Post by alon on Apr 5, 2016 9:30:48 GMT -8
Haftara for Par’sha Tazri’a, Ezekiel 45:16-46:18
Since this Shabbat is Shabbat Ha’Hodesh, the Shabbat prior to or on (as this year) Nissan 1, this is the prescribed haftarah reading.
The prophet is speaking of the Millennium (Kingdom Age). Chapter 44 dealt with the priests and the prince. It also specifies who cannot enter the Temple; and it also talks about the priests’ inheritance.
Chapter 45 speaks of portions for other groups. Curiously our haftarah starts at the end of a discussion of the obligations of the prince to make offerings for the people; giving only the commandment of the people to give their portion to the prince.
Ezekiel 45:16 (ESV) All the people of the land shall be obliged to give this offering to the prince in Israel.
Verses 13-15 give instructions for what amounts to a tax (although it should probably be viewed more like a tithe) to the prince. Then the prince is obligated to make just offerings on their behalf.
Ezekiel 45:17 (ESV) It shall be the prince's duty to furnish the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings, at the feasts, the new moons, and the Sabbaths, all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel: he shall provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to make atonement on behalf of the house of Israel.
So the prince is to make thesin offerings (Lev 4:1-5:13), meal offerings (Lev 2), burnt offerings (Lev 1), and offerings of well being (Lev 3) at all the feasts and festivals.
Verses 18-25 speak of the feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Sukkot (Tabernacles).
Ezekiel 45:18-20(ESV) “Thus says the Lord God: In the first month, on the first day of the month, you shall take a bull from the herd without blemish, and purify the sanctuary. The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the temple, the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and the posts of the gate of the inner court. You shall do the same on the seventh day of the month for anyone who has sinned through error or ignorance; so you shall make atonement for the temple.
This is similar to the purification of the Temple for Yom Kippur (Lev 16). This suggests the Temple will be purified twice a year; a thing not commanded in , and so not done in the Temple periods. The blood of the sin offering on the first of the month purifies the Temple, alter and inner court. Like in the exodus (Ex 12:21-28), the blood atones for anyone who has sinned inadvertently.
Ezekiel 45:22 (ESV) On that day the prince shall provide for himself and all the people of the land a young bull for a sin offering.
Again we see here a practice apparently to be done in the Millennium which is not specified in . And a possible conflict arises also in the next verse:
Ezekiel 45:23 (ESV) And on the seven days of the festival he shall provide as a burnt offering to the Lord seven young bulls and seven rams without blemish, on each of the seven days; and a male goat daily for a sin offering.
Numbers 28:19 (ESV) but offer a food offering, a burnt offering to the Lord: two bulls from the herd, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old; see that they are without blemish;
The difference can be accounted for by the fact this speaks of a future time when Yeshua shall reign. Some might argue this is an error, or that it is proof of tampering. But since nothing was taken away, and only possessions were added for sacrifice and extra cleansing in a time of God’s abundance during His holy (kadosh) reign, I personally do not see a problem here.
Chapter 46, verses 1-18 deals with the worship of the prince and the people.
Ezekiel 46:1 (ESV) “Thus says the Lord God: The gate of the inner court that faces east shall be shut on the six working days, but on the Sabbath day it shall be opened, and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened.
This is where the prince will enter.
Ezekiel 46:2-3 (ESV) The prince shall enter by the vestibule of the gate from outside, and shall take his stand by the post of the gate. The priests shall offer his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate. Then he shall go out, but the gate shall not be shut until evening. The people of the land shall bow down at the entrance of that gate before the Lord on the Sabbaths and on the new moons.
And the people wil bow down by this same gate.
Ezekiel 46:4 (ESV) The burnt offering that the prince offers to the Lord on the Sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish and a ram without blemish.
Numbers 28:9 (ESV) Sabbath Offerings “On the Sabbath day, two male lambs a year old without blemish, and two tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with oil, and its drink offering:
This doesn’t quite add up; while the livestock offered is increased, the grain and drink offerings are not mentioned.
Ezekiel 46:9-10 (ESV) “When the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed feasts, he who enters by the north gate to worship shall go out by the south gate, and he who enters by the south gate shall go out by the north gate: no one shall return by way of the gate by which he entered, but each shall go out straight ahead. When they enter, the prince shall enter with them, and when they go out, he shall go out.
My JPS TNK says this entering and leaving by different gates is for efficient crowd control. Maybe. But I can’t help think there is another explanation, though I can’t think of one and haven’t found one either.
Ezekiel 46:16-18 (ESV) “Thus says the Lord God: If the prince makes a gift to any of his sons as his inheritance, it shall belong to his sons. It is their property by inheritance. But if he makes a gift out of his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his to the year of liberty. Then it shall revert to the prince; surely it is his inheritance—it shall belong to his sons. The prince shall not take any of the inheritance of the people, thrusting them out of their property. He shall give his sons their inheritance out of his own property, so that none of my people shall be scattered from his property.”
These verses deal with property rights. What God has assigned to a family cannot pass permanently from that families holdings. Gifts may be made by the prince to his sons, and they are permanent. However even the prince may not disposes others, nor even give away his own property to someone of another family/tribe.
Dan C
Sources: JPS Study TNK, Unger, my father and others