Parashat THIS WEEK’S PORTION LEVITICUS 21:1-24:23 תשרפ מא ו ר / Parashat Emor

In this week’s guide…

The COMMENTARY from Jason introduces us to the concept known as the “counting of the ‘.” Once again, Jason teaches us how ancient practices have relevance for our lives right now. If you’re longing for a fresh touch of the Spirit on your life this , this article is going to prepare you to step into this powerful season...... 1

And the NEW TESTAMENT TIE-IN dives into what appears to be a harsh restriction on priests who suffer from physical deformities or “blemishes.” Why would the Lord do this? What possible meaning could passages like this have for contemporary followers of Yeshua? The answers to these questions are both sobering and quite moving. Your heart will be stirred to worship...... 2

BY THE NUMBERS explains the connections between Sabbath and the Golden Lampstand of the Holy Place. How can these seemingly unrelated things be linked? Both “rest” and “light” are profound metaphors that invite us into deeper reflection and contemplation. More than ever before, we can relate to the need for strength and understanding, and there’s only one Source we should look to…...... 4

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OVERVIEW

This week we will study Emor, which is Hebrew for “speak” and is the 31st Torah Portion. The content ranges from purity regulations for the priests and sacrifices, a summary of ’s feasts, as well as punishments for blasphemy and violence. In this Portion we find the “counting of the omer,” which was preparation for the Feast of Weeks, also known as or Pentecost. This is an invitation to get ready to receive the Word and the Spirit afresh! FUSION GLOBAL WITH RABBI JASON תשרפ מא ו ר / – Parashat Emor

Leviticus 21:1-24:23 QUESTIONS & COMMENTARY by Rabbi Jason Sobel

nd from the day on which you bring the sheaf of elevation/wave offering – the day after the – you shall count off seven weeks. They must be complete: you must count A until the day after the seventh week – fifty days. ~ Leviticus 23:15-16

What is the counting of the ‘Omer? What is its spiritual significance of counting the ‘Omer? How is the counting of the ‘Omer connected to Shavuot?

In the days of the Temple, on the second day of , a communal meal offering of (an ‘omer) was waved by the priest. This offering was accompanied by a lamb that the priest sacrificed as a burnt offering on the . This ‘omer offering, brought from the newly harvested barley crop, began seven weeks known as Sefira (“counting”), which culminated in the holiday of Shavuot/ Pentecost on the fiftieth day. One was forbidden to eat any new grain until they offered the ‘omer in the Temple. After Sefira (the forty-nine-day counting period), the two loaves made from the new wheat crop were offered on Shavuot.

Even though it is not possible to completely fulfill this (“commandment”) today due to the destruction of the Temple, “counting the ‘omer” continues to offer profound spiritual significance. First, counting the ‘omer cultivates in us a sense of appreciation and gratitude for the blessings of God. This awareness was one of the primary reasons that God gave Israel this mitzvah. As Sefer HaChinuch points out:

The goal of this precept is to emphasize God’s gracious kindness for his yearly provision of food that is brought forth from the earth. Thus we offer up the first fruits as a token of our appreciation.

By bringing the ‘omer as a first fruits offering, Israel demonstrated their dependence upon God for their sustenance like their ancestors in the wilderness and showed their gratitude to God for it. Trust and thankfulness were two key lessons that Israel had to learn if they were going to be blessed by God and enjoy an intimate relationship with him. As Rabbi Alsich writes, Nothing estranges us from God more than the abundance of nature’s bounty. It leads man to believe that he is independent, has created his own wealth, and leads to ingratitude vis-à-vis the Creator, whose generosity has made nature’s bounty possible . . . Just as a father wants to impress upon his child that he must not take everything he receives for granted, so God impresses upon us that before we enjoy of the bounty of nature, we must bring a symbolic offering to show God that we are aware of the source of wealth and well-being. It is not our fathers who gave us this land, not merely our own toil that created the harvest, but God is behind it all. (Alsich on ’Emor, Munk, p. 732) 1 Through counting of the ‘omer daily, we cultivate belief in God as the ultimate provider, gratitude for His abundant provisions, and learn to count our blessings.

Secondly, counting the ‘omer helps to prepare us for Matan Torah (the “Giving of the Torah”) and Matan Ruach (the “Giving of the Spirit”) on Shavuot. According to Jewish tradition, Israel had reached the forty-ninth level of spiritual impurity when the Lord redeemed them from Egypt. The idolatry and sexual immorality from Egypt corrupted Israel. They needed to be purified so that they could receive the Torah and become the “holy nation” and “royal priesthood” God would call them to become (Exodus 19:6). Thus, God gave them forty-nine days – corresponding to their level of impurity – so that they could purify themselves and climb the ladder of holiness. Ultimately their redemption could not be complete until they had rid themselves of the negative spiritual influences of Egypt. This purification occurred on Shavuot.

In the Brit Chadasha/New Testament, Yeshua’s talmidim (“disciples”) also had to undergo a time of spiritual purification. Their time of preparation to receive the Ruach HaQodesh corresponds to Israel’s preparation to stand at Sinai. Since sin quenches the Spirit of God within us and hinders our service to the Lord, we should also embrace the period of Sefira as a time of cleansing. Not only is Sefirat Ha‘Omer a time of appreciation, but it is also a time of preparation and purification. We look forward to receiving God’s Torah and Ruach afresh this year and renew our commitment to the Torah and Brit Chadasha on Shavuot.

NEW TESTAMENT TIE-IN henever we see the priesthood described in the Hebrew Scriptures, there is likely something for all followers of Yeshua-Jesus to learn. He has made us a “royal W priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9), after all. In this week’s Torah Portion, it says that "no man of the offspring of the priest who has a blemish shall come near to offer the LORD’s food offerings; since he has a blemish, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God.” (Leviticus 21:21/ESV). In that same chapter, verse six refers to this food as “the bread of their God.” The B’rit Hadasha/New Testament speaks directly to this in the words of Yeshua-Jesus Himself: “For the bread of God is the One coming down from heaven and giving life to the world” (John 6:33).

Based on John’s Gospel and Peter’s epistle, we can see the Lord as the “bread of God” and His followers as a priesthood, but what bearing might Leviticus 21 have on these truths? This section of the Torah is speaking to who can offer the “bread of God,” specifically, as a sacrifice. God restricted a man who was honored to be born in the lineage of Aaron, but .he could not offer this sacrifice - (מאוּםְ/had a physical “blemish” (m’uwm He could eat of it, but not offer it. On the genetic level, his life had a priestly destiny, but its physical expression denied him that destiny. One wonders what sort of deep shame or disappointment this “son of Aaron” would have felt. Perhaps there was an inner tension: “Why was I born into this special family only to be denied its privileges?” 2 One insight we glean from this is the effects of sin on our capacity to worship and minister faithfully. You see, the “blemish” that disqualified the priest is symbolic of sin. Look closely at this line in the Song of Moses (Deuteronomy 32:4-5, emphasis added): “The Rock—blameless is His work. Indeed, all His ways are just. God of faithfulness without iniquity, righteous and upright is He. Did it corrupt Him? No! —is His children’s [ םוּאְמ /The blemish [m’uwm a generation crooked and twisted.” Or consider Job, in his defense before the Almighty (Job 31:7): “If my step has strayed from the way, if my heart has walked after my eyes, ”...has stuck to my hands [ םוּאְמ /or if any defilement [m’uwm

God’s people have always wrestled with sin, which may be why the Psalmist so powerfully connects access to God’s presence with personal purity/being blemish-free (Psalm 24:3-4): “Who may go up on the mountain of Adonai? Who may stand in His holy place? One with clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted his soul in vain, nor sworn deceitfully.” Furthermore, we need to think about what it means for Yeshua-Jesus to be the bread of God. The old sacrificial system is no more – is this “bread” still offered in any way? Yes! The Lord plainly said, “This bread is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:51). While we know the body of Yeshua-Jesus was sacrificed “once for all” on the cross (Hebrews 7:27), we still “offer” Him to the world around as witnesses. We don’t peddle religion or a social network. Rather, we proclaim that the bread of God, which forever satisfies every starving soul, has come to us in Yeshua-Jesus, bringing abundant life to all! But how often has that glorious Bread-of-God message been compromised because the messenger (priest) offering it has manifest sin (blemish) issues?

The sin in our life can easily make us feel like one of those limited and second-class priests, whose blemishes held them back from walking in their spiritual heritage as sons of Aaron. Our blemishes can shake our confidence to share the Good News of Yeshua-Jesus.” But we need to “flip the script”! The death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord have not only removed the blemish of our sin – it’s transformed it. We’re not only His priests, but we’re also His bride. And He “gave Himself up” on Golgotha’s hill “so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27/ESV, emphasis added). 3 BY THE NUMBERS

In this week’s Torah portion, seven biblical holidays, appointed times (moadim) to the worship the Lord (Lev 23:1). The first appointed time is the weekly Sabbath, from sunset Friday night to Saturday evening. “Sabbath,” Shabbat in Hebrew, has a numeric value of 702.

The candelabra, which stood in the Holy Place, is known as the Menorah. The menorah lamp and its also has the numerical value of 702. This ,מהנור הריכה קונה / branches, ha-menorah yereichah vekanah connection is significant because the seven branches of the Menorah correspond to the seven days of the week. The three on the left and the right correspond to the six days of the workweek, but the central lamp is known as the “Western lamp,” ner hama’aravi.

Shabbat and the golden Menorah point to the Messiah, both symbolically and numerically. Messiah Yeshua said, “Shabbat was made for man, and not man for Shabbat. So the Son of Man is Lord even of Shabbat” (Mark 2:27-28). Messiah, who is the Lord of Shabbat, came to prepare the way for the Messianic Kingdom, which in Jewish thought is called “the Time that is All-Shabbat”/Yom SheKulo Shabbat.

The Menorah represented the continual Presence of the Lord among the people. There was a daily miracle that occurred with the Menorah, according to ancient Jewish sources. The middle branch of the Menorah was the first lamp lit. It would burn all day, long after the other six lights went out, even though then all contained the same amount of oil. This miracle testified to the fact that Shechinah, the manifest presence of God, dwelt in the midst of Israel. The Jewish people referred to this middle lamp as both the “Western lamp”/ner hama’aravi and the “lamp of God”/ner Elohim (see 1 Samuel 3:3).

The seven branches of the Menorah correspond to the seven attributes of the Messiah found in Isaiah 11:2. These are from right to left: 1. Understanding 2. Might 3. Fear 4. The Spirit of the Lord (this is the middle branch) 5. Knowledge 6. Council 7. Wisdom 4 These qualities form a menorah. Why a menorah? Because the Menorah that burned brightly in the Holy Place pointed to the divine Light of the Lord who would be among his people. The word “light,” ohr in Hebrew, is 207 - the mirror number of 702. Menorah and Shabbat. Through both the Menorah and Shabbat, and most fully through Messiah Yeshua, we experience the light of the divine presence.

But of course, there is more! The Gospel of Matthew states concerning Yeshua, “and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene” (Matthew 2:23). On the surface, there seems to be a problem with this statement. There is no direct prophecy in which the Messiah will be called a Nazarene. Did Matthew make a mistake? No! The name Nazareth comes from the Hebrew word netzer, which means “olive branch.” This connects directly to Isaiah 11:1, which says, “Then a shoot [netzer] will come forth out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch will bear fruit out of His roots.” Based upon this verse, one of the names given to the Messiah in the Bible and rabbinic is netzer, “the Branch.” The netzer was born in natzeret (Nazareth). This play on words in Hebrew, netzer notzri/the “Branch of Nazareth,” adds up to...guess what? 702! The light of Shabbat (702) and the branches of the Menorah (702) point to the Divine Presence among God’s people. They also symbolize the brightness glory of Messiah, the messianic Olive Branch from Nazareth, netzer notzri (702). In Messiah, we find Sabbath rest and truly see “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Messiah” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the Tree of Life Version. 5 THOUGHTS for REFLECTION Take some time this week to prayerfully consider and discuss with friends: § We’ve been invited into a season of preparation. It’s a time to get ready to receive the Word, and the Spirit afresh in our hearts. Rabbi Jason said the idolatry of Egypt had corrupted Israel. Have you been corrupted by the idolatry of the world around us? Set aside 5-10 minutes each day this week and invite the Holy Spirit to search your heart and empower you to walk in purity. § CHALLENGE: look over the “Seven Attributes of the Messiah.” How many of them have you specifically experienced in the last 30 days? Write down a brief description of your experiences and share them with a friend. Then challenge them to do the same!

תשרפ רהב ־ תקחב י / NEXT WEEK’S READINGS: Parashat Behar-Bechukotai

TORAH Saturday / Leviticus 25:1-18 Sunday / Leviticus 25:19-28 Monday / Leviticus 25:29-38 Tuesday / Leviticus 25:39-26:9 Wednesday / Leviticus 26:10-46 Thursday / Leviticus 27:1-15 Friday / Leviticus 27:16-34

Prophetic Reading (Haftarah): Jeremiah 16:19-17:14

New Covenant Reading: Luke 4:14-22 & Matthew 16:20-28

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