Transcript RECOGNITION - Qodesh Ministries

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THE MESSIANIC PROPHECY BIBLE PROJECT
http://www.messianicbible.com
HEAR O ISRAEL
www.hearoisrael.org
SHEEPFOLD GLEANINGS WRITTEN BY JULIE PARKER
www.sheepfoldgleanings.com
MESSIANIC ISRAEL ALLIANCE
http://www.messianicisrael.com
AZAMRA TORAH FOR OUR TIME – RABBI AVRAHAM
GREENBAUM
http://www.azamra.org
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TORAH: Lev. 9:1-11:47
HAFTARAH: 2 Samuel 6:1-7:17
B’RIT CHADASHAH: Mark 7:1-23, Acts 5:1-11, 10:1-35, 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1
Galatians 2:11-16, 1 Peter 1:14-16
All references: The Scripture 1998+ unless otherwise noted
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On the eighth day, … (Leviticus 9:1)
Where did this eighth day come from? What is it doing here? Of
course, on the literal level, Torah is referring to the day following
the seven day inauguration of the Tabernacle in the desert. The
first seven days were a dry run, a full dress rehearsal minus the
presence of ‫’יהוה‬s Indwelling, the Shechinah.
On a deeper level, the eighth day referred to by Torah is not
simply the day following the first seven. It is, in fact, and by
virtue of what took place on that day, on what was made
manifest that day, a brand new day in creation. The day that
‫’יהוה‬s presence made itself manifest in our world was a day like
no other day before. It was an entirely new reality. The first
seven days weren't built for this. So ‫ יהוה‬in a manner of
speaking, had to necessarily create a new day in order to
accommodate this new reality in the world. This is the eighth day
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that parashat Shmini is referring to.
Leviticus 9:1 The rabbis teach that this “eighth day” was the
“First of Abib or Nissan”. The month Abib, meaning (sprouting,
budding, green ears) is the first month of the Biblical Year (Ex 12:
2; 13:4).
For the previous seven days, Moshe, acting in the office of High
Priest, began to “set-apart” (consecrate) Aharon and his sons, in
preparation for this “eighth day”.
It is taught that during each of these seven days Moshe erected
the Mishkan, performed the service and disassembled it.
However, on the Eighth Day, the first of Abib / Nissan and first
day of the New Year, the Sanctuary was left standing and
remained for as long as the Children of Israel stayed in the same
wilderness encampment.
The number eight, refers to an even higher level of holiness the Godly
light which transcends the limits of our world. Indeed, it eclipses the
number seven to the extent that our Rabbis state that "the number
seven is always mundane, while the number eight is holy."
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The rabbis stated that the first day of Nissan "took ten crowns":
1. The first day of creation;
2. First day of the first of the months of the year;
3. The first day of the priesthood;
4. The first day of the Sanctuary service;
5. The inauguration sacrifices of the princes of the twelve tribes;
6. First day for the descent of fire from heaven on the altar;
7. The first day that sacrifices were eaten;
8. The first day that all other altars (such as private altars) other than
the Sanctuary altar became forbidden;
9. The first day that the Divine Presence dwelled in Israel;
10. The first day on which the priests blessed the people.
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This inauguration day is so significant that Torah speaks of it in
several books: in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. Remember,
there is no “before” and “after” in the Torah.
In Exodus 29: 43-45 ‫ יהוה‬speaks of the importance of what is
happening here: “And there I shall meet with the children of Yisra’ĕl,
and it shall be set apart by My esteem. “And I shall set apart the Tent of
Meeting and the altar. And Aharon and his sons I set apart to serve as
priests to Me. “And I shall dwell in the midst of the children of Yisra’ĕl
and shall be their Elohim.
This parsha, Shemini, narrates how Moshe, Aharon and his four
sons inaugurated the Mishkan with special offerings and how
‫’יהוה‬s fire from heaven descended onto the altar and His Divine
Presence was manifest before the people.
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“Seven” is the number of completion of ‫ יהוה‬creation
“Eight” is the number of new beginnings and revelation.
First, we have the 6 days, or 6,000 years, of the creation. Then
we have the 7th day (Shabbat) or the Messianic 7th millennium.
Finally, the 8th day or 8th Millennium, when ‫ יהוה‬comes down
into the New Jerusalem to physically dwell with His people
forever. On that “eighth day” Elohim moves all creation to bring
the spiritual and physical worlds together, for those who follow
His Word, into His Divine Presence.
But, beloved ones, let not this one matter be hidden from you: that
with ‫ יהוה‬one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one
day. (2 Peter 3:8)
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Man alone is not able to mix the earthly (matter) and the spiritual. Just
as He breathed life (spiritual) into Adam (earthly), our Heavenly Father
has His ways of joining the two. When a man follows ‫’יהוה‬s
commandments to perform a particular task, we witness an incredible
fusion of the earthly with the spiritual. The 613 commandments are
the 613 bridge between “seven” and “eight”. Thus we can say that it is
through the observance of His commandments that His Spiritual
Presence will become visible within this physical world. This gives even
more significant meaning to the description of Yeshua:
And the Word (Spiritual) became flesh and pitched His tent among us,
and we saw His esteem, esteem as of an only brought-forth of a father,
complete in favour and truth. (John 1:14)
Through the keeping of the commandments, we also enter into and
reflect the spiritual realm. This is why ‫ יהושע‬pointed us in the direction
of obedience as an expression of our love for Him:
“If you love Me, you shall guard My commands.(John 14:15)
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Leviticus 9:1-14 – Aharon brings a sin and burnt offering
The Hebrew word used here for “sin offering” is “chatta‟ah”
(Strong‟s #2403), spelled “chet-tet-aleph-hey”. While it means “sin
offering”, it also means “the habit of sinning” (sinfulness). So,
Aharon brought his “sinfulness” and laid it on the altar to be
burned. Then he offered his burnt offering, his “olah” or
“ascension” to ascend as on a stairway. When Aharon brought his
sinful nature to the altar, ‫ יהוה‬burned it up and thus he could now
ascend to ‫יהוה‬.
As a Kingdom of Priests, we are to bring our sinful nature and lay it
on Elohim’s altar to be burned, and then help others do the same.
That’s what the love of ‫ יהוה‬is. And if I give out all my possessions to
feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but do not have love, I
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am not profited at all. (1 Corinthians 13:3)
Leviticus 9:15-24 Offering of the peoples: sin offerings, burnt
offerings and grain offerings.
Deeper meaning:
•The “fat”, in Hebrew is “cheleb” #2459 means “abundance”.
•The “kidneys” or “kilyah” #3629 means the “seat of our desires
and affections” or “reins” (that which steers or drives us).
•Now, the “lobe of the liver” or “yothereth min qabed” #3508,
4480 & 3516 translates as “the leftover of heavy grieving”. In
simple terms, this is our “guilt”.
“I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and
remember your sins no more. (Isaiah 43:25)
Then ‫ יהוה‬washes our personality, our “qereb” and our worship,
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our “qara” will be clean and acceptable.
And the flesh and the skin he burned with fire outside the camp.
(Leviticus 9:11)
We read something that is often overlooked, as verse 11 tells us
that Aharon took the “flesh” (basar) and the “hide” (owr) and
“burnt” (saraph in this case) with “fire” (aish) “outside the camp”.
• “Basar” (flesh) also translates “to announce” or “preach” as in
the “Good News” or “Gospel of the Kingdom”. How pleasant
upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who
proclaims peace, who brings good news, who proclaims deliverance,
who says to Tsiyon, “Your Elohim reigns!” (Isaiah 52:7)(Nahum
1:15)
• “Owr” (hide) which is Strong‟s #5782, 5783 & 5784, also
means “arouse”, “awaken”, “raise up” as from slumber,
(Ephraim); also “to provoke” as to jealousy (Yehudah); also, “to
be made blind” (as in both houses) and “to be made naked”
(aware of sin) and to “rejoice” (be glad). All reference to the
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Gospel of the Kingdom. It brings all of these to “light”.
• “saraph aish” (burned with fire or burning fire). This is where
the word for “seraphim” comes from. Seraphim literally means
“burning ones”.
After our altar experience, our “chatta’ah” to ‫יהוה‬, we are to go
outside the camp and “basar”, announce the Gospel of the
Kingdom, arouse Ephraim from his slumber, provoke Yehudah to
jealousy, help remove the blindness of both houses and rejoice
with our brothers and “light their fire”. Ahmein? To say it more
correctly, be and make others “servants of fire”.
At this, the Kavod, the Esteem and Presence of ‫ יהוה‬Tzva’ot came
down and consumed the fat (the abundance) on the altar. And
the people cried aloud and fell on their faces. A better
translation here for “cried aloud”, or “ranan” in Hebrew, would
be that they “sang out with joy” as they fell on their faces.
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And Mosheh and Aharon went into the Tent of Meeting, and
came out and blessed the people. And the esteem (glory) of ‫יהוה‬
appeared to all the people, (Leviticus 9:23)
On the 8th day, the “glory of Elohim” appeared to all the people.
We would expect then, that with other mentions of the number
eight in Scripture, we would see a spiritual connection. Here are
a few examples:
• “And a son of eight days is circumcised by you, every male child
in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought
with silver from any foreigner who is not of your seed. “He who
is born in your house, and he who is bought with your silver,
has to be circumcised. So shall My covenant be in your flesh,
for an everlasting covenant. (Genesis 17:12-13)
The earthly picture of circumcision on the 8th day links a child to
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the everlasting (spiritual) covenant.
• “Likewise you are to do with your oxen, with your sheep. It is to
be with its mother seven days. On the eighth day you give it to
Me. (Exodus 22:30)
• “And he (THE LEPER) who is to be cleansed shall wash his
garments, and shall shave off all his hair and wash himself in
water, and shall be clean. Then after that he comes into the
camp, but shall stay outside his tent seven days. “And on the
eighth day he … shall bring a sin offering and the other a burnt
offering. “And he shall bring them to the priest on the eighth
day for his cleansing, to the door of the Tent of Meeting,
before ‫יהוה‬. (Leviticus 14:8-23). After 7 days of counting his
purity, on the 8th day he is able to be cleansed and come
before the presence of ‫יהוה‬.
• ‘Until the morrow after the seventh Sabbath you count fifty
days, then you shall bring a new grain offering to ‫יהוה‬.
(Leviticus 23:16). Shavuot (Pentecost) is the same day that
‫’יהוה‬s glory was revealed on Mount Sinai and centuries later in
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the upper room.
And ‫ יהוה‬spoke to Mosheh, saying, “Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl,
saying, ‘On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Festival of
Booths for seven days to ‫יהוה‬. …On the eighth day there shall be a setapart gathering for you, and you shall bring an offering made by fire to
‫יהוה‬. It is a closing festival, you do no servile work. (Leviticus 23:33-36)
The 8th day following seven days of Sukkot is called “Hashmini Atzeret.
Since we know that a day is likened to a thousand years, Hashmini
Atzeret”can be seen as a picture of the eternity that occurs after man’s
7,000 years on earth. It is the time of the New Heavens and the New
Earth that we read about in Revelation 21 and 22.
The 8th day represents a level of holiness that transcends normal time
and space. You could think of it as a time of becoming “one with the
Almighty” versus being “one with the world”. Exactly what ‫יהושע‬
prayed: “And I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and
I come to You. Set-apart Father, guard them in Your Name which You
have given Me, so that they might be one, as We are. (John 17:11)
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• SATAN locked and sealed in the abyss for a 1000 years
• Appointment of judges
• The first resurrection of the just (cohanim)
• Second battle with Gog and Magog against God’s people and
the city he loves.
• Eternal judgement
• White throne judgement
• New heaven and a new earth
• New Jerusalem - God's Sh'khinah gives it light, and its lamp is
the Lamb.
• Nothing impure may enter it, nor anyone who does shameful
things or lies
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and fire came out from before ‫ יהוה‬and consumed the burnt offering
and the fat on the altar. And all the people saw and cried aloud and fell
on their faces. (Leviticus 9:24)
From this day:
1. The sacrifices could no longer be eaten anywhere, but only in their
prescribed locations.
2. Private altars became forbidden, since now sacrifices could be
brought to the opening of the Appointed Tent. Until this point, it
was permissible to build an altar and sacrifice to ‫ יהוה‬just about
anywhere one wanted. However, once the Mishkan was operative,
that was no longer so.
3. It was the first time since Torah was given that Rosh Chodesh
Nissan, the New Year of the months, came around. In Egypt,
Moshe received the mitzvah to start counting the months and the
years (Exodus 12:1), and this Rosh Chodesh Nissan was the
completion of the first cycle.
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So now the big question…which day of the week did ‫ יהושע‬resurrect
on? Was it the 7th day (Sabbath) or the 1st day of the week, which
could also be seen as the 8th day? Remember that seven is a picture of
the creation week…this represents the earthly. Eight brings us to a
connection with the spiritual.
Since we’ve “been crucified with Messiah”, we have crossed over with
Him from the earthly into the spiritual. We have become “set
apart”…that is, “holy”. Isn’t it logical to think that after ‫יהושע‬
completed His final week of seven days which ended on Shabbat (in
the same way man will have seven thousand years ending with the
Shabbat Millennium), that at the moment the 7th turned into the 8th
day….RESURRECTION!!
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The priests who have just spent seven full days learning every minute
detail of ‫’יהוה‬s Tabernacle and their role in the rituals that will be
performed there. It is a time of “circumcision of the heart” as they put
away every fleshly inclination that will prevent them from properly
performing their spiritual duties. As the Tabernacle is a picture of the
perfected body of Messiah, the unity and the bonding that occurred
there must have been incredible. They were prepared to be the vessels
used by ‫ יהוה‬to draw all of Israel nearer to the Kingdom, or were they
And Naḏaḇ and Aḇihu, the sons of Aharon, each took his fire holder
and put fire in it, and put incense on it, and brought strange fire before
‫יהוה‬, which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from ‫יהוה‬
and consumed them, and they died before ‫יהוה‬. (Leviticus 10:1-2)
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On the 1st day of the creation week, Elohim said:
Genesis 1:3 … "Let there be light"; and there was light.
The light of the 1st day is the illumination the Almighty created.
The light of the 8th day is the illumination that He teaches US to
make. Our oneness with the Messiah and with each other
creates a Tabernacle that illuminates and gives light to the
world! Elohim began with light, and then He created the earth as
a dwelling for mankind. Now the Israelites have built the
Tabernacle as a dwelling for ‫יהוה‬. Then, on the 8th day, this
dwelling will be filled with light and with the Presence, in the
form of the fire that consumed the sacrifices, and the light of the
Menorah! This episode will repeat at the end of the 7th day or
the 7 thousand years, and it will usher us into the 8th: And when
the thousand years have ended, Satan shall be released from his
prison, and he shall go out to lead the nations astray which are
in the four corners of the earth, Goḡ and Maḡoḡ, to gather them
together for battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.
..And fire came down from Elohim out of the heaven and
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consumed them. (Revelation 20:7-9)
And to Mosheh He said, “Come up to ‫יהוה‬, you and Aharon, Naḏaḇ and
Aḇihu, .. they saw the Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, and under His feet like a paved
work of sapphire stone, and like the heavens for brightness. .. And they
saw Elohim, and they ate and drank.
(Exodus 24:1-11)
These two men, who had been privileged to see God face to face, were
perhaps so dazzled by the Holy Presence that they thought that they
could once again approach the Holy One and present an offering of
their own.
The sages offer many explanations for their failures:
1. They drank too much wine
2. They entered the Holy of Holies
3. They were not wearing the proper clothing
4. They took fire from somewhere besides the Altar
5. They went outside of Torah commands
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6. They were attempting to exalt themselves as leaders
“Strange”, or “zuwr” in Hebrew is #2114 which means to be estranged,
loathsome, to turn away from or become a foreigner. Also translated
as “alien fire”, “unfitting fire”, or “profane fire”. Simply put, this fire is
something that is outside the realm of what is permitted…that is to
say, they have failed to observe a boundary.
And ‫ יהוה‬spoke to Aharon, saying, “Do not drink wine or strong drink,
you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the Tent of Meeting, lest
you die – a law forever throughout your generations, so as to make a
distinction between the set-apart and the profane, and between the
unclean and the clean, (Leviticus 10:8-10)
Chasidic thought explains that while they may have drank wine, their
desire was not for the wine per se but rather, the heightened spiritual
awareness that they thought could be obtained through drinking wine.
So, not only did they enter the Sanctuary to be close to the Almighty,
but they did so under the influence of alcohol, as they felt this would
help them to come even closer by heightening their spiritual
sensitivity.
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In the case of Ananais and Sapphira, we see another case of
individuals perishing while in the act of giving an offering (Acts
5:1-11). The early Believers in Jerusalem, who were of one mind
and heart, held their possessions loosely. It was not unusual for
members of this tight-knit group to sell their land and give the
proceeds of the sale to the Apostles. Ananais and Sapphira also
sold a piece of property but unlike the others, they brought part
of the proceeds to the Apostles, presenting their offering as the
entire proceeds. Like Nadav and Avihu, they were offering up a
sacrifice. The problem with their offering, however, was that
they were misrepresenting it. They were giving, but they were
giving with a deceitful heart. They may have thought they were
only deceiving their follow ‘congregants’ about giving all the
proceeds from the sale of their property, but the Apostle Peter
made it plain to them that they were in fact, lying to God. While
this couple was under no obligation to sell their property, or to
give any money, the moment they declared they were going to
give the money, it became God’s property. Because of their
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deceit, the Lord struck them down.
Rebellious to the extent of disobeying an explicit command of ‫ יהוה‬is
hard to imagine, especially in light of their background and function as
priests. Let’s turn our attention to their possible motives.
The Sifra offers the following explanation:
“ ‘And Aharon’s sons Nadav and Avihu each took his censer’ – They, in
their joy, since they saw a new fire (the heavenly fire), they came to
add love to love.”
It is most likely that Nadav and Avihu misunderstood their task as
priests. They were searching for self-expression and an outlet for their
creativity. As a result, they became absorbed in their own ideas, as
they sought to continue their worship. They did not understand that it
was ‫ יהוה‬, and only ‫ יהוה‬, who determines the framework for His
worship. The Torah describes for us in great detail all the laws for
worship. When we stray from these forms of worship, we offer up
“strange fire”…even when it is through ignorance.
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A further quote from Rabbi Zvi Shimon:
“Nadav and Avihu were so overjoyed by God’s acceptance of the
sacrifices that they decided to add another offering. Their enthusiasm
and excitement led them to instinctively perform deeds without
contemplating their desirability and taking the proper precautions. The
awesome love of God that Nadav and Avihu possessed overshadowed
their fear of God. This imbalance, the overflowing of love unchecked by
the restraining influence of the fear of God, led to the sin of Nadav and
Avihu. In contrast to the ecstatic frenzied states characteristic of modes
of worship in Eastern religions, the worship of God, as prescribed by
the Torah, warns against a loss of control. Love must always be
accompanied by the fear of God. It is the combination of the two which
creates the desirable state of mind necessary for a close relationship
with God.”
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Proximity to holiness demands utmost care. Sins committed by the
priests in the Tabernacle (unified body of Messiah) are especially
dreadful:
“But he who did not know, yet did what deserved flogging, shall be
beaten with few. And everyone to whom much is given, from him much
shall be demanded. And to whom much has been entrusted, from him
much more shall be asked. (Luke 12:48)
Because of their training and the holiness that they were to exemplify,
mistakes could not be made. When in the Presence of the Almighty,
His commands must be followed precisely. There is no room for human
initiative, arising from human feelings. ‫ יהוה‬dealt with them sternly for
an offence prompted by the love of and yearning for Him. Thus we
learn the lesson that our Elohim is holy. Men tend to favour and excuse
those near to them, but our ‫ יהוה‬increases His expectations of His
chosen ones:
“You alone have I known of all the clans of the earth, therefore I punish
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you for all your crookednesses.” (Amos 3:2)
Our very election as partners in the covenant puts us in a position of
living out holiness:
• So that, my beloved, as you always obeyed – not only in my
presence, but now much rather in my absence – work out your own
deliverance with fear and trembling, for it is Elohim who is working
in you both to desire and to work for His good pleasure. (Philippians
2:12-13)
• Because it is time for judgment to begin from the House of Elohim.
And if firstly from us, what is the end of those who do not obey the
Good News of Elohim? (1 Peter 4:17)
• .., “Be set-apart, for I am set-apart.” And if you call on the Father,
who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, pass the
time of your sojourning in fear, (1 Peter 1:16-17)
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So they came near and took them by their long shirts out of the
camp, as Mosheh had said. (Leviticus 10:5)
We are told that Nadav and Avihu were carried out “by their
shirts (tunics)” indicating they were not completely consumed by
the fire, their clothing was left intact. What type of clothing were
the sons of Aharon wearing?
“And you shall weave the long shirt of fine linen... (Exodus 28:39)
The shirts of Nadav and Avihu were made of white linen.
And to her it was given to be dressed in fine linen, clean and
bright, for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of the set-apart
ones. (Revelation 19:8)
So….if the fine/white linen is a picture of the righteous acts of
the saints, and the linen garments of Nadav and Avihu were not
consumed by the fire, then their works survived the judgment!
The good works that they had already done would not be
forgotten by the Almighty Judge, despite the error they had
made!
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According to the favour of Elohim which was given to me, as a
wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another
builds on it. But each one should look how he builds on it. For no
one is able to lay any other foundation except that which is laid,
which is ‫ יהושע‬Messiah. And if anyone builds on this foundation
with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s
work shall be revealed, for the day shall show it up, because it is
revealed by fire. And the fire shall prove the work of each one,
what sort it is. (1 Corinthians 3:10-13)
For we all have to appear before the judgment seat of Messiah,
in order for each one to receive according to what he has done in
the body, whether good or evil. (2 Corinthians 5:10)
As believers in ‫ יהושע‬a, our faith has gained us forgiveness and
acceptance by the Father. However, there is still this matter of
being judged for our works.
“For the Son of Aḏam is going to come in the esteem of His
Father with His messengers, and then He shall reward each
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according to his works. (Matthew 16:27)
And Mosheh diligently looked for the goat of the sin offering and saw it
was burned up. And he was wroth with Elʽazar and Ithamar, the sons of
Aharon who were left, saying, (Leviticus 10:16)
H1875 ‫ דרׁש‬H1875 ‫ דרׁש‬H2403 ‫ החטאת‬H8163 ‫ ׂשעיר‬H853 ‫(ואת‬Leviticus 10:16)
H5921 ‫ ועל‬H499 ‫ אלעזר‬H5921 ‫ על‬H7107 ‫ ויקצף‬H8313 ‫ ׂשרף‬H2009 ‫ והנה‬H4872 ‫מׁשה‬
H559 ‫ לאמר׃‬H3498 ‫ הנותרם‬H175 ‫ אהרן‬H1121 ‫ בני‬H385 ‫איתמר‬
If we look at Leviticus 10:16 we see the middle words found in the
Torah. There is not one middle word in the Torah, since the total
number of words in the Torah is even. The centre of the Torah in terms
of words comes between the words Darosh Darash which literally, in
context, would read “and Moshe searchingly searched”. Darash is the
word from which we get “midrash”. Only by searching can we
penetrate to the real truth!
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‘Whatever crawls on its stomach, and whatever goes on all
fours, and whatever has many feet among all creeping creatures
that creep on the earth, these you do not eat, for they are an
abomination. (Leviticus 11:42)
‫ גחון‬H1512
The Hebrew thought about this is that it “alludes to the
humiliation of the serpent who was cut down to size and made
to go on his belly (Genesis 3:14). Only by humiliating the serpent
and rejecting evil is it possible to connect with ‫יהוה‬.” It is
interesting that this letter is found in the word for “belly” in the
midst of the food laws. As we consider our own bodies as
Tabernacles of the Most High, it seems logical that we should
proceed to chapter 11 to learn of the foods which we are
allowed to bring into our personal sanctuaries to achieve
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holiness and unity with the Spirit.
This fusion of transcendence (A state of being or existence above and
beyond the limits of material experience) and immanence (The state of
being within or not going beyond a given domain) is also alluded to by
the name Shemini. Shemini shares a root with the Hebrew word
shemen, meaning "oil." Oil has two tendencies. On one hand, it floats
above other liquids, to the extent that if an impure person touches oil
floating on another liquid, the lower liquid is not rendered impure, for
the two are not considered to be joined.
On the other hand, oil permeates the entities on which it is placed.
Therefore, if a non-kosher substance which is fat or oily is roasted
together with other food, it makes the entire quantity of food nonkosher, although ordinarily only the food actually touching the nonkosher substance would be tainted.
Similarly, with regard to the subject at hand, the essential light
associated with the eighth day transcends the limits of our material
realm. Nevertheless, ‫'יהוה‬s intent is not that this light remain in a
sublime state, but that it permeate the material world, endowing it
with holiness.
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The first command that Elohim gave the first human was a dietary law
with a restriction:
And ‫ יהוה‬Elohim commanded the man, saying, “Eat of every tree of the
garden, but do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,
for in the day that you eat of it you shall certainly die.” (Genesis 2:1617)
We have been commanded from the beginning to sanctify the activity
of eating. Chasidic thought explains that unclean foods are “spiritual
parasites” that target specifically those areas which are potential
places of holiness. The food laws are about the hallowing of every day.
They are about our minds and our stomachs. They teach us concerning
the curbing of our appetites:
Their end is destruction, their mighty one is their stomach, and their
esteem is in their shame – they mind the earthly. (Philippians 3:19)
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“Who sets our standard for what’s permissible in worship, ‫יהוה‬or
man?” Is it about what makes us feel good, what will bring in
more sheep? What we all need to ask ourselves is; “What does
‫ יהוה‬want?”
“All the words I am commanding you, guard to do it – do not add to it
nor take away from it. (Deuteronomy 12:32)
Nadab and Abihu added to the commands of ‫;יהוה‬
David added to the commands in 2 Samuel 6 and Uzziyah paid;
Kain added to the commands and his sacrifice was not accepted.
so as to make a distinction between the set-apart and the profane, and
between the unclean and the clean, (Leviticus 10:10)
Avoiding unclean foods helps establish controls and boundaries in our
lives. Not every appetite is worthy of being satiated. Controls and
boundaries are sadly lacking in our world. We gravitate towards
comfort, convenience, and gratification, but we should be focused on
covenant, community, and being set apart.
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Many explanations have been given for the dietary laws. Some see
them as rules of hygiene. Potentially disease-ridden animals should be
avoided. The greatest reason for keeping these commandments,
however, are purely for the reason that they were given by the
Almighty.
‘For I am ‫ יהוה‬your Elohim… (Leviticus 11:44)
And He said, “If you diligently obey the voice of ‫ יהוה‬your Elohim and
do what is right in His eyes, and shall listen to His commands and shall
guard all His laws, I shall bring on you none of the diseases I brought
on the Mitsrites, for I am ‫ יהוה‬who heals you.”
(Exodus 15:26)
If we hearken to the voice of ‫ יהוה‬we will not receive the diseases God
places on our enemies (Deuteronomy 28)
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Modern day American Christianity (with a few exceptions), teaches
that Yahshua of Nazareth came so we could ignore the Creator’s
commands to not consume unclean foods, while picking a numbered
sound byte out of the New Covenant called a “verse” to justify this
teaching.
Religious gurus love to bring up instances where Apostle Paul says “Let
all meats be received with thanksgiving”
The word for “meat” in the Greek is a specific Greek word which
means “Clean according to Torah law”.
G1033 brōma From the base of G977; food (literally or figuratively),
especially (ceremonial) articles allowed or forbiden by the Jewish law: meat, victuals.
Verses like this are translated in a very deceptive way to promote
disobeying the Creator and conforming to church Dogma.
Let us read this same verse correctly translated.
“Let all meats that are clean according to the Torah, be received with
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thanksgiving”.
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Torah or the Prophets.1 I did
not come to destroy but to complete. Footnote: 1The Law and the
Prophets is a term used for the pre-Messianic Scriptures. “For truly, I
say to you, till the heaven and the earth pass away, one jot or one tittle
shall by no means pass from the Torah till all be done.. “Whoever, then,
breaks one of the least of these commands, and teaches men so, shall
be called least in the reign of the heavens; but whoever does and
teaches them, he shall be called great in the reign of the heavens. “For
I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes
and Pharisees, you shall by no means enter into the reign of the
heavens. (Matthew 5:17-20)
Note: When Jesus said this the New Testament was not Written
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Leviticus 11: God tells us which animals we are allowed to eat
and which animals are not acceptable as food for humans. Many
Christians believe that in the New Covenant God removed this
prohibition and all animals are now acceptable as food.
The first comprehensive listing of clean and unclean animals we
have is recorded in Leviticus 11. However, the list was not
created as a new law just for the Hebrews. The Bible clearly
reveals that Leviticus 11 only confirms a previously established
situation. More than one thousand years prior to the Exodus God
told Noah to take seven pairs of clean animals and two pairs of
unclean animals in the Ark. (Genesis 7:2, also note Genesis 8:20)
Even further back, probably only a few decades after Creation,
Abel sacrificed a clean animal, one of his first-born sheep, to
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God. (Genesis 4:4)
Unclean birds (and unclean spirits) are mentioned in Revelation
showing that unclean animals will still be unclean even near the
end of the coming Great Tribulation: And he cried with a mighty
voice, saying, “Baḇel the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a
dwelling place of demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, and a haunt
for every unclean and hated bird, because all the nations have drunk of
the wine of the wrath of her whoring, and the sovereigns of the earth
have committed whoring with her, and the merchants of the earth
have become rich through the power of her riotous living.” And I heard
another voice from the heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people,
lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.
(Revelation 18:2-4)
We must abandon such practices if we do not want to suffer the
plagues which God will send against Babylon.
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those who set themselves apart and cleanse themselves at the gardens
after ‘One’ in the midst, eating flesh of pigs and the abomination and
the mouse, are snatched away, together,” declares ‫יהוה‬. “And I,
because of their works and their imaginations, am coming to gather all
nations and tongues. And they shall come and see My esteem. (Isaiah
66:17-18)
The prophecy reveals some aspects of what true worship of God
will be like at that time. But in the context of this article it
demonstrates that God will destroy those eating swine and
mouse, both unclean animals, and following pagan religions.
Leviticus 11:11, 13, 20, etc show us that unclean animals are
abominations. As Christ's Return is still future, this prophecy
proves that God has not repealed His laws relating to unclean
animals.
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CAMELS - The camel has no split or cloven hoof, making it unclean.
However, this animal has a similar digestive system to the clean
animals; so what is the problem? The camel had to adapt to a
desert environment in order to survive. It underwent a
physiological adaptation where instead of sweating and losing its
body water, the camel’s body temperature rises to higher levels
than before. This, unfortunately, allows the level of toxins in its
body to rise to very high levels as well. This coping mechanism
makes the camel unfit for human consumption.
CONEYS - The coney, or dassie, is unclean. It is herbivorous, but has
a poor thermo-regulator. Its body temperature does not remain
constant throughout the changes in the weather during the year,
and this causes its enzymes to be unstable, resulting in intestinal
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fermentation. This means that the coney’s meat is very acidic.
RABBITS - Even though the rabbit is herbivorous, Leviticus 11:6 states
that it is unclean. The rabbit has a very enlarged caecum. In order for
the rabbit to obtain sufficient nutrients from the plants it eats, it has to
ferment the material. This requires a fermentation chamber with an
alkaline environment. Since the rabbit does not have a pre-stomach,
like the cow does, it has to use its enlarged caecum. However, its
caecum is sandwiched between its gut and rectum and most of the
absorption of the nutrients takes place there. When the rabbit redigests this material, it becomes coprophagous. In other words, it eats
its own excrement. Consequently, the level of toxins in its tissues is far
higher than in other herbivores. Bile salts, fatty acids, gases, and
ammonia levels are all at unacceptable levels for human consumption.
All rodents, and even the horse, fall into the same category.
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SWINE - Pigs have very high histamine levels. The connective tissue is
very rich in sulfur, leading to increased blood acidity and osteoporosis
because of the loss of calcium along with the sulfates. Research
indicates that high sulfate levels, especially in meat-rich diets, are
responsible for osteoporosis. Research has found that at the time
when pigs leave the farms, 56% of all pork samples are contaminated
with salmonella (Rod-shaped Gram-negative enterobacteria; cause
typhoid fever and food poisoning; can be used as a bioweapon). When
"clean" animals leave the farms, only 15% of the meat is
contaminated. When the pig meat leaves the abattoir, 80% is
contaminated, and when it reaches the butcher, the level of
contamination is virtually 100%. The "clean" animals have only a 40%
contamination level by this stage.
The pig is certainly responsible for much disease. Many people are
allergic to pork because of the high histamine levels, and pork also
encourages the formation of excessive amounts of mucous in our
bodies. God warns us in Leviticus 11:26 to not even touch the carcass
of a pig.
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FISH - Those fish that do not have fins and scales are either
scavengers or pure carnivores, and are unclean. The common
snoek has scales, but as it is taken out of the water the scales fall
off, so it cannot be classified as clean. Each snoek is also home to
thousands of bladder worms, which are full of urea. This urea is
what gives the snoek its distinctive tangy flavour that many
people enjoy. Urea: The chief solid component of mammalian
urine; synthesized from ammonia and carbon dioxide and used
as fertilizer and in animal feed and in plastics
THE BLOWFISH - The blowfish has fins but does not have scales.
Thus, it would not have been edible under the Old Testament
laws—fortunately for the Israelites. The blowfish can contain
toxin in its ovaries, liver, and other organs that is highly potent
and deadly. This toxin, called tetrodotoxin, is thought to be
“1250 times more deadly than cyanide” and 160,000 times more
potent than cocaine. A tiny amount of it can kill 30 grown adults
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(Dilion, 2005).
SHELLFISH - Although shellfish are edible today, there are
inherent dangers in eating ill-prepared types such as oysters. The
U.S. Food and Drug Administration has produced a twelve-page
tract warning people about the dangers of eating raw or partially
cooked oysters (“Carlos’ Tragic...,” 2003). In the tract, the FDA
warns that some raw oysters contain the bacteria Vibrio
vulnificus. Eating raw oysters containing Vibrio vulnificus is very
dangerous for those with pre-existing medical conditions such as
liver disease, diabetes, hepatitis, cancer and HIV.... 50 percent of
people who are infected with Vibrio vulnificus as a result of
eating raw contaminated oysters die (2003).
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REPTILES – The large lizard, gecko, monitor lizard, sand reptile,
sand lizard, and chameleon “Whoever touches them when they
are dead shall be unclean until evening” (11:31). Interestingly,
reptiles have a much higher rate of carrying Salmonella bacteria
than do most mammals, especially those listed as clean in the
Old Law. In summarizing the CDC’s 2003 report, over 70,000
cases of human Salmonella infection a year are related to the
handling of reptiles and amphibians (2007). The CDC
recommends that homes with children under five should not
have reptiles as pets.
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BATS AND RABIES - Moses specifically forbade the Israelites to
eat bats (Leviticus 11:19). The wisdom of this instruction is
demonstrated by the fact that bats often carry rabies. While it is
true that many animals are susceptible to rabies, bats are
especially so. Rabies passed from bats caused 24 of the 26
human deaths from rabies in the United States (“Human
Rabies...,” 2002). In the Science Daily article describing this
research, Moses’ instruction to avoid bats coincides perfectly
with modern research. Once again, the super-human wisdom
imparted through Moses by God cannot be denied by the
conscientious student of the Old Testament.
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Reptiles are natural carriers of Salmonella bacteria, harbouring
strains specific to reptiles without any symptoms of disease in
the reptile. Salmonella contamination can occur without even
touching a reptile. If a person touches something that has
touched a reptile the bacteria can spread. The ARAV (Association
of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians) made this statement:
“Salmonella bacteria are easily spread from reptiles to humans.
Humans may become infected when they place their hands on
objects, including food items, that have been in contact with the
stool of reptiles, in their mouths”
Leviticus 11:32-34
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‘For I am ‫ יהוה‬your Elohim, and you shall set yourselves apart. And
you shall be set-apart, for I am set-apart. And do not defile
yourselves with any creeping creature that creeps on the earth. ‘For
I am ‫ יהוה‬who is bringing you up out of the land of Mitsrayim, to be
your Elohim. And you shall be set-apart, for I am set-apart.
(Leviticus 11:44-45)
Or do you not know that your body is the Dwelling Place of the Setapart Spirit who is in you, which you have from Elohim, and you are
not your own? For you were bought with a price, therefore esteem
Elohim in your body and in your spirit, which are of Elohim. (1
Corinthians 6:19-20)
If anyone destroys the Dwelling Place of Elohim, Elohim shall destroy
him. For the Dwelling Place of Elohim is set-apart, which you are. (1
Corinthians 3:17)
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to
the esteem of Elohim. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
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