וַיִּקְרָא

Vayikra

Leviticus 1-5 end

Haftarah: Isaiah 43:21-44:23

ADONAI called (vayikra), וַיִּקְרָא to Moshe and spoke to him from the tent of meeting. Leviticus 1:1

The Book of Genesis documents Creation and the birth of the Jewish people with Avraham’s calling. The Book of Exodus tells of the deliverance of this people and its constitution as a nation by the receiving of the Torah.  A Tabernacle is built revealing G-d’s will and Leviticus, the third Book will now explain for us how to reach the level of holiness required for His presence to dwell among us.

Moshe, being called by G- d will teach the Bnai Israel the complex and mysterious laws of the sacrifices. These sacrifices, which are major in the service for G-d, are usually taught to young children using the Book of Leviticus, because the purity and holiness coming out of it had a blessed impact on their young souls.

The word sacrifice, korban, קָרְבָּן in Hebrew comes from the root, karov קרב which means “to be close”. The sacrifice brings man closer to G-d and brings reconciliation: 

Therefore, since we have now come to be considered righteous by means of his bloody sacrificial death, how much more will we be delivered through him from the anger of God’s judgment! For if we were reconciled with God through his Son’s death when we were enemies, how much more will we be delivered by his life, now that we are reconciled! Romans 5:9-10

Lets’ study the different sacrifices mentioned in our Parasha.

The Holocaust (olah),  עֹלָה from the root meaning “to raise” was a free will offering and was made in case of a sin committed in thought, willingly or not, or just to get closer to G-d. According to one’s financial ability, the sacrifice would either be beef, lamb, goat or pigeon; those of poorest means could make a flour offering, called a mincha, in place of an animal.

This sacrifice (olah), is mentioned first because it is higher than the others, as suggested by the root olah, from laalot, to raise. It is also a sacrifice that requires full consumption by fire (1:9), because of the contamination of the sins committed in thought which call for a complete uprooting.

Yeshua will specifically address purity of thoughts:

“You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ {Ex 20:13 De 5:17} But I tell you that a man who even looks at a woman with the purpose of lusting after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:27 -28

The place of Yeshua’s crucifixion was called Golgotha (gulgolet in Hebrew), which means the skull, or siege of our thoughts.

G-d’s intention was to give us victory over our thoughts:

For although we do live in the world, we do not wage war in a worldly way; because the weapons we use to wage war are not worldly. On the contrary, they have God’s power for demolishing strongholds. We demolish arguments and every arrogance that raises itself up against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey the Messiah. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

This victory is given to us through the Torah, the engraved Word of G-d on the on fleshly tablets of our hearts through the regeneration of our spirits:

See, the Word of God is alive! It is at work and is sharper than any double edged sword – it cuts right through to where soul meets spirit and joints meet marrow, and it is quick to judge the inner reflections and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Apart from this free will offering, a holocaust was offered on the altar, morning and evening, as a sacrifice of flavor to G-d; none of its parts where eaten by the Cohanim, for it was fully consecrated to G-d. This reminded the people of the sacrifice of Yitzchaq who prophetically foreshadowed the One Who will offer Himself unto death, giving us the victory so that we may spread abroad the sweet fragrance of His knowledge…

The second type of sacrifice, the sacrifice of the grain offering, the mincha מִנְחָה was for the poorest and receives the honor of occupying a complete chapter, and the second of our Parasha. The mincha is also a gift and the children of Israel are viewed as a gift or present in G-d’s eyes:

And they will bring all your kinsmen out of all the nations as an offering, mincha  מִנְחָה to ADONAI–– on horses, in chariots, in wagons, on mules, on camels––to my holy mountain Yerushalayim, ”says ADONAI, “just as the people of Isra’el themselves bring their offerings in clean vessels to the house of ADONAI. Isaiah 66:20

The average measure for the mincha was one tenth of an efah, 1.8 kg, which was the measure for the daily food portion. So when the poor were making an offering, it was a day of fast for them!  This is why this offering is precious and takes a whole chapter of the Bible. It was also the same offering as that of the Cohen Gadol (Leviticus 6 :13 or 20 depending on the version).  G-d teaches us that repentance and closeness to Him are available for everyone without favoritism:

Then Kefa addressed them: “I now understand that God does not play favorites, but that whoever fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him, no matter what people he belongs to. Acts 10:34-35

The third sacrifice is that of thanksgiving, shlamim, שְׁלָמִים. This word is similar to the word shalom, peace and shalem, complete, paid. It was offered as a complete thanksgiving and gratitude towards the goodness of G-d and also after the end of a vow of nazir. These sacrifices were meant to bring peace in the world and eaten with the family and guests because nothing was to be left. It was a common rejoicing:

Shlomo awoke and found it had been a dream. But he went to Yerushalayim, stood before the ark for the covenant of ADONAI and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, shlamim שְׁלָמִים He also made a feast for all his servants.  1 Kings 3:15

Also, when he came, he announced as Good News shalom to you far off and shalom to those nearby, {Isa 57:19} Ephesians 2:17

And let the shalom which comes from the Messiah be your heart’s decision maker, for this is why you were called to be part of a single Body. And be thankful–– Colossians 3:15

In the chapter consecrated to this sacrifice, we are commanded not to ever eat blood and fat.

It is to be a permanent regulation through all your generations wherever you live that you will eat neither fat nor blood.’” Leviticus 3:17

Fat makes sleepy and the blood heats the passions. The Word tells us that in the blood is the soul of the creature and G-d gave us authority over the body of the animals, not over their souls. 

Only flesh with its life (soul, nefesh), which is its blood, you are not to eat. Genesis 9:4

The hardest sanction was for those eating blood: that of being cut off karet, כרת

When someone from the community of Isra’el or one of the foreigners living with you eats any kind of blood, I will set myself against that person who eats blood and cut him off, hichrati הִכְרַתִּי from his people.  For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for yourselves; for it is the blood that makes atonement because of the life.’  Leviticus 17:10-11

Further, the L-rd recommends it more strongly and tells us that there are consequences on our children:

Just take care not to eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you are not to eat the life with the meat. Don’t eat it, but pour it out on the ground like water. Do not eat it, so that things will go well with you and with your children after you, as you do what ADONAI sees as right. Deuteronomy 12:23-25

We find a mystery here, for this precept is called a choq, the meaning of which is hidden as is the precept on the red heifer and the forbidden mixings.  The L-rd is revealing for us some concepts of the spiritual realm. Satanism has always used blood and human flesh as an occult way to transfer demons.

This commandment will be given again by the Apostles for the Gentiles:

“However, in regard to the Goyim who have come to trust in Yeshua, we all joined in writing them a letter with our decision that they should abstain from what had been sacrificed to idols, from blood, from what is strangled and from fornication.” Acts 21:25

These three forbidden things are bound together: whoever eats blood (not drinks but eats) will be drawn to commit idolatry and then fornication and vice versa; spiritual prostitution engenders physical prostitution:

They sacrifice on the mountain peaks and offer incense on the hills under oaks, poplars and pistachio trees; because they give good shade. Therefore your daughters behave like whores, and your daughters–in–law commit adultery. Hosea 4:13

Yeshua will bring light to this text and His words will seem hard to understand for some of His disciples:

For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me, and I live in him.  John 6:55-56

Paul will give us the explanation of these apparently shocking words:

For who knows the inner workings of a person except the person’s own spirit inside him? So too no one knows the inner workings of God except God’s Spirit. Now we have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit of God, so that we might understand the things God has so freely given us. These are the things we are talking about when we avoid the manner of speaking that human wisdom would dictate and instead use a manner of speaking taught by the Spirit, by which we explain things of the Spirit to people who have the Spirit. Now the natural man does not receive the things from the Spirit of God––to him they are nonsense! Moreover, he is unable to grasp them, because they are evaluated through the Spirit. But the person who has the Spirit can evaluate everything, while no one is in a position to evaluate him.

1 Corinthians 2:11-15

Yeshua will enlighten it:

It is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh is no help. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. John 6:63

This irrational precept, this choq, forbidding us to eat any blood takes then its full meaning. Our spirits need to be purified from any idolatry, sexual sin and occultism which dip their roots in the dark deeds of our transgressions, willing or unwilling. It is because of His divine Holiness, in which “the ruler of this world has no claim” that we can receive the forgiveness for all kinds of sins and be delivered from any demoniac grasp.

He never sinned and chapter four of our Parasha hints to this as we will see with the fourth type of sacrifice.

This fourth type of sacrifice is the one of expiation, chatat, חַטָּאת, a word meaning “to miss the target”

It was offered in case of a sin committed involuntarily by a member of the people or a chief, or a king or even by the Cohen Gadol himself.

“Tell the people of Isra’el: ‘If anyone sins inadvertently against any of the mitzvot of ADONAI concerning things which should not be done, if he does any one of them. Leviticus 4:2

In the chapter consecrated to this sacrifice, the whole people are concerned and the offering brought depends on the level of responsibility of the sinner.

The Cohen Gadol had to bring a more important sacrifice and this teaches us about the responsibility of the spiritual leader whose sin affects the whole community.

Each time sin is forgiven, for the people, the prince or the Sanhedrin, the following sentence is mentioned:

“Thus the cohen will make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.”  But, as for the Cohen Gadol, there is no mention of his forgiveness (chapter four)

This is a foreshadowing of the Great Cohen Gadol, Who never sinned:

God made this sinless man be a sin offering on our behalf, so that in union with him we might fully share in God’s righteousness.”

2 Corinthians 5:21

 No need of forgiveness for the Holy Priest Who was the perfect sacrifice which gave us access to the Father through the veil, meaning His flesh:

This is the kind of Cohen Gadol that meets our need – holy, without evil, without stain, set apart from sinners and raised higher than the heavens; one who does not have the daily necessity, like the other cohanim g’dolim, of offering up sacrifices first for their own sins and only then for those of the people; because he offered one sacrifice, once and for all, by offering up himself. Hebrews 7:26-27

This is why His sacrifice was a priceless gift for the redeeming of our souls. His blood erases the bad covenants of blood we might have contracted through idolatry, impurity or occultism and His blood gives back life!

The offering for the sin, chatat, had to be burnt outside of the camp, like Yeshua was…

Lastly, there is the sacrifice of culpability, asham, אָשָׁם offered in case of a sin committed unwillingly. The idea is that even though it may have been committed inadvertently, this sin bears a responsibility and thus requires forgiveness. How great is His love, for even this kind of sin was forgiven through His sacrifice:

Yeshua said, “Father, forgive them; they don’t understand what they are doing.” They divided up his clothes by throwing dice. {Ps 22:18}  

Luke 23:34

This offering was also brought in the following cases:

-          Robbery and stealing: 

-          First, for the sacrilege committed against sacred food or sacred tool (5:14). The word asham also means, according to Nahmanide, desolation or damnation as in the Psalm 5 :11 and Hosea 13 :16 [1]

The offense for taking benefit from an object belonging to the Temple was serious enough to bring a sacrifice to which was added a fifth of its value.

Next, in the case of theft from somebody and lying afterwards; the sacrifice was to be brought together with a fifth of the value of the stolen thing added to it.

With these two types of stealing, the L-rd shows us that He hates robbery and lying, as mentioned in the seventh and eight commandments.

The robbery in the Temple concerns also the robbery in His body, when the glory of man takes the place of the service for G-d and when competition prevents the revelation to be spread among His people. It is also robbery when offerings are not given, and when not allowing the Word to be fully proclaimed because of lack of finances.

The fist thing G-d commanded before the instructions for the building of the Mishkan, was to bring an offering which already belonged to Him, as we saw in Parashat Terumah.

The other cases for bringing this offering are:

-         The fault committed with a Canaanite slave not completely free

-         For the nazir who became impure

-         For the leprous, purified from leprosies

There are many things to say about this sacrifice which teach us to worship Him and show us the way of proper service to G-d:

         A time for worship and intimacy with the Father, for our soul to rise at His contact and revive the flame of the altar of our lives day and night…

A time to bring the humble but precious offering of the confession of our weakness and of our “poverty” of the moment…

A time for spiritual fight and to proclaim that He came to destroy the deeds of the devil and that He holds the keys of the Sh’ol…

A time to fix and give reparation for the robbery committed in His body…

Then a time to bring all the sacrifices of thanksgiving together in the presence of the Prince of Peace, with the joy of a heart purified through the obedience of His truth. All Glory be to Him! Amen!