RR Torah Portion Emor Leviticus 21:1 – 24:23 By Jeffery Freeman
Shabbat Shalom,
_______
Special Announcement: This Sunday, May 3rd is the annual Jewish Food Festival, known as “Knoshville.” It will be held from 11AM to 2PM at the Arnstein Jewish Community Center, 6800 Dean Hill Drive. Details online are sparse. To buy food tickets. https://jewishknoxville.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/jewishknoxville/giftstore.jsp Hope to see you there.
_______
Day 28 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 four weeks and no days of the counting of the Omer.
Follow up that prayer by remembering a blessing from the Lord and give Him thanks. Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Messiah dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another with all wisdom in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with gratitude in your hearts to God.
_______
Torah Portion Emor
Leviticus 21:1 – 24:23
By Jeffery Freeman
This week’s Torah Portion, Emor translates to “speak” In verse 21:1 Adonai tells Moses to “Speak (Emor) to the Kohanim…” What follows are rules that establish a higher standard for spiritual leaders than the general population.
Chapter 21 sets higher standards for serving priests, particularly the High Priest. Priests are restricted in which loved ones they may mourn for, what signs of mourning they may perform, who they can marry, and are prohibited from serving if they have physical defects.
After proclaiming various holiness standards, the LORD states:
Verse 4, …He is not to defile himself…and so profane himself.
Verse 8, …He shall be holy to you, for I, ADONAI, who sanctifies you am holy.
Verse 12, Concerning the High Priests mourning the death of a near relative… He is not to go out of the Sanctuary or profane the Sanctuary of his God…I am ADONAI.
These three sets of rules deal with death. God and death don’t mix. The best evidence for this is Numbers 19. The entire chapter is dedicated to the Ashes of the Red Heifer and how this is used to remove the stain of death from worshipers before entering the Tabernacle or Temple.
Verses 7-8 Give some restrictions on who a priest may marry…he shall be holy to you, for I, ADONAI, who sanctifies you am holy.
Verses 13-14 give some very strict limitations on who the High Priest may marry. Verse 15…so as not to corrupt his offspring among his people. For I am ADONAI who sanctifies him.
Perhaps among the most difficult to understand commandments are the rules restricting priests with physical defects from serving before the LORD. Verse 18…any man who has a defect is not to draw near… verse 23…he is not to approach the curtain or come near the altar…so that he may not desecrate My sanctuary, for I am the LORD who sanctifies them.
Interestingly, the priest with the defects may share in the holy foods, verse 22 He may eat the food of his God, both the holy and the most holy.
We get similar rulings for animals being sacrificed. Leviticus 22:19-20…you are to offer a male without blemish…but whatever has a blemish you are not to present, for it will not be acceptable… However, the LORD gives an exception in Leviticus 22:23 For a freewill offering you may present a bull or a lamb that has any deformity or lacking in its parts…
Another data point is from John 9:1-3 He saw a man who had been blind since birth. His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind.” Yeshua answered, “Neither this man or his parents sinned. This happened so that the works of God might be brought to light in him.”
While the specific reasons the LORD has ruled that deformities are unsuitable for service or use in the Temple is not completely clear, He nevertheless made provision for their use through voluntary or freewill service. Maybe this is an answer to this chuk (unexplainable commandment), that despite our shortcomings, God can use us for His purposes. Our calling is to be prepared. To that end, consider these three verses:
1 Peter 2:9…you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession…
Revelation 1:6…(He) made us a kingdom, kohanim to His God and Father…
Revelation 5:10…You have made for them our God a kingdom and kohanim…
Most of this conversation is about a holiness standard specific to the Levitical priesthood. Most of us are not Levitical priests. But the concept is the same. We are called to be holy because ADONAI is holy. What in your life is standing in your way of holiness? Shabbat Shalom
Day 28 of the Omer
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sat2-May-202615th of Iyar, 5786 Parashat Emor
Le 24:1-23Ez 44:15-31Col 2:16-3:4
_______
Special Announcement: This Sunday, May 3rd is the annual Jewish Food Festival, known as “Knoshville.” It will be held from 11AM to 2PM at the Arnstein Jewish Community Center, 6800 Dean Hill Drive. Details online are sparse. To buy food tickets. https://jewishknoxville.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/jewishknoxville/giftstore.jsp Hope to see you there.
_______
Day 28 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 four weeks and no days of the counting of the Omer.
Follow up that prayer by remembering a blessing from the Lord and give Him thanks. Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Messiah dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another with all wisdom in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with gratitude in your hearts to God.
_______
Torah Portion Emor
Leviticus 21:1 – 24:23
By Jeffery Freeman
This week’s Torah Portion, Emor translates to “speak” In verse 21:1 Adonai tells Moses to “Speak (Emor) to the Kohanim…” What follows are rules that establish a higher standard for spiritual leaders than the general population.
Chapter 21 sets higher standards for serving priests, particularly the High Priest. Priests are restricted in which loved ones they may mourn for, what signs of mourning they may perform, who they can marry, and are prohibited from serving if they have physical defects.
After proclaiming various holiness standards, the LORD states:
Verse 4, …He is not to defile himself…and so profane himself.
Verse 8, …He shall be holy to you, for I, ADONAI, who sanctifies you am holy.
Verse 12, Concerning the High Priests mourning the death of a near relative… He is not to go out of the Sanctuary or profane the Sanctuary of his God…I am ADONAI.
These three sets of rules deal with death. God and death don’t mix. The best evidence for this is Numbers 19. The entire chapter is dedicated to the Ashes of the Red Heifer and how this is used to remove the stain of death from worshipers before entering the Tabernacle or Temple.
Verses 7-8 Give some restrictions on who a priest may marry…he shall be holy to you, for I, ADONAI, who sanctifies you am holy.
Verses 13-14 give some very strict limitations on who the High Priest may marry. Verse 15…so as not to corrupt his offspring among his people. For I am ADONAI who sanctifies him.
Perhaps among the most difficult to understand commandments are the rules restricting priests with physical defects from serving before the LORD. Verse 18…any man who has a defect is not to draw near… verse 23…he is not to approach the curtain or come near the altar…so that he may not desecrate My sanctuary, for I am the LORD who sanctifies them.
Interestingly, the priest with the defects may share in the holy foods, verse 22 He may eat the food of his God, both the holy and the most holy.
We get similar rulings for animals being sacrificed. Leviticus 22:19-20…you are to offer a male without blemish…but whatever has a blemish you are not to present, for it will not be acceptable… However, the LORD gives an exception in Leviticus 22:23 For a freewill offering you may present a bull or a lamb that has any deformity or lacking in its parts…
Another data point is from John 9:1-3 He saw a man who had been blind since birth. His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind.” Yeshua answered, “Neither this man or his parents sinned. This happened so that the works of God might be brought to light in him.”
While the specific reasons the LORD has ruled that deformities are unsuitable for service or use in the Temple is not completely clear, He nevertheless made provision for their use through voluntary or freewill service. Maybe this is an answer to this chuk (unexplainable commandment), that despite our shortcomings, God can use us for His purposes. Our calling is to be prepared. To that end, consider these three verses:
1 Peter 2:9…you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession…
Revelation 1:6…(He) made us a kingdom, kohanim to His God and Father…
Revelation 5:10…You have made for them our God a kingdom and kohanim…
Most of this conversation is about a holiness standard specific to the Levitical priesthood. Most of us are not Levitical priests. But the concept is the same. We are called to be holy because ADONAI is holy. What in your life is standing in your way of holiness? Shabbat Shalom
Day 28 of the Omer
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sat2-May-202615th of Iyar, 5786 Parashat Emor
Le 24:1-23Ez 44:15-31Col 2:16-3:4
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