Parashat Sh'mini

(Leviticus 9:1 - 11:47)

There is no eighth day in a week, yet the concept continues to show up over and over in Scripture, so it exists somewhere. The eighth day links us with circumcision (12:3), when a boy is turned over completely to the covenant. It is a day for moving on. It is also when a firstborn animal is taken from its mother to be given to YHWH (Ex. 22:30), and a leper is cleansed on the eighth day. (Lev. 14:23) The eighth day of Sukkoth is an "encore" to carry on the joy of those seven days. It is a picture of eternity rather than a return to the first day as we usually do after the Sabbath, and thus it illustrates the "new heaven and the new earth", when all that is accomplished during the 7,000 years of building the Kingdom will be finished (for even during the Kingdom there will still be major adjustments to make), and we will finally BE the Kingdom. But if it is so far off, we have plenty of time, do we not? No, that is Greek thinking, for there are many "eighth days" in the life of a Hebrew--in relation to each aspect of our growth. There may be many times YHWH brings out the yardstick to measure our obedience or our love for one another, when we do not even know we are being measured. There is always a seventh day right before the eighth, when we are together as a community and can practice letting go of self. When we reach that point where YHWH thinks we have had enough training, the gates are closed. If we have not become mature enough by that time of testing, it is too late for this time around. If we are still holding onto self, we cannot move on into the Kingdom yet. YHWH tells us to circumcise our own hearts lest His fury burn us away during that test. (Yirmeyahu 4:4) We may be circumcised in body but not in heart (Yirm. 9:25-26), and no one in either of these categories will be permitted to enter YHWH's sanctuary. (Y'hezqEl 44:9) We do not know when the tests will come, so we must always be cutting away the excess flesh that hampers us from having the Kingdom as our motivation. Unlike the circumcision of a baby, where the amount of flesh removed is tiny, our heart often lies buried deep beneath many layers, and we need to remove one at a time. And like the foreskin, these layers can grow back if not properly tended. Much is cut away on the seventh day through the teaching of YHWH's word, but if we are not watchful, we will fall back into the same sins on the first day again--and what if that first day is an eighth day? In this immediate context, after seven days of intimately getting to know YHWH's dwelling place, and being circumcised in heart, the priests now seal the continuity of this completion with a special ceremony. It is like moving into a finished home. Prior to this, only Moshe could draw near to YHWH; now a way was made for the whole congregation of Israel to do so. He set a particular family in place to ensure its continuity, instead of leaving it up to a random, inconsistent priesthood of the firstborn of each family, who might or might not be well taught. But the priests now understand that they are to be an example to the people of what the Kingdom is about, and they are being presented to the people as such. As a Kingdom of priests, our performance is also to be of such a caliber that when others look at us, they see the Kingdom. Though we are not in Aharon's position, but are to pass the Torah on to the next generation, and we hope it will be in better condition than we received it. Like the priests, we must be one with His dwelling place (which He prefers that Israel be). Wherever we are not fully dedicated, we need an "eighth day". They do not need the entire congregation here for this ceremony, so he calls the representatives of each household or clan. It would be dishonorable to the elders to invite those of lesser rank, for they need to make sure that all those under their authority understand what the Kingdom is, where their motivations are, and what their responsibilities are. Yahshua also made a way for us to draw near when He renewed the covenant, but in order to fully grasp what that means, we need to understand each of the sacrifices offered here.

Son of the herd: traditionally, one in its second year. (Rosh HaShanah 10a). Conspicuously absent from this passage is the common line, "And YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying…" Now Moshe is the only one speaking. He represents the Torah, which YHWH had given to Israel. On issues to which it already speaks, there is no need to ask Him any further questions. But notice that Aharon is now told to do for himself everything that Moshe did on his behalf on the first day. He was in the tent for the last seven days; how did he sin again? He did not, but until his own hands dealt with his sin, the sin still had a foothold and could come back to haunt him. What was done on the first day (chapter 8) is what will be done on the eighth; this is a picture of the spiral that is eternity. But Moshe did it the first time as an example, and bore the burden that time; now the priests must do it for themselves in the way Moshe trained them to do it. They offer exactly what Moshe did, but it must come from them this time. What Moshe brought was sufficient for seven days, but it would not see him through to the eighth day. By the eighth day, we must take responsibility for our own sins and the places we still have our flesh to deal with. Yahshua offered himself so that we could learn to offer ourselves. His blood is not enough if we do not also start dealing with our own sins when we are mature enough to do so, just as a parent trains a child to use the toilet though changing his diapers at first. It is easier to know what to do when we have seen someone else do it than when we only read about it. But example is not enough; we must become doers of the Word, not hearers alone. (Yaaqov 1:22) An example is worthless if it does not motivate us to do the same. Neither Moshe nor Yahshua can walk out the Kingdom for us. The Torah and Yahshua both make offerings continually (Heb. 7:25), but witnessing someone else giving themselves to YHWH is not the same as doing it ourselves. The Torah and the Psalms tell us how. The offering of a calf may also be to ensure that Aharon fully renounces what he allowed the people to worship at Sinai. Moshe had dealt with it the first time, but he must put his own hand to it before he can do any work in this sanctuary.

4. "'Then [fetch] a bull and a ram as peace offerings to slaughter before YHWH, along with a food offering mixed with oil, because today YHWH will appear to you.'"

This is what we have really been waiting for; everything prior to it was just preparation, but the process of drawing near is important as well, so it is detailed here. The elders could not just stand and watch; they now had to get involved. Every kind of offering is brought here except the guilt offering, which is directly related to misuse of something holy, for thus far nothing has actually been set apart, and it has all been guarded heavily during the past seven days, so there should no possibility of committing this offense yet.

When the elders went to get all of these animals, either they brought the whole congregation back with them, or the people just came out of curiosity, to see what they were going to do with the animals. In any case, the elders' obedience brought the people near. All of the animals were brought on behalf of all of Israel, but those who donated the seven animals would have more merit than the rest. This would have been an all-day affair.

Ya'aqov (James) echoes this when he says, "Draw near to YHWH, and He will draw near to you." (4:8) Weightiness: authority, importance, glory. The priests are now in order, but they and the people must offer themselves again if they are to see YHWH's power. They are in the place they are meant to be, so they are in His presence, though they cannot see Him. They are not asked to mutilate themselves like the priests of Baal so that they can make YHWH perform tricks; the point is to come closer to Him--as if to sit on His lap in His favorite chair, at ease and in security. He is always actually in charge, but if we obey and bring the equivalent of these offerings as far as we can, we will perceive it, and that is what makes the difference. As we offer ourselves along with our doubts, we will see proof of His presence. He will not give us a photograph of Himself, but if the Torah is real in us, we will see in one another that He is real. He will be present in the smiles, the example, and the rebuke of those who are doing what He said to do. If the fire in someone else kindles a fire in you as well, He is there. He is weightier than anything else we could ever put on the scale. This will remove the fear of anything else. But if we are not returning to Him, we should not expect Him to return to us. If you want to know He is real, walk toward Him in an area where you have not experienced Him before. If you are not finding Him where you are, you may be in the wrong place. He will not inhabit certain things, so do not expect to find Him there.

The people were atoned for twice. The priest's offering covers them figuratively as he acts as a microcosm of the whole congregation as he bears the names of all the tribes on his shoulders. It purified him, figuratively, to a level of holiness where he could make the second offering as a representative for the rest. Contrast Yahshua, who did not have sins of his own to atone for first. (Heb. 7:27) But he likewise covered our sins, allowing us to ascend as well and become qualified to be "living sacrifices" to YHWH. (Romans 12:2) This is the end of the era in which firstborn sons were the priests (Numbers 3:12), though they remain so in a limited sense, as the father does to his family.

Himself: This one is not even for his son as well, but for sins of his own; most directly it relates to correcting his error for making a golden calf to sacrifice TO. As the one in charge, he was also the example, and thus was held to a higher standard. If he was not upright, the rest of the people would be unlikely to be either. Christian doctrine says one's sins are all gone if he prays a simple prayer, but like a building with invisible bacteria clogging its air ducts, sins from our past, though invisible, can still make us ill if not dealt with in particular. We must approach YHWH or others in the community into which He has put us to help us find out how to do so in each case.

Rabbinic tradition says the first sacrifice here was an atonement for the specific sin of the rest of the tribal fathers against Yoseyf in selling him into slavery, since they stained his clothing with male goat kid's blood (Gen.37:31). This was to restore the unity of all his brothers. Horns: the term does not always refer to an animal's horns, but sometimes to rays like those that come through the clouds from the sun—projections of the same shape. This is what they correlate with in this case. The life that is placed on the altar is meant to be expanded upward so that this is the first YHWH "sees" when He looks at the altar. Life is also at the foundation of the place Israel deals most directly with YHWH. The offerings accomplish nothing physically, but what they represent should make us come away from the offering as different persons than we were when we came.

11. and he burned the flesh and the hide with fire on the outside of the camp.

"Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of YHWH." (1 Corinthians 15:50) But this was a sin offering; we do not want to eat of sin, nor do we want this mixed with the thanks offerings eaten at the altar.

13. Then they presented him with the ascending offering section by section, as well as the head, and he caused them to go up in smoke on the altar.

Head: We must not only surrender our own thoughts, but also the headship we want to retain if YHWH has set us under another. Next time you want to do something your own way instead of the way the leader He has given us wants to, picture yourself sitting on YHWH's throne as a usurper. It does not fit you! This should give you a healthy fear of Him.

15. Then he brought the people's offering--the he-goat of the sin offering which is for the people --and slaughtered it [by slitting its throat painlessly], making it a sin offering like the first.

For the people: Aramaic, "which belonged to the people". There were two sin offerings: the bull for Israel corporately, and the goat for Israel individually. While the first might have given some people room to think they were an exception to the general rule that the nation was imperfect, the crutch was kicked out by the second, which made them understand that the sin offering was required of them specifically. As Ya'aqov (2:10) said, "Whoever keeps the whole Torah, yet offends in one point, is guilty of [it] all." And Yahshua pointed out in his "Sermon on the Mount" (Matithyahu 5-7) that sin is a much larger umbrella than merely the act itself; it is missing the mark in any way. When a child is born, even if no commandment was disobeyed, blood is spilt, and this is in effect robbing YHWH and must be atoned for.

17. Then he brought the grain offering near, and filled his palm from it and caused this [part] to go up in smoke on the altar, besides the morning ascending [offering].

Morning ascending: This means that at least by this point, the regular daily offerings had already begun to be brought.

Presented the blood to him: literally, "caused him to find the blood".

The fat represents the best. The bull represents turning over our security. The fat tail is equivalent to a Hebrew word for an oath, so it represents a promise to bring the best at the next level.

21. But Aharon swung the breasts and the right foreleg back and forth before YHWH as a wave offering, as Moshe had commanded.

It is a rare and awe-inspiring thing when someone not only takes up a responsibility given to him, but also does it rightly. This kind of outcome is very elusive today, as modern cultures and religion have taught us to blame everything on someone else and to think we are not capable of doing things perfectly.

The root meaning of "blessed" is "bent the knee to". In other words, the high priest was bowing lower to give of himself to them--a perfect picture of Yahshua. He would have used the blessing found in Numbers 6:23ff. Descended: The only place he could descend from at the tabernacle was the altar, so he must have been standing on it when he blessed the people. The pattern for His messengers is to ascend to YHWH, then to descend to serve the rest of Israel.

Came into the tent: Rabbinic writers say they went inside because Aharon now understands how grievous a sin it was to build the golden calf, and he is not sure it is all really taken care of. This is why he only blessed the people with one hand. (v. 22) While inside, Moshe gave him the reassuring answers he needed, and they came out together to bless the people with two hands. Appeared: Since He had promised to do this if they obeyed (v. 6), this display of His satisfaction assured the people that they were on the right track. Only when His vessels--the man picturing the eternal Torah and the man foreshadowing the eternal priest, Yahshua--carry the blessing in unity, YHWH's authority ("weightiness") be fully revealed in the earth. A gospel that presents only liberation from sin is "lightweight", but after leaving Egypt, we must become a nation with a mission as well. The Torah brings gives us a charter, a covenant, a deeper, more substantive role, not as individuals, but as a people.

This was no magic trick. There was apparently some large flare-up, possibly from the drippings of fat, or even a bolt of lightning. It was not necessarily as spectacular as Hollywood special effects, but was significant enough to be seen as a sign of YHWH's acceptance of the offerings, as if He Himself were eating them, for "consumed" also means "ate" in Hebrew. But the fact that the Tent of Appointment, to which they had contributed, was now finally going to be put to use would in itself be a very emotional thing. There was a similar event when Shlomoh dedicated the Temple. (1 Kings 8:10-11) Shouted for joy: the word also includes the sense of being a shrill gasp of awe. The response was the same when the Temple was restored after the exile. (Ezra 3:11)

CHAPTER 10

Strange fire: illegitimate, foreign, even "adulterous" fire of apostasy "from another place". It is not from something close to YHWH. Provided: The fire was of their own making, not taken from the altar fire that YHWH Himself had kindled (6:2-8), and the incense was burned not on the altar of incense as prescribed, but in firepans of their own. They had never been commanded to do this, and some rabbis interpret the last phrase as saying He had actually commanded them not to. We must examine all the possibilities so we will be sure we do not end up as they did. The only command similar to this which had already been given was to not bring a different type of incense. (Ex. 30:9) Later, probably because of this incident, YHWH clarified that any fire for the incense in His house was to be taken from the bronze altar. (Lev. 16:12-13) They had certainly not been trained by Moshe or Aharon to do this, so at the very least they were unauthorized. Burning incense near temples was common in most pagan religions, and continues to this day through Catholicism. Not that incense itself is pagan, but it was foreign to YHWH in this context. Aharon alone was authorized to bring incense inside the Tent. (Ex. 30:8) They probably saw this done in Egypt, where priests were counted more powerful even than Pharaoh. Their position may have gone to their head, making them think they were now the most important people in Israel, and could therefore act on their own. This became a constant pattern in Israel, to the point of Efrayim eventually saying the Torah was fully done away with. Some have added to the Word of YHWH; others have taken away from it. Either way, it makes our offering something foreign to Him. In order to seem "generous" (which is what Nadav means), Christians have allowed rituals from other (pagan) sources to continue, and tried to fit them into the categories YHWH has prescribed. We are trying to remove foreign influences from our worship; this, like then, is no time to introduce new elements into the worship of YHWH that come from our own hearts, even if they seem harmless. It might have made perfect sense to d it this way, but did they "read the instructions" first? Even if our desires are pure, if YHWH's stamp of approval is not on them, it is not acceptable. There might have been no selfishness involved, but many in the Church are genuinely seeking the Creator, yet they approach Him in ways He did not ask for. It does not matter how great your idea or if everyone around you agrees; it must line up with YHWH's instruction. Avihu's name means "he is my father". Their pedigree did not exempt them from responsibility. (Compare Mat. 3:7-12) The rest of the people had just fallen on their faces in awe of YHWH; why were these two priests still standing up? Are they just not impressed, or do they see themselves as part of the "show"? Did they not see themselves as part of the people since they were more highly ranked? They each acted as an individual, doing the same thing, but separately rather than in unity. When we act for our own benefit or from our own motives, we act alone. In a gathering of Israel, that in itself is "strange fire". Since Moshe and Aharon had their reunion in the wilderness, they had been acting as a team, with each knowing his job and doing it in dependence on the other (9:23) A man of understanding will seek wise counsel so he can become even wiser. (Prov. 1:5; 9:9; 11:14; 15:22) Paul's finest words (Philippians 2:1ff) came when they were written together with Timothy. Moshe and Aharon had been seeking only YHWH's fire, and when they were together in every way, it did come. So quickly this unity, which was demonstrated minutes before, was now lost. The incense they used was apparently correct; it was the source of the fire that was not. Incense represents prayer, but the fire represents the motive that carries it upward. Even if everything was done just the way He said, if the motive is wrong, it is "strange fire". Whether for power and self-will or just being caught up in the emotion of the moment, either was a foreign motivation for people whose calling was to serve the people of Israel and YHWH. It may have seemed like the Holy Spirit, but since Moshe had not commanded them to do this, it was a different spirit. A leader must be able to go beyond the excitement and carry out his orders correctly, or he will mislead many. Those with a higher calling must not do what seems right, but what is right. "Behold both the kindness and the severity of YHWH" (Rom. 11:22); to present Him as severe and Yahshua as kind is to make an unrighteous distinction. The remainder of this portion teaches us the types of distinctions we ARE to make.

They had gotten on the wrong side of the same fire that had just provided great blessing to Israel (9:24), and it destroyed them. As one of the first sacrifices in the new Tabernacle, this set the tone for all later ones, just as the immediate punishment for Hananyah and S'firah's deceitful "gift" did when the covenant was renewed. (Acts 5) The very question, "Why did you hold back?" killed them. They had no time to answer. From the very start, "Judgment must begin with the household of YHWH." (1 Kefa/Peter 4:17) In neither case had they had much experience, but it is a dangerous thing to remain immature when they could have done better because of the examples of those who came before them. These priests had in some sense seen YHWH and yet were spared at that time (Ex. 24:1-11); they were held so much more responsible to carry out their instructions precisely, so when they became careless about what they were teaching the whole congregation, judgment was swift and harsh. A rectification for this act was seen in Pin'khas, who did not wait and force YHWH to judge a fellow priest who was beginning to let the Divine Sanctuary look like a pagan temple by his actions, but acted against what he knew was unholy. (Numbers 25:7) They died without any sons, so their house perished, even while the tent of the righteous was flourishing, because they followed the way that seemed right--that of their own hearts--and it led to death. (Proverbs 14:10-12)

Moshe seems to be saying, "That's what He was talking about!" It is difficult to find a previous statement like this, but it does tell us that whatever the young priests did, they had not been taking YHWH or His authority seriously enough. As Yahshua said, "To whom much is given, of him much will be required." (Luk. 12:48) Those who lead others in the knowledge of YHWH are held to a much higher standard. (Yaaqov/James 3:1) Our lives need to demonstrate that YHWH has all authority, so that no one can tell the difference between what we are doing and what He is doing. (Yoch. 14) Since they ignored His fire for their own, this fire destroyed them.

Uzzi-El was Moshe's uncle as well, but for a brief moment in YHWH's eyes there is no connection between Moshe (a picture of Torah) and Aharon, since it was Aharon's household that overstepped. Come near: the same word that forms the root for the term commonly translated "sacrifice". "Relatives": literally, "brothers". They were actually "cousins once removed", but in Middle Eastern terminology, such relatives can also be called "brothers" in a looser sense. Notice that all of those used to remove the evil bore Elohim's name within their own.

By their tunics: or "in their tunics". Hananyah and S'firah pretended to be generous (Heb., nadav) but were struck dead immediately so that "a little leaven would not leaven" the fledgling congregation. Hananyah "gave up his spirit", just as these two sons of Aharon apparently only had their souls consumed within them, since their clothing seems to have remained intact and thus their bodies do not seem to have been charred. They died spiritually first, and now they were mere empty vessels. Where was their soul? In the blood (17:11), so YHWH took their blood, and probably also the particular internal organs and fat that one would bring from a bull as a sin offering. They were already at the entrance to the Tent--the place they would bring such an offering. In this case YHWH did not allow an animal substitute, but took the "best" from their own bodies as payment for their sin. But this means that the price for what they did has already been paid, and, having provided such an example to the rest of Israel, albeit in a negative way, they may have great honor in the Kingdom. These men were not goats or sheep, but bulls--the best of the best, except for Moshe and Aharon, probably righteous individuals who made one mistake in the wrong place, just as Moshe and Aharon would later do and have a stiff penalty because of it. The men carrying them out would not touch their flesh, only their garments, which YHWH had preserved in honor of the set-apart calling they represented. They may have even been cremated like the bull would have been.

Aharon and those in line for his position were allowed no public display of mourning (Num. 6:5), because this was not fitting as exemplars of the Torah which emphasizes life, and they were not in a position to go off duty; they had too big a responsibility to have time even to mourn. Though the rest of the people may not have even seen them struck down, since they were bowing down at the time, the loss of half of Aharon's sons was permitted, even commanded, to be felt by the rest of the community, for they were very important and worthy of mourning. It was also meant to shake them up and instill fear of YHWH in us all. But the position of highest priesthood, and its pictures of YHWH's perfection, took priority over their personal grief. As Yahshua said, the dead can bury the dead; those whom He has called must take a holier path, for they have a job to do among those still living. Once they put their hand to the plow, they may not look back even for their own family's sake. Yahshua does not allow us to choose family members over devotion to him. (Matt. 10:37) The Apostles would not leave their special calling to carry out a task others, who were not specially called to be teachers, could do. (Acts 6) Y'hezq'El was in a similar position when Israel in exile lacked priests; everything he did was for the benefit of the whole nation, and when his wife died, YHWH forbade him to mourn as well. (Y'hezq'El 24:16-17) The high priest was never to tear his garments (21:10). Yet at Yahshua's trial, the high priest did just that, and thus defiled his office even while he was supposedly defending his people against perceived blasphemy. He or his father-in-law had bought the position, sold to the highest Levite bidder, as a matter of status and pride; he had not inherited that position from his father, as was commanded, so he was not the true priest in YHWH's eyes. It may have been in part for this that the Temple rituals were taken from the Levites for so many centuries; yet one day this will be restored, because "the gifts and calling of YHWH are irrevocable" (Rom. 11:29).

Through the holy oil, they were tied to the Tabernacle; they were allowed to have nothing to do with any mention of death, because Torah is life (Deut. 32:47). The basis for this oil is olive oil, which was used to light the menorah, which lights up the bread representing the twelve tribes. This picture must not be broken. To go outside the confines of the holy precinct would defile the oil. They must not depart from the work of the kingdom for any purpose that exists on the outside. Keyfa had more definite authority from Yahshua than Paul ever did, and he said that to become entangled again in the world's pollutions after coming to the knowledge of Messiah--which means keeping YHWH's commands as part of Israel--is worse than never coming in the first place. (2 Keyfa 2:20ff)

9. "You shall not drink wine nor strong drink, [neither] you nor your sons with you, when you go into the Tent of Appointment, so that you will not die; this is a never-ending statute throughout your generations,

This is so their judgment would not be altered while he is teaching the Torah or carrying out the Tabernacle's duties. (Compare Prov. 31:4ff.) This raises the question of whether the overuse of wine was what had predisposed Nadav and Avihu to drop their guard and do what they did. Nothing must cloud their discernment when making rulings on what is holy or pure and what is common. But there are many things other than wine that are strong enough to pervert our judgment. Some of them are commerce, loyalty to our earthly families, or our own abilities. While all of these are proper in moderation, it is only pure water (a picture of the Torah) that we must drink deeply of. The priest and prophet must not do anything that would make them stumble in their judgment. (Yeshayahu 28:7) The Talmud instructs teachers to answer their students' questions only after the effect of alcohol has worn off.

Though the world tells us not to discriminate, those who serve YHWH must do so. The Kingdom requires it. (More about this in chapter 11.) Impurity is a picture of selfishness; it is different from sin per se, but the type of distinction is essentially the same. See note on 11:47. Actually only the high priest (not even his sons) was to bring the incense to the altar. It may be that their greatest sin was to destroy the picture that there is "one mediator between YHWH and men".

The hand of Moshe: which wrote the Torah. This is the reason all these regulations were given. Yes, there are health benefits; cloven-hoofed animals avoid infection more effectively, those that chew the cud provide far better sustenance to us, and those that cannot filter their food do spawn all sorts of diseases. YHWH certainly had this aspect in mind when He told us what not to eat. But the main thing is what they picture about what type of people we are to be. Mal'akhi 2:7 makes it even clearer, based on this passage, that it is the priests who are to be the authorities on the Torah. While they are not fulfilling their role now, for the most part (which is part of why Mal'akhi was written), others may have to temporarily fill the gap, but they must be ready to step back aside once the rightful teachers are back in a position to do so.

13. "and you shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your prescribed portion and the prescribed portion due to your sons from [among] the offerings [made by] fire unto YHWH, for thus I have been commanded.

14. "You shall also eat the breast of the wave offering and the foreleg of the contribution you shall eat in a ritually-pure place--you, your sons, and your daughters along with you, because your due portion and the portion due to your children has been granted from what is slaughtered for the peace offerings of the descendants of Israel.

15. "The foreleg of the contribution and the breast of the wave offering, in addition to fire offerings of the fat they shall bring to swing to and from as a wave offering before the face of YHWH, and for you and your children with you it shall be a prescribed portion forever, as YHWH has commanded."

This "firstfruits family" had strict responsibilities and were even told what they could or could not wear, touch, eat, think, or talk about. They were told who they could and could not marry, how to cut their hair, and when to change their clothes--all so that they would raise all of Israel to a level higher than they would have otherwise come. They could not even accidentally wander into the courtyard wearing the wrong thing, or they might die. Every aspect of their lives must reflect the fact that YHWH is set apart. This seems like a life without freedom, but in exchange for this their inheritance was YHWH Himself. Is there any comparison? Having His ear, His affection, and His hand in their lives to this extent was a privilege that cannot be obtained in any other way. If we truly trust Him, this is no loss. He allows us to give up our free will so that we can walk with Him as in the Garden.

17. "Why didn't you eat the sin offering in the Holy Place? Because it is most holy, and He has given it to you to lift away the perversion of the congregation, to make atonement for them before YHWH!

At this point, all they were eating was bread. The meat had been left on the altar beyond the point of cooking. Their eating it, however, was part of the atonement process for Israel, and if they did not eat of it, there was no atonement, much like Yahshua's strange statement that his body is bread and his blood is the wine of the covenant. If they are not taking it into themselves and becoming one with it, the job is not done. But Moshe was not speaking to Aharon at this point, because Aharon now had even higher authority than Moshe. As far as Moshe is concerned, he "is YHWH", because, like Yahshua, he is His chief representative. He dare not confront him with sin in front of the entire congregation. But a job has not been done, and he holds the younger priests responsible.

He seems to have been afraid that Aharon and his surviving sons were going to be destroyed, too, for the same type of carelessness about the Instruction.

He could not have done this job with his whole heart in these circumstances, and he refused to fake it. But he also understands that he is a picture of YHWH, and when he and his sons eat of this animal, it represents YHWH eating it. And he knows that this day he has failed by not restraining his sons. Aharon had, at best, failed to tell his sons, "If you are not told to do it, don't do it here." He could not pretend that he had done well enough at representing YHWH, so he feels that he cannot eat on behalf of YHWH. To do so would be hypocritical when it was his own household that had ruined this eighth day.

Acceptable: the same term translated "pleasing" in verse 19. But though no outward display of mourning was permitted to Aharon, he was allowed to express his heart's pain by refraining from the enjoyment of something rightfully his. He did not violate the Torah in this, because anything not used up was to be burned (Deut. 16:4ff). A sacrifice was considered complete only when it was either eaten or burned (as Yahshua's sacrifice is considered wasted if we do not draw near and partake of it, Heb. 10). On a day like this, they had no appetite, especially after these few men had eaten their share of so many other sacrifices. (In second Temple times, there was even a stomach doctor always on call to treat priests who, obediently, ate such large quantities of meat.) Moshe was also pleased because he saw that Aharon was finally seeing that eating the sacrificial animals actually meant more than just a meal provided for these men who had no inheritance of their own so they could serve the whole nation.

CHAPTER 11

The last time He spoke to them both together had been back in Egypt! (Ex. 12:43) But after they have blessed the people together and Aharon has undergone this terrible tragedy, his focus is right. Though we ask that YHWH might correct us without having to harm us in the process, sometimes it is the only way, just as we must discipline our children into doing what is best for them. David was more fearful of being without YHWH than of what He could do to him (Psalm 51:11), and that is a better motivation. Now there is again a oneness with Moshe that has been missing for some time. Also, Moshe represents the legal side of Israel and Aharon represents the worshipful or "religious" side. What follows is indeed legislation, but it is also about our connection to YHWH. It is a spiritual pursuit as much as the Sabbath and festivals are.

Many things are edible, but not all are food for Israel. Kosher means "acceptable" or "fit for consumption". The salient question we must ask is, "Why?" The commandments are given so that it may go well with us and that our days may be prolonged. (Deut. 4:40) We are still in the context of Nadav and Avihu, who just proved that disobeying them brings death. Beast: Heb, behemah (pl. behemoth--which we think of as a huge animal, but at root it simply means a "dumb" animal--one incapable of communicating with language). At a deeper level, "living things" here is not only talking about animals, but what we take into ourselves in any fashion. There are many things in the world that we cannot see, like the wind, and only some of them speak life to us. From among every option, these are the ones we are to partake of. If we examine ourselves, there are also all kinds of different "beasts" within ourselves--our likes, dislikes, habits, abilities, emotions, priorities, prejudices, or preferences. We are each a microcosm--but not all parts of us truly belong to life. The things of life are the ones we want to select to make into "who we are", for we have many points where we can choose how we turn out. Out of all the influences on us, as well as our own inner inclinations, we have to choose which ones to let remain silent--as "dumb animals"--and which we want to let speak. It is as if we have a whole zoo within ourselves, and we try to keep each "animal" in its cage. Sometimes they escape, and we realize we didn't know we had such things in us--whether the surprise is pleasant or not. Sometimes our own wisdom amazes us, and sometimes we find ourselves doing things we never imagined we could do. But we do have gates to keep them in, most notably our mouths. The mark of a beast (not the one in the book of Revelation!) is that what it is about is itself. Our survival instincts are called "animal instincts". There are exceptions--some examples of altruism among them--but in general, what makes animals different from humans, philosophically, is the lack of a higher soul. They just follow their own appetites. The beasts that are in me are the things that are all about me. But even there, some of them have to do with life. It is not always wrong to want to preserve self. Some of the things that are about me are really about us as a whole. YHWH even appeals to this by saying that if we keep His commands, it will go well with us and we will prolong our days. (Deut. 4:40) In chapter 10, Nadav and Avihu lost their lives because they did not follow His instructions. The Torah is about life. (Deut. 32:47) It helps us distinguish which things within ourselves to nourish and which to let starve. The righteous are taught wisdom by what they eat. Certain things are worth putting into our mouths, for they have attributes that we want to take into ourselves. Clean animals have a certain diet, and we do not live by bread alone, but by YHWH's words. (Deut. 8:3) The more we teach these to one another, the less room there will be in us for things that serve self. One advantage of assembling together regularly (Heb. 10:25) is that we have others to hold us accountable and help us carry the weight of obedience. It is easier to do right when we know others are watching, though we must quickly go beyond that to better motives.

Totally cloven-footed: there are inner and outer hoofs, and on some animals, like the horse, only the inner hoof is cloven; the inside and outside must both be the same to be the proper picture--just as what was on the inside of the Ark of the Testimony had to be the same as what was on the inside. The hooves are each one unit, yet they must be "rightly divided", a picture of the way we must treat YHWH's word. (2 Tim. 2:15) A divided hoof makes these animals extremely sure-footed--even the cow with its legs that look much too small to support its weight. Sheep and goats can even run on narrow paths on sheer mountain cliffs without falling off because of such feet. They teach us about walking correctly on the narrow path. (Mat. 7:17) If we ponder the path of our feet, our ways can be established. (Prov. 4:26) If we seek out the ancient/eternal path (Yirmeyahu/Jer. 6:16), and walk the path of being set apart (Yeshayahu 35:8), even if we are not too bright, we will end up in the right place. Exodus 23:14 also uses the term "feet" to describe the three pilgrimage festivals, so the feet of the animals we eat should remind us of our duty to keep them. We must line our feet up with YHWH's "feet" by walking in His seasons. We are to feed on YHWH's commandments (Deut. 8:3; Yirm. 15:16) and not to eat of just any philosophy that comes along. Bringing up: Heb., "causing to ascend", which is what these instructions were all about (10:11). The cud: not what one eats, but what it brings back up and chews on further. Rumination is a picture of repeatedly meditating at length on YHWH's Word (Y'hoshua 1:8), thinking about it from different angles, praying to receive the right interpretation, and gaining more insight from it each time. It is not cud if it is heard but forgotten about. We need to meditate on it day and night, because each time provides different insights. Psalm 19:14 directly links meditation with what is in our mouths. Prov. 13:25 contrasts the righteous, whose soul is satisfied, with the wicked (plural) who focus on their belly (singular). This is appropriate for babies, who might not be fed if they did not make their needs known, but not for the mature. The Hebrew word for belly can also mean womb, the place of ultimate security, but security never satisfies. It always disappoints us, but the One who watches Israel never sleeps. Ruminant animals have four stomachs, and it is no coincidence that there are traditionally four levels of understanding for every passage of Scripture: the literal, the connections the wording leads us to in other passages, the figurative application to daily life, and the deeper meaning. The Hebrew names for these four levels form an acronym meaning "Paradise". Only the fourth stomach is like a human stomach. While we are individually lacking the other three stomachs and we cannot understand the depths of YHWH's word through one encounter with a text, we can "digest" it further when joined with others who are seeking His word. Discussing our different experiences give us additional filters through which to process it. It is crucial to assemble regularly and provide one another with such "feedback". Thus, chewing the cud is one of the attributes that belong to life.

If it does not have both characteristics, one may not eat it. Camels have inward "works", but not outward. The padded part of their feet is what supports the weight; Ibn Ezra said their hooves are so small they could almost be called mere claws. What is in their mouth is right, but their walk is not. They have the right kind of feet for the desert, but that was where the descendants of Israel did NOT keep YHWH's festivals. It was a transitional place, like the church. It does not matter how much of one's conversation is about Torah if his walk is selfish. We should not eat of what these people offer or let them be our examples. Look to those better than ourselves for examples, not to those who do less than we do, for that will only appear to give us an excuse for not striving to do better than we already do. Compare yourself to them--or to the Torah standard itself. It is not enough to study, or to wear Hebraic clothing made in Yerushalayim. Half-kosher (like "kosher style" spicing of meat still slaughtered improperly) is not kosher at all. Clean animals also put out milk for their young, a picture of our being able to teach others to do the same as we do; otherwise there is no continuance. But while cows and sheep give milk, so do camels and pigs. We have to beware of the sources of the "milk" we take in. Feet are linked with the Glad News and the Kingdom (Yeshayahu/Isaiah 52:7). They have both a different Gospel and have started a counterfeit kingdom. Unclean: symbolic of selfishness. Kosher laws were not new to this time; which animals were clean was known at least as far back as Noakh (Gen. 7), and they were gathered in sevens--the number of completion, and the number of the Sabbath, the foreshadowing of the Kingdom, and this is the pattern we are to follow. The things we eat should only be things that lead us toward the completion of YHWH's work in the Kingdom. If it is not worth meditating on, do not take it into yourself.

Rock hyrax: coney or rock badger, a small mammal with short feet and no tail that nests in the clefts of rocks in the Negev (Psalm 104:18), living in small groups (Prov. 30:26).

This is thought to be the angora rabbit, whose fur is prized. (Shabbath 27a) For you: for anyone who wants to be part of YHWH's covenant with Israel; it is not binding on anyone else, but then none of the blessings that go with obeying His commandments accrue either.

The pig is the most deceitful type since at first glance it seems kosher. It likes to lie flat on its belly with its feet straight out so that we can easily see that its hooves are split, so its tiny legs can carry its strangely-shaped body sure-footedly even through the slippery mud. It is fat, so we may assume it is blessed, until we look closer. It pictures the kind of people who seem holy on the outside, but when the test comes, prove to "inwardly [be] ravening wolves". They do their works before men, but there is no Torah in their mouth. Pigs are indiscriminate about what they eat--eating fecal matter, young human children, and even their own young. This pictures the naïve who believe every word. (Prov. 14:15) They have no sweat glands (thus no one has ever sweated like a hog!), so they cannot rid their bodies of impurities, and their fat harbors much disease. Even their milk would be full of garbage, giving out just what they take in. Thus they are a picture of all that we do not want to be--people who bite and devour one another. (Gal. 5:13ff) They have the wrong things in their mouths. When we take in other people's constant negativity and gossip, the pig will eventually come squealing out of our own mouths. Scripture cites many things that are not to be in our mouths: deceit (Prov. 24:28), refusal to help our brothers when we could (Prov. 3:28), revenge (24:29), and the names of other elohim (Ex. 23:13--and the very next verse mentions YHWH's feasts, thus tying together the mouth and the feet once again). The wicked--those who follow only their own bellies--have no right to have YHWH's covenant in their mouths. (Psalm 50:16) Yahshua said swine are not only unworthy of our pearls, but that they will actually trample them underfoot, then turn and tear us in pieces. (Mat. 7:6) Pearls are a symbol of the kingdom (Mat. 13:45) and of the twelve gates to it, through one of the tribes of Israel. (Rev. 21:21) If feet represent YHWH's festivals, pigs' feet would represent pagan festivals, which indeed did tear returning Israel in pieces again, disunifying us and scattering us further still. 2 Kefa 2:20ff says it is better to not even know how to walk than to go back to wallowing in the mud like a pig.

At some point it goes from being a carcass to mere remains--possibly when it assumes ambient temperature--because otherwise Yochanan the Immerser would not have a worn a camel-skin garment. It probably has the most to do with the flesh being gone.

In the waters: a very important technicality that saved the tuna fish from being declared non-kosher [unacceptable], since after it is out of the water it does not appear to have scales, but they are visible while it is in water.

Sharks and others with fins and no scales are slippery, slick, hard to grasp, and are pictures of those who cheat and prey on others. They are loners, gathering only during a feeding frenzy. Bottom feeders eat of waste and death. They take their catch to the bottom wit them, shunning others. Shellfish are a picture of those who shut everyone else out, hiding from community and from discipline. (Heb. 10:24ff) This may include all invertebrates; Ibn Ezra says it is any that reproduce asexually.

Detestable: repulsive, abominable, loathsome--as strong a word as one can find. ("Gross! Nasty! Yuck!") Avoid: deliberately shun or abhor like vermin. I.e., do not be attracted to them in any way. It helps to remember that shrimp are in the cockroach family and catfish eat dung. How could one want to invent "kosher shrimp"? Shellfish filter out the impurities in the water and their very job is to retain them in their bodies. In one day they filter the same water six times, so every bit of pollution in it ends up in them! It is extremely unhealthy to eat them. Water is a picture of the Torah (or teaching in general), but all that becomes a part of these animals when it passes through them is the contaminants. The only hold onto the worst parts of what they are exposed to. What an apt picture of how evil persons respond to YHWH's generosity.

Interestingly, the unclean fish are loners and scavengers--sharks, catfish, etc.--while the clean fish go around in "schools"! (In English, at least, but the picture is the same in any language. They move together like one fluid, like-minded, constant stream.) The first thing YHWH said was not right was when man was alone. Israel is no place for loners; the man Israel became twelve tribes, and that is how we relate to YHWH now. Fish that remind us to congregate and to study are the kinds we want to put into ourselves.

To you...you shall count...: Whatever anyone else may allow himself to do, these are the instructions to those who wish to be pure and wish to be part of the community of Israel. As a parallel, Sha'ul/Paul writes, "While there may indeed be many 'gods', FOR US there is but one Elohim...and one Master, Yahshua..." (1 Cor. 8:5, 6) There are spiritual beings that have legitimate authority within the realm of their allotted jurisdiction, and the ignorant may worship them and not be held guilty, but the holy people are to relate only to the highest and the purest, being held to a higher standard. Eagle: or possibly the griffin vulture, the largest carnivorous bird in the Land of Israel, with wingspans up to ten feet. Buzzard: alternately identified as the osprey, sea eagle, fish hawk, albatross, or black vulture, or which there are two species in the Land of Israel. When there is ambiguity, one should probably opt for those that would be encountered in the Middle East.

15. "'Every raven, whatever its species,

Seen in the account of Noach's ark: the dove would not even land on the dead carcass of another creature, and so returned because it "found no place for the sole of its foot", while the raven found plenty to eat because it did not make any distinction between clean and unclean. It went "to and fro" seeking something to devour, just like haSatan (1 Kefa 5:8).

17. "'the little owl, the cormorant, and the [long-] eared owl,

Cormorant: or the fish owl, which feeds from the Kinnereth (Sea of Galilee).

Ibis: a bird worshipped in Egypt, which may be one reason this one may not be eaten, due to its association with what we left behind.

The bat seems out of place here because it is not a bird, but though it is a mammal, it has no split hoof, nor does it chew its cud, so it would not be kosher; after all, who would want to eat an animal that appears to be a flying rat? But more importantly, they only come out at night. No characteristics of the unclean birds is mentioned; He only specifies which are not to be partaken of. He does not give a reason. If we want to know why they are poor examples of what we are to be, we need to watch them in the wild, and we will learn many reasons why. Some of these precise species have not been clearly identified, but the common thread between them seems to be that they are birds of prey or feast on what is already dead and rotting. The picture is obvious. We are meant to be people of life instead. (Prov. 12:28; Rom. 8:9ff) Surprisingly, though, their eggs have traditionally been permitted by the rabbis. (Yeshayahu 10:14 suggests that even fertilized eggs may be eaten.) In contrast, a chicken is kosher. It "chews its cud" in a different way, by scratching or pecking through its droppings for seeds and other nutritious things that were not fully digested the first time. It separates what is valuable from among what is not. Like it, the Body of Messiah is now seeking out the things it had rejected earlier, like the Torah or Sabbath, not having found them helpful since they were presented in the wrong context. We often missed the best things, but now find that they really are life to us after all.

21. "'Only this you may eat, of any swarming thing that goes on [all] four: that which has knees above its feet, in order to leap with them over the earth.

"We are what we eat", and as we aspire to be sure-footed like those animals which have a split hoof, likewise we do not want to spend all of our time walking in the dirt, but want to spring "above the world" on many occasions to get the right perspective and to allow ourselves to be as little soiled by it as possible. The only insects we eat of are those that bend their knees, a picture of submitting to YHWH's will. We often do not even notice them, but when they swarm (though a farmer never wants to see this), one has to notice them--just like Israel. They are even called an army (Prov. 30:27)--both characteristics of Israel. (YHWH calls Himself "Commander of Armies" more than any other title.)

All of these insects eat crops, so it may be that the permission to eat them is in part poetic justice. They all make music, having praise within themselves.

24. "'And by these you will become ritually unclean: whoever touches their dead body shall be unclean until the evening.

The tiniest things can keep us selfish and thus unavailable to the congregation.

Touching it merely defiles the body, but picking it up defiles the clothing as well. They must be picked up using another instrument and removed so that no one else touches them either.

In context, it appears that this refers only to touching their dead bodies.

Any canine or feline would fall into this category.

29. "'And this [is what] shall be unclean for you among the creeping things that swarm on the land: the weasel, the mouse, and the tortoise, and similar species,

Weasel: or mole. Tortoise: some identify it instead as a ferret, but the LXX says "lizard" or "land-crocodile", while Talmudic sources say it is like a salamander or snake or even a toad; possibly the large desert reptiles.

Ferret: variously identified as the hedgehog, gecko, beaver, mole, shrew, or field mouse. Snail: LXX, newt; others say it is a skink or sand-lizard. Mole: or burrowing salamander. While Hebrew was in use only in a synagogue context for centuries, many precise identifications of creatures not talked about every day became muddied. The chameleon exhibits the opposite of holiness, blending in with whatever is around it. It makes no distinctions, and so is the quintessential example of what kosher foods exist to teach us NOT to be.

The very first serpent's message cast doubt on YHWH's instruction, told man to test His boundaries, and put oneself in His place. It came carrying uncleanness and death.

What is clear is that if it is unclean, it will make you--and anything that is yours--unclean as well. It is a picture of how contagious selfishness is, which is why we must be slow to anger and examine our motives to be sure that we are not reacting merely from our own personal preferences. We cannot get up against certain people without being adversely affected, so we need to set up boundaries and remove ourselves from them. In which work is done: that is, anything useful; or, in which a message is accomplished. We are vessels in which work is being done. Keeping the Torah is the work of the righteous. It is a message representing YHWH. Our higher understanding constantly wars against the natural man in us. (Rom. 7-8) How does death enter our higher faculties? Through false teachings, especially foreign spiritualsystems that are defiled by death, selfishness, or mixing truth with error. Most religions are centered on self; the Torah is centered on how each of us can serve the entire community of Israel. Falls: Our encounters with death through selfishness are usually "accidental". Yet still we have to return to the "water" and be cleansed the way He tells us to. We are made clean by Yahshua's words (Yochanan 15:3), which are fully in accord with Torah. By participating in his death to self, the death that is self is cleansed away.

If we do not root out what becomes unclean, it will defile others too, and they will not even realize it. An earthen vessel does no work; it only holds something useful. In this case, it appears that it is used to hold water. (v. 34) Elsewhere we see that earthen vessels represent Israel's natural side (Yirmeyahu 18-19; 2 Cor. 4:7), and lizards, owls, frogs, crocodiles, etc. are often also used as descriptive of evil spirits as well. The natural man must be broken in order to be reshaped into something useful. If we keep them intact, we will remain defiled. Yahshua spoke of people falling on the cornerstone and being broken (Matt. 21:44) instead of having it fall on them, crushing them. So this breaking of the "flesh" is a positive thing, because then the vessel may be able to be reworked. Our exile is one place we can "start over". David says YHWH will not despise "a broken spirit [and] a broken and contrite heart" (Psalm 51:17). Unclean spirits are most often harbored by our pride, so it must be broken in order for the contamination to depart. When we get the wrong ideas, we need to go submit to the Torah so the other has no place in our lives. For some, this means merely speaking an apt word; for others, humiliation, and for the most stubborn, being put "outside the camp".

Water: possibly that which spills out when the lizard falls into it. Food and water are symbols of the teaching of Scripture. Whatever selfish and unclean people teach us about Scripture will also be infected by that spirit, so we should not receive it from them (if they know better), or it will spread to us. An alternate reading is that this "water" is urine from one of these unclean animals--the part they do not even find worthy of retaining. If what went into them was unclean, how could what comes out be any different? They infect what we would take into ourselves--a picture of selfish reasoning.

An oven: anciently made of earth or ceramics, which can be defiled, rather than stones, which cannot. It represents something used to prepare spiritual food. Defiled and unclean here are the same word in Hebrew. Hirsch points out that things that touch a dead body also remind us of death, which is a symbol of a soul that becomes subservient to the material world (since in death this succumbing is complete) rather than using it as a tool to carry out higher spiritual purposes and to illustrate spiritual realities.

Spring: or cistern. In all of these cases, water is being added from outside to keep it from becoming stagnant. If our interpretation of a Scripture is limited to one level or to that passage alone without added insight from parallel passages, it quickly becomes constrained by men's conventions or preconceptions. Pool of water: or collection of water; Heb., miqveh, traditionally used for ritual purification. In other words, one could still take a miqveh in a pool in which there is a dead horse, as long as he does not touch the horse. Someone needs to become defiled in order to remove it, as Yahshua did in partaking of death for us, but then one must get back into the pool and be cleansed. The pool itself cannot be defiled as long as new water is being added, but if you reach into the water to take the carcass out, you will be unclean. How can one be sure he will not have to break the vessel? Fill it up with water, and then the animal can only fall into water and can be scooped out. If we fill ourselves full of Torah, there will be no room for selfishness to contaminate us. Yahshua was still an earthen vessel, but he left no room in himself for self. The word miqveh means "gathering", so it represents the cleansing that comes from the gathered congregation. Since water, again, symbolizes the Torah's teachings, if we are steeped in it and surrounded by it (having its words written on our doorposts, etc.), so that we know it well enough, then one encounter with the teachings of an unclean, selfish person will not ruin the entire congregation, since the light is not so easily overcome by darkness. We cannot walk the earth without touching something unclean, and in exile no one is ritually clean. In fact, there must be a red heifer and a priesthood before anyone can be purified again. . An example of becoming unclean by taking something out of the water would be having to discuss faulty interpretations in order to clear up common errors rather than simply giving a straightforward exegesis of Scripture, or having to mention the pagan substitutes for YHWH's name in the process of helping others discard them, in order to make the truth clear and pure again to people who have not heard His true name, since the water has already been defiled by such compromise.

Sowing seed: Aramaic, "seed grain". Yahshua said it represents the "sons of the Kingdom". (Mat. 13:24) Yet-unsown seed will die and be resurrected in another form anyway before it is to be consumed by mankind. Hoshea likens the Northern Kingdom of Israel to seed that is to be sown; it had to suffer and die before being recalled to YHWH's covenant, but it was salvageable. On the personal level, a seed yet unsown is like a newborn believer, who has YHWH's special protection, since if he could be so easily uprooted, no one would ever grow to maturity since we are all inundated by false teaching. However (v. 38), once the seed has been adequately watered--i.e., taught--he is responsible for the teaching he exposes himself to, being better equipped to discern truth from error.

The water has already begun the process of the seed's transformation, and thus it is too late to salvage it. Water is a picture of the teaching of YHWH's Torah, and when selfish motives are mixed in with it by those who should know better, there is no more sacrifice for sins. (Heb. 10:26) If you have received instruction, then deliberately expose yourself to selfishness, it will bring destruction of some sort.

Dies: The one who slaughters the red heifer is rendered temporarily unclean thereby. (Num. 19:7) It may be that the Temple is the only place slaughter does not defile one, as the Temple complex is the exception to many other rules as well. But eating the meat of an animal properly slaughtered would not defile one; that would only take place if the animal died on its own, such as by disease. (7:24) In a true life-or-death situation, one could even eat a pig so he can remain alive to praise YHWH (Psalm 115:17); the penalty for this is never death but only temporary defilement. But the rabbis teach that to repeatedly do so will make one spiritually insensitive. (To fail to make distinctions will, of course, dull one's senses in any context.)

Rev. 7:14 tells us that our garments are washed through tribulation (we are strengthened by the breaking) and through the blood of the Lamb.

Swarming things, though they provide such benefits as honey or an example of diligence (Prov. 6:6), may be unclean because they have female leaders--a picture of one in haSatan's position, trying to usurp the throne (compare 2 Kings 11) or go their own way as Vashti did (Esther 1:12).

This would include insects with eight legs like spiders.

44. "'because I am YHWH your Elohim, and you have set yourselves apart and become holy since I am holy. Thus you shall not defile yourselves by any swarming thing that creeps on the earth,

Swarming thing: Those who are set apart for YHWH's purposes have no reason to follow the masses, the media, or let popular fads determine how they live.

The kosher laws are ultimately not about the animals, but about who YHWH is and who we are. Hirsch points out that here YHWH links freedom (summarized by the liberation from Egypt) with holiness. He is the one who is totally free, and He calls us into the same freedom. While to the fleshly-minded man (as Paul would describe him) holiness seems like legalism or bondage, it is really freedom from the bondage to our sensuous desires which lead us to many illogical and harmful pursuits if not kept within the confines of the proper channels laid out by the Torah. The familiar analogy of railroad tracks illustrates this well: a train is only free when on its tracks, i.e., when doing what it was designed to do. Likewise, man was designed to share fellowship with YHWH, and this means separation from all that tends away from Him. Holiness is thus a gift that frees us from worthless, degrading, or common pursuits.

47. "'in order to make a distinction between the impure and the pure, and between the living thing that may be eaten and the living thing that may not be eaten.'"

This is the heart of the matter. The world does not want us to practice discrimination anymore (though they do so too, but behind a façade of excuses). But we cannot tolerate what is not tolerable. We should certainly tolerate one another within Israel, especially in matters where there is room for varying interpretations of how to walk out the Torah and both are rightly-motivated. But tolerance of outside ideas is one of these "creeping things" that sneaks into our minds. Most things of the world are not about the Kingdom, and that is where we must draw the lines. Living thing: or "the life". This parallels 10:10-11. To become part of Israel, we must become separate. We must be discriminatory in what we partake of. We make distinctions in how we eat so we will be able to discriminate in the more important matters as well. The foods are pictures of what we take into ourselves spiritually. People constantly joined the community of Israel, but in general Israel did not go out looking for recruits. There were lost sheep of the House of Israel (the dispersed and "lost" northern tribes) who had to be recalled from all over the world because of YHWH's promises to provide a new covenant for the sake of their forefathers, and "whosoever will may come". But we are not trying to fill seats. The ancient Hebrews discerned carefully whom they let into their tents (by extension, places of learning). His House must remain holy and pure; while outsiders may come in, this does not lower the standard. They must be raised up, or the whole house will be lowered and the teaching will be lost. This has taken place as the church let pagans come in (or even pushed them to) without changing their ways, but only the labels. Now it is so diluted it is not recognizably the same structure as what Yahshua actually came to build. By trying to make everything holy, virtually nothing remained holy (separate). If we are not clearly distinct from the world, we cannot be living as Israel. We must even distinguish between humanly-invented morality and the Torah that it was designed to replace. It is a cheap substitute. "Rejection" must again be seen as a positive thing, for if you do not reject certain things, you are no better than a pig. We cannot take into ourselves every opinion that comes our way, especially when it is gossip. Nadav and Avihu learned that they must "discern or burn". We must return to the ancient paths and make the same distinctions YHWH makes. We can then be distinguished as Israel instead of the Gentiles we once were.