Parashat Tzav

2. "Command (tzav) Aharon and his sons, saying: ‘This is the instruction [in regard to] the ascending [offering]--that is, the ascending [offering] on the hearth on the altar all night until the morning, and the fire of the altar is kept burning on it:

Command Aharon: Before the golden calf incident, YHWH used to speak to them both together, but there was a price to pay for this sin. He was cut off from this higher level of direct revelation. Moshe had to relay the messages from YHWH to him. Hearth: the center of Israel’s family life; literally, "burning mass" or “what fuels the fire”. The fat that burns very well is what keeps the fire burning for the next offering to be brought to the same spot. If the community is the altar built of living stones, there can only be fire (often a picture of what motivates us) if someone has already done the right thing to correct his missing of the mark. His correct actions are what fuels the fire for the next person. If we do not deal with our sin, those around us will not be motivated to do the same either. Yahshua did set the right example for us, and we need to keep the fire burning for those who come after us. All night: the time when no one is in the sanctuary but a few priests. Will we continue offering ourselves only to YHWH when we are away from the light of others who are like-minded? Or do we offer ourselves to something else at those times? When the darkness comes, we have to be sure the light is burning so that we can continue to ascend. If the fire is not kept fueled, the meat will grow cold, and what is meant to be consumed will not be. But the root word for “night” actually means a spiral staircase—another description of ascension, especially when we think of the repeated cycles of YHWH’s festivals in which specific aspects of our growth are spotlighted over and over each year, fine-tuned each time we revisit them. In fact, “This is the instruction in regard to the ascending” is all the first phrase actually says, so in addition to being a particular type of physical procedure, we may take this as our directions for how to ascend as well. In order for it to work, we need to have a fire and to offer up something more of ourselves at each new step. This is a picture of fully working through the removal of our sins until they are not just covered over but fully consumed. A bad dog might chew through a cage and attack us again if we merely calm it down on one occasion, and sin is described as a crouching lion—which is even worse than a pit bull, which one might be able to fend off and escape. It needs to be fully dealt with, or it will only keep coming back stronger than before. Every time we fall into the same sin, it is an occasion to see it through to completion, and the sooner the better, because we certainly cannot take it with us into the Kingdom. Fire also represents YHWH’s presence (Ex. 3:2; 24:17; Deut. 5:23.), for this is what should motivate us; He Himself is what awaits us at the top of the stairs. The offerings brought by those who came before us form the basis for our sacrifice. Your worship thus fuels mine, and in turn if I have the proper attitude and carry out my actions properly, it will form another step for you to ascend on. But without an altar, we cannot have a fire. An altar represents unity and identification with Israel. (Y’hoshua 22:10-29) Each of us is responsible to make the congregation a place conducive to all that took place at the altar--confession, forgiveness, purification, teaching, rebuke, and putting ourselves away. According to the sages, the ascending offering was brought to atone for a sin of the mind; sins committed physically have other specified sacrifices. The word usually translated "sacrifice" or "offering" literally means "a drawing near". Thoughts can bring us closer to YHWH because they are in the soul, not in the flesh; thus, sins of the mind are considered greater than sins of the body, and hold a higher penalty.

Long: literally, measured. The root for linen (Heb., bad) means “alone” in the sense of being divided out from what something is intended to be a part of. Thus it means every thread is accounted for and every dimension carefully measured; there is nothing haphazard about it. It is a picture of someone who weighs his actions out very honestly in every detail. The higher the thread count of the linen, the finer the quality. White linen represents the works of those who are set apart (Rev. 19:8) for the purpose of serving in YHWH’s Temple. (Rev. 7:13) We tend the altar day and night by putting on YHWH’s commandments and judging ourselves by the right standards. Those who are judged fit to wear these garments are those who overcome—whether self, the world’s influences, or the need for security. (Rev. 3:4) Undergarments: They come between him and his holy garments, which are not to directly touch his flesh, the symbol of his natural human strength and corruptibility. (See Exodus 28:42ff for background.) YHWH knows the flesh is still there, but wants our works to overshadow it. By putting these clothes on, we put off the call of the world. By submitting to his rebuke, teaching, and chastening and being zealous to repent, we can “buy” from Yahshua clothes to cover the nakedness that remains there as long as this age lasts. (Rev. 3:18) Beside the altar: During Second Temple times, there were three fires atop the huge altar, and a pile of ashes between them. During festivals, it grew higher and higher, and its height was used to gauge Israel’s spiritual condition. A token shovelful was taken at the time of each ascending offering and placed beside the altar to be in compliance with this command, but when the whole pile got big enough, it would be loaded into a cart and carried away before the next day’s offerings began.

He needs to put on “street clothes” because he is taking the ashes outside the holy precinct. (See Y’hezq’el/ Ezek. 44:19) Why is so much care taken to put these ashes in such a specific place? Because far from being worthless leftovers, as they might seem, these ashes actually picture what is left after our motivation (the fire) has done its work. The word for ashes (deshen) is from a root meaning fatness, prosperity, and anointing. A place of ritual cleanness represents a place of selflessness, which is the ultimate result if we go through all the discipline YHWH prescribes. It is a picture of the Kingdom, which is the only “place” we can receive the profit that results from the worthy goals that motivated us. We are not to store up treasures in this age (Mat. 6:19ff), but let ourselves be consumed here. We cannot yet see the true reward—what fits YHWH’s definition of prosperity and what is the fat (the best). But if we are improving our walk because we have brought the offerings for sin, our works will eventually come back to us—in the Kingdom.

Kept burning: There is never a time to relax from the continual offering of ourselves for YHWH’s purposes. Here, the fire depicted YHWH's presence outside the veil, where the whole community could see it, unlike that flame which was restricted to the Holy of Holies. YHWH lit the fire Himself, but it must be kept stoked. All of Sha'ul [Paul]'s writings bear this pattern: the fire has already been lit (the provision is already made), but keep the awareness of this alive by constantly living out the actions appropriate to what has been accomplished spiritually for us. Morning by morning: or "every morning". Though a fire is not to be kindled in one's own dwelling on the Sabbath, in the Temple it must be kept burning. His presence was to be represented there at all times, but we cannot presume to bring the symbol of His presence if we deliberately withdraw from the community that He is forming into His dwelling-place. (Heb. 10:25) Study of Torah and practice of it within the community is what keeps it going so others can ascend as well. Wood represents people—mature men, fully given over to becoming a place for others to offer themselves to YHWH.

Nothing is killed on top of the altar, but in front of it, then the pieces are brought up onto the altar to be burned. Thus, if there is no fire upon the altar, it is useless. According to oral tradition, the particular fire that was lit at this time did continue to burn for 140 years. Wood (v. 5) is a better picture than the fat of sin offerings, because the latter represents someone having to keep coming back with the same offerings because he has not fully dealt with his sin. In the Second Temple, there was a large chamber dedicated to sorting the wood that people had donated. The priests who had physical deformities were the ones who performed this service, since they could not be in places of prominence, as they could not rightly represent YHWH’s perfection. The wood that was not deemed worthy of the altar (having some defect) was still used to heat the fires in the priests’ chambers to keep them warm or cook their other food. Thus every piece of wood was carefully examined—again correlating with those Yahshua has “found worthy” to walk with him in white because they have overcome. This way we can motivate others to keep going not just until “it will do” but until “it is done”.

Grain offering: minchah--literally, a voluntary gift or tribute, but it has parameters given here, just as when Hevel's offering was accepted, but Qayin's was not.

Handful: Literally, closed fistful. It was a precise measure, not overly generous like a storekeeper might give, but exact like a pharmacist would measure, because too much can "kill you" (obscure the symbolism) as easily as too little could. The shape of the hand in grasping this "handful" would be with three fingers folded inward, much like the shape of a hand holding the handle of a coffee mug. This gift is an expression of our heart, and YHWH "breathes it in". Mystically at least, Eden is directly above the Temple Mount, and the fire carries it upward. The Messenger of YHWH often appeared in a flame of fire, and Yahshua is often identified with this "messenger"; he is the one who carries our prayers to the Father. Memorial: it both reminds the giver that in reality all that he has belongs to YHWH, and it "reminds" YHWH of His covenant with Israel. Smell is the sense that carries memories most perfectly. This bread is a picture of the congregation which is all "one bread". (1 Corinthians 10:17) No leaven (a symbol of sin and pride) is allowed in this bread:

When one turns oneself over in repentance, YHWH receives a reminder, but the rest of him (as portrayed by the animal he offers), belongs to the priest. This is a lot of meat. YHWH’s servants are rewarded for their dedication and example by being provided with the best of the food. They bring the blood, and they receive the body in exchange. The one who offers the blood has the right to the body it came from, like Yahshua who offered up not just himself but our lives as well, since he is the one who taught us. We therefore belong to him as well as to YHWH. (Yochanan 17) By his example and his intervention, we who were exiled from Israel have also begun to turn ourselves over to YHWH. He deserves us. This Torah command gives him authority to claim us. Bread is a picture of community. Not only were the priests commanded not to eat leaven (as at Passover), but also to positively eat unleavened bread. Only part of this offering was sacrificed; the rest was turned into bread. Compare this with Yahshua, who was sacrificed, yet says his Body must "eat" of him (Yochanan 6:53ff; Matithyahu 26:26), so not all of him was consumed in his sacrificial death. While we are indeed saved by his death, how "much more" should we emphasize that "we are saved by his life" (Romans 5:10)? A much larger portion is given to feed his "kingdom of priests"—not so they can devour the flock, but to sustain them with the full energy of His community, so that these who have no other earthly inheritance can have the space they need to prepare the bread that will be remembered by YHWH. (v. 8) Yahshua is called the Bread of Life. (Yochanan 6:48) A set-apart place: When the "Holy Place" (the first room within the tabernacle) is referred to, it is normally only called "haQodesh"--the Holy. Here, the actual word for "place" (maqom) is present in the Hebrew text. This distinguishes it as meaning any part of the holy precinct around the sanctuary.

11. “‘Any male among the sons of Aharon may eat it--[as] a never-ending statute throughout your generations--from YHWH's offerings by fire. Anything that touches them will become set apart.'"

This simply means that any other offering that, while being carried or when on the altar, is inadvertently bumped against the ascending offering, which may be eaten only by the priesthood, takes on the same level of sanctity as the ascending offering. That is, no one but the priests may eat of it, whereas, had it not touched the ascending offering, the offerer would have been permitted to eat part of it.

13. "This is the offering of Aharon and his sons, which they shall bring near to YHWH on the day when he is anointed: a tenth of an eyfah of flour, as a continual grain offering--half of it in the morning, and half of it in the evening.

Which they shall bring: A grain offering is usually voluntary, but YHWH "ups the ante" for those who are under stricter scrutiny, since they "carry all of Israel on their shoulders". They are told what their heart should compel them to bring. Intimacy with YHWH means the loss of some freedoms to choose, just as in a human love relationship. On the day he is anointed: that is, when he is inaugurated as priest. Half in the morning...evening: Our works in the darkness should be the same as our works in the light. A tenth of an eyfah is one omer (Exodus 16:36), whose value is half a sheqel, which is also the portion or value of one man (Exodus 16:16; 30:13). Why not just say an omer? Because ten men makes up one congregation, and their value is equivalent to one firstborn (Numbers 18:16); the whole congregation of Yahshua is called "the called-out of [belonging to] the Firstborn (Hebrews 12:23). Everyone needs to be joined to "the other nine" (compare Luke 17:17) in order to be complete.

Bring it in mixed: When brought it must already be prepared and ready to be offered.

16. "and every grain offering [given by] a priest is a whole burnt offering; it may not be eaten."

Usually, what is brought as a grain offering is for the priests to eat. YHWH Himself eats only from the hand of the priests--the chosen from among the chosen, the greatest of servants to the whole community, fully given to making sure the rest are walking with YHWH, and therefore they are given the highest reward as well, being the most esteemed of any in Israel, even above kings. This is a greater offering still, taken as a portion from what the people brought, but cooked by the High Priest himself. He is the highest authority in the Land, and so is held to the highest standard. "To whom much is given, of him is much required." (Luqa 12:48) If he himself ate from it, it would hardly be a gift. What priests bring as gifts to YHWH is to be wholly consumed. The closer we draw near, the more we want to give of ourselves to Him. Yahshua offered all of Himself as our Great High Priest.

18. "Speak to Aharon and his sons, saying, "This is the instruction regarding the sin offering: In the [same] place where the ascending offering is slaughtered, the sin offering shall be slaughtered before YHWH. It is most holy.

Same place: Aside from the mere logistics of what this offering may touch, how can something that is for sin be as holy as something designed to make one ascend? First of all, one must ascend from his sin as well, though he is starting at a lower point and there is more shame involved in his offering. Yet still YHWH honors it as a positive thing if we rise out of what we fell into. He celebrates the fact that we are getting back on track as much as—or more than—those who are already on track but still want to come closer. This is Yahshua’s authority to say that there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than for 99 who need no repentance. Sometimes there is nothing as effective at leading us to major improvement as a very big failure, for it makes our needy state all the clearer to us.

Every time we turn ourselves over to YHWH in repentance or offer ourselves to the community, our High Priest (Yahshua) is “fed” and sustained. We now belong to Him; He is allowed to consume us in order to establish His Kingdom. We have been stored in a place where we took on the odors of what was around us, so we must now go to where we can “air ourselves out” and remove the influence of the nations where we have been exiled, so we can again have the Torah’s original flavor—not one of religion, but of one people with one kingdom and one King.

Become holy: It may never again be used for commonplace purposes. The same holds true for the people He is making holy. Nehemyah refused to speak even to king's messengers when he was doing the important work of rebuilding the holy city; the Apostles would not set aside the ministry of the word in order to wait on tables. (Acts 6) Washed: The LXX places more emphasis on the person who owns the spattered garment being washed himself. But what is touched by this blood cannot be taken outside the confines of the sanctuary courts, not so much because it has become dirty as because this blood is set apart.

Both clay and bronze are removed from the earth, being less noble than gold or silver, but the former is porous and has absorbed some of the blood and been corrupted by it, symbolizing those who let "life" become part of our own being and begin to live for it, while the bronze vessel contains life, but does not live for the sake of its own life, but uses it for the sake of YHWH or His community, giving it up easily and willingly if that demand comes. By thus losing one's life, he preserves it (Mat. 10:39), but the one who "finds his life" can only be reworked by being destroyed--smashed against the Rock, thus becoming dust again (Luke 20:18), which in the potter's hand can re-fire, removing the impurities. As "earthen vessels", our flesh cannot directly inhabit the Kingdom. The result of the sin offering should be that the flesh is “broken”, just like a dog being trained not to bite or a horse being trained to be ridden. If the offering is not breaking you, it has not been done well enough. It may even have been faked. It will be worth the trouble to do it over again, to assure that no one else eats from this bowl.

23. "But any sin offering the blood of which is brought into the Tent of Appointment to make atonement for the sanctuary shall not be eaten. It must be burned with fire.

This is particularly the occasion of Yom Kippur, when one should not eat anyway, but this cannot be kept over until after that fast is over and eaten later either.

CHAPTER 7

The last two chapters have given several examples of when to bring a guilt offering. Now more detail is given about how it is to be done and the fee schedules of what is to be paid to those who officiate (priests). These methods of slaughter seem foreign to modern ears, and at first glance it is hard to see how they are connected to solving what was actually done wrong. We might be tempted to think this was just another way contrived to keep the priesthood in power, but they do need to eat and as our later history showed, the people could not be counted on to consistently bring donations. So YHWH tied them to something that was sure to occur. The priests do provide a service in exchange. But the means of repair is actually seen in the Hebrew wording of these offerings. Guilt offering: literally, it simply says, “This is the instruction [torah] of guilt (asham)”, i.e., it has a broader application to show us how to deal with our guilt. Most people do not understand the purpose of guilt, and therefore try to avoid dealing with it. They think they will be look like an idiot or be put in a weaker position if they admit guilt. Yet if we “come clean”, we actually feel and do better. Too much guilt makes one weak, worried, and easily defeated. If one has an insufficient sense of his own guilt, he becomes a self-centered, arrogant person that no one wants to be around. We must have a balanced view. What is it really for? We cannot miss this! It is a great blessing that YHWH put the solution right here in the Torah—a way to deal with it in a way that will truly remove it. It is meant to be a corrective tool. We need to know how to walk in it and then walk away from it. The idea that there is a “great, grand guilt upon all of mankind”—the doctrine of “original sin”—goes beyond Scripture. But though not born guilty, we enter into guilt very quickly, especially toward one another. There is a whole industry built around therapies that claim to address guilt, but except for those who have truly been taken advantage of through having unrealistic guilt trips laid upon them, much of that treatment is unnecessary, and even detrimental. Torah does a much better job. Guilt cannot be removed through excuses (“I spilled the milk because the glass was too small”), blaming others (“I was distracted” rather than “I wasn’t paying attention”), or by convincing ourselves that we have been victimized. It is amazing to watch people argue over who was at fault, then both leave without doing anything about it, and the job of fixing the problem they caused falls on someone who was not involved at all! If we simply go looking for someone who will tell us that we are not really guilty after all, the true guilt will find ways to resurface until we actually deal with it. YHWH’s solution for guilt is indeed set apart from all of the ways we invent to deal with it. So we need to understand this “most holy” of ways. That we can feel our guilt is a gift YHWH gives us so that we will do something about what needs to be repaired; it only becomes a curse if we do nothing about it. We cannot just talk our way out of it, as most do in modern times. “I’m sorry” tends to be a way to “get out of jail free” today, and politicians who publicly apologize are even looked on as heroes, though they have not really fixed the problem. (Many say, “I apologize”, but then really do not, because they do not even give an explanation of why they did wrong, which is what “apologize” means.) It is not a problem to say, “I’m sorry” if one is truly “sorrowful”, but unless there is a change so that we will not get caught up in the error again, the guilt still remains. Bringing an offering at the time we confess (5:28) is what YHWH says will actually remedy the problem. Though we have no Temple or altar now, the procedures used there are symbolic of how we need to deal with the underlying problems even now. Until we are practicing this system in some way, we can never fully understand YHWH’s judgment and righteousness, without which Israel cannot function as a nation again.

Confession is part of the process, but it is not enough. One cannot take the animal back home with him after he has laid his hands on its head! Guilt requires action. An offering is implied here, but all the text actually says is that the guilt is to be slaughtered! This is much better than denial or even a self-help book! Hiding it or blaming someone else only allows it to bore deeper in, where it will cause even more problems, because it is invisible. Who can help you hunt it out then? You might even forget it is there, and it can eat away at you like an unseen cancer. To deal with, we must understand where it comes from and what its purpose is. Most people feel guilty because they actually are guilty! To see what causes guilt from YHWH’s perspective, we must go back to chapter 5. Verse 1 tells us that sinning (missing the target set in Torah). The word for oath (Heb., alah) also means “a curse”, because any oath carries a potential curse, for if we do not do what we say we will do, we fall under judgment. (Yaaqov/James 5:12) If you know that another person has lied and you keep your mouth shut, it is on you, too, because you are not fulfilling your responsibility as a witness. All of Israel took an oath at Mt. Sinai to do whatever YHWH might say. Failure to hold one another accountable makes us guilty in His eyes. If you do not hold the target firmly in place, it makes it harder for anyone to hit it. If you move the mark (and YHWH does not want us to move landmarks), in that person’s eyes you change the standard to which he has agreed, and he will think it has either become more lenient or aim for the wrong thing. I.e., if you comfort anyone who is “not able” to keep the Sabbath, you are guilty, and the guilt needs to be slaughtered. 5:2, 3 tell us that one can become guilty through ritual defilement, which is a picture of selfishness, which is indeed contagious; the natural response to someone else’s selfishness is selfishness of your own. In these corpses there is no life, but the Torah is life to us. (Deut. 34:27) Selfishness usually comes from places where the Torah standard (loving one’s neighbor as oneself) is not applied, and are thus lifeless. If we touch things that do not hold to this standard, we become guilty. Selfishness in itself is not an offense against the Torah; we need some degree of self-interest or we will put ourselves in deadly situations without caring, and our value to the Kingdom will be wasted. But when it affects others adversely, it then becomes sin. An ancient application of this was eating set-apart meat or touching something belonging to the sanctuary when in a ritually-unclean state. If someone reacts to your selfishness in a selfish way, we are partly responsible for their actions, though they, too, should have controlled themselves. 5:4 tells us that when you remember that you have made a promise and realize you have not lived up to it, you are guilty. “I forgot” or “I spoke too soon” are no excuse. You must alleviate the guilt, and the first step is to say, “I’m guilty”, while doing the thing you said you would do, as soon as possible! The beauty of this is that people would be more careful to think about what they were doing if they had to pay with the slaughter of a sheep each time they did not! It is a great deterrent, and we would learn not to talk so much and to carefully weigh what we do say. 5:5 is about the step of confession. If we do not confess, our guilt will still be hiding in the shadows without our knowing it, even if we start acting the opposite way. People often confess to brutal crimes because the guilt weighs too heavily on them, even if no one saw them. At the Temple there are “professional witnesses” to hear the confession—not to take that information out from there as talebearers, but as advocates for the confessor. But the word for “confess” here does not mean to simply admit that one has sinned, though that is the first step. It is yadah, rooted in the Hebrew word for “hand” (yad). It includes laying one’s hands on the animal to identify with its death, but also means to throw—both throwing the uncleanness out of one’s soul, as well as providing another opening to throw and hit the target we had missed the first time (as in the meaning of the word for “sin”). It means to take the matter in hand and get control of it, to begin to rid it from your life. So a confession involves having something in one’s mouth and something in one’s hands. What all of these causes of guilt have in common is that they affect our neighbors negatively. When we live in community, almost everything we do has an effect on others, so we must be all the more careful of our actions. In the (same) place: This offering is therefore also to make us ascend. It is dealt with in the same way we are to deal with ascension, sin, and thanksgiving—by giving another part of ourselves away. There is no Temple now; YHWH says His Temple consists of His people. So if we are begrudging toward one another, we dare not say we are willing to give to Him.

Fat (khelev): connotes the best. By analogy, if you broke something, you should use the best glue that you can to repair it. The fat tail of the sheep is a delicacy in the Middle East. The Hebrew term , however, tells us much more: it is alyah, from the word alah (to swear an oath). But why is an oath attached to a sheep? Because, as we saw in the last Torah portion, a sheep is less valuable than a bull, so this is the “oath” to do better next time—bring a bull, or, better yet, do better so that we do not need to bring another guilt offering. To continue to work toward bringing more of self. The fat tail is also part of the peace (completion) offering (3:9), so the guilt offering bears some resemblance to that as it did to the ascending offering. What is the similarity? Guilt has a special attribute of separating us from our brothers in a negative way. It thus hinders us from being complete. We become uncomfortable around someone against whom we bear guilt, and it prevents us from experiencing shalom. If we do not deal with the guilt, it can drive a relationship into the ground. We might come up with other reasons not to be around them, to avoid what they might say or do about our guilt, instead of coming back to them and clearing the air by confessing. If we do that, the weight of the burden will be gone, because we will now have a brother to help us carry it away. But pride keeps the guilt stuck to us. We are not whole, because we are not one with our brothers. The fat that covers the innermost parts: The term for “covers” means “to plump up in such a way that it conceals”. We can hide our weaknesses and most private thoughts behind our choicest aspects—our talents and the strong points that we willingly offer for kingdom service. We may serve others well in one area, but use this to hide the fact that we are not hospitable because we are not comfortable with it. But we are works in progress; we must let our weaknesses be exposed in community so others can help us deal with them. Do not ignore the areas in yourself that have no Kingdom beauty; show them to YHWH and something can get done about them.

Kidneys: the only organ burned on the altar. The kidneys get rid of impurities in the blood The livers is also involved; its bile regulates the chemical makeup of the blood. Blood is where the life resides, so giving these things is a promise to take care of the impurities that are in our lives which are what brought about our guilt in the first place. In ancient times kidneys were symbolic of the mind. “Spiritual” sacrifices—those that are only in our minds--mean nothing if not expressed in some way physically. This is not a walk for the lazy; we must stop hiding and let ourselves be corrected so we can indeed remove the guilt both in our minds and the practical ways it affects others. One small dose of the pillar of fire made Yahshua’s disciples forget everything they owned and go spend all their time studying and teaching the scriptures. We need to give like the ancients gave if we are to be Israel in the fullest way.

6. "Any male among the priests may eat it. It must be eaten in a set-apart place; it is holiest [among] the holy things.

This is referring to what is left after YHWH’s part has been burned up. It is not proper for the worshipper to profit from his guilt; it is to feed the one who brings him through the process of removing it.

The guilt offering is also similar to the sin offering. In some aspect, it is like each of the other drawings-near. Everything that we bring before YHWH has this in common: that when we draw near for whatever reason, positive or negative, we bring something we have laid our hands on or transferred our weight to. We come closer to YHWH by offering another part of ourselves—more of our life. The more we do this, the closer we come. We cannot do it all in one offering; even Yahshua needed 30 years to come as close to YHWH as a man could come. The closer we get, the more detail in which we can see what does not please Him and needs to be removed. We must be the ones to “kill the self off”. Every time we submit to a teacher, YHWH has His highlighter to the text to show us what we need to work on. To avoid dealing with it is corrosive to the Kingdom. If we do not want to come close to YHWH with 100% of what we are, we would do better to get out of the way of others who do. Yahshua said he would rather even that someone was cold than that he was lukewarm. And an offering given under duress does not count; He only wants what is given willingly. (Ex. 25:2) Who would want a wife who only married him if a gun was held to her head? The test of whether we are willing is whether we give only grudgingly to our brothers. But the more we give, the more willingly it comes. We cannot cook dinner for YHWH directly; we serve Him through serving one another. He does not need a sanctuary to live in; we need it so we can learn and teach others about Him. The priest got a piece of everything; even when the offering was completely burnt up, the offerer still brought him a gift of bread. Remember, none of this comes from our tithes; those are not offerings, but more of a “tax” just like the firstfruits. These offerings must be in addition to those requirements.

9. "And any grain offering that is baked in an oven, or anything prepared in a frying pan or griddle shall belong to the priest that brings it near; it is his.

10. "And any grain offering, mixed with oil or dry, shall be for all the sons of Aharon, one as much as another.

One as much as another: literally, "man like his brother". All the priests are permitted to partake of the grain offerings, but the other sacrifices go to the particular priest who officiates over the slaughter of the particular animal being brought. (v. 14) Who are the officiators now? Those who serve YHWH’s household with all that they have as the priests of old did. We owe something to those who teach us. (Gal. 6:6) At present, giving to those who are worthy is the closest we can come to the minimum requirements of the support of the Levites and the altar. We need to see even the fact that we must bring an offering as a reason to thank YHWH that there are people in place to do this work. One who gives generously to the poor will be blessed in turn (Prov. 22:9) Who will bless him? The poor! It is not just an automatic result. In our day, when the poor no longer feel shame in receiving without giving something in return, they may need to be taught to give back, or we rob them of participating in the reality Yahshua knew about when He said “it is more blessed to give than to receive”. (Acts 20:35) Until only the past few generations, it was an axiom that if one received a blessing, he owed something to the one who gave it. Now this honorable response that should go without saying is rationalized away. Paul knew the Corinthians had a reputation for generosity, but he sent messengers ahead of him to be sure that they would have something to give when he came so that they would not lose face by being unprepared. (2 Cor. 9) YHWH gives us abundance so we can supply others. Paul even puts the gospel on the same level as our generosity here, because if we are not generous, we are not really following Yahshua at all, no matter what we may profess. If YHWH has blessed us, we are meant to bless the servant who brought us the blessing. The shame of having to be helped along the way is designed to motivate us to find a way to give back. The house of Yehudah understands this concept well, but the House of Efrayim is severely lacking after so many centuries of not being a community. So it is one of the chief areas our return to covenant is still far short of what it should be, so it must be a large part of the focus of our brass-tacks repentance. Otherwise the restoration of the Kingdom will fail again. What YHWH really intends is that we give not because we feel guilty, but simply because we know it is what He desires. The guilt is only one of many steps back to that.

12. "If he brings it near on account of thanks, then in addition to the thanks offering, he must bring near unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and of unleavened loaves of fine flour saturated with oil.

YHWH even rules on the method by which we are to thank Him. There is a minimum standard; it cannot be done in just any way we see fit. Saturated with oil: probably fried.

Bread is a picture of our unity. (1 Cor. 10:17) We cannot offer YHWH thanks without serving His community.

The particular priest who assists the offerer is given a “commission”; this is wise psychology from YHWH to motivate each of them not to just stand by and watch when he might be a little tired, but to take the initiative in offering to assist the one who brings the animal to slaughter.

A thanks offering is not done because of any sin, but often to express gratitude for deliverance from great danger, though it was not limited to such. In the giver's mind, he was putting himself on the altar, i.e., sacrificing himself, losing his own life, and in doing so, Yahshua says, he truly finds it. Psalm 116 was written to be used at the time when one brought a thanks or peace offering. It is a testimony of the wonderful things YHWH has done for the psalmist. This kind of story needs to be told; it cannot wait for tomorrow. A small bull would have over 500 pounds of meat! He cannot just keep it a quiet affair. In order to finish eating such a huge animal the same day, one needs to share it. He has a feast with the priests and anyone else in the Temple whom he might invite, which both provides for them (as they have no inheritance of their own), and gives an occasion to tell why one is thanking YHWH. They have to stay to listen! Less focus is thus placed on self. Recounting the great deeds He has done increases everyone's confidence in Him. Everyone makes it a part of himself, rather than it remaining a second-hand account of YHWH's blessings. The meal itself is thus part of the drawing near.

Vow: a promise one made to YHWH to bring him a gift if He would bring a bountiful harvest, increased his livestock, etc. Free-will offering: literally, one that is spontaneous, given for no specific reason, unlike the thanksgiving offerings. The only reason is that one’s heart told him he needed to honor YHWH because of who He is. This is one in which we raise our hand to volunteer before we know what needs to be done.

The priests would need to keep careful track of the “expiration date” of each piece of meat. This is part of the setting the offerings in order on the altar. The meat that had been well-cooked would need to be kept warm but not continue to be cooked much more, so it would be kept on a different part of the altar’s grill. Going back yet another time to finish the meat would start to put the focus on the food, not the offering, and this profanes it. It cannot become a mundane habit, nor the Temple a place one returns to just to eat. His sanctuary is not a cafeteria! There has to be a fresh drawing near--a "give us this day our daily bread", not an earthly security. The Kingdom is not really about eating and drinking, but about righteousness, peace, and joy--in the spirit of being set-apart. (Rom. 14:17) I.e., the eating is only to remind us of the deeper things each sacrifice pictures. One must be brave to give up so much meat, but he must also make room for the “daily bread” that YHWH wants to give him tomorrow. Continuing to depend on yesterday’s daily bread not only gets us stuck in a rut, but also erodes our trust in YHWH. We need to find the new reasons for thanks that YHWH builds into each new day. (Lamentations 3:21ff) And in response, we should bring Him something new each day as well. Another level of application is the advisory to not let the sun go down on our anger, thus giving a foothold to the accuser. (Efesians 4:26, quoting Psalm 4:4, which also, however, speaks of meditating about it on one’s bed, indicating that one could “sleep on it” for one night before actually dealing with one’s brother face to face, whether for repentance or rebuke, but that one should come to the determination before retiring at night that one will do so at the next morning light. If we wait longer, a root of bitterness sets in. It was planted by the seed of conflict with one’s brother, but if one waits until it manifests itself as a “tree”, the root is already well-established and very hard to remove.

Pleasing: or "accepted favorably". I.e., his gift will be null and void if he or anyone else continues to receive benefit directly from it. He has lost the first two days as well, and must repeat his offering. Those unwilling to commit themselves to being there for a congregation whenever their gift is needed should not receive “side benefits” from it. Become an abomination: alt., be considered as putrid. Consequences: guilt or crookedness. Each day we put off doing what we know we should do, we become more guilty of not doing it right away when we could, and with each day the spontaneity becomes less effective. Hoshea 6:2, in the direct context of our return to YHWH, says that after two days He would revive us, and the third day He would raise us up. This includes physical resurrection, being raised to a higher place spiritually, and even dwelling on the mountains in our Land, which scripturally is always considered “up” from any other place on earth. A thanks offering must be totally consumed the first day. Many who never knew they were Israel followed the Messiah simply out of gratefulness for having been forgiven because of His death. Even Constantine, who destroyed the holiness of the called-out community, still legalized the “church” because he thought it was Messiah’s sign in which he had won a battle. That day is past. The free-will offering may be partaken of on the second day. This symbolizes those who have been spontaneously returning to consciously being Israel. Those who try to wait until the Kingdom is clearly and securely present before burning their bridges and throwing themselves wholeheartedly into it will hear Him say, “I never knew you.” Many believe that they will instantaneously receive pure motives the moment the Kingdom begins, and therefore want to wait until then to begin doing what they have been taught it is impossible to do now—that is, keep the Torah. But if we have not done what we know needs to be done, we will not be trusted with more. There are two days (two thousand years, per Psalm 90) in which we may partake of Yahshua’s sacrifice for the nourishment of our souls; on the third "day"--the third millennium, after the gates are closed, it is too late to begin. That Gospel will not remain into that third day. Sticks cannot be gathered on the Sabbath (Num. 15:32ff), and that will be the seventh millennium of this creation; the “immigration office” closes as the Sabbath begins.

May eat meat: that is, meat that remains undefiled. This becomes clearer when we realize that the words for "meat" (flesh) and "glad news" (or Gospel) are from the same root in Hebrew. No "Gospel" that has become mixed with an impure thing (such as using the preaching of the good news as a means to feed oneself or build one's personal empire by co-opting the truth that "the Kingdom is at hand") is a pure Gospel anymore, and must be rejected. However, if the message remains pure (unmixed with untruths or paganism), you may feed on it freely if you yourself remain pure. We cannot truly partake of the news that Yahshua was sent to restore the Kingdom to the whole community of Israel while we are in a selfish state, which is what ritual uncleanness symbolizes. No one too lazy to come partake of the meat should have any portion taken to him elsewhere.

One cannot draw near with proper thanksgiving if he is selfish. He must come to celebrate what YHWH has done, not because there is food to be had. Nor should one celebrate Passover because he enjoys roast lamb or Sukkoth because he likes to go camping. Because some were gluttons like this while they neglected others within the body at their "love feasts", some suffered the ultimate physical penalty--bodily death. (1 Corinthians 11:17-22) The priests later had a special gate by which to leave the holiest part of the Temple complex should they become ritually defiled while on duty.

Beast: possibly a mammal in particular. On a deeper level, the sin of Adam, the counterfeit Messiah (called the Beast), and the Abomination of Desolation, his idol (in the most specific instance probably a crucifix) are all suggested here as things which defile the soul. The true Gospel (besorah, from the word for meat) cannot be mixed with any of these things. Which belong to YHWH: If we eat together just to fill our bellies or for any other reason short of honoring YHWH, we are stealing from Him. Meals eaten in community should have a sanctity about them, for they are about unity and fellowship and caring for one another as one body. (1 Cor. 11:29-34) This is the closest we can get to the altar until the Temple is rebuilt, so there should be nothing unclean about them. Having contact with that which makes us selfish also evokes the other biblical imagery of a little leaven leavening the whole lump (1 Corinthians 5:6), the tongue as a fire of gossip that starts a forest fire that cannot be controlled (Yaaqov/James 3:1-12), bad company corrupting our morals, etc. Simply bringing a negative attitude into the assembly will have a corrupting effect on everyone there. It goes without saying that, just as unclean animals could never even be brought to the altar, no one should be allowed to express selfish attitudes or bring into the congregational assembly his or her disappointment with the order or authority which YHWH has set in place.

23. "Speak to the descendants of Israel, saying, "You shall not eat any [of the] fat of an ox, a sheep, or a goat,

As we see in our culture today, which has ignored this command, eating it is detrimental to one's health anyway. But the point is that the fat (or best part, the choicest; Heb., khelev, rooted in the word for cream), belongs to YHWH, not us. Its purpose is never for our consumption, but to have something to offer to Him. We do not get the best in this life; it is yet to come if we store up treasures in heaven from our best, not our leftovers. Withholding it says we do not believe He can provide for us, but that we have to provide for ourselves. The fat being spoken of here is in particular the suet or the layer of “hard” fat, which can be peeled away in a sheet just as the skin can. If one purchases kosher meat, this part has already been removed. Any fat that remains is described by a different Hebrew term, shuman, which is related to the word for “oil”. It is permissible to eat this. A deer's or chicken's fat may, on the other hand, be eaten, because they are clean animals but not acceptable for sacrifice on the altar.

Dead body: or "that which died of itself", i.e., by age or disease, not slaughter, or even one that is slaughtered improperly, i.e., without the blood being drained. Torn: usually understood to mean "by wild beasts". The corrupting bacteria may proliferate most quickly in the fat. For any work: The fat of non-sacrificial animals may be put to any other use--to make tallow for candles, as a lubricant, smeared on leather to preserve it, , etc.--but not as food.

That one brings near: not only those that are actually brought to the Temple, but any animal worthy of the altar in theory (v. 23). In actual practice, it appears that while the Temple stood, one would only eat this type of animal when making an offering to YHWH anyway, with the possible exception of slaughtering the best of one’s remaining animals for guests as an act of hospitality. Cut off: possibly not directly executed, but, more seriously, taken out from under the protection of the community and thus exposed to all the elements, left to fend for himself against all the wild beasts and dangers in the wilderness. A parallel is seen in 1 Corinthians 5:5 and its sequel, 2 Corinthians 2:5-11.

In any of your dwellings: wherever you may live—i.e., we cannot use the fact that we are in exile as an excuse to ignore this command; or, in any of your assemblies. While the fat of some animals may be eaten, the blood of no animal may. Blood is life, and this symbolizes a deeper level of sanctity. While Yahshua's resurrected body had flesh and bone, blood was not mentioned, and for a reason: blood is the life of the flesh. (17:11) Skin was given Adam and Chawwah as a covering after they sinned; prior to that, in some sense, light was what sustained them. Thus blood is a reminder of our fallenness, which we will one day be freed from, so we should not take any more into ourselves than we absolutely need to remain alive.

It is not enough to eat simply clean meats; the Scripture emphasizes that all the blood be removed, and most restaurants and supermarkets are not careful about this. This was reiterated most directly, and possibly in two separate forms, as being incumbent upon even Gentiles (as those who wish to share a table with Jews who also believe) in Acts 15:20ff. Indeed, the eating of strangled meats (a term covering any out of which the blood is not properly drained) is only implicit in the Torah, but explicit in the Renewed Covenant. Yet this command is ignored, and the consequence shows up in many diseases, especially cancer. But the main reason it is forbidden is that the life (literally soul) of the flesh resides in the blood. (17:11) To take the blood into ourselves--and it is not digested, but becomes directly part of our own blood--is to take into ourselves the soul of an animal. It makes us brutal and spiritually insensitive. One needs to repent of this before they can have any additional revelation thereafter. But since blood is the life of the flesh, eating it is a picture of saying, "This is my life; I'll do what I want, regardless of the community." Turning it over is a statement to YHWH that “my life belongs to You”. So no matter whether we keep the Sabbath and festivals and have put away the obvious paganism of the Church, if we are still holding onto control of our own lives, our observance is not completely kosher. It is like giving someone a check for a large sum of money but never signing it.

29. "Tell the descendants of Israel [this]: ‘The one who brings near his peace offerings to YHWH shall bring his offering for YHWH from what is slaughtered for his peace offerings.

Even though the giver may have intended to share the peace offering with particular individuals, some of it always still goes to the priests.

His own hands: i.e., those of the one bringing the sacrifice. He has to know how to cut it into the right pieces and remove all of this from the body, and it is his responsibility to ensure that the priest receives his share. Swung: Tradition says that this means “in the prescribed motions”, and that the priest would place his hands under those of the owner to guide him through them. (Yad, Maaseh haKorbanoth, 9:6)

YHWH receives the fat; the priests can do whatever they want with the rest, even take it home if they wish.

Shank: LXX, "shoulder", or hind leg, from which the finest cut—the filet mignon—is taken. YHWH made sure His servants were well-fed, though in modern times few wish to go through the difficulty of removing the sciatic nerve from this portion (Gen. 32:32), so this part is often simply sold to Gentile processors. A priest deserved this because he was the only one who could teach the people to perform the sacrifices in the right way. He gave up the right to his own preferences, for if enough priests stayed home when they did not feel like serving, the whole link would be broken. A priest even had to forego his harvest if his lot to serve in the Temple fell at that time, for though he had no inherited land, he could have a farm near certain cities. This requires a great measure of maturity. An overseer (the equivalent of a priest in today’s congregations) is not permitted to be a novice (literally, newly-planted, like the fruit trees not permitted to be partaken of by the general populace for five years; see 19:25). His unselfishness is rewarded by the faithfulness of those who are to take the initiative in providing for him from the part of their earnings that belongs to YHWH.

34. "‘because the breast of the wave offering and the shank of the contribution I have taken from the descendants of Israel--from what is slaughtered as their peace offerings--and given them to Aharon and his sons as a prescribed portion [due them] forever from among the descendants of Israel.

Forever: This does not mean “only until Yahshua comes”. This line of priests is resurfacing as preparations for the Temple become more complete, and in the Kingdom they will again receive their full authority, much of which has been turned over to the rabbis in the intervening years, whether willingly or not. In fact, Aharon is the only man who lived 3,000 years ago whose genetic marker is specifically known, and through many names such as Cohen, Levitt, Lewis, Kahn, or Katz, the reminder of their heritage has been kept intact.

36. "‘This is what YHWH commanded should be given to them on the day he consecrated them [by anointing] from among the descendants of Israel as a never-ending decree throughout their generations.'"

37. This [has been] the instruction in regard to the ascending [offering], the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, for inaugurations, and for the slaughter of peace offerings,

38. over which YHWH gave Moshe charge at Mount Sinai on the day when He ordered the descendants of Israel to bring their offerings to YHWH in the wilderness of Sinai.

CHAPTER 8

2. "Take Aharon and his sons and the garments, the oil of anointing, the bull of the sin offering and the two rams, and the basket of unleavened [loaves],

Take: Not “ask if he would like to serve as High Priest”; YHWH was the one who made the choice. But the term “take” is often used of “taking” a wife as well (e.g., Gen. 24:37); he was to permanently “marry” Aharon and his descendants to the service of the sanctuary and to all these symbols that made it up. Moshe is taking the entire lives of Aharon and his sons, informing them that they will be busy for the next seven days—and every day thereafter, for they would not even have a day off on the Sabbath in the same way the rest of Israel would, as YHWH still requires certain offerings on the Sabbath. They will work seven days per week, because YHWH never stops providing for Israel. The tent must be tended in certain ways on the Sabbath just as on every other day. They are always not only on call, but on duty. His sons represent the eternal continuity of the covenant; the garments, righteous deeds. Oil represents the flow of the Spirit from the Kingdom by way of teaching. The anointing depicts the Messiah. The bull represents optimum restitution for one’s sins. The two rams, detailed later in the chapter, stand for ascension and the carrying out of what hitherto had been only talked about. The root word for basket means “to lift up” (i.e., carry), and unleavened bread (aside from representing the putting away of pride) is marked and pierced, which are the Hebrew words for male and female, so it is a picture of the raising up of Adam restored to his original, undivided state. Only when all of these elements are together can Israel function as a unified kingdom:

The term used here for “congregation” means “a witness”. All families need to be represented as witnesses to this betrothal, not only so they will hold Aharon’s family to the proper standards, but so that they will all see that YHWH is honoring him in this way. In the context of a Hebrew wedding, the friend of the bridegroom serves as a witness and the one who escorts the bride to the groom, who has been preparing the dwelling place until his father says all is ready. The Father is doing just that here. The friend of the groom also teaches the bride the ways of her husband-to-be so she will be an appropriate wife for him.

The entrance to the tent symbolizes the gates to our bodies, where the battle for control of our energies takes place. (See Exodus 38:8) When enemies storm them, all of Israel in unity needs to fight them off. The warfare is there for the purpose of unifying us. Marrying all of these symbols to the nation is how we can guard our gates. They were gathered around the washbasin, which was made of mirrors, so it represents looking at our condition, finding out how we are soiled, and repenting. The season of repentance comes just before the Feast that represents the Kingdom. Often we do not know why the enemy is gaining ground in a certain area, so we need to study harder to know how to combat the Adversary so he will run from us rather than us running from him. If we can turn over all of our gates to YHWH, we will be “walking tabernacles”. YHWH is therefore also attaching Aharon and his sons to us as examples of what we are to become. In that respect, this is much like the Yom Kippur offering. Every one of the priests’ gates is being turned over to YHWH at once—at least within the next seven days. Unlike the rest of Israel, who may be given more leisure to turn over more and more aspects of our lives, they are given more specifics about whom they may marry, where they can walk, and even what they can say.

I.e., it was not Moshe’s idea, but YHWH's. If the decision was left to him, he might have chosen himself and his own sons (who seem to disappear from the record after this), or a more distant Levite relative to avoid charges of nepotism, or even a Levite he did not particularly like, since he knew that the job would be a difficult one. But neither Aharon nor Moshe has a say in this matter, nor do Aharon’s sons.

All of Aharon’s sons had to be present, as who his successor as high priest would be depended on which was the oldest living son at the time of his death. This ritual was to be repeated every time a new high priest was inaugurated. (Ex. 29:28ff) Moshe (as shorthand for the Torah he wrote down) is the one who stipulates who serves as an officiator in Israel. Today we have no functioning Levitical priesthood, but the priests’ role was to guard knowledge and teach the Torah. (Mal. 2:7) If they had done their job fully, there would never have needed to be prophets. Bathed with water: A husband is to wash his wife with the water of the Word in order to set her apart and cleanse her. (Eph. 5:25ff) Immediately after he renewed the Covenant, Yahshua said his immediate disciples were cleansed because of the words he had spoken. (Yoch. 15:3) A way to partake of selflessness had been made, and they were to go teach Torah to the lost sheep of the House of Israel (the scattered Northern Kingdom) so we could be regathered as one congregation again. Moshe probably did not wash them with his hands, but taught them to use the laver themselves, for it is each person’s responsibility to ritually immerse himself; baptisms in which another puts his hands on the immerser have pagan roots, not Hebraic.

He does not put their holy undergarments on them, as this is being done in front of the entire congregation; they probably came already dressed in those. The congregation would have Aharon’s sin in allowing the golden calf fresh in their memory, and Moshe himself probably had some trouble trusting him when he was not watching him. To someone so prominent, a little folly wreaks great havoc. (Qoh./Eccles. 10:1) It is hard not to remember this event, so YHWH makes his inauguration very vivid. Aharon needed to be washed and re-dressed in front of them all to show that he was being “reborn” as a different person. It is the same when any of us truly repents from the heart. (Rabbi Yaacov Haber) Now he wears the gold in his garments as part of the repair for having done what the people wanted rather than what YHWH wanted.

8. Then he also laid the pouch upon him, and put the urim and thummim inside the pouch.

Urim and thummim: No one is certain as to exactly what they were. Some think they were simply black and white stones. Others believe this was a process by which the letters on the breastplate that covered the pouch lit up in sequence to spell out messages from YHWH. We do know that what they were used for was to obtain direction from YHWH. But the meaning of their names defines their significance. Urim means “lights", and in Hebraic context this refers to the Torah (Ps. 119:105), and since the term is plural, it would include commands, decrees, and rulings as well. Thummim means “perfections" or “mature ones". So they symbolize mature leaders who understand the Torah and can therefore tell Israel which way to go. Considering what a stubborn people we are, this may be a bigger miracle than the seeming “magic" of however it worked in the literal ancient sense! They were hidden in a pocket behind the breastplate, on which were written the names of all twelve tribes of Israel. So we know that any direction we receive must be in context of the unification of Israel. The numeric value of the Hebrew words “the urim" and “the thummim" equal the value of some fascinating phrases from elsewhere in Scripture that when put together in the same order also describe the meaning they have for us today: “and He shall show/a gift" and “and we shall see/His Kingdom". The numeric value of the word efod in v. 7 is equivalent to the phrases “will make known our hearts" and “knew Him"--the underlying purpose that makes this curious paraphernalia of utmost practicality. These accessories made Aharon responsible for the judgment of Israel, and by thus conferring some of his authority on him, Moshe is reducing some of his own workload.

The newly-restored "gold plate" (tzitz) made by the Temple Institute. Moshe probably put these last two pieces on him with his own hands; the rest of the garments may have only been put on under his supervision to ensure that they were worn properly. Had they clothed themselves, their authority would not have been nearly as convincing. Too many today “dress themselves” in authoritative garments, but they are only playing “dress-up”; until there is again a Levitical authority structure, one’s right to lead today comes not from his wealth or his popularity or even his age, but by how well he walks in the Torah. Our high priest is Yahshua. His garments (deeds) are authorized by the Torah. Anyone who is presented as high priest outside the parameters of Torah is actually a false Messiah.

11. Then he sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, thus anointing the altar and all of its implements, as well as the washbasin and its base, in order to render them holy.

Now they could never again be used for common purposes or even touched by those not so authorized.

After anointing everything to do with the Tent, Moshe anointed the priests from the same oil, showing that they are now inseparable from it. They are “permanent fixtures” in the Tent as well. The oil represents the fact that he is now teacher and example through his dedication, service, and obedience to YHWH. Both the men and the Tent’s implements are meant to teach us the Kingdom. (Mal’akhi 2:4ff) Aharon is to embody the Torah by his own life, just as every curtain and every clasp of the Tabernacle is a picture of the Kingdom. To the people of his day, he was “the word made flesh”, a precedent for Yahshua, who also demonstrated the Torah perfectly for us by his example in an even fuller measure. There is nothing mysterious about that; it does not require him to be a deity, for we are to be the same to those we teach. Yaaqov saw the messengers of Elohim ascending and descending on the staircase at the place the Temple would later stand. They went up to love and serve YHWH, and came back down to serve the rest of Israel. That is the Kingdom in a nutshell. As the great Rabbi Hillel said, “the rest is commentary; go and learn.” We cannot fully understand our “anointed High Priest” (the Messiah) without understanding the purpose of and his relation to these other “anointed ones”. They are all our teachers about what the Kingdom is like and how to bring it about. And now those who truly fit the Levitical requirements are finally beginning to take up their authority again—in limited measure thus far, but they are fixing the dilapidated Tent one board at a time.

These are now the “everyday” or “ordinary” priests—only four now, but as their children increased, there would be thousands. They, too, must be clothed by Moshe, representing the fact that the white garments of our works must also be in accord with and based in Torah to be counted as righteous. They are dressed like their father except for the accessories. When Moshe acquired Aharon for YHWH, his sons came along naturally, for they are part of his life. Etymologically, sons (banim) are stones (ebanim) which build up (banah) his “house” in the broader sense. A father must ensure that his sons are fit to build with so that they can carry on whatever is upright about himself. Small nations in the Middle East can stand up to the strongest, richest military power in the world because they understand that the father must lay the foundation for his sons to build on. It is the man’s job to tend the altar of his own household. Though it is evil that they strap bombs on their sons, this is still more honorable than ignoring them and teaching them nothing about the kind of people they are to be. Like Aharon, we have no choice but to hold them to the standard of Torah if we are to build an eternal house. Obeying it is critical to ensuring that things go well for our children as well. (Deut. 12:23, 28) We cannot turn them over to the world to raise them, for that is as bad as the ancient practice of burning our sons in the fire or worshipping as the pagans do. (12:29-32)

15. and [one of them] killed it [by slitting its throat], and Moshe took the blood and put it on the horns of the altar, on all sides, with his finger, thus freeing the altar from sin. Then he poured out the blood at the base of the altar, thus setting it apart as holy so that atonement could be made upon it.

Thus freeing the altar from sin: i.e., to keep it from missing its purpose for existence. This is a sin offering for the priesthood, so the altar is personified to be identified in a special way with them, for they are the ones charged with guiding all Israel in our ascending to YHWH. There is a death penalty for going against their rulings, so it is clear that their words and deeds are judged with much greater strictness than others’.

Here Moshe is doing many things the priests were meant to do, though he is not a descendant of Aharon. He may have merely been teaching them the steps that were shown him on the mountain, then turning the responsibility over to them. But it may also indicate that he, too, was a "priest after the order of Melchitzedeq", in which genealogy is not the primary qualification, though he was his (Shem’s) descendant. At its root, the Hebrew word for "priest" means "officiator", and since we are called a Kingdom of Priests, we too must learn from Moshe (i.e., the Torah) if we are to know how to carry out this responsibility, one aspect of which is "rightly dividing the word of truth", just as the priests had to learn to rightly divide the animals on the altar. Taking away the fat over the inward parts represents the circumcision of the heart. Like that of the flesh, it has to be tended carefully lest the flesh reattach to protect this most sensitive part from remaining exposed. But though it is difficult, confession is the only way we can be purified and washed clean of the sins that hold us captive. See notes on 3:3-5 for a reminder of what these parts represent.

Why not just say, “the whole bull”? Partly because some parts of it have already been offered up, but in the process of getting to them, the hide has been removed from the body and become a separate entity. It was extremely valuable as a source of leather. The flesh provides much meat. Out of 1,000 pounds, one might think YHWH could spare one 8-ounce ribeye steak! But it must all be turned over to Him in this case. But surely no one would miss the dung! Yet even that can smolder for hours as a source of heat and cooking fuel. So great or small, no part of it is to be kept for self, for all the things being offered here are things that would normally be the priests’ reward for doing their job properly. We have really gotten somewhere if we are able to turn over to YHWH even the profit that we send ahead into the Kingdom through the sacrifices we make now—that is, if it matters more to us that the Kingdom does come through our efforts than whether we even get to see it or have a place in it. If we can even consider it an honor to be a vessel for destruction if He sees fit, we will be where we need to be, because even when we obey, we are still his vessel, and no cooking pot ever decides what is to be cooked in it. He is the one who decides how to use us, for only He knows how we will best fulfill His will. It would be better to be used by Him even as an example of what not to be than to be ignored by Him.

19. and he slaughtered it [by slitting its throat painlessly], and Moshe dashed its blood onto the altar on every side.

He: one of them, probably Aharon himself.

The first thing to be burned is the head, for it is our greatest enemy. We can be defeated in our minds before we ever set out to try to obey. The burning of the head represents gaining the right knowledge so we can remove the false ways of thinking and make the right choices. If we do what seems logical, we will never be cleaned up, because the Torah makes little sense to Greek-influenced minds, though it makes all the sense in the world internally. We have to put our heads in the right context. Pieces: Aramaic, "sections", i.e., to be burned on separate fires on the altar according to categories.

Our innermost (our hearts or motivations) as well as our legs--our walk--are to be cleansed, and this is possible after our heads (wrong ways of thinking) are taken out of the way. But it literally says “knees”, with which we bow in homage. So this area of our lives needs to be immersed in Torah as well so we will not be inadvertently paying respect to something that stands in Israel’s way. Soothing aroma: What smells right to YHWH rather than being selfish, causing a stench in His nostrils.

The Hebrew word for “ram” comes from the word for “strong”, and if one ever butted you, you would know why. And here we see a double portion of strength offered. Inauguration here could also read "fulfillment". Avraham saw a ram behind him (which also means "in the future" in Hebrew), so Yahshua could thus be called the "ram of fulfillment" as well, since just as Avraham had been asked to offer up his own son, so YHWH offered His own Son in fulfillment of this "type". The term “inauguration” (or ordination) is technically used of mounting a precious stone in its setting, for its purpose is not fulfilled until it is placed in the particular slot it was designed for. Yahshua said He had come to “fulfill the Torah.” I.e., to set it on its right footing, to make it serve the optimal purpose for which it is designed—loving YHWH and one another with all of our heart, soul, and potential. All of Israel is to be a special treasure to YHWH (Ex. 19:5ff), and the priests are like jewels in His crown.

Right ear lobe: Becoming YHWH’s special treasure is not an automatic promise; it becomes the case on the condition that we obey His voice and keep His covenant. (Ex. 19:5ff) To obey we must hear. The right ear represents hearing His voice; the left ear represents listening to our own evil inclination or other voices besides His. The right thumb represents the actual carrying out of His covenant, and the right foot represents how we walk out what He desires by following our better inclination rather than our evil one. As we apply strength to each of these, we will be able to hear even better, do His will better, and walk in His way more fully.

These are the extremities, symbolizing the foremost part of our hearing (i.e., an anointing that enables one to hear the "still, small voice" in the spirit). The thumbs are closest to the heart when "lifting holy hands" to show that they are clean, representing taking into our heart that to which we set our hands. The big toe is the first part of the body to arrive wherever one is going, so this represents the magnification of the leaders of Israel walking in the right direction. And while without any other toe, we could learn to walk relatively normally again, without the big toe there can be no balance. His word is the only thing that can stabilize our walk. We could technically survive without any of these, but it would be with great difficulty. They all enhance the quality of life. An instrument to capture sound is much better than a mere hole in the head through which some sound could come. As we give up these things in such a way that our position in the world might be weakened for YHWH’s sake, we are more enabled for His service than ever before.

26. And he took one unleavened loaf, one cake of bread anointed with oil, and one wafer from the basket of unleavened loaves, and placed them on top of the fat and the right leg.

27. Then he set the whole upon the palms of Aharon and upon the palms of his sons, and he swung them back and forth as a wave offering before the face of YHWH.

In this rare case, the items are both waved before YHWH and burned on the altar. The waving was probably meant to call the attention of the congregation to the particular pictures that each represented.

Inaugurations: or installations, "fillings" of a position. A fire offering to YHWH: without the vowel pointings (absent from the original text), it just as well reads, “a wife for YHWH”, for providing a bride for Him is the intended motive behind all of these offerings.

Breast: or part that is divided; the middle part. It comes from a word for "perceive", "prophesy", or "have a vision", hence the connection to "dividing" or interpreting, i.e., applying YHWH's word which is in one's heart to a situation and reminding those who are in it of the Torah (which they have usually forsaken). Moshe was allotted this gift as well. Later it became the portion of the priesthood (Malachi 2:7), and we see David going to the high priest for answers from YHWH, because he had the urim and thummim. But Moshe is not a son of Aharon, showing that these functions are not absolutely restricted forever only to this order, though for a time they were. (See Yeshayahu 66:19-21 and Hebrews 5:6-10.) He acted as a priest in this case, and therefore received a priest’s reward. This only takes place if we act in another’s authority in obedience or out of necessity (when there is no priest to fill the role), not if we rebelliously usurp the priest’s position. But if one does what he thinks he hears YHWH saying and is willing to face the consequences if he is wrong, he will get YHWH’s attention and will certainly at least learn to hear His voice more accurately.

Sprinkled: a pattern would result that looked very much like the stars in the sky, reminding those who saw it of YHWH's promise to multiply Avraham's seed and thus restore the fallen Adam (whose name is related to the Hebrew for "blood") through Messiah, who would "sprinkle many nations". (Yeshayahu 52:15) And again, he is getting them used to their beautiful garments being dirty, because when one is serving YHWH, things will usually not remain neat and tidy for very long. It is just as important for the garments (representing our works) to be holy as it is for those who wear them to be holy. Others had handled the garments while they were being woven. Now no one but the priests could ever wear them, even if they were being repaired or tailored for a successor. Only a priest would even be permitted to wash them. By the time of the Second Temple, each priest had a closet full of his own garments so he could change into another when one became too soiled to work effectively. The priest is also never to take these garments outside the Temple complex; he would never wear them “on the street”. (Y’hezq’El/Ezek. 44:19)

The eating together is an integral part of the ceremony, for it seals loyalty and unity much like taking a client to lunch in today’s business world. Every Scriptural covenant includes a meal. Everyone is meant to see that the priests are to be fed from “YHWH’s table”.

Once it is set apart unto YHWH, it cannot be used for any other purpose. There must be no possibility of the wrong person eating of it and possibly even incurring the death penalty. The secrets of the Kingdom are not meant for those outside of its context. The wrong people are not to be fed from its treasures; our pearls are not to be thrown before swine. (Mat. 7:6) Pearls are entrances to the New Yerushalayim, and are tied to our tribal identity within Israel. (Rev. 21:12-27) Understanding the Torah is the pearl of great price. (Mat. 13:46) The zeal of righteous men threw this before the feet of the Greeks and Romans; in the process of regathering the tribes, they said too much to too many people, and indeed they devoured, trample, and tear us in pieces again. What started well turned into Gentilized Christianity. We cannot afford to make the same mistake again. That is why we must burn the rest. We should not teach those who do not desire to be taught, and those who do should only be told what they ask for, until they come back for more.

Seven days: the same time period a bride and groom would be in the special chamber built in the house of the groom’s father for the consummation of their marriage. (Gen. 29:27) This is clearly a honeymoon with YHWH. (See note on v. 2; even the great supplanter, the Catholic Church, sees its priests’ ordination as a wedding ceremony.) Like the time of testing for leprosy (chapters 13 and 14), this also represents a seven-year prophetic period at the end of which it will be clear who is on YHWH’s side and who is not. At this time YHWH’s forerunners will be shut away in a bridal chamber with Messiah (Yeshayahu 26:20), probably in the wilderness and in a place specially protected and provided for by YHWH. Not all who expect to be kept safe during that time will, for not all who have been spared by Messiah’s blood are necessarily His bride. Some are attendants of the bride who are not ready. (Mat. 25:1ff) But those who are—who correspond with the altar built before the rest of the Temple--will at this time carry out the final stage of preparation for the Messiah’s Kingdom. A defiled Nazirite also needed to be cleansed for seven days (Num. 6:9ff), and there is an element of this in the fact that Aharon, the man most set apart to YHWH’s service, had defiled himself with the golden calf incident. Being shut away in this very small place for seven days would make them very familiar with everything in it, for it was to be their responsibility alone. They were to become completely one with it, and learning it would also help them see into themselves better, so they could see where they were most susceptible to self-deceit. It would also give them time to become very well-acquainted with one another, as Aharon had been busy and might not have had much time to be with his sons in recent months. They had seven days to get over any disappointment they might have had with not being able to fulfill any other dreams they had for their own lives, for their priorities were changed completely. Fill your hands: They would thus be unable to gather manna, which means those who were outside the tent had to bring them food.

35. "‘So you shall remain at the entrance to the Tent of Appointment day and night for seven days, and you shall guard the obligation of YHWH so you will not die, for thus I have been commanded.'"

If their responsibilities were not carried out correctly, it could kill them. (Chapter 10.) Even if it dos not result in immediate physical death, if we do what we ourselves or someone else wants rather than what YHWH wants, there will be some kind of death, most notably in some area of relationship with YHWH or His people. Even doing things according to our own schedule rather than right when He tells us can make us miss an open door which may be our last in that area. We must be on guard night and day, or something will die, and the Torah is about life. The prophets of Baal partook in death by cutting their veins in worship to their elohim, and they were thus weakened, making it easier for Eliyahu to kill them off completely, while he was only made more alive than ever by the encounter. (1 Kings 18) If we slay whatever in ourselves makes us hesitate to do the right thing, the energy that comes from obeying YHWH will outweigh any physical weakness or illness we may feel at the time.