Emor, Speak
Leviticus 12:1 to 24:23
Haftarah: Ezekiel 44:15 to 31
Psalm 145
Apostolic Writings/Newer Testament/B’rit HaChadashah: Acts 13:44 to 52
Today (Thursday April 29th) is the 30th day of the Omer. This is 4 weeks and 2 days of the Omer. In many traditions, Jewish people eat Matzah again today, as it is Pesach Sheni (the 2nd Passover). We pray:
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer.
On this day in the Torah account the Matzah ran out. The people had made a large quantity of Matzah and it lasted for a month. Then it ran out, causing the people to complain that they had no food. The Almighty provided them with Divine sustenance and when the people saw it they asked, “Man Hu?” What is this? There has been much debate about the nature of the food and I am not going to add to that debate as I simply don’t know the answer.
In this passage we have instructions concerning the kindling of the menorah in the Mishkan. The prayers we offer at Shabbat and festivals are the one used by the Kohanim; this includes the Brachot for kindling lights. We also read about the Lechem HaPanim, literally the “Bread in Face” or the “showbread”. Does the bringing of sacrifices of animals or food mean that The Almighty needs sustenance Himself? Certainly other deities seem to. No, The Almighty demands sacrifice not for His own pleasure, but as an indication that we are willing and prepared to give of our best for the sake of the Community of Believers. After all much of the grain &c which was brought to the Mishkan and later to the Beit HaMikdash was for the Kohanim for their sustenance, as they had no land and no crops of their own. This principle still stands in Jewish and Christian Communities, where the people bring of their finances for the support of the Rabbi / Vicar / Evangelist. This is not to give the “leader” a living, but to partially give back the salary he / she would otherwise earn.
In Leviticus chapter 23 we have the “Appointment Diary” of The Almighty. This is an astounding piece of Scripture which sets the God of Israel as totally different from every other deity. In this chapter we read that it is His desire to meet with us! He has set aside times and seasons when He wishes to meet with us. With my “strict Jewish person” head on, I don’t know why we think we know any better than Him, and we set our own diaries and set meetings which He has not planned to be at and then wonder why it is that we don’t always hear what He says.
The Ezekiel passage starts by telling us that the Levitical Priests were descended from Zadok; this is why they are called “Zadokim” or “Sadducees”. They are to declare what is sacred and what is profane. Just a glance at the Newer Testament or at many sections of Talmud will illustrate the fact that they failed in their duties. In the daily Siddur (Jewish Prayer Book) we pray the “Shemoneh ‘Esreh” or 18 Benedictions, number 12 of which is given the name, “Birkat HaMinim” - the benediction against the “minim”. It is often said that this is a benediction against Messianics and Christians; this interpretation is still the most widely accepted in Jewish and Christian circles. However on reading the actual Birkat, we see that it’s not against us at all. It was added after the rest of the Amidah (standing) prayer was formulated, and simply says:
“For the slanderers let there be no hope, an may all wickedness perish in an instant. May all Your enemies swiftly be cut down. May You swiftly uproot, crush, cast down and humble the kingdom of arrogance swiftly in our days. Blessed are You, HaShem, who destroys enemies and humbles the arrogant.”
Most commentators agree that the slanderers were those who a) turned to foreign deities, or b) denied the resurrection. Followers of Yeshua have done neither, but the Sadducees did and most agree that this was against them. It is a late addition to the Amidah and was not in the earliest texts.
The passage in Acts is one used by proponents of “Replacement” types of teaching. They quote this: Since you reject it and judge yourselves to be unworthy of eternal life, we are now turning to the Gentiles and say that this was the end of the Gospel going to Jewish people. Sadly for them, and fortunately for Messianic Jews, the letter to Believers in Rome was written many years after this event. The Gospel is the power of God for all those who believe; for Jewish people as a priority, and equally for non-Jewish people is what this same Shaliach wrote and the divisions have it at Romans chapter 1 verse 16.
So, asking you for your prayers as we at CMJ seek to share the Good News with Jewish people as a priority, we wish you
Shabbat Shalom