Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Most modern readers find the Book of Leviticus uncomfortable. Why not? Blood sacrifices, death, bodily omissions, ritual purity is probably the most avoided book of the Bible. But Jewish tradition begins children's Torah education with this book. Is there something they can see that we're missing? Something pure, something beautiful, something sublime? Let's find out together in this week's five minute tour.
[00:00:32] Shalom and blessings from Shalom Makin, the place where disciples of Yeshua learn, connect and grow. I'm Darren and before I get into the five minutes of my five minute Torah commentary, let's cover a few quick facts about this week's Torah portion. This week we are studying the 24th Torah portion and the first portion of the Book of Leviticus. We are in the portion of Vayikra, Leviticus 1, 1:5, 26 and here are the three things that you need to know about it. Number one entering the Mishkan, the transition from from Exodus to Leviticus. Last week we concluded the Book of Shemot or Exodus with the Mishkan being erected and the Kavod Adonai, the glory of the Lord, filling it so completely that no one, not even Moses, could enter. So Exodus ends with a cliffhanger. What now? How were the children of Israel supposed to enter the tabernacle and perform its service? Most people who have studied the Bible for any length of time spent seemed to miss this little problem. But it was real and the children of Israel needed a solution. Thankfully, the Book of Leviticus picks up right where Exodus left off by explaining the procedure for how God may be approached in his holy house. At first glance, our entire Torah portion seems focused on the detailed laws of sacrifices brought to the Mishkan. But if we look a little deeper, we see that these instructions created a way for the redeemed nation to draw near to God. Each offering created a level of intimacy either between God and the nation or God and the individual, so that an entire people could engage with the God who had redeemed them. Number two Categories of Korbanot A Structured Approach to Worship Leviticus doesn't present sacrifices one single act, but as a structured system, the Torah introduces several types of offerings. Burn offerings, grain offerings, peace offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings, each with a specific purpose within Israel's worship. Some were completely given over to God, others were shared. Some addressed unintentional sin, while others expressed gratitude or devotion. Together, they formed an ordered approach to worship in the Mishkan. However, none of these offerings were designed to cover intentional high handed sin. Otherwise one could in a sense, simply pay for the sin of their choosing. This is why the author of Hebrews reminds us that if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.
[00:02:55] It wasn't a new concept, it was simply a restatement of the Torah's view of willful rebellion And Number three Salt of the Covenant Transforming Homes into Temples this week's Torah portion includes an interesting requirement that every grain offering brought into the tabernacle or temple had to be offered with salt. Since the temple is currently not functioning, our sages preserve the memory of this command through a simple tradition. Whenever bread is served at the table, salt should be present. The idea is that every home becomes a miniature temple and every table is seen as if it and altar. This is especially meaningful on Friday nights as we gather to welcome the Shabbat. Two loaves of challah are placed on the table and after the blessing over the bread, which is also the blessing for the meal, the bread is divided and each person dips their piece into salt three times. Why three times? As we raised our children, we explained that the Hebrew word melech salt appears three times in Leviticus 2:13. Each Friday night my oldest son would remind us by reciting the verse, you shall season all your grain offerings with salt, and you shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering. With all your offerings, you shall offer salt. If this tradition is meaningful to you, consider incorporating it into your Friday night routine as well. Well, hey, Purim is behind us, which means Passover is just ahead. Are you ready? Many people are looking for a balanced Passover Haggadah that will allow them to have a meaningful connection to Yeshua and his life leading up to his sacrificial death and resurrection. And this is why I created the cup of Redemption, my Messianic Passover Haggadah. It not only walks you through the traditional Seder, but it also connects Yeshua's last meal and his suffering with the various elements of the Seder. It's great for homes, communities and Messianic synagogues as well as churches, and gives step by step instructions for conducting a Seder even if you've never experienced one before and it's priced low enough to snag a copy for everyone at your Seder table. Just use the link in the description box below and gear up early so you can be ready for this Passover to be your best Passover this week's Torah commentary is called Drawing Near On Whose Terms? And comes from my book 5 Minute Torah, Volume 1. As we finish the Book of Exodus or Shemot, we now turn to the Book of Vayikra, Leviticus. When most people begin a study of the Book of Leviticus, they probably don't get that excited. It's focused almost entirely on animal sacrifices, various sprinklings of blood, bodily discharges, and purification rituals. The modern reader finds the study of Leviticus more repulsive than edifying. This is because these rituals are foreign to the modern reader in a time when animal sacrifice is considered more barbaric than spiritual. But in the days of the Master, these issues would have been extremely relevant to those wanting to draw near to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Their significance would not have been lost nor reduced to types and shadows, as they have often been understood today. But for Israelites living in a time when the holy Temple in Jerusalem stood, sacrifices and purification rituals occupied sacred space. This tradition, however, was not of their own design, but originated from their Redeemer. They learned this from a very early age. At the age of five, Jewish children began their Torah studies with the Book of Leviticus. Why Leviticus? The Midrash explains, why do young children commence with the law of the priests, in other words Leviticus, and not with Genesis? Surely it is because young children are pure and the sacrifices are pure. So let the pure come and engage in the study of the pure. This is from Midrasheva 7:3. Paul makes a similar statement in his instruction to Titus that might help us understand this concept. To the pure, all things are pure. But to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure. But both their minds and their consciences are defiled. Titus 1:15.
[00:06:49] In Hebrew, the overarching term for any kind of offering is the word korban. Given the typical understanding of sacrifices, one would think that this word is derived from concepts of extravagant giving, self deprivation, or even maybe self annulment. However, the word korban comes from the word karav, which means to draw near. A korban, a sacrifice, is something given to draw near to God. However, we are not to give him whatever we feel like we are to give him what he has asked for. Consider this. A young man asks his newlywed wife what he can get her. She says she would love a bouquet of fresh flowers. Being very practical, the young man begins to reason that this is not a wise choice. After all, flowers will only last a few days and then be thrown into the trash. He should give his worthy bride something with more longevity, like a vacuum cleaner or a toaster. But will this fulfill the desire of his bride? Of course not. His thoughtful gift may even end up being a source of contention. This is why the prophet Samuel can chastise King Saul for his lavish sacrificial offerings by saying, behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22 Saul had missed the concept of the sacrifice entirely. He tried to approach God on his own terms. He believed that giving the Lord the choicest selections from his spoils would negate his disobedience. He tried to use his sacrifices to assuage God's anger rather than for their intended purpose of drawing closer to Him. His disobedience created distance from the Lord that his corbinot could not reconcile. True love will love a person in the way they need to be loved rather than the way we think they should be loved. Too many times we try to approach the Lord on our own terms. The sacrificial system is the Lord's love language. By studying the laws of the corbinot in Leviticus, we can draw near to God in a way that is on his terms rather than on our own. Why not spend a little extra time learning about their details so that we can draw close to our God the way he desires? If you missed last week's five minute Torah on the Torah portions of Valichel and Bekodei, go back and watch it, because that one command opens up a much larger conversation than we may have seen on the surface. You can check it out right here.
[00:09:25] Ra.
