Joy in the Messiah

וַיִּקְרָא
Vayikra / And He Called
Leviticus 1:1-5:26
Isaiah 43:21-44:23
Hebrews 10:1-38

To Hear the Call…

  This Shabbat we begin the third part of the Torah, Vayikra/ the book of Leviticus. Vayikra is different from the other books of the Torah as it does not contain any journey. It is set entirely at Sinai, occupies only a brief section of time - a single month and has almost no narrative. Looking closely at Vayikra, is the key to understanding the children of God as “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
     Vayikra begins with ‘a calling’. God calls Moshe to speak; ‘Now the Lord called to Moses, and spoke to him from the tabernacle of meeting, saying, ² “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of the livestock—of the herd and of the flock.’ Leviticus 1:1-2
     God commanded Moshe to speak His words to the people, not to speak his opinion or interpretation or ideology of what God wanted, but rather to speak clearly to the children of Israel exactly what God wanted him to say.  The instructions in the prior Torah portions regarding the building of the Tabernacle also demonstrates the call of God. 
      We live in a Hellenistic culture which has taught us to speak our interpretation of what we think someone should hear, thus speaking our interpretation of Scripture.
     Deuteronomy 4:2 ‘You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.’ Revelation 22:18-19 ‘For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; ¹⁹ and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.’
   The Call is one towards holiness. 2Timothy 1:9 also clarifies the conduct of the calling, ‘…who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Yeshua HaMashiach from all eternity…’
    1 Peter 1:15 ’…but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior…’ Leviticus 11:45 ‘For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.’”  Leviticus 19:2 “Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.’ Leviticus 20:26 ‘Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine.’ Deuteronomy 23:14 ‘Since the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp to deliver you and to defeat your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy; and He must not see anything indecent among you or He will turn away from you.’
    God warns us about the hardened heart when He calls.   Psalm 95:8 ‘Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness…’
     Hebrews warns about rebelling against the true call of God and instead to obey His call in the truth of His Divine ways.  Hebrews 3:7-8 ‘Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you will hear His voice, ⁸ Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness…’
     Hebrews 3:14-15 ‘For we have become partakers of Messiah if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, ¹⁵ while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
     Hebrews 4:6-7 ‘Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, ⁷ again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said: “Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts.”
      Vayikra  also contains descriptions of the five offerings. The Burnt Offering, The Grain Offering, The Fellowship Offering, The Sin Offering and The Guilt Offering.
     Leviticus 1 | The Burnt Offering    Olah ( עלָה ),  "ascending offering”. This was a freewill sacrifice that was consumed entirely by the fire on the altar. The sacrificial victim must be an animal or a bird that is without defect. As the animal is slaughtered, the kohen catches its blood in a pan and sprinkles it (zerikat hadam) on the altar. The animal is then cut up, salted, and entirely burned. This is perhaps the best-known of the offerings. It was the oldest and most common, representing submission to God’s will. Olah from the root Ayin-Lamed-Heh has the same root as the word aliyah, which is used to describe moving to Israel, ascending up whether in study or spiritually, and also in a synagogue to say a blessing over the Torah. An olah is completely burnt on the outer altar; no part of it is eaten by anyone. Because the offering represents complete submission to God's will, the entire offering is given to God.
     Leviticus 2 | The Grain Offering Minchah ( מִנְחָה ), "meal offering". This was a nedavah also a freewill offering of flour (prepared with fine flour, olive oil and frankincense), usually given by a person not of wealth. Part of the meal offering is burned on the altar, and the remaining part is eaten by the kohanim. 
     Leviticus 3 | The Peace Offering Shelamim ( שְׁלָמִים ), "peace offering". This was a nedavah a freewill offering given as a way of expressing thanks and praise to God. The Hebrew term for this type of offering is zebach sh'lamim (or sometimes just sh'lamim), which is related to the word shalom, meaning "peace" or "whole." A portion of the offering is burnt on the altar. A portion is given to the priests and the rest is eaten by the person giving the offering, and his family.
     Leviticus 4 | The Sin Offering Chatat ( חַטַּאת ), "sin offering". This was a chovah a required offering to make atonement for certain sins committed unintentionally. It is an expression of sorrow for the error and a desire to be reconciled with God. Chatat, from the word chayt, means to miss the mark. A chatat could only be offered for unintentional sins committed through carelessness, not for intentional, malicious sins. The size of the offering varied according to the nature of the sin and the financial means of the one bringing the offering. 
     Leviticus 5:14-6:7 | The Trespass Offering Asham ( אָשָׁם ), "guilt offering". This was a chovah, a required offering, as part of the penitence required for certain improper acts such as retaining another's property by swearing falsely. In each case, the wrongdoer was required to restore the property plus an additional amount. 
     Leviticus 1:1-2 states ‘…when any one of you brings an offering to the Lord…” in Hebrew the word order is different.  We would expect to read: adam mikem ki yakriv, “when one of you offers a sacrifice.”  Instead, the Hebrew reads: adam ki yakriv mikem, “when one offers a sacrifice of you”.  We bring to God our energies, our thoughts, emotions, obedience and our devotion.   It is that ‘we offer ourselves’. The offering is mikem, “of you.”  
     We are to give God ourselves.

Vayikra / And He Called
Leviticus 1:1-6:7
Isaiah 43:21-44:23
Hebrews 10:1-18

    The Offerings
   Vayikra, the third book of the Torah, begins with descriptions of the five offerings. The Burnt Offering, The Grain Offering, The Fellowship Offering, The Sin Offering and The Guilt Offering.
     Leviticus 1 | The Burnt Offering    Olah ( עלָה ),  "ascending offering.” This was a freewill sacrifice that was consumed entirely by the fire on the altar. The sacrificial victim must be an animal or a bird that is without defect. As the animal is slaughtered, the kohen catches its blood in a pan and sprinkles it (zerikat hadam) on the altar. The animal is then cut up, salted, and entirely burned. This is perhaps the best-known of the offerings. It was the oldest and most common, representing submission to God’s will. Olah from the root Ayin-Lamed-Heh has the same root as the word aliyah, which is used to describe moving to Israel, ascending up whether in study or spiritually, and also in a synagogue to say a blessing over the Torah. An olah is completely burnt on the outer altar; no part of it is eaten by anyone. Because the offering represents complete submission to God's will, the entire offering is given to God.
     Leviticus 2 | The Grain Offering Minchah ( מִנְחָה ), "meal offering". This was a nedavah also a freewill offering of flour (prepared with fine flour, olive oil and frankincense), usually given by a person not of wealth. Part of the meal offering is burned on the altar, and the remaining part is eaten by the kohanim. 
     Leviticus 3 | The Peace Offering Shelamim ( שְׁלָמִים ), "peace offering". This was a nedavah a freewill offering given as a way of expressing thanks and praise to God. The Hebrew term for this type of offering is zebach sh'lamim (or sometimes just sh'lamim), which is related to the word shalom, meaning "peace" or "whole." A portion of the offering is burnt on the altar. A portion is given to the priests and the rest is eaten by the person giving the offering, and his family.
     Leviticus 4 | The Sin Offering Chatat ( חַטַּאת ), "sin offering". This was a chovah a required offering to make atonement for certain sins committed unintentionally. It is an expression of sorrow for the error and a desire to be reconciled with God. Chatat, from the word chayt, means to miss the mark. A chatat could only be offered for unintentional sins committed through carelessness, not for intentional, malicious sins. The size of the offering varied according to the nature of the sin and the financial means of the one bringing the offering. 
     Leviticus 5:14-6:7 | The Trespass Offering Asham ( אָשָׁם ), "guilt offering". This was a chovah, a required offering, as part of the penitence required for certain improper acts such as retaining another's property by swearing falsely. In each case, the wrongdoer was required to restore the property plus an additional amount. 
      More than two thousand years later, it can be difficult to relate to the beginning chapters of Leviticus compared to the present time we live in. What exactly is an offering to God? What is it that we give God when we offer a sacrifice?  How do we even offer a sacrifice?
      Leviticus 1:1-2 states: ‘Now the Lord called to Moses, and spoke to him from the tabernacle of meeting, saying, ² “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of the livestock—of the herd and of the flock.’
     This is the way the verse reads translated from Hebrew to English.  However, in Hebrew the word order is different than our English. We would expect to read: adam mikem ki yakriv, “when one of you offers a sacrifice.”  Instead, the Hebrew reads: adam ki yakriv mikem, “when one offers a sacrifice of you”.  We bring to God our energies, our thoughts, emotions, obedience and our devotion.  Shenor Zalman taught that ‘we offer ourselves’. 
     The real sacrifice is mikem, “of you.”  We give God something of ourselves.  We obey the Shema when we offer a sacrifice….Hear O Israel, The Lord is One…Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul… When we offer ourselves, when the sacrifice is of us, we give our lives to God.   The prophet Samuel breaks it down to what is the sacrifice, ‘So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.’ 1Samuel 15:22.
     The word Karbanot is usually translated as ‘sacrifices’ or ‘offerings’, however, both of these terms suggest a loss of something or a giving up of something. Although that is certainly a part of it, that is not the complete meaning of the Hebrew word. Karbanot comes from the root Qof-Resh-Bet, which means ‘to draw near,’ and indicates the primary purpose of offerings: to draw us near to God.  There are three basic ideas connected to the Karbanot. The first being obvious in the aspect of giving. The second is the part of substitution, and the third and most important concept is the part about bringing a person closer to God. 
     The first offering was given in Genesis 4. Genesis 4:2-5 ‘Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. ³ And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. ⁴ Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, ⁵ but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.’ (Some Hebrew translations use the word turn/or favor instead of respected).
וַיִּ֣שַׁע יְהוָ֔ה אֶל־הֶ֖בֶל וְאֶל־מִנְחָתֽוֹ׃     and look with favor YHWH to Abel and to offering

וְאֶל־קַ֥יִן וְאֶל־מִנְחָת֖וֹ לֹ֣א שָׁעָ֑ה   and to Cain and to offering He not look with favor

     Looking closely at these verses, we learn how important the offering/sacrifice to God was as a form of obedience and worship. We are not told specifically the reason for God’s turning away from Cain, but even though the problem is partly because of the offering itself, there’s a deeper problem hiding in the heart of Cain. Verse five reveals that God did not show favor/turned away from/ did not respect Cain or the offering. It was clearly not just the offering that God turned away from. 
     Proverbs 15:8 states: ‘The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.’
    It was Cain’s heart that made the sacrifice wicked and unacceptable. 1 John 3:11-12 tells us ‘For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, ¹² not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.’
 Cain lacked the faith as Hebrews 11:4 tells us about Abel, ‘By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.’
     The heart is connected to the soul, the nefesh. Our faith, our steadfastness, our prayers, our deeds, our love and obedience that give glory to God, or the idols of our heart that take the place of Adonai – these are all visible to God. 
     1 Kings 8:38-39 ‘…whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone, or by all Your people Israel, when each one knows the plague of his own heart, and spreads out his hands toward this temple: ³⁹ then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men)…’
     1Samuel 16:7 ‘But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’ 
     Matthew 9:4 ‘And Yeshua knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts.
     Mark 2:8 ‘Immediately Yeshua, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?’
     Revelation 2:23 ‘And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.’
     Hebrews 4:12 brings us back to the Torah, ‘For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.’
     When God’s righteous Living Word is completely taught within a place of worship- The Word, The Living Torah will expel the evil hearts that will not connect to the righteousness of The Living Word – The Living Torah.  These evil hearts will be driven out either by the righteousness of God and His Word or the wickedness of their own narcissist heart. 
    May we have a pure heart and a pure offering and sacrifice for The LORD. Hebrews 13:5 ‘Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.’ Our loyalty is our sacrifice, Hosea 6:6 ‘For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.’
    In 1 Corinthians 10:18-31 Rabbi Sha’ul instructs us on the eating of flesh offered to idols. (not the gentile explanation of this verse that he was speaking about all clean/unclean food). ‘If we know, but if anyone says to you, “This was offered to idols,” do not eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for conscience’ sake...’  It is for what we know – the choice is ours to make. 
   1 Corinthians 10:19-22 ‘What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? ²⁰ Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. ²¹ You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. ²² Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?’
   What a great question Rav Shau’l asks: “Are we stronger than God?”  Do we reign above Him to offer our sacrifices to the gods of different times and seasons as the Gentiles do? Do we seek the wisdom of men with their honor rather than from Adonai? 
     Deuteronomy 10:12-13 ‘And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹³ and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good?’