Vayikra
Introduction
Before reading the book of Leviticus, it is important to remember that chapter 7 emphasizes the proper way of approaching the sovereign Hashem Elohim in terms of the Sinai Covenant mandate. The victim offered by the kohen had to be without flaw (see the preface on the flawless Ben Elohim Ben Dovid Moshiach born of HaAlmah). And when hands were laid on the victim it became a substitute pointing toward a vicarious kapporah atonement. With the touch of the kohenʼs hands and the emunah (faith) of the believer, the sin transfers to the victim whose bloody death expiates (removes) the sin from the sinner and propitiates (appeases, pacifies) the wrath or anger of Hashem against sin. Thus the sin is covered or atoned for. In Lv 4:1-3 we see that sin doesn't get off scot-free…some body has to pay. We see the bull come forward to pay, just as later we see the perfect victim, the filial Devar Hashem Moshiach Ben Dovid come forward to pay. In I Chronicles chapter 21 we see that the Bais Dovid has to pay, because Dovid numbers the people. The Yad Hashem will fall on Moshiach [compare 1Chr 21:17 with Yeshayah Isa 53:10]. In Yeshayah we read “Kee neegzar may-eretz chayyim mee-payshah amee.” The Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵇ) proves that these words written by the 8th Century B.C.E. Jewish prophet Isaiah and found in the Tanakh are authentic words from the Holy Jewish Scriptures, his actual words that were not lost in transcription down through the centuries. Furthermore, Tractate Sanhedrin 98b in the Talmud proves that these words are speaking not about Israel but about Moshiach. Ramban and Abravanel also speak of Isaiah 53 as referring to the Moshiach. Likewise Rashi in his commentary on the Gemara (Sanhedrin 98b). The Torah firmly states that prophetic canonical utterances were not the words of a mere man, but “the Ruach Elohim (Spirit of G-d) came upon him” (Num 24:2). Therefore, to reject the six words “Kee neegzar may-eretz chayyim mee-payshah amee” is to reject G-dʼs words and also G-d Himself. Now, seeing the importance of these six words, do we know what they mean? “Kee” means “for.” “Neegzar” means “He was cut off, excluded, separated” and this word comes from Gimel-zayin-resh, according to the standard Hebrew/English Lexicon of Brown, Driver, and Briggs, page 160. “May-eretz chayyim” means “from the Land of the Living.” To say that he was cut off or excluded or separated from the Land of the Living is a way of saying that he died. Who died? Moshiach died. Why did he die? “Mee-paysha amee,” “for the transgression of my people.” Moshiach died for the sins of the Jewish people. If anyone claims to be Jewish and asserts that he or she is part of Isaiahʼs people (“my [Jewish] people”), that claimant must also admit and accede to the first part of the verse, Isa 53:8, that Moshiach died for his or her sins. Moshiach died for the sins of my [Jewish] people. This is what the six words are saying. A person can fight these words, he can try to twist the meaning of these words, he can run from these words, but the words themselves will never go away. They are eternal words. They are the words of Almighty G-d. And these words leave one with only one choice: turn from rebellion and sinful unbelief to trust these words or die in oneʼs unbelief and rebellion against these words. In Lv 4:15 we see the Elders of the Community (Ziknei HaEdah) lay their hands upon the head, just as later they unwittingly laid their hands upon the head of Moshiach Ben Dovid Ben Elohim the Devar Hashem, the Lamb of G-d. In this respect the Moshiachʼs akedah (binding) and death became not only an asham, but also a chattat — that is, a sin offering for the whole community. In fact, all of the sacrifices find their fulfillment in the death of Moshiach. On Yom Kippur, the Kohen Gadol lays both of his hands on the head of the victim, confesses over it all the perverse sins and transgressions of the people, thus transferring them onto the head of the doomed victim, which will bear (nasa) them away outside the camp to the wilderness where the victim will die (notice Lv 16:22 and Isa 53:12 “He bore away or carried away [nasa] the sin of many, i.e. like a sa'ir l'azazel Yom Kippur scapegoat.”) When you watch Moshiach struggling with his burden down the Via Dolorosa you must remember that the burden he is carrying away is your burden of sin. Only a fool would want to keep his smelly garbage when the garbage truck comes by to carry it away. How proud we are with our garbage, and how humble he was to be our garbage man. The Moshiach-Kohen that King Dovid foretold in Psalm 110 is the one who offered the korban of his nefesh (Isa 53:10), making kapporah for the sins of the whole world, sprinkling many nations (Isa 52:15). We are speaking of the portentous kohen Zechariah also identified with the Moshiach in Zechariah (Zech 3:8; 6:11-12) — the very one Ezra called Yeshua in Ezra 3:8. He is the one who is Avdi Tzemach, Moshiach Shmo, Yehoshua, the namesake (a person having the same name as another) of Moshiach. This post-Exilic Kohen Gadol in charge of the building of the Second Temple points us forward by his person and his personal name to the coming Moshiach, Yehoshua or Yeshua.
Many people do not know that Judaism used to be a “proselytizing” religion, and that leaders of Judaism were both zealous and highly successful at making proselytes. In fact, so numerous were the proselytes in Biblical times that there is even a term in Scripture for conversion to Judaism — mityahadim (see Esth 8:17). The rabbis knew that Judaism was not merely a narrow, national religion. The Talmud says that the teachings of Judaism were freely meant for all mankind (see Babylonian Talmud, Shabbath 146a, where Dt 29:13-14 [14-15] is quoted as referring to proselytes). And just as Gentiles were saved in Noahʼs ark, so Ruth was also brought under Hashemʼs wings (Ruth 2:12). In the High Holy Day Prayerbook, we read on Rosh Hashanah “Also Noah Thou didst remember in love, and didst remember him with a promise of salvation and mercy, when Thou didst send the flood to destroy all creatures because of their evil deeds. So his remembrance came before Thee, O L-rd our G-d to increase his seed like the dust of the earth and his offspring like the sand of the sea.” So hope is held out that the Righteous Gentiles of the world will have a share in the World to Come. In fact, according to ancient tradition, the first proselytes to the Jewish faith were Abraham and Sarah, and through their descendants G-d intended to proselytize the nations (see also Mt 28:19). For a few other texts of many in the Scriptures on the universal scope of the Jewish faith, see Ps 22:27; Isa 45:22; 66:23; Zech 14:16. Of course, Judaism, with the exception of Messianic Judaism, changed when the rabbis took over under Yochanan ben Zakkai in Yavneh near Jaffa in Israel and created after 70 C.E. a post-Temple, non-priestly form of Judaism lacking blood sacrifice and a Beis Hamikdash. It should be remembered here that it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul (Lv 17:11) and that Abelʼs offering from the firstborn of his flock was looked on with favor by Hashem, but a bloodless religion and worship without blood atonement was not looked on with favor (see Gn 4:4-5). G-d says, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Ex 12:13). To lack faith in Gn 22:8; Ex 12:5-13; Isa 53:7 and in Moshiachʼs necessary sacrifice, and then to create a religion where, gratuitously, blood sacrifice is assumed not necessary, is to change the religion of Judaism, the religion of Moses. Moshiachʼs Judaism has not changed Judaism and is true Judaism. Rabbinic Judaism has changed Judaism. This change occurred after 70 C.E., making Rabbinic Judaism a form of religion that post-dates Moshiachʼs Judaism. Not only does it lack Biblical warrant for many of its tenets of faith, but also the fact is that the rabbis have cooled off in their zeal to win converts. However, Moshiachʼs Judaism has always been a proselytizing faith, eager to share the blessings of Judaism with the whole world. In our own era, millions of adherents to Moshiachʼs Judaism, including both Jews and non-Jews from every culture and country, have become regenerated spiritual children of Abraham and genuine proselytes to Abrahamʼs faith. For true commitment to Judaism can only be through true commitment to the Moshiach of Judaism, Moshiach Adoneinu. Unfortunately, not all Jews nor all Goyim have been willing to become proselytes to Moshiach because not everyone is willing to commit himself to Moshiach. And many who have committed themselves to Moshiach Adoneinu are even ignorant of the fact that what they call “the Religion of Messiah” is really Moshiachʼs Judaism that Goyim have adapted to their own culture. Nevertheless, the faith of the Brit Chadasha is still the true, Biblical faith of Moshiach, whether every believer in Moshiach Adoneinu realizes it or not. Scripturally, a Jew is anyone like Ruth the Moabitess who has renounced idolatry and thrown in his or her lot with the people of the one true G-d. Therefore, when a Gentile lady named Ruth clung to Naomi and Naomiʼs G-d, Ruth became a Jewess, even qualifying to become the great-grandmother of King David. However, historically, these three have been involved in the reception of proselytes to Judaism: (1) circumcision (the bris milah), (2) complete immersion (the tevilah) in a mikveh ritual bath, and (3) a sacrifice (see Num 15:14 and Babylonian Talmud, Kerithoth 9a.) This blood sacrifice (an offering by fire) was burned on the altar and was indispensable at the time the Beis Hamikdash stood, and points prophetically along with all sacrifice to the repentant proselyteʼs need for a blood atonement kapporah. Rabbi Judah the Patriarch (“Rabbenu haKadosh”) compared this three-fold admission into Judaism as reminiscent of the Biblical history of Israel, a nation circumcised before leaving Egypt (Josh 5:2), immersed in the desert in a holy washing (Ex 19:10), and sprinkled with the blood of a covenant sacrifice (Ex 24:3-8) [see Sifra, Ahare Perek 12]. Nevertheless, the central ritual of admittance into the faith has always been a tevilah of water immersion. The proselyteʼs blood sacrifice became impossible, except in Moshiachʼs self-offering, after the Beis HaMikdash was destroyed. Furthermore, since women converts to Judaism outnumbered men, circumcision could hardly become the chief rite of entry into Judaism. Therefore, the one conspicuous thing that all converts had to do to join Avrahamʼs family and faith was to get immersed in water. He or she had to submit to a tevilah to become part of the kehunnat kodesh (1K 2:5). In Chapter 8 of Leviticus we see the mikveh mayim of the kehunah induction prefiguring the brit chadasha tevilah of the ma'aminim hameshichiyim. That is, what we see Moshe doing in Lv 8:6 we see Yochanan the kohen navi doing in Mt 3:5-6 and Philippos doing in Ac 8:38. All of the above is said, not to persuade Gentiles to confiscate the promises and blessings in Scripture written down for the physical descendants of Abraham; rather, the intent of our rhetoric in this exegesis is to provoke our Jewish people to jealousy that they might pursue the G-d of Scripture and His many blessings awaiting them in their Bible.
1
[VAYIKRA]
1 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, and spoke unto him out of the Ohel Mo'ed (Tent of Meeting)* saying, 2 Speak unto the Bnei Yisroel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring a korban unto Hashem, ye shall bring your korban of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock.
3 If his korban be an olah (burnt sacrifice) of the herd, let him offer a zachar tamim (male without blemish); he shall offer it that he may be accepted at the entrance of the Ohel Mo'ed before Hashem. 4 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the olah (burnt offering); and it shall be accepted for him to make kapporah for him. 5 And he shall slaughter (shachat) the young bull before Hashem; and the kohanim, Aharonʼs banim, shall bring the dahm, and sprinkle the dahm around upon the Mizbe'ach that is by the entrance of the Ohel Mo'ed. 6 And he shall skin the olah, and cut it into pieces. 7 And the Bnei Aharon the kohen shall put eish upon the Mizbe'ach, and lay the wood in order upon the eish; 8 And the kohanim, Aharonʼs banim, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the eish which is upon the Mizbe'ach: 9 But his innards and his legs shall he wash in mayim; and the kohen shall burn the whole on the Mizbe'ach, to be an olah, an offering made by eish, of a re'ach nicho'ach (sweet savour) unto Hashem.
10 And if his korban be of the flocks, namely, of the sheep, or of the goats, for an olah (burnt offering); he shall bring it a zachar tamim (male without blemish). 11 And he shall slaughter (shachat) it on the side of the Mizbe'ach northward before Hashem: and the kohanim, Aharonʼs banim, shall sprinkle his dahm around upon the Mizbe'ach. 12 And he shall cut it into pieces, with his head and his fat; and the kohen shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the eish which is upon the Mizbe'ach: 13 But he shall wash the innards and the legs with mayim; and the kohen shall bring the whole, and burn it upon the Mizbe'ach: it is an olah, an offering made by eish, of a re'ach nicho'ach (sweet savour) unto Hashem.
14 And if the olah for his korban to Hashem be of fowls, then he shall bring his korban of turtledoves, or of young pigeons. 15 And the kohen shall bring it unto the Mizbe'ach, and wring off his head, and burn it on the Mizbe'ach; and the dahm thereof shall be pressed out at the side of the Mizbe'ach: 16 And he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the Mizbe'ach on the east side, by the place of the ashes: 17 And he shall tear it open with the wings thereof, but shall not tear it in half; and the kohen shall burn it upon the Mizbe'ach, upon the wood that is upon the eish; it is an olah, an offering made by eish, of a re'ach nicho'ach (sweet savour) unto Hashem.
* 1:1 i.e., Tabernacle