CHAPTER 9
1. Then it came about [that] on the eighth [sh’mini] day, Moshe called for Aharon, his sons, and the elders of Israel.
After seven days of intimately getting to know YHWH’s dwelling place, the priests now seal the continuity of this completion (the significance of the 8th day) with a special ceremony. It is like moving into a finished home. Prior to this, only Moshe could draw near to YHWH; now a way was made for the whole congregation of Israel to do so. He set a particular family in place to ensure its continuity, instead of leaving it up to a random, inconsistent priesthood of the firstborn of each family, who might or might not be well taught. But the priests are presented as an example to the people. As a Kingdom of priests, we are examples to the rest of the world, whether we know it or not. We have to pass the Torah on to the next generation, preferably in better condition than we received it. There is no eighth day in a week, yet the concept continues to show up over and over in Scripture. It is outside our normal count, so we must look carefully at these instances, for the Kingdom is in them. The picture here shows that the Kingdom will be made up of responsible servants who live very well but are always at YHWH’s beck and call. It is a day for moving on. It is when a firstborn animal is taken from its mother to be given to YHWH (Ex. 22:30), and a leper is cleansed on the eighth day. (Lev. 14:23) We could say Yeshua’s resurrection was on the “eighth day”, after the Sabbath, as a foreshadowing of that Day. (That does not give us license to change the Sabbath to Sunday!) The eighth day of Sukkoth is an “encore” to carry on the joy of those seven days. Rather than a return to the first day as we usually do after the Sabbath, it illustrates the “new heaven and the new earth”, when all that is accomplished during the 7,000 years of building the Kingdom will be finished (for even during the Kingdom there will still be major adjustments to make), and we will finally BE the Kingdom. But if it is so far off, we have plenty of time, don’t we? No, that is Greek thinking, for there are many “eighth days” in the life of a Hebrew—in relation to each aspect of our growth. There are many times YHWH brings out the yardstick to measure our obedience or our love for one another, when we do not even know we are being measured. When He thinks we have had enough training, the gates are closed. If we have not become mature enough by that time of testing, and are still holding onto self, we cannot move on into the Kingdom yet. YHWH tells us to circumcise our own hearts lest His fury burn “self” away during that test. (Yirmeyahu 4:4) We do not know when the tests will come, so we must always be cutting away the excess flesh that hampers us from having the Kingdom as our motivation. Unlike the circumcision of a baby on his eighth day, where the amount of flesh removed is tiny, our heart often lies buried deep beneath many layers, and we need to remove one at a time. Much is cut away on the seventh day through the teaching of YHWH’s word in community, but if we are not watchful, we can fall back into the same sins on the first day again—and what if that first day is an eighth day? Yeshua made a way for us to draw near when He renewed the covenant, but in order to fully grasp what that means, we need to understand each of the offerings outlined here:
2. And he said to Aharon, "Take a calf for yourself, a son of the herd, for a sin offering, and a ram for an ascending offering--perfect ones--and bring them near before the face of YHWH.
Son of the herd: traditionally, one in its second year. (Rosh HaShanah 10a). Aharon is now told to do for himself everything that Moshe did on his behalf on the first day. He was in the tent for the last seven days; how did he sin again? He did not, but until his own hands dealt with his sin, the sin still had a foothold and could come back to haunt him. What was done on the first day (chapter 8) is what will be done on the eighth; this is a picture of the upward spiral of Hebraic time. Moshe did it the first time as an example, and bore the burden that time; now the priests must do it for themselves in the way Moshe trained them to do it.
3. "And speak to the descendants of Israel, saying, ‘Select a male kid from among the goats to be a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, [each] a year old [and] perfect, to be an ascending [offering].
4. "‘Then [fetch] a bull and a ram as peace offerings to slaughter before YHWH, along with a food offering mixed with oil, because today YHWH will appear to you.'"
This is what we have really been waiting for; everything prior to it was just preparation, but the process of drawing near is important as well, so it is detailed here. The elders could not just stand and watch; they now had to get involved. Every kind of offering is brought here except the guilt offering, which is directly related to misuse of something holy, for thus far nothing has actually been set apart, and it has all been guarded heavily during the past seven days, so there should no possibility of committing this offense yet.
5. So they brought the things Moshe had commanded to the front of the Tent of Appointment, and all of the congregation came near and stood before YHWH.
When the elders went to get all of these animals, the whole congregation came back with them. The elders’ obedience brought the people near. This would have been an all-day affair.
6. And Moshe said, "This is the thing that YHWH has commanded: Carry it out, and the weightiness of YHWH will be revealed to you."
Ya'aqov (James) echoes this when he says, "Draw near to YHWH, and He will draw near to you." (4:8) Weightiness: you will see how He compares to everything else. They are not asked to mutilate themselves like the priests of Baal so that they can make YHWH perform tricks; the point is to come closer to Him—as if to sit on His lap in His favorite chair, at ease and in security. He is always actually in charge, but if we obey and bring the equivalent of these offerings as far as we can, we will perceive it, and that is what makes the difference. As we offer ourselves along with our doubts, we will see proof of His presence. He will be present in the smiles, the example, and the rebuke of those who are doing what He said to do. If the fire in someone else kindles a fire in you as well, He is there. He is weightier than anything else, so this will remove the fear of anything else. If you are not finding Him where you are, you may be in the wrong place. He will not inhabit things He has forbidden, so do not expect to find Him if you are doing them.
7. Then Moshe told Aharon, "Approach the altar and perform [the service for] your sin offering, and effect a covering over yourself as well as for the people, then make the offering for the people and effect a covering for them, as YHWH has commanded.”
The people were atoned for twice. The priest's offering covers them figuratively as he acts as a microcosm of the whole congregation as he bears the names of all the tribes on his shoulders. It purified him to a level of holiness where he could make the second offering as a representative for the rest.
8. So Aharon approached the altar and slaughtered the calf of the sin offering, which pertained to himself,
Himself: This one is not even for his sons as well, but for sins of his own; most directly it relates to correcting his error for making a golden calf to slaughter TO. As the one in charge, he was the example, and was held to a higher standard.
9. and Aharon's sons brought the blood near to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood, and put [some of] it on the [corner] projections of the altar. Then he poured the [rest of the] blood at the foundation of the altar.
Life (represented by the blood) is at the foundation of the place Israel deals most directly with YHWH. The offerings accomplish nothing physically, but what they represent should make us come away different from what we were when we came.
10. Then he caused the fat, the kidneys, and the lobe overhanging the liver from the sin offering to go up in smoke on the altar, just as YHWH had commanded Moshe,
11. and he burned the flesh and the hide with fire on the outside of the camp.
We do not want to eat of sin, nor do we want this mixed with the thanks offerings eaten at the altar.
12. Then he slaughtered the ascending offering, and Aharon's sons presented him with the blood, and he dashed it against the altar on every side.
13. Then they presented him with the ascending offering section by section, as well as the head, and he caused them to go up in smoke on the altar.
Head: We must not only surrender our own thoughts, but also the headship we would prefer to retain, if YHWH has set us under another legitimate leader, for in Israel (YHWH’s prototype for the world) there must be order. Of course this can be abused, so we need to be watchful at every turn to ensure that it does not turn into tyranny. But when we all use Torah rather than our own preferences to govern our treatment of one another, justice at every level can be achieved, and harmony will result. Next time you want to do something your own way instead of the way the leader He has given you wants to, picture yourself sitting on YHWH’s throne as a usurper. It does not fit you!
14. And he washed the inward parts and the legs, then caused them to go up in smoke as the ascending offering on the altar.
Inward: the Hebrew word is related to the very term for “drawing near” that applies to all offerings. Legs: literally, the part that bends down, for our drawing near and bowing down are meant to be gifts to YHWH, fully consumed by Him, not for showing off our piety to other people—a practice Yeshua so often spoke out against.
15. Then he brought the people's offering--the he-goat of the sin offering which is for the people --and slaughtered it, making it a sin offering like the first.
There were two sin offerings: the bull for Aharon himself, to render him eligible to bring other offerings on behalf of the rest of the people, as this goat was. Yeshua pointed out that sin is a much larger umbrella than merely the act itself; it is missing the mark in any way. (Matithyahu 5-7) Slaughtered: the method used is to slit its throat painlessly.
16. And he brought the ascending offering, and performed it [properly] according to the directions [given].
17. Then he brought the grain offering near, and filled his palm from it and caused this [part] to go up in smoke on the altar, besides the morning ascending [offering].
Morning ascending: By this point, the regular daily offerings had already begun to be brought.
18. And he killed the bull and the ram as a slaughter of peace [offerings] which are for the nation, and Aharon's sons presented the blood to him, and he dashed it against the altar, all around.
19. And [they brought him] the fat of the bull and ram--the fat tail, that which covers [the inward parts], the kidneys, and the lobe that hangs over the liver,
To recap, the fat represents the best. The bull represents turning over what is most valuable to us. The fat tail is equivalent to a Hebrew word for an oath, so it represents a promise to bring the best next time, if we could not do so this time.
20. and they set the fat [portions] on top of the breasts, and caused the fat to go up in smoke on the altar.
Breasts: related in Hebrew to the term for beholding something in a vision, for we even have to offer up to YHWH our understanding of dreams He has placed within us, because He may want to fulfill them in ways we could never imagine rather than ways that could be imitated by anyone with a little imagination.
21. But Aharon swung the breasts and the right foreleg back and forth before YHWH as a wave offering, as Moshe had commanded.
Foreleg: the part designated for the priests (7:24). The term is from the word for abundance or overflow, showing that our excess should not be for our own profit but a way to compensate those who have poured out their energies so that we, too, can draw near to YHWH. It is a rare and awe-inspiring thing when someone not only takes up a responsibility given to him, but also does it rightly. It is possible!
22. Then Aharon lifted up his hand toward the people and blessed them, then descended from carrying out the sin offering, the ascending [offering], and the peace offerings.
The root meaning of "blessed" is "bent the knee to". In other words, the high priest was bowing lower to give of himself to them. Descended: The only place he could descend from at the tabernacle was the altar, so he must have been standing on it when he blessed the people. The pattern for YHWH’s messengers is to ascend to Him, then to descend to serve the rest of Israel.
23. Then Moshe and Aharon came into the Tent of Appointment, then they went out and blessed the people, and the authority of YHWH appeared to the whole nation,
Came into the tent: Rabbinic writers say they went inside because Aharon now understood how grievous a sin it was to build the golden calf, and he was not sure it was all really taken care of, so he only blessed the people with one hand. (v. 22) While inside, Moshe reassured him that YHWH had still chosen him, and they came out together to bless the people with two hands. Appeared: Since He had promised to do this if they obeyed (v. 6), this display of His satisfaction assured the people that they were on the right track. Only when His different kinds of representatives carry the blessing in unity can YHWH’s authority (literally “weightiness”) be fully revealed in the earth. Liberation from the penalty of sin alone is a "lightweight" gospel; after leaving Egypt, we must become a nation with a mission as well. The Torah brings us a charter: a heavier, more substantive responsibility, which would be too much for us to bear as individuals, but not as a whole people working in unison.
24. and fire came out from the face of YHWH and consumed the ascending [offering] and the fat [that was] upon the altar. When all of the people saw [it], they gasped with joy, and fell on their faces.
This was no magic trick. There was apparently some large flare-up, possibly from the drippings of fat beneath the altar, or even a bolt of lightning. It was not necessarily as spectacular as Hollywood special effects, but significant enough to be seen as a sign of YHWH’s acceptance of the offerings, as if He Himself were eating them. The Tent of Appointment, to which they had contributed, was now finally going to be put to use; this in itself would be a very emotional thing. There was a similar event when Shlomoh dedicated the Temple. (1 Kings 8:10ff) The people’s response was the same when the Temple was restored after the exile. (Ezra 3:11) YHWH had “shown His face” again so vividly after being angry. He was back, and had accepted our repentance! The crowd was ecstatic, excited to do whatever they could to keep Him there.
CHAPTER 10
1. But Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aharon, each took his [own] censer, and they provided fire in them, and they [each] put incense on it, and brought near strange fire into YHWH’s presence—that which he had not commanded them.
2. So fire went out from before [the face of] YHWH and consumed them, and they died in YHWH’s presence.
The mood instantly changed to one of extreme terror. The first two regular priests in the history of Israel, one of whom was in line to be the next high priest—the hope for the next generation--have just died! What had gone so terribly wrong? How could we avoid this occurring again? Where do we begin to sort this out? Verse 1 says they brought “strange fire”. The Hebrew term, zur, means foreign, even "adulterous" fire "from another place", or “which turns aside” from a straight path. To such, YHWH is a consuming fire (Deut. 4:24). They had gotten on the wrong side of the fire that had just provided great blessing to Israel (9:24), and it destroyed them. A key is in the word “provided”. The fire was of their own making, not taken from the altar fire that YHWH Himself had kindled (6:2-8), and the incense was burned not on the altar of incense as prescribed, but in firepans of their own. They had never been commanded to do this. The only recorded command similar to this which had already been given was to not bring a different type of incense. (Ex. 30:9) Later, probably because of this incident, YHWH clarified that any fire for the incense in His house was to be taken from the bronze altar. (Lev. 16:12-13) But they had certainly not been trained by Moshe or Aharon to do this, so at the very least they were unauthorized. Was it fair to punish them? They had probably seen this done by priests in Egypt. Burning incense near temples was common in most pagan religions, and continues to this day through Catholicism. Not that incense itself is pagan, but it was not what YHWH asked for in this context. Here they were an example to all Israel, and they turned out to be a negative rather than a positive one. In order to seem "generous" (which is what Nadav means), Christians have allowed rituals from other (pagan) sources to continue, and tried to fit them into the categories YHWH has prescribed. But if we try to keep the Sabbath on a different day than He prescribed, He will not accept it. Sometimes there is room for spontaneity and creativity, but this was no time to introduce new elements into the worship of YHWH that came from our own hearts, even if they seemed harmless, for He has something He wants to teach through all He commands, and if we add to the script, it changes the message. The psalms tell us how to worship Him—and some of the ways may not be what we are most comfortable with, but they reveal the truer reality. Fire represents what we “burn” for—what motivates us. The incense they used may have even been correct; it was the source of the fire that was wrong. Incense ascends from the earth to the heavens, so it represents prayer (see Luke 1:10), but the fire represents the motive that carries it upward. Even if everything was done just the way He said, if the motive is wrong, it is still “strange fire”. Whether for power and self-aggrandizement or just being mindlessly caught up in the emotion of the moment, either was a foreign motivation for people whose calling was to serve the people of Israel and YHWH. It does not matter how great your idea or if everyone around you agrees; it must line up with YHWH’s instruction. Avihu’s name means “he is my father”. Their pedigree did not exempt them from responsibility. They may have felt they were beyond reproach because they had been given a high position, but even if one was slated to be the next high priest, to presume to get in on the glory before his time was to act as if his father was already dead. Each brought his own vessel; each acted as an individual, doing the same thing, but separately rather than in unity. When we act for our own benefit or from our own motives, we act alone. In a gathering of Israel, that in itself is “strange fire”. Moshe and Aharon had been acting as a team, with each knowing his job and doing it in dependence on the other (9:23), never envying the other’s job. A man of understanding will seek wise counsel so he can become even wiser. (Prov. 1:5; 9:9; 11:14; 15:22) They looked out for one another’s interests even ahead of their own, seeking only YHWH’s fire, and when they were together in every way, it did come. This unity, demonstrated only minutes before, was now lost. As one of the first offerings in the new Tabernacle, this set the tone for all later ones. From the very start, "Judgment must begin with the household of YHWH." (1 Kefa/Peter 4:17) Neither had had much experience, but it is dangerous to remain immature when they could have done better because of the examples of those who came before them. When they became careless about what they were teaching the whole congregation, judgment was swift and harsh. They followed the way that seemed right and it led to death. (Proverbs 14:10-12)
3. And Moshe told Aharon, "This is what YHWH meant when He said, ‘I will be treated as holy by those who draw near to Me, and I will be taken seriously in the faces of all the people.'" So Aharon was silent.
Moshe says, “That’s what He was talking about!” It is difficult to find a previous statement like this, but whatever the young priests did, they had not been taking YHWH or His authority seriously enough. Aharon alone was authorized to bring incense inside the Tent. (Ex. 30:8) In Egypt, priests were counted more powerful even than Pharaoh. The rest of the people had just fallen on their faces in awe of YHWH; why were these two priests still standing up? Are they just not impressed, or do they see themselves as part of the “show”? Their position may have gone to their head, making them think they were now the most important people in Israel, and could therefore act on their own. But while some have added to the Word of YHWH, others have taken away from it. Either way, it makes our offering foreign to Him. There is nothing as special as knowing YHWH as our Father, but we cannot do so at the expense of recognizing that He is also King. Those who approach the King must do so on His terms. (See Esther 4:11) We must bring him the fragrance He wants, not a different one. Even a king’s children must bow down when he walks into the room. This was not a responsibility anyone could play with. Those who lead others in the knowledge of YHWH are held to a much higher standard. (Yaaqov/James 3:1) The remainder of this portion teaches us the types of distinctions we ARE to make.
4. Then Moshe called MishaEl and El-Tzafan, sons of Uzzi-El, the brother of Aharon's father, and told them, "Come near and carry your relatives from the front of the sanctuary [Holy Place] to the outside of the camp."
Uzzi-El was Moshe’s uncle as well, but for a brief moment in YHWH’s eyes there is no connection between Moshe (a picture of Torah) and Aharon, since it was Aharon’s household that overstepped. All of those used to remove the evil bore Elohim's name within their own.
5. So they came near and carried them by their tunics to the outside of the camp, as Moshe had commanded.
Their clothing seems to have remained intact and thus their bodies do not even seem to have been charred. But the price for what they did has already been paid, and, having provided such an example to the rest of Israel, albeit in a negative way, they may still have great honor in the Kingdom. These men were not goats or sheep, but bulls--the best of the best, probably righteous individuals who made one mistake in the wrong place, just as Moshe and Aharon would later do and also pay a stiff penalty because of it. The men carrying them out would not touch their flesh, only their garments, which YHWH had preserved in honor of the set-apart calling they represented.
6. But to Aharon and to El'azar and Ithamar, his sons, Moshe said, "You shall not uncover your heads, nor tear your garments, so that you may not die, and He become angry over the whole congregation. As to your brothers, the whole house of Israel, let them [be the ones to] mourn for the burning which YHWH has ignited.
Aharon and those in line for his position were allowed no public display of mourning (21:10; Num. 6:5), because this was not fitting as exemplars of the Torah which emphasizes life, and they were not in a position to go off duty; they had too big a responsibility to have time even to mourn. The rest of the community was to mourn, however, for they were very worthy of mourning. But the position of highest priesthood, and its pictures of YHWH’s perfection, took priority over their personal grief. As Yeshua said, the dead can bury the dead; those whom YHWH has called must take a holier path, for they have a job to do among those still living. Like the golden calf, what they did was a form of worship that YHWH did not ask for. Throughout the previous chapter, Aharon and his sons were told over and over to do things “as YHWH had commanded Moshe”, rather than building on the hype and bringing in more ceremony than He had asked for, because they thought it would be even more exciting. It is one thing to give YHWH more than He requires, but quite another to substitute something we think would be more appropriate and do things our own way.
7. "But you shall not go out of the door of the Tent of Appointment, lest you die, because the anointing oil of YHWH is upon you." So they did according to the words of Moshe.
To go outside the confines of the holy precinct would defile this special oil, which is to be used for nothing else. They are set apart from all other purposes for the work of the kingdom.
8. And YHWH spoke to Aharon, saying,
9. "You must not drink wine nor strong drink, [neither] you nor your sons with you, when you go into the Tent of Appointment, so that you will not die; this is a never-ending statute throughout your generations,
This is so their judgment would not be altered while they are teaching the Torah or carrying out the Tabernacle's duties. (Compare Prov. 31:4ff.) Nothing must cloud their discernment when making rulings on what is holy or pure and what is common. This suggests that the overuse of wine was what had predisposed Nadav and Avihu to drop their guard and do what they did. But there are many things other than wine that are strong enough to pervert our judgment. Some of them are commerce, loyalty to our natural families, or what we imagine we have a right to. At the very least, too much wine brings out what is really in our hearts, and the inhibitions which might have led them to think twice and choose the better option when sober were missing, and they chose the more exciting but less profitable path.
10. "so [as] to make a distinction between the holy and the common, and between the [ritually] impure and the pure,
Serving YHWH requires the ability to discriminate. Only the high priest (not even his sons) is to bring the incense to the altar (Ex. 30:7)—a fine distinction which might have spared their lives.
11. "and to teach the sons of Israel all the statutes that YHWH has spoken to them through the hand of Moshe."
This is the reason all these regulations were given. Yes, cloven-hoofed animals avoid infection more effectively, those that chew the cud provide us with far better sustenance, and those that cannot filter their food do spawn all sorts of diseases. YHWH certainly had our health in mind when He told us what not to eat. But the main thing is what they picture about what type of people we are to be. Mal’akhi 2:7 makes it even clearer that it is the priests who are to be the authorities on the Torah. While most of them are not fulfilling their role now, others may have to temporarily fill the gap, but they must be ready to step back aside once the rightful teachers are back in a position to do so. The hand of Moshe: which wrote the Torah.
12. And Moshe told Aharon and his remaining sons El'azar and Ithamar, "Take the grain offering that remains from YHWH's fire offerings, and eat it without leaven near the altar, because it is most holy,
13. "and you must eat it in a holy place, because it is your prescribed share and the prescribed portion due to your sons from [among] the offerings [made by] fire unto YHWH, for that is what I have been commanded.
14. "You must also eat the breast of the wave offering, and the foreleg of the contribution you must eat in a ritually-pure place--you, your sons, and your daughters along with you, because your due portion and the portion due to your children has been granted from what is slaughtered for the peace offerings of the descendants of Israel.
15. "The foreleg of the contribution and the breast of the wave offering, in addition to fire offerings of the fat they shall bring to swing to and fro as a wave offering before the face of YHWH, and for you and your descendants along with you it will be a prescribed portion forever, as YHWH has commanded."
This family had strict responsibilities and were even told what they could or could not wear, touch, eat, think, or talk about. They were told whom they could and could not marry, how to cut their hair, and when to change their clothes—all so that they would raise all of Israel to a level higher than they would have otherwise come. They could not even accidentally wander into the courtyard wearing the wrong thing. Every aspect of their lives must reflect the fact that YHWH is set apart. This seems very restrictive, but in exchange for this their inheritance was YHWH Himself. Is there any comparison? Having His ear, His affection, and His hand in their lives to this extent was a privilege that cannot be obtained in any other way. If we truly trust Him, this is no loss.
16. Then Moshe searched and searched for the goat from the sin offering, but lo and behold! It had been burned up! And he was angry against El'azar and Ithamar, the remaining sons of Aharon, saying,
17. "Why didn't you eat the sin offering in the Holy Place? Because it is most holy, and He has given it to you to lift away the perversion of the congregation, to effect a covering for them before YHWH!
At this point, all they were eating was bread. The meat had been left on the altar beyond the point of cooking. Their eating it, however, was part of the atonement process for Israel, and if they did not eat of it, there was no covering. But Moshe was not speaking to Aharon at this point, because Aharon now had even higher authority than Moshe. As far as Moshe is concerned, he “is YHWH”, because he is His chief representative. He dare not confront him with sin in front of the entire congregation. But a job has not been done, so he considers the younger priests responsible.
18. "Look! Its blood has not been brought to the inside of the Sanctuary. You were supposed to eat it in the Holy Place, as I had commanded!"
19. But Aharon told Moshe, "Look, today they have brought their sin offering and ascending offering before YHWH, but things like [these] have befallen me. If I had eaten from the sin offering [on a day like] today, would I have been pleasing in the sight of YHWH?"
In these circumstances , he could not have done this job with his whole heart, and he refused to fake it. There was meant to be a party after this ceremony, but now the wind had been taken out of it. But he also understands that he is a picture of YHWH, and when he and his sons eat of this animal, it represents YHWH eating it. He has done a poor job of representing YHWH. He had, at best, failed to tell his sons, “If you are not told to do it, don’t do it here.” So he feels that to eat on behalf of YHWH would be hypocritical when it was his own household that had ruined this eighth day. He also probably realized that these younger sons had not been as thoroughly trained as Nadav and Avihu, and that he might lose them, too, if he expected them to carry out the offering by themselves this soon.
20. And when Moshe heard this, it was acceptable in his eyes.
Acceptable: the same term translated "pleasing" in verse 19. Though no outward display of mourning was permitted to Aharon, he was allowed to express his heart's pain by refraining from the enjoyment of something that was rightfully his. He did not violate the Torah in this, because anything not used up was to be burned (Deut. 16:4ff). An offering was considered complete if it was either eaten or burned. On a day like this, they had no appetite, especially after these few men had eaten their share of so many other slaughtered animals. (This would be less of a problem when, in second Temple times, at festivals, the offerings were shared among some 75,000 priests.) Moshe was also pleased because he saw that Aharon understood that eating the animals offered to YHWH actually meant more than just a meal provided for men who had no inheritance of their own. But Moshe also got the point that, while he was right to be focused on what was for all the people, this was his own brother that had suffered such a terrible loss, and individuals matter too.
CHAPTER 11
1. Then YHWH spoke to Moshe and Aharon, telling them,
The last time He spoke to them both together had been back in Egypt! (Ex. 12:43) But after they have blessed the people together and Aharon has undergone this terrible tragedy, his focus is right. There is a higher level of unity again. Though we ask that YHWH might correct us without harming us in the process, sometimes it is the only way, just as we must discipline our children into doing what is best for them. David was more fearful of losing YHWH’s favor than of what He could do to harm him (Psalm 51:11), and that is a better motivation. Moshe represents the legal side of Israel and Aharon represents the worshipful side. What follows is indeed legislation, but it is also about our connection to YHWH. It is a spiritual pursuit as much as the Sabbath and festivals are. Since we do not have an altar, the table is as close as we can get to it, so here YHWH establishes table rules so that the table, too, can be set apart to Him:
2. “Speak to the descendants of Israel, saying, ‘Out of every beast that is upon the earth, these are the living [things] which you may eat:
Many things are edible, but not all are food for Israel. Kosher means “acceptable” or “fit for consumption”. Why? The commandments are given so that it may go well with us and that our days may be prolonged. (Deut. 4:40) We are still in the context of Nadav and Avihu, whose days were shortened, probably because they took into themselves something they should not have. So YHWH tells them when they can and cannot drink alcoholic drinks. But the next thing YHWH does is to tell those who feed the priests what they can and can’t take into themselves, because they are supporting the holiest of the men. They themselves have to be set apart too. They must build a foundation for what is holiest with what is at least higher than the world around them, if not as high as the sanctuary. The bases in the Mishkan were of metals inferior to what they supported, but are still of materials much more valuable than the dirt they kept the sanctuary from touching. So our keeping the kosher laws is part of what makes the next steps in the restoration of the priesthood possible. Beast: Heb, behemah—at root simply an animal incapable of communicating with language as such. At a deeper level, “living things” here is not only talking about animals, but what we take into ourselves in any fashion. There are many things in the world, but only some of them speak life to us—through hope, energizing, or an upward pull that counters the circumstances that would drag us down. From among every option, these are the ones we are to partake of. There are also all kinds of different “beasts” within ourselves—our likes, dislikes, habits, abilities, emotions, priorities, prejudices, or preferences. The things that revitalize are the ones we want to select to make into “who we are”, for there are many points where we can choose how we turn out. Out of all the influences on us, as well as our own inner inclinations, we have to choose which ones to let remain silent—as “dumb animals”—and which we want to let speak. The beasts that are in me are the things that are only about me. But it is not always wrong to want to preserve self; sometimes it is for the sake of us as a whole. YHWH even appeals to this by saying that if we keep His commands, it will go well with us and we will prolong our days. (Deut. 4:40) The Torah is about life. (Deut. 32:47) It helps us distinguish which things within ourselves to nourish and which to let starve. The righteous are taught wisdom by what they eat. Certain things are worth putting into our mouths, for they have attributes that we want to take into ourselves. We do not live by bread alone, but by YHWH’s words—if they are what we have in our mouths. (Deut. 8:3)
3. “‘Among the living things, any that has a [split] hoof and is totally cloven-footed, bringing up the cud [as well]--this you may eat.
Totally cloven-footed: there are inner and outer hoofs, and on some animals, like the horse, only the inner hoof is cloven; the inside and outside must both be the same to be the proper picture--like the Ark of the Testimony. A divided hoof makes these animals extremely sure-footed—even the cow with its legs that look much too small to support its weight. Sheep and goats can even run on narrow paths on sheer mountain cliffs without falling off because of such feet. They teach us about walking correctly on the narrow path. (Mat. 7:17) If we ponder the path of our feet, our ways can be established. (Prov. 4:26) If we seek out the eternal path (Yirmeyahu 6:16), and walk the path of being set apart, even if we are not too bright, we will end up in the right place. (Yeshayahu 35:8) Exodus 23:14 also uses the term “feet” to describe the three pilgrimage festivals, so we must line our feet up with YHWH’s “feet” by walking in His seasons. We are to feed on YHWH’s commands (Deut. 8:3; Yirm. 15:16) and not eat of just any philosophy that comes along. Bringing up: Heb., "causing to ascend", which is what these instructions are all about (10:11). Rumination is a picture of repeatedly meditating at length on YHWH's Word (Y’hoshua 1:8), thinking about it from different angles, and gaining more insight from it each time. It is not cud if it is heard but forgotten about. Psalm 19:14 directly links meditation with what is in our mouths. Prov. 13:25 contrasts the righteous, whose soul is satisfied, with the wicked (plural) who focus on their belly (singular). Ruminant animals have four stomachs, and it is no coincidence that there are traditionally four levels of understanding for every passage of Scripture: the literal, the connections the wording hints about in other passages, the figurative application to daily life, and the deeper meaning. The Hebrew names for these four levels form an acronym meaning “Paradise”. Only the fourth stomach is like a human stomach. While we are individually lacking the other three stomachs and we cannot understand the depths of YHWH’s word through one encounter with a text, when joined with others who are studying His word, we have additional filters through which to process it. Assembling together regularly (Heb. 10:25) also means we have others to hold us accountable and help us carry the weight of obedience.
4. “‘Except [that], of those that chew the cud or divide the hoof, you may not eat these: the camel, because it brings up the cud, but does not divide the hoof; it is unclean for you;
If it does not have both characteristics, one may not eat it. Camels have inward “works”, but not outward. What is in their mouth is right, but their walk is not. They have the right kind of feet for the desert, but that was where the descendants of Israel did NOT keep YHWH’s festivals. It does not matter how much of one’s conversation is about Torah if his walk is selfish. We should not eat of what such people offer or let them be our examples. Clean animals also put out milk for their young, a picture of our being able to teach others to do the same as we do; otherwise there is no continuance. But while cows and sheep give milk, so do camels and pigs. We have to beware of the sources of the “milk” we take in. The things we eat should only be things that lead us toward the completion of YHWH’s work in the Kingdom. If it is not worth meditating on, do not take it into yourself.
5.
“‘also, the rock hyrax, although it brings up the cud, since it is not cloven-footed; it is unclean for you;
“‘also, the rock hyrax, although it brings up the cud, since it is not cloven-footed; it is unclean for you;Rock hyrax: coney or rock badger (see photo), a small mammal with short feet and no tail that nests in the clefts of rocks in the Negev (Psalm 104:18) and near the Dead Sea, living in small groups (Prov. 30:26). They are often seen climbing trees to eat their leaves.
6. “‘And the hare, though it brings up the cud, but is not cloven-footed, is unclean for you.
This is thought to be the angora rabbit, whose fur is prized. (Shabbath 27a) For you: for anyone who wants to be part of YHWH’s covenant with Israel; it is not binding on anyone else, but then none of the blessings that go with obeying His commandments accrue either.
7. “‘The swine, because it divides the hoof and is cloven-footed, but does not chew the cud, is unclean for you.
The pig is the most deceitful since at first glance it seems kosher. It likes to lie flat on its belly with its feet straight out so that we can easily see that its hooves are split. It is fat, so we may assume it is blessed, until we look closer. They picture the kind of people who seem holy on the outside, but when the test comes, prove to "inwardly [be] ravening wolves". They do their works before men, but there is no Torah in their mouth. Pigs are indiscriminate about what they eat—consuming even fecal matter, small human children, and even their own young. This pictures the naïve who believe every word. (Prov. 14:15) They have no sweat glands (thus no one has ever sweated like a hog!), so they cannot rid their bodies of impurities, and their fat harbors much disease. Even their milk would be full of garbage, giving out just what they take in. Thus they are a picture of all that we do not want to be—people who bite and devour one another. (Gal. 5:13ff) They have the wrong things in their mouths. When we take in other people’s constant negativity and gossip, the pig will eventually come squealing out of our own mouths. Scripture cites many things that are not to be in our mouths: deceit (Prov. 24:28), revenge (24:29), and the names of other elohim (Ex. 23:13). The wicked—those who follow only their own bellies—have no right to have YHWH’s covenant in their mouths. (Psalm 50:16) Yeshua said swine are not only unworthy of our pearls, but that they will actually trample them underfoot, then turn and tear us in pieces. (Mat. 7:6) Pearls are a symbol of the gates to the kingdom (Mat. 13:45-46) correlating with the tribes of Israel. (Rev. 21:21) If feet represent YHWH’s festivals, pigs’ feet would represent pagan festivals, which indeed did tear returning Israel in pieces again, disunifying us and scattering us further still.
8. “‘You shall not eat of their flesh nor [even] touch their dead body; they are unclean for you.
At some point it goes from being a carcass to mere remains, because otherwise Yochanan the Immerser would not have a worn a camel-skin garment. The difference probably has to do with the flesh being gone.
9. “‘Of all [that are] in the waters, you may eat these: any that has [both] fins and scales in the waters—in the seas and in the brooks—you may eat them.
In the waters: a very important technicality that saved the tuna fish from being declared non-kosher, since its scales are only visible while it is in water. The Hebrew word for scales is also used of tree bark and a coat of mail, so they have to do with protection. Most kosher fish do live in tight groups, for when they swim in unison (a picture of a harmonious community), they appear to be a larger entity threatening to predators like sharks, which do not see very well. What we learn in Torah-based community is what protects us when we are in vulnerable situations. Fins propel and steer the fish, so these fish are a picture of a motivated people with a sense of direction. But though fins and scales identify them as kosher, like hooves on other animals, we do not eat these parts, for that is not their purpose. They serve in a different context. When the fish are no longer in the water, fins and scales are no longer needed. A chef discards them; he wants to know what the fish tastes like. When we are in a place where we can feed others, our defenses and even our adeptness at navigating life are not what matters, but making life-giving truth available to someone in an accessible, inviting way.
10. “‘But any that does not have [both] fins and scales in the seas and in the brooks, of any teeming creature of the waters, and of any air-breathing animal that is in the waters, they are to be counted as detestable for you.
Sharks and others with fins and no scales are slippery and slick--pictures of those who cheat and prey on others. They are loners, gathering only during a feeding frenzy. Bottom feeders eat of waste and death. They take their catch to the bottom with them, shunning others. Shellfish are a picture of those who shut everyone else out, hiding from community and from discipline. (Heb. 10:24ff) We do not want these characteristics to become part of us. Air-breathing: those that need to come up for air, like whales or porpoises.
11. “‘And they must be detestable to you; you must not eat of their flesh, and you must avoid their dead bodies.
Detestable: repulsive, abominable, loathsome—as strong a word as one can find. (“Gross! Nasty! Yuck!”) Avoid: deliberately shun or abhor like vermin. Regard eating them as absolutely disgusting. Shrimp are in the cockroach family and catfish eat dung. How could one want to invent “kosher shrimp”? Shellfish filter out the impurities in the water, and their very job is to retain them in their bodies. Water is a picture of Torah (instruction), but all that becomes a part of these animals when it passes through them is the contaminants. In one day they filter the same water six times, so every bit of pollution in it ends up in them! Why would one eat of that? They only hold onto the worst parts of what they are exposed to--an apt picture of how evil persons respond to YHWH’s generosity.
12. “‘Any that does not have fins and scales in the waters, this shall be an abomination to you.
Unclean fish are loners and scavengers, while the clean fish go around in "schools"! They move together like one fluid, like-minded, constant stream. The first thing YHWH said was not right was when man was alone. Israel is no place for loners; the man Israel became twelve tribes, and that is how we relate to YHWH now. Fish that remind us to congregate and to study are the kinds we want to incorporate into ourselves.
13. “‘And these you shall count unclean among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, because they are impure: the eagle, the vulture, the buzzard,
You shall count...: Whatever anyone else may allow himself to do, these are the instructions to those who wish to be pure and part of the community of Israel. The holy people are held to a higher standard. When there is ambiguity about which birds these are, opt for those that would be encountered in the Middle East. Eagle: or possibly the griffin vulture, the largest carnivorous bird in Israel, with wingspans up to ten feet. Buzzard: alternately identified as the osprey, sea eagle, fish hawk, albatross, or black vulture, of which there are two species in the Land of Israel.
14. “‘the kite, and the falcon,
15. “‘every raven, whatever its species,
In the account of Noach's ark, the dove would not even land on the dead carcass of another creature, and so returned because it "found no place for the sole of its foot", while the raven found plenty to eat because it did not make any distinction between clean and unclean. It went "to and fro" seeking something to devour, just like haSatan (Iyov 1:7; 1 Kefa 5:8).
16. “‘the daughter of the owl, the ostrich, the seagull, and the hawk, whatever its species,
17. “‘the little owl, the cormorant, and the [long-] eared owl,
Cormorant: or the fish owl, which feeds from the Kinnereth (Sea of Galilee).
18. “‘the ibis, the pelican, the carrion vulture,
Ibis: a bird worshipped in Egypt, which may be one reason this one may not be eaten, due to its association with what we left behind.
19. “‘the stork, and the heron, according to its species, the hoopoe, and the bat.
No characteristics of the unclean birds are mentioned; He only specifies which are not to be partaken of. He does not give a reason. If we want to know why they are poor examples of what we are to be, we need to watch them in the wild, and we will learn many reasons why. The bat it is not a bird, but though it is a mammal, it has no split hoof, nor does it chew its cud, so it would not be kosher; it naturally repulses us, looking like a vicious “flying rat”. And they belong to the night. Some of these precise species have not been clearly identified, but the common thread between them seems to be that they are birds of prey or feast on what is already dead and rotting. We are meant to be people of life instead. (Prov. 12:28; Rom. 8:9ff) Surprisingly, though, their eggs have traditionally been permitted by the rabbis. In contrast, a chicken is kosher. It “chews its cud” in a different way, by scratching or pecking through its droppings for seeds and other nutritious things that were not fully digested the first time. It separates what is valuable from among what is not. Like it, the Body of Messiah is now seeking out the things it had rejected earlier, like the Torah or Sabbath, not having found them helpful since they were presented in the wrong context, but now are finding that they really are life to us after all.
20. “‘Every flying swarming creature that goes about on four [legs]--this is an abomination to you.
21. “‘Only this you may eat, of any swarming thing that goes on [all] four: that which has knees above its feet, in order to leap with them over the earth.
Four: though some insects have six or more legs (v. 42), they all, like the animals described in the same way below (v. 27), “crawl” with their bellies parallel to the earth, rather than walking upright, a common Scriptural description for doing what is right, above board, and transparent. "We are what we eat", and as we aspire to be sure-footed like those animals which have a split hoof, likewise we do not want to spend all of our time walking in the dirt, but want to spring "above the world" on many occasions to get the right perspective and to allow ourselves to be soiled as little as possible. The only insects we eat of are those that bend their knees, a picture of submitting to YHWH's will. We often do not even notice them, but when they swarm (though a farmer never wants to see this), one has to notice them. They are even called an army (Prov. 30:27). (YHWH calls Himself "Commander of Armies" more than any other title.)
22. “‘These are the ones from which you may eat: the locust, whatever its species, the bald locust, whatever its species, the grasshopper, whatever its species, and the cricket, whatever its species.
All of these insects make music, having praise within themselves. But they also eat crops, so it may be that the permission to eat them is in part poetic justice.
23. “‘But all other winged creeping things that have four legs shall be an abomination to you.
24. “‘And by these you will become ritually unclean: whoever touches their dead body shall be unclean until the evening.
The tiniest things can keep us selfish and thus unavailable to the rest of our community.
25. “‘Anyone who picks up [any part] of their carcass must launder his clothes and be [ritually] unclean until the evening.
Touching it merely defiles the body, but picking it up defiles the clothing as well. They must be picked up using another instrument and removed so that no one else touches them either. While ritual uncleanness is a conceptual construct meant to teach us how to make distinctions, it often does correlate with physical contamination, and thus serves the dual purpose of a quarantine, preventing the spread of disease as well.
26. “‘ [The same holds true] for any beast that is cloven-hoofed, but does not completely divide [its hoof], or does not bring up the cud--it is unclean for you, and anyone who touches them shall be unclean.
In context, this refers only to touching their dead bodies; of course one would often touch a live donkey when loading it or feeding it.
27. “‘And any one among the living things that go on all four, any one that goes about on its paws shall be unclean to you; anyone who touches their dead body is ritually impure until evening.
28. “‘And anyone who picks up their carcass shall launder his clothes and be unclean until the evening. They are unclean for you.
29. “‘And this [is what] shall be unclean for you among the creeping things that swarm on the land: the weasel, the mouse, and the tortoise, and similar species,
30. “‘and the ferret, the chameleon, the lizard, the snail, and the mole--
Ferret: variously identified as the hedgehog, gecko, beaver, mole, shrew, or field mouse. While Hebrew was in use only in a synagogue context for centuries, many precise identifications of creatures not talked about every day became muddied. The reason may be that they are actually broader categories, similar to the “reptile” and “amphibian” taxonomies we use today, since other “creeping things” like snakes and crocodiles are noticeably absent from this list, though most people find the thought of eating them naturally repulsive. The very first serpent’s message cast doubt on YHWH’s instruction, told man to test His boundaries, and put oneself in His place. It came carrying uncleanness and death from the very start. The chameleon exhibits the opposite of holiness, blending in with whatever is around it. It makes no distinctions, and so is the quintessential example of what kosher foods exist to teach us NOT to be.
31. “‘these are unclean for you among all those that creep; whoever touches one of them when it is dead shall be ritually impure until the evening.
32. “‘And anything on which any of them falls when it dies is rendered unclean--whether any wooden vessel or a garment or a hide or a burlap sack. Any vessel in which work is done shall be dipped in water, and shall be ritually impure until the evening; then it shall be ceremonially pure.
What is clear is that if it is unclean, it will make you—and anything that is yours that could in any way absorb the dirtiness—unclean as well. It is a picture of how contagious selfishness is, which is why we must be slow to anger and examine our motives to be sure that we are not reacting merely from our own personal preferences. If we cannot get up against certain people without being adversely affected, we need to set up boundaries and remove ourselves from them. In which work is done: that is, anything useful. We are vessels in which work is being done. Keeping the Torah and building the Kingdom is the work of the righteous. Our higher understanding constantly wars against the natural man in us. (Rom. 7-8) How does death enter our higher faculties? Through false teachings, especially foreign spiritual systems that are defiled by death, selfishness, or mixing truth with error. Falls: Our encounters with death through selfishness are usually “accidental”. Yet still we have to return to the “water” and be cleansed the way He tells us to. By dying to self, the death that is selfishness is cleansed away.
33. “‘Any earthen vessel into which any one of them falls, you shall break it, and whatever is in it shall be impure.
Earthenware is porous and would retain contaminants and defile others too, though they do not even realize it. Elsewhere we see that earthen vessels represent Israel’s natural side (Yirmeyahu 18-19; 2 Cor. 4:7), and lizards, owls, frogs, crocodiles, etc. are often also used as descriptive of spirits of uncleanness, which are most often harbored by our pride, which must be broken in order for the contamination to depart. If we keep them intact, we will remain defiled. Yeshua spoke of people falling on the cornerstone and being broken (Matt. 21:44) instead of having it fall on them, crushing them. So this breaking of the “flesh” is a positive thing, because when broken down into dust, the clay can be reworked into something useful. Our exile is one place we can “start over”. David says YHWH will not despise "a broken spirit [and] a broken and contrite heart" (Psalm 51:17). For some, this breaking requires merely speaking an apt word; for others, humbling, and for the most stubborn, being put "outside the camp" until they return to the Torah so the uncleanness will have no place in their lives.
34. “‘Of any food that may be eaten, any on which water comes shall be unclean, and any drinkable beverage [which is] in any [such] vessel shall be unclean.
Water: possibly splashed onto the food when the lizard falls into it. Since the context is speaking of stored food rather than what is being prepared to eat immediately, this may refer to moisture that makes mold and mildew grow easily on it when left in storage. Food here seems to represent anything by which we can be strengthened, and water is a symbol of the teaching of Scripture. This tells us that the right time to apply the teaching of Torah to something useful in the world is when we are ready to put it to use; we have seen countless examples of how prophecies that should be “stored away” for a later time have caused death and dissension when we try to interpret them too soon, especially if done in a spirit of rivalry or selfishness, as symbolized by these unclean creatures, lest it spread to us.
35. “‘And anything on which [any part] of their dead body falls shall be unclean; an oven or a stove shall be destroyed; they are defiled, and they shall be unclean to you.
An oven: made, in ancient times, of earth or ceramic (earthenware), which can be defiled, rather than stones, which cannot. It is where we prepare what feeds us and others, so we must be especially careful to keep it undefiled, both physically and metaphorically. (Defiled and unclean here are the same word in Hebrew.)
36. “‘However, a spring or well or pool of water [into which they fall] will remain ritually pure; only what touches the dead body shall be defiled.
Spring: or cistern. “Living” water being added from outside keeps it from becoming stagnant. Water, again, symbolizes the Torah's teachings. If our interpretation of a Scripture is limited to one level or to that passage alone without added insight from parallel passages, it quickly becomes constrained by men’s conventions or preconceptions. Pool: Heb., miqveh, a collection of water traditionally used for ritual purification. One could still immerse in a pool in which there is a dead horse, as long as he does not touch the horse. The pool itself cannot be defiled as long as new water is being added, but if you reach into the water to take the carcass out, you will be unclean. One must sometimes do so, but then get back into the pool and be cleansed. An example would be having to discuss faulty interpretations in order to clear up common errors rather than simply giving a straightforward exegesis of Scripture, or having to mention the pagan substitutes for YHWH’s name in the process of helping others discard them, since the water has already been defiled by such compromise. We cannot walk the earth without touching something unclean, and in exile no one is ritually clean until there are again ashes of a red heifer and a priesthood. But miqveh means “gathering”, and represents the cleansing that comes from the gathered congregation. If we are steeped in Torah and surrounded by it (having its words on our doorposts and gates), so that we know it well enough, one encounter with the teachings of an unclean, selfish person will not ruin the entire congregation, since light is not so easily overcome by darkness.
37. “‘And if [any part] of their carcass falls on any sowing seed which is to be sown, it will remain ritually pure.
Yet-unsown seed will not be eaten directly, but will die and be “resurrected” in another form anyway before it is to be consumed by mankind. Hoshea likens the Northern Kingdom of Israel to such seed; it had to suffer and die before being called back to YHWH's covenant, but it was salvageable.
38. “‘But if any water is put on the seed and [any part] of their carcass falls on it, it shall be defiled for you.
The water has already begun the process of the seed's transformation, and thus it is too late to salvage it if it has not already been sown. A “newborn” believer has YHWH's special protection, or no one would ever grow to maturity since we are all inundated by false teaching. However, once the seed has been adequately watered--i.e., taught--he is responsible for the teaching he exposes himself to, being better equipped to discern truth from error. (Gibor) If you deliberately expose yourself to selfishness, it cannot help but bring destruction of some sort.
39. “‘And if any of the beasts which are food for you dies, one who touches its dead body shall be unclean until the evening,
Dies: The one who slaughters the red heifer is rendered temporarily unclean thereby. (Num. 19:7) It may be that the Temple is the only place slaughter does not defile one, as the Temple complex is the exception to many other rules. But eating the meat of an animal properly slaughtered would not defile one; that would only take place if the animal died on its own, such as by disease. (7:24)
40. “‘and whoever eats of its dead body must launder his clothes and be unclean until the evening; also, whoever picks up its carcass must launder his clothes and be unclean until the evening.
In a true life-or-death situation, one could even eat a pig so he can remain alive to serve YHWH (Psalm 115:17); the penalty for this is never death. But to repeatedly do so will make one spiritually insensitive (failing to make distinctions will always dull one’s senses), not to mention the physical risks from such a diet. And it requires cleanup afterwards. Rev. 7:14 tells us that one way our garments are washed is through experiencing trouble; muscles are strengthened most when taken to their limits.
41. “‘And every swarming thing that creeps on the land shall be an abomination; it must not be eaten.
Swarming things, though they provide such benefits as honey or an example of diligence (Prov. 6:6), may be unclean because they have female leaders—a picture of one in haSatan’s position, trying to usurp the throne (compare 2 Kings 11) or go their own way (Esther 1:12). They also absorb too much of the refuse on which they crawl or spawn to be a healthy part of our diet.
42. “‘Also, as for the swarming things that creep on the earth, whatever goes about on its belly or anything that walks on four [legs] up to anything that has multiple feet--these you shall not eat, because they are unclean.
Multiple feet: including creatures with eight legs, like spiders, or more, like centipedes and millipedes.
43. “‘You shall not pollute yourselves by any swarming thing that creeps, nor become defiled by them so that you are ritually unclean because of them,
44. “‘because I am YHWH your Elohim, and you have set yourselves apart and become holy since I am holy. Thus you shall not defile yourselves by any swarming thing that creeps on the earth,
Swarming thing: Those who are set apart for YHWH’s purposes have no reason to follow the masses, letting popular fads determine how they live. We are a people with a purpose and direction, but we will absorb what we surround ourselves with, so we should avoid interaction with those of unsavory character other than what is necessary for our livelihood or to rescue them from such an environment.
45. “‘because I am YHWH your Elohim, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to become an Elohim to you. Therefore, you shall be in a separate category, since I am in a separate category.
The kosher laws are not ultimately about the animals or even diet as such, but about who YHWH is and who we are. Hirsch points out that here YHWH links freedom (summarized by the liberation from Egypt) with holiness because, while to the “fleshly-minded”, holiness seems like legalism or bondage, it is really a gift that brings us freedom from the bondage to our sensuous desires, which lead us to many illogical, degrading, harmful, or just worthless pursuits if not kept within the confines of the proper channels laid out by the Torah. A train is only free when on its tracks, i.e., when doing what it was designed to do. Man is designed for friendship with YHWH, and this means separation from all that tends away from Him.
46. “‘This [has been] the instruction regarding the animals, the fowl, and every living creature that moves through the waters, and every creature that swarms on the earth,
47. “‘in order to make a distinction between the impure and the pure, and between the living thing that may be eaten and the living thing that may not be eaten.’”
Eaten: or consumed. Food is a picture of what we take into ourselves spiritually. This is the heart of the matter. To become part of Israel, we must become discriminatory in what we partake of. We make distinctions in how we eat so we will be able to discriminate in the more important matters as well. We should certainly tolerate one another within Israel, especially where there is room for varying interpretations of how to walk out the Torah when each is rightly-motivated. But tolerance of ideas opposed to Torah is one of these “creeping things” that sneaks into our minds little by little. Living thing: or simply, "the life". Most “cares of this life” are not about the Kingdom, unless we are part of a community, so that is where we must draw the lines. The ancient Hebrews were careful about whom they let into their tents (by extension, places of learning). YHWH’s House must remain holy and pure. We had to go out into the world to find the lost sheep of the House of Israel (the dispersed and "lost" northern tribes), and "whosoever will may come". Outsiders have always been permitted to join the community, but He does not lower the standard. They must be raised up, or the whole house will be lowered and the teaching will be lost. This has taken place as the church let pagans come in without changing their practices, but only what they call them. Now it is so diluted it is not recognizably the same structure Yeshua actually came to build. We must even distinguish between humanly-invented morality and the Torah for which it is a cheap substitute. “Rejection” must again be seen as a positive thing, for if you do not reject certain things, you are no better than a pig. We cannot take into ourselves every opinion that comes our way, especially if it is gossip. We must make the same distinctions YHWH makes.
TORAH PORTION
Sh'mini
(Leviticus 9-11)
INTRODUCTION: A week has seven days, but on numerous occasions throughout Scripture, we encounter the concept of “the eighth day”—somewhat of a new beginning but only as rooted in the sealing up, preserving, and making permanent what has been accomplished in the foregoing seven. Here, it shows up in the inauguration of the activity that the priests have spent seven intense days preparing for. And YHWH Himself puts His seal of approval on it by “showing up” for the ceremony, demonstrating His presence through a consuming fire.
However, the most joyous occasion turns quickly into the most somber, as two of these chosen vessels are not careful to approach with a proper fear and sobriety and end up on the wrong end of that fire, themselves being consumed. This leads YHWH to add some new restrictions which have proven necessary, and to “digress” into a long and detailed discussion about the need to make distinctions—sometimes very fine ones—between what is clean and what is unclean.
A large part of the lesson is in the form of dietary laws, because this is not only a way to be the healthiest individuals, fit for the highest service, as Daniel would demonstrate; it is also a way in which we can be reminded multiple times daily of the need for discrimination—not the racist kind that this term conjures up nowadays with knee-jerk response as if it were a dirty word, but the healthy kind that not only prevents physical contamination, but teaches us how to keep our hearts and minds pure and untainted by the many things that could so easily pollute them. This portion is rich in pictures of many ways to do just that, so that we can indeed keep YHWH’s dwelling place (including the living form, the community of Israel) clean so that it can have the influence it was meant to have on the rest of the world, truly becoming a "house of prayer for all peoples", where anyone can come to find the cleansing that the human heart, ever since Adam, has known it needs.
The Importance of Discriminating
“Today YHWH shall appear to you!” (Leviticus 9:4) What wouldn’t we give to hear words like that spoken directly to us?
But such a privilege requires a specific kind of preparation, as detailed here. And some people didn’t take it seriously enough. Now they might not have been deliberately challenging YHWH. Maybe they didn’t even think this was the real thing, but only some pyrotechnics or sleight of hand, and wanted to be part of the show. But in any case, what they brought was not according to regulation, and they paid the highest price for it. They wasted their lives for what may have been a bit of momentary glory--or maybe just for a buzz.
That’s probably why what YHWH says right after this tragedy is to avoid anything that clouds your judgment when you are serving Him. (10:9) Too much is at stake. It is even more important than it is for a train engineer or airline pilot to be sober, because not just physical lives but people’s understanding of truth depends on it. The point of remaining sober is to be able to make distinctions--and teach others to do so--with clarity. (10:10) That is Torah in a nutshell. There is a time for everything, but those who make legal rulings that will affect people’s lives for years to come cannot afford to make foolish mistakes.
That is a tall order! And now it was taller still, because there were even fewer people to do their job. Who would envy them or want their position? (Yet, amazingly, some still did and would try to usurp it!)
It seems Moshe was preoccupied with the details and went right back to giving directions for the inauguration (10:12), and was oblivious to the emotional tidal wave that had just hit his brother. (10:16) Only after he got his answer as to why he didn’t follow orders precisely did he stop long enough to realize what his brother was going through. But he did come around, and admitted it was a reasonable thing Aharon had done. This is a refreshing bit of humanity in the midst of lots of “fine print”.
But YHWH still does bring the focus back to making distinctions (chapter 11), because, after all, that is why these two men with the best pedigree in all Israel lost their lives. All of this could have been avoided if they had paid attention the first time and paused to recall what was said when it came time to carry out the orders. Did they even pay attention to the command about “foreign fire”? Or didn’t they think it mattered if they bent the rules here or there?
Now where Torah isn’t precise, we need to go on precedents, analogies, and a balance between all its emphases, flexing according to the particular need. But where it is specific, we must be sticklers, because by partaking of what is abominable to YHWH, we become united with it, and disgusting to Him too. (11:43)
And that matters. So don’t wait until all else fails to read the instructions!
Study questions:
1. Why did Aharon and his sons need a sin offering right from the start when no particular sin of theirs is mentioned in this context? (Lev. 9:2) Could it be from another event earlier that had not been atoned for? Does the type of animal he is to bring suggest what event that might be? Or could it be for the sins of his ancestors in general—either those of his tribe or of humanity as a whole?
2. Why would the sin offering for the whole congregation be smaller than that for this one family alone? (9:2-3)
3. Why does an ascending offering have to be a perfect animal if it is only going to be completely burned up? (9:2,3)
4. Every other category of offering is also required of the congregation at this time. Why? (9:4, 6) What can the Hebrew names of the offerings tell us about the specific purpose of each?
5. Why do you think different parts of the sin offering are burned at different places? (9:10-11)
6. Which offerings are not completely burned up? (9:21) Why not? What is done with these?
7. How did the events of 9:23-24 affect the people? Had they ever seen anything like this before? How did the mood change after the next event, which was unscripted? (10:1ff) How did it affect Aharon himself? (10:18)
8. What parallel occurrence sobered people during the inauguration of the Renewed Covenant? (Acts 5:1-11) What was the result? Why?
9. Why could Aharon not mourn? (10:6-7)
10. Why do you think the command not to drink alcohol when on duty is given at this juncture? (10:9)
11. What are the priests’ chief, underlying responsibilities? (10:10-11)
12. “You are what you eat.” What characteristics of animals with a split hoof and that chew the cud do we want to “take into ourselves”? (11:3)
13. Why could animals with only one of these criteria not be eaten? (11:4-7) What does having one and not the other (and vice versa) picture in each case?
14. A pig cannot sweat, so its impurities are not removed. Shellfish are similar in that they filter out the good and retain only the bad. What other lessons can you see in the animals that we are not to eat?
15. What do fins and scales (11:9ff) do for a fish? What picture is there in that for us to emulate?
16. Are we permitted to choose what disgusts us? (11:11, 13)
17. What do the insects we may eat have in common? (11:20-21) What can we learn from this?
Companion Passage:
The Sidewalk
for Kids
Have you heard the song, “Be careful, little eyes what you see…Be careful, little ears, what you hear”? It’s a very good one to learn, because the things you experience while young—whether something scary or something very enjoyable—stick with you, sometimes for the rest of your life, and the bad stuff you let yourself see or hear now can be really hard to shake off as you get older.
Messiah Yeshua became especially upset when he saw people doing things that made children “trip and fall”—not just when they were running, but in the “walk” of their lives.
The book of Proverbs starts off with a very concerned father—one who has experienced everything, both super-nice and not-so-nice—telling his son, “Listen carefully: If you’re going to chase after anything in life, let it be wisdom.” What is wisdom? It’s being smart about the choices we make, picking what we look at or listen to based on knowing that, as Robert Frost said in his famous poem, “The Road Less Travelled”, each crossroads leads to another, and you are not likely to come back again to the choice you have today. So take a good, long look down each road, as far as you can, before deciding which one to take.
Why? Because some paths are rough and will make you trip and fall, maybe hard enough to break a leg, and that will affect the way you walk for a long, long time after that. As the song continues, “Be careful, little feet, where you go.”
Rav Sha’ul wrote in 1st Corinthians 15:33, “Don’t be fooled; bad company corrupts good habits.” That’s one reason a traditional prayer with which we start the day says, “Keep me from a bad man and bad companions.” It’s hard not to go along with a crowd we are with when they decide to do something that is not right, if we are the only ones who don’t want to join in; they may make you feel like you are the bad one for wanting to spoil their fun. That’s why it is so important to choose the right friends.
If we hang around people who constantly use foul language, it won’t be long until that seems normal to us, and we won’t even notice when we start doing it ourselves. If we sneak a look at inappropriate pictures, pretty soon we get used to them and we want something even more exciting, and it gets easier and easier to make the wrong decisions. Proverbs goes on to tell us, “More than anything, set a guard to watch over your heart, because out of it come the ways to escape into [real] life.” (4:23) If you close off those roads, there is no way out, unless YHWH chooses to do a miracle for you because of His mercy.
This all seems so serious; why can’t we just let you be kids and have fun? That’s important too, but you have to start early to search for wisdom, because it is a great treasure that is really hard to come by. Even though it may be more available now than ever before since we have access to so much more on the internet, there are also more distractions from it than ever before, which can take you down one of those bumpy roads much sooner than they should, and like we said, it’s hard to turn around and go back to where you started once you get past a certain point. There are so many directions you can “surf”, but some of those waves are strong and can pull you back out to where you can’t get back to shore.
So how do you know where to start? This Torah portion tells us that one of the main purposes of the Torah is to teach us how to tell what is just ordinary from what is really special, and how to tell what is clean from what is not clean. (Leviticus 10:10) We want to fit in, so we think we want to just be normal people, but this tells us that it’s possible to be extraordinary. That means “beyond what is ordinary”. His way is not easy, but it is not boring; it’s a real adventure—and like that wisdom, Yeshua said it’s like a gem so valuable that it is worth giving up everything else for.
Why would we want to be just regular people when YHWH offers us the possibility of being really special? And why would we want to stay dirty just because everyone else is, when YHWH has given us a way to be really clean?
The Renewal of SH'MINI
This portion starts a new era in Israel’s wilderness journey, one which lasted until the second Temple was destroyed—and will yet be revived, even if eventually in a different format. It is the age of Elohim’s sanctuary dwelling in Israel’s midst. What an awesome prospect that we should again get to see that. And, with fire ignited by YHWH Himself starting the flame that was to be kept burning perpetually, it did inspire a deep awe in all who witnessed it. (Lev. 9)
Almost all. Chapter 10 shows that, as with any venture that touches the lives of fallen men, some found a way to abuse it, possibly to get attention for themselves, possibly because they were inebriated, possibly because they just thought they had a better idea about how it ought to be done, and possibly all of the above.
In any case, YHWH put an immediate stop to it with a clear, sobering, even terrifying finality right from the start. This is not how things are to be done when representing Him. We don’t put our own twist on it. We don’t do things our own way. We don’t try to turn things to our own advantage. We do it His way, for we are His servants, not vice versa.
Forty percent of the priesthood was lost as two of Aharon’s four sons were consumed by YHWH’s fire. Thankfully, the priesthood got the point. We never do read at any time in Israel’s history of a high priest dying on Yom Kippur because he did things the wrong way. Whether or not that legend is true about their having a rope tied around their leg to drag them out in case they died in YHWH’s presence in the Holy of Holies, as far as we know it never had to be used. There were other matters for which the priests were severely reprimanded, but this, at least, was never repeated.
But when the Renewed Covenant is inaugurated, after fires kindled by YHWH on “living altars” instead of one made of bronze or stone appeared at Shavuoth (the next festival we are now approaching), when the focus of the commandments shifts from external to internal as the context for the message shifts from centrifugal to centripetal for a while and grace is allowed on many particulars because conditions simply aren’t the same, do we see a commensurate slackening of the strictness on YHWH’s part?
Quite to the contrary. Not long after that, after the tone of the narrative has been nothing but positive and triumphant, we suddenly have the sobering story of Hananyah and S’firah, who lied in order to appear to be as generous as someone who was genuinely deserving of that recognition. (Acts 5:1-11)
“But Shim’on said to him, ‘Hananyah, how is this that haSatan fills your heart like this to misrepresent the spirit of being set apart…?’” (5:3) Both of them (two again!) died immediately, and again “great fear took hold on all those who heard.” (5:5)
It did not occur quite as quickly this time. There was some time after Shavuoth for the disciples who apparently stayed in Yerushalayim after Shavuoth to decide to have all things in common, sell their lands in the diaspora, and receive payment that they contributed to the community. (Acts 3-4) It could have been several months. I wouldn’t doubt that this might have even been on the anniversary of the “eighth day” seen in Leviticus 9 and 10. YHWH often does things that way. In any event, it was just long enough for people to start thinking the rules might have changed.
So YHWH acted. He wanted to get the message across decisively from the start that though He was extending mercy to a degree never seen before so that more could be gathered in from far and wide, still His truth and His authority were nothing to be trifled with.
Does grace mean we can presume upon that mercy and just do as we please, sure that we will be forgiven? Far from it. Still the principle holds:
“If we err willfully after having received the [precise, correct] knowledge of what is true, there is no further sacrifice left in regard to sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and fiery punitive zeal … to consume those who oppose. Anyone who disregarded Moshe’s law died with no pity …; how much worse a penalty do you suppose will he be deemed deserving of who has spurningly trampled the Son of Elohim and considered the blood of the covenant by which he was set apart [to be] a profane thing, and has insulted the Spirit of Empowering Favor? For we have experienced the One who said..., ‘YHWH will judge His people.’ [It is a] formidable thing to fall into the hands of the Elohim of [the] living!” (Hebrews 10:26-31)
So if you have the intention of doing things your own way, you should be afraid.
Seeing the
Weightiness of YHWH
“This is what YHWH commanded you to do so you can see the weightiness of YHWH.” (Leviticus 9:6)
“When Moshe and Aharon …blessed the people, the weightiness of YHWH appeared…—that is, fire came out from the presence of YHWH and consumed the ascending-offering and fat that were on the altar, and when all the people saw it, they let out a shout of joy and fell on their faces.” (9:23-24)
What wouldn’t we give to be present on such an occasion?
But just after that, tragedy struck. The “other side” of YHWH’s fire came forth again and consumed Aharon’s two sons that brought “foreign fire”. (10:1-2) Moshe had warned them to be careful to guard what YHWH had put them in charge of, lest they die. (Lev. 8:35) So they had clearly become careless and let their guard down, and there is always something ready to enter the vacuum when we do that: "This is what YHWH meant when He said, ‘I will be treated as holy by those who draw near to Me, and I will be taken seriously [by] all the people.'" (Lev. 10:3)
Now the way for the remaining priests to avoid dying was to show no outward signs of mourning, lest all who were under their covering also feel YHWH’s wrath. (10:6) Everyone else could mourn, but they have a higher calling and therefore a higher standard. They had to “let the dead bury their dead” (see Mat. 8:22), so they could remain a valid picture of purity in their representation of YHWH’s weightiness to the people. They had to keep their senses about them (10:9) to continue to discern the distinction between what was common and what was holy (10:10 and all of chapter 11, especially v. 47) and teach the people YHWH’s rules with clear minds. (10:11)
At least until there is a sanctuary again, we can’t carry out such orders in exactly this way—according to the letter—in order to see Him demonstrate His importance. So what is the spirit behind this part of the Torah? Paul spells it out more directly:
“An overseer must be beyond reproach, … soberly vigilant, self-controlled, orderly, …not given to wine, … not greedy, taking the lead in his own household well … not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he might fall into the condemnation of the Accuser.” (1 Timothy 3:1-6)
“In a large house there are not only implements … put to dignified use, [but] others to dishonorable …If anyone has cleansed himself from these, he will be … designated for honor, set apart, useful to the Master … YHWH ‘s bondservant must not be quarrelsome, but kind… with gentleness educating those who oppose, in case Elohim might grant them repentance … and they might come back to their senses, out of the devil’s trap.” (2 Tim. 2:20-26)
“Shepherd the flock of YHWH…not out of greed for gain… nor lording it over those entrusted [to you], but being examples to the flock… Be sensible, be watchful, because your adversary the accuser… prowls around, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:1-2, 8) “We are not ignorant of his plots.” (1 Cor. 2:11)
That adversary had just scored a debilitating blow, and the surviving priests felt the brunt. Moshe understood their hesitancy to exercise their full rights (10:15) when they had suffered such a loss (10:19-20), but this highlights the limitations of even those in Israel’s highest office, for they still had the sin-tainted blood of Adam in their veins.
The Messiah, on the other hand, is a different kind of priest who does not need to bring an offering for his own sin (Hebrews 7:22-28), as Aharon did. (Lev. 9:8) In his face we can see the weightiness of YHWH (2 Cor. 4:6), buffered (for he bore YHWH’s wrath) but unmarred by human error.
We Need More Reminders Than We Think
What’s the first offering that Aharon, the man who had formed the calf idol, has to bring to YHWH’s altar before he can be vested with the holiest of service? A male calf! (Lev. 9:2, 7-8) YHWH forgave him (allowing him to live on) and chose him for this highest place in Israel, but it seems that, having once been persuaded, he had to be reminded of where not to go, and to show a public renunciation of his sin.
Everything was going as it was supposed to (9:16), and YHWH showed up with an unforgettable display of power and majesty. (9:24) But it wasn’t long until someone got out of line and thought they could add something of their own to the script. (10:1) The result? Aharon lost two beloved sons.
Whenever YHWH starts something new, it seems He always has to include a sobering reminder to stay within the lines. We again see a celebration of something holy being interrupted by an abrupt call back to reality when Uzzah steadied the tottering Ark of the Covenant. (2 Shmu’el 6) Again, those in charge didn’t follow instructions properly; it was never supposed to be transported that way. (Exodus 25:13-14)
It’s easy to let the giddy feeling of freedom go to our head. We can easily get carried away with the big picture and think the details aren’t so important to YHWH. But neglecting some parts of what He says just because they seem less significant to us can end up being a matter of life and death.
As David had advised Shlomo to begin his reign with an immediate show of force (1 Kings 2:2-9) and then he had no trouble from anyone after that, YHWH was demonstrating from the start that though He can do great deeds for us, He is not one to be trifled with. Nor are His commands.
Even when grace was being emphasized (Acts 4:33), to the point where personal property no longer seemed the important thing (4:32), Hananyah and Safira learned the hard way that YHWH’s commands had not changed. (Acts 5:1-11) It was as wrong as ever to lie and misrepresent themselves --and Him. (5:3-4) YHWH had to remind us again that He must “be treated as holy by those who draw near to Me, so I will be taken seriously [by] all the people.” (10:3) And that proper kind of fear was the result. (5:5)
Why are the dietary laws the next thing discussed after this event? It seems a total change of subject. But it really is a continuation of the same theme. YHWH had just directly given Aharon and his remaining sons a new restriction “so that you can put a difference between the holy and the common and between the unclean and the clean, and so you may teach the children of Israel all the statutes that YHWH has told them...” (Lev. 10:10-11)
The explicit reason for the dietary laws is “to make a difference between the unclean and the clean” (11:47), because if we take detestable things into ourselves, we too become detestable—at least to YHWH (11:43), and He counts more than anyone else, as we saw in 10:3, for the term translated “be taken seriously” there literally means “be considered most weighty”. If Aharon and his sons were to teach Israel to make such distinctions, they themselves had to be in the condition to make the right distinctions when on the job.
So…what kind of distinctions do they help us make?
We should eat not just what is healthy but what teaches us the right lessons. “You must not eat of them that only chew the cud, or…that only part the hoof.” (11:4) Both must be present. Chewing the cud is something that is partly hidden, while the cloven hoof is visible on the outside. A pig can look clean because it has cloven hoofs, but you have to look more closely and realize it lacks the other requirement, so it's not what it appears to be. We need to be the kind of people who can be trusted to be the same as we appear to be—i.e., “What you see is what you get”.
YHWH has the right to tell us what we should find disgusting. (11:11-13) We might think it’s obvious—that we don’t have to be told octopus or squid are repulsive. But many have at least acquired such tastes. And not even all “bugs” are on the list! (11:21ff) So I guess we do need to be instructed after all.
A New Age
in the Right Sense
The 8th day (9:1) is a deep concept that shows up again and again throughout Scripture, and each time it symbolizes new beginnings, inauguration, a new era, but in a way that it carries over what was sealed and secured in the previous 7 days. Circumcision brings a boy into covenant. In tandem with the Jewish tradition (based on Psalm 90) that the history of mankind on earth consists of seven 1,000-year “days”, with the 7th being the Sabbath—the Messianic Kingdom in which there is true peace and rest, the 8th day of Sukkoth (actually tacked onto its 7 days as an atzereth or carryover, encore, affectionate farewell, and both closing and enclosing) symbolizes the “new heavens and new earth” (Isa. 65:17), which, like the figure 8, are infinite or eternal, so no 9th is needed. Here, it is the inauguration of a new era in which Aharon and sons officiate at the altar.
That it begins with a bull-calf for a sin offering (9:2) is an apt rebuttal to the golden calf, for which Aharon was ultimately responsible. It must be “without blemish” (9:3)—not offering something that cost us nothing, as David recognized when he had to stave off a plague with an offering. (2 Sam. 24:24)
What would you pay to have YHWH appear to you? (9:4) For Aharon and his sons, it meant some strictures (8:33-35) that would be difficult but well worth it in the long run.
But how can YHWH’s glory/weightiness (kavod) appear to human beings? (9:6) “Draw near to the altar, and offer your sin-offering, and your burnt-offering, and make atonement for yourself, and for the people; and present the offering of the people, and make atonement for them--as YHWH commanded.” (9:7) All of these elements depict both the part Yeshua played in making it possible for us to “boldly approach the Throne of Grace” (Heb. 4:16) and the response that is our responsibility if it is to actually be effective.
They did all these (detailed in 9:8-22), “and YHWH’s kavod did appear to all the people, and fire came forth from before YHWH and consumed the ascending offering and the fat on the altar.” (9:23-24a)
If we do it wrongly, fire still comes forth from YHWH, but consumes US instead of what we offer. (10:2) “By those who are close to Me I will be treated as exceptional, so in the presence of the whole people I will be seen as carrying weight.” (10:3) They had to be reminded to keep their judgment clear (10:9) so they could have all their senses intact to “distinguish between what is sacred and what is ordinary, and between what is contaminated and what is pure.” (10:10) The result? They can accurately teach Israel the ways YHWH prescribes. (10:11)
“This is the law of the beast, and of the winged creatures, and of every living thing that moves in the waters, and of everything that swarms on the earth, to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean…” (11:46-47)
Look at the way that’s worded. It doesn’t really seem to be about the animals, does it? Though they are an integral part of the learning process and without this step we will not really get it, it goes much deeper than just diet (as much of a blessing it is that YHWH gave us a shortcut to avoid what so many people learn the hard way). So, even if we aren’t Levites or official priests, obeying these rules can teach us to make the right distinctions.
When something from the evil side (whether a direct attack or by our failure to guard against its encroachment) gets through and mars the carrying out of a holy operation, it is not offensive to YHWH (or at least to Moshe) if we do not do things exactly the right way if proceeding according to the script would seem insensitive to the tragedy experienced. (10:19-20) Aharon and his sons were not allowed to openly mourn (10:6), for acknowledgement of death (which was, in YHWH’s original design, never supposed to occur) would defile the ministry that is about life. That had to continue unabated since they represent YHWH and His ideal standard (10:7). But at such a time they were permitted to abstain from the privileges allotted to them as a reward for their service.
Let us maintain that balanced approach as we enter a new responsibility or any new understanding about Him.
Cleaning House
The first day of the first Hebrew month will be in the coming week, which is probably why the special haftarah, which says, “In the first month, on day one, you must take a bull… and [cleanse] the sanctuary [from] sin." (Ezk. 45:18) That is not a specific Torah command, but it was the same day the mishkan (tabernacle) was initially set up and (Ex. 40:2), so it was only fitting to renew it on the same day.
Hizqiyahu, on this first new moon in his first year as king, reopened the doors of the Temple and told the priests, “Sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of YHWH, Elohim of your fathers, and take the filthiness [defilement] out of the holy place.” (2 Chron. 29:3-5) So this is definitely the day for cleansing the sanctuary of YHWH. Jim Staley noted that other events leading to the reestablishment of the Temple after the Babylonian exile took place that same date. (Ezra 7:9; Neh. 2:1-8)
Yeshua cleansed the Temple in a different way on the 11th of this month (Mark 11:12-17). He “cleaned house” in preparation for the Passover, since the leaven has to be out by the 15th. (Exodus 12:15) Since he said, “It is written…”, it is easy to see that the verse he quoted to justify his act, “My House will be called a house of prayer for all peoples” comes from Scripture. (Isaiah 56:7) But his next statement is also from the prophets: in Jeremiah 7:11, YHWH asks, “Has this House, which is called by My Name, become a den of robbers?” Yeshua answers in the affirmative: these moneychangers (who gouged pilgrims from too far away to bring their own animals to offer) had made it just that.
As heir to David’s throne, overseeing what went on in the Temple was his prerogative. David’s sons were officiators of some sort in the Temple (2 Samuel 8:18. That was a precedent for his authority over what went on in the Temple precinct, especially during Passover.
The same pattern is in this very haftarah: “The ascending [offering]s and a tribute and the …at all the appointed times of the House of Israel will be the Prince's responsibility. He must prepare the sin [offering], the tribute, the ascending [offering], and the peace [offering]s to effect a covering for the House of Israel.” (Ezk. 45:17) This prince of prophecy also presides over the Passover and offerings for each of the seven days of unleavened bread. (45:21-25) If this Prince is Yeshua, and he brings these offerings, this has to make us rethink the idea that his offering of himself ended all the offerings the Torah says to bring to the Temple. He is called a sin offering (2 Cor. 5:21) and his soul (life/blood) a guilt offering (Isa. 53:12). But ascending and peace offerings (a type of thanks offering) are not about sin at all, but about getting closer to YHWH, fellowship with Him and with others with whom we want to share the joy about special things He has done for us. Most are eaten as a meal together with Him.
But this son of David—“the Branch” whose name is Y’hoshua—"will build YHWH’s Temple” (possibly a different way), and “be a priest upon his throne, and the counsel of shalom shall be between them both.” (Zech. 6:12-13) It seems he will somehow reconcile the two roles, or use his dual role in a way that complements the Levitical priesthood rather than encroaching on it, since “shalom” actually means “completion”, which is the root of “complementing”.
What might that different way of building the Temple be? In the antitype, “your body is the Temple of the spirit of holiness…so honor Elohim with both your body and your spirit…” (1 Cor. 6:19-20), for corporately, “you as living stones are [re]built as a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to bring spiritual offerings acceptable to Elohim.” (1 Peter 2:5)
So, in our day, how can we cleanse this temple at this time as we approach the first of the annual feasts?
“In a large house there are not only implements of gold and silver, but also of wood and earthenware, some …indeed put to dignified use, while others are put to dishonorable use. If anyone has cleansed himself from these, he will be an implement designated for honor, set apart, useful to the Master, ready for any good work.” (2 Tim. 2:20-21) “Purge out the old leaven…of ill-will and wickedness” (1 Cor. 5:7-8), and He may be not just willing but pleased to live among us again.
