Shalom!
We pray that you had a restful and meaningful Sabbath this past week.
This past Sabbath’s Torah Portion was the 81st parshah of the 3-year Torah Reading Cycle. (If you are so led to participate in reading and studying the weekly Torah Readings, we have put the assigned portions for each upcoming Sabbath on our “home” page for your convenience.)
We haven’t posted any Torah Reading studies for well over a month. Unfortunately, we have been hard at work on several ministry projects over the last month or so. However, as Yah allows, we will do our best to post teachings on the readings going forward.
May you be blessed by the following thoughts and reflections on Reading 81.
The Torah Reading was contained in Leviticus/Vayiqra 6:12-7:38, with a Haftarah Reading contained in Malachi 3:4-12 and an Apostolic Reading contained in Luke 6:39-49.
Torah Reading 81
Terminology:
Sacrifice-Korban–Unfortunate translation; loss, giving up something, conjures up negative images. Korban (aka Offering), the root word means “to draw close to.” These sacrifices were put into place by Yehovah so that His chosen ones would be able to have a “personal connection to Him” if he/she desired to become close to Him. The Apostle James (aka, James the Just, the half-brother of Master Yahoshua) wrote: “Subject yourselves therefore to Elohim; and stand firm against the accuser and he will flee from you. Draw near to Elohim, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners: sanctify your hearts, you who are divided in mind (i.e., you indecisive ones)” (4:7-8; AENT). Yah said the following through the Prophet Zechariah: “Turn to Me…and I will turn to you…”(1:3). Korban when it was done properly (physically and spiritually by the offerer), facilitated a “heart-felt relationship” and “intimacy” with the Creator of the Universe. These offerings were meant to “unite the worshiper with Yehovah.” These offerings provided the worshiper with the means of properly expressing their thanks to OR forgiveness from Yehovah. At its very core, Korban was an “expression of faith” when conducted properly by the worshiper (i.e., he/she with a pure and circumcised heart obediently comes into the presence of Yehovah).
- “Not all offerings were for forgiveness of sins:
- 3 were voluntary expressions of worship, and they included (a) Burnt or Whole Offerings; (b) Grain Offerings whereby there was no application of blood to the brazen altar; and (c) Peace or Fellowship Offerings.
- 2 were mandatory expressions of remorse for one’s sins, and they included: (a) Sin Offerings; and (b) Guilt Offerings” (“Tabernacle of Moses: Leviticus 2 Grain or Meal Offering by Dr. Terry Harman“).
(6:12-13) The fire of the brazen altar was never to be extinguished or allowed to go out. Abba repeats this twice. The Levitical Priest burned wood on it each morning–I guess this means he was to attend to the flames each morning as his co-Levite would tend to the menorah each morning (aka, boker). And it was this same priest’s duty to lay the burnt offering on the altar in its prescribed order: burning the fat and the shalom offerings.
At this time in humanity’s history, the only means by which people could approach Yehovah was through His prescribed sacrificial system. There were no other true means of drawing nigh or communing with Yehovah. Yehovah accepted the substitutionary/volitional offerings of those who obeyed His instructions for presenting their sacrifices and who possessed a properly circumcised heart.
All prescribed items that were to be rendered unto Yehovah had to be of the highest quality, such as fine flour and animals without blemish. The fine flour that would be mixed with oil and incense, when baked, produced a light texture bread. It was a favored bread in ancient times. Such flour was expensive and not as readily accessible as the coarser flour that was common to the commoner of ancient times.
(6:14-18; 7:9-10) The Grain/Meal Offering–a handful of the offered flour, the oil, and the frankincense would be burnt upon the altar unto Yehovah as a sweet fragrance. The remainder of it was to be consumed by Aharon and his sons in the court of the holy Tabernacle. These were to eat this portion of the grain offering with unleavened bread. This Yah-given portion of the burnt offering that was consumed by the Aharonic was considered and treated as “most holy,” just as the sin and guilt offerings.
This offering, according to Dr. Terry Harman, the Tabernacle Man, served as a voluntary expression of worship. In rendering unto Yehovah a Grain Offering, the worshiper was “recognizing Yehovah’s faithfulness and His provisions.“
In fact, it was required that every male Levitical Priest was required to partake of this most holy apportioned meal. This was a perpetual ordinance. Any who would touch this portion would become set apart. (What does this mean?) According to Tim Hegg of Torah Resources, one could interpret this as being an obligatory statement such that any who would come into direct contact with this portion of the grain offering “ought to be holy.” Or it could be an injunctive statement such that any that would come into direct contact with this portion of the offering “must be holy.” Or lastly, it could be taken as a declarative statement, such that any who would come into direct contact with this portion of the offering “will be made holy.” Hegg indicates in his commentary on this parashah that he leans towards the declarative understanding: that the one coming into direct contact with this portion of the offering will be made holy or consecrated.
Bear in mind that that portion of this grain offering that was offered unto Yah was the raw elements of fine flour, oil, and incense. However, that portion that would be consumed by the cohenim had to be baked and then consumed in a “holy place.” This was done to illustrate the fellowship and communion that was to exist between the cohenim and Yehovah. Yehovah shares the offering that was provided by a worshiper with His intermediaries, the cohenim. This was a true form of fellowship and or communion between the Creator of the Universe and His human creation. Thus, the limitations placed on when and where this meal could be consumed: that being within the confines of the Tabernacle grounds.
This of course foreshadows the sacrifice that our Master, Yahoshua HaMashiyach, made on our behalf. His atoning sacrifice makes the one who takes in that sacrifice holy. In fact, it is only through this established sacrificial system that one is made whole; today, it is only through our Master’s Passion that one is made truly whole, righteous, and holy. In this vane, Hegg inserts into this discussion the example of the woman who suffered from the “issue of blood.” Ordinarily, any individual who would come into contact with this woman would be rendered ritually unclean. However, when the woman came into direct contact with the Mashiyach (simply by grabbing hold of His tzitzit), it was she who was made whole (i.e., healed of her uncleanness). Master Yahoshua’s holiness consecrated the soul that came into direct contact with Him. Praise Yehovah from Whom all blessings and provisions flow!!!!!
The Grain Offering expresses that all I have belongs to Yehovah!
(6:19-23) The Prescribed Offering to be Rendered unto Yah on the day Aharon and his sons were to be anointed. A grain (aka Meat Offering according to KJV and other received-text-based translations) offering split into 2: one of the halves was to be offered in the morning and the other half in the evening. The entire offering was to be burnt; none of it was to be eaten. Certainly, this can be understood from the perspective that the anointed Cohen’s service was first and foremost dedicated to the service of Yehovah. Thus, this specific grain offering was to be wholly rendered unto Yehovah by burning it upon the brazen altar.
Meat Offerings were rendered on the brazen altar (not the altar of incense) (Exo. 40:29):
- Most holy unto Yehovah (Lev. 6:17)
- They consisted of:
- Fine flour (“soleth”) with oil and frankincense poured upon it (Lev. 2:1) Always wheat.
- Unleavened cakes or wafers baked in an oven with oil poured upon it (Lev. 2:4)
- Fine flour (unleavened) baked in a pan with oil poured upon it (Lev. 2:5)
- Fine flour fried in a pan with oil poured upon it (Lev. 2:7)
- Early ripened grains were to be parched/roasted on a fire (Lev. 2:14)
- Barley offered as a reminder of iniquity–jealousy offering by a member of the community: no oil nor frankincense was to be poured upon it (Num. 5:15)
- Every grain offering was to be seasoned with salt as a reminder of Abba Yah’s covenant with His people. The salt served as a reminder of the covenant between the worshiper and Yehovah.
- No grain offering was to ever be rendered with leavening or honey.
- When looked at from a closer perspective, we find that there were four different types of Meal/Grain Offerings:
- Fine Flour
- Baked (Breads)
- Cooked (Breads)
- Fried (Breads)–similar to falafel.
(6:24-30) The Sin Offering was to be without blemish and vicariously slaughtered on the northward side of the altar before Yehovah, its blood sprinkled round about the altar (Lev. 1:11; 4:24). It was considered to be most holy unto Yehovah. A portion of that sin offering was to be consumed by the priests in the courtyard of the Tabernacle. Because this specific offering was connected with the sin of the worshiper, the earthen/clay vessels in which the meat was prepared had to be broken and never used again. (The exception to this was when the meat was cooked in bronze vessels: these vessels could be reused only after they were thoroughly washed. Beyond the preparation aspect of this offering, anything (more so, people) that would come into contact with that sin offering was henceforth considered to be holy unto Yehovah. The same principle of one being made whole or holy upon coming into direct contact with that which was sacrificed applied here as it did with the Grain Offering. However, Yah was very clear on the parameters that had to be followed in order for these two types of sacrifices to be valid. The holiness that would ensure from the priestly consumption of these offerings were meant to foreshadow the holiness and wholeness that the would-be child of the Most High would enjoy when they partook of the sacrifice that Master Yahoshua Messiah made on his/her behalf. (Note: This, however, did not apply to the sin sacrifices offered on Yom Kippur, for the blood of that sin offering was brought into the Holy Place, and the entire animal burned upon the brazen altar. Reference also 4:1-21; 16:27; Heb. 23.)
Furthermore, the priestly consumption of portions of these sacrifices (i.e., the Grain and Sin Offering) aligns with Yeshua’s instructions to His disciples that they were to “eat of His flesh” (John 6:54). Hegg suggests that this aspect of the sacrificial system demonstrated “a personal participation in the benefits of the sacrifice.” For not only were the cohenim physically nourished and even clothed as a direct benefit of the sacrificial system, but they were also sanctified and directly connected to Yehovah. Consequently, only through their physical labors were the cohenim fed, clothed, and made whole by a holy and righteous God.
(7:1-8) The Guilt (aka Restitution/Trespass/Reparation/Compensation) Offering was to be treated as a burnt offering with the blood of the sacrifice dashed round about the brazen altar. The animal was to be slaughtered at the designated area (Lev. 1:11; 4:24). Portions of the animal were to be offered unto Yehovah, including the “fat thereof” (cf. Exo. 29:13; Lev. 3:9; 4:8). Those choice pieces of animal fat were to be burned upon the brazen altar. (7:23-26) The fat of animals that either suffered natural deaths or were killed by another animal could be used for household purposes, but it was prohibited for anyone to eat of it. Nor was the worshiper nor the cohenim permitted to eat of the fat of the sacrificed animal. From there, every male among the priest/cohenim was to eat of the meat of the trespass offering. It was considered by Yehovah to be Most Holy. The skin of the burnt offering also belonged to the cohenim. Consumption of blood was expressly prohibited as life is in the blood of all living creatures (7:26-27; Gen. 9:4; Lev. 3:17; 17:10; Act. 15:20). The one guilty of consuming blood would be “cut off from his/her people.”
It should be noticed that Yah made provision for the cohenim, as they were not to possess real property of their own:
(8) At that time, Yehovah set apart the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of the covenant of Yehovah, to stand before Yehovah to minister unto Him, and to bless in His Name, unto this day. (9) Wherefore, Levi hath no portion nor inheritance with his brethren; Yehovah is his inheritance, according as Yehovah thy Elohim spake unto him (Deu. 10; ASV).
For the wave-breast and the heave-thigh have I taken of the children of Yisra’el out of the sacrifices of their peace-offerings and have given them unto Aharon the Cohen and unto his sons as their portion forever from the children of Yisra’el (Lev. 7:34).
Every Cohen who was anointed was privileged to partake in these provisions (7:35).
(7:11-21, 29) The Peace/Fellowship/Communion Offering: (1) Thanksgiving Offering was to consist of unleavened cakes mingled with oil, unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil of fine flour. It was to be offered alongside an animal sacrifice. The cohenim was to consume a portion of these offerings. Nothing of the flesh of the peace-offering that was consumed by the cohenim was to remain beyond the day it was eaten. The fat belonged exclusively to Yehovah, while the breast and right thigh of the sacrificed offering was to be waved before Yehovah and consumed exclusively by the cohenim. Symbolically, this was emblematic of worship being the exclusive purview of the Creator. Hegg so aptly points out that the prohibitions against the consumption of the offered fat and of the animals’ blood stood in stark contrast to the practices of the pagan nations who consumed the blood of slaughtered animals for ritualistic purposes, as well as consumed the fat of slaughtered animals because it was the choicest portions of the meat. (2) A portion of a Vow sacrifice or a Freewill offering was to be consumed by the worshiper, and any that was not consumed on the day it was offered could be finished off the next day. Any that remained after the 2nd day had to be burned and discarded. Certainly, decomposition was a major concern as it relates to foods. For one to continue consuming meats beyond a couple of days in such harsh arid climates as the ancients were living in subjected them to consuming spoiled meats and thus nullifying the sacredness of the original offering. Meat that comes into contact with any impure/unclean thing must be burned up. Any worshipper who will partake of the offering must be ceremonially/ritually clean/pure. A worshiper who partakes in the Peace Offering and who is ritually/ceremonially impure would be cut off from his/her people.
The Haftarah portion of our reading is familiar (i.e., Malachi 3:4-12). The Temple operations had fallen into utter disrepair. The people had abandoned giving tithes and offerings. And thus, Yehovah, through the prophet, admonishes the nation to Teshuvah and resume their proper giving of tithes and offerings. In so doing, they would be abundantly blessed above all the nation peoples of the world.
Along a similar vein, Yehovah said to the people through the prophet Yeshiyahu/Isaiah:
(11) Of what value to Me is the abundance of your sacrifices? saith Yehovah. I am full of (i.e., I have had enough of your) whole-burnt-offerings of rams; and I delight not in the fat of lambs, and the blood of bulls and goats: (12) neither shall ye come with these to appear before Me; for who has required these things at your hands? Ye shall no more tread My court. (13) Though ye bring fine flour, it is vain; incense is an abomination to Me; I cannot bear your new moons, and your sabbaths, and the great day; (14) your fasting, and rest from work, your new moons also, and your feasts My soul hates: ye have become loathsome to Me; I will no more pardon your sins. (15) When ye stretch forth your hands, I will turn away mine eyes from you: and though ye make many supplications, I will not hearken to you; for your hands are full of blood. (15) Wash you, be clean; remove your iniquities from your souls before mine eyes; cease from your iniquities; (16) learn to do well; diligently seek judgment, deliver him that is suffering wrong, plead for the orphan, and obtain justice for the widow. (18) And come, let us reason together, saith Yehovah: and though your sins be as purple, I will make them white as snow; and though they are as scarlet, I will make them white as wool” (Isaiah 1; LXX).
You see, beloved, “sacrifices were never considered a means of removing guilt, forgiving sin, or expressing thankfulness IF THE WOULD-BE WORSHIPER WAS NOT SINCERE” (Dr. Terry Harman, The Tabernacle Man; “Leviticus 2 Grain or Meal Offering”). The efficacy and validity of the sacrifice came only when the worshiper’s heart was right before Yehovah and before His fellow man. Recall what Abba Yah said to Cain after He rejected His sacrifice: “If you do well will you not be accepted? And if you do not well, sin crouches at the door: and its desire is to have you, but you must rule over it” (Genesis/Beresheit 4:7; QBE).
We find from the writer of Psalm 24 that the one who is truly qualified to worship at the Malchut Elohim is he/she who possesses clean hands and a pure heart and who does not lie nor make promises with no intention of keeping them. Yehovah validates such individuals, and it is such individuals who enjoy a true and substantive relationship with the Almighty (verses 3-5).
You see, Yah demands of His chosen ones that they possess pure, clean, transparent hearts. All healthy and strong human relationships are built upon good intentions, transparency, and a love for the other person. Why should relationships between humans and Yehovah be any different? But the relationship that Yehovah is interested in goes beyond these stated elements, especially as it relates to the efficacy of one’s worship of Him: Yehovah requires a broken/humble/contrite spirit and a humble and repentant heart. And if this criterion is met, then Yehovah will most happily accept their worship (Psalm 51:17 (19)).
The Apostolic portion of our reading is also familiar (i.e., Luke 6:39-49). Here, Master Yahoshua instructs His disciples not to adopt unto themselves judgmental mindset. The disciple must always inspect him/herself first before they venture to inspect the fruits of their brethren. The disciple who incorporates the Master’s teachings builds his/her spiritual house on a firm foundation that can withstand anything that life throws at it. However, the one who ignores the Master’s teachings will invariably be susceptible to the slings and arrows of the enemy and the hardships of life.
Until next time, our hope, trust, and prayer is that you be most blessed, fellow saint in training. Blessings!