cud but does not have a split hoof, it is unclean
to you;
Lev 11:6 and the
hare, because it chews the cud but does not have a split hoof, it is unclean to
you;
Lev 11:7 and the
pig, though it has a split hoof, completely divided, yet does not chew the cud,
it is unclean to you.
Lev 11:8 ‘Their
flesh you do not eat, and their carcasses you do not touch. They are unclean to
you.
Lev 11:9 ‘These
you do eat of all that are in the waters: any one that has fins and scales in
the waters, in the seas or in the rivers, that you do eat.
Lev 11:10 ‘But all
that have not fins and scales in the seas and in the rivers, all that move in
the waters or any living creature which is in the waters, they are an
abomination to you.
Lev 11:11 ‘They
are an abomination to you – of their flesh you do not eat, and their carcasses
you abominate.
Lev 11:12 ‘All
that have not fins or scales in the waters is an abomination to you.
Lev 11:13 ‘And
these you do abominate among the birds, they are not eaten, they are an
abomination: the eagle, and the vulture, and the black vulture,
Lev 11:14 and the
hawk, and the falcon after its kind,
Lev 11:15 every
raven after its kind,
Lev 11:16 and the
ostrich, and the nighthawk, and the seagull, and the hawk after its kind,
Lev 11:42
‘Whatever crawls on its stomach, and whatever goes on all fours, and
whatever has many feet among all creeping creatures that creep on the earth,
these you do not eat, for they are an abomination. . (“gochen” or belly has an
elongated vav, the middle letter of the Torah sefer’s 304805 letters)
Lev 11:44 ‘For I
am יהוה your Elohim, and you shall set yourselves
apart. And you shall be set-apart, for I am set-apart. And do not defile
yourselves with any creeping creature that creeps on the earth.
(This is the first time that this phrase is found in the
Scriptures, “be set apart, for I am set apart”, and it is written in relation to
food. This teaches us that set apartness of Elohim’s people depends a great
deal on which food we eat).
Lev 11:45 ‘For I
am יהוה who is bringing you up out of the land of
Mitsrayim, to be your Elohim. And you shall be set-apart, for I am set-apart.
Lev 11:46 ‘This is
the Torah of the beasts and the birds and every living creature that moves in
the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth,
Lev 11:47 to make
a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the living
creature that is eaten and the living creature that is not eaten.’ ”