Tag: Leviticus 21

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Torah readings

Torah reading Emor (אמר): Leviticus 21–24

Studies in Torah

The Creator of all that is reveals how different He is from the creation. YHWH’s servants, the priesthood, are called to be different from the world that lives as if the Creator isn’t in control, and the priests are to show the better way — the Way of YHWH. That’s the message of אָמַר Emor (“say,” Leviticus 21-24), a Bible reading that includes teachings from YHWH about special anniversaries, annual reminders of what the Creator is doing, particularly through the Word of YHWH made human — Yeshua haMashiakh, or Jesus the Christ.

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Discussions Torah

‘You are the light of the world’: Importance of an ‘othered’ people for a world dismayed by darkness (Leviticus 21–24)

'You are the light of the world': Importance of an 'other' peoplee for a world dismayed by the darkness (Leviticus 21-24)

The otherness (aka holiness) of the Kingdom of God can be a preservative for the world and an offense. Heaven’s messages and messengers can bring life-saving hope or abhorrent reminders of a life that’s being squandered. A key lesson from the Torah reading אָמַר Emor (“say,” Leviticus 21–24) is the ongoing and recurring work Heaven does through us by way of Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ).

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Discussions Jubilee Pentecost/Shavuot Torah

Heaven seeks from us authentic worship and service (Leviticus 21–23)

Heaven seeks from us authentic worship and service (Leviticus 21-23)
Heaven seeks from us authentic worship and service (Torah reading Emor, Leviticus 21-23)

We love great actors when they’re on the screen or stage, but they’re odious when they fill the pews or the pulpits. A key lesson in the Torah reading אָמַר Emor (“say,” Leviticus 21–24) is that those in the service of the Creator of Heaven and Earth (Ex. 19:6; 1Pet. 2:5, 9; Rev. 1:6; 5:10) must deeply respect what they’re bringing closer to the Presence: “good gifts” of the heart cry of humankind. And those who bring those gifts must not pretend they’re transparently offering their best, what Heaven has set aside in them from normal ways of an Earth in need of healing.

Parallel to that lesson in Emor is an overview of the key weekly and annual appointments of Heaven with Earth. Two key dates among them are the weekly Shabbat (Sabbath) and the annual Shavu’ot (Pentecost). Both are tied to the Yobel (Jubilee), an ever-50-years reminder that Heaven has an eternal home for humanity and that the path home requires a declaration of freedom from the past.

From these lessons Heaven has provided in time, we can come to understand how Torah is the “law of liberty” (James 1:25; 2:12) that guides us on how to be free in His Kingdom, brought to reality by Yeshua haMashiach (Jesus the Christ). That’s not only freedom from physical debts but also freedom from spiritual debts that we have piled upon ourselves. Learn more through this Bible study.

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Discussions Torah

God wants mercy more than rote obedience (Leviticus 21–24)

Our choices can cause irreparable harm to others, including the next generation. That’s a key lesson from the Torah reading אמר Emor (“say,” Leviticus 21-24).

The Holy One of Israel loves mercy more than rote obedience, and He loathes hypocrisy. God looks at our conduct, as well as the heart behind our actions. We can fool those around us, we might even fool ourselves, but we can’t fool God.

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Discussions Torah

Leviticus 21–24: A great High Priest fit for saving the world

In the Messianic Age, Messiah Yeshua is the one and only High Priest, forever. But the descendants of Aaron/Zadok will not be pushed to the unemployment line. (Photo by Tijmen van Dobbenburgh /Freeimages.com via Creative commons license).

Rules about “clean” and “unclean” in Leviticus 12–15 (Torah portion אמר Emor, “say”) apply primarily to the priests of Israel, and they are object lessons to teach us about “our great High Priest,” Messiah Yeshuah (Christ Jesus). Priests were held to a higher code of conduct than the regular native-born Israelites, and that will be the case in the Messianic age, too, as described in this week’s parallel reading, Ezekiel 44:15–31.

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Discussions Torah

Leviticus 21–24: How the High Priest deals with death

The first tombs in the Bible were caves. This burial cave was found in the Bitan Aharon nature reserve. Photo by supplied by David Padfield © Padfield.com and released under a Creative Commons License.

In the Torah reading אמר Emor (“to say, speak or tell”), we will spend most of our time together discussing how God instructed the High Priest and the priestly line to respond to the reality of death around them. We will also ponder how God teaches us to give and receive charity and the difference between legalism and obedience in keeping Torah and God’s appointed times, aka the festivals of Yisrael.

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Discussions Torah

Leviticus 21–24: What good is holiness?

Illustration from the 1728 Figures de la Bible; illustrated by Gerard Hoet (1648–1733) and others, and published by P. de Hondt in The Hague; image courtesy Bizzell Bible Collection, University of Oklahoma Libraries via Wikipedia Commons.

The Torah reading אמר Emor (“say,” Leviticus 21–24) calls YHWH’s servants to model a different way of life and keep anniversaries of important things Heaven has done, is doing and will do to make things right again, particularly the mission of Yeshua haMashiakh (Jesus the Christ).