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Vayikra - Leviticus
Started by LovingNeighbor at 04-11-2006 10:27 AM. Topic has 1 replies.
  
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 04-11-2006, 10:27 AM
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LovingNeighbor
 
Joined on 02-10-2006
Washington
Posts 397
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Emor Parasha Thoughts, Studies, and Comments
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The goal of this section is to get everybody's studies, thoughts, and opinions on anything in the weeks parasha. This includes, word studies, thoughts on verses, history, related subjects, and anything that may help us to understand this Torah Portion. Even if it's just an observation on the smallest part, it can help others who may not have seen it that way. The goal is then as we visit the parasha (Torah Portion) each year we will create a collection of studies and thoughts on this portion and everyone will benefit by having a broader view of the portion. Shalom!
A disciple should diligently search for the truth and humbly deny and reconsider it's possession.
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07-30-2008, 6:00 PM
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LovingNeighbor
Joined on 02-10-2006
Washington
Posts 397
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Emor Parasha 2007-8 Message Lovingneighbor - Cleanse Your hands
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Cleanse Your Hands
For Parasha Emor
By Lovingneighbor 5-3-2008
This weeks Parasha is in the book of Vayikra also called Leviticus, and is called Emor which means 'Say'. In this weeks parasha:
- The sons of Aharon shall not be defiled by the dead except their near kin and their sister if she is a virgin
- The sons of Aharon shall not shave their heads bald, or the edges of their beard, nor make cuts in their flesh
- The sons of Aharon shall not marry a whore, or a divorced woman
- If a priests daughter plays the whore, she shall be burnt with fire
- The high priest shall not uncover his head , nor rend his clothes, dor be defiled for the dead even for his father and mother
- The high priest shall take a virgin for a wife and not a widow, harlot, or divorced woman
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In this weeks parasha we see a concept from start to finish about the whole process of the Torah. We see that the process starts with the servants of Elohim. The Priests and the High Priest are the ones who do 2 basic things: they teach Torah and help people draw close to YHWH whether because they sinned and need to be brought back or they are offering a freewill offering to draw even closer and that is what studying the Torah does anyway. It has two functions, to bring you back from sin or to draw you even closer to Elohim.
So right from the beginning the Master teaches us this principle that is going on here.
Mat 7:3 And why behold thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but consider not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
This summarizes the be holy for I am holy part and the whole first part of the this parasha. It says because you offer the bread of YHWH. This bread is the Torah. They not only offered the bread to YHWH but they offered His bread to the people. The 12 showbreads were always before YHWH and I think this is the model of YHWH always looking on the Torah keeping of the 12 tribe of His people.
Next we see that the high priest could not even defile himself for his own parents. The higher up you go the more responsibility. This points to Mashiach being the high priest because as he said, who is my mother and who is my brother, those who do the will of my Father. He was not defiled and had to be perfect to be the high priest and as it says later in this parasha the offerings like the high priest were not allowed to be blemished.
Lev 22:21 And whosoever offers a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.
So then we get into the concept of the priests not taking a wife that is a harlot, nor the High priest who had to have a wife who was a virgin never knowing another man. This goes contrary to Religious implication of evengalizing to the nations. To join your religion with everyone is to play the harlot. Judaism almost to a fault of elitism does not evangelize. They live their lives and if someone wants to join they can, though in Judaism they violate torah and make them a second class citizen instead of as the Torah says like one who is home born. I think people mistake mashiach saying go unto the nations and preach the gospel which is quite simply"repent(return) for the kingdom is near" This message is going as Mashiach said to the lost sheep of the house of Yisra'el. The kingdom is for Yisra'el. He said also don't go unto the nations, but to the lost sheep of th house of Yisra'el.
Mat 10:5 These twelve Yahushua sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the nations (gentiles), and into any city of the Samaritans enter you not:
Mat 10:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Yisra'el.
Mat 10:7 And as you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Mat 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Mar 13:10 And the gospel must first be published among all nations.
So we see here he says before these verse don't go into the way of the nations, but go to the lost sheep. The lost sheep are scattered in the nations. So why say don't go into the way of the nations? I believe it was because he was as verse 6 says sending them into the nations but not to evangelize the nations but to evangelize in the nations so that the lost sheep of Yisra'el would come out of the nations and return to his Torah. This is why the gospel as defined by the New testament is "repent(return) for the kingdom is near."
Mar 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
The word repent means return, how can you return if you were never there before. The whole concept of return is that you were once there. This is why one could not say to the nations return to the kingdom because they were strangers and have never been. Now to the lost sheep of Yisra'el who don't even know they are Yisra'el it can be preached "Return for the kingdom is near" That doesn't mean that as Isaiah 56 states that anyone who wants to join Yisra'el can. Egyptians left Egypt with Yisra'el, but it wasn't about evangelizing tot he Egyptians, it was about getting Yisra'el to return to Elohim. Anyone else who wants to come along and learn the Torah are welcome.
So what has happened, many Messianics think that if they are learning Torah they must be Efrayim or a lost tribe of Yisra'el, well I hate to break it to you, but you have a 50 50 chance you are either a lost Yisra'eli or just a stranger who is learning Torah. There is no way to know so don't run around claiming to be a Hebrew just yet. The second understanding is that unlike the evangelical teachings of Christianity that permeate the messianic movement, it isn't about going to the Egyptians and telling everyone about Torah and how great it is. This would in my opinion lead to harlotry. In this verse below Dogs are as in other verses associated with the nations or gentiles.
Mat 7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast you your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
The concept is that you will not make them clean, but they will make you unclean and will ruin the very valuable thing you brought to them. This is the path of what both Christians have done with the Bible and what Messianics have done with the same mentality with the Torah. Trying to apply the lets go convert people instead of lets get the beam out of our own eye. The disciples chosen by Mashiach didn't get sent out from day one to gather lost Yisra'el, they first spent time with the physician to get healed and made clean first. Learning the Torah first from Mashiach and then after he removed the beams in their eyes he sent them out to look for specks. People now learn almost nothing and then go out to start evangelizing to others. They are still joined to harlotry and sin and have a beam in their eye and the forst thing they want to do is start operating on others. They have their calling and they have a ministry. Minister to your self first and your family and make yourself whole. Is your wife joined to you and is she clean or profane. So how can you offer the bread of YHWH to others. Their ministry is one of malpractice and I see it all the time. Show me the whole and show me the holy, and show me the ones who are clean themselves and holy enough to minister to others. All the Levi'im we called and chosen by Elohim. so that is not enough. they had to be clean and cleansed and so just because you want to keep torah don't run off to start your ministry when you are nothing but a student and unclean beginner. How would Mashiach feel coming into the camp and seeing all the blind people who are not whole, blemished working for Elohim. This portion says the priest may not be blemished. So if the priest serves anyway being blemished even though he wants to help is it rewarded. No because he is sinning by offering the bread while he is blemished or unclean. But wait you mean we can't go teach torah? but then no one would be learning torah. No you should go learn torah for yourself, you are not teaching torah anyway because you don't know it. And if you think you know it and have not lived it out so that you are clean then you are just like a priest who knows torah but is unclean, you may not serve until you are clean.
Sorry to put the brakes on the great commission as wrongly interpreted, but no one wants to hear their great commission is for themselves because if you have to look at your own sin every day and every shabbat and you can't go thinking your clean and everyone else is dirty and you must clean them. See that just keeps you from looking in the mirror. The torah says if you cleanse yourself that it will have an impact on others without you saying anything.
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Your good works is what they are to see, not you telling them about why they should do good works. See if you do it the way the Bible says it's not fun because the focus is on you. And Christianity wants the focus on others. Religion usually has it backwards to what Torah says, so a good guideline is look at what everyone is doing and do the opposite and you will probably be on track. The masses don't get it right, the scripture says wide is the gate and many that go in to destruction, narrow and few is the path to life.
How many were with John in the wilderness, how about Mashiach, compared to Judaism. Him and his small group of disciples was very small compared to the hundreds of thousands or millions in Judaism. The prophets, the righteous, the followers of YHWH, Moshe and Aharon compared to the millions in Yisra'el, it has always been there are a lot talking the talk but only a few walking the walk and those few were doing the opposite of what the others are doing.
So what happens after you maybe spend your whole life getting yourself straight, then you may be asked to serve. Don't take it upon yourself because it doesn't matter if you feel led to, or you want to, it is not up to you even if you're chosen, You must be clean to serve period. This is shown in the offering that had to be clean and perfect with no blemishes before they could be offered up. Will you offer your service to YHWH though it is blemished. Will it be accepted just because you wanted to offer it or felt led to offer it. I don't think so.
So then we get the holy days and this appears to be a corporate mikvah. 7 annual bathes for Yisra'el. 7 chances to be made clean. 7 times for the priests to teach the people in special ways.
In this pattern of the unblemished servants and offering we get to the holy days which if you did all the other things bring it all to gether. The unblemished priests can now serve and accept the people's unblemished offerings, and all will come before YHWH to cleans sin, Rejoice, learn Torah, and be made new. Let's work on cleansing ourselves. Cleansing our hands so that they may be used to serve YHWH. Cleansing our hands so they may be clean to cleanse our family, cleansing our hands so they may clean to wash others. Cleanse your own hands first. Shalom!
A disciple should diligently search for the truth and humbly deny and reconsider it's possession.
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LoveOfTorah.com... » Weekly Torah Po... » Vayikra - Levit... » Emor Parasha 2007-8 Message Lovingneighbor - Cleanse Your hands
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