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Elul 23, 5762 / Aug 31, 2002
Elul 20, 5765 / Sept 24, 2005
Elul 20, 5768 / Sept 20, 2008
Elul 18, 5771 / Sept 17, 2011
Elul 18, 5774 / Sept 13, 2014
Elul 18, 5777 / Sept 9, 2017
Elul 16, 5780 / Sept 5, 2020
Vayiqra /
And He Called
SCRIPTURES (should be read first)
(V.2) “When any man (adam) of
you brings himself as an offering (olah – to come near, be
elevated) to Yahweh” – the name Yahweh, rather than Elohim, is always used
in relationship to offerings: God’s attribute of mercy, rather than judgment,
relates to the offerings. The person bringing the offering must lean with both
hands upon the head of the animal, thereby dedicating his strength and purpose
to God. He then either confesses the specific sin for which he is seeking
atonement, or states the specific spiritual goal which he desires, or offers
praise to Yahweh.
The animal is a substitute for the
bringer, prefiguring Yeshua – who is the antitype substitute (Ephesians 5:2). It
goes up (is elevated) in smoke as a sweet aroma to God, representing the man
being elevated to heavenly stature or purpose through Yeshua.
Animal Elevation Offerings (in
descending order of what one could afford):
(V.1:3) Elevation offering from herd
(bull – from large domestic cattle)
(V.10) Elevation offering from flock
(lamb or kid goat)
(V.14) Elevation offering from birds
(turtledove or dove)
The dove is a bird of the pigeon
family recognized by is cooing cry. The turtledove is a sub-group known for its
devotion to its mate and to its young. These birds were raised in dome-shaped
caves in northern Israel: one can visit these caves today and see the
pigeon-holes all around the large rooms.
Grain Elevation Offerings (This is
the offering of the poor, and is as though one offered his soul.):
A “soul” (nephesh) may bring a
grain offering (minchah), made of unleavened finely ground wheat flour,
olive oil, salt, with granules of hardened frankincense (an aromatic tree
resin). Grain, the staple of human diet, represents our very existence being
dependent upon God. Oil symbolizes comfort and healing, and frankincense
represents joy and satisfaction; salt symbolizes God’s immutable covenant,
because it preserves. No leaven or fruit-honey is allowed. The soul’s service
should not be sluggish (represented by the slow action of leaven), nor should it
be reduced by pursuit of pleasure (represented by adding the sweetness of
honey).
These offerings were brought by
someone desiring to overcome traits such as anger, jealousy, greed, or cynicism.
Cooked offerings are made as ten
cakes or wafers, and then broken into crumbs. “Threefingersful” (kometz)
of the grain offering and all of the frankincense are burned on the altar as the
memorial portion. The remainder may be eaten only inside the courtyard by
priests.
(V.2:1) Grain offering – uncooked:
wheat flour mixed
with oil is salted and offered with frankincense.
(V.4) Grain offering baked in oven:
wheat flour is kneaded with water,
cakes mixed with oil or wafers spread with oil after baking,
salted and offered with frankincense.
(V.5) Grain offering fried on
griddle:
wheat flour is kneaded with water,
wafers mixed with oil, broken into bits and spread with oil,
salted and offered with frankincense.
(V.7) Grain offering deep-fried in
pan:
wheat flour is kneaded with water,
cakes mixed with oil, then cooked in oil,
salted and offered with frankincense.
First Omer Offering on Waving Day
(This wave offering, on the second
day of Unleavened Breads, is not a “sheaf” of grain, and the day is neither the
“Feast of ” nor “Day of ” Firstfruits.)
(V.14) Omer of barley flour (for
second day of unleavened breads):
An ephah of plump kernels of
barley were parched over a fire, then ground and sifted into an omer
of fine flour (An omer is about two liters; it is a tenth of an ephah
– Exodus 16:36).
It was mixed with oil, salted, and
sprinkled with grains of hardened frankincense.
It was waved before Yahweh upon a
lamb.
_______________
Paul said to the Corinthian church, “I,
brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as
to babes in Messiah. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not
yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still
fleshly.”
If we are to become “spiritual,” we
must become elevated beyond greed, hedonism, jealousy, cliquishness, exalting
men, profaneness, etc. In today’s religious world, the Torah offerings are
mostly ignored as irrelevant; so also are spiritual attributes ignored as
unnecessary – even undesirable. Who wants to overcome this world’s manner of
seeking riches and power and pleasure? Who seeks the good of others more than
his own? Who desires even this milk of God’s Word, much less meat?
The offerings are the Torah basis for
so much of what Paul taught; but in ignoring them, we lose the foundation of
much basic Christian/Messianic doctrine.
_______________
If our hearts are on the things of
this world, then our talk and our prayers will be also. We do not read of Job
praying that hurricanes would not fall on himself or his family. We do not read
of Job praying that terrorists or thieves would not fall on himself or his
family. We do not read of Job praying disease or injury would not befall himself
or his family. We do read that Job was a righteous man, and he was concerned
that his children might have cursed God in their hearts, and therefore he sought
atonement for them.
If we are walking with God, then all
of the calamities that come our way are from Him, and are for our good! Calamity
is used to bring some toward God, and to bring others toward their destined end.
“And we know that God causes all
things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called
according to His purpose” – Romans 8:28.
“It is Yahweh Who gives, and
Yahweh Who takes away; blessed be the name Yahweh!” – Job .
This is not to say that we should not
care about health and safety and prosperity, or that we should not pray
concerning them; it is to say that we must see these things in a proper
perspective under God. We should not be anxious about such things, and we should
seek God’s purpose for us in them.
“Seek first His kingdom and His
righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Do not take anxious
thought for the morrow, for the morrow will take care of itself; each day has
enough trouble of its own” – Matthew 6:33-34.
We also need to continually consider
how we are following God’s Word. We must not get caught up in the doctrines of
some person whom we trust, nor in our own feelings about what is right. We
should seek to grow in proper understanding and correction from the foundational
words that God has given us – the Torah, Prophets, Psalms, and Apostles.
Readings:
"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King
of the Universe,
Who chose us from among all peoples by
giving us Your Torah.
Blessed are You, Yahweh, giver of the
Torah."
Reader 1*
Amen. 1
Then Yahweh called to Moses and spoke to him from
the tent of meeting, saying, 2 "Speak to the sons of Israel and say
to them, 'When any man (adam) of you brings an offering
(to come near, be elevated) to Yahweh,
you shall bring your offering of animals from the herd or the flock. 3
'If his offering is an elevation offering (olah) from the herd, he shall
offer it, a male without defect; he shall offer it at the doorway of the tent of
meeting, that he may be accepted before Yahweh. 4 'He shall lay his
hand on the head of the elevation offering, that it may be accepted for him to
make atonement on his behalf. 5 'He shall slay the young bull before
Yahweh; and Aaron's sons the priests shall offer up the blood and sprinkle the
blood around on the altar that is at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 6
'He shall then skin the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces.
Reader 2*
Amen. 7 'The sons of
Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire.
8 'Then Aaron's sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head and
the suet over the wood which is on the fire that is on the altar. 9
'Its entrails, however, and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest
shall offer up in smoke all of it on the altar for a burnt offering, an offering
by fire of a soothing aroma to Yahweh.
Reader 3*
Amen. 10 'But if his
offering is from the flock, of the sheep or of the goats, for a burnt offering,
he shall offer it a male without defect. 11 'He shall slay it on the
side of the altar northward before Yahweh, and Aaron's sons the priests shall
sprinkle its blood around on the altar. 12 'He shall then cut it into
its pieces with its head and its suet, and the priest shall arrange them on the
wood which is on the fire that is on the altar. 13 'The entrails,
however, and the legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer all
of it, and offer it up in smoke on the altar; it is an elevation offering, an
offering by fire of a soothing aroma to Yahweh.
Reader 4*
Amen. 14 'But if his
offering to Yahweh is an elevation offering of birds, then he shall bring his
offering from the turtledoves or from young pigeons. 15 'The priest
shall bring it to the altar, and wring off its head and offer it up in smoke on
the altar; and its blood is to be drained out on the side of the altar. 16
'He shall also take away its crop with its feathers and cast it beside the altar
eastward, to the place of the ashes. 17 'Then he shall tear it by its
wings, but shall not sever it. And the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the
altar on the wood which is on the fire; it is an elevation offering, an offering
by fire of a soothing aroma to Yahweh.
Reader 5*
Amen. 2:1 'Now when
anyone presents a grain offering as an offering to Yahweh, his offering shall be
of fine flour, and he shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it. 2
'He shall then bring it to Aaron's sons the priests; and shall take from it his
handful of its fine flour and of its oil with all of its frankincense. And the
priest shall offer it up in smoke as its memorial portion on the altar, an
offering by fire of a soothing aroma to Yahweh. 3 'The remainder of
the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons: a thing most holy, of the
offerings to Yahweh by fire. 4 'Now when you bring an offering of a
grain offering baked in an oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour
mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers spread with oil. 5 'If your
offering is a grain offering made on the griddle, it shall be of fine flour,
unleavened, mixed with oil; 6 you shall break it into bits and pour
oil on it; it is a grain offering. 7 'Now if your offering is a grain
offering made in a pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil.
Reader 6*
Amen. 8 'When you bring
in the grain offering which is made of these things to Yahweh, it shall be
presented to the priest and he shall bring it to the altar. 9 'The
priest then shall take up from the grain offering its memorial portion, and
shall offer it up in smoke on the altar as an offering by fire of a soothing
aroma to Yahweh. 10 'The remainder of the grain offering belongs to
Aaron and his sons: a thing most holy of the offerings to Yahweh by fire.
11 'No grain offering, which you bring to Yahweh, shall be made with
leaven, for you shall not offer up in smoke any leaven or any honey as an
offering by fire to Yahweh.
Reader 7*
Amen. 12 'As an offering
of first fruits you shall bring them to Yahweh, but they shall not ascend for a
soothing aroma on the altar. 13 'Every grain offering of yours,
moreover, you shall season with salt, so that the salt of the covenant of your
God shall not be lacking from your grain offering; with all your offerings you
shall offer salt. 14 'Also if you bring a grain offering of early
ripened things to Yahweh, you shall bring fresh heads of grain roasted in the
fire, grits of new growth, for the grain offering of your early ripened things.
15 'You shall then put oil on it and lay incense on it; it is a grain
offering. 16 'The priest shall offer up in smoke its memorial
portion, part of its grits and its oil with all its incense as an offering by
fire to Yahweh.
"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King
of the Universe,
Who in giving us Yeshua, the Living
Torah, has planted everlasting life in our midst.
Blessed are You, Yahweh, giver of the
Torah."
"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King
of the Universe,
Who selected good prophets, delighting
in their words which were spoken truthfully.
Blessed are You, Yahweh, Who chose the
Torah, Your servant Moses, Your people Israel,
and the prophets of truth and
righteousness."
Isaiah 43:21
Reader 8*
Amen. "The people whom I formed for
Myself, will declare My praise.
Jeremiah 31:19
Reader 9*
Amen. 'For after I turned back, I
repented; and after I was instructed, I smote on my thigh; I was ashamed, and
also humiliated, because I bore the reproach of my youth.'
Micah 6:9 – 7:8
Reader 10*
Amen. 9 The voice of
Yahweh will call to the city-- and it is sound wisdom to fear Your name: "Hear,
O tribe. Who has appointed its time? 10 Is there yet a man in the
wicked house, along with treasures of wickedness and a short measure that is
cursed? 11 Can I justify wicked scales and a bag of deceptive
weights? 12 For the rich men of the city are full of violence, her
residents speak lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. 13
So also I will make you sick, striking you down, desolating you because of your
sins. 14 You will eat, but you will not be satisfied, and your
vileness will be in your midst. You will try to remove for safekeeping, but you
will not preserve anything, and what you do preserve I will give to the sword.
15 You will sow but you will not reap. You will tread the olive but
will not anoint yourself with oil; and the grapes, but you will not drink wine.
16 The statutes of Omri and all the works of the house of Ahab are
observed; and in their devices you walk. Therefore I will give you up for
destruction and your inhabitants for derision, and you will bear the reproach of
My people."
Reader 11*
Amen. 7:1 Woe is me! For
I am Like the fruit pickers, like the grape gatherers. There is not a cluster of
grapes to eat, or a first-ripe fig which I crave. 2 The godly person
has perished from the land, and there is no upright person among men. All of
them lie in wait for bloodshed; each of them hunts the other with a net. 3
Concerning evil, both hands do it well. The prince asks, also the judge, for a
bribe, and a great man speaks the desire of his soul; so they weave it together.
4 The best of them is like a briar, the most upright like a thorn
hedge. The day when you post your watchmen, your punishment will come. Then
their confusion will occur. 5 Do not trust in a neighbor; do not have
confidence in a friend. From her who lies in your bosom Guard your lips. 6
For son treats father contemptuously, daughter rises up against her mother,
daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man's enemies are the men of his
own household. 7 But as for me, I will watch expectantly for Yahweh;
I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. 8 Do
not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; though I dwell in
darkness, Yahweh is a light for me.
Psalm 70 For the choir
director. A Psalm for David; for a memorial.
1 O God, hasten to deliver me;
O Yahweh, hasten to my help! 2 Let those be ashamed and humiliated
who seek my life; let those be turned back and dishonored who delight in my
hurt. 3 Let those be turned back because of their shame who say,
"Aha, aha!" 4 Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; and
let those who love Your salvation say continually, "Let God be magnified."
5 But I am afflicted and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and
my deliverer; O Yahweh, do not delay.
1 Corinthians 3:1-23
Reader 12*
Amen. 1 And I, brethren,
could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to
infants in Messiah. 2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for
you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able,
3 for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among
you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? 4
For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not
mere men? 5 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through
whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. 6 I
planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 7 So then
neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who
causes the growth. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but
each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9 For we
are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
Reader 13*
Amen. 10 According to
the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a
foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he
builds on it. 11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one
which is laid, which is Yeshua the Messiah. 12 Now if any man builds
on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13
each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to
be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's
work. 14 If any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will
receive a reward. 15 If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer
loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
Reader 14*
Amen. 16 Do you not know
that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17
If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of
God is holy, and that is what you are. 18 Let no man deceive himself.
If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish,
so that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is
foolishness before God. For it is written, "He is the one who catches the wise
in their craftiness"; 20 and again, "Yahweh knows the reasonings of
the wise, that they are useless." 21 So then let no one boast in men.
For all things belong to you, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or
the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things
belong to you, 23 and you belong to Messiah; and Messiah belongs to
God.
"Blessed are You, Yahweh
our God, King of the Universe,
Rock of Ages, righteous
throughout all generations.
You are the faithful God,
promising and then performing, speaking and then fulfilling,
for all Your words are true
and righteous.
Faithful are You, Yahweh
our God, and faithful are Your words,
for no word of Yours shall
remain unfulfilled;
You are a faithful and
merciful God and King.
Blessed are You, Yahweh our
God, Who are faithful in fulfilling all Your words."
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