Lev. 06 : 01 - 08 : 36 Tzav “Command”

[R' Y'hoshua Moshe]

The following is the commentary for this week's reading compliments of Rabbi Yaakov BenYosef. Please share your thoughts. Enjoy!

Tzav “Command” - Vayikra (Leviticus) 6:1- 8:36
15 Adar 2 5765 – Mar. 26, 2005

When the Cohen HaGadol sinned, he could not officiate at the altar. As a result, the Children of Yisrael would not have an intermediary to place their sacrifices on the altar. Vayikra 4:3 makes it clear that when this happened, the entire nation shared in the guilt. Since an unclean Cohen HaGadol brought guilt on the entire nation, consecration of the Cohen HaGadol was essential to the welfare of Yisrael. Unfortunately, since an unclean Cohen HaGadol could not officiate at the altar, he could not atone for his own sin. Therefore, an intermediary was needed who could officiate at the altar. An intermediary worthy of atoning for the High Priest required a greater anointing than a priest. The one individual in Yisrael that had a greater anointing was Moshe. In fact, his anointing was so exulted that he spoke to HaShem face to face as Shemot 33:11 states “the LORD spoke unto Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” Moshe’s face-to-face contact with HaShem gave him a state holiness that kept him constantly in the Lords presence. Moshe’s level of holiness was so great that he was even considered to be like god to the High Priest. In fact, the translation of Shemot 4:16 from The Complete Jewish Bible, states, “for you he will be a mouth; and for him, you will be like God”. Through Moshe, it was possible for the High Priest to become clean, and return to his duties in the Tabernacle. In Tzav, we can see how Moshe anointed and sacrificed for Aharon and his sons so that they could begin their duties in the Tabernacle.

As part of HaShem’s requirements of sanctification, He commanded Moshe to wash, clothe, and anoint the cohenim. The first part of the cohenim’s sanctification required an outward change. The first step required the cohen to bathe. Vayikra 8:6 states “Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water”. Washing the High Priest prepared him to wear the holy garments. The second step in an outward change was for the High Priest to clothe himself with the Holy garments. Vayikra 8:7-9 states “he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded him with the curious girdle of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith. And he put the breastplate upon him: also he put in the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim. And he put the mitre upon his head; also upon the mitre, even upon his forefront, did he put the golden plate, the holy crown; as the LORD commanded Moses.” Wearing the holy garments represented that the High Priest was to remain holy. The holy garments of the High Priest symbolized HaShem’s Holiness in the midst of uncleanness. The High Priest was required to separate himself from all uncleanness. If the High Priest became unclean, all of Yisrael bore the guilt. The final step in an outward change required Aharon to be anointed. The anointing of the High Priest allowed him to receive anointing with the same fragrant oil that anointed the Tabernacle. As a result, the High Priest became a vessel of the Tabernacle. The High Priest was to exude the same pleasing aroma that the Tabernacle did. The outward change of the High Priest was required so everyone in Yisrael could witness HaShem in their midst. As a result, the outward appearance and fragrance of the High Priest became a testimony to HaShem.

HaShem also wanted the High Priest’s inner holiness to match his outward appearance. Therefore, the High Priest was also required to be spiritually clean. For the spiritual cleansing HaShem commanded sacrificial offerings. The first sacrifice required for the sanctification of the High Priest was the sin offering. Vayikra 8:14 states “He brought the bullock for the sin offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the bullock for the sin offering.” Unlike the sin offering mentioned in Vayikra 4, this sin offering was not slain by the person bringing the offering. In this instance, the intermediary killed the offering. Because Moshe was the only individual in Yisrael that was holier than the High Priest, Moshe was the only individual able to sanctify the High Priest. HaShem’s presence in the Tabernacle sanctified every individual that brought an offering. Therefore, after the tabernacle was functional, anyone that brought an offering was required to slay the sacrifice. Another symbol representing the spiritual cleansing of the High Priest was the blood commitment. Vayikra 8:23-24 “Moses took of the blood of it, and put it upon the tip of Aaron’s right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot. And he brought Aaron’s sons, and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear, and upon the thumbs of their right hands, and upon the great toes of their right feet: and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about.” When the blood was placed on the right ear, right hand, and right toe of Aharon and his sons they entered into a covenant with HaShem that required them to dedicate their lives hearing, doing, and walking in HaShem’s will. Therefore, placing the blood on Aharon and his sons symbolized their commitment to serve HaShem with their heart, soul, and strength. Aharon and his sons then presented a wave offering from the ram of sanctification. This was done to symbolize the gratefulness of Aharon and his sons because HaShem had sanctified them in flesh and in spirit. Finally, to show Yisrael their lives were totally dedicated to HaShem. Aharon and his sons were required to sit in the presence of HaShem, and not leave the tabernacle for seven days. At the end of seven days, they were sanctified and were allowed to leave the Tabernacle. When they left the tabernacle on the eighth day Aharon and his sons had been transformed in flesh and in spirit and were now acceptable priests.

Because an unclean High Priest brought guilt into the whole congregation the sanctification of the High Priest was a crucial part of worship at the tabernacle. However, to sanctify the High Priest required an individual with a greater anointing than the High Priest. Therefore, HaShem chose Moshe as His vessel of sanctification. For the sanctification of Aharon and his sons, they were required to commit their spirits and their flesh to HaShem. To sanctify the priests flesh, required them to bathe, wear the holy garments, and be anointed. To sanctify the priests spirits required them to bring sacrifices and commit to serving HaShem with their heart, soul, and strength. As a result, when Aharon and his sons finished the sanctification process they represented worship that was founded on spirit and in truth.

By Rabbi Yaakov benYosef – ABOUT-.org

[Sam]

Here are some of my notes from this on vayikra and tzav. Please correct me if you believe I'm wrong about anything.

Vayikra “And He Called" & Tzav "Command”<br>
Vayikra 1-8


Korban - The Hebrew word Korban translated as “offering” or “sacrifice” comes from a root word which means “to draw near”. Hence the purpose of these sacrifices is to draw near to God.



The Olah - Vayikra 1:1-17, 6:8-13, 7:8

The Olah - The Elevation Offering AKA The Burnt Offering (volunteer offering)

Olah in Hebrew means "cause to ascend up to God"

Carl and Julie Parker from mim.net say this about the Olah:

The Olah today is how we elevate others in front of God. When God dwells in us and we fellowship with each other, God dwells in our midst. This becomes the elevation offering.

This sounds good but I'm not sure I completely agree with this interpretation.

To me the Olah represents Zeal and Dedication, but most of all it represents Love. This is the only offering that is consumed by God completely. This offering is about giving 100% of ourselves to God. "You are to love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." It is about God giving 100% of Himself (Yeshua) to us. "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son…"

Some questions – Doesn’t God descend to us? What exactly is it that is ascending here?



The Minchah - Vayikra 2:1-14, 6:14-23, 7:9-10

The Minchah - The meal offering also called the grain offering. (volunteer offering)

The Memorial Portion - In this offering a Memorial Portion of the offering was consumed by God. This portion represents Yeshua the Bread of Life sacrificed for us.

A Thing Most Holy - The rest of the offering was given to the High Priest and priests as a thing most holy. Not just holy, but most holy. The difference between holy and most holy was explained to me in this way. When something holy touches something unclean it becomes unclean, but when something most holy touches something unclean the unclean becomes holy.

The Ordination Offering – The Minchah offered by the priest the day he becomes anointed.

To me this offering represents Strength. As a nation of priests we get not only get strength from God in us, but also from God in each other. Just as we get our physical strength from physical bread, so also do we get spiritual strength from the spiritual bread offered to each other. The Minchah is like interceding in prayer for others or giving to the poor (Acts 10:4). This offering is all about loving our neighbors as ourselves. The blessing we receive in return for this offering is Joy. "The joy of the Lord is our strength."



The Shelamim - Vayikra 3:1-17, 7:11-21 & 7:29-34

The Shelamim - The Peace Offering (volunteer offering)

Shelamim is Hebrew for peace, friendship, or fellowship.


Two types of Shelamim offerings:

Korban Todah – The todah is a thanksgiving offering and is brought in recognition of a miracle that was done for the person by God. The todah is the only sacrifice which is accompanied by leavened bread. Other sacrifices (the neder/nedavah included) are only accompanied by unleavened bread. The todah must be eaten by the morning after it is brought. (Psalm 116:17)

Neder or Nedavah. – A neder/nedavah offering is just brought by an individual when he swore to bring an offering to God – not in recognition of a particular event. The neder/nedavah is allotted a day, a night, and the following day in which to be eaten.

Some quotes on the Shelamim:

Natan Lawrence in “Waters of the Wilderness”:

…[F]or the Peace Offering to occur one had to be in a spiritual state of peace, good health or balance before Elohim with regard to sin. Only then can we have true fellowship with our Heavenly Father, and this occurs through the sacrificial work of Yeshua…[our sin offering]

A comment by Rashi on the Shelamim:

They are called ‘peace-offerings’ because they bring peace into the world. They are called ‘peace-offerings’ because there is peace in them — for the Mizebe’ach [Alter], and for the Cohenim, and for the owner.

We also share our peace offering with those we invite.

I believe that the Shelamim represents unity (echad) as well as peace and fellowship with God.



The Chatat - Vayikra 4:1-35 & 7:7

The Chatat – Sin Offering

The Hebrew word for sin (Chatah) means “to miss the mark”. Whereas the root word for (Yarah) means “to hit the mark”.

Here’s a quote I pulled from Shema.com:

The Sin Offering was basic to all the other offerings. It was the first sacrifice offered. You dealt with the thing that separated you from God -- sin -- before you offered the Burnt Offering of dedication or the Grain Offering of sanctified labor, followed by the Peace Offering of fellowship. First, sin must be atoned for. Then comes dedication and service to God, then genuine fellowship and intimacy with God. You cannot truly serve God until you have genuine atonement. You cannot have genuine intimacy and fellowship and closeness with God until your sins are atoned for, and you are serving the Lord.

A sin offering is for unintentional sin if you sin intentionally you are in rebellion against God and there ceases to be a sacrifice for sin.



The Asham - Vayikra 5:1-6:7 & 7:1-7

The Asham – The Guilt or Trespass Offering

Asham comes from the Hebrew root meaning “to fail in one’s duty,” or “to be negligent” or “to become guilty.”<br>
I believe this verse goes with the Asham: "... f you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering." Matthew 5:23-24



Some additional thoughts:

Tenupah - The wave offering was waved horizontally toward the alter and then back toward the priest.
Terumah - The heave offering was lifted vertically toward the heavens and then back to the priest.
These both symbolize giving to God and God giving back to us.

The volunteer offerings seem to be forms of worship, while the mandatory offerings seem to be a form of Teshuvah (repentance or to deliberately return). If I had more time I would dig a little deeper, I guess it’ll have to wait until next year.


Shalom,

Sam

[R' Y'hoshua Moshe]

Shalom chaverim u'mishpochah,

The following is a d'rash on parashah Tzav for this week's service from one of our teachers at our synagogue

Enjoy!

Blaze of Glory

[/u]

perpetual theocratic pyro-technica for your pneuro-cardial altar

for Parashah Tzav

by K. Phipps[/center]

The more enthusiastically you participate in a particular activity or make use of a particular object defines the level of passion you have for that activity or object. Some things we do because we have to. Other things we do because we want to. This is the difference between passion and duty. Passion comes from within, where duty comes from without. If you have the feeling you are nothing more than a pawn in a never-ending chess game, then your life is dictated by duty, not passion. When you do something out of your own choice and anticipate it with joy and excitement, this is passion. It comes from you.

When you came here today, you came to worship God. Did you drive, or were you driven. Did you come out of a sincere desire to draw close to God, or because it is Shabbat, and on Shabbat this is just the thing to do? Would going to the mall, or watching a basketball playoff be more exciting to you? When you think about spiritual matters does your heart sigh in boredom, or burn hot like the furnace of Nebuchadnezzar? The difference is passion.

“ Fire is to be kept burning on the altar continually; it is not to go out.” - Vayikra/Leviticus 6:6(13)

On the altar of the tabernacle, there was a fire, which burned continually. The other fires used for the offerings came from this fire. There is a Jewish midrash which postulates that this fire actually burned in the form of a crouching lion. The allusion to the Lion of the Tribe of Judah is no accident if this is true. Isra'el had a fire, which symbolized the passion of Isra'el for their God, which never went out. It was renewed every morning by the priests during the morning sacrifices. The movie, “Passion of Christ”, ironically is a movie that centers around the crucifixion of Yeshua, which took place on the vertical altar of the cross. However, unlike the movie depicting torture and death, the eternal fire on the altar never died, and symbolized the passion which was to burn not only in Isra'el as a whole, but each member of that kingdom. It also symbolized the extreme joy, power, purity, and love, which can only be experienced by drawing close to God.
So, how is this eternal, all consuming fire kept burning?

"Give this order to Aharon and his sons: 'This is the law for the burnt offering [Hebrew: 'olah]: it is what goes up [Hebrew: 'olah] on its firewood upon the altar all night long, until morning; in this way the fire of the altar will be kept burning. - Vayikra/Leviticus 6:2(9)

We see two ingredients in this passage, a sacrifice and wood.

“ I exhort you, therefore, brothers, in view of God's mercies, to offer yourselves as a sacrifice, living and set apart for God. This will please him; it is the logical "Temple worship" for you. 2 In other words, do not let yourselves be conformed to the standards of the 'olam hazeh. Instead, keep letting yourselves be transformed by the renewing of your minds; so that you will know what God wants and will agree that what he wants is good, satisfying and able to succeed.” - Romans 12:1-2

The penalty for sin is death. Sin can only be atoned for through the shedding of blood. This is a precedent set in the Garden. Rather than requiring the shedding of blood from the sinner, the concept of substitutionary atonement was set up. The animal which was sacrificed took on the punishment on behalf of the offerer, so he or she would not have to. Yeshua then, became the sacrifice by shedding his own blood for all those who would believe in Him. Did He then do away with the sacrificial system? No. The principles behind the sacrificial system are still intact today. In fact, the offerer is actually that sacrifice. In this case there is no substitutionary atonement. We are each called to be a living sacrifice for God. We bring ourselves to the altar and sacrifice ourselves through the “renewing of our mind”. One of the Hebrew words for mind is “nephesh” which incorporates mind, heart, and spirit. Ironically, another word which can be used for mind is “ruach” which is the main word for spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Ruach Ha Kodesh in Hebrew.

In the parashah, the specific offering described is a burnt offering. This was a complete consumption of the sacrifice on the altar. The other offerings were only partially consumed by the fire, and partially consumed by the offerer and the priests. The burnt offering was completely burned up to signify the complete surrender of the offerer to God and His service. We are to become a living burnt offering to God. We completely give ourselves, heart, mind, and spirit to God, and He replaces our spirit with the Ruach Ha Kodesh. This is only part of the equation, for keeping the altar fire burning. The other part was wood.

Where does wood come from? Trees.

“Happy the person who finds wisdom, the person who acquires understanding; 14 for her profit exceeds that of silver, gaining her is better than gold, 15 she is more precious than pearls -nothing you want can compare with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand, riches and honor in her left. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who grasp her; whoever holds fast to her will be made happy.” - Mishlei/Proverbs 3:13-18

When we have completely given our lives over to God, making ourselves a living sacrifice, how do we actually live our lives and make the decisions were are forced to make every day? The answer to this is wisdom.

The fear of YHVH is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. - Mishlei/Proverbs 1:7
Wisdom begins with the fear of God. If we have given ourselves completely to God, He is our King. He guides our lives with the laws and principles of His . Fear of God mixed with obedience to His results in wisdom. David tells us that His Word is lamp unto our feet. Solomon tells us that if we trust in God, He directs our paths. Through His wisdom, we know how to live. We know what to do and how to do it. We are taught principles and values which guide how we think and react to the world around us. We are no longer a slave of the world, but a servant of God.

Yeshua provides us with atonement through His shed blood. This preserves our lives physically from our sins, however, spiritually we are still expected to be living sacrifices for God. This involves a renewing of the altar of our heart and mind. We add to this the guidance that comes from our fear of God and obedience to His , resulting in wisdom. All this together results in an unquenchable, all consuming, refining fire, which burns within us with the fierceness of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. An excitement for the ways and worship of God will be felt like nothing we have ever felt before. Suddenly shopping or basketball take on a different level of passion and importance in our lives. Such things are seen as the vanity that they truly are.
The wood and the sacrifices which kept the eternal fire burning were renewed every day. If the priests neglected their duties, the fire would go out. The offerings made at the altar required a drawing close to the God of Isra'el. Every day, we must draw come to the altar, draw close to God, make ourselves the living sacrifice God has called us to be, and renew God's wisdom within us, to fan the flames of God's holy fire which makes us a light to the nations of the world.

Let's burn with the blaze of God's glory that only He can give.

[R' Y'hoshua Moshe]

Shalom chaverim,

The following is a message that was taught today at our synagogue by one of our resident Teachers. I wanted to post it earlier in the week, but with the Purim week business I didn't get the finalized version until Sabbath morning. At any rate...Enjoy!

What’s Up

A lesson on parashah 25; Tzav

Vayikra/Lev. 6:1(8)-8:36

by Oriyan P

“For awhile, I did so well. Anyone else would have thought it impossible, but I dared to prove them wrong. With courage and faith, I ventured out. I was amazed with what I could do! My bravery soon faded into fear, however. Fear like I’ve never known before in my life. My very life was before me. On either side were walls of darkness and terror! I began further and further and escape was hopeless. Death was inevitable. Why had I allowed myself to get this far? I could have played it safe. How could I have been so stupid? Now the depths of the earth are about to consume me!
In the midst of my sorrow, I hear a familiar voice. It is hard to hear. Finally I make out, “Up! Look up! For the first time I look up to find a hand. The hand of a man, a carpenter, my friend, my Yeshua!”
I don’t know exactly was was going through the mind of Kefa (Peter) as he began after taking his eyes off Yeshua, while walking to Him on the stormy Sea of Galilee, but those words may be close.

None of us have ever been in the same situation as Kefa was, but in different ways, I’m sure we all have been able to identify with the feeling of hopelessness and despair when the sins of the world threaten to engulf us. I find it interesting that when Kefa took his eyes off Yeshua, he began to sink. This idea of going down is often used in Scripture to show the effects of getting farther away from God. Even the first sin is said to lead to “the fall” of mankind.

“The nations have drowned in the pit they dug, caught their own feet in the net they hid.”
~ Tehellim/Psalms 9:15

“And you, K’far-Nachum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Sh’ol!”
~ Luke 10:15

I don’t know how exactly it came about, but from the beginning, it seems people have understood the concept that up is good and down is bad. Perhaps it is the rising sun that brings light and the setting sun which brings darkness. Perhaps it is the field which grows upward until harvest when it is cut down. Perhaps it is the notion that the sky or heavens is the dwelling place of God, thus looking up, getting up, and going up is considered the way to get closer to God.

“Who may go up to the mountain of Adonai? Who can stand in his holy place?” ~ Tehellim/Psalms 24:3

“Every good act of giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father who made the heavenly lights …” ~ Ya’akov/James 1:17

Incidently, when one goes to Egypt, which is a picture of sin in Scripture, one always goes down to Egypt. Conversely, one always goes up to Jerusalem. So what’s up with all this? Well, in this week’s parashah, we read about the olah, or burnt offering. Olah is Hebrew for “ascend”, or “that which goes up”. The burnt offering was an offering given to God, which was completely burned up on the altar. It signified a complete surrender to God. Other offerings were only partially burned and the rest eaten as a meal between the priests and the offerer.

We have no physical temple, thus no physical burnt offerings today. So how does this relate to us? First, Yeshua became a type of olah or burnt offering for us, in the sense that he completely gave up His life. Through faith in Him, we live through His sacrifice for us. Now, according to Sha’ul, we live as living sacrifices for God. We are to become the olah. We do not make ourselves an olah, God does. Our offering is our service to Him. God then lifts us out of the pit of our sins and puts our feet on firm ground. Take a look at these verses:

“Adonai, you lifted me up from Sh’ol; you kept me alive when I was into a pit.”
~ Tehellim/Psalms 30:3

“He brought me up from the roaring pit, up from the muddy ooze, and set my feet on a rock, making my footing firm.”
~ Tehellim/Psalms 40:2

I will endure Adonai’s rage, because I sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and judges in my favor. Then he will bring me out to the light, and I will see his justice. ~ Micah 7:8

He also told them a parable: "Can one blind man lead another blind man? Won't they both fall into a pit?" ~ Luke 6:39

There are many similar verses throughout Scripture. Here we not only see more of the concept that up is where the things of God are and down is the opposite, where sin and death dwell, but that God raises us up out of the pit. The Hebrew for “raise up” or “bring up” in many of these and other verses is “olah”, or the root, which is “alah”.

A logical point I want to make here is that to go up implies direction and movement. It also implies a starting point. You can’t be brought up, if you are not brought up from somewhere. Likewise, to be brought up implies you are being brought up to somewhere. God saves us from death to life, darkness to light, self to love, wickedness to righteousness. It is important for us to always remember both what we are saved from and what we are saved to.

It is also important for us to remember, as mentioned earlier, that Yeshua sacrificed Himself fully, as an olah offering, in order to make us a living olah offering, serving Him fully in our lives. Sha’ul not only states this in Romans 12, but describes exactly how this happens for us four chapters earlier in chapter 8.

“Having one’s mind controlled by the old nature is hostile to God, because it does not submit itself to God’s – indeed, it cannot. Thus, those who identify with their old nature cannot please God. But you, you do not identify with your old nature but with the Spirit – provided the Spirit of God is living inside you, for anyone who doesn’t have the Spirit of the Messiah doesn’t belong to him. However, if the Messiah is in you, then, on the one hand, the body is dead because of sin; but, on the other hand, the Spirit is giving life because God considers you righteous. And if the Spirit of the One who raised Yeshua from the dead is living in you, then the One who raised the Messiah Yeshua from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you. So then, brothers, we don’t owe a thing to our old nature that would require us to live according to our old nature. For if you live according to your old nature, you will certainly die; but if, by the Spirit, you keep putting to death the practices of the body, you will live. All who are led by the Spirit are God’s sons.”
~ Romans 8:6-14

I want to make a couple of points here. First, this does not sound like someone who is against Believers following , and all they need to do is believe. There are two distinct ways to live. We live according to the old nature or the new nature led by the Spirit (of v.2) Something else to note is that the putting to death of the old nature is a continual process, not a one time deal. This is the daily, morning and evening burnt offering that goes along with the morning and evening prayers as the priests performed in the tabernacle and temple. If the old nature is not completely surrendered to God, the Spirit of cannot have it’s proper place in our lives, to give us life, true life, eternal life.

We are not saved by our works. Sha’ul clearly teaches this. God is the one who saves us. I don’t think we fully understand the extent of God’s salvation, however. He doesn’t just pull us out of the pit of hell, but makes us His sons and daughters! This is a grace even more amazing than my human brain can comprehend. Along with King David, I say:

“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars that you set in place – what are mere mortals, that you concern yourself with them; humans, that you watch over them with such care?” ~ Tehillim/Psa. 8:3

David wrote that before God came Himself, as Yeshua, to die on our behalf out of His extreme love for us. David’s use of “mortals” is general for all humanity, the righteous and the unrighteous, the Jew and Gentile, observant and non observant. Some argue about salvation by works as if this is even remotely possible. Even the most devout observant Believer in the world, does not warrant attention of any kind from the King of the Universe, much less salvation from sin, citizenship in His Kingdom, son or daughter status, and intimate communion in His very presence! The only thing that can do this is God’s grace. It always has and always will.

When I consider all that God has done for me, and continues to do for me, and things I have no idea about for my future, the few “commands” He gives me in seems insignificant compared to what I ought to do for Him. It’s no longer, “what do I have to do?”, but “what can I do?”. How many of God’s commands can I accomplish in my life? Along with David, I see as a joy and a privilege, not so much of an obligation as a privilege. The obligation is still there, but we need to get beyond the obligation and follow out of a sincere desire to worship, please, and love God. Though I do not believe that Yeshua came to fulfill the in a way which removes our ability and duty to follow it, to me it wouldn’t make a difference, even if He did. If it pleases God as an acceptable sacrifice of myself to Him to show my love and devotion to God as my King, then by all means I want to do it.

By studying and applying it to my life, I keep my eyes on the Living , which is Yeshua. In doing so, like Kefa, I not only am raised up out of the depths of death, despair, and destruction, but I fearlessly walk on the waters of truth and salvation with my Messiah.

[Bob]

Shalom,
What does it mean in Vayikra 7:21 when it says "that person shall be cut off from his people?
What would happen to this person?
Would he be sent away?
Would he be put to death? (like the man in B'midbar 15:32?)

If one was cut off from his people does that mean he was no longer considered redeemed?

How would this apply to today? I am thinking the modern equivalent would be found in Mittityahu 18:17 or even 1 Corinthians 5:4-5.
This does not speak to me that the malefactor will have lost his salvation but is not allowed open fellowship with other believers until he has repented. Galations 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. KJV

[Mark]

Hi Bob,

First, there are several examples of ther phrase "shall be cut off from the people"; yet, they all have one consistent theme: blatant disregard for the specific command of Adonai:

to not circumcise your son (Gensis 17:14)
retaining leaven at the feast of unleavened bread (Exodus 12:15, 19)
reproducing the holy anointing oil fo personal use (Exodus 30:33)
keeping the holiness of the Sabbath (Exodus 31:14)
partaking of the sacrifices while unclean (Leviticus 7:20)...

the list goes on.

Yet, consistently, the theme is this: either you are part of us or you or not; but you can't be in with us without buying in with us. It is the same way as in the congregation today: if we, as a Messianic community promote the biblical holidays and someone is intent on promoting Easter, there's a problem. If the person will not buy in with us, then they don't belong. They will inevitably cause discord.

There is a good deal of debate as to what it means to cut off someone from among your people. The general concensus is that they die; but that is not at all universal. It can be assumed because the command in Exodus 31, regarding the Sabbath is that if a person profanes the day by doing work, he is to be "cut off from among his people". Yet, the example in Numbers 15 has the young man who gathered sticks on the Sabbath was stoned to death. It can be presumed that to "cut off" is an idiom for capitol punishment. Others suggest that to be "cut off" simply means banishment from the congregation; but understanding the cultures that surrounded them at the time of the Exodus and the malice toward the Jewish people throughout the centuries, banishment may easily be considered a less humane execution than stoning. The young man could have easily become a ritual sacrifice or suffered starvation. The conclusion is that, by this point, once the people has already decided and agreed that they would follow after Adonai (and the opportunity for them to leave had already been extended several times) if they are remaining; but refusing to live according to the standards laid forth for the people, they can't stay among them in any regard.

[Prodigal Girl]

The "cutting off" in terms of banishment at least, was practiced by the early congregation, as well as churches since then including some very few today. The popular prevalent practice in the typical American megachurch today, however, seems to be that generally many including the pastor are quite unaware of what most of the congregation is up to. Even if they do happen to be aware of blatant examples of disobedience to the clear commandments in the Bible, of a member of the congregation, frequently not much is done in many cases, in the direction of cutting off. Though in the case of a church leader and it is known, there is usually some sort of at least temporary removal from the church office, or at least the person is sometimes passed on to another church.
There really is very little regulation, hence the scariness in some settings; you often never know exactly what kind of person is really shepherding your children. Unfortunately the government courts have had to step in, in some cases. Which is a huge , according to Paul. I think there is some confusion in the understanding of many regarding what forgiveness exactly means. Do you let a pastor who carried on a secret adulterous affair for a year and a half, with a woman he counseled, continue as a pastor after he "repents" and does a "time out" for awhile? Does "forgive and forget" mean you let a "repentant" youth pastor who has molested children go back and work with children again? The government courts would certainly have a problem with the latter case at least, and a practicing psychologist could lose his license permanently in a similar case to the first example. But the church, apparently, is more lenient. Which is why things like this sometimes end up in the courts.

[alon]

Combined a couple of threads and bumping them as they are this weeks par'shah.

Dan