THIS WEEK’S TORAH PORTION LEVITICUS 21:1-24:23 תשרפ רוֹמֱא / Parashat Emor In this week’s guide… The COMMENTARY provides a panoramic perspective on the “heart” of this week’s parashat: The Feasts of the Lord. For too many believers, these holidays have been neglected (or even avoided!) as being “Jewish.” Rather than being mere cultural artifacts, these festivals are divine appointments! We are not under obligation to observe these holy days—we are invited to enter into them as joyful participants, grateful for our full inheritance in Yeshua our Messiah. This is a wonderful resource to prepare our hearts for the final holiday of 5781: Shavuot (May 16-18)...................................................................................................1 Our NEW TESTAMENT TIE-IN catches something that appears in our text immediately following the descriptions of the glorious feasts and holy days: the twelve loaves of the Table of the Presence. These seemingly ordinary items have a fascinating link to David’s kingdom after Absalom’s coup, Passover cooking techniques, and the Magi. There’s also a direct implication for the ways in which our daily lives can affect those around us..........................................................2 BY THE NUMBERS unravels a host of insights that are all linked to the numerical value of the name of this week’s Torah portion. While you may have never considered that singing, pruning knives, fire, and Creation could be connected, this teaching from Rabbi Jason will show you how they are.............. ....................3 _____________________________________________________________________________ OVERVIEW Our thirty-first reading from the Torah is called Emor, a title that comes from the first verse of the reading, which says, “Then Adonai said to Moses, ‘Speak to the kohanim, the sons of Aaron…’” The focus of this portion includes special laws of sanctity, propriety and purity for the priesthood. Leviticus 23 provides an overview of the biblical calendar, a listing of the LORD’s appointed times. FUSION GLOBAL WITH RABBI JASON Weekly Torah Portion תשרפ רוֹמֱא / Parashat Emor Leviticus 21:1-24:23 COMMENTARY by Rabbi Jason Sobel Then Adonai spoke to Moses saying: “Speak to Bnei-Yisrael, and tell them: These are the appointed mo’adim of Adonai, which you are to proclaim to be holy convocations—My mo’adim” – Leviticus 23:1-2 The Hebrew word mo’adim means “appointed times” or “festivals.” We find the word used in Genesis 1:1, 14, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Then God said, ‘Let lights in the expanse of the sky be for separating the day from the night. They will also be for signs and for seasons [mo’adim] and for days and years.’” The word appears the same way in Leviticus 23 (above), which describes seven biblical holidays often termed “appointed festivals [mo’adim].” The heavenly bodies such as the sun and the moon (“lights in the expanse of the sky”) are for appointed times (i.e., “seasons” [mo’adim]). From Leviticus 23, we understand that the appointed times are not the seasons of the year—fall, winter, spring, summer—but the times of worship set forth by God as the festivals. What are these “appointed times” or divine dates? They are the Jewish holidays—Passover (Pesach), Pentecost (Shavuot), Purim, Chanukah, Yom Kippur, and so on. Their purpose is for us to be with and focus on the One who created us. They are our opportunity to step away from life as usual and connect with the Source of life, to gain nourishment from and nurture our relationship with Him. The great Talmudic sage Rabbi Ishmael wrestled with how finite humans can adequately praise and exalt an infinite Creator. He concluded this is only possible by carrying out God’s commandment (mitzvah in Hebrew) in glorious or beautiful (huddur) ways.i The appointed times are unique to God and should be glorious and beautiful to us as well. Our life is to be ordered around these appointments, these God-togethers, and NOT shifted based on our availability. To me, it’s beautiful—something permanent and steadfast in a world that prides itself on the shifting sands of “new and improved.” Don’t get me wrong. I love progress, but there is something to be said about having deep roots in tradition. A beautiful balance between the two bears the best fruit—forward motion informed and molded by history. The Jewish holidays, or feasts, not only help us to remember and celebrate what God has done in the past, but they prophetically reflect what He will do in the future. in the future. - 1 - Look Back to See Forward In exploring the Jewish holidays’ prophetic means future fulfillment of biblical promises concerning the Messiah and the redemption of the world. What is to come is revealed by what God has already done. The Jewish holidays are more than sacred assemblies. They are divine mirrors, reflecting God’s intentions for the future by what He has done in the past. This kind of divine reflection may be a new concept to you, but I will clarify. Once you grasp this truth, you will embrace it as precious, as understanding the feasts puts your finger on the pulse of the Father, revealing His heart. God doesn’t seek to be a mystery; instead, He wants to be a divine DISCOVERY! He desires to make Himself known. Let’s take an overview of the holidays and the specific focus, or promise, of each one. Are you ready for the journey that will take you deeper into the heart of God? Holiday (Appointed Time) Promise of Each Season Shabbat Rest, remembrance, and restoration Passover Redemption Firstfruits Resurrection Pentecost Revelation and gift of the Word and the Spirit Rosh Hashanah Repentance, restoration, and returning or regathering to God Yom Kippur Reparation and redemption/forgiveness from sin (fullness of redemption Sukkot Rejoicing and thanksgiving for God’s presence, protection and provision, as well as the establishment of God’s Kingdom Chanukah Rededicating ourselves to God Purim Rejoicing and realizing that God is in control even though His hand is hidden It is in looking back at what God has done that we can see forward to His future plans for us. “‘For I know the plans I have in mind for you,’ declares Adonai, ‘plans for shalom and not calamity—to give you a future and a hope’” (Jer. 29:11). The festivals, God’s appointed times show us a future and a hope that comes from reflecting on how God kept His promises. He will then; He will now. This week’s Torah Portion Guide is a partial excerpt from my book, Aligning with God's Appointed Times: Discover the Prophetic and Spiritual Meaning of the Biblical Holidays. NEW TESTAMENT TIE-IN After a section detailing the various Feasts of the Lord, this week’s Torah portion makes an abrupt shift: instructions for the lamps and the bread for the Tabernacle (see Lev 24:1-9). Of course, we’ve already read about these holy items when Moses first received instructions for the Tabernacle on Mount Sinai (see Exodus 25). It feels odd to go from the details of these special feasts to the regular (“ordinary”?) practices of daily worship. There are several possibilities for this. But there is one thought worth considering: God isn’t impressed with occasional fanfare if we’re ignoring the steady rhythms of faithful worship throughout the year. It’s almost as if these - 2 - spectacular and holy festivals—high points of the Jewish year—are followed by these two regular practices reminding us that steady, consistent worship is no less valuable than the dazzling sort. It’s intriguing that plain old bread features so prominently in this worship. When people speak of meager rations, they often refer to “bread and water.” Beyond this, “enlightened,” “modern,” and “civilized” folk, putting bread on a table as a food offering to the Lord could be dismissed as downright primitive. On the other hand, for regular, devoted Bible students, this act of worship can quickly be taken for granted as a factoid we all know. But let’s look closer at this bread. The twelve loaves represented the twelve tribes of Israel, the Children of Covenant—living proof of God’s supernatural, holy faithfulness to His Word. These loaves were placed into two stacks of six and then covered with “pure frankincense.” The name of this spice, which is noted for its fragrance, explicitly refers to a color. The Hebrew word for frankincense, lĕbōnâ, belongs to the Semitic root lbn meaning “white, to be white” and designates “milk-like (resin),” since bright frankincense was most highly esteemed and considered to be the best.ii White is symbolic of purity, being free of any blemish, and spiritually speaking, having no sin. Hence, frankincense was significant to the sense of sight (white) and smell (balsam). We see a glorious picture of Yeshua, the Son of David and true King of kings in those twelve, dusty loaves. He represents all twelve tribes of Israel, the King in whom they all “have a share” (see 2 Sam 19:44). In John 6:35, Yeshua announced, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry.” As to the frankincense, most people have the only frame of reference for it from the Lord’s nativity (when the Magi from the East presented frankincense as a gift to the young Messiah). That pure white, expensive resin prophetically foreshadowed the One whom the Apostle described: “He committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth” (1 Pet 2:22). We must remember that Yeshua’s sinless purity was costly, as He is “one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb 4:15).