CHAPTER 6
1. [8 in English] Then YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying,
2. "Command (tzav) Aharon and his sons, saying, ‘This is the instruction [in regard to] the ascending [offering]--that is, the ascending [offering] on the hearth on the altar all night until the morning, while the fire of the altar is kept burning on it:
Before the golden calf incident, YHWH used to speak to Moshe and Aharon together, but there was a price to pay for this sin. Aharon was cut off from this higher level of direct revelation. Moshe now had to relay the messages from YHWH to him. Hearth: the center of Israel’s family life; literally, “what fuels the fire”. The fat that burns very well is what keeps the fire burning for the next offering to be brought to the same spot. Fire is often a picture of what motivates us. If the community is the altar built of living stones, there can only be fire if someone has already done the right thing to correct his missing of the mark. His right actions are what fuels the fire for the next person. The offerings brought by those who came before us form the basis for our offering. Your worship thus fuels mine, and in turn if I have the proper attitude and carry out my actions properly, it will form another step for you to ascend on. All night: This is how long it takes for the whole animal to be consumed, but it is also the time when no one is in the sanctuary but a few priests. Will we continue offering ourselves only to YHWH when we are away from the light of others who are like-minded? Or do we offer ourselves to something else at those times? “This is the instruction in regard to the ascending” is all the first phrase actually says, so in addition to being a particular physical procedure, we may take this as our directions for how to ascend. For this to work, we need to have a fire and to offer up something more of ourselves at each new step, until we fully work through the removal of our sins until they are not just covered over but fully consumed. A vicious animal might chew through a cage and attack us again if we merely calm it down on one occasion. It needs to be fully dealt with, or it will only keep coming back stronger than before. Every time we fall into the same sin, it is an occasion to see it through to completion; we certainly cannot take it with us into the Kingdom. Fire also represents YHWH’s presence (Ex. 3:2; 24:17; Deut. 5:23.), for this is what should motivate us. According to the sages, the ascending offering was brought to atone for a sin of the mind; sins committed physically have other specified sacrifices. Thoughts can bring us closer to YHWH because they are in the soul, not in the flesh; thus, sins of the mind are considered greater than sins of the body, and hold a higher penalty.
3. "‘The priest shall put on his long robe of fine linen, and he shall put his linen undergarments over his flesh, and he shall pick up the ashes that the fire has consumed along with the ascending offering on the altar, and he shall place them beside the altar.
Long: literally, measured. There is nothing haphazard about it. It is a picture of someone who weighs his actions out very honestly in every detail. White linen represents the works of those who are set apart. We tend the altar day and night by putting on YHWH’s commandments and judging ourselves by the right standards. Those who are judged fit to wear these garments are those who overcome—whether self, the world’s influences, or the need for security. (Rev. 3:4) Undergarments: They come between him and his holy garments, which are not to directly touch his flesh, the symbol of his natural human strength and corruptibility. (See Exodus 28:42ff for background.) The flesh is still there, but YHWH wants our works to override it. By putting these clothes on, we put off the call of the world. Beside the altar: When the pile got big enough, it would be loaded into a cart and carried away before the next day’s offerings began.
4.
"‘Then he shall take off his garments and put on other garments, then bring the ashes away to a [ritually] clean place outside of the camp.
"‘Then he shall take off his garments and put on other garments, then bring the ashes away to a [ritually] clean place outside of the camp.He needs to put on “street clothes” because he is taking the ashes outside the holy precinct. (See Y’hezq’el/ Ezek. 44:19) Why is so much care taken to put these ashes in such a specific place? Because far from being worthless leftovers, as they might seem, these ashes actually picture what is left after our motivation (the fire) has done its work. The word for ashes (deshen) is from a root meaning fatness, prosperity, and anointing. A place of ritual cleanness represents a place of selflessness, which is the ultimate result if we go through all the discipline YHWH prescribes. It is a picture of the Kingdom, which is the only “place” we can receive the profit that results from the worthy goals that motivated us. (Mat. 6:19ff) We cannot yet see the true reward—what fits YHWH’s definition of prosperity and what is the fat (the best). But if we are improving our walk because we have repented, it will eventually come to us.
5. "‘But the fire on the altar must be allowed to burn thereupon; it must not be extinguished. The priest shall burn wood on it morning by morning, then he shall arrange the ascending offering upon it in an orderly manner, and cause it to go up in smoke along with the fat from the peace offering.
This fire depicted YHWH's presence outside the veil, where the whole community could see it, unlike that of the menorah in the Holy Place. A fire is not to be kindled on the Sabbath, but there are offerings that day too, so the fire that is already lit must be left to keep burning. It would not necessarily be stoked, but it must not be deliberately put out, which indicates that they were accustomed to quenching fires, whether for safety reasons or to avoid wasting fuel, which would be harder to get when they were camped in desert areas. Here, wood represents mature men, fully given over to becoming a place for others to offer themselves to YHWH.
6. "‘Fire must be allowed to burn
continually upon the altar; it must
never be extinguished.
Nothing is killed on top of the altar, but in front of it; then the pieces are brought up onto the altar to be cooked or burned. Thus, if there is no fire on the altar, it is useless. According to oral tradition, the fire that was lit by YHWH continued to burn for 140 years. But in context here, this command may apply only to the ascending offerings (v. 2), which might not have been offered every day, for how would they keep a fire on the altar when it was moved from camp to camp? There were only five priests at this point, so we must be realistic about the human logistics involved in all of these commands. On very rainy days, they might not have accepted offerings, but they had to be disciplined to get back to the normal pattern as soon as possible. The altar was of bronze, which conducts heat very well; it would transfer heat well to the meat, but would cool quickly when it was take off the fire when it was time to transport it to the next camp site.
7. "‘And this is the instruction in regard to the grain offering: the sons of Aharon shall bring it near, in the presence of YHWH, to the front of the altar.
8. "‘And he shall take from it his handful of the flour of the grain offering, its oil, and all the frankincense that is on the grain offering, and he shall cause it to go up in smoke upon the altar--a soothing aroma as its memorial [portion] for YHWH.
Handful: Literally, closed fistful. It was a precise measure, not generous in portion as a storekeeper might give, but exact, as a pharmacist would measure, because too much can "kill you" (obscure the symbolism) as easily as too little. This gift is an expression of our heart, and YHWH "breathes it in". Mystically at least, Eden is directly above the Temple Mount, and the fire carries it upward. Memorial: it both reminds the giver that in reality all that he has belongs to YHWH, and it "reminds" YHWH of His covenant with Israel.
9. "‘Then Aharon and his sons may eat the rest. It must be eaten without leaven in a set-apart place; they shall eat it in the courtyard of the Tent of Appointment.
When someone turns himself over in repentance (as portrayed by the animal he brings), YHWH receives the first portion, but the rest of what he brings belongs to the priest. This is a lot of meat. YHWH’s servants are rewarded for their dedication and example by being provided with the best of the food. They bring the blood, and they receive the body in exchange. The one who offers the blood has the right to the body it came from; Yeshua offered up his blood for us, so we belong to him; this Torah pattern gives him authority to claim us, and he has made us fit to in turn offer ourselves to YHWH. (Yochanan 17) A set-apart place: When the "Holy Place" (the first room within the tabernacle) is referred to, it is normally only called "haQodesh"—The Holy. Here, the actual word for "place" (maqom) is present in the Hebrew text. This distinguishes it from haQodesh proper as meaning any part of the holy precinct around the sanctuary.
10. “‘It may not be baked with leaven. I have appointed it as their portion [to be taken] out of my offerings by fire. It is most holy, just like the sin offering and guilt offering.
Bread (as portrayed by the “bread of the faces”, which represent the twelve tribes of Israel) is a picture of our community life, which to YHWH is as important as being cleansed from sin and guilt. It must have no leaven, which is a picture of being puffed up with pride, appearing to be more than we really are, and this only interferes with loving one another in a simple, straightforward manner.
11.“‘Any male among the sons of Aharon may eat it--[as] a never-ending statute throughout your generations--from YHWH's offerings by fire. Anything that touches them will become set apart.'"
“‘Any male among the sons of Aharon may eat it--[as] a never-ending statute throughout your generations--from YHWH's offerings by fire. Anything that touches them will become set apart.'"Any other offering that, while being carried or when on the altar, is inadvertently bumped against the ascending offering, which may be eaten only by the priesthood, takes on the same level of sanctity as the ascending offering. That is, no one but the priests may eat of it, whereas, had it not touched the ascending offering, the offerer would have been permitted to eat part of it.
12. Then YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying,
13. "This is the offering of Aharon and his sons, which they shall bring near to YHWH on the day when he is anointed: a tenth of an eyfah of flour, as a regular grain offering--half of it in the morning, and half of it in the evening.
Which they shall bring: A grain offering is usually voluntary, but those who "carry all of Israel on their shoulders" are told what their heart should compel them to bring. Intimacy with YHWH means the loss of some freedoms to choose, for one wants to bring what his beloved likes. The day he is anointed: when he is inaugurated as priest. Half in the morning...evening: Our works in the darkness should be the same as our works in the light. A tenth of an eyfah is one omer (Exodus 16:36), whose value is half a sheqel, which is also the portion or value of one man (Exodus 16:16; 30:13). Why not just say an omer? Because ten men makes up one congregation. Everyone needs to be joined to "the other nine" (compare Luke 17:17) in order to be complete.
14. "On a griddle with oil shall it be made; you shall bring it in mixed. You must bring baked pieces of the grain offering [gift]--a soothing aroma to YHWH.
Bring it in mixed: already prepared and ready to be offered.
15. "And the priest who is anointed in his place, from among his sons, shall make it [the mixture]. This is a never-ending statute of YHWH: it must be completely burned up,
This is the son who will later take Aharon’s place as high priest.
16. "and every grain offering [given by] a priest is a whole burnt offering; it may not be eaten."
Usually, what is brought as a grain offering is for the priests to eat. YHWH Himself “eats” only from the hand of the priests--the chosen from among the chosen, the greatest of servants to the whole community, fully given to making sure the rest are walking with YHWH, and therefore they are given the highest reward as well, being the most esteemed of any in Israel, even above kings. This is a greater offering still, taken from what the people brought, but cooked by the High Priest himself-- the highest authority in the Land, and thus held to the highest standard. If he himself ate from it, it would hardly be a gift. What priests bring as gifts to YHWH is to be wholly consumed. The closer we draw near, the more we want to give of ourselves to Him.
17. Then YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying,
18. "Speak to Aharon and his sons, saying, "This is the instruction regarding the sin offering: In the [same] place where the ascending offering is slaughtered, the sin offering shall be slaughtered before YHWH. It is most holy.
How can something that is for sin be as holy as something designed to make one ascend? One must ascend from his sin as well, though he is starting at a lower point and there is more shame involved. Yet still YHWH honors it as a positive thing if we rise out of what we fell into. He celebrates the fact that we are getting back on track as much as—or more than—those who are already on track but still want to come closer. This is Yeshua’s authority to say that there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than for 99 who need no repentance. Sometimes there is nothing as effective at leading us to major improvement as a very big failure, for it makes our needy state all the clearer to us.
19. "The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. He must eat it in the Place of Holiness; it must be eaten in the courtyard of the Tent of Appointment.
Whichever priest helps with this particular offering is the one who gets the designated portions, but cannot take it home or eat it anywhere else, lest it lose its significance.
20. "Anything that touches it will become dedicated. And if any of its blood gets spattered on the clothing, whatever it is spattered on must be washed in the Place of Holiness.
Dedicated: It may never again be used for commonplace purposes. The same holds true for the people He is making holy. Nehemyah refused to speak even to king's messengers when he was doing the important work of rebuilding the holy city; the Apostles would not set aside the ministry of the word to wait on tables. (Acts 6) Washed: What is touched by this blood cannot be taken outside the confines of the sanctuary courts, not so much because it has become stained as because this blood is set apart, and may not be taken elsewhere.
21. "Also, any earthen vessel in which it is boiled must be broken, but if it is boiled in a bronze vessel, it must be scoured, then rinsed with water.
Both clay and bronze are removed from the earth, being less noble than gold or silver, but the former is porous and has absorbed some of the blood and been corrupted by it. Blood symbolizes an individual soul’s life, so those who take in too much of themselves and live for self are no longer usable, while the bronze vessel contains life, but does not live for the sake of its own life, but uses it for the sake of YHWH or His community, giving it up easily and willingly when it is time to. As "earthen vessels", our flesh cannot directly inhabit the Kingdom. (1 Cor. 15:50) The result of the sin offering should be that the flesh is “broken”, as we call a wild animal that is being trained to be useful. We have been stored in a place where we took on the odors of what was around us, so we must now go to where we can “air ourselves out” and remove the influence of the nations where we have been exiled, so we can again have the Torah’s original flavor—not one of religion, but of one people with one kingdom and one King.
22. "Any male among the priests may eat from it; it is most holy.
23. "But any sin offering the blood of which is brought into the Tent of Appointment to make atonement for the sanctuary may not be eaten. It must be burned with fire.
This is particularly the occasion of Yom haKippurim, when one should not eat anyway, but this cannot be kept over until after that fast is over and eaten later either.
CHAPTER 7
1. "And this is the instruction [in regard to] the guilt [offering]. (It is set apart [among the] set-apart.)
We have just seen several examples of when to bring a guilt offering. Now more detail is given about how it is to be done. These methods of slaughter seem foreign to modern ears, and at first glance it is hard to see how they are connected to solving what was actually done wrong. We might think this was just another way contrived to keep the priesthood in power, but they do need to eat and as our later history showed, the people could not be counted on to consistently bring donations. So YHWH tied them to something sure to occur: wrongdoing. The priests do provide a service in exchange. But the means of repair is actually seen in the Hebrew wording of these offerings. Literally, it simply says, “This is the instruction [torah] of guilt (asham)”, i.e., it has a broader application to show us how to deal with our guilt. Most people do not understand the purpose of guilt, and therefore try to avoid dealing with it. They think they will be look foolish or be put in a weaker position if they admit guilt. Yet if we “come clean”, we actually feel and do better. Too much guilt makes one weak, worried, and easily defeated. But if one has an insufficient sense of his own guilt, he becomes a self-centered, arrogant person that no one wants to be around. What is guilt really for? It is meant to be a corrective tool. We need to know how to walk in the guilt and then walk away from it. There is a whole industry built around therapies that address guilt, but except for those who have had unrealistic guilt trips laid upon them, much of that treatment is unnecessary, and even detrimental. But YHWH put the solution right here—a way to deal with it in a way that will truly remove it. Guilt cannot be removed through excuses (“I spilled the milk because the glass was too small”), blaming others (“I was distracted” vs. “I wasn’t paying attention”), or by convincing ourselves we have been victimized. People will argue over who was at fault, then both leave without doing anything about it, and the job of fixing the problem they caused falls on someone who was not involved at all! Even if we find someone to tell us we are not really guilty, the true guilt will find ways to resurface until we actually deal with it. YHWH’s solution is much better. That we can feel our guilt is a gift He gives us so we will do something about what needs to be repaired; it only becomes a curse if we do nothing about it. We cannot just talk our way out of it. Today, “I’m sorry” tends to be a way to “get out of jail free”, and politicians who publicly apologize are even looked on as heroes, though they have not really fixed the problem. Unless we are so truly sorry (sorrowful) that we will not get caught up in the error again, the guilt remains. YHWH says bringing an offering when we confess (5:28) will actually remedy the problem. Though we have no altar now, the procedures used there still show us how to deal with the underlying problems, as well as helping us understand YHWH’s judgment and righteousness, without which Israel cannot function as a nation.
2. "In the place where they slaughter the ascending [offering], they shall slaughter the guilt [offering], and its blood shall be dashed onto the altar, all around.
Confession is part of the process, but it is not enough. One cannot take the animal back home with him after he has laid his hands on its head! Guilt requires action. An offering is implied here, but all the text actually says is that the guilt is to be slaughtered! This is much better than denial or even a self-help book! Hiding it or blaming someone else only allows it to bore deeper in, where it will cause even more problems, because it is invisible. Who can help you hunt it out then? You might even forget it is there, and it can eat away at you like an unseen cancer. To deal with it, we must understand where it comes from and what its purpose is. The reason most people feel guilty is that they actually are guilty! To see what causes guilt from YHWH’s perspective, we must go back to chapter 5. Verse 1 tells us it is sinning (missing the target set in Torah). The word for oath (Heb., alah) also means “a curse”, because any oath carries a potential curse: if we do not do what we say we will do, we fall under judgment. If you know that another person has lied and you keep your mouth shut, the guilt is on you, too, because you are not fulfilling your responsibility as a witness. Failure to hold accountable the other Israelites who swore at Sinai to obey YHWH makes us guilty in His eyes. If you do not hold the target firmly in place, it makes it harder for anyone to hit it. If you move the mark, in that person’s eyes you change the standard, and he will think it has either become more lenient or aim for the wrong thing. I.e., if you comfort someone who is “not able” to keep the Sabbath, you are guilty. 5:2, 3 tell us that one can become guilty through ritual defilement, which is a picture of selfishness, which is indeed contagious; the natural response to someone else’s selfishness is selfishness of your own. An ancient application of this was eating set-apart meat or touching something belonging to the sanctuary when in a ritually-unclean state. If someone reacts to your selfishness in a selfish way, you are partly responsible for their actions, though they, too, should control themselves. 5:4 tells us that when you remember that you have made a promise and realize you have not lived up to it, you are guilty. “I forgot” or “I spoke too soon” are no excuse. The first step to alleviate the guilt is to say, “I’m guilty”, then do the thing you said you would do, as soon as possible! People would be more careful to think about what they were doing if they had to pay with the slaughter of a sheep each time they did not! We would learn not to talk so much and to carefully weigh what we do say. If we do not confess our guilt (5:5), it will still be hiding in the shadows without our knowing it, even if we change our ways. People often confess to brutal crimes even if no one saw them because the guilt weighs too heavily on them. At the Temple there are “professional witnesses” to hear the confession—not to take that information out from there as talebearers, but as advocates for the confessor. But the word for “confess” here does not mean to simply admit that one has sinned, though that is the first step. It is yadah, rooted in the Hebrew word for “hand” (yad). So a confession involves having something in one’s mouth and something in one’s hands. What all of these causes of guilt have in common is that they affect our neighbors negatively. Almost everything we do has an effect on others, so we must be careful of our actions. In the (same) place as the ascending: This offering is dealt with in the same way we are to deal with ascension, sin, and thanksgiving—by giving another part of ourselves away. It is also designed to make us ascend. There is no Temple now; YHWH says His Temple consists of His people. So if we are begrudging toward one another, we dare not say we are willing to give to Him. The two are inseparable. (Webster)
3. "And all its fat shall be brought near, and [the parts] of it that he shall offer are the fat tail, the fat that covers the innermost parts,
Fat (khelev) connotes the best. (By analogy, if you broke something, you should use the best glue that you can to repair it.) The fat tail of the sheep is a delicacy in the Middle East. The Hebrew term, however, tells us much more: it is alyah, from the word alah (to swear an oath). But why is an oath attached to a sheep? Because a sheep is less valuable than a bull, so this is the “oath” to do better next time—bring a bull, or, better yet, behave better so that we do not need to bring another guilt offering, continuing to work toward bringing more of self. The fat tail is also part of the peace (completion) offering (3:9), so the guilt offering bears some resemblance to that as it did to the ascending offering. What is the similarity? Guilt separates us from our brothers in a negative way. It thus hinders us from being complete. We become uncomfortable around someone against whom we bear guilt, and it prevents us from experiencing shalom. We might come up with other reasons to avoid the other person, instead of clearing the air by confessing. If we do that, the weight of the burden will be gone, because we will now have a brother to help us carry it away. But pride keeps the guilt stuck to us. We are not whole, because we are not one with our brothers. The fat that covers the innermost parts: The term for “covers” means “to plump up in such a way that it conceals”. We can hide our weaknesses and most private thoughts behind our best—our talents and the strong points that we willingly offer for kingdom service. We may serve others well in one area, but use this to hide the fact that we are not hospitable because we are not comfortable with it. But we are works in progress; we must let our weaknesses be exposed in a loving community so others can help us deal with them. Do not ignore the areas in yourself that have no Kingdom beauty; show them to YHWH so something can be done about them. (Gibor)
4. "both kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is beside the flanks, and he shall remove what hangs over the liver.
Kidneys: the only organ burned on the altar. The kidneys get rid of impurities in the blood, so giving them is a promise to take care of the impurities that are in our lives, which are what brought about our guilt in the first place. In ancient times kidneys were symbolic of the mind. “Spiritual” sacrifices—those that are only in our minds—accomplish little if not expressed in some physical way. We must stop hiding and let ourselves be corrected so we can indeed remove the guilt both from our minds and the practical ways it affects others. One small dose of the pillar of fire made Yeshua’s disciples forget everything they owned and go spend all their time studying and teaching the scriptures. (Acts 2)
5. "And the priest shall cause them to go up in smoke on the altar [as] an offering by fire to YHWH; it is a guilt [offering].
6. "Any male among the priests may eat it. It must be eaten in a set-apart place; it is holiest [among] the holy things.
This refers to what is left after YHWH’s part has been burned up. It is not proper for the worshipper to profit from his guilt; it is to compensate the one who leads him through the process of removing it.
7. "As the sin offering, so [with] the guilt offering; there is one instruction for them [both]. It shall belong to the priest who makes atonement by it.
Everything that we bring before YHWH has this in common: that when we draw near for whatever reason, positive or negative, we bring something we have laid our hands on. We come closer to YHWH by offering another part of ourselves—more of our life. We cannot do it all in one offering. The closer we get, the more we can see the details of what does not please Him and needs to be removed. We must be the ones to “kill the self off”. Through teachers, YHWH “takes His highlighter to the text” to show us what we need to work on. He only wants what is given willingly. (Ex. 25:2) The test of whether we are willing is if we give only grudgingly to our brothers. But we cannot cook dinner for YHWH directly; we serve Him through serving one another. He does not need a sanctuary to live in; we need it so we can learn and teach others about Him. The priest got a piece of everything; even when the offering was completely burnt up, the offerer still brought him a gift of bread. Remember, none of this comes from our tithes; those are not offerings, but more of an additional “tax” just like the firstfruits.
8. "And the priest who brings near a man's ascending [offering], the skin of the ascending offering that he has brought near belongs to [that] priest; it shall be his.
It would either be a large piece of leather or parchment with wool, having many uses, or he could sell it.
9. "And any grain offering that is baked in an oven, or anything prepared in a frying pan or griddle shall belong to the priest that brings it near; it is his.
10. "And any grain offering, mixed with oil or dry, shall be for all the sons of Aharon, one as much as another.
All of the priests are permitted to partake of the grain offerings, unlike the other offerings that go to the particular priest who officiates over the slaughter of the particular animal being brought. (v. 14) Who are the stand-in officiators now? Those who serve YHWH’s household with all that they have as the priests of old did. We owe something to those who teach us. At present, giving to those who are worthy is the closest we can come to the support of the Levites and the altar. If YHWH has blessed us, we are meant to bless the servant who brought us the blessing. We can also support those who are restoring the ancient institutions, at each stage of the process.
11."Now this is the instruction [in regard to] the peace offerings which are to be brought near to YHWH:
"Now this is the instruction [in regard to] the peace offerings which are to be brought near to YHWH:12. "If he brings it near on account of thanks, then in addition to the thanks offering, he must bring near unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and of unleavened loaves of fine flour saturated with oil.
YHWH even rules on the method by which we are to thank Him. There is a minimum standard; it cannot be done in just any way we see fit. Saturated with oil: probably fried.
13. "In addition to the loaves of unleavened bread, he shall bring near his offering in regard to a thanks offering [as] his peace offerings.
Bread is a picture of our unity. (1 Cor. 10:17) We cannot offer YHWH thanks without serving His people as well.
14. "And out of every offering, he shall bring one near as a part skimmed off for YHWH for the priest who is tossing the blood of the peace offerings; it is for him.
The particular priest who assists the offerer is given a “commission”; this is wise psychology from YHWH to motivate each of them not to just stand by and watch when he might be a little tired, but to take the initiative in offering to assist the one who brings the animal to slaughter.
15. "As to the flesh of what is slaughtered [for] the thanksgiving and peace offerings, it shall be eaten on the [same] day that the offering [is made]; he shall not leave any of it until morning.
A thanks offering is not done because of any sin, but often to express gratitude for deliverance from great danger, though it was not limited to such. In the giver's mind, he was putting himself on the altar, sacrificing himself, and in losing his own life, Yeshua says, he truly finds it. Psalm 116 was written to be used at the time when one brought a thanks or peace offering. It is a testimony of the wonderful things YHWH has done for the psalmist. This kind of story needs to be told; it cannot wait for tomorrow. He cannot just keep it a quiet affair. The meal itself is thus part of the drawing near. A small bull would have over 500 pounds of meat! In order to finish eating such a huge animal the same day, one needs to share it. The best time might be at the festivals when tens of thousands of people were present. He has a feast with the priests and anyone else in the Temple whom he might invite, which both provides for them (as they have no inheritance of their own), and gives an occasion to tell why one is thanking YHWH. The only catch is that they have to stay to listen! Recounting the great deeds He has done increases everyone's confidence in Him. Personal experience keeps YHWH's blessings from being just something we hear about second-hand.
16. "If what is slaughtered [for] his offering pertains to a vow or a free-will offering, it must be eaten on the [same] day in which he brings his offering near; what is left of it may be eaten the next day as well.
Vow: a promise one made to YHWH to bring him a gift if He would bring a bountiful harvest, increase his livestock, etc. Free-will offering: one that is spontaneous, given for no specific reason (unlike the thanksgiving offerings) except that one’s heart told him he needed to honor YHWH because of who He is. It is like raising one’s hand to volunteer before knowing what needs to be done just because we are committed to the one who is asking.
17. "But any [part] of the offering left over until the third day must be burned with fire.
The priests would need to keep careful track of the “expiration date” of each piece of meat. This is part of the setting the offerings in order on the altar. The meat that had been well-cooked would need to be kept warm but not continue to be cooked much more, so it would be kept on a different part of the altar’s grill. Going back yet another time to finish the meat would start to put the focus on the food, not the offering, and this profanes it, for it becomes another earthly security. It cannot become a mundane habit, nor the Temple a place one returns to just to eat. His sanctuary is not a cafeteria! There has to be a fresh drawing near each day. The Kingdom is not really about eating and drinking, but about righteousness, peace, and joy--in the spirit of being set-apart. (Rom. 14:17) I.e., the eating is to remind us of the deeper things each offering pictures. One must be brave to give up so much meat, but he must also make room for the new “daily bread” that YHWH wants to give him tomorrow. Continuing to depend on yesterday’s daily bread not only gets us stuck in a rut, but also erodes our trust in YHWH. We need to find the new reasons for thanks that YHWH builds into each new day. (Lamentations 3:21ff) And in response, we should bring Him something new each day as well. (Psalm 33:3; 96:1; 98:1, etc.) We are told to not let the sun go down on our anger, letting the accuser get a foothold. (Ephesians 4:26); Psalm 4:4 also speaks of meditating about it on one’s bed, indicating that one could “sleep on it” for one night before actually dealing with one’s brother face to face, whether for repentance or rebuke, but one should come to the determination before retiring at night that one will do so at the next morning light. If we wait longer, a root of bitterness sets in. (Deut. 29:18; Heb. 12:15) If one waits until it is already well-established, it is all the harder to remove.
18. "In fact, if any of the meat slaughtered for his peace offerings is eaten at all on the third day, it is not pleasing; it will not be reckoned to the account of him who has brought it, [but] will become an abomination, and the person who eats of it will bear the consequences.
Pleasing: or "accepted favorably". I.e., his gift will be null and void if he or anyone else continues to receive benefit directly from it. He has lost the first two days as well, and must start over and repeat his offering. Become an abomination: alt., be considered as putrid—as by then it may well be. Consequences: Each day we put off doing what we know we should do, we become more guilty of not doing it right away when we could, and with each day the spontaneity wears off if we have not acted on it quickly. Hoshea 6:2, in the direct context of our return to YHWH, says that after two days He would revive us, and the third day He would raise us up. This includes physical resurrection, being raised to a higher place spiritually, and even dwelling on the mountains in our Land, which scripturally is always considered “up” from any other place on earth. A thanks offering must be totally consumed the first day. Many who never knew they were Israel followed the Messiah simply out of gratefulness for having been forgiven because of His death. There are two days (two thousand years, per Psalm 90) in which we may partake of Yeshua’s sacrifice for the nourishment of our souls; on the third "day"--the third millennium, after the gates are closed, it is too late to begin. The free-will offering may be partaken of on the second day. Many are spontaneously returning to consciously being Israel. Those who try to wait until the Kingdom is clearly and securely present before throwing themselves wholeheartedly into it will hear the king say, “I never knew you.” We will not instantaneously receive pure motives the moment the Kingdom begins, so do not wait until then to begin doing what you had been taught it is impossible to do—keep the Torah. If we have not done what we know needs to be done, we will not be trusted with more.
19. "And the meat which touches any unclean thing may not be eaten; it must be burned with fire. But [as for] the meat, everyone who is ritually pure may eat meat.
The words for "meat" (flesh) and "glad news" (or Gospel) are from the same root in Hebrew. Flesh is something that is mortal or corruptible. We may partake of undefiled flesh—but there is only one source of that: Yeshua’s. That is truly good news. But any "Gospel" that has become mixed with an impure thing (such as preaching that "the Kingdom is at hand" as a means to feed oneself or build one's personal empire) must be rejected. However, if the message remains pure (unmixed with paganism), you may feed on it freely if you yourself remain pure. We cannot truly partake of the news that Yeshua was sent to restore the Kingdom to all of Israel while we are in a selfish state (which is what ritual uncleanness symbolizes). Also, it must be eaten here; no one too lazy to come partake of the meat should have any portion taken to him elsewhere.
20. "But the person who eats of the meat slaughtered for the peace offerings, which belong to YHWH, when he is in the state of impurity, shall be cut off from his people.
One cannot draw near with proper thanksgiving if he is selfish. He must come to celebrate what YHWH has done, not because there is food to be had. Nor should one celebrate Passover just because he enjoys roast lamb or Sukkoth just because he likes to go camping.
21. "And whenever a person touches anything ritually impure, whether it be the uncleanness of humanity or of an unclean beast, or of any abomination that is unclean, and also eats of the meat of the peace offerings which belong to YHWH, that soul must be cut off from his people."
Humanity: Heb., Adam. The sin of Adam, the counterfeit Messiah (called the Beast), and the Abomination of Desolation, his idol, are all suggested here as things which defile the soul. The true Gospel (besorah, from basar, the word for meat) cannot be mixed with any of these things. If we eat together just to fill our bellies or for any other reason short of honoring YHWH, we are stealing from Him. Meals eaten in community should have a sanctity about them, for they are about unity and fellowship and caring for one another as one body. (1 Cor. 11:29-34) This is the closest we can get to the altar until the Temple is rebuilt, so there should be nothing selfish or disorderly about them. (1 Cor. 11:33-34) Just as unclean animals could never even be brought to the altar, no one should be allowed to bring negativity into the congregational assembly.
22. Then YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying,
23. "Speak to the descendants of Israel, saying, "You shall not eat any [of the] fat of an ox, a sheep, or a goat,
As we see in our culture today, which has ignored this command, eating it is detrimental to one's health anyway. But the point is that the fat (or best part, the choicest; Heb., khelev, rooted in the word for cream), belongs to YHWH, not us. Its purpose is never for our consumption, but to have something to offer to Him. Withholding it says we do not believe He can provide for us, but that keep everything for ourselves. The fat being spoken of here is in particular the suet or the layer of “hard” fat, which can be peeled away in a sheet just as the skin can. If one purchases kosher meat, this part has already been removed. Any fat that remains is described by a different Hebrew term, shuman, which is related to the word for “oil”. It is permissible to eat this. A deer's or chicken's fat may, on the other hand, be eaten, because they are clean animals but not acceptable to offer on the altar.
24. "Nor shall you by any means eat the fat of a dead body or of a thing that is torn, though you may use it for any work,
Dead body: or "that which died of itself", i.e., by age or disease, not slaughter, or even one slaughtered improperly. Torn: understood to mean "by wild beasts". The corrupting bacteria may proliferate most quickly in the fat (after the blood). For any work: The fat of non-sacrificial animals may be put to any other use--to make tallow for candles, as a lubricant, smeared on leather to preserve it, , etc.--but not as food.
25. "because whoever eats of the fat of the animal that one brings near as a fire offering to YHWH--the person who himself eats--shall be cut off from his people.
This may mean not only those that are actually brought to the Temple, but any animal worthy of the altar. (v. 23). In actual practice, it appears that while the Temple stood, one would only eat this type of animal when making an offering to YHWH anyway, with the possible exception of slaughtering the best of one’s remaining animals for guests as an act of hospitality. Person: literally, soul (as in v. 27), suggesting that in the eating itself (possibly because of something physical in the fat which gets into his bloodstream as with the forbidden fruit in Eden but certainly in the symbolism of taking into one’s innermost being the best, which is stealing what belongs to YHWH), his mind and “heart” will be severed from fellowship with his companions. Cut off: taken out from under the protection of the community and thus exposed to all the elements, left to fend for oneself against all the dangers in the wilderness or the spirits and winds of doctrine in the world at large.
26. "Nor shall you eat any blood in any of your dwellings, either of fowl [winged thing] or beast.
In any of your dwellings: wherever you may live—i.e., we cannot use the fact that we are in exile as an excuse to ignore this command. While the fat of some animals may be eaten, the blood of no animal may. Blood is life, and this symbolizes a deeper level of sanctity.
27. "Any person who eats any blood, that very soul shall be cut off from his people."
It is not enough to eat simply clean meats; the Scripture emphasizes that all the blood be removed, and most restaurants and supermarkets are not careful about this, except in the case of poultry or fowl. This was reiterated most directly, and possibly in two different forms, as being incumbent upon even Gentiles (who wish to share a table with Jews) in Acts 15:20ff. The avoidance of strangled meats (a term covering any out of which the blood is not properly drained) is only implicit in the Torah, but explicit in the Renewed Covenant. Yet this command is ignored, and the consequence shows up in many diseases, especially cancer. But the main reason it is forbidden is that the life (literally soul) of the flesh resides in the blood. (17:11) To take the blood into ourselves--and it is not digested, but becomes directly part of our own blood--is to take into ourselves the soul of an animal. It makes us brutal and spiritually insensitive. But since blood is the life of the flesh, eating it is a picture of saying, "This is my life; I'll do what I want, regardless of what others need." So even if we keep the Sabbath and have put away obvious paganism, if we are still holding onto control of our own lives, our observance is not completely kosher. It is like giving someone a check for a large sum of money but never signing it. Handing it over tells YHWH, “My life belongs to You.”
28. Then YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying,
29. "Tell the descendants of Israel [this]: ‘The one who brings near his peace offerings to YHWH shall bring his offering to YHWH from what is slaughtered for his peace offerings.
Even though the giver may have intended to share the peace offering with particular individuals, some of it always still goes to the priests.
30. "‘His own hands shall bring the fire offerings of YHWH: he shall bring the fat upon the breast along with the breast to be swung back and forth as a wave offering before the face of YHWH.
His own hands: those of the one bringing the sacrifice. He has to know how to cut it into the right pieces and remove all of this from the body, and it is his responsibility to ensure that the priest receives his share. The priest just deals with the blood and takes the already-divided parts up to the altar:
31. "‘And the priest shall cause the fat to go up in smoke on the altar, but the breast shall belong to Aharon and his sons.
YHWH receives the fat; the priests can do whatever they want with the rest, even take it home if they wish, in this case.
32. "‘And you shall give the right shank to the priest as a contribution lifted off from slaughterings of peace offerings.
Shank: or hind leg, from which the finest cut—the filet mignon—is taken. YHWH made sure His servants were well-fed, though in modern times few wish to go through the difficulty of removing the sciatic nerve from this portion (Gen. 32:32), so this part is often simply sold to Gentile processors. A priest deserved this because he was the only one who could teach the people to perform the offerings properly. He gave up the right to his own preferences, for if enough priests stayed home when they did not feel like serving, the whole chain would be broken. A priest even had to forego his harvest if his lot to serve in the Temple fell at that time, for though he had no inherited land, he could have a farm near certain cities. This requires a great measure of maturity. His unselfishness is rewarded by the faithfulness of those who are to take the initiative in providing for him from the part of their earnings that belongs to YHWH.
33. "‘The one from among Aharon's sons who brings near the blood of the peace offerings and the fat is the one to whom the right shank shall be allotted,
34. "‘because the breast of the wave offering and the shank of the contribution I have taken from the descendants of Israel--from what is slaughtered as their peace offerings--and given them to Aharon and his sons as a prescribed portion [due them] forever from among the descendants of Israel.
Forever: This does not mean “only until Yeshua comes”. This line of priests is resurfacing as preparations for the Temple become more complete, and in the Kingdom they will again receive their full authority, much of which has been turned over to the rabbis in the intervening years, whether willingly or not. In fact, Aharon is the only man alive 3,000 years ago whose genetic marker is specifically known, and through many names such as Cohen, Levitt, Levine, Lewis, Kahn, or Katz (Cohen Tzadoq), the reminder of their heritage has been kept intact.
35. "‘This is the portion dedicated to Aharon and dedicated to his sons out of the fire offerings of YHWH. He shall bring them near to function in the position of priests to YHWH.
36. "‘This is what YHWH commanded should be given to them on the day he consecrated them [by anointing] from among the descendants of Israel as a never-ending decree throughout their generations.'"
37. This [has been] the instruction in regard to the ascending [offering], the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, for inaugurations, and for the slaughter of peace offerings,
38. over which YHWH gave Moshe charge at Mount Sinai on the day when He ordered the descendants of Israel to bring their offerings to YHWH in the wilderness of Sinai.
CHAPTER 8
1. Then YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying,
2. "Take Aharon and his sons and the garments, the oil of anointing, the bull of the sin offering and the two rams, and the basket of unleavened [loaves],
As we will see in the next chapter, this is in preparation for YHWH’s return to the camp. When He moved out, angered about the golden calf, what part of YHWH was missing from the camp? It was not His heart; that was still inclined to be there. It was His “presence”. But just what is that? What does it mean for Him to “be there” when He is present everywhere? Even if someone is physically present, his mind could be somewhere else. When we sense someone’s presence, he is more than just in the vicinity. He is projecting something tangible into the situation, and people cannot help but notice it when they enter the room, for they have an emotional response, even if the person is not trying to be ostentatious. This is what gets politicians elected. Corporations hire such charismatic individuals to evoke a response in their desired market. But the Hebrew word for “presence” show us even more. It is panim—literally, “faces”, though it often means simply an individual’s face, because no one has just one face. (Our expressions change and convey what we really think or feel, though our mouths may say the opposite. If someone says “I love you”, yet it is accompanied by a look of disgust, we know he is being sarcastic. Look him in the face, and you know the truth.) Someone’s presence is more positive and powerful if he really wants to be there. Now multiply that many times over, because this is YHWH’s presence—an overwhelming emotional, physical, and psychological experience. When He is in the camp, there is nothing to fear. Israel feels secure, comforted, and loved. But if He leaves, how fearful, vulnerable, empty, and disgusted with ourselves we feel! The people have turned over so many treasures to furnish the tent in the way He wants it, because it was His presence we were after. Now that the Tent is complete, Moshe inaugurates the priesthood. These are the ones YHWH personally selected for the job. He did not ask Aharon if he would like to serve as High Priest; YHWH simply made the choice. But the term “take”(laqakh) is often used of “taking” a wife as well (e.g., Gen. 24:67); this is a personal, up-close form of taking. Moshe was to permanently “marry” Aharon and his descendants to the service of the sanctuary. Therefore they are the ultimate example of serving YHWH, and if we want to perform at the highest level as we pave the way for the Kingdom, we will pay close attention to the kind of people He chose. When they are in the right order, they represent His presence among us; hence his dazzling garments. So what is it about them that He wants in His presence? The “Aharonic benediction” in Numbers 6:23ff says, “May YHWH make His face shine upon you, and…lift up His face over you.” He said, “This is how you will bless Israel.” When do we see someone’s face “shining” or “lighting up”? When he smiles. There is even light in his eyes when he smiles. (Gordon) When He comes home, we hope He will be glad to be there. We want Him to say, “Surely these are My people” (Yeshayahu/Isa. 63:7ff). Moshe, who was “before His face”, now authorizes Aharon and his sons to represent that Face. We know He will not be glad to be home if His children are biting each other’s heads off. We need to watch the priests to learn how to make YHWH smile. Moshe is commandeering the entire lives of Aharon and his sons. Like Yitzhaq with Rivqah, YHWH is taking them into His tent, informing them that they will be busy for the next seven days—and every day thereafter, for they would not even have a day off on the Sabbath in the same way the rest of Israel would, as Torah still requires certain offerings on the Sabbath. They will work seven days per week, because YHWH never stops providing for Israel. They are always not only on call, but on duty. His sons represent the eternal continuity of the covenant; the garments, righteous deeds. Oil represents the flow of the Spirit from the Kingdom by way of teaching. The bull represents optimum restitution for one’s sins. The two rams stand for ascension and the carrying out of what hitherto had been only talked about. The root word for basket means “to lift up” (i.e., carry), and unleavened bread (aside from representing the putting away of pride) is marked and pierced, which are the Hebrew words for male and female, so it is a picture of the raising up of Adam restored to his original, undivided state. It also pictures the bruising and piercing of the Messiah (Yeshayahu 53), whom YHWH used to fill in the part the Torah could not accomplish. (Romans 8:3) Only when all of these elements are together can Israel function as a unified kingdom:
3. "and assemble the whole congregation at the entrance to the Tent of Appointment."
What would we not give to be in the audience the next time this occurs? All of Israel must be gathered first. The term used here for “congregation” means “a witness”. All families need to be represented as witnesses, not only so they will hold Aharon’s family to the proper standards, but so that they will all see that YHWH is honoring him in this way.
4. So Moshe did as YHWH had commanded him, and the whole congregation was gathered together at the entrance to the Tent of Appointment.
The entrance to the tent symbolizes the gates to our bodies, where the battle for control of our energies takes place. (Gen. 4:7; Ex. 38:8) When enemies storm them, all of Israel in unity needs to fight them off. Marrying all these symbols to the nation is how we can guard our gates. They gathered around the washbasin, which was made of mirrors, so it represents looking at our condition, finding out how we are soiled, and repenting. If we do not know why the enemy is gaining ground in a certain area, we need to study harder to know how to combat the Adversary so he will run from us rather than us running from him.
5. Then Moshe told the congregation, "This is the thing [that] YHWH has ordered [us] to do."
Neither Aharon nor Moshe has a say in this matter, nor do Aharon’s sons. He almost comes in the attitude of, “I know you are not going to like this, but…” It was not about what is fair or even about who would seem best qualified; it was YHWH’s choice alone, but that should be enough to tell us that it is appropriate.
6. And Moshe brought Aharon and his sons and bathed them with water,
This ritual was to be repeated every time a new high priest (the oldest living son at the time of his death) was inaugurated. (Ex. 29:28ff) Moshe is the one who indicated who would serve as an officiator in Israel. Today we have no functioning Levitical priesthood, but the priests’ role was to guard knowledge and teach the Torah (Mal. 2:7), and whoever does this must do so according to Moshe (as shorthand for the Torah he wrote down).
7. and bestowed on him the tunic, and belted him with the sash, and clothed him with the long robe, and put the efod on him, and fitted him with the ingeniously-imaginative waistband of the efod, and bound it onto him with it.
YHWH makes his inauguration very vivid so it will be hard to forget. Aharon needed to be washed clean and re-dressed with everyone knowing it, to show that he was being “reborn” as a different person after the golden calf. It is the same when any of us truly repents from the heart. (Rabbi Yaacov Haber) Now he wears the gold in his garments as part of the repair for having done what the people wanted rather than what YHWH wanted.
8. Then he also laid the pouch upon him, and put the urim and thummim inside the pouch.
Urim and thummim: What they were used for was to obtain direction from YHWH. But the meaning of their names defines their significance. Urim means “lights", and in Hebraic context this refers to the Torah (Ps. 119:105)--commands, decrees, and rulings (since plural). Thummim means “perfections" or “mature ones". So they symbolize mature leaders who understand the Torah and can therefore tell Israel which way to go. The numeric value of the Hebrew words “the urim" and “the thummim" equal the value of phrases elsewhere in Scripture that when put together also describe the meaning they have for us today: “and He shall show/a gift" and “and we shall see/His Kingdom". The numeric value of efod in v. 7 is equivalent to “will make known our hearts" and “knew Him"--the underlying purpose that makes this curious paraphernalia of utmost practicality.
9. And he put the turban on him, and toward the front facing on the turban he put the gold plate, the holy crown of consecration, just as YHWH had commanded Moshe.
Moshe was transferring some of his authority (compare Numbers 27:20), saying, “I am no longer responsible for this aspect of what has been my job. Your crown says that you belong to YHWH, as a woman belongs to her husband (Gen. 3:16), and you are to be the prime example of what that means. You are now responsible for judgment in Israel.” Moshe doing the clothing put their authority on a firmer foundation than it would have been if they had done so themselves. Pictured: The newly-restored "gold plate" (tzitz) made by the Temple
Institute.
10. Then Moshe took the anointing oil, and anointed the Dwelling-place and everything that was in it; thus he set them apart them [as holy].
11. Then he sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, thus anointing the altar and all of its implements, as well as the washbasin and its base, in order to set them apart.
Now they could never again be used for common purposes or even touched by those not so authorized.
12. Then he poured some of the anointing oil on Aharon's head, thus anointing him, to [mark] him as consecrated.
After anointing everything to do with the Tent, Moshe anointed the priests from the same oil, showing that they are now inseparable from it. They are “permanent fixtures” in the Tent as well. Aharon is “the same” as this tent and these utensils. He is to embody the Torah by his own life, just as every curtain and every clasp of the Tabernacle is a picture of the Kingdom. The oil represents the authorization to begin his work. So what is it about them that makes YHWH smile? Mal’akhi 2:4ff tells us. He is willing to teach Israel what makes YHWH smile, and he was reverent in regard to YHWH’s name. He paid attention when YHWH came home and treated Him with respect. He has the truth in his mouth with no distortion; that is, the answer he gives are “yes” or “no”. He walks with YHWH and turns many away from crookedness. Even if we are fighting a war, it has to be for the purpose of achieving peace or completeness (shalom). The Levites do not go to war, yet they are armed to defend YHWH’s sanctuary; they are fighting constantly by pleasing YHWH. We defeat more enemies by being an example of what does work than by fighting what does not. Even if we are in the lowest position, we still need to be examples to one another, even to the high priest. To the people of his day, Aharon was “the word made flesh”, demonstrating the Torah by his example. There is nothing mysterious about that, saying the same of Yeshua does not require him to be a deity, for we too are to be examples to those we teach. Yaaqov saw the messengers of Elohim (which Mal’akhi 2:7 says are the priests in particular) ascending and descending on the staircase at the place the Temple would later stand. They went up to love and serve YHWH, and came back down to serve the rest of Israel. That is the Kingdom in a nutshell. As the great Rabbi Hillel said, “the rest is commentary; go and learn.”
13. And Moshe brought Aharon's sons, and put tunics on them, and belted them with waist-sashes, and bound head-gear on them, just as YHWH had commanded Moshe.
These are now the “everyday” or “ordinary” priests—only four now, but as their children increased, there would be thousands. They, too, must be clothed by Moshe, representing the fact that the white garments of our works must also be in accord with and based in Torah to be counted as righteous. They are dressed like their father except for the accessories. What we pass on to our children shows what is most important to us. What priorities does our behavior teach our children? Etymologically, sons (banim) are stones (ebanim) which build up (banah) his “house” in the broader sense. A father must ensure that his sons are fit to build with so that they can do more than just carry on whatever is upright about himself; they need to build on whatever was beneficial in our example, and go even higher than what their parents have taught them. One of the other things anointed with oil was the altar, which serves as the “hearth” for all of Israel (6:2)—the place we cook things. Aharon is responsible to keep the fire burning—that is, keep the house ready for the head of the household to come home to. YHWH’s offer that “it may go well with you and with your children after you” is in the context of doing things the right way in regard to the altar. (Deut. 12:23-32) It will keep going well if you give them the right example and hold them to the standard of Torah. Guard the Torah, and they are more likely to keep building the house..
14. Then he brought the bull of the sin offering, and Aharon and his sons leaned their hands on the head of the bull of the sin offering,
15. and [one of them] slaughtered it, and Moshe took the blood and put it on the horns of the altar, on all sides, with his finger, thus freeing the altar from sin. Then he poured out the blood at the base of the altar, thus setting it apart as holy so that atonement could be made upon it.
Freeing the altar from sin: i.e., to keep it from missing its purpose for existence. This is a sin offering for the priesthood, so the altar is personified to be identified in a special way with them, for they are the ones charged with guiding all Israel in our ascending to YHWH. There is a death penalty for going against their rulings (Deut. 17:12), so it is clear that their words and deeds are judged with much greater strictness than others’. (Yaaqov/James 3:1)
16. Then he took away all the fat that was on the inward parts, and the lobe that overhung the liver, both kidneys, and their suet. Then Moshe caused them to [go up in] smoke upon the altar.
Here Moshe is doing many things the priests were meant to do, though he is not a descendant of Aharon. He may have merely been teaching them the steps that were shown him on the mountain, then turning the responsibility over to them. But it may also indicate that he, too, was a "priest after the order of Melchitzedeq", in which genealogy is not the primary qualification, though he was his (that is, Shem’s) descendant. At its root, the Hebrew word for "priest" means "officiator", and since we are called a Kingdom of Priests, we too must learn from Moshe (i.e., the Torah) if we are to know how to "rightly divide the word of truth", just as the priests had to rightly divide the animals on the altar. Taking away the fat over the inward parts is analogous to the circumcision of the heart.
17. But the bull, its hide, its flesh, and its dung he burned with fire outside the camp, just as YHWH had commanded Moshe.
He: one of them. Why not just say, “the whole bull”? Partly because some parts of it have already been offered up, but in the process of getting to them, the hide has been removed from the body and become a separate entity. It was extremely valuable as a source of leather. The flesh provides much meat. Out of 1,000 pounds, one might think YHWH could spare one 8-ounce ribeye steak! But it must all be turned over to Him in this case. But great or small, no part of it is to be kept for self. No cooking pot ever decides what is to be cooked in it. He is the one who decides how to use us, for only He knows how we will best fulfill His will.
18. Then he brought the ram of the ascending [offering] near, and Aharon and his sons leaned their hands on the ram's head,
19. and he slaughtered it, and Moshe dashed its blood onto the altar on every side.
Slaughtered: again, the method used is not to dramatically raise a knife and stab, but to slit its throat and jugular vein so it dies quickly and painlessly.
20. Then he divided the ram into pieces [by its joints], and Moshe caused the head, the divided-up pieces, and the suet to [go up in] smoke.
The first thing to be burned is the head, for we can be defeated in our minds before we ever set out to try to obey. The burning of the head represents gaining the right knowledge so we can remove the false ways of thinking and make the right choices. If we do what seems logical, we will never be cleaned up, because the Torah makes little sense to Greek-influenced minds, though it has complete integrity internally. We have to put our heads in the right context. Pieces: sections to be burned on separate fires on the altar according to categories (at least by second Temple times).
21. But he washed the inward parts and legs with water. Then Moshe caused the whole ram to go up in smoke upon the altar; it is an ascending, to be a soothing aroma to YHWH. It is an offering by fire to YHWH.
Our innermost (our hearts or motivations) as well as our legs--our walk--are to be cleansed, and this is possible after our heads (wrong ways of thinking) are taken out of the way. But it literally says “knees”, with which we bow in homage. So this area of our lives needs to be immersed in Torah as well so we will not be inadvertently paying respect to something that stands in Israel’s way. Soothing aroma: What smells right to YHWH rather than causing a stench in His nostrils, as selfishness does.
22. Then he brought the second ram near--the ram of inauguration, and Aharon and his sons leaned their hands on the ram,
The Hebrew word for “ram” comes from the word for “strong”; if one ever butted you, you would know why. And here we see a double portion of strength offered. The term “inauguration” (filling, fulfillment, or ordination) is technically used of mounting a precious stone in its setting, for its purpose is not fulfilled until it is placed in the particular slot it was designed for. It is associated with the concept of “filling their hands”—giving them a job to be responsible for.
23. and he slaughtered it, and Moshe took some of the blood and put it on Aharon's right ear lobe, the thumb of his right hand, and the big toe of his right foot.
Right ear lobe: Becoming YHWH’s special treasure is not an automatic promise; it becomes the case on the condition that we obey His voice and keep His covenant. (Ex. 19:5ff) To obey we must hear. The right ear represents hearing His voice; the left ear represents listening to our own evil inclination or other voices besides His. The right thumb represents the actual carrying out of His covenant, and the right foot represents how we walk out what He desires by following our better inclination rather than our evil one. As we apply strength—through the innocent, capable life of the substitute--to each of these, we will be able to do each of them even better.
24. Then he brought Aharon's sons, and Moshe put blood on their right ear lobes, the thumb of their right hands, and the big toe of their right feet. Then Moshe tossed the blood on the altar, all around,
These are the extremities, symbolizing the foremost part of our hearing (letting us hear what is most important—YHWH’s voice). The thumbs are closest to the heart when "lifting holy hands" to show that they are clean, representing taking into our heart that to which we set our hands. The big toe is the first part of the body to arrive wherever one is going, so this represents the magnification of the leaders of Israel walking in the right direction. And while without any other toe, we could learn to walk relatively normally again, without the big toe there can be no balance (which the Hebrew term for righteousness alludes to). YHWH’s instruction and provision are the only things that can stabilize our walk. As we allow His words to deal with these, we will be better enabled for His service than ever before.
25. and took the fat, the fat tail, all the fat on the inward parts, and the lobe that hangs over the liver, both kidneys, their fat, and the right leg.
26. And he took one unleavened loaf, one cake of bread anointed with oil, and one wafer from the basket of unleavened loaves, and placed them on top of the fat and the right leg.
27. Then he set the whole upon the palms of Aharon and upon the palms of his sons, and he swung them back and forth as a wave offering before the face of YHWH.
In this rare case, the items are both waved before YHWH and burned on the altar. The waving was probably meant to call the attention of the congregation to the particular pictures that each represented.
28. Then Moshe took them off their hands and caused them to go up in smoke on the altar on top of the ascending offering; they are inaugurations for a soothing aroma. It is a fire offering to YHWH.
A fire offering to YHWH: without the vowel pointings (which are not in the original text), it just as well reads, “a wife for YHWH”, for providing a “bride” for Him (as a unified people) is the intended motive behind all of these offerings.
29. Then Moshe took the breast and swung it back and forth as a wave offering before the face of YHWH, from the ram of inaugurations. This was to be a portion for Moshe, as YHWH had commanded Moshe.
Breast: or part that is divided. It comes from a word for "perceive", "prophesy", or "have a vision", hence the connection to "dividing" or interpreting, i.e., applying YHWH's words to a situation and reminding those who are in it of His commands (which they may have forsaken). This was now the portion and task of the priesthood (Mal'akhi 2:7), and indeed we see David going to the high priest for answers from YHWH, because he had the urim and thummim. Moshe is not a son of Aharon, but he acted as a priest in this case, and therefore received a priest’s reward. (Compare Yeshayahu 66:19-21.) This can only take place if we act in another’s authority in obedience or out of necessity (when there is no priest to fill the role), not if we rebelliously usurp the priest’s position, as Uzziyahu did.
30. Then Moshe took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar, and sprinkled it upon Aharon and his garments and upon his sons with him and their garments. Thus he set apart Aharon, his garments, his sons, and their garments as holy.
Sprinkled: a pattern would result that looked very much like the stars in the sky, reminding those who saw it of YHWH's promise to multiply Avraham's seed and thus restore the fallen Adam (whose name is related to the Hebrew for "blood") through His Servant, who would "sprinkle many nations". (Yeshayahu 52:15) And he is getting them used to their beautiful garments being dirty, because when one is serving YHWH, things will usually not remain neat and tidy for very long. It is just as important for the garments (representing our works) to be holy as it is for those who wear them to be holy. Others had handled the garments while they were being woven. Now no one but the priests could ever wear them. Only a priest would even be permitted to wash them. The priest is also never to wear these garments outside the Temple complex, for they are about service to YHWH, not personal pride. (Y’hezq’El/Ezek. 44:19)
31. Then Moshe told Aharon, "Cook the flesh at the entrance to the Tent of Appointment, and eat it there along with the bread that is in the basket of inaugurations, just as I commanded, saying, ‘Aharon and his sons shall eat it.'
At the entrance: that is, on the altar there. The eating together is an integral part of the ceremony, for it seals loyalty and unity much like taking a client to lunch in today’s business world. Every Scriptural covenant includes a meal. Everyone is meant to see that the priests are to be fed from “YHWH’s table”.
32. "‘And whatever is left over of the meat and the bread, you must burn with fire.
Once it is set apart unto YHWH, it cannot be used for any other purpose. There must be no possibility of the wrong person eating of it and possibly even incurring the death penalty. The secrets of the Kingdom are not meant for those outside of its context. (Mat. 7:6)
33. "‘And you shall not depart from the entrance to the Tent of Appointment for seven days, until the days of your inaugurations are fulfilled, because [for] seven days He shall fill your hands.
Seven days: the same time period a bride and groom would be in the special chamber built in the house of the groom’s father for the consummation of their marriage. (Gen. 29:27) This is a honeymoon with YHWH! (v. 2) A defiled Nazirite also needs to be cleansed for seven days (Num. 6:9ff); Aharon, the man most set apart to YHWH’s service, had defiled himself with the golden calf incident. Being shut away in this very small place for seven days would also make them very familiar with everything in it, for it was to be their responsibility alone. It would also give them time to become very well-acquainted with one another, as Aharon had been busy and might not have had much time to be with his sons in recent months. They had seven days to get over any disappointment they might have had with not being able to fulfill any other dreams they had for their own lives, for their priorities were changed completely.
34. "‘YHWH has ordained to do just as He has done on this day, in order to make a covering over you.
35. "‘So you shall remain at the entrance to the Tent of Appointment day and night for seven days, and you shall guard the obligation of YHWH so you will not die, for thus I have been commanded.'"
If their responsibilities were not carried out correctly, it could kill them. (Chapter 10) Even if it does not result in immediate physical death, if we do what we ourselves or someone else wants rather than what YHWH wants, there will be some kind of death, most notably in some area of relationship with YHWH or His people. (See 1 Shmu’el 15.) Even doing things according to our own schedule rather than right when He tells us can make us miss an open door which may be our last in that area. (1 Shmu’el 10:8ff) We must be on guard night and day, or something will die, and the Torah is about life. Guard: or watch, observe; like an athlete who “lives, breathes, and sleeps his game”, by staying here for seven days with none of the distractions of normal life, they would come to know every detail of their surroundings intimately, and as they carried out the daily offerings for the first times, they would learn what hindrances to watch out for, how things worked most smoothly, and how long they took, so that they would become experts in the efficiency needed for their task. They would know every detail inside and out, because to do the best job possible takes more than a casual effort. The people would also see them there and begin to associate them with the Tent of Appointment. Exodus 40 suggests that this took place during the month of Aviv—right around Passover—and many of the commands here remind us of the first Passover a year earlier: the blood placed on three parts of each priest, vv. 23-24; the unleavened bread of v. 26; not going out of their doors, here; and everything left until the next morning being burned, v. 32). They are reliving in microcosm what the whole nation that they now represent went through.
36. So Aharon and his sons did all the things that YHWH had commanded by the hand of Moshe.
TORAH PORTION
Tzav
(Leviticus 6:1-8:36)
INTRODUCTION: “Sacrifice” is nowhere in the Hebrew name of what is offered at YHWH’s sanctuary, at least in the modern sense of the word as “something we give up”. The actual etymology of the English word may be better, because it is related to something “rendered sacred”. But since the Hebrew language goes all the way back to the Garden, it is always the better bet when we want to get to the real essence of an idea. What the offering we bring to YHWH is called there is qorban (“drawing-near”), and that is its purpose. It must not be looked at as something grotesque or violent, for the process is quite humane and painless when done correctly. It has bloody elements, and it would be even more difficult to kill an animal that one has spent more time with than one’s own children than it was in later Temple times when the culture was less agricultural and one could simply buy his animals on site to offer. One had not invested his whole life in these animals, so the picture it was meant to drive home was somewhat washed out.
But it is not so much about killing off the “animal side of us”, for the particular animals fit for the altar are the ones that have something to teach us; that is pictured elsewhere in Torah. Here, we are meant more to identify the living, breathing animal with ourselves, for the blood coursing through their veins brought oxygen to all parts of their bodies as well. Some cultures even today drink the blood of animals that are still alive, but YHWH did away with that part altogether so we would not carry the identification too far. But the connection is life. Some instructions deal with the specifics of what is to be done with the animals’ blood. But the life of our own flesh, too, is the blood (17:10-13), and therefore the focus is really on bringing our own lives nearer to YHWH. It is not even about even feeding the priesthood, though that was a by-product. We offer what we have invested our whole lives in to bring pleasure to the one we love. It is it is about drawing near to our Husband. These are the instruction about how to be intimate with Him. Read with that in mind, rather than focusing on what we must “sacrifice” to do so.
Keep the Fire Burning!
We are commanded in Leviticus 6:5-6 to make sure the fire on the altar never goes out.
There are many lessons here: Fire represents our zeal or enthusiasm, the motivation that impels the deeds that provide Heaven with a soothing aroma. There are many things that would try to dampen our enthusiasm—doubt, indecisiveness, illnesses that weaken our bodies, everyday cares that use up our energy, or even the normally-legitimate desires to be dignified, balanced, reasonable, and respectable. Sometimes we have to “flare up” and be a little “indignant” in order to overcome these threats.
But if a fire is to be kept burning, someone has to make sure it is tended; it is not going to keep itself stoked! That means someone is responsible to make sure it never goes out. And that is what most of this Torah portion is about: the men who are in charge.
They are the ones who have to stay at their post day and night (8:33) and guard what is sacred so that it does not become abused. (8:35)
Some things are set apart so other things do not become physically contaminated: meat left over until the third day could easily spoil when there is no refrigeration (7:17), and food that touches something dirty (7:19) is dangerous to eat.
But the deeper point here is that we should never be careless about what we are offering to YHWH. Physical dirtiness is also a picture of spiritual dirtiness, which is much harder to see; it requires people who have been taught judgment to train us in making distinctions (as is stated directly in the next Torah portion). This requires not just being assigned a task, but much study and much thought. And the rules for the place they work are stricter than anywhere else. (6:23)
So they are rewarded with the best of the things brought to YHWH. (7:7-9, 33) They thus receive fair compensation for what anyone would find an unpleasant task. And they have the highest privilege: while the people’s offerings go mainly to the priests, except for a memorial portion (6:8), the offerings brought by the priests themselves are completely consumed by the fire—that is, offered up wholly to YHWH, with no part kept for self. (6:14-15)
We have no cohanim in place today (though that may soon change). For now we have to have others in place—the best available leaders, who can not only direct us to the right way, but also keep us motivated—keep the fire burning. This is the kind of leaders we need to set over us. But at the same time, we each often have to be leaders to those less experienced than ourselves—especially our children. We need to keep the fire burning in them at the right level—not so hot that it burns them, but hot enough to keep them “in the way that they should go” even when they are old. (Proverbs 22:6)
Study questions:
1. How does the writer to the Hebrews (13:11-13) interpret the requirement to take the ashes of the burnt offering outside the camp (Lev. 6:4)?
2. Why do you think it is important to never let the fire on the altar go out? (6:5-6)
3. Why do you think the most holy offerings can never be eaten with leaven? (6:9, 10)
4. Having no one higher than himself to offer his own offering to, how does the high priest symbolize giving it directly to YHWH? (6:15-16)
5. What reason is given for offering the sin offering and the guilt offering in the same place as the burnt offering? (6:18; 7:1-2)
6. How does YHWH guarantee that the priests, who serve Him full-time and have no other employment, are provided with physical sustenance? (6:19; 7:6-10, 14, 31, 33, etc.) What is the condition that comes along with this privilege?
7. What are the different reasons for a peace offering? (7:11-12, 16)
8. Why do you think this offering may not be eaten after the first two days (7:16-18)
9. Why must any part of a holy offering that touches something contaminated be burned up rather than eaten? (7:19) Why is there a penalty for anyone who is in an unclean state eating of what is holy? (7:20-21)
10. Why do you think fat and blood are not to be eaten? (7:23-27) What allowance does YHWH make for other uses of fat, even of animals which are not to be eaten? (7:24)
11. How is the peace offering different from others? (7:30)
12. Why is it significant that these commands were given right at Mt. Sinai? (7:37-38)
13. The actions in chapter 8 were prescribed in Exodus 29. Why are they repeated here? (8:3-5, 34-36) What details are given in one passage but not in the other? What reasons for these actions are given in Exodus 29 but not listed here?
Companion Passage:
The Sidewalk
for Kids
Did you ever forget to put the leftover meat from your dinner back in the refrigerator, and then come back a couple of days later? What did it smell like? Disgusting, right?
Well, that’s exactly what YHWH says He will think if we come back to the Temple to eat of an offering on the third day. (7:18) He says it won’t be nice; it won’t be pleasant. He will be disgusted by it. But while the fact that meat spoils might be part of the reason, it’s not the most important reason, because some of the offerings we’re not even supposed to come back to eat after the first day. (7:15)
Why do you think that might be?
These are offerings that we bring to say a special “thank you” to YHWH for something He did for us. We can share it with other people who also want to hear about the good things He does, and it will make them love Him even more. But part of every one of the offerings (except a few special ones that are burned completely as especially belonging to YHWH alone) goes also to the priest who is in charge of making sure everything about the offering is done right and putting its blood on the altar. This is his only job; he won’t get paid from anywhere else, so YHWH lets him get his food from what people bring to give to YHWH.
So the more the person who brings the animal comes back to eat more of it, the less the priest gets, and that is not something that YHWH likes. We get to share some of the meat with the priest, but if we come to take back too much of it back for ourselves, it’s like we are not really giving it, so YHWH says, “You know what? This one doesn’t count as a gift; go back and start over and do it right.”
Something else the Torah tells us here (7:19-21) is that we can’t let something that is dirty touch any of the meat that is brought to the priests. That might include touching other spoiled meat or falling in a mud puddle, but it especially warns us not to let a person who is not clean eat this meat. It’s a picture of something deeper than dirt that gets on the outside of us. Yeshua said it’s not what goes into our mouths—maybe some dust that got on the food because we forgot to wash our hands—that makes us dirty, but what comes out of our mouths—that’s a worse kind of dirtiness. (Mat. 15:11) What do you think he meant?
What comes out of your mouth more than anything else? Words, right? And Yeshua also said our words show what is in our hearts—whether something sweet and helpful that gets a friend through a hard time she may be having, or something hateful and angry that makes the person who hears it sting for a lot longer than any punch or slap you might give him.
YHWH asked a prophet whether something clean that touched something dirty would make the dirty thing clean, or whether the dirty thing would make what used to be clean dirty when it touched it. What is your answer?
Right. Dirtiness, just like a disease, is contagious. You can catch it from someone else. Well, it’s the same with the words that come out of our mouths. A bad attitude spreads, doesn’t it? If you were cheerful but then someone came up and said something mean to you, the first thing you want to do is say something mean back, right? But that’s where we have to stop ourselves, because YHWH says we can overcome evil with good. King Shlomoh said a soft answer can make someone who was mad at us not o be mad anymore. But if we know we are upset, we shouldn’t be aroud other people, because we might get them “dirty” with our attitude too.
And YHWH especially doesn’t want that kind of thing around His house—where people come to pray—to talk to Him, to listen for His answer, to find their way in a confusing world. If somebody there is yelling and screaming some complaint they have, it won’t be just annoying; it will keep that person from concentrating on what he came there for. Especially if he came to give thanks to YHWH, because if someone is trying to answer someone who is saying something bad about him, he might start complaining too, and then he isn’t thankful anymore, even though that’s why he came. You ruined his day and his special visit to YHWH’s house.
And if you’re in a “dirty” mood, are you going to say the right kind of things to YHWH if you try to pray then? You might even start blaming YHWH for bad things you did just like you blame other people—“He hit me first!” or “I wouldn’t have done it if you hadn’t been so…” And we dare not talk to Him that way.
Yes, if we are dirty He wants us to come and ask Him to help us change. That’s a good thing, but make sure you calm down first and really think about what you are saying—because your words count. They all have an effect. Even if you want to “take them back” later, they have already hurt somebody. So think before you open your mouth ad let the dirt out. Stop it before it gets any further than you—and then go ask YHWH to help you get cleaned up.
The Renewal of TZAV
“This is the law of the burnt-offering: it is that which goes up on its firewood upon the altar all night until the morning; and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning thereby… the priest shall kindle wood on it every morning; and he shall lay the burnt-offering in order upon it, and shall make the fat of the peace-offerings smoke on it. Fire shall be kept burning upon the altar continually; it shall not go out.” (Leviticus 6:6)
Paul brought out an example of how this can also be applied on a spiritual and metaphorical level: “Bringing [back] to mind the unhypocritical faith you have, which first found [its] home in your grandmother Loidi, then in your mother Eunike, but I am also persuaded that it is in you. For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of Elohim which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” (2 Timothy 1:5-6) The term here for “rekindle” is not actually to restart a fire, but to stir up the fire, fan the flame when it has been burning low, seemingly through disuse. So it really means “keep it burning”.
“In the place where the ascending-offering is slaughtered shall the sin-offering be killed before YHWH; it is most holy.” (Lev. 6:18) There is a fascinating fulfillment of this rule: YHWH told Avraham to offer Yitzhaq as an ascending offering on the same mountain—probably at the exact spot—where Yeshua, our sin-offering, would be slaughtered.
“The blood thereof shall be dashed against the altar round about.” (Lev. 7:2) A priest had to get it quickly to the altar before it coagulated, for if congealed it could not be dashed properly and it would no longer be considered “living”. A special vessel with a pointed base was designed for this purpose since it could not be inadvertently set down while the blood was still in it (as it would spill). The priest could not let anyone delay him on his way there, and if someone in an impure state touched him, both he and the blood he carried would be defiled.
Joseph Good sees this kind of scenario in Yeshua’s admonition to Miryam after his resurrection: “Don’t touch me, because I haven’t yet ascended to my Father.” (Yochanan 20:17) Arthur Custance notes, “Since he was now about to present his blood before the divine judgment seat as a visible symbol of his sacrifice, any touching of his body by sinful man could only have fatally defiled him and rendered him unfit to fulfill his office as officiating High Priest…subsequently he not only permitted the disciples to hold him by the feet (Matthew 28:9) but actually invited them to handle him.”
This comes out in a similar sense in verses 19-21 of Leviticus 7: “When anyone touches any unclean thing…and eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which pertain to YHWH, that soul shall be cut off from his people.”
Paul again brings out a broader meaning of this concept:
“Do not become unequally yoked together with unreliable people, because what partnership can righteousness have with lawlessness? What do light and darkness have in common? Indeed, what harmony can Messiah have with worthlessness? Or what [can] a believer share with an unbeliever? What [kind of] alliance can the temple of Elohim have with idols? Because we are the temple of Elohim—of the living [one], as Elohim has said: ‘I will [settle in and] dwell in them, and I will walk among them, and I will be their Elohim, and they will be a people for Me.’ Therefore, ‘Come out from their midst and be set apart,’ says YHWH, ‘and do not touch what is unclean, and I will welcome you [into My favor] .’” (2 Corinthians 6:14-17)
Only certain people may handle or eat of each type of offering. Generally the priest who helps the person bringing the offering is the one who gets to eat part of that offering. Paul carries the analogy over to those who were working full-time to carry the glad message of the salvation available through Yeshua to the ends of the earth:
“Who ever serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? …Doesn’t the Torah also say these things? …If we have sown spiritual things for you, would it be too much for us to reap material things from you? … (But we did not make use of this right. I would rather put up with everything so as not to cause any hindrance to the glad news of Messiah.) Don’t you realize that those who work in the Temple eat the things from the Temple? Those who attend to the sacred altar have a share in [what comes] from the altar. In the same way also the master has arranged for those who proclaim the glad news to live from the glad news.” (1 Corinthians 9:7-14)
“Whoever eats the fat of the animal of which men present an offering made by fire unto YHWH, the soul that eats it shall be cut off from his people.” (Lev. 7:25) All the fat belongs to YHWH. (3:16) As an old song says, “Give of your best to the Master.” Some things are just too holy to keep for ourselves. That includes our own lives: “Let everyone who names the name of YHWH take a stand away from unrighteousness…if anyone has cleansed himself from these, he will be an implement designated for honor, set apart, useful to the Master...” (2 Timothy 2:19-21)
After Moshe had inaugurated the priests exactly the way YHWH told him to, “there came forth fire from before YHWH and consumed upon the altar the burnt-offering and the fat; and when all the people saw it, they shouted, and fell on their faces.” (Lev. 9:24) YHWH showed His approval of their preparations by lighting the fire for them. He again showed His approval of Yeshua’s offering “by raising him from the dead”. (Romans 1:4)
So remember what we can bring as our offering now, while there is no Temple: “Present your body to Elohim as a living sacrifice—holy and acceptable—which is the [least you can do as a] logical equivalent to the sacred Temple services.” (Romans 12:1)
Wrapping Our Heads Around Something
from Another Realm
“Though I write for him ever so much [about] My Torah, they are considered like a foreign thing.” (Hoshea 8:12)
The “him” is Ephraim, so listen up; He’s talking about us! Though we intend no animosity toward YHWH, for most of us, used as we are to modern lifestyles (usually far removed from the slaughterhouses), Torah portions like this one do still strike us as somewhat foreign on first glance. They are not at all what we’re used to. How do we connect with them?
They are, indeed, from another world, and spiritually discerned. But it becomes easier if we see each individual law as a sample demonstrating a broader principle which has many wider applications than just those which are mentioned explicitly by Moshe. Each is valid on its own merit, but it stands for more than what we see at merely face value.
As one such example, the priest who offers up what is slaughtered gets to keep the offering. (Lev. 7:7-9) Paul confirmed, based on this, that spiritual leaders have a right to be supported through physical sustenance from those they serve, so they can focus their full attention on their higher calling and thus do a better job of it. (1 Corinthians 9:13-18; compare Acts 6:2; Deut. 25:4/1 Tim. 5:17-18.) What could get distracting is thus taken off their plates. (He didn’t take advantage of it, to avoid apparent conflict of interest, but he argued hard for the freedom of others to not be denied this right.)
So the grain-offering of the people goes to the priest, who visibly represents YHWH to the people. A small portion of it is offered up in smoke as a reminder that the gift is really for YHWH, but the one who does the dirty work deserves a reward. (Lev. 6:7-8) But to whom can the priest give his own offering? For, yes, he too must be allowed to share in the joy of giving. So the mechanism is provided. There is no higher representative; only YHWH is above him, so he must make the whole thing go up in smoke (6:16), “consumed” directly by YHWH, who, I suppose, does with its chemical contents what He wants to in terms of replenishing something in the atmosphere that He maintains. (It isn’t wasted.)
“But the person that eats of the flesh of the slaughter of peace-offerings that belong to YHWH when he is in an unclean state, that soul shall be cut off from his people.” (7:20) There is no specific penalty for eating an unclean animal (the natural consequences seem to be sufficient deterrent), and this seems to be the only direct punishment anywhere in the Torah for eating anything at all that is off-limits. “Cut off” is a temporary condition here, because in the next verse we are told the same applies to anyone who touches “any unclean thing”. He will be quarantined from the camp for one day—or seven days, if he touches a dead person, but he will be readmitted when the right conditions are met.
Anything that touches holy meat becomes holy (6:20), a donation to the sanctuary, but meat that touches anything defiled can’t be eaten. (7:19) The prophet Haggai brought up what might seem to be an argument about the minutiae of such details (Hag.2:11-13), but he went on to show that only by understanding these distinctions can we know how YHWH feels when His people pretend they are pure (Yeshua described them as religious show-offs) but their hearts are unclean: it spoils the good things they do too. And of course, it is a great picture of the people with whom we habitually associate: “Don’t be fooled; bad company corrupts good character.” (1 Corinthians 15:33) Some say Paul was quoting the Greek poet Menander. That makes it no less true; the Greeks too surely had some vestiges of what Noakh taught.
This one does sound like it could come straight from Solomon’s Proverbs. But the bottom line is, “To the Torah and to the Testimony; if it does not agree with these, it is because there is no light in them.” (Isaiah 8:20) Solomon (Shlomo), too, got his best corollary ideas (e.g., 1 Kings 3:16-28) from the “theorems” of the Torah. (Exodus 21:35-36)
Moshe, who established these heaven-born laws on earth and in earthly language, is also the very one who anoints the high priest (Lev. 8:12), sanctuary (8:10), and altar (8:11). Anointing is a symbol of conferred authority, and “Messiah” means “anointed” (6:22). Moshe (YHWH’s mediator) is thus the one who gives Yeshua his authority, who gives us the pattern for how to be YHWH’s dwelling-place, and who renders our living sacrifices sacred. He (through the Torah) is the one who provides YHWH’s servants with their clothing (8:13)—whether white robes (to be a pure kingdom of priests, Ex. 19:6; Rev. 6:11; 7:9), a breastplate of judgment (Ex. 28:15; compare Ephesians 6:14 and 1 Thess. 5:8), or the means by which YHWH can communicate with us (Num. 27:21).
So you see, the rest of Scripture is “just” commentary on these laws, so learn them well and you will have the answers for any situation, for they set the tone for how to interpret and understand everything we encounter in earth or heaven.
An Overview
of the Offerings
Not everyone realizes there are quite a few different kinds of offerings required in the Torah; not all of them are about forgive-ness, as we have seen in the previous chapters: some are just to give a special gift to YHWH or to thank Him and share with others the joy of what we are thanking Him for. But the ones that are related to wrongdoing still fall under different categories: the sin offering and the guilt (or trespass) offering.
Different animals are also brought depending on the offerer’s financial status (5:6-12) or position in relation to the rest of the nation—as a priest, an elder, or a ruler as opposed to the general populace. (ch. 4)
Here we are given the procedures for each type, while elsewhere we are told what kinds of sins require which kinds of offerings:
A woman who gives birth brings a sin offering. (12:6-8) Wait. What is sinful about that? She did a good thing by bringing another life into the world as one of YHWH’s co-creators. But remember, this child has as much potential for evil as he does good, because he carries Adam’s blood, tainted with the fruit of the tree that mixes both good and evil, and must therefore be covered for, though he has not yet done anything wrong.
Where else is a sin offering required? As part of each of the prescribed festivals (16:5ff; 23:19; Num. 28:22; 29:5, 16ff) and new moons (Num. 28:11ff); for daily and yearly atonement (Ex. 29:36; 30:10); when one has touched a dead body (Num. 6:11), for the dedication of the altar (Num. 7:16ff), the inauguration of the priests’ and Levites’ service (Lev. 8:2; Num. 8:12)—since they too are human and must be purified to purify others—and for sins committed in ignorance (Num. 15:24, 27). As with the baby’s birth, sin offerings cover us so we can live life without the constant reminder of our sin weighing on us. They address our general underlying sinfulness—which we can’t help since we inherited it from Adam, yet it still affects others. The fallen world around us also gets us “dirty”. On both counts they especially apply to becoming “clean” enough to be in YHWH’s presence.
When are guilt offerings used? When someone does not give pertinent information as a witness in a trial (Lev. 5:1), touches something unclean (5:2-3), cannot fulfill a vow (5:4), accidentally crosses a line (5:15), damages something holy (5:16), does something forbidden by Torah (5:17-18), “deals falsely with his neighbor in a matter of deposit, or pledge, or robbery, or has oppressed his neighbor; or has found something that was lost, and not done what was right with it, or sworn to a lie” (5:21-22), or violates someone else’s fiancée (19:20-21). In short, these are for individual sinful acts we could have avoided, for which we therefore incur more personal blame.
Yeshua (particularly his soul--his untainted blood) is specifically a guilt offering (Isaiah 53:10); he also was made a sin offering (2 Cor. 5:21), and as such renders us fit to be in YHWH’s presence (Ephesians 1:6; Colossians 1:12). When we confess individual sins, the past payment of his blood cleanses us, so YHWH can be just in forgiving us. (1 Yoch. 1:7-9) Water immersion pictures our individual lapses being forgiven, as having died (like the slain animal) to each sin and been restored to life with a clean slate (Col. 2:13)—effective only because we already share in his resurrection in a general way.
A few choice vignettes: The fat of non-sacrificial animals is still never to be eaten, though it may be used to grease your saddle or lubricate other things. (7:23-24) This shows how scientifically ahead of us YHWH’s commands are: the lipids in meat oxidize more quickly than the rest of the meat, and therefore decompose more quickly, being very quickly unsafe to eat.
Some offerings can’t again be eaten from the day after they were offered, and none may be eaten two days later. (7:15-18) This may have to do with the meat spoiling, but what about those that can be eaten the second day? Vowed offerings may be, but peace or thanksgiving offerings may not. It may have to do with the fact that, like the manna, YHWH’s “mercies are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23); there will be new things to thank Him for each day. And we should not turn things given to Him into insurance for the next day’s meal; that is not their purpose.
In the same vein, a sin offering is not to be eaten by the offerer (6:30); this kind is not about food or celebration. Likewise, we do not partake of things dedicated to Him when we are in an impure state. (7:19-21) This has many deeper ramifications which should become clear given some thought and prayer.
If in the process you get blood on your clothes, wash them in a holy place (Lev. 6:20); you can’t just take them home to clean. This may relate to confessing our sins to one another (James 5:16) openly in a congregational setting vs. only to YHWH, so we can be the means He uses to restore one another afterward. (Galatians 6:1)
The Word Made More Sure
“What is seen is temporary; what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:18) The offerings detailed here have meaning far deeper than the physical motions that they entail. They are windows into another dimension. The details all matter, because they teach the deeper truths. Even the order is significant: For example, “the fire on the altar shall be kept burning” after the olah (ascending) is offered first; its embers are kept stoked so different parts of all the other offerings can be either burned or cooked. (Lev. 6:2; 6:9 in some English versions) This fire must never be allowed to go out. (6:5, 6)
Why does that matter? The spirit behind the letter is not only about the attitude underlying the commands, but also their wider application to daily life. Those who delight to do His will, who’ve internalized His Torah, find it is not about animal offerings, but about us. (Ps. 40:7-9)
An olah is what is offered completely to YHWH, keeping nothing for ourselves. The fire is what sends it “up” to Him—the enthusiasm and passion first ignited by YHWH Himself (9:24; 2 Chron. 7:1) but needing to be stoked so it continues. What we offer without reservation can keep it hot enough to consume away the sin and guilt (which the offerings by those names symbolize) or prepare our thanksgivings to be used properly. The fat from a peace offering is to be consumed away at the same place. (6:5) Fat is not fit for our consumption, as that’s where impurities our bodies cannot absorb collect. Our bodies are “temples” of YHWH’s spirit, not to be defiled. (1 Cor. 6:19) But fat produces the best aroma, so it’s offered completely to YHWH as well (7:25)—training us to give Him our best.
The one who is in training to fill the high priest’s role has certain responsibilities already. (6:15) And we are called to be a “kingdom of priests” (Ex. 19:6), in the footsteps of our “great high priest” (Heb. 4:14; 6:20). What he gives us to do now relates directly to the responsibilities he has in mind for us when his kingdom comes. (Mat. 25:21; 1 Cor. 6:3)
He shows up here too. “In the place where the burnt-offering is slaughtered shall the sin-offering be killed before YHWH; it is most holy.” (6:18) This was indeed fulfilled—at the place Avraham made the ram “ascend” in Yitzhaq’s place (Gen. 22:2, 7-8, 13-15) was Yeshua, our sin offering (2 Cor. 5:21), also slain. He was called “the holy one” by his witnesses and acknowledged as such even by demonic enemies. (Mark 1:24; Lk. 4:34; Acts 3:14). Any earthen vessel in which the sin offering is prepared must be broken. (6:21) Our fragile mortal bodies are likened to earthen vessels. (2 Cor. 4:7) And Yeshua’s body, which housed a sin offering (2 Cor. 5:21), was broken for us. (1 Cor. 11:24)
A clean thing that touches an unclean thing becomes unclean. (7:19) So holiness must be well-guarded. If one eats from an offering whose days of legitimate consumption have expired, it is nullified, no longer considered an offering to YHWH, since he got too much of it back to be considered a gift. (7:15-18) Might the same principle apply to a charitable donation where the donor receives something large back in exchange for his donation (a common practice today)?
The priests were anointed and inaugurated in the sight of all (8:2-9, 13-14, 23-24, 27, 30) so their authority would be recognized by all. What parallel is there for us? The “prophet like Moshe” who must be obeyed. (Deut. 18:18) YHWH endorsed him, not just by His command to listen to His beloved, well-pleasing son (Mat. 3:17), but by raising from the dead the cornerstone the builders rejected. (Act2 2:24; 3:15) If we do not listen to this “word of prophecy made more sure”, our only light in a dark world (2 Peter 1:19), it counts as trampling His precious, holy gift in the dirt. (Heb. 10:29)
Is there any direct equivalent these offerings themselves for us now, with no altar in place? There may be several. Rabbinic sages say repentance, prayer, and tzedakah (charity or other right deeds) can stand in for the offerings. Michael Card also suggests, “Lift up your sorrows, and give Him your pain; come make a sacrifice of all your shame…worship Him with your wounds.” This especially fits if the wounds are incurred in His service--if we do not complain; we may not bring a defiled offering. The exiled Northern Kingdom is shown the pattern of the Temple specifically to instill in us shame for how we have distorted things. (Ez. 43:10) So shame is at least a first step.
But we have a “more sure word” about what can serve their purpose today: We are asked to, “in light of YHWH’s mercies, present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to Elohim, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1) That term “service” means “ministry” or “sacred service” as performed by the Levitical priests; the Greek word for “reasonable” is logikos, and you can see it is a cognate; it means the logical equivalent to the types of service described in this Torah portion. “Acceptable” is an under-interpretation; it really means “well-pleasing”—like the “soothing aroma” that YHWH enjoys when “offerings made by fire” are sent up to Him. (8:21)
May we always bring such offerings!
Identity without Pride
We hear a lot these days about “identity”. Besides those who are tracing their ethnic ancestral roots, there are “identity politics”. there are those who “identify” as one gender or another (or yet another or two or more, unheard of at any previous time in history—undoubtedly the proof of human evolution!) Some even “identify” as cats and demand litterboxes in school restrooms. What next?
And in almost every case those who “identify” feel the need to express “pride” in their (often-newfound) identity, whether by parades or by government-sponsored exhibitions or protests against “haters” who will not recognize their adopted identity group as real or legitimate.
Contemporaneously with all of this, YHWH has restored to the dispersed House of Israel, the Northern Kingdom that Y’hezq’El (Ezekiel) is addressing in our haftarah (Ezekiel 36:16-38), the awareness of our true identity—that we are really some of the descendants of His chosen people who lived on His special treasure of a Land. This newfound identity is one that is true and worthy of celebrating indeed. The fake form appears at the same time to try to discredit the genuine it copies and mocks.
But YHWH goes to great lengths to make sure this true “identity movement” is one that’s distinctly without pride. I don’t mean the more recent use of “pride” that speaks of holding one’s head up with confidence or unashamed loyalty to an unpopular heritage. I mean the traditional use (as in “pride goes before a fall”) more often described today as arrogance—the kind of pride that was haSatan’s own downfall (Ezk. 28:15-17) and thus his favorite sin. For though YHWH has mercifully let us know again who we are—and it is a position of great dignity reflecting a special, high calling directly from the Creator of the universe—He repeats emphatically, “Be very clear that I am NOT doing this for your sake! Be ashamed and humiliated for your own ways, O House of Israel!” (16:32)
Pride has long been one of Ephraim’s most cherished faults. (Isa. 28:3) And YHWH does hate it. (Prov. 6:17) So this identity movement starts with a confession of having wasted His special treasure. In this Torah portion’s terms, we had let the fire on His altar go out, though three times (which seals a matter) He had told us not to. (Lev. 6:2-6) We even extinguished it deliberately and lit other altars of our own instead. (1 Kings 12:29-33) For this crass and egregious move of identity politics we must unequivocally repent. Some of us have held ceremonies of direct renunciation at the site of one of our first king Jeroboam’s illicit altars. (See one here, starting at minute marker 5:19.)
This restoration had to be purchased at the very high price of the only untainted human blood that had been seen since before Adam and Chawwah first took the bait for the hook of pride from that same “king” who was once in Eden (Ezk. 28:12-13) All the more reason to be ashamed, for though this purchase is our salvation, it is nothing to be proud of. We were too impoverished to pay our fine or afford our own ticket back to our homeland; both had to be paid by YHWH’s own charitable endowment, so, again, we have no grounds for boasting—except in YHWH (Ps. 34:2), only humble gratitude for the astoundingly-merciful thing He has done for us when we by no means deserved it.
The other side of this is that YHWH did it not for our sake but “for the sake of [His] great Name”, which we had caused to be profaned among the nations. (Ezk. 36:22) He did “spare” His Name (36:21) by a linguistically-strange surgery. If His word can divide even between soul and spirit (Heb. 4:12), He can also, surprisingly, divide between His Name and His reputation (which are the same term, shem, in Hebrew). He mercifully let His actual name be taken out of usage so that in our inevitable profaning, what would instead be made commonplace was just titles substituted for it.
But He is now restoring this too. (36:23) In another paradoxical act of mercy, He has allowed most of the restoration of His true Name (as opposed to generic titles) to catch on first among the disgraced House of Israel, with only a few from Judah (who had done a better job of keeping it set-apart) joining in thus far. Notable exceptions are Karaites like Nehemia Gordon, who have long drawn a distinction between what is really Scriptural and added human traditions.
Don’t let it be profaned again! Let those for whom He took such a huge risk in restoring it to us remain people He can be “proud” of.
