Parasha Emor
May 13, 2017
Today’s parasha is Emor. It begins with instructions for the cohenim regarding ritual
cleanliness and describes how they can become ritually unclean in a number of different
situations. After listing the different ways a kohen could become unclean, instructions are
given regarding who was a member of a kohen’s household and who could eat of the offerings.
ADONAI’s final statement regarding these instructions was: 32 “You must not profane My holy
Name, for I will be made holy among Bnei-Yisrael. I am Adonai who makes you holy, 33 who
brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. I am Adonai” (Leviticus 22:32-33 TLV).
There is probably not a direct parallel to these verses about kohenim for us today, but there
is a strong association which relates to us, Yeshua’s followers, as ADONAI’s kohenim. I am
certain that Shimon Kefa had these things in mind when he wrote his first letter. He said: 1
“So get rid of all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all lashon ha-ra. 2 As
newborn babes, long for pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow toward salvation— 3
now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 As you come to Him, a living stone rejected
by men but chosen by God and precious, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a
spiritual house—a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through
Messiah Yeshua (1Peter 2:1-5 TLV). In the Greek, holy priesthood is hierateuma hagion. In
the Hebrew, it would be kahuna kadosh. He continues with his letter and in verse 9 he says:
9 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own
possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness
into His marvelous light” (1Peter 2:9 TLV). In this verse Kefa again calls us hierateuma, a
priesthood, but this time he calls us basileion hierateuma, a royal priesthood. Understanding
that Kefa was a Jew writing in Greek, he was most likely referring to Exodus 19:6: 6 “So as
for you, you will be to Me a kingdom of kohanim and a holy nation…” (Exodus 19:6a TLV).
Basileion, which is translated “royal” in most Bible versions, also has the meaning of and can
be translated as “kingdom.” From a Hebrew perspective, basileion hierateuma would mean
“kingdom of priests” in 1Peter 2:9 just as meleket cohanim, ‫מ ֶלכֶת כֹּהֲ נִ ים‬,
ְ does in Exodus 19:6.
With this in mind, we can read 1Peter 2:9 as: 9 “But you are a chosen people, a kingdom of
priests, a holy nation”….. This relates directly to Exodus 19:6: 6 “So as for you, you will be
to Me a kingdom of kohanim (priests) and a holy nation….
Kefa did not make up something new. He was using the principle of remez and hinting back
to Torah. When we understand that his letter was to Jews, it makes sense. 1 Peter, an
emissary of Messiah Yeshua, To the sojourners of the Diaspora in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,
Asia, and Bithynia—chosen 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, set apart by
the Ruach for obedience and for sprinkling with the blood of Yeshua the Messiah: “May grace
and shalom be multiplied to you” (1Peter 1:1-2 TLV). Diaspora, the word used in the TLV
Bible is the actual word used in the Greek text. Strong’s Concordance of the Bible defines
diaspora as: “scattering abroad of seed by the sower, hence: dispersion, used especially of
the Jews who had migrated and were scattered over the ancient world.” In context, Kefa was
writing to Messianic Jews scattered in those areas which he listed. Pontus, Galatia,
Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. The message of Exodus 19:6 is the p’shat, the plain meaning
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of 1Peter 2:9.
of kohanim.
Shimon Kefa was encouraging them to fulfill their calling as a kingdom
Today, the principle of both letters from Kefa are applicable to not just Jews, but by all
followers of Yeshua. But, there is also a deeper meaning which those of us in Messianic
Judaism can understand. We can understand it because we have a Torah focus and we know
that Exodus 19:6, the verse related to 1Peter 2:9, immediately precedes the very next thing
which happened at Mount Sinai. The first part of the verse says: 6 “So as for you, you will
be to Me a kingdom of kohanim and a holy nation…” (Exodus 19:6a TLV). Exodus 19:6
continues: …“These are the words which you are to speak to Bnei-Yisrael.” 7 So Moses went,
called for the elders of the people, and put before them all these words that Adonai had
commanded him. 8 All the people answered together and said, “Everything that Adonai has
spoken, we will do.” Then Moses reported the words of the people to Adonai (Exodus 19:6b-8
TLV). “Everything that Adonai has spoken, we will do” was Israel’s response. It was their
agreement to follow Torah, just as it is our response today. It was the agreement of Israel at
Sinai and our agreement today to become a nation of priests. A Messianic follower of Yeshua
has accepted the Mosaic Covenant, the Covenant at Sinai, and has become a covenant
partner. It is a choice which we consciously made. With regard to Gentiles, this only applies
to those who have personally made this commitment and not to members of Yeshua’s body
who have not made it. But, for us as Messianic Jews and Gentiles, when Shimon Kefa calls
us a “royal priesthood,” we understand that he is calling us a “kingdom of priests,” the holy
nation of Israel, which ADONAI spoke to in Exodus 6; Holy, set apart, by ADONAI’s Torah,
which we have committed to follow.
Kefa’s letter to Yeshua’s followers in the diaspora was his encouragement to them that they
were that nation which ADONAI proclaimed at Sinai. The process of becoming a nation of
priests is ongoing and will reach its final fulfillment when all Israel is saved and becomes a
nation of evangelists (Romans 11). As sojourners, gerim, Gentiles in the Messianic Jewish
Movement are an active part of what ADONAI is doing in and through Israel in the flesh, the
Messianic Jews, and as covenant partners are a part of “ADONAI’s nation of priests.” And,
as ADONAI’s kohenim today, Messianic Jews and Gentiles, we understand the spiritual
significance of the requirements which ADONAI placed upon the kohenim of the Tabernacle.
While those Torah commands are not binding on us today, we nevertheless must be aware of
the great spiritual responsibility which we have today. If we are kohenim, we must live like
it! As Kefa said, you are: a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God
through Messiah Yeshua (1Peter 2:5b TLV). That’s our calling!
Leviticus 23 which describes all of the moedim, the appointed times which ADONAI has
commanded, will be our discussion for the remainder of today’s message. 1
Then Adonai spoke to Moses saying: 2 “Speak to Bnei-Yisrael, and tell them: These are the
appointed moadim of Adonai, which you are to proclaim to be holy convocations—My moadim”
(Leviticus 23:1-2 TLV). Appointed moadim of ADONAI in Hebrew is ‫מֹועֲדֵ י יְ ה ָוה‬, moadei ADONAI.
A moed, singular, is an appointed time or appointed festival commanded by ADONAI. And,
ADONAI says that these appointed festivals are to be ‫מ ְק ָר ֵאי קֹּדֶ ׁש‬,
ִ mikrah kodesh, “holy
convocations.” A holy convocation is an assembly commanded by ADONAI. Each of the
moadim which ADONAI goes on to describe is a holy convocation. All have a prophetic
meaning, relating in some way to ADONAI’s unfolding plan of redemption for individuals and
even for nations.
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Each of the moadim occur yearly except for Shabbat, which is weekly. Two are in the spring
and three are in the fall. The spring festivals which ADONAI announced at Mount Sinai, in
addition to their original meaning, also pointed to Yeshua. Up until Yeshua came, these
spring festivals were rehearsals which Yeshua would fulfil later. At the time of His coming,
they had been rehearsed by Israel for over two thousand years. Pesach, ‫( פֶסַ ח‬Passover)
occurred first in the Biblical year, but is not a festival in the sense of the others. It was the
day when the lambs were sacrificed so that their blood would cause the death angel to “pass
over” the Israelite homes in Egypt. The lambs slaughtered were eaten the first night of the
festival of Unleavened Bread. Hag HaMatzot, ‫( חַ ג הַ מַ ּצֹות‬Unleavened Bread), is a seven day
festival during which only unleavened bread is eaten. Bikkurim reshit (First Fruits), which
occurs within the Festival of Matzah is not actually a festival either. Sometimes called reshit
katzir, the beginning of the harvest, it marked the beginning of the counting of the omer.
Even though it was not a festival like the others, it had and has Messianic significance.
Shavuot, ‫( ַׁשבָ תֹות‬Pentecost), which symbolizes the giving of Torah at Mount Sinai, is the last
of the spring festivals. The spring festivals plus Passover and Firstfruits have been fulfilled,
but the three moadim in the fall, which we’ll go over in just a minute, continue to be
rehearsals and we look forward to their fulfillment taking place when Yeshua returns.
The first moed listed in Leviticus 23 is Shabbat, ‫ׁשַ בַ ת‬. Because it is listed first and because it
occurs more than fifty times more frequently than the others, it is probably the most
important. Its meaning comes from ADONAI’s rest which He took after creating the heavens
and the earth. He intended for His rest to be an example for us, an example which points to
His will for us to rest weekly. In Shabbat, we also see a rehearsal, a looking forward to not
only our rest through Yeshua, individual salvation, but also to our future rest in the
Messianic age when Yeshua has returned and is ruling as our King. 9 “So there remains
a Shabbat rest for the people of God. 10 For the one who has entered God’s rest has also
ceased from his own work, just as God did from His. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to
enter that rest, so that no one may fall through the same pattern of disobedience” (Hebrews
4:9-11 TLV).
The spring festivals had their initial basis in the Exodus and the giving of Torah, but were
also pictures of what was to come. Each time Israel observed one of these moadim, they
rehearsed their personal and permanent atonement which was to come in the future through
Yeshua’s sacrifice and their future infilling by the Ruach HaKodesh.
Now, a look at the fall festivals. Yom Teruah, ‫ ְתרּועָ ה יֹום‬also called Rosh Hashanah, is the first
of the fall festivals. The ancient rabbis also called this day Yom HaDin, Day of Judgment.
They visualized all human beings passing before ADONAI in a manner similar to a Roman
commander reviewing his troops. They connected it to Psalm 33 which says: 13 Adonai looks
down from heaven. He observes all humanity. 14 From His dwelling place He gazes on all the
inhabitants of the earth— 15 He who fashions the hearts of all, who discerns all their deeds
(Psalm 33:13-15 TLV). Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanah as a prophetic picture of judgment
seems to be pointing to the return of Yeshua for the final judgment. In Daniel 7 we see one
like a “Son of Man” coming before the Ancient of Days. 13 “I was watching in the night visions.
Behold, One like a Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient
of Days, and was brought into His presence. 14 Dominion, glory and sovereignty were given to
Him that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting
dominion that will never pass away, and His kingdom is one that will not be destroyed” (Daniel
7:13-14 TLV). Yeshua also seemed to speak of that day when He sat on the Mount of Olives
talking with His disciples: 29 “But immediately after the trouble of those days, ‘the sun will be
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darkened, and the moon will not give its light and the stars will fall from heaven and the powers
of the heavens will be shaken.’ 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and
then all the tribes of the land will mourn, and they will see ‘the Son of Man coming on the clouds
of heaven’ with power and great glory. 31 He will send out His angels with a great shofar, and
they will gather together His chosen from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other”
(Matthew 24:29-31 TLV).
Sha’ul also spoke of Yeshua coming on the clouds in
1Thessalonians 4: 16 “For the Lord Himself shall come down from heaven with a commanding
shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the blast of God’s shofar, and the dead in
Messiah shall rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left behind, will be caught up
together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air—and so we shall always be with
the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1Thessalonians 4:16-18
TLV).
Yom Kippur, ‫יֹום ַהכִ פ ִֻּרים‬, Yom HaKippurim, the Day of Atonement, is the second of the fall
festivals. Its purpose in the days of the Tabernacle and Temple was to provide a limited
atonement for corporate Israel and also for individual Israelites each year. Prophetically,
Yom Kippur pictures a future, final, day of atonement. Yeshua’s personal sacrifice of Himself
as the lamb for Pesach also fulfilled the goat sacrificed for Yom Kippur. Hebrews 9 describes
Yeshua taking His own blood into the Holy of Holies in the heavenly tabernacle, and is a vivid
picture of the presentation of the Yom Kippur sacrifice: 11 “But when Messiah appeared
as Kohen Gadol of the good things that have now come, passing through the greater and more
perfect Tent not made with hands (that is to say not of this creation), 12 He entered into the
Holies once for all—not by the blood of goats and calves but by His own blood, having obtained
eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:11-12 TLV). The Year of Jubilee, the 50th year of release, was
always announced on Yom Kippur. ADONAI commanded: 9 “Then on the tenth day of the
seventh month, on Yom Kippur, you are to sound a shofar blast—you are to sound
the shofar all throughout your land. 10 You are to make the fiftieth year holy, and proclaim
liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It is to be a Jubilee to you, when each of you
is to return to his own property and each of you is to return to his family” (Leviticus 25:9 TLV).
Looking forward prophetically, on a future Yom Kippur, the permanent Shabbat rest and the
Messianic Age, the permanent and eternal Jubilee, will be announced.
Sukkot, ‫חג ַהסֻּ כֹות‬,
ַ Hag HaSukkot, the Festival of Tabernacles, is the final fall festival. It is also
called the Festival of the Ingathering because it took place after the fall harvest. It also
depicts Israel’s time of wandering in the wilderness. As a future event, it pictures the Shabbat
rest and the Messianic Age which will be announced at Yom Kippur. The agricultural harvest,
the gathering of crops, is also a picture of the ingathering of all believers to ADONAI.
Zechariah 14 seems to speak of that time after the Battle of Armegeddon: 16 “Then all the
survivors from all the nations that attacked Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship
the King, Adonai-Tzva’ot, and to celebrate Sukkot” (Zechariah 14:16 TLV).
Of these festivals which we have just described, three were especially important to ADONAI.
They are called the Shalosh Regalim, ‫שלוש רגלים‬, the Three Pilgrim Festivals. Regalim comes
from rega, meaning foot, and in those days, travel to the festivals was by foot. 14 “Three times
in the year you are to celebrate a festival for Me. 15 You are to observe the Feast of Matzot
(Unleavened Bread). For seven days you will eat matzot as I commanded you, at the time
appointed in the month Aviv, for that is when you came out from Egypt. No one is to appear
before Me empty-handed. 16 Also you are to observe the Feast of Harvest (Shavuot), the
firstfruits of your labors that you sow in the field, as well as the Feast of the Ingathering
(Sukkot) at the end of the year, when you gather your crops from the field. 17 Three times in
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the year all your men are to appear before Adonai Elohim” (Exodus 23:14-17 TLV). The Feast
of Matzah also included Passover and First Fruits. The command to appear before Him meant
that for each of these festivals they were to travel to wherever the Tabernacle was located
until the Temple was built and ADONAI had permanently placed His name in Jerusalem. In
1Kings 9 ADONAI spoke to Solomon after he had completed building the Temple: 3 ….. “I
have heard your prayer and your petition that you made before Me. I have consecrated this
House, which you have built, to put My Name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be
there every day” (1Kings 9:3 TLV).
Even though we cannot observe the festivals today in the way that ADONAI commanded, it
is still important that we commemorate them. We commemorate the spring festivals
remembering our redemption from Egypt and the giving of the Torah as well as their
fulfillment, our redemption from sin through Yeshua’s sacrifice and His Holy Spirit in our
lives to help us remain free from sin. We commemorate the fall festivals as rehearsals for
Yeshua’s return to earth as King Messiah, the Son of David, and the raising up of David’s
fallen tabernacle. We also see the final judgment and everlasting peace, our Sabbath rest.
Some of us here in Beit Shalom have had the great privilege of travelling to Jerusalem for
each of the three regalim, Matzah, Shavuot and Sukkot. ADONAI put this goal in our hearts
years ago as a symbolic commitment to follow His Torah commands. There is no salvation
in keeping these or any other Torah commands. For any of us, keeping Torah is only our
humble effort to respond to Abba’s and Yeshua’s will for us. Yeshua said: 15 “If you love Me,
you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15 TLV).
Of all of the moedim ADONAI described, Shabbat is the most neglected. Regarding Shabbat,
Isaiah said: 13 “If you turn back your foot from Shabbat, from doing your pleasure on My holy
day, and call Shabbat a delight, the holy day of Adonai honorable, If you honor it, not going
your own ways, not seeking your own pleasure, nor speaking your usual speech, 14 then You
will delight yourself in Adonai, and I will let you ride over the heights of the earth, I will feed
you with the heritage of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of Adonai has spoken (Isaiah 53:1314 TLV). Through our love and our commitment to ADONAI’s ways, our goal is to please our
Father and our Messiah. At Mount Sinai ADONAI said: 8 “Remember Yom Shabbat, to keep
it holy” (Exodus 20:8 TLV). Holy means that we are keep it in the way which He commanded;
set apart from the six common days of the week. May our Sabbath rest be pleasing in His
sight! Shabbat Shalom!!
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