The Ordination Ceremony of the Priesthood
8:1 to 10:20

Isra’el was now ready to “come near” to ADONAI in His Tabernacle through the medium of the sacrifices. Only one thing was lacking – a confirmed priesthood to facilitate the sacrificial offerings. One of the most sacred events in connection with Tabernacle service was the ordination of the priests. The rituals of the priestly ordination had already been explained to Moshe at Mount Sinai in Exodus 29:1-37, now he was to carry them out. Moshe would do exactly what the Holy One had taught him. He would confirm both the priests for service and the Tabernacle as that place for that service.⁹¹ The ordination of the high priest consisted of nine acts (Leviticus 8:7-9), whereas that of the common priests involved but three. The actual ceremony in the case of Aaron and his sons was performed by Moses (Leviticus 8:1-36). The candidate for ordination was taken to the bronze basin, and his body was washed with water. Following the washing, he was dressed with the sacred garments and ordained with holy oil.

One cannot help but be impressed with the splendor and significance of both the high priest’s garments and his responsibility as mediator between God and man. Aaron serves well as a type of Messiah. His duties and dress all point to the Person and work of Messiah as our High Priest. What the priesthood of Aaron could not do, our Lord is able to do, because He is our perfect High Priest. He is a priest after the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 5:6, 6:20 and 7:21). Melchizedek beautifully pictures Messiah as a type of high priest (see my commentary on Hebrews, to see link click Bk – The New Priesthood Lasts Forever). Aaron’s priesthood was only the shadow, whereas the Messiah’s priesthood is the reality.⁹²

The Wave Offering and Priestly Portion
7: 28-38

The wave offering and priestly portion DIG: In ancient Isra’el, all the tribes were given land, except the Levites (the priestly tribe) who were to live off the offerings of others (Numbers 18:8; Deuteronomy 18:1-5). Being without land and dependent – would that help or hinder their ministry? What does that teach you about God’s desire for his people?

REFLECT: Some take passages like this as a reason to refrain from eating meat or eating only “kosher” meat? What do you think? How else might you show respect for the symbol of life, which is the blood. How is your Messianic rabbi or pastor like or unlike the priests in the TaNaKh? How can you help your Messianic rabbi or pastor by your weekly offerings?

When a worshiper brought his peace offering to ADONAI, the fat and the breast were presented, the priest burned the fat on the bronze altar, and the worshiper waved the breast as a wave offering before the LORD, which, along with the contribution of the right thigh, became the priestly portion.

This concluding section of the sacrificial offerings (to see link click Ag – The Mitzvot of Offerings), the portion designated for the priests is explained. They were the better portions of the meat offerings, pointing out that God made good provision for those who labored in His presence. Because the priestly portions are excellent provisions and because they come directly from the LORD, the biblical writers frequently use them as images of the wonderful provisions that ADONAI gives to His people who dwell in His presence forever. You prepare a table before me, in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely Your goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life; and I will live in the house of ADONAI forever (Psalm 23:5-6).⁸⁶

God’s people have an obligation to give publically and directly to ADONAI: ADONAI said to Moshe, “Say to the people of Isra’el, ‘A person who offers his fellowship offering to God is to bring part of his sacrifice as his offering for ADONAI. Once again, the emphasis is on the worshiper’s participation. He is to bring with his own hands the offerings for ADONAI made by fire – he is to bring the breast with its fat. The breast is to be waved as a wave offering before God. The priest is to make the fat, kidneys, and covering of the liver to go up in smoke on the bronze altar, but the breast will belong to Aaron and his descendants’ (7:28-31).” The order of the procedure is significant here: The priest was entitled to take the breast and the right thigh (see below) of the sacrificial animal only after God’s portion of the offering, that is, the fatty portions, had been burned on the bronze altar. As related to First Samuel 2:15-17, the sons of Eli, the high priest at Shiloh, failed to observe this mitzvah. They seized their portions of the offerings from the cooking pots, even before the fatty portions were burned on the bronze altar, thereby provoking Ha’Shem’s wrath.⁸⁷

Anyone who brought a fellowship offering (to see link click Al – The Peace Offerings) was to bring part of it as his sacrifice to ADONAI. He was to bring the fat, together with the breast and the right thigh, and wave them before God as a wave offering. The Hebrew word for wave offering comes from a root that means to swing or to move back and forth. It was a ceremony that was unique to the fellowship offering and the priestly offerings (Leviticus 14:12 and 24, 23:11-12, 23:20; Numbers 5:25, 6:20, 8:11-13). The rabbis teach that the priest would lay the offering upon the hands of the worshiper, then he placed his own hands underneath the worshiper’s hands and moved both their hands forward toward the bronze altar in a horizontal direction, symbolizing giving it to God, and backward toward the priest, symbolizing receiving it back from God as a contribution. The priest then burned the fat on the bronze altar, but the breast belonged to the priesthood (Numbers 18:11-12).

God’s people have an obligation to make part of their offering for a priestly portion: You are to give the right thigh from your sacrifices of peace offerings to the priest as a contribution. The descendant of Aaron who offers the blood of the fellowship offering is to have the right thigh as his portion. For the breast that has been waved and the thigh that has been given, I have taken from the people of Isra’el out of their sacrifices of peace offerings and given them to Aaron the priest and to his descendants as their portion forever. On the day when Aaron and his sons were presented to serve God in the office of priest, this portion was set aside for him and his descendants from the offerings for YHVH (7:32-35). Over the centuries the priests’ portion increased. The priest eventually received the shoulder, two cheeks, and the stomach (Deuteronomy 18:3).

The breast was a wave offering and went to the priesthood; however, the right thigh was a contribution offering and went to the officiating priest. He was to receive the right thigh of the fellowship offering as a trumah, meaning a contribution. The rabbis teach that in contrast to the breast, the right thigh was waved up and down. Waving it up symbolized giving it to God, and down symbolized God giving it back to the priest. The officiating priest who offered the blood and the fat of the fellowship offering received the right thigh as his portion. That was the portion allotted to the priests on the day they were anointed. On that day, God commanded that the Israelites give the breast and the right thigh of the meat portion of the fellowship offering to them as their regular portion as long as the Torah was in effect (7:36). The remainder of the fellowship offering was eaten by the worshiper and his family.

The priests had no inheritance or income other than the tithes and offerings of the people. This mode of providing their needs was ideal, for it gave the people the opportunity to share in the work of God by supporting the ministry. Of course, if the Israelites did not sacrifice or tithe, then the priests would not receive enough income. This is the same today; if the people fail to give, then the income of the shepherds will suffer.⁸⁸

Back to the story: In the last chapter of Exodus, Moshe and Isra’el encountered the problem of holiness. It was the first day of the first month of the year, two weeks short of a full year since Isra’el left Egypt. The Tabernacle had been completed according to all its specifications. Moses lit the menorah. He put out the twelve loaves of the bread of the presence. He lit the incense and even made the first sacrifice (Exodus 40:34-35). It seemed that the Tabernacle had been a success. The Sh’khinah glory had taken up residence within it. Yet, there was a fundamental problem with the entire Tabernacle concept. Even if God could dwell among the Israelites in a holy place, that didn’t mean that the Israelites could have any communion or fellowship with Him. YHVH was still holy; mankind was still unholy. How could unholy mankind come near to the holy God? This was the problem Moshe faced at the end of the book of Exodus. The Holy One had taken up residence in the Tabernacle, but He was unapproachable. Even Moses couldn’t come near to Him there.⁸⁹

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You that when there was no way possible for mankind to come near to You, no matter how good we are, You made the way. Your plan, from even before the creation of the world, was to redeem those who love You by adopting us as sons and daughters, placing us in You. He chose us in Messiah before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before Him in love (Ephesians 1:4).

Praise You that since Yeshua’s victory over sin and death, He is always living as our High Priest to intercede for His children. Therefore He is also able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, always living to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:25). We do not take this wonderful privilege lightly, but with great joy we consider what an awesome privilege it is to be able to come near to God, and in humble worship we praise and adore You Glorious Lord, Holy Ruach and Father! In Messiah’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

As a result, for the last seven chapters the Torah has digressed from the narrative to relate the mitzvot of the five offerings. Here, we finish that digression with a summary statement. These, then, were the mitzvot for the purification offering, the guilt offering, the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the peace offering, which ADONAI gave Moses on Mount Sinai on the day He commanded the Israelites to bring their offerings to ADONAI in the Desert of Sinai (7:37-38). Having completed the mitzvot of the five offerings, ADONAI went on to instruct Moses in the confirmation of the priesthood.⁹⁰

God’s Claim to the Best of Life
7: 22-27

God’s claim to the best of life DIG: Why did the worshiper offer the fat of his or her sacrifice? What did Cain and Abel have to do with this? What would cause a believer to be cut off from the community today (see Hebrews Cz – God Disciplines His Children)?

REFLECT: Fat represents the best, pointing to the quality of what is given to God? Are you giving the best of what you are and what you have to ADONAI right now? What might you be holding back? What is the solution? How can you help others to give their best?

God lays claim to the life of His people and the best that they have.

At the heart of the Torah is the prohibition of eating that which belonged to ADONAI, the fat and the blood. That a separate section at the end of the five offerings makes this point, especially after the shalamim offering (to see link click As – The Shalamim Offering), which involved eating, is evidence of the importance of the reminder. Fat represents the best, pointing to the quality of what is given to God. It has to be the best. Blood is life, and so the blood belongs to YHVH because our life is in His hands. The sanctity of life and the special use of the blood in the Tabernacle were safeguarded by this prohibition.

God’s people must acknowledge that the best belongs to Him (7:22-25): The fat in the TaNaKh was considered symbolic of the best portion. A worshiper presented a fat animal for sacrifice because it was the best of his flock. This clearly means that many times the word fat refers to more than what we would consider the actual fat; it could refer to the best portions of the healthiest animals. The concept was first introduced in the narrative of Cain and Abel. Abel brought the fattest of the firstborn of the flock to ADONAI (Genesis 4:4). This was the best he had.

Rather than gain a good price at the market, the devout worshiper saved the best for the LORD. And even then, the actual fat of the animal was designated as God’s – no doubt a symbolic gesture that what represented the best and the healthiest was given to YHVH. To eat the fat was an encroachment on divine property.⁸³

ADONAI said to Moshe, “Say to the people of Isra’el, ‘You are not to eat the fat of bulls, sheep or goats. The fat of animals that die of themselves or are killed by wild animals may be used for any other purpose, but under no circumstances are you to eat it. For whoever eats the fat of animals of the kind used in presenting an offering made by fire to ADONAI will be cut off from his people’ (7:22-25).” Only these specific fats were holy and were forbidden to be eaten. Even if an animal was not a sacrifice, those fats were forbidden. However, the entrail-fats of kosher animals not designated for sacrifice (for example, deer, bison and giraffes) were permissible.

The commandment to avoid the forbidden fats is meant to remind us of our worship of ADONAI. Just as we set aside a day of our week to worship the LORD, we set a portion of our income for the work of the Kingdom (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Do – When You Give to the Needy, Do Not Do It to be Honored by Others: seven principles of scriptural giving). Today, observant Messianic believers and religious Jews buy their meats from a kosher butcher because they don’t know what fats are ground into the beef at the grocery store.⁸⁴ Meat that has not been bled to death is considered to have blood still in it. Thus, animals that die of causes other than slaughter are forbidden by the Torah.

God’s people must acknowledge that their life belongs to Him (7:26-27): The blood was also to be given to the LORD. As with fat, no one could eat blood; both elements were exclusively ADONAI’s. If fat represented the best, and the blood represented life – the essential part of the animal. God put His claim on these elements: He demanded them for His own exclusive possession. To take and eat them plundered what was holy (Deuteronomy 12:23).

The violator of this prohibition was cut off. Here too we remember Paul’s mention of a premature death for those who treat the LORD’s table with contempt (see the commentary on First Corinthians Cb – The Answer: Honor the Body). Great holiness mixed with fear (Proverbs 9:10) needs to go with sacrificial worship; the portions of the sacrifice set apart for God must be treated accordingly. You are not to eat any kind of blood, whether from birds or animals, in any of your homes. Whoever eats any blood will be cut off from his people. The point being made here is that God lays claim to the life of his people and the best they have. In ancient Isra’el, the offering symbolized their acknowledgment of this. To eat fat or blood denied God of His rightful claim. Hence, the punishment was severe.

We know what this section meant in the theology of the worship system in the Dispensation of Torah (see the commentary on Exodus Da – The Dispensation of the Torah). But what about today? Application can be made in two areas. First, one may apply this passage by discussing the nature of giving to ADONAI in worship. This idea may be expressed this way: God requires nothing short of the best, the essential things of our lives.

To understand the basis for this, one must recall the Torah, specifically Deuteronomy, was the covenant relationship between Isra’el and her great King (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Ah – Treaty of the Great King). God had a right for what He was commanding. But we must remember that the animal was a substitute representing the worshiper. So the call is for us to give our best to ADONAI, the best of our time and talents, our possessions – our very lives. That is what we must give to God. The degree to which we do this reflects the degree of our commitment.

When we offer ourselves, the Lord wants our best – healthy in body (as much as He allows) and mind, developed spiritually mature, conformed into the image of Messiah (see the commentary on Romans Cl – Our Bodies and Redemption). YHVH will use anyone, of course, but He desires that what is given to Him be carefully prepared – a good gift. Too often, believers give to the LORD useless, worn-out materials, the leftovers of time and money, or a halfhearted gift. Or some may sincerely offer themselves, but balk at the demands of growing in grace and truth (John 1:14). The simple truth from Isra’el’s sacrificial system is this: God demands the best we have to offer; and genuine faith goes out of its way to give the best to ADONAI, whatever it is.

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise and thank You for the joy of relationship with You. You are a wonderful Father! The great depth of Your mercy and grace is shown by Yeshua’s painful sacrifice as the Lamb of God (John 1:29).  In Him we have redemption through His blood -the removal of trespasses – in keeping with the richness of His grace (Ephesians 1:7). I want to thank You with my love. I would say thanks so much if someone ran out ahead of me and saved my life from a car swerving madly down the street; but I am much more thankful for Your eternal salvation. You planned to adopt me as Your child from before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). You knew what extreme pain and suffering You would go thru, and still you willingly went thru with it. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame; and He has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God  (Hebrews 12:2c).

I rejoice in serving You with all my heart, even when that brings me pain, emotional and physical. For our trouble, light and momentary, is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison (Second Corinthians 4:17). I know that my life on earth will soon be over and I will have the great joy of living with You in heaven for all eternity! I love pleasing You! In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Secondly, we may also apply this passage by viewing Messiah as a type. If fat represents the best, then certainly Yeshua was the best of the flock – He was the lamb without blemish, healthy and whole, ready to be the pleasing sacrifice to God the Father. Moreover, His blood was sacrificed for the sins of the world. The blood is the essential part of the atonement. His perfect sinless blood . . . that is His life, satisfied every claim of YHVH’s holiness and justice so that He is free to act on behalf of sinners.

Nothing else can be offered to God for atonement – especially not an inferior offering like the works of righteousness that sinful creatures bring. We must guard this point very strongly as the absolute center of our faith, the basic doctrine of the Church, made up of the Jewish and Gentile believers (Ephesians 2:14). The body and blood of Yeshua is the holy sacrifice, pleasing to God. His shed blood provides the atonement for sin. Nothing short of this satisfies the demands of a righteous God; nothing other than His precious blood can redeem. Therefore, to treat the blood of Messiah as ordinary, to treat His death as common or as martyrdom and not the perfect sacrifice, defies the revelation from God. Defiling the sacrifice of Messiah or trampling on it as if it means nothing will bring judgment from God.

The question of eating blood became an issue in the early Messianic community when Gentiles, who had not treated the Torah as their blueprint for living, came to faith in Messiah. In a ruling designed to preserve the unity of the growing Church and not offend Jewish believers, the leaders of the Council at Jerusalem said that Gentiles should abstain from blood (see the commentary on Acts Bt – The Council’s Letter to the Gentile Believers). There was no theological reason to retain the ancient mitzvot once the fulfillment had come in Messiah. But to eat the Lord’s Supper unworthily, to treat the cup of the B’rit Chadashah as a pagan festival, was a sin worthy of premature death, of being cut off from the congregation.⁸⁵

The Shalamim Offerings: Leading the Celebration of Peace
7: 11-21

The shelamim offering DIG: How do Pesach and the Lord’s Supper describe a fellowship offering today? When you are particularly thankful to God, how do you show it? In what ways is this like the thanksgiving offering depicted in verses 12-14? For what are you particularly thankful for today? How will you express this thankfulness to ADONAI?

REFLECT: When have you felt most alienated from God? How important is it to you that all barriers between yourself and God be removed? Why? What do you do to rebuild a relationship with Him: Say your prayers? Read the Bible? Give more money? Give more of yourself? Or what? How does this compare to the peace offering?

The peace offerings from the perspective of the priests.

The culmination of worship, and its greatest joy, is to enter the presence of God and celebrate being at peace with Him. It is the great privilege of the priests to lead people in this; but it is also the great responsibility of the spiritual leader to make sure that it was done correctly, that purity and generosity characterized the celebration. At the heart of the spiritual life of the community, both ancient and modern, is the spontaneous, personal worship of believers. The emphasis in Leviticus 7 on spontaneous praise, payment of vow and fellowship offerings reflects true, spiritual worship. Without these, worship becomes stagnant and mere ritual; with these, however, the faith of the congregation is alive, people are encouraged and strengthened in their pilgrimage, and ADONAI is glorified.⁷⁷

Thus far I have presented the average priest’s work day in a rather tiring, or cumbersome way. I stressed some of the more difficult jobs he had to do on a daily basis. But it was not like that all the time. As our passage indicates it was not all blood and guts for the priests. Our parashah reminds us that one of the offerings which was brought daily was the shalamim offerings, or more commonly known as the peace offerings (to see link click Ak – The Peace Offerings). This portion teaches that there were actually three different kinds of salami offerings. The first was called the todah or thanksgiving offering; the second and third were called the vow and fellowship offerings respectively.⁷⁸

A blood offering always preceded any of the peace offerings, because the basis of peace between man and God is always a blood sacrifice. However, the Torah was very precise about not eating the fat or the blood of meat associated with the shelamim offering. This was very important because YHVH tells us that the life of the animal is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the bronze altar to make atonement for yourselves; for it is the blood that makes atonement because of the life (17:11). It is a matter of life for life. When the Isrealites killed an animal outside of the Tabernacle they were told to spill its blood on the ground and cover it with earth because blood symbolizes life. Today there is no bronze altar or Temple, but the blood of Yeshua makes atonement for us. The offering portion of the animal was not designated as most holy. Thus, it could have been eaten outside of the Tabernacle by members of the priests’ family within the camp of Isra’el (see the commentary on Numbers Am – The Camp of the Twelve Tribes of Isra’el). However, everyone who ate the offering had to be in a state of ritual purity.

First, there was the thanksgiving offering. When people brought the shelamim offerings for praise, they were expected to declare to the congregation what God had done for them. It was simply part of their mentality that they should not receive anything from God without publicly acknowledging Him and offering a gift in return. It can be called a thanksgiving offering to capture the idea of the worshiper’s gratitude; but the thanksgiving that accompanied the offering was more a declaration of praise given to the congregation. When the gift, the shelamim offering, was given to ADONAI, it was given back to the worshiper as a communal meal.

As an expression of his praise, then along with his thanksgiving offering he was to offer cakes of bread made without yeast and mixed with oil before cooking, wafers made without yeast and spread with oil after the cooking, and cakes of fine flour well-kneaded and mixed with oil before and after cooking. Since the offerings were made without yeast, the priest apparently offered a “memorial portion,” or a small portion of the offering, on the bronze altar. In the case of the grain offerings, the “memorial portion” would be a handful of grain, but here with the shelamim offering, it consisted of some of the unleavened cakes of bread.

However, along with his peace offering of thanksgiving he was to present an offering with cakes of bread made with yeast, because it was not to be burned on the bronze altar. It was only used for eating. He was to bring one of each of the three kinds of peace offerings as a contribution to ADONAI; it belonged to the priest who sprinkled the blood of the meat portion of the peace offerings. The cakes of bread made with yeast were then shared with the priest, the worshiper, his family and friends (7:12-14).

The Torah was very specific about when the meat accompanying a shelamim offering could be eaten. The meat of the thanksgiving offering had to be eaten on the day it was offered; he couldn’t leave any of it till morning (7:15b). If, however, his offering was the result of the second kind of peace offering, the vow offering, then, while it was to be eaten on the day of the sacrifice, what remained could be eaten on the next day (7:16a). The vow offering was brought by the worshiper to fulfill a vow. Vows might arise in various situations, for example a person in danger might make a vow to bring a sacrifice at the Tabernacle if ADONAI would rescue him from immediate danger. The Psalms often make reference to the repayment of vows. They were probably sung in conjunction with the sacrifice of a vow offering (Psalms 22:25, 66:13, 116:14, 76:11). The Nazarite vow required very specific sacrifices. It was also possible to make a vow to bring a particular type of sacrifice or donation to the Tabernacle.

We learn from the vow offering that it was not inappropriate to make vows to ADONAI. However, the one who did so needed to be sure to fulfill such a vow. Wisdom would discourage the custom of making vows without seriously thinking about it beforehand. Perhaps one might make a vow and then find himself unable or unwilling to fulfill it. In that case, it would have been better if he had never made the vow at all. The Master’s warning against taking an oath should be measured in regard to making a vow as well.

Thirdly, the fellowship offering was simply a generous, voluntary gesture. It might be brought for the pure joy of sacrificing to the LORD and drawing closer to Him (7:15a). The fellowship offering reminds us that we never need a particular reason to worship ADONAI. It is always appropriate to render Him what is due. It is always proper to seek fellowship with Him because we love Him and want to draw near to Him. In addition, if they, whose only comfort was that God would pass over their sins and cover them up (Psalm 32:1) until the Messiah comes, could render thanks unto the Holy One, how much more so can it be for us who know Him who loved us and freed us from our sin once-and-for-all, to give thanks to Him.⁷⁹

In both cases, the sacrifice had to be eaten on the day he offered it, but anything left over could be eaten on the next day. On the third day the meat would begin to turn rancid. Therefore, any meat of the sacrifice left over till the third day must be burned up because ADONAI would not accept it. It would not be credited to the one who offered it, for it was impure, or pigul, literally meaning a stench (Leviticus 19:7; Isaiah 65:4; Ezeki’el 4:14). The person who ate any of it was held responsible for their own punishment (7:16b-18).

Anyone who ate of a sacrifice from the bronze altar on the third day or later, invalidated the sacrifice. Better that the meat should be burned up than decompose and become ritually unclean. Meat which touches something unclean is not to be eaten but burned up completely. As for the meat, everyone who is clean may eat it; but a person in a state of uncleanness who eats any meat from the sacrifice of peace offerings made to ADONAI will be cut off from his people. Anyone who touches something unclean – whether the uncleanness be from a person, from an unclean animal or from some other unclean detestable thing – and then eats the meat from the sacrifice of peace offerings for ADONAI, that person will be cut off from his people (7:19-21). The sacrifices and the worship in the Tabernacle were all about life, the imperishable world and the worship of the Immortal One. That is why they were kept separate from death, corruption, and human mortality.⁸⁰

We encounter, for the first time in Leviticus, explicit references to the penalty of being cut off in Chapter 7 (also see 7:20-21 and 25-27). This penalty is usually formulated in terms of being cut off from his kin. In rabbinic literature the penalty is called karet, or “cutting off.” In priestly literature, the penalty of karet was understood to include a series of related punishments at the hand of God, ranging from the immediate death of an offender, as in 20:17, to his premature death at a later time, and even to the death of his descendants. In Mishnah Sanhedrin 9:6 and Mishnah Keritot 1:2, this penalty was characterized as mitah biydei shamayim, or “death at the hands of heaven.” Since in 7:20-21 karet is mentioned in the context as childlessness, there is the implication that it took that course as well.⁸¹

Can you picture the scene? A man comes to the Tabernacle bursting with joy because of something ADONAI has just blessed him with. There is his family and invited guests all waiting in the background as he offers up his sheep with tears of joy. The priest who assisted him was ready to call it quits after a long day of slaughtering in the hot sun. He has heard his fill of confessions of sin. He has seen enough blood to last for several lifetimes. But now the worshiper arrives, desiring just to render thanks to YHVH. All of the sudden the priest is revived. For the joy of ADONAI is his strength (Psalm 28:7). Then, after the blood sacrifice is over, the priest sits down with the happy family. They eat fresh roasted sheep and cakes to their fill. When the meal is over, perhaps with the coolness of dusk settling in and the deep blues, radiant oranges and pinks of the sunset over them, together they all sing Psalm 107, “Oh give thanks to ADONAI, for His mercies endure forever.” ⁸²

The Messianic significance: The significance of the Master’s resurrection on the third day is linked to the peace offerings. The third day was the day the sacrifice would become invalid because decomposition would begin (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ia – The Resurrection of Lazarus: The First Sign of Jonah). In this regard, the worship system of the Tabernacle foreshadows our transformation in Messiah. In Messiah our bodies will be changed from corruptible to incorruptible. We pass from the mortal to the immortal. Our uncleanness is washed away and we enter the presence of ADONAI in perfect purity (see the commentary on First Corinthians Dw – The Rapture: Victory Over Death).

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise Your awesome grace that willingly brought peace to all who love you, Jews and Gentile. For He is our Shalom, the One who made the two into one and broke down the middle wall of separation (Ephesians 2:14). Amazing that You so loving offered peace to both Jews and Gentiles and then made the huge blessing of Your Holy Ruach to live within each believer. So that we, who were first to put our hope in Messiah, might be for His glorious praise. After you heard the message of truth – the Good News of your salvation – and when you put your trust in Him, you were sealed with the promised Ruach Ha’Kodesh. (Ephesians 1:12-13). We love and worship You with our hearts. In Your Holy Jesus’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Therefore, we have learned that the Master has, in one regard or another, answered to each of the sacrifices. The sacrificial system foreshadows Him and His work on our behalf. He is our korban ‘Olah, completely dedicated to God the Father (see Ao – The ‘Olah Offering); He is our korban Minhah, the bread of life (see Ap – The Minhah Offering); He is our korban Chatta’t, our means of purification (see Aq – The Chatta’t Offering); He is our korban Asham, repaying the debt we could never pay (see Ar – The Asham Offering); He is our korban Shalamim, our peace and fellowship with God (see As – The Shelamim Offering).

The Asham Offering: The Ministry of Reconciliation
7: 1-10

The asham offering DIG: Why do you think God specifies the sprinkling of blood? And the offering of all the fat? What did the priests learn from dealing with blood-day-in-and-day out? What belongs to the priest? Why is that? What is the relationship between the blood in this passage and that in Hebrews 9:11-28? How does this blood foreshadow the Messiah?

REFLECT: What is the messianic significance of the asham offering? How did the crucifixion remind the apostles of the asham offering? The fat was the best of the sacrifice, how are you offering the best of what you give to God? The asham represents indemnity to be repaid to God. In the Messianic sense, Yeshua is our asham. How is He your asham offering?

The guilt offering from the perspective of the priests.

The ministry of reconciliation includes the ability to discern genuine repentance in people, to advise them how to make restitution, and to assure them of forgiveness. These are the concerns of the aham offering. It will soon be obvious that the kind of spiritual activity envisioned in this sacrifice is hard to develop in a congregation. The asham offering covered financial matters – defrauding God or other people – sins that were often unknown to others. People made this offering only if they were genuinely convinced in their hearts to make things right. This offering was thus one of the more significant offerings for the spiritual life; its performance was evidence of true repentance because the guilty person was moved to repay what had been taken, even though it cost him more than was taken. So, the asham offering focused on the process of reconciliation, and the communication of forgiveness.⁷¹

The priest needed to assure the worshiper of their restitution and forgiveness (7:1-6): This is the mitzvah for the asham offering: it is especially holy (7:1). This asham offering is the only offering that stipulates restitution, either to the sanctuary or to any offended person. Thus, the offering satisfies not only the divine disapproval that some of the other offerings may deal with, but it also restores a measure of justice and equity in the Israelite community. As a result, ADONAI viewed it as being especially holy.⁷²

They are to slaughter the asham offering in the place where they slaughter the burnt offering, and its blood is to be splashed against all sides of the altar (7:2). One thing which certainly stands out from this parashah (see the commentary on Deuteronomy, to see link click Af – Parashah) is the frequent mention of blood. It is mentioned at least four times in this portion and one gets the impression that during the average day the typical priest saw a continuing flow of  blood. There seems to be two main teachings regarding blood.

The first is that blood was not to be eaten, “Whoever eats any blood will be cut off from his people” (7:27). This was a very serious penalty indeed, with two different forms. Sometimes it refers to being exiled from the covenant community (18:26-29), while in other instances it refers to the death penalty (Exodus 31:14; Numbers 4:18-20). In either case, the sinner was removed from the covenant community and regarded as the enemy of Ha’Shem. Later in Deuteronomy 12:13, God explains why He didn’t want them to eat blood. At this point in the life of the community, they were merely to accept this prohibition by faith. After all, Moshe couldn’t explain everything at once, nor could the Israelites understand everything at once! That is what progressive revelation is all about.

The second teaching about the blood in this parashah undoubtedly helped the children of Isra’el understand a little bit why no blood at all was permitted to be eaten. Instead of drinking it like idolaters did, the blood was to be used for atonement and cleansing. But an accidental or misuse of blood rendered one tamei (or ritually unclean), instead of putting him in a tahor (ritually clean) status (see Bk – Ritually Clean and Unclean Animals).

Because of the continual flow of blood sacrifice, the priests were always handling blood. Sometimes it was carried into the Tabernacle (6:23). Sometimes the blood was sprinkled against the wall of the bronze altar (5:9). Sometimes (in the case of a bird) it was squeezed out toward the base of the bronze altar (5:10). Sometimes the blood was poured out at the base of the bronze altar (4:25). Other times the priest dipped his finger in the blood and rubbed it onto the horns of the bronze altar or sprinkled it toward the inner veil of the Most Holy Place. For the priests it was blood, blood and more blood all day long.

What are some of the things that the priests could have learned from all this exposure to blood? It would have taught them the horrors of idolatry, reminding them to keep away from the gods of the Gentile nations. Also, the blood would have reminded the priests of the intrinsic value of life, both animal and human. Continuing along these lines, it would have reminded them that sin was horrible. To atone for it costs an innocent victim his life, represented by the blood. Thus, the continual flow of blood and use of blood on a daily basis was a constant reminder to the priest that sin was to be avoided, for it cost lives and separated people from God. But it would have also taught them that the gracious provision of atonement and cleansing from sin cost the lifeblood of an innocent victim.

Was it any wonder, then, that Yeshua told His apostles: This is what I meant when I was still with you and told you that everything written about Me in the Torah of Moshe, the Prophets and the Psalms had to be fulfilled (Luke 24:44). When they had the red image of scourging and the crucifixion fresh in their minds, they would have understood in a very vivid way how the teachings of Moshe concerning the blood sacrifices could have spoken volumes about the sacrificial blood atonement of Yeshua.⁷³

After the animal was cut up, the priest took all its fat – the fat tail, the fat covering the inner organs, the two kidneys, the fat on them near the flanks, and the covering of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys and placed them on the bronze altar. The fat was considered the best portion and was offered back to Him. The priest will make them go up in smoke on the altar as an offering made by fire to ADONAI; it is an asham offering. The rest of the animal served as food for the priests. Every male from a family of priest may eat it; it is to be eaten in the Tabernacle courtyard; it is especially holy (7:3-6).

As with the purification offering (see Aq – The Chatta’t Offering), the priests in the case of the asham offering had to encourage the people to make such a sacrifice and then participate in their offering by directing the worship and eating the sacrifice as a sign that ADONAI had received it. It would have been difficult for the priests to discern whether the sacrifice was brought with the proper attitude: but in the case of the aham offering it would have been highly unlikely for someone to make such a costly reimbursement if unrepentant or insincere. What the priest received indicated what God received – provided that this was a faithful priest acting conscientiously on what was right.

The idea behind the guilt offering (see Am – The Guilt Offering) was the same as that of the chatta’t offering, for this too was a purification offering; only here, the type of sin covered by the offering involved reparation, and that made its application more specific. One could think about the point of the teaching in terms of a pastor or Messianic rabbi encouraging repayment or reparation of a wrong that was committed, or at least requiring that it be done as part of reconciliation.

The priest received their portion from the worshiper (when they were convinced of their sincerity (7:7-10): The asham offering is like the chatta’t offering; the same mitzvah governs them – it will belong to the priest who uses it to make atonement. It is not surprising that the priests received benefits from their ministry. They also receive benefits when confessing worshipers brought their chatta’t offerings. Not only did they eat the meat, but they also received the skins. The priest who offers someone’s burnt offering will possess the hide of the burnt offering which he has offered (7:7-8). In addition to providing clothing for the families of the priests, no doubt a lively trade could have been sustained from the skins taken from the sacrifices. ADONAI took care of those who ministered through the giving of righteous believers (First Corinthians 9:7-14); the servants of God then directed the use of what was given. The entire system was designed both for the spiritual satisfaction of the worshiper and the practical needs of the priest in service.⁷⁴

Every grain offering baked in the oven, cooked in a pot or fried on a griddle will belong to the priest who offers it. But every grain offering which is mixed with olive oil or is dry will belong to all the sons of Aaron equally (7:9-10). The reason for this is not given. However, we do know that they received portions that belonged to ADONAI. The priests themselves belonged to God in a special way and so they could eat the food that God received as an offering. This provision of food allowed the priests to focus on their duties of leading the LORD’s people in worship and teaching them His mitzvot. This principle of providing for God’s people is continued in the B’rit Chadashah as well (Galatians 6:6). YHVH is fully aware that if the needs of the shepherds are not met, they will not be able to take care of their sheep.⁷⁵

The Messianic significance: The asham offering symbolizes restitution for damages and was offered in concert with the payment of restitution. The implication is that an offense toward another person is also an offense against ADONAI. When we cheat or damage or misuse someone else or their property it is as if we have cheated, damaged and misused God. Therefore, when we settle accounts, we must repay the victim, and we must repay God. The reparation made to God is the asham, the guilt offering.

This is very similar to the Master’s teaching on bringing korbanot. If you are offering your gift at the Temple altar and you remember there that your brother has something against you, leave your gift where it is by the altar, and go, reconcile with your brother. Then come back and offer your gift (Matthew 5:23-24). The asham represents indemnity to be repaid to God. In the Messianic sense, Yeshua is our asham. Though it is upon us to make things right with our fellow man, we are completely unable to repay God the debt we owe Him for our sin, intentional or unintentional. There are not enough goats or rams to ever repay Him what we owe Him. Yeshua is our korban asham. That which we owe to God is paid in full through His sacrifice (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Lv – Jesus’ Second Three Hours on the Cross: The Wrath of God).⁷⁶

Dear Heavenly Father, You are such a wonderful and loving Father. Though we could never repay you for the debt we owe to You for Yeshua’s taking our place as our sin sacrifice (John 1:29), we offer up to You our love from a deep heart of thanks with overflowing gratitude. We rejoice in pleasing You by all we do and think, by our thoughts, our giving, and our attitudes. We count it a privilege to suffer for You, knowing that our suffering, though it may be great to us, is so small compared with all You suffered to bring us to glory (Philippians 2:5-11). We love and praise You! In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The Chatta’th Offering: Communicating God’s Forgiveness
6: 24-30

The chatta’th offering DIG: What was the purpose of the chatta’th offering? Who needed to offer the purification offering? Where was it to be offered? By the common people? By the priest? What were the regulations for the clothing and utensils? Why was this necessary? How did the priests assure the worshiperthat ADONAI had forgiven their sin?

REFLECT: How do you deal with each kind of sin? How does this help to mend your relationship with God? What steps does a believer today take to restore his or her relationship with YHVH and the community of fellowship? What does “washed in the blood” mean to you? How could you explain it to an unbeliever? How do you show it to others?

The Purification Offering from the perspective of the priests.

People need to know that they have been forgiven and that they can enter God’s presence with confidence; they need the reality of forgiveness, not simply the hope of forgiveness. If people come away from a worship service unsure of their standing with ADONAI, then something has gone terribly wrong. This is the subject addressed by the ritual of the chatta’th offering. In this section of Leviticus it replaces the peace offering in the order of sacrifices because it was a required offering for the priests. And it must have been a very frequent one, testifying to the fact that not a day went by in which people did not defile the holiness of God by their actions or their lifestyles.

Believers today also have to admit that we sin every day, either by what we do or don’t do, and we need regular cleansing and renewal for our fellowship and service. Just living in the corrupt world (First John 2:15-17) and coming in contact with all its defilements and influences calls for spiritual renewal on a regular basis. The Bible is very clear that such cleansing is readily available for the confessing believer.⁶⁸ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (First John 1:9).

The priests needed to ensure that worshippers found forgiveness from God alone (6:24-26): ADONAI said to Moshe, “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is the mitzvot for the chatta’th offering: the chatta’th offering is to be slaughtered before ADONAI in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered; it is especially holy. But then the instructions for the ritual of purification started with its precise location. To stress the holiness of this special food, God stated that the priests could only eat it in a place separated from the common people. The priest who offered it for purification was to eat it in the courtyard of the Tabernacle. The point is that since forgiveness comes from God, the chatta’th offering must be brought into His Presence. It was to be slaughtered in the courtyard of the Tabernacle and eaten there.

The priests needed to prevent the chatta’th offering from becoming commonplace (6:27-28): The theme of holiness here extends to the discussion of clothing and utensils. To further impress upon the priests the holy character of the meat, God added a number of warnings. The priest had to go to great lengths to ensure that the chatta’th offering was set apart, as being holy to ADONAI and not blasphemous or common. Whatever the priest touched its meat it became holy by contact. Nevertheless, if any of the blood of the sacrifice splashed on any of the priest’s clothing, he was to wash it in the bronze basin (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Fh – The Bronze Basin: Christ, Our Cleanser). It had to stay in the holy confines of the Tabernacle courtyard. The same mitzvah applied to the utensils used. Blood offered for sin could not be carried away in pots or clothes. It was now holy, and set apart for the chatta’th offering. The clay pot in which it is cooked must be broken; if it is cooked in a bronze pot, it must be scrubbed and rinsed in water, restored to their former status so they were no longer holy.

This was the enigma: the blood was holy but needed to be washed because anything touching it became holy; yet the blood was treated impure and needed to be washed. This was the nature of the chatta’th offering: the blood was part of the purification offering (see Al – The Purification Offering) as well as a source of impurity. In sum, the ritual was designed for the forgiveness of sins. And since the purification offering had that distinctive purpose, it was sacred. It could not be treated carelessly, as if it were ordinary.⁶⁹

The priests needed to assure the worshiper that ADONAI had forgiven their sin (6:29-30): Any priest could eat the purification offering of a worshiper. However, the blood of the priests’ own purification offering had to be taken inside the Holy Place to make atonement and the meat was to be burned up completely (6:30). The greater the violation of God’s holiness, the greater the purification required. Yet when the priest did eat the chatta’th offering of a worshiper, his eating was more than the normal priestly portion. It was a sign to the worshiper that his purification offering was accepted and his sin was covered. The priests were expected to discern the worshiper’s attitude to see if they had a truly contrite heart, a broken spirit, an awareness of the seriousness of their sin, and genuine repentance. A conscientious priest would deliberate, accepting the word of the worshiper only upon the presentation of evidence to support his claim of repentance, but hesitating if there was any doubt. If convinced, the priest would eat the purification offering and the worshiper would go home knowing that his sin had been covered. How blessed are those whose offense is forgiven, those whose sin is covered (Psalm 32:1).

The final note in the passage must not be overlooked: the priest himself gave a chatta’th offering. This stands in strong contrast to Yeshua Messiah, who did not have to make a purification offering for Himself, first, because He was the only perfect High Priest (see the commentary on Hebrews Ay – Messiah’s Qualifications as our Great High Priest). Yet all human pastors and Messianic rabbis stand before God on the same basis as the worst sinner – the shed blood of Messiah. In Isra’el the people knew that the priest himself was a sinner, for they witnessed his chatta’th offerings and his confession (which they might not actually hear, but could see). The priest may have been at the head of the people spiritually, but he was a recipient of grace like them. Leaders must certainly demonstrate righteousness by their relationship to ADONAI. But they must never lose sight of the fact that they too are sinners and that their lives must be regularly examined through God’s Word. No one can tell others to renew their hearts and cleanse their souls if they themselves do not regularly purify their hearts.⁷⁰

The Messianic significance: The chatta’th offering is brought as a purification from ritual uncleanness and the stain left behind by sin. The blood of the purification offering is brought before ADONAI as a vicarious substitute for the worshiper. In that regard, it acts as a cleansing agent. God recognizes it as the worshiper’s soul in a purified state. In the same way, when we identify ourselves in Messiah, His absolute purity compensates for our uncleanness. The precious blood of Messiah is so holy and pure that through it we are cleansed of our uncleanness, forgiven of our sin. Hence the expression, “washed in the blood.” He is our korban Chatta’th, our means of purification.

Dear Heavenly Father, You are so holy and pure! I stand amazed that You, my Father, the Sovereign King over the universe, would so graciously forgive my sins and put my sins where they cannot be found. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His mercy for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us (Psalms 103:11-12). We bow before You in humble worship and in great adoration. In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The Minhah Offering: Assuring People of God’s Acceptance
6: 14-23

The minhah offering DIG: What was significant about the minhah offering? How was it like and unlike the ‘olah offering? As a bloodless offering, was it ever sufficient in itself (Numbers 6:14-13)? What did they imply? Why grill it? Why the specific amounts? How are these mitzvot part of the reconciliation between God and His people?

REFLECT: How would you describe your offering to God? How is it like or unlike the minhah offering described here? How does your offering help the reconciliation process? How does communion relate to the minhah offering? Would you say that your prayer life is sporadic or continual? Are you a chosen person, or a royal priest belonging to God? Why or why not?

The grain offering from the perspective of the priests.

The Church is always calling for dedication from its holy ones. But what becomes of these dedications? How can we demonstrate what dedication is? And how can it respond to the people who make such commitments to the LORD? Learning about the minhah offering will open this topic of dedication. This is the mitzvot for the minhah offering (to see link click Aj – The Grain Offering): the sons of Aaron are to offer it before ADONAI in front of the bronze altar (6:14). The officiating priest was required to follow the mitzvot regarding the minhah offering and the eating of the sacrifice in order to please God.⁶⁴

The memorial portion: From each of the minhah offerings, the priesthood was to remove a small “memorial” portion, which corresponded to the choice fats and sacrificial parts of the animal offerings that were committed to the flames of the bronze altar. The priest was to take a handful of fine flour and oil, together with all the incense on the minhah offering, and burn the “memorial” portion on the bronze altar as a fragrant aroma for ADONAI (6:15 NIV). Similar language is used regarding our prayers and acts of charity. In Acts 10, an angel from heaven told Cornelius the centurion that his prayers and alms have ascended as a “memorial” before God. Cornelius prayed regularly, and in fact, the angel appeared to him as he prayed during the time of the afternoon offering about three o’clock (Acts 10:3-4). His prayers, coupled with his generous gifts to the poor (Acts 10:2), had ascended to the heavenly altar before YHVH as a “memorial.” Once again, we see the principle of how prayer (and charity) function as a remembrance for sacrifice. In Cornelius’ case, sacrifice was not possible. As a Gentile, he was unable to enter the Temple courts to bring a sacrifice for himself. Nevertheless, his sacrifice of prayer and charity were received as a “memorial” portion, just as those Jews who offered their sacrifices upon the bronze altar. This principle is clearly taught in the B’rit Chadashah: Through Yeshua, therefore, let us offer God a sacrifice of praise continually. For this is the natural product of lips that acknowledge His name. But don’t forget doing good and sharing with others, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased (Hebrews 13:15-16).⁶⁵

The daily minhah offering: Aside from the “memorial” portion, Aaron and his sons were to eat the rest of it. Those who performed the offering received their share. It was to be eaten without leaven in a holy place; in other words, they were to eat it in the courtyard of the Tabernacle. It was not to be baked with leaven. ADONAI gave it as their portion of His offerings made by fire; like the purification offering and the guilt offering, it is most holy. The minhah offering was most holy, which simply means that it must be eaten by the priesthood within the Tabernacle courtyard. It could not be taken home to feed their families. Any male descendant of Aaron may eat from it; it is his share of the offerings for ADONAI made by fire forever through all your generations (6:16-18a).

Whatever touches those offerings must be holy (6:18b). Whatever touches the minhah offerings is similarly dedicated and must be accorded the same status. Thus, if a pan in which a minhah offering is cooked (or any food that might come in contact with a minhah offering) takes on the status of most holy. It must be treated with the same sanctity accorded to the minhah offering itself.

Though we may not all be descendants of Aaron, there is something of the priesthood and the mitzvot of the priesthood which relates to all of God’s people. We are a nation of priests. The Bible declares: You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light (First Peter 2:9). Our spiritual gifts are like the mitzvot of the minhah offering (see the commentary on First Corinthians Ch – Unwrapping Your Spiritual Gifts). No one else can fulfill them for us, they are most holy. Each spiritual gift offers us an opportunity to serve our Creator in a unique fashion. And like the minhah offering, because our spiritual gifts are most holy, they render everything that touches them most holy.

When a new high priest was dedicated: When high priests were dedicated to their office, there were special minhah offerings. On the day he is anointed into the priesthood, the high priest was to offer a special minhah offering. This is the offering for ADONAI that Aaron and his sons are to offer on the day he was dedicated: two quarts of fine flour, half of it in the morning and half in the evening, as a regular minhah offering from then on. The Sages interpreted the mitzvah to mean that the new high priest should bring this special minhah offering every day of his seven-day confirmation (see Ba – The Meal and Seven Days of Training). It is to be well mixed with olive oil and fried on a griddle; then bring it in, break it in pieces and offer the minhah offering as a fragrant aroma for ADONAI (6:19-21).

Therefore, the minhah offering by the new high priest was his “memorial” minhah offering. The high priest who will take Aaron’s place from among his descendants will offer it (6:22a). It also appears that the high priest continued to offer this minhah offering for the duration of his ministry. It was a perpetual obligation. Every day, at 9am and at 3pm, the high priest would offer the minhah offering on top of the ‘olah offering (see Ao – The Olah Offering). This constantly reminded the priests that, although they differed from the rest of the Israelites in terms of function, they were exactly the same in terms of their sinful nature and their desperate need for ADONAI and His forgiveness. The priests who remembered this need would be protected from one of the strongest temptations faced by those who lead God’s people: spiritual pride.⁶⁶

It must be entirely made to go up in smoke for ADONAI; every minhah offering of the priest is to be entirely made to go up in smoke – it is not to be eaten (6:22b-23). In contrast to the daily minhah offerings by the priesthood, which were to be eaten (6:16), the perpetual minhah offerings made by the high priest were not to be eaten. Nothing remained for the high priest to eat, it all went up in smoke. The high priest could not eat from the minhah offering when he was dedicated because it was made on his behalf. Instead, it had to be offered to YHVH and completely consumed. It all belonged to ADONAI. The high priest could only partake of an offering while functioning in his role as mediator on behalf of his people.⁶⁷

Messianic significance: The grain offering was made of bread (matzah). In the same way Yeshua said: I am the bread of life (John 6:35) and was born in Bethlehem (Hebrew: Bet Lechem, meaning the house of bread). On the day that the Master was raised from the dead, a special grain offering was offered in the Temple.

Again, consider the words of the Messiah, when He took the unleavened bread, broke it and gave it to His apostles as a “memorial” of Himself.

In the same way, the Master took the matzah that was striped and pierced (see the commentary on Isaiah Jd – Yet We Considered Him Punished, Stricken and Afflicted by God), broke it and give it to His apostles as a “memorial” portion of Himself. So, too, the grain offering was broken and shared among the priesthood with the “memorial” portion going to the bronze altar of sacrifice. This touching is the equivalent of splashing the blood against the altar. The grain offering was unleavened matzah, broken, divided and shared among the priests. In the same way, the Master broke the matzah and shared it with His apostles saying: Do this in remembrance of Me (Luke 22:19).

The grain offerings were anointed with oil prior to the baking. Oil is a symbol of the Ruach in the B’rit Chadashah. In the same way, Yeshua was anointed with the Spirit of God prior to His sacrifice on the cross.

The grain offerings were offered in conjunction with wine drink offerings (23:13), which were spilled out on the bronze altar. The grain offering was also a symbol of God’s Covenant. He took the cup of wine (see my commentary on The Life of Christ Kk – The Third Cup of Redemption) and said: Drink from it, all of you. This cup is the New Covenant in My blood, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins; do this, whenever you drink it (Luke 22:20).

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You that You gave your very best, Yeshua, Your own Son, to ransom mankind from sin. Yeshua’s willingness to become a man to offer Himself in our place is truly a remarkable and wonderful gift. Who, though existing in the form of God, did not consider being equal to God a thing to be grasped. But He emptied Himself – taking on the form of a slave, becoming the likeness of men and being found in appearance as a man. He humbled Himself – becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason, God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Yeshua every knee should bow, in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and every tongue profess that Yeshua the Messiah is Lord – to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:6-11).

Like the grain offering, Messiah Yeshua was crushed. Yet it pleased ADONAI to bruise Him. He caused Him to suffer. If He makes His soul a guilt offering, (Isaiah 53:10). Praise Your power to raise Him from the dead (Ephesians 1:19-20) ! We had no way to save ourselves. No amount of good works would be enough to enter heaven, for perfect holiness is the only way to enter your holy heaven. Only thru Yeshua’s free gift of His righteousness to those who love and follow Him, are we able to enter heaven. He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:21). We offer a sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:15), similar to the thanks of a grain offering, to Messiah Yeshua for being the Lamb of God. I love, praise and worship You. I desire to give You my life as a gift, a korban, in thanks for Your priceless gift! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The ‘Olah Offering: Providing Access to God
6: 8-13

The ‘Olah offering DIG: Explain how the Sages read Hosea 14:2 to mean that prayer could substitute for sacrifice. Beginning with Cain and Abel, why do you think God chose animal sacrifice to restore broken relationships? Couldn’t God forgive sins without sacrifice? Why do you think God demanded an offering without spot, defect, disease or deformity? Why the laying on of hands? Why sprinkle the blood? Why complete burning? How does the aroma pleasing to God foreshadow Messiah (Ephesians 5:2; Phil 4:18).

REFLECT: Why do you think God put so much emphasis on blood? What lessons can be learned about the priests having to take out ashes and clean the altar? How would you define sacrifice? How do your sacrifices define your value system? What sacrifices have you, or can you, make for God (Romans 12:1-2; Hebrews 13:15)? In your experience, how has God reconciled you to Himself? By what sacrifice?

Parashah 25: Tzav (Command) 6:1 to 8:36
(See my commentary on Deuteronomy, to see link click Af – Parashah)

The Key People are Moshe, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons – the priests.

The Scene is the Tabernacle in the wilderness of Sinai.

The Main Events include ADONAI’s instructions for the ‘olah (burnt ) offering, grain offering, purification offering, guilt offering, and peace offerings; dressing Aaron and his sons in priestly garments, anointing the Tabernacle, and dedicating all that was in it; the seven-day period while the priests remained inside the Tabernacle courtyard; and Aaron and his sons doing all that YHVH had commanded by the hand of Moshe.

Parashah Tzav is almost a repeat of parashah vaYikra (to see link click Aj – The Burnt Offering). But it gives us the opportunity to examine some of the daily, seemingly insignificant tasks of the priests. This underscores the fact that the book of Leviticus was a training manual for the priests. There was one major difference, however, between the two portions. When Moshe was finished instructing the priests about the sacrifices and preparing them to function as priests in the newly constructed Tabernacle, ADONAI told him to dedicate them into this ministry by holding a formal anointing service.⁶⁰

The burnt offering from the perspective of the priests.

The continual offering: ADONAI said to Moshe, “Give Aaron and his sons this command: This is the Torah for the burnt (Hebrew: ‘Olah) offering. The word Holocaust is derived from the Greek holokauston, a translation of the Hebrew word ‘olah, meaning what goes up, or, the burnt sacrifice offered whole to YHVH. This word was chosen, and gained wide usage, because, in the ultimate manifestation of the Nazi killing program – the extermination camps – the bodies of the victims were consumed whole in the crematoria or open fires, as if they had been offered up as a burnt offering to YHVH. It is what goes up (Hebrew: ‘Olah) on its firewood upon the bronze altar all night long, until morning when the sacrifices were reduced to ashes, in this way the fire of the altar will be kept burning (6:8-9 NIV). The definite article indicates that we are speaking of the continual burnt offering originally introduced in Exodus 29:38-42a. You will recall its offering consisted of two lambs, one offered at sunrise at the first sacrifice of the day, and the other offered in the afternoon as the last sacrifice of the day. The result was that a lamb was to be continuously (Hebrew: tamid) on the bronze altar. In the same way that the twelve loaves of the bread Presence were continuously before YHVH, and the menorah continuously burned before God, a single lamb was to be continuously on the altar before God. Hence the Sages refer to the continual burnt offering as the tamid.

The morning routine in the Temple began with collecting the ashes from the previous day’s sacrifices. Parashah Tzav indicates that the ashes were to be changed every morning, getting ready for another day’s activity. It was the first daily responsibility of the priest on duty. The priest shall then put on his simple white linen clothes, with linen undergarments next to his body, and shall remove the ashes of the burnt of ‘olah offering that the fire had consumed on the bronze altar and place them beside it (6:10 NIV). The priesthood rose before dawn, cleared the ashes, stoked the fire, slaughtered a single lamb, applied its blood to the altar and then placed the lamb upon its flames. In conjunction with the morning slaughter of the lamb, the morning incense was offered on the golden altar, and the menorah was trimmed, refueled and relit within the Holy Place. This morning service was referred to as shacharit, which means morning.

Apparently, there was stiff competition for that sooty job. Even though the job was earthy and mundane, it seems like many of the priests wanted to do it. How many today run to get the job of emptying wastebaskets at their place of worship? Is there stiff competition to making sure that there is always enough toilet paper? I think you see the point. Just as the priests vied for the task of taking the ashes out, likewise, it would behoove us to want to serve Him to jump at even the most menial task.

For a moment, imagine the dismay that the Jews must have felt at the destruction of the future Temple (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Mt – The Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple on Tisha B’Av in 70 AD). Their means of sacrifice – the sacred worship of ADONAI – was gone. How were they to sacrifice? How were they to draw near to the LORD? How were they to make atonement, and how were their prayers to be heard (see the commentary on the Life of Solomon Bn – Solomon’s Prayer of Intercession). The destruction of the Temple was a religious crisis.

The Sage’s answer to the crisis was twofold. The Oral Law (see The Life of Christ Ei – The Oral Law) states that one who studies the mitzvot of a particular sacrifice is credited with having brought the sacrifice and having their sins forgiven (Megillah 31a). More significantly, prayer was, and still is, regarded as a sufficient substitute for sacrifice. The Sages point to Hosea 14:2 as evidence that prayer is an adequate substitute for sacrifice. Take words with you, and return to ADONAI; say to Him, “Forgive our guilt, and receive us graciously; that we may present the bulls/fruit of our lips” (Hosea 14:2).

In Hosea 14:2, the Hebrew word for fruit (parim) is grammatically irregular and could possibly be read as bulls. The Sages saw here a formula from heaven to compensate for the loss of the Levitical sacrificial system. “Take words with you,” was understood to mean “to pray.” And the words, “return to ADONAI,” was understood to mean “repent.” Thus the Sage’s explanation, the one who prays and repents has his guilt removed and is received graciously. His prayers are counted as the “bulls of the lips,” as they say. According to Judaism, that act of prayer became a compensation for the loss of sacrifice, and the three daily times of prayer (sunrise, afternoon and the overnight burning of the last offering) with their prescribed liturgy became the substitute for the daily ‘olah offering.⁶¹

Modern Judaism stresses the fact that instead of “salvation,” one’s relationship with God has to be based on three elements: repentance (teshuva); good deeds resulting from repentance (tzedaka) and a life of devotion (kavanah). Judaism believes that in the same way that ADONAI saved the children of Isra’el in the past as a nation, He also promises to restore Isra’el as a nation, meaning collectively, not individually. In the Oral Law the rabbis taught, “The rest of the prayer: [Accept my] song, petition, supplication before You for Your people Isra’el, which are in need of salvation (Yoma 70a). Thus, today, Jews believe that all Isra’el will have a place in the world to come. Their only hope is in Yeshua Messiah as their Redeemer, and an honest presentation of the Gospel, otherwise they will be eternally lost.

From ashes to ashes: Then he is to take off these clothes and put on others, carry the ashes outside the camp to a place that is ceremonially clean (6:11). The priest wore his regular priestly linen when removing the ashes from the altar. But when he removed the pile of ashes from beside the altar to go outside the camp, he had to change into regular clothes. The holy and the common must not be confused (10:10). The lesson to be learned from this is that all ritual or ministry assignments should be carried out in a worthy manner, and we should humble ourselves for the glory of God, to perform demanding tasks. Moreover, the removal of the previous day’s ashes and changing clothes reminds us of the necessity of not letting the residue of the previous day affect our present lives. Yeshua taught on this principle from another angle. He taught us not to worry (carry the ashes from yesterday into our present day) because each day has enough trouble of its own (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Dt – Do Not Worry About Your Life, What Your Will Eat or Drink, or What You Will Wear).⁶²

Keep the fire going: After the instructions regarding the proper procedure for the removal of the ashes, the text returns to what truly is the main concern of the passage: the maintenance of the flame upon the bronze altar. The last menial daily job of the priesthood was to make sure that the fire did not die out. The fire on the bronze altar must be kept burning; it must not go out, even on Shabbat, because evil doesn’t take any day off. It was the priest’s duty to keep the fire lit with the carcass of the lamb smoldering on top of it. Thus, the priests needed to perform their duties diligently. The mitzvah focuses on the most difficult part of the task, keeping the fire burning all night long. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the ‘olah offering on the firs and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it (6:12). The animal was cut up, salted, and entirely burned. The ‘olah sacrifices were only offered during daylight hours and were left to burn during the night. Therefore, the priesthood needed to be present in the Tabernacle around the clock, tending to the sacrifices and ensuring that the fire for the bronze altar would never go out. The sacrifices were to be reduced to ash by morning. Armed with forks, shovels, and tongs, they stoked the fire, and raked the coals.

And the Ruach Ha’Kodesh repeats again for the third time: The fire must be kept burning on the bronze altar continuously, it must not go out (6:13). After all the day’s sacrifices had been brought, a second lamb of the daily tamid offering was brought, typically during the ninth hour of the day (or 3 pm). During the sacrifice of these two lambs, prayers were offered. During the Second Temple period, the daily prayer of the Amidah was offered by the priesthood and the attending worshipers in conjunction with the two sacrifices. Therefore, the time of the morning and afternoon sacrifices came to be regarded as the established times for prayer. The book of Acts makes three references of the daily tamid sacrifices and in one instance explicitly identifies it was the time of prayer (Acts 2:15, 3:1 and 10:3).

Try to imagine the night shift in the Temple. Unlike the daytime when the courts were full of the noise of worshipers, the glad songs of the Levites and the braying of animals, the nighttime service must have seemed strangely quiet and reverent. The only illumination other than the stars and moon was the ever hungry flame of the fire on the bronze altar. Apparently, early on in the development of the Temple liturgy, the night shift developed their own particular worship service. Psalm 134 refers to the worship service of the night-crew that tended the altar flames. Come, bless ADONAI, all you servants of ADONAI, who serve each night in the house of ADONAI. Lift your hands towards the sanctuary, and bless ADONAI. May ADONAI, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Tziyon.⁶³

The Messianic significance: On the one hand, the total devotion, commitment and surrender to Messiah is seen in the fact that the fire was to be kept burning continuously. But on the other hand, the continual fire reminds us that the forgiveness of ADONAI is always available to save, and to bless, and to hear. He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, He who watches over Isra’el will neither slumber nor sleep (Psalm 121:3b). For the generations to come, the burnt offering was made continuously on the bronze altar at the entrance to the Tabernacle before YHVH (Exodus 29:42a; Leviticus 6:13; Numbers 28:10).

The lamb was placed on the altar for the morning offering at 9 am, and it was the exact time that the Roman soldiers were pounding the nails into the wrists of Yeshua (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Lu – Jesus’ First Three Hours on the Cross: The Wrath of Man), and at 3 pm, when the afternoon sacrificial lamb was placed on the altar, it was the exact time when Messiah died (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Lv – Jesus’ Second Three Hours on the Cross: The Wrath of God). Thus, as the ‘olah offering was to display a total commitment to God, Messiah displayed a total commitment to the Father on the cross.

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You that Messiah’s sacrifice finished/ completed the payment for our sin so that I could draw near to You. I don’t have to worry if You will remember my sin. For once I’ve repented and chosen to love Yeshua as my Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-10), I am saved from sin’s penalty and you canceled my sins as far away as east is from the west. Since east and west are always going opposite directions, our sins will never be remembered. How gracious you are! For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His mercy for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so ADONAI has compassion on those who fear Him (Psalms 103:11-13). Your compassion and mercy are wonderful! Your deep and tender love is beyond my comprehension. I desire to love You back in deep appreciation for all You have done for me. I pray in the Name of the One sitting at Your right hand. Amen

The Offerings from the Priests Perspective
6:8 to 7:38

What was it like to be a priest of Isra’el? Imagine waking up every day looking forward to splashing blood at the base of the bronze altar, washing bladders, and coming home every night smelling like smoke! We know from rabbinic writings that there were more than enough priests to go around and to share equally in the tremendous burden of the daily ministry. In the Soncino Edition of the English translation of the Babylonian Talmud, we find some helpful information among the explanatory notes to Yoma Chapter 11. We read, “There were twenty-four divisions of the priests. Each division consisted of four to nine families. Every week another division served in the Sanctuary, being relieved on the Sabbath. During the week they distributed the service among the families. Any one among the family whose turn came on the day could for example, if he so desired, remove the ashes from the bronze altar.”

This indicates that there were a lot of priests among whom the work was distributed. There was enough work, for example, for only one priest to be assigned to take out the ashes, one priest to clean the bronze altar, one priest to keep the wood piles built up . . . well, you get the picture. In other words, there were more priests than ministry opportunities. This information was not in this portion, but is helpful nonetheless. We can only assume that many of the basic practices of the priests were performed in the same way during the First Temple period (Solomon’s Temple), and also during the Second Temple period (Herod’s Temple). A good example of this can be seen in the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Ak – The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold).⁵⁸

As we study the Torah’s complex mitzvot of sacrifice, we can easily “lose the forest for the trees.” The Torah offers great detail regarding what and how to sacrifice, but it does not grant us much in regard to their meaning and significance. Just reading the sacrificial mitzvot can seem mechanical and dull. It is sometimes difficult to see why those mitzvot should even be sacred scripture. This feeling of disconnect from the sacrificial passages is normal. It results from our unfamiliarity with the entire milieu of the Tabernacle worship system. The Torah tends to take it for granted that the larger conceptual and spiritual significance to the rituals it reports on are well known and assumed. For the most part, only the procedures are written down.

If we could see the sacrificial system service in all its glory, splendor, and elaborate choreography, we would be surprised at the exalted spiritual quality of the experience. In addition to the sacrificial rituals, we would hear the prayers of the worshipers, the confessions of the contrite, the blessings of the priesthood, and the songs of the psalms played and sung by the Levites. We would be surprised to discover a worship service not entirely unlike the contemporary Messianic congregation’s service, which is descended directly from the Tabernacle service. The synagogue prayer services are modeled after the Temple’s sacrificial service. After the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, only the prayer services continued. The early Catholic church modeled much of her mass after the synagogue. This in turn gave rise to the protestant forms of worship services with which the modern believer is familiar. Thus, there is a line of communication between even the most contemporary Sunday morning service and the ancient Tabernacle sacrifices.

As believers, we understand well that Messiah is our ultimate sacrifice and High Priest. But this does not mean that we should neglect the mitzvot of sacrifice or the discipline of prayer which continues to memorialize the sacrifices. Rather, we should be all the more eager to study and participate because we have had the personal experience of sacrifice. We have all participated in the sacrifice of Yeshua Messiah.⁵⁹