Scroll to Scroll: Todays Parsha #31: Emor (he said)

PART 1: THE LAST AND CURRENT TORAH PORTIONS ANSWERS TO LAST WEEKS STUDY QUESTIONS (Aharei Mot-Kedoshim): 1) Regarding Leviticus 17:3-4: Some say that the ban on sacrifices anywhere other than the Tent of Meeting suggests that the Temple or Tabernacle was the only appropriate place for doing that sacrifice but I want to know if that is the case, did the Israelites respect that command? Why or why not? Actually they did not. They allowed two temples dedicated to YHWH to arise in Egypt. The first temple was on the island of Elephantine. It seems to have been a dual shrine, one for YHWH and one for the deity Khnum. Eventually the YHWH altar was expanded to a fuller temple complex and the site fell into disrepair. The Jews then complained and wrote a letter in Aramaic to the Persian governor Bagoas asking for it to be restored. Here is a picture of that letter from 407 BCE:

This letter read in part

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'Now our forefathers built this temple in the fortress of Elephantine back in the days of the kingdom of Egypt, and when Cambyses came to Egypt he found it built. They (the Persians) knocked down all the temples of the gods of Egypt, but no one did any damage to this temple." This king, Cambyses II, reigned 530-522 BCE, so the Temple had been built before that time, though how much longer is not certain. What we can say is that after the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE, some Jews fled to Egypt and this incensed YHWH who rebuked them through the prophet Jeremiah. With a temple there already, it would make sense for the Jews to go to their backup shrine though YHWH apparently never accepted it as a valid altar perhaps because the whole complex was not wholly dedicated to Him. It was rebuilt at their request but seems to have fallen into disuse and been abandoned by 350 BCE, sometime after which it was destroyed. The second temple there may have been a different story in terms of YHWHs approval, as this was predicted by Yeshayahu: (Isa 19:18) The time is coming when Hebrew will be spoken in five Egyptian cities, and their people will become followers of YHWH. One of these cities will be called City of the Sun. (Isa 19:19) In the heart of Egypt an altar will be set up for YHWH; at its border a shrine will be built to honor him. (Isa 19:20) These will remind the Egyptians that YHWH the All-Powerful is with them. And when they are in trouble and ask for help, he will send someone to rescue them from their enemies. (Isa 19:21) YHWH will show the Egyptians who he is, and they will know and worship YHWH. They will bring him sacrifices and offerings, and they will keep their promises to him. (Isa 19:22) After YHWH has punished Egypt, the people will turn to him. Then he will answer their prayers, and the Egyptians will be healed. And Josephus says of this temple the following
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On which account Onias, who was the nephew of Onias that was dead, and bore the same name with his father, came into Egypt, and got into the friendship of Ptolemy Philometor, and Cleopatra his wife, and persuaded them to make him the high priest of that temple which he built to God in the nome of Heliopolis, and this in imitation of that at Jerusalem; 237 but as for that temple which was built in Egypt, we have spoken of it frequently already. Now, when Jacimus had retained the priesthood three years, he died, and there was no one that succeeded him, but the city continued seven years without a high priest. (Antiquities 20:236-237) This temple was in the nome (district) of Heliopolis as Isaiah predicted in their city of Leontopolis. It was destroyed in March of 73 by Rome, who feared the Jews would rally there as a new worship center. 2) Leviticus 17:11-12 explains why the command is not to eat blood. Since Yshua could 2|Page

not have been meaning to literally drink his blood at the Last Supper, where is there Tanakh precedent to explain exactly what Yshua meant by This wine is my blood poured out for the Renewed Covenant? In Hebraic and Aramaic thought, to eat or drink something is to make it a part of your core being. In English today when we encounter a challenging idea we will often say, Let me digest that for a while and this is the same exact concept. As a Torah observant Jew, Yshua would never tell his fellow Jews to eat ANY blood, let alone human blood and let alone HIS blood. Instead, he means the same thing that the prophet Ezekiel learned: Then He said to me, "Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel." 2 So I opened my mouth, and He fed me this scroll. 3 He said to me, "Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you." Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth. 4 Then He said to me, "Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them. 5 "For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel, 6 nor to many peoples of unintelligible speech or difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. But I have sent you to them who should listen to you; 7 yet the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, since they are not willing to listen to Me. Surely the whole house of Israel is stubborn and obstinate. 8 "Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. (Ezekiel 3:1-8 NAU) So Ezekiel is commanded speak My words for Me meaning the Torah, after he ate a Torah scroll. Yshua also has spent several chapters giving HIS WORDS before making a similar proclamation. Remember me when you have the Passover seder and take and eat and drink my teaching so it becomes a part of you. 3) Which commandment in Leviticus 18 appears to have been made tougher from the way things were done at the opening of the book of Exodus? The prohibition in Leviticus 18:12-14 against not having relations with ones aunt seems to have come later because of this line in Exodus
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Amram married his father's sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses; and the length of Amram's life was one hundred and thirty-seven years. (Exodus 6:20 NAU) 4) In another place, a command against an act that is usually considered an abomination is considered praiseworthy and righteous if an exception to the rule is invoked. What is that exception?

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'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife; it is your brother's nakedness. (Leviticus 18:16 NAU) See Deuteronomy 25 for this exception of a younger single brother marrying his eldest brothers widow so that his name may not be blotted out of Israel. 5) Where in Kedoshim do we see a procedure that the Gospel of Yochanan appears NOT to follow and that, in turn, leads to uncertainty as to whether it happened or not?
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'If there is a man who commits adultery with another man's wife, one who commits adultery with his friend's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death (Leviticus 20:10 NAU) Both the man and the woman were required to be brought forth before judgment. The Pharisees who allegedly brought the woman for Yshua to judge in Yochanan 7:53-8:11 did NOT also bring the man forward, which was required by Torah law. Either they were not following Torah, or it was a total hoax and trap or, even more likely, this event was added later and was un-historical. The first 4 earliest GREEK manuscripts of John do not have this story; nor do any of the ancient Aramaic accounts of John. AND NOW FOR THIS WEEKS PORTION 1) Meaning of this weeks Torah portion and summary of contents: Emor means he said and it is heavily concerned with purity regulations, but it then shifts into a bigger picture with restoring and re stating the sacred year. YHWH does this to show the Israelites to know they renew their covenant by following His instructions, so He repeats these rules to reassure Israel their covenant continues. Read Parsha (English-Leviticus 21:1-24:23). This week, we will read the entire portion together. 1) Play by Play commentary where appropriate. 2) Point out key Hebrew words/terms. Color Commentary: HALAL (21:6) = profane or pollute. This word is used by the rabbis to justify the ban on the Name of YHWH. Their idea is that this word sort of suggests to make common for usage of that which is sacred. But the other meaning of HALAL is that of to make desolate through substitution, like SHAV in the third commandment. Also to use another Name for Him that He did not sanction is to pollute/profane His purpose. The line in Genesis 4:26 is a perfect case in point. Almost all translations render HALAL as the verb began, viz: At that time men BEGAN to call upon the Name of Yahweh. However the rabbis use the PROFANE meaning for HALAL here and Stone suggests 4|Page

something close to, At that time, name of Yahweh profaned . The thing is, the context of the Hebrew more demands BEGIN rather than profane and Stone for example uses both meanings of HALAL at the same time to make the verse make sense in English as At that time the name of YHWH BEGAN (halal) to be PROFANED (also halal)which makes no sense. If you must choose one meaning at a time here for that word in a sentence, the BEGAN meaning allows for perfect syntactical flow whereas the PROFANE meaning does not. That is why, to the credit of JPS, the 1917, 1985 and 1999 and Bible.ort.org all use BEGAN for HALAL. This is again because of the literal Hebrew: ENOSH (men) AZ (at that time) HOCHAL (halalbegan) LQARA (to proclaim/call, literally towards calling) BSHEM (in/by the Name) Yahweh. Finally, the Aramaic Tanakh uses the word SHRI in place of HOCHAL and SHRI almost always means to begin but sometimes also to loosen. Either way it supports the idea that they were calling on Yahweh because if they loosened their inhibition, they then began calling the Name. Or, to put it another way, if you let loose the flood waters you are also saying let the flood begin. See Mathew 11:20 where Yshua SHRI (began) to revile the cities. ET-ROSHO LO YIFRA (21:10) = his head he will not let be uncovered. The Rabbis alternatively interpret this as meaning the priests hair must be cut once every 1 to 3 months, depending on the source, but all agree it means the head hair should not be allowed to grow wild to the extent that it cannot be pulled back in a neat and respectful manner. (We will be discussing the issue of Head Coverings in 1 Corinthians in detail later.) KI ANI YAHWEH MEKADESHO (21:15) = For I, Yahweh, make you Set-Apart. This is a very important statement that is overlooked by Christianity when they insist that Jews believed (or still believe) that rituals make them Set-Apart but now the new dispensation of Christ has come to make them holy now. The fact is, we have always been under grace and never have we been made holy by rituals in the Torah. Instead, as we see clearly here, it is Yahweh Himself who makes us Set-Apart, and this He has always done and will always do. He makes us Set-Apart when we do His will, His Torah, His commandments (Genesis 26:5). 21:20 commentary about blemishes, deformities and dwarfism, from Bible.ort.org: hunchback (Sifra; Bekhoroth 43b; Saadia; Septuagint. Cf. Rambam on Bekhoroth 7:2; Ibn Janach, Radak, Sherashim). Gibben in Hebrew. Or, 'grossly fat' (Chizzkuni). According to others, the first three blemishes mentioned in this verse are in the eye, and gibben denotes a person with misformed eyebrows (cf. Ralbag). Some say that it denotes a person whose eyebrows are unusually long (Targum Yonathan; Bekhoroth 43b; Rashi; Ramban; Radak, Sherashim), or whose eyebrows are attached to each other (Bekhoroth 43b). Others say that it denotes one 5|Page

with missing eyebrows (Ibid.). dwarf (Targum Yerushalmi; Ibn Ezra; Chizzkuni). Dak in Hebrew. Here too, some say that this is relating specifically to the eye. Some say that dak denotes a membrane or film over the eye, tella in Old French and Latin (Rashi; Radak, Sherashim; cf. Septuagint). Others say that it denotes a white spot on the pupil of the eye (Yad, Biyath HaMikdash 7:5; Ramban on Bekhoroth 6:2; Ralbag; cf. Bekhoroth 38b). Still others describe the dak as a loss of eyebrows (Targum Yonathan) or as droopy eyelids (Ibn Janach). blemish (Chizzkuni). Te-bhalul in Hebrew. Some say that this specifically denotes one who has a streak of white going into the iris (Rashi; Targum Yonathan; Yad, Biyath HaMikdash 7:5; Bekhoroth 38a) or pupil (Ibn Janach; Radak, Sherashim) of the eye. Others see it as a growth in the eye (Saadia), or missing eyelashes (Septuagint). It also includes a case where the eyes focus in abnormal directions (Sifra; Bekhoroth 44a). in the eye As we have seen, there is a question as to whether just one term modifies 'in the eye,' or if all three terms do. Thus, the verse can also be translated, 'Who has misshapen brows, a film, or a blemish in the eye.' Although there is a dispute as to the precise meaning of the words here, all the blemishes are known from tradition (Rambam on Bekhoroth 7:2). severe eczema Or, 'a hard dry rash,' garav in Hebrew (Bekhoroth 41a; Saadia; Rashi). See Deuteronomy 28:27. Or, 'an itch' (Radak, Sherashim) or, 'a malignant skin ulcer' (Septuagint). ringworm Yalefeth in Hebrew, leichen (lichen) in Greek (Septuagint). This is described as running sores, pimples or scabs (Bekhoroth 41a; Saadia; Rashi; Targum Yerushalmi). hernia Or 'swollen testicles' (Targum Yonathan; Saadia). Meroach ashekh in Hebrew. Or, 'crushed testicles' (Targum; Rashi; Radak, Sherashim; Chizzkuni), or 'a missing testicle' (Septuagint; cf.Targum Yerushalmi). According to others, meroach ashekh denotes a person with abnormally dark skin coloration (Bekhoroth 44b; Rambam on Bekhoroth 7:5).

LECHEM ELOHAV MIKODESHEY HA-KADOSHIM UMIN-HA KODASHIM YOCHEL (21:22) = he may eat the food offerings of his Elohim, both the Set-Apart of Set-Aparts as well as the (regular) Set-Apart (offerings). The blemish or other issue is treated as a sign of uncleanness that cannot be remedied as long as he has the problem. However, it is important to note here that said deformity does NOT cut the Levitical man off from eating the most SetApart offerings given to his family. What this teaches us is that PHYSICAL impurity does not necessarily mean MORAL impurity since that person is not cut off or separated in any way from the priests. Rather, it only bars such a person from doing the work of the priests, usually because the intense physical labor is incompatible with their condition or because the 6|Page

objects in the Tabernacle must maintain their purity. Similarly a woman or man who is ritually unclean is not a bad person either but is only barred from being in the camp or in proximity to the sanctuary. VELO YOCHAL MIN HA-KODASHIM KI IM RACHATS BESARO BA-MAYIM (22:6) = and he will not eat of the Set-Apart offerings until he has immersed his flesh in water. Here the Torah makes a distinction between those who are in a position to remedy their uncleanness voluntarily and those who cannot. Dovetailing with the previous discussion on how a Levite with a permanent infirmity still eats of even the most Set-Apart food, it is because that Levite has no remedy for his condition that such is allowed for him. But for a regular Israelite, if they can remedy their uncleanness simply by waiting for sunset and washing and choose not to do so, they are in rebellion and are therefore cut off. VESHAMERU ET-MISHMARTI VE-LO YISU ALAV CHET UMETU YECHAELUHU (22:9) = they will keep my charge and not lift up (the offering) in a sinful way that will cause them to die. The priests who are ritually unclean and have remedy to become clean again are culpable if they do not follow these instructions. Again, being unclean ritually is not a moral issue unless you can remedy it and choose not to. If a blemish renders a Levite permanently unclean they are not judged morally inferior but are merely denied the right to serve in the Tabernacle. VE-LO TECHALELU ET-SHEM KODSHI VE-NIKADASHTI BETOCH BENEY YISRAEL. ANI YAHWEH MEKADISHECHEM (22:32) = do not make common/profane to My Name. I must be Set-Apart amongst the sons of Israel. I am Yahweh, Who makes you Set-Apart. An even more specific version of the Third Commandment, proving that you will not engage in alternate expressions or substitute His Name with something common or neutral. HALAL is therefore a synonym for SHAV, the latter word being what is used in the Ten Commandments. The text literally reads and not make common towards My Name, which is similar to phraseology in both Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 where the pshat translates as do not have other elohim before Me but it is technically, do not have other elohim before My face which in turn leads to the hint that we should not put a pagan face upon YHWHs Face because both the Name and the Face denote the essence of His presence. MOEDIM (23:4) = meeting as well as appointed times. YHWH will allow you to enter into His presence if you do these correctly. You get to meet with Him. MIKRA (23:4) = convocation. A time to call out to YHWH in prayer but also, to read. Rabbis call Torah MIKRA, the called out text. Read the Mikra twice and the Targums once. AVODAH and MELAKAH (23:7): Avodah means to work as a servant or to do menial work. MELAKA addressed the payment you get because you did that work. MELAKA work will vary depending on what you do to make a living. MELAKAH means kingdom/domain so you do not expand YOUR kingdom on Shabbat but YHWHs kingdom on Shabbat. VELECHEM VEKALI VECHARMEL LO TOCHULU AD-ETSEM HA-YOM HAZEH 7|Page

(23:14) = and bread and roasted grain and fresh grain you will not eat until that day. While the general prohibition against leavened bread remains intact from the evening of the 14th to the evening of the 21st for Pesach, and while you also can ONLY have unleavened bread during this time, this commandment is dealing with another matter. Roasted grain and fresh grain or new grain, is also not allowed until the 16th, regardless as to how it is baked. This also is absolutely critical for interpreting a majorly important chronology in Joshua 5:
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The Israelites pitched their camp at Gilgal and kept the Passover there on the fourteenth day of the month, at evening, in the plain of Jericho. 11 On the very next day after the Passover, they ate what the land produced, unleavened bread and roasted ears of corn. 12 The manna stopped the day after they had eaten the produce of the land. The Israelites from that year onwards ate the produce of Canaan and had no more manna. (Joshua 5:10-12 NJB) What this tells us is the manna stopped on the day AFTER the 16th, because prior to the 16th they could NOT eat fresh grain or roasted grain. That means it must be on the 17th, and the only day the manna ever stopped falling was on the Shabbat, so Saturday morning must be the 17th of Abib, as it is in the year Tanakh points to for the Jericho campaign, 1405 BCE. It also proves that the omer count had to begin on the 16th and not Sunday, because in 1405 BCE it had to be a Friday! CHUKAT OLAM (23:21) = eternal statute, meaning it doesnt matter if you can do a sacrifice or not, or if a Tabernacle or Temple is functioning or not. Regardless, we must still count the omer. SHABBATON ZICHRON (23:24) = Shabbat of Remembrance, but the text does not directly say WHAT they are remembering per se. Just as the weekly Shabbat though was a remembrance of the Creation, so too this 7th new moon from Abib is a remembrance of the day Adam was created, and both are linked by ZAKAR, to remember the Shabbat (Exodus 20:8). This is the rationale for the rabbinic belief that Rosh Hashanna is Adams birthday. No other Shabbat is called this other than the one in Genesis 2:2-3, so it is natural to link the two in the mind of the rabbis. ANAH (23:27) = humble/bow down, to fast on Yom Kippur to be in submission to YHWHs will. Fasting humbles the soul by making it aware of its own mortality. SHEMINIETZERET (23:36) = 8th dayof retreat. While the two words do not appear adjacent to one another, they are linked conceptually in the same sentence. The 8th day of Sukkot is a time of RETREAT, to hold back from work, and as such it is the last day of the feast. VAYIKOV BEN HA-ISHAH HA-ISRE-ELIT ET-HASHEM VA-YAKALEL (24:11) = and the son of the Israelite woman cursed the Name and blasphemed. This line doesnt justify the rabbinic ban on SAYING the Name. There is no such prohibition on uttering His Name but you cannot CURSE in the Name. This became a rabbinic fence whereby if they dont speak the Name they cannot be accused of cursing in it, but that is not what the text says and in any case it violates the 3rd commandment against not substituting the Name, which using Hashem instead of YHWH clearly does. This is 8|Page

confirmed in 24:15. There will be more on this topic in the Torah Thought for the Week. EZRACH (24:22) = native born. Related to seed (zera) means one who came up from our soil. Torah Question of the Week: What does this Torah portion tells us about calendar secrets? END PART 1

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PART 2: THE HAFTORAH Torah Question of the Week: What does this Torah portion tell us about calendar secrets? In this portion we are told that YHWH says to Moshe, These are the moedim that YOU shall proclaim. As a Levite and with his brother Aaron as high priest, this tells us that Moshe and Aaron are supposed to proclaim the feasts and therefore keep the calendar secrets. It is also a fitting preview to the most important calendar-secret chapter in the entire TanakhJoshua chapter 4. Five circles: Upon the deep/Universe (Proverbs 8:27), crown of stars/seal on stars (Revelation 12:1, Job 9:9), circle of earth (Isaiah 40:22), circle of stones/Gilgal (Joshua 4), circle covenant in flesh/circumcision (also Joshua 4). 1) Haftorah portion (English- Ezekiel 44:15-21) and discuss common themes with the Torah portion. 2) Our linguistic commentary KOHENIM HA LVIYIM. (LEVITICAL PRIESTS), as if there were any other kind serving in Tabernacle? A hint that there is another lineage of priests, like Melchizedek, whom Yshua is compared to as serving in heavenly Temple/Tabernacle. SONS OF ZADOK = son of a real priest, son of Aaron. But name also means righteousness so when the priests are doing their jobs they are the sons of righteousness! Tzedeka =charity = righteousness through giving. TAAH = to go astray, or to be drunk. Morality wavers like a drunk man staggering in streets. See Isaiah 19:14-16:14 Yahweh has infused them with a giddy spirit; they have led Egypt astray in all she undertakes like a drunkard straying about as he vomits. 15 Nowadays no one does for Egypt what top and tail, palm and reed used to do. 16 That day Egypt will be like women, trembling and terrified at the threatening hand of Yahweh Sabaoth, when he raises it against her. (Isaiah 19:14-16 NJB) 3) Renewed Covenant portion: (English) Colossians 2:11-23 (all the way through with applicable footnotes.) 4) Highlight common themes in Aramaic (referred to in footnotes): Colossians 2:14 10) The Aramaic word khab means both sin and debt and in this case both meanings are meant simultaneously. Also the Aramaic word shtar means handwriting but specifically the kind of handwriting that is on a bill, which makes sense if you have debts. The end result of all this is that the certificate of debts/sins cannot be Torah. Instead it is the written second witness of our sins which would normally require penalties, but is 10 | P a g e

nailed to the beam of the stake. YHWH requires that two witnesses come forward to execute a criminal. He even holds Himself to this standard if He is one of the witnesses. As a result, when Yshua takes the certificate of our sins, he is in effect taking that required second witness out of the way. Without the written second witness, though we sin, we cannot be destroyed for that sin, and can then approach our Heavenly Father YHWH for the gift of eternal life. (Mat_6:12 some Greek texts read forgive our debts and others forgive our offenses.) Colossians 2:16 11) The Body of Mashiyach must not be concerned with the judgments of those who are outside the Malchut Elohim, that is, those who don't know Torah or Mashiyach. It is clear, given the location of this audience and the fact that Rav Shaul always references Jews directly, that Shaul is addressing the local talk of the pagans whose religion dominates this region. Colossians 2:17 12) Compare this with Col_1:24. Paul is stating that the "Body of Mashiyach" determines how to observe Torah, including Kashrut, Shabbats, Moedim and Rosh Chodeshim; therefore, don't let lawless pagans judge you; they have their own religious customs and way of doing things. For example, many choose to attend religious meetings on Sun-Day, and they have sunrise services on Ishtar (Easter), then for December 25th they put up a Tammuz (Christmas) tree that commemorates the rebirth of the Babylonian deity Tammuz. And the gold and silver balls that Christians hang on their Christmas trees originally represented Tammuz testicles, as he was renowned for pleasing the ladies. Most Christians know full well that Y'shua was not born on December 25th, but the pagan celebrations have become such entrenched traditional rituals that truth has become an embarrassing inconvenience. See Christmas in Appendix. In other words, don't let family, friends, pastors, or co-workers judge you for observing truthful Torah festivals, because their motive is for you to return to the pagan substitutes they themselves prefer. The Church today is following in the idolatrous footsteps of ancient and modern Israel according to Eze_8:14 and Jer_10:1-25; Jer_17:127. The vast majority of Christians twist this verse to teach that Shabbat and the Feasts of YHWH were fulfilled by Christ and are no longer necessary which completely contradicts what Rav Shaul taught that YHWHs Feasts are a shadow of things to come; not to mention, they are rehearsals for the Bride of Mashiyach! What Mashiyach and Paul call "good," most Christians call evil; they even believe that their pagan based rituals are sanctified through a "Christian" label (see Isa_5:14-23). Aramaic translator George Lamsa also suggests an interesting non-literal sense of the body by translating but the main objective is of Mashiyach. In other words, we are focused on the sacrifice Yshua made for us and the commandments of Torah observance that he gave us. While I cannot find any confirming evidence to render body in this manner, the sense of Lamsas rendering nonetheless accords well with the main concepts in this chapter. 5) Apply these themes/issues to modern issues in the Netzari faith. (The dividing line 11 | P a g e

between proper understanding of who messenger-angels are and not lapsing into paganism is a fine one. The Samaritans are a good example of how these scriptural themes can be taken too far. It was true then and it is true nowdont do it!) 6) Relate to all or part of an Appendix portion of AENT or footnotes from a portion (Head Coverings p. 841-844). STUDY QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED NEXT WEEK FOR THIS PORTION: 1) Ezekiel 44:19 talks about transmitting sanctification to the people from the Set-apart garments of the priests, but Haggai 2:11-14 seems to say the opposite, that the unclean things defile the Set-apart objects. How do we resolve the apparent contradiction, assuming there is one? 2) How is the command for a priest not to take a divorced woman for wife in Leviticus 21:4 different from the later ruling in Deuteronomy 24:1-3?
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We saw recently that the death of Aarons two sons while offering strange fire may have led to an official prohibition against drunkenness for future priests. However, in this portion we have another regulation that was inspired by an actual problematic event. What was that event and what is the regulation?

4) The city of Colossae had a large Jewish population that was famous for a very special item. What was that item? 5) Other than our discussion during the parsha, what is my rationale for when the omer count begins, which is to say, on the 16th, rather than being fixed to the morrow after the weekly Shabbat, or Sunday? Torah Thought for the Week: What is Blasphemy? (And What it Isnt!) In this Torah portion we saw a blasphemer put to death, but perhaps it is not clear what the offense of blasphemy really is. We get a hint of it in the Hebrew, as I said earlier, where we are told the person actually cursed the Name, and 24:15 clarifies this is YHWH we are talking about. Going from the Greek, we get the word blasphemy from blasphemeo which literally means, to speak lightly or profanely of sacred things. This word is very well used even on the Greek side in Yaakov 2:7, Do they not BLAPSHEME in the Fair Name by which they were called? This proves that Yaakov is talking about YHWH as the fair name. Such usage is also very close to the meaning of several Hebrew words we will be looking at that contain one definition of several 12 | P a g e

as to revile and these are also carried over intact into NT Aramaic, as we will soon see. But lets return to the Torah and what it has to say. In Leviticus 24:11 the word QABAB is used to indicate blasphemy, but it is actually defined as being the same as cursing itself (QALAL) but it is the specific kind of cursing associated with YHWHs Name. The word QALAL, like blasphemeo in Greek, means to make light of sacred or important things, but of all the sacred things one might make light of, the one with the stiffest penalty attached to it is with respect to YHWHs Name. Or, to put it another way. QABAB = QALAL + YHWHs Name A synonym for QABAB is NAATZ, which appears in Isaiah 52:5, though there it technically means something closer to spurn, devalue, condemn which is not quite curse per se but still very, very bad and disrespectful. The difference though between NAATZ and QABAB is that while YHWH complains about NAATZ, He does not always command the death penalty for it as He does for QABAB, which speaks of course to His great mercy and patience. On the other hand, there are exceptions. David and Bathshebas illicit offspring is condemned to death as are the Israelites who worshipped the Golden Calf in NAATZ (2 Samuel 12:4; Nehemiah 9:18, 26). But the most important word for blaspheme is GADAPH, because in each place that it appears another definition of the real sin is given, and it doesnt have anything to do with merely saying His Name:
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Isaiah said to them, "Thus you shall say to your master, 'Thus says YHWH, "Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed (gadaph) Me. (2 Kings 19:6) Assyria blasphemed because they declared in 2 Kings 18 that YHWH was unable to protect Israel, so this is definition #1, to revile Elohim and declare Him powerless. This is also the case in 2 Kings 19:22 and Isaiah 37:6 and 23. Here is definition #2 for GADAPH:
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'For this reason, son of man, speak to the House of Israel. Say to them, "The Lord Yahweh says this: Here is another way by which your ancestors outraged (gadaph) me by their infidelity (Ezekiel 20:27 NJB)

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The word for treachery, unfaithfulness is MAAL, so this becomes another descriptor for blasphemyagain having nothing to do with saying the Name. Rather, its being unfaithful to YHWHs commands or acting treacherously or treating Him as profane. Now lets move on to the same word in the Aramaic NT: (Mar 3:28) Truly I say to you, that all sins and blasphemies (gadaph) that the sons of man will blaspheme will be forgiven them. (Mar 3:29) But he who blasphemes (gadaph) against the Ruach haKodesh has no forgiveness ever, rather he is guilty before the eternal judgment." The Aramaic reads a little differently than the Greek because it is SONS OF MEN in Aramaic as opposed to the Son of Man or Yshua in the Greek, but either way the thought is the same. YHWH is most gracious to forgive blasphemies, except for that of Ruach ha Kodesh because the Ruach ha Kodesh is simply another title for YHWH Himself! Therefore to blaspheme against the Ruach is to deny its powerYHWHs powerto set up the kingdom. As Yshuas kingdom rolls out, the penalties become harder, and anything that could prevent his sacrifice and resurrection meets with this higher punishment. As such, blaspheming against the RHK cannot be repeated today. Still, reviling the power of YHWH in any form is never a good idea, but even going from the Greek, at least he is gracious enough to forgive those who blaspheme HIM as sent by his Father. Heres another example: Act 18:5 And when Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was impeded in discourse, because the Jews stood up against him, and reviled (gadaph), as he testified to them that Y'shua is the Mashiyach. Here reviled can be thought of as blasphemy because the reviling is against YHWHs own redemptive model of what He meant to do with His Son. The crowds may have thought they were only insulting Paul but they were actually insulting Elohim out of their own ignorance. And this brings us to a key point. Luke is saying there is blasphemy for that reason, going against the will of YHWH, but the rabbis also used this definition when Yshua went against their Oral Law (Mat 26:63) But Y'shua was silent and the high priest said to him, "I adjure you by the living Elohim, that you tell us if you are the Mashiyach, the Son of Elohim." (Mat 26:64) Y'shua said to him, "You have said it! But I say to you that from now on you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power and coming upon the clouds of heaven."279 (Mat 26:65) Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "Behold he blasphemes! Why therefore do we need witnesses? 14 | P a g e

Behold now you have heard this blasphemy.280 By the written Torah Yshua is blameless. He has not only accurately answered a question but, in addition to that, he has further kept Torah by not reviling (QALAL) a leader of his people! Nor is it blasphemy to quote the book of Daniel when in fact Yshua was supposed to justify his views from the Scripture! But in the minds of the Pharisees it became blasphemy because Yshua in their mind could not be the Mashiyach. In other words, Yshua had to answer the question honestly to keep the command of Exodus 22:28 and then he had to establish his answer, which was also required. This is why the Written Torah is in tension with the Oralone says this is righteous and the other calls it a capital sin. Of course, if what Yshua says is true, he cannot be guilty of blasphemy but his accusers must be instead because
(Mat 15:1) Then the scribes and the Pharisees who were from Urishlim drew near to Y'shua and said, (Mat 15:2) "Why do your disciples transgress against the traditions of the elders and do not wash their hands when they eat bread?"

(Mat 15:3) Then Y'shua answered and said to them, "Why also do you transgress against the Commandments of Elohim because of your traditions?167 (Mat 15:4) For Elohim said, 'Honor your father and mother,168 and anyone who reviles his father and his mother let him be put to death.'"169 (Mat 15:5) "But you say anyone who says to a father or to a mother, 'My offering is whatever you have gained by me,' then he does not need to honor his father or mother. (Mat 15:6) And you nullify the Word of Elohim because of your tradition.170 (Mat 15:7) Hypocrites! Well did Yesha'yahu prophesy concerning you and said, (Mat 15:8) 'This people honor me with their lips, but their heart is very far from me.' (Mat 15:9) And they revere me in vain, while they teach the doctrines of the commandments of the sons of men."171 Thats exactly what a good Jew should do. Defend the written Torah, confirm it with the Prophets and be willing to take it on the chin, since Yshuas righteousness is what is blasphemous to his enemies and it is his enemies who are guilty of the charge they have laid at Mashiyachs feet. Im Andrew Gabriel Roth and thats your Torah Thought for the Week! Next week we will be exploring a double portion. First, BaHar, or Leviticus 25:1-26:2, followed by our Haftorah portion will be Jeremiah 32:6-27 and our Renewed Covenant portion Luke 4:1621 and Galatians 5:1-13! Then BeChukkotai or Leviticus 26:3-27:34, with Haftorah portion Jeremiah 16:19-17:14 and 15 | P a g e

our Renewed Covenant portion will be Ephesians 2:11-19! Stay tuned!

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