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EMOR "SAY" LEV. 21:1 - 24:23 BY RABBI ESTHER BOUCHER |
All Israel is called to live according to the laws of holiness, but the
priesthood was called to an even higher standard of holiness than
the average Israelite. Sanctity is imbued by G-d’s calling and
maintained through His commandments. It is imbued through
His calling in that G-d is the one who sanctifies and sets apart. It
is maintained through His commandments in that sanctity is
established through definition of limits. The commandments
provide the parameters of holiness. The holiness Messiah imparts
to us comes with the demands of a higher standard of living. The
main function of the priest in the Israelite worship system was to
enter into areas of holiness that were inaccessible to the average
Israelite. Two qualifications made the cohen able to boldly enter
into areas of holiness. 1.) He was sanctified to live at a standard of
holiness higher than that of the average Israelite. 2.) Cohen
maintained a state of constant ritual purity while serving in the
Tabernacle.
Lev. 21:1-6 we see two priestly concerns that prohibit mourning:
holiness and purity. Holiness is a matter of separation from
society; purity is a matter of separation from ritual uncleanness.
The priest was not to mourn while serving in the presence of the
living G-d. It was inappropriate. They were forbidden to bear the
signs of mourning upon their bodies. The anointed priest was
forbidden to tear his garments or uncover his head. The
prohibition can best be understood when we remember that the
Temple represents the palace of the King. The Temple
represented the ideal state of when G-d’s Kingdom comes and His
full and perfect will is done on Earth. It is a foretaste of that day
when mourning will be finally abolished. As a matter of ritual, the
priests were not to attend funerals or escort the dead because the
presence of the corpse would place them into a state of ritual
impurity that would disqualify them from serving in the
Tabernacle. Only in the case of a close relative was a priest
allowed to intentionally come into contact with corpse
contamination. It was regarded as a commandment upon the
descendants of Aaron to mourn the death of a close relative.
Today descendants of the priesthood will not attend funerals
except those permitted by Lev. 21:3. They can be seen standing
outside of the cemetery looking on from a distance. The Temple
of the L-rd is about life, not death. We have an obligation to serve
G-d in joy. To serve Him is an immense privilege. Our overall
demeanor should be one of happiness and joy. Authentic joy is a
fruit of the Holy Spirit. It should permeate our day-to-day lives.
The Torah forbids the priest from marrying a woman profaned by
harlotry or from marrying a divorced woman. The priest himself is
forbidden to live wantonly. In the same way, a priest’s son would
one day be a priest, is bound to this high standard of sexual
morality, as is his daughter. A daughter’s premarital sexual
activity is a reflection on her father’s house. The Master calls his
disciples to regard marriage with the Torah’s highest standard of
sanctity. The Torah explains that the priest must exercise the
higher standard in choice of a bride because he is holy to his G-d.
Their lives and choices are a reflection on G-d. Throughout the
Scriptures, G-d compares His people to a bridge. What kind of
bride are we to be? We are to be a people undefiled, chaste, and
pure. It is forbidden to offer an emasculated animal. There is a
prohibition not to castrate or emasculate the male of any species.
(Verse 24) Why was it so important that the sacrifices were
unblemished? It teaches us to always place our best in the service
of the L-rd. The human tendency is to live a life of self-service and
offer to G-d that which is left over at the end. We give to charity if
we can afford it after our own appetites are satiated. We give our
time to the Kingdom if there is time left after we have spent
ourselves on our own pursuits. G-d should receive the best of
what we have to offer, not the leftovers. Just as the sacrificial
animals had to be unblemished to be accepted, so too the priest
that bears them there must be unblemished. Messiah is the
unblemished lamb and unblemished priest. He bears His own
blood to the altar. He is priest and sacrifice, unblemished and
perfect on both counts. You shall not profane My holy name but I
will be sanctified among the sons of Israel. The concept is one of
reputation. Our actions and behaviors affect G-d’s reputation.
Every choice we make in life will in some way or another reflect
upon G-d. Our every interaction with other human beings will in
one way or another say something about the G-d we serve. To
sanctify G-d’s name means to treat His Name with respect, honor,
and consecration that He deserves. The formula for sanctifying G-
d’s Name is obedience to the commandments. In Judaism,
martyrdom for the sake of faith is regarded as the ultimate
sanctification of the name. Lev. 23 is an ancient calendar. It is the
synopsis of the religious year. The moedim are applicable with or
without a Temple, in or out of the land but not every aspect of
them may be practically observed in today’s world. The
commandment of offering a Passover lamb cannot be kept outside
of the Temple, but the commandments of making a Seder,
removing the leaven, eating unleavened bread and keeping the
two Sabbaths are all applicable with or without a Temple. One
might suppose that these commandments are applicable only to
Jewish believers. Yet we should note well that there are no other
appointments offered anywhere else in the Bible. These are the
only appointed times, which the believers have been given. If we
are to celebrate festivals or sacred times at all, we must admit that
the moedim of Lev. 23 are the only G-d ordained festivals that
exist. There are no alternate Gentile Sabbath or New Testament
holy days. Some might suppose that, in fact, there are not to be
holy days in the new covenant economy at all. Others will be
quick to suggest that Gentiles are not bound to observe sacred
times. Those who argue this reasoning use Col. 2:16, Rom. 14 and
Gal. 4:8-7. Let’s look at Colossians. These are a shadow of the
things that are to come the body however is found in Messiah.
Paul clearly tells the Colossian believers that the relevance of the
biblical calendar (new moons) and the biblical Sabbaths and
festivals, and even the biblical dietary laws are shadows of coming
things and the substance of Messiah. Every shadow results from a
shadow caster. Messiah is the body; the biblical calendar is the
shadow He casts. Paul tells the Colossians not to allow people to
judge them in regard to things, which are substantially about
Messiah. Those doing the judging might have been Jews or
Gentiles criticizing the non-Jews for keeping Torah without first
converting to Judaism. We should not read this passage as a
dismissal of the value of keeping the festivals. If anything he is
encouraging us to see the true meaning of the festivals. When we
realize that the substance of the moedim is Messiah, we are the
more inclined to keep them. This passage does not imply that the
biblical festivals have been diminished or made obsolete.
Romans 14 Paul seems to imply that there are no holy days.
Rather all days are the same, but if a person thinks there are holy
days, then he should be left to his beliefs. There are several
problems with this interpretation. Paul does not indicate that he
is speaking of moedim at all, neither by context nor by
implication. We do not know what he is referring to, and he doesn’
t give us any clues. Into that Paul suggests that the observance of
such days is a matter of personal interpretation rules out moedim.
The moedim are commandments not opinions. The book of
Romans is addressed to both the Jewish and Gentile readers so we
cannot suppose Paul was granting an exemption for the sake of
Gentile converts. If he is advising Jewish readers to disregard
moedim he is an apostate and in transgression of Torah. So
Romans 14 cannot be the moedim. The word “observe” in the
Greek is not the equivalent of shamar in the Hebrew. The Greek
word phroneo is used; it means the way one thinks about a
matter. It would be more accurate to translate it as He who has an
opinion about the day, has an opinion about it to the L-rd. Gal. 4:
8-17 here Paul seems to rebuke the Gentile Galatians for keeping
the moedim. He scolds them for observing days, and months and
seasons and years and warns them not to become enslaved. This
leads many to believe that Paul viewed the celebration of the
Sabbath and festivals as a step backward for Gentile believers.
Obvious problems immediately arise. First we note that Paul
equates the days and months and seasons with years with the
weak and worthless elemental things that characterized the
Galatians Gentiles while they were still pagans. He rebukes them
for turning back to the things they practiced when they were
slaves to those, which by nature are no gods, things they practiced
before they knew G-d. The English word observes here is the
Greek word paratereo, which means to watch carefully. It is not
that the Galatians were observing the commandments it is they
were watching the calendar and associated holy days with a
superstitious fear characteristic of their pagan background. Under
paganism, they watched the stars and the changing seasons for
horoscope advice and the favor of the gods. The Galatians were
supposing that their salvation depended on following the
moedim. Any commandment is the Torah can be given an
idolatrous interpretation when it becomes legalism for
manipulating G-d and fate. Following the commandments can be
a form of slavery if they are not practiced with the right
intentions. Some people adopt a Torah lifestyle because they are
looking for social approval or for an escape. They imitate religious
people, dress a certain way, behave a certain way etc. Clearly,
mere mimicking of others and conforming to their behavior is not
the dance of freedom. It is not bonding with G-d. It’s just another
form of slavery. Paul said to imitate him. Paul was an observant
Jew, keeping the festivals and the whole Torah.
Lev. 23:4-8 is a commandment to rest of the first day of
Unleavened Bread and to rest on the seventh day. There was to be
no work with the exception of food preparation. To bring
sacrifices during Unleavened bread cannot be observed as a
Temple. But we can assemble together for prayer, worship and
the public reading of Scripture. First fruits occur sometime during
the week of unleavened bread. It is a miniature festival within a
festival but is not a sacred assembly on Sabbath. Without the
Temple the barley sheaf cannot be offered but the prohibitions
regarding eating the new harvest of grain before giving thanks to
G-d. The Torah commands us to count fifty days of the omer. The
counting of the omer is a count down to Shavoat the time of the
giving of the Torah and the time of giving of the Holy Spirit. It is a
journey that is begun at Passover (the symbol of our Salvation in
Yeshua) and completed at Pentecost (the symbol of our
completion) through the Spirit. The distance of the days between
the events should be a time of spiritual reflection, growth,
purification and preparation. It is a time to remember Yeshua. All
his post resurrection appearances fell within the days of the omer
count. On the 40th day of the omer some communities celebrate
the master’s ascension. The festival of Pentecost is to be regarded
as a Sabbath, a day of sacred assembly. There is a long held
custom of staying awake all night on the eve of Shavuot. It is
traditional to read the Book of Ruth and Acts 2. Rosh Hashanah
is a sacred assembly the shofar is blown. Not to work. Bringing
additional sacrifices cannot be done with the Temple. Ten days
later is the Day of Atonement an absolute Sabbath. Yom Kippur
services last most of the day. The book of Jonah is read and at
sunset a special closing service called Neilah is conducted. A long
blast on the shofar marks the end of the fast. Five days later
Sukkot begins. The first and eight day is a Sabbath. The eighth
day is Simchat Torah, the day Torah cycle is concluded and begun
again. In temple times this celebration included the water
pouring. It is an appropriate time to remember the master’s birth
on the first day and his circumcision and naming on the eighth
day. It is commanded to take four species and celebrate before the
L-rd. We have the lulau and etrog. It is waved everyday during
the festival. We are commanded to make booths (sukkah). In
Israel they lived in the booth. In colder climates the requirement
is fulfilled by simply eating in sukkah.
Our last portion 24:10-16 tells us it is forbidden to curse G-d or
His Name. Those who did were stoned to death. Blasphemy is an
intentional, malicious, affront against G-d, invoking His personal
name. Exodus 20:7 says “For the L-rd will not leave him
unpunished who takes His Name in vain.”
priesthood was called to an even higher standard of holiness than
the average Israelite. Sanctity is imbued by G-d’s calling and
maintained through His commandments. It is imbued through
His calling in that G-d is the one who sanctifies and sets apart. It
is maintained through His commandments in that sanctity is
established through definition of limits. The commandments
provide the parameters of holiness. The holiness Messiah imparts
to us comes with the demands of a higher standard of living. The
main function of the priest in the Israelite worship system was to
enter into areas of holiness that were inaccessible to the average
Israelite. Two qualifications made the cohen able to boldly enter
into areas of holiness. 1.) He was sanctified to live at a standard of
holiness higher than that of the average Israelite. 2.) Cohen
maintained a state of constant ritual purity while serving in the
Tabernacle.
Lev. 21:1-6 we see two priestly concerns that prohibit mourning:
holiness and purity. Holiness is a matter of separation from
society; purity is a matter of separation from ritual uncleanness.
The priest was not to mourn while serving in the presence of the
living G-d. It was inappropriate. They were forbidden to bear the
signs of mourning upon their bodies. The anointed priest was
forbidden to tear his garments or uncover his head. The
prohibition can best be understood when we remember that the
Temple represents the palace of the King. The Temple
represented the ideal state of when G-d’s Kingdom comes and His
full and perfect will is done on Earth. It is a foretaste of that day
when mourning will be finally abolished. As a matter of ritual, the
priests were not to attend funerals or escort the dead because the
presence of the corpse would place them into a state of ritual
impurity that would disqualify them from serving in the
Tabernacle. Only in the case of a close relative was a priest
allowed to intentionally come into contact with corpse
contamination. It was regarded as a commandment upon the
descendants of Aaron to mourn the death of a close relative.
Today descendants of the priesthood will not attend funerals
except those permitted by Lev. 21:3. They can be seen standing
outside of the cemetery looking on from a distance. The Temple
of the L-rd is about life, not death. We have an obligation to serve
G-d in joy. To serve Him is an immense privilege. Our overall
demeanor should be one of happiness and joy. Authentic joy is a
fruit of the Holy Spirit. It should permeate our day-to-day lives.
The Torah forbids the priest from marrying a woman profaned by
harlotry or from marrying a divorced woman. The priest himself is
forbidden to live wantonly. In the same way, a priest’s son would
one day be a priest, is bound to this high standard of sexual
morality, as is his daughter. A daughter’s premarital sexual
activity is a reflection on her father’s house. The Master calls his
disciples to regard marriage with the Torah’s highest standard of
sanctity. The Torah explains that the priest must exercise the
higher standard in choice of a bride because he is holy to his G-d.
Their lives and choices are a reflection on G-d. Throughout the
Scriptures, G-d compares His people to a bridge. What kind of
bride are we to be? We are to be a people undefiled, chaste, and
pure. It is forbidden to offer an emasculated animal. There is a
prohibition not to castrate or emasculate the male of any species.
(Verse 24) Why was it so important that the sacrifices were
unblemished? It teaches us to always place our best in the service
of the L-rd. The human tendency is to live a life of self-service and
offer to G-d that which is left over at the end. We give to charity if
we can afford it after our own appetites are satiated. We give our
time to the Kingdom if there is time left after we have spent
ourselves on our own pursuits. G-d should receive the best of
what we have to offer, not the leftovers. Just as the sacrificial
animals had to be unblemished to be accepted, so too the priest
that bears them there must be unblemished. Messiah is the
unblemished lamb and unblemished priest. He bears His own
blood to the altar. He is priest and sacrifice, unblemished and
perfect on both counts. You shall not profane My holy name but I
will be sanctified among the sons of Israel. The concept is one of
reputation. Our actions and behaviors affect G-d’s reputation.
Every choice we make in life will in some way or another reflect
upon G-d. Our every interaction with other human beings will in
one way or another say something about the G-d we serve. To
sanctify G-d’s name means to treat His Name with respect, honor,
and consecration that He deserves. The formula for sanctifying G-
d’s Name is obedience to the commandments. In Judaism,
martyrdom for the sake of faith is regarded as the ultimate
sanctification of the name. Lev. 23 is an ancient calendar. It is the
synopsis of the religious year. The moedim are applicable with or
without a Temple, in or out of the land but not every aspect of
them may be practically observed in today’s world. The
commandment of offering a Passover lamb cannot be kept outside
of the Temple, but the commandments of making a Seder,
removing the leaven, eating unleavened bread and keeping the
two Sabbaths are all applicable with or without a Temple. One
might suppose that these commandments are applicable only to
Jewish believers. Yet we should note well that there are no other
appointments offered anywhere else in the Bible. These are the
only appointed times, which the believers have been given. If we
are to celebrate festivals or sacred times at all, we must admit that
the moedim of Lev. 23 are the only G-d ordained festivals that
exist. There are no alternate Gentile Sabbath or New Testament
holy days. Some might suppose that, in fact, there are not to be
holy days in the new covenant economy at all. Others will be
quick to suggest that Gentiles are not bound to observe sacred
times. Those who argue this reasoning use Col. 2:16, Rom. 14 and
Gal. 4:8-7. Let’s look at Colossians. These are a shadow of the
things that are to come the body however is found in Messiah.
Paul clearly tells the Colossian believers that the relevance of the
biblical calendar (new moons) and the biblical Sabbaths and
festivals, and even the biblical dietary laws are shadows of coming
things and the substance of Messiah. Every shadow results from a
shadow caster. Messiah is the body; the biblical calendar is the
shadow He casts. Paul tells the Colossians not to allow people to
judge them in regard to things, which are substantially about
Messiah. Those doing the judging might have been Jews or
Gentiles criticizing the non-Jews for keeping Torah without first
converting to Judaism. We should not read this passage as a
dismissal of the value of keeping the festivals. If anything he is
encouraging us to see the true meaning of the festivals. When we
realize that the substance of the moedim is Messiah, we are the
more inclined to keep them. This passage does not imply that the
biblical festivals have been diminished or made obsolete.
Romans 14 Paul seems to imply that there are no holy days.
Rather all days are the same, but if a person thinks there are holy
days, then he should be left to his beliefs. There are several
problems with this interpretation. Paul does not indicate that he
is speaking of moedim at all, neither by context nor by
implication. We do not know what he is referring to, and he doesn’
t give us any clues. Into that Paul suggests that the observance of
such days is a matter of personal interpretation rules out moedim.
The moedim are commandments not opinions. The book of
Romans is addressed to both the Jewish and Gentile readers so we
cannot suppose Paul was granting an exemption for the sake of
Gentile converts. If he is advising Jewish readers to disregard
moedim he is an apostate and in transgression of Torah. So
Romans 14 cannot be the moedim. The word “observe” in the
Greek is not the equivalent of shamar in the Hebrew. The Greek
word phroneo is used; it means the way one thinks about a
matter. It would be more accurate to translate it as He who has an
opinion about the day, has an opinion about it to the L-rd. Gal. 4:
8-17 here Paul seems to rebuke the Gentile Galatians for keeping
the moedim. He scolds them for observing days, and months and
seasons and years and warns them not to become enslaved. This
leads many to believe that Paul viewed the celebration of the
Sabbath and festivals as a step backward for Gentile believers.
Obvious problems immediately arise. First we note that Paul
equates the days and months and seasons with years with the
weak and worthless elemental things that characterized the
Galatians Gentiles while they were still pagans. He rebukes them
for turning back to the things they practiced when they were
slaves to those, which by nature are no gods, things they practiced
before they knew G-d. The English word observes here is the
Greek word paratereo, which means to watch carefully. It is not
that the Galatians were observing the commandments it is they
were watching the calendar and associated holy days with a
superstitious fear characteristic of their pagan background. Under
paganism, they watched the stars and the changing seasons for
horoscope advice and the favor of the gods. The Galatians were
supposing that their salvation depended on following the
moedim. Any commandment is the Torah can be given an
idolatrous interpretation when it becomes legalism for
manipulating G-d and fate. Following the commandments can be
a form of slavery if they are not practiced with the right
intentions. Some people adopt a Torah lifestyle because they are
looking for social approval or for an escape. They imitate religious
people, dress a certain way, behave a certain way etc. Clearly,
mere mimicking of others and conforming to their behavior is not
the dance of freedom. It is not bonding with G-d. It’s just another
form of slavery. Paul said to imitate him. Paul was an observant
Jew, keeping the festivals and the whole Torah.
Lev. 23:4-8 is a commandment to rest of the first day of
Unleavened Bread and to rest on the seventh day. There was to be
no work with the exception of food preparation. To bring
sacrifices during Unleavened bread cannot be observed as a
Temple. But we can assemble together for prayer, worship and
the public reading of Scripture. First fruits occur sometime during
the week of unleavened bread. It is a miniature festival within a
festival but is not a sacred assembly on Sabbath. Without the
Temple the barley sheaf cannot be offered but the prohibitions
regarding eating the new harvest of grain before giving thanks to
G-d. The Torah commands us to count fifty days of the omer. The
counting of the omer is a count down to Shavoat the time of the
giving of the Torah and the time of giving of the Holy Spirit. It is a
journey that is begun at Passover (the symbol of our Salvation in
Yeshua) and completed at Pentecost (the symbol of our
completion) through the Spirit. The distance of the days between
the events should be a time of spiritual reflection, growth,
purification and preparation. It is a time to remember Yeshua. All
his post resurrection appearances fell within the days of the omer
count. On the 40th day of the omer some communities celebrate
the master’s ascension. The festival of Pentecost is to be regarded
as a Sabbath, a day of sacred assembly. There is a long held
custom of staying awake all night on the eve of Shavuot. It is
traditional to read the Book of Ruth and Acts 2. Rosh Hashanah
is a sacred assembly the shofar is blown. Not to work. Bringing
additional sacrifices cannot be done with the Temple. Ten days
later is the Day of Atonement an absolute Sabbath. Yom Kippur
services last most of the day. The book of Jonah is read and at
sunset a special closing service called Neilah is conducted. A long
blast on the shofar marks the end of the fast. Five days later
Sukkot begins. The first and eight day is a Sabbath. The eighth
day is Simchat Torah, the day Torah cycle is concluded and begun
again. In temple times this celebration included the water
pouring. It is an appropriate time to remember the master’s birth
on the first day and his circumcision and naming on the eighth
day. It is commanded to take four species and celebrate before the
L-rd. We have the lulau and etrog. It is waved everyday during
the festival. We are commanded to make booths (sukkah). In
Israel they lived in the booth. In colder climates the requirement
is fulfilled by simply eating in sukkah.
Our last portion 24:10-16 tells us it is forbidden to curse G-d or
His Name. Those who did were stoned to death. Blasphemy is an
intentional, malicious, affront against G-d, invoking His personal
name. Exodus 20:7 says “For the L-rd will not leave him
unpunished who takes His Name in vain.”
| Ministry of Gates of Praise Ministries, Inc. © Copyright Gates of Praise Ministries 2007/2008 |