RR Sh’mini Torah lesson – Leviticus 9:1 – 11:47 By Jeffrey Freeman
Shabbat Shalom,
_______
Day 7 of counting the Omer
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּֽנוּ עַל סְפִירַת הָעֹֽמֶר
Baruch Atah Adonai Elohenu Melech Ha-Olam, Asher Kid’shanu B’mitzvotav, Vitzivanu Al Sefirat Ha-Omer.
Blessed are You O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us by his commandments and commanded us about the counting of the Omer. Today is one week and no days of the counting of the Omer.
Follow up that prayer by remembering a blessing from the Lord and give Him thanks. Psalm 92:1 A psalm, a song for the Shabbat. 2 It is good to praise Adonai and to make music to Your Name, Elyon,
_______
Sh’mini Torah lesson – Leviticus 9:1 – 11:47
By Jeffrey Freeman
Aaron and his sons have just completed seven days of purification required for their ordination as priests. On the eighth day offerings are made, and Moses and Aaron go into the Tent of Meeting. When they come out:
Leviticus 9:23-24 – The glory of ADONAI appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of ADONAI and devoured the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When the people saw it, they shouted and fell in their faces.
Everything is going well. A newly appointed High Priest plus four helpers. The glory of ADONAI appeared to the entire assembly. The Tabernacle is complete and operational. Yet Chapter 10 brings a troubling report:
Leviticus 10:1-2 – Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his own censer, put fire in it, laid incense over it, and offered unauthorized fire before ADONAI – which he had not commanded them. So, fire came out from the presence of ADONAI and consumed them. So, they died before ADONAI.
Yikes! This should have been a time of great celebration. But two of the newly ordained priests are dead!?
How can this be? Isn’t ADONAI a just God full of compassion? He is. But He is also inherently dangerous. Not bad dangerous, like electricity isn’t inherently bad. But, if misused or handled without due respect, electricity can be a shocking and potentially deadly experience.
In 2nd Samuel 6, David and his men were escorting the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.
Verse 6-7 – When they reached the threshing floor of Nahon, Uzzah reached out to the Ark of God and grasped it for the oxen had
stumbled. Then the anger of ADONAI was kindled against Uzzah. God struck him down there for his irreverence, so he died there beside the Ark of God.
God gives us specific instructions on how He wants us to behave. In the case of the Ark, Exodus 25 gives specific instructions for building the Ark. It was constructed with two rings on each side for poles to carry the Ark.
Numbers 7:9 - To the sons of Kohath, he did not give any (carts) because their responsibility was to carry the holy items on their shoulders.
To keep people safe, Adonai specifically instructed that the Ark was to be transported on the shoulders of Kohathites. Uzzah was not a Kohathite and the Ark was being transported on a cart, not shouldered.
So, is this just a case of a vengeful God executing judgement on a man for not following specific instructions? Something uniquely “Old Testament?”
Matthew 7:21-23 – Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, “Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy, drive out demons, and perform many miracles in Your Name?’ Then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Get away from Me you workers of lawlessness.’
Whoa! These are tough words from Yeshua. Not everyone who confesses that Yeshua is Lord gets into heaven. Only those who do the Father’s will. What is God’s will? It’s found in Torah. The prophets remind us. Yeshua demonstrates it. We aren’t expected to follow Torah perfectly. That’s why we need Yeshua. But we are expected to try.
In Judges we get a refrain – In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes. Doing something in a
way that is right in your own estimation is not the same as doing something the right way. Open Torah and learn. Acts 15:21 – For Moses from ancient generations…is read in all the synagogues every Shabbat. Shabbat Shalom.
Day 7 of the Omer
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sat11-Apr-2026 24th of Nisan, 5786 Shmini
Le 9:17-11:472 Sam 6:1-7:17Ac 5:1-11
_______
Day 7 of counting the Omer
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּֽנוּ עַל סְפִירַת הָעֹֽמֶר
Baruch Atah Adonai Elohenu Melech Ha-Olam, Asher Kid’shanu B’mitzvotav, Vitzivanu Al Sefirat Ha-Omer.
Blessed are You O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us by his commandments and commanded us about the counting of the Omer. Today is one week and no days of the counting of the Omer.
Follow up that prayer by remembering a blessing from the Lord and give Him thanks. Psalm 92:1 A psalm, a song for the Shabbat. 2 It is good to praise Adonai and to make music to Your Name, Elyon,
_______
Sh’mini Torah lesson – Leviticus 9:1 – 11:47
By Jeffrey Freeman
Aaron and his sons have just completed seven days of purification required for their ordination as priests. On the eighth day offerings are made, and Moses and Aaron go into the Tent of Meeting. When they come out:
Leviticus 9:23-24 – The glory of ADONAI appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of ADONAI and devoured the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When the people saw it, they shouted and fell in their faces.
Everything is going well. A newly appointed High Priest plus four helpers. The glory of ADONAI appeared to the entire assembly. The Tabernacle is complete and operational. Yet Chapter 10 brings a troubling report:
Leviticus 10:1-2 – Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his own censer, put fire in it, laid incense over it, and offered unauthorized fire before ADONAI – which he had not commanded them. So, fire came out from the presence of ADONAI and consumed them. So, they died before ADONAI.
Yikes! This should have been a time of great celebration. But two of the newly ordained priests are dead!?
How can this be? Isn’t ADONAI a just God full of compassion? He is. But He is also inherently dangerous. Not bad dangerous, like electricity isn’t inherently bad. But, if misused or handled without due respect, electricity can be a shocking and potentially deadly experience.
In 2nd Samuel 6, David and his men were escorting the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.
Verse 6-7 – When they reached the threshing floor of Nahon, Uzzah reached out to the Ark of God and grasped it for the oxen had
stumbled. Then the anger of ADONAI was kindled against Uzzah. God struck him down there for his irreverence, so he died there beside the Ark of God.
God gives us specific instructions on how He wants us to behave. In the case of the Ark, Exodus 25 gives specific instructions for building the Ark. It was constructed with two rings on each side for poles to carry the Ark.
Numbers 7:9 - To the sons of Kohath, he did not give any (carts) because their responsibility was to carry the holy items on their shoulders.
To keep people safe, Adonai specifically instructed that the Ark was to be transported on the shoulders of Kohathites. Uzzah was not a Kohathite and the Ark was being transported on a cart, not shouldered.
So, is this just a case of a vengeful God executing judgement on a man for not following specific instructions? Something uniquely “Old Testament?”
Matthew 7:21-23 – Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, “Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy, drive out demons, and perform many miracles in Your Name?’ Then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Get away from Me you workers of lawlessness.’
Whoa! These are tough words from Yeshua. Not everyone who confesses that Yeshua is Lord gets into heaven. Only those who do the Father’s will. What is God’s will? It’s found in Torah. The prophets remind us. Yeshua demonstrates it. We aren’t expected to follow Torah perfectly. That’s why we need Yeshua. But we are expected to try.
In Judges we get a refrain – In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes. Doing something in a
way that is right in your own estimation is not the same as doing something the right way. Open Torah and learn. Acts 15:21 – For Moses from ancient generations…is read in all the synagogues every Shabbat. Shabbat Shalom.
Day 7 of the Omer
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sat11-Apr-2026 24th of Nisan, 5786 Shmini
Le 9:17-11:472 Sam 6:1-7:17Ac 5:1-11
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