Par’shah Emor- Say

[alon]

This week’s readings:

Date of reading- 5 May 2018 /20 Iyyar 5778/ 20-2-5778

Name of Par’shah- Emor- Say

Par’shah- Leviticus 21.1-24.23

Haftara- Ezekiel 44.15-31

Brit Chadashah- Matthew 5.38-42; Galatians 3.26-29

D’rash: We are nearing the end of Leviticus, and I know it can seem difficult to slog through all the instructions laid out here. Especially as so many of them deal with the priesthood. But we need to be attentive here as there are many principles and instructions that do apply to our lives. And as one of the B’rith Chadashah readings points out, we are made heirs to all this by our faith:

Galatians 3:26-27, 29 (ESV) for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. … And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.

The first two chapters of our par’shah, as well as the haftara continue to give regulations and procedures concerning the priesthood. However here the emphasis is on holiness. Yisroel was to be a holy nation, and we who have “put on (the) Christ" are a part of that nation, adopted heirs and also set apart to Gd. I can only pull out a few things in the time available, however we should all look for the principles.

First let’s look at An Eye for an Eye:

Leviticus 24:17-20 (ESV) “Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death. Whoever takes an animal's life shall make it good, life for life. If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him.

This is the Levitical law of “measure for measure” compensation and justice for damages. Yeshua refers to this in our other B’rith Chadasha readings:

Matthew 5:38-42 (ESV) “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

But here Rav Yeshua goes further. He uses a formula of “You have heard it said” then quoting a law; and “But I say to you” then He gives instruction going past what the law says. Why does he do this?

Well, as most rabonim of the time He is building a fence around the law. If you wrong an evil person, pay him back in excess of that wrong. Also, do not refuse the needy. These things relate to the teachings about the “evil eye,” or greed; hoarding what you have- which in turn goes to our trust in HaShem to provide for us instead of our own wealth. Everything is related.

But what if it is the evil person who wronged you? It is a reality that in the courts of Yeshua’s day and in our own, money talks louder than the truth. You may lose more time, money, property, even your job and your family in a prolonged court battle which you will probably loose anyhow. And from one of Rav S’ teachings I recall that at the time a Roman soldier could slap you, and he could require you to carry his load. Resistance or refusal could result in death. In either case, your life could be better spent serving Elohim than wasted in the enemies institutions.

“But, but, didn’t Yeshua hate fences? After all, he argued with “the Pharisees” about them.” No. He did not attack all fences, and He built a few Himself in that same “Sermon On the Mount.” The fences He argued against were the ones that caused others to violate , or which themselves violated . He also argued against excessive fences which made peoples lives burdensome and were impossible to keep anyhow. I remember reading about a missionary to Israel who asked a man who was obviously violating the Sabbath why he did it? His reply was something to the effect “I can’t keep all the laws anyhow, so why bother?” By laws he meant not only but the excessive fences placed on and the Rabbinical Judaic view that these fences were themselves binding as law.

As halacha they may be binding, but as rabbinical rulings they are not the same as scriptural law. They were never to violate , nor cause others to do so.

I say this to point out that some of us need to change how we look at fences. As Meshiachim we do not follow all the fences of Rabbinic Judaism. But if they keep us from violating there is nothing wrong with sensible, biblically based fences.

[alon]

Leviticus 23 talks about the moedim, translated in English Bibles as “Feasts.” This is a very narrow and inaccurate translation:

H4150 מועד moed (mow`ed), properly, an appointment, i.e. a fixed time or season; specifically, a festival; conventionally a year; by implication, an assembly (as convened for a definite purpose); technically the congregation; by extension, the place of meeting; also a signal (as appointed beforehand):—appointed (sign, time), (place of, solemn) assembly, congregation, (set, solemn) feast, (appointed, due) season, solemn(-ity), synogogue, (set) time (appointed).

A “signal (as appointed beforehand)” infers a dressed rehearsal. These moedim were not just important for their national identity as the ones chosen of Elohim; they are prophetic of those times when Gd would interact with mankind in powerful, predetermined ways in order to bring about the redemption of all who call on Him by name in truth and in Spirit.

Leviticus 24:10-11, (ESV) Now an Israelite woman's son, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the people of Israel. And the Israelite woman's son and a man of Israel fought in the camp, and the Israelite woman's son blasphemed the Name, and cursed. Then they brought him to Moses. His mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. …  Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Bring out of the camp the one who cursed, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him.

One possible scenario: this man could not be blamed for his fathers race, however people being people I can imagine he suffered taunts, insults and attacks all his life. Growing up this can leave a person emotionally scarred. And it is very possible that the man he fought with was one of those; and that the witnesses were some of the same tormentors now egging the fight on. If not then certainly men of the same character. The Egyptian’s blasphemy was likely aimed at his Hebrew tormentors, meant to their Gd, and thus them too. However since he was “sojourning” with the Hebrews he could and would be held accountable for blaspheming the Holy Name.

But we see Gd’s instructions for these men who are accusing the Egyptian of blaspheming are telling. They were to lay “hands,” so this means both hands, on the head of the man about to be executed. This is done when transferring sins to an animal before it is sacrificed or sent away (note: I am not saying the Egyptian was a human sacrifice). They would also have to throw stones at him. I think here Gd may be showing these men, the Hebrews and us, that the accusers were implicit in this man’s sin and death.

I can imagine their glee at running to tell of the Egyptians crime. But I bet they were a totally different picture leaving the scene of the punishment. I can also imagine the pure hatred they would feel directed towards them every time Shelomith, whose name ironically means “peace and love” would see them in the way.

Our haftara does have an interesting rule concerning the priests:

Ezekiel 44:20 (ESV) They shall not shave their heads or let their locks grow long; they shall surely trim the hair of their heads.

This looks back to:

Leviticus 21:5 (ESV) They shall not make bald patches on their heads, nor shave off the edges of their beards, nor make any cuts on their body.

So they, and we are to be well groomed, just not as the pagans do it:

1 Peter 2:9 (ESV) But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

And so we come back to the thesis point of our readings. If not the specific instructions, then certainly the biblical principles found in these Levitical and other instructions apply to us. We are a priesthood set aside to Elohim.

Does anyone know what the difference in a priest and a prophet is?

A prophet ministers from Gd to the people, while a priest ministers from the people to Gd. So if we are all priests, then we are all ministering to (or serving) HaShem. And so we are to keep ourselves pure and presentable before Him.

Daniel Alon Caan

Mekorot: JPS Study TNK, Pastor Ed Cole, W Wiersbe, FB Meyer, Rav S, Pastor M Biltz, A Fruh, several reference books, my father and others