Acherei Mot/Kedoshim - Day #5

ACHAREI MOT/KEDOSHIM  

Torah Portion: Leviticus 16:1 - 20:27

Leviticus 19:15-32 

19:15 “‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor show favoritism to the great, but you shall judge your neighbor in righteousness.

16 “‘You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people.

“‘You shall not endanger the life of your neighbor. I am Hashem.

17 “‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.

18 “‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am Hashem.

19 “‘You shall keep My statutes.

“‘You shall not cross-breed different kinds of animals.

“‘You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed;

“‘Don’t wear a garment made of two kinds of material.

20 “‘If a man lies carnally with a woman who is a slave girl, pledged to be married to another man, and not ransomed or given her freedom; they shall be punished. They shall not be put to death, because she was not free. 21 He shall bring his trespass offering to Hashem, to the door of the Tent of Meeting, even a ram for a trespass offering. 22 The priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before Hashem for his sin which he has committed; and the sin which he has committed shall be forgiven him.

23 “‘When you come into the land, and have planted all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as forbidden. For three years, it shall be forbidden to you. It shall not be eaten. 24 But in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, for giving praise to Hashem. 25 In the fifth year, you shall eat its fruit, that it may yield its increase to you. I am Hashem, your Elohim.

26 “‘You shall not eat any meat with the blood still in it. You shall not use enchantments, nor practice sorcery.

27 “‘You shall not cut the hair on the sides of your head or clip off the edge of your beard.

28 “‘You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you. I am Hashem.

29 “‘Don’t profane your daughter, to make her a prostitute; lest the land fall to prostitution, and the land become full of wickedness.

30 “‘You shall keep My Sabbaths, and reverence My sanctuary; I am Hashem.

31 “‘Don’t turn to those who are mediums, nor to the wizards. Don’t seek them out to be defiled by them. I am Hashem, your Elohim.

32 “‘You shall rise up before the gray head and honor the face of the elderly; and you shall fear your Elohim. I am Hashem.

Today’s Meditation:

In verse 28, we are told not to get tattoos. What part of this Commandment do we not understand? It’s so interesting that when we disobey a Commandment (believe I have done this too), we justify our actions. Maybe you think Hashem is talking about tattoos to false gods, or this was a different culture, or a different time. But if we take His Word at face value, we see that we are not to mark our skin at all. He says no to this. So, tattoos are wrong; they are a disobedience to a commandment. If you have tattoos, it may be time to repent and make restitution. If you are considering getting one, please take this commandment literally and refrain from getting one.

Today’s Challenge:

Here is a considerable challenge, one that I often face because I have small grandchildren. In verse 31, we are told not to seek or be defiled by mediums and wizards. Well, if you turn on kids' TV, you will find almost every station has magic, witches, fairies, and all sorts of wizardry. If we watch this or even play-act with magic, aren’t we entertaining wizards and mediums? I will usually justify it to myself, telling myself, “It is only make-believe.” However, we are dodging an important Commandment and influencing our children again. Lately, I have been telling my grandkids, “Bubbie does not like magic.” And I will say we can do special things instead. Torah is strict about teaching our children the Truth. Time to change. I know it’s hard. But separation from Hashem is even harder; it’s unbearable.

Acharei Mot/Kedoshim - Day #4

ACHAREI MOT/KEDOSHIM  

Torah Portion: Leviticus 16:1-20:27

Leviticus 18:22 -19:14

18:22 “‘You shall not lie with a man as with a woman. That is detestable.

23 “‘You shall not lie with any animal to defile yourself with it. No woman may give herself to an animal, to lie down with it: it is a perversion.

24 “‘Don’t defile yourselves in any of these things; for in all these the nations which I am casting out before you were defiled. 25 The land was defiled. Therefore, I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out her inhabitants. 26 You therefore shall keep My statutes and My ordinances, and shall not do any of these abominations; neither the native-born, nor the stranger who lives as a foreigner among you 27 (for the men of the land that were before you had done all these abominations, and the land became defiled), 28 that the land not vomit you out also, when you defile it, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.

29 “‘For whoever shall do any of these abominations, even the souls that do them shall be cut off from among their people. 30 Therefore, you shall keep My requirements, that you do not practice any of these abominable customs which were practiced before you, and that you do not defile yourselves with them. I am Adonai your Elohim.’”

19:1 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘You shall be holy; for I, Hashem your Elohim, am holy.

3 “‘Each one of you shall respect his mother and his father. You shall keep My Sabbaths. I am Hashem, your Elohim.

4 “‘Don’t turn to idols, nor make molten gods for yourselves. I am Hashem, your Elohim.

5 “‘When you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to Hashem, you shall offer it so that you may be accepted. 6 It shall be eaten the same day you offer it, and on the next day. If anything remains until the third day, it shall be burned with fire. 7 If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is an abomination. It will not be accepted; 8 but everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity, because he has profaned the holy thing of Hashem, and that soul shall be cut off from his people.

9 “‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, neither shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 You shall not glean your vineyard, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the foreigner. I am Hashem, your Elohim.

11 “‘You shall not steal.

“‘You shall not lie.

“‘You shall not deceive one another.

12 “‘You shall not swear by My name falsely, and profane the name of your Elohim. I am Hashem.

13 “‘You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him.

“‘The wages of a hired servant shall not remain with you all night until the morning.

14 “‘You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind; but you shall fear your Elohim. I am Hashem.

Today’s Meditation:

Verses 23 and 24 are specific to women and men, and who or what they have sexual relations with. If you believe in Hashem and His perfect Torah, then you can not dispute or change what He is commanding. He makes it clear. Not to have sex with the same gender or with animals. In fact, He calls it detestable, perversion, and an abomination. Like any other sin, we can work on changing our behavior. We can repent and turn around. It is possible. In life, we make choices. Hashem directs us to make the right ones. 

Today’s Challenge:

Interesting in verse 19:3 that Hashem first tells us to respect our parents, and in the same thought He tells us to keep the Sabbath. The reason is that He is Elohim, and this is what is important to Him. When He created our parents, He gave them the seed to create us. They then love us and raise us. And they hopefully teach us Torah and how to keep the Sabbath. Honoring the creation He gave us (parents) and keeping Sabbath go hand in hand. Summarized, it is all about obedience. Review your life today and make sure you are honoring both your parents and the Sabbath. Try to make the necessary corrections.

Acharei Mot/Kedoshim - Day #3

ACHAREI MOT/KEDOSHIM  

Torah Portion: Leviticus 16:1-20:27

Leviticus 17:8 - 18:21 

17:8 “You shall say to them, ‘Any man there is of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who live as foreigners among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice, 9 and doesn’t bring it to the door of the Tent of Meeting to sacrifice it to Hashem, that man shall be cut off from his people.

10 “‘Any man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who live as foreigners among them, who eats any kind of blood, I will set My face against that soul who eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people. 11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood. I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by reason of the life. 12 Therefore, I have said to the children of Israel, “No person among you may eat blood, nor may any stranger who lives as a foreigner among you eat blood.”

13 “‘Whatever man there is of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who live as foreigners among them, who takes in hunting any animal or bird that may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood, and cover it with dust. 14 For as to the life of all flesh, its blood is with its life. Therefore, I said to the children of Israel, “You shall not eat the blood of any kind of flesh; for the life of all flesh is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off.”

15 “‘Every person that eats what dies of itself, or that which is torn by animals, whether he is native-born or a foreigner, shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening. Then he shall be clean. 16 But if he doesn’t wash them, or bathe his flesh, then he shall bear his iniquity.’”

18:1 Hashem said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘I am Hashem your Elohim. 3 You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived. You shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. You shall not follow their statutes. 4 You shall do My ordinances. You shall keep My statutes and walk in them. I am Hashem your Elohim. 5 You shall therefore keep My statutes and My ordinances, which if a man does, he shall live in them. I am Hashem.

6 “‘None of you shall approach any close relatives, to uncover their nakedness: I am Hashem.

7 “‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, nor the nakedness of your mother: she is your mother. You shall not uncover her nakedness.

8 “‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife. It is your father’s nakedness.

9 “‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home or born abroad.

10 “‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your son’s daughter, or of your daughter’s daughter, even their nakedness; for theirs is your own nakedness.

11 “‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, conceived by your father, since she is your sister.

12 “‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister. She is your father’s near kinswoman.

13 “‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s near kinswoman.

14 “‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother. You shall not approach his wife. She is your aunt.

15 “‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife. You shall not uncover her nakedness.

16 “‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife. It is your brother’s nakedness.

17 “‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter. You shall not take her son’s daughter, or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness. They are near kinswomen. It is wickedness.

18 “‘You shall not take a wife in addition to her sister, to be a rival, to uncover her nakedness, while her sister is still alive.

19 “‘You shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is impure by her uncleanness.

20 “‘You shall not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife, and defile yourself with her.

21 “‘You shall not give any of your children as a sacrifice to Molech. You shall not profane the name of your Elohim. I am Hashem.

Today’s Meditation:

Interesting that in Chapter 21, we read about not having sexual relations with other people (that is what uncovering the nakedness means). Then, in 21:21, we are told, “You shall not give any of your children as a sacrifice to Molech.” Why would Hashem give this commandment right after He is directing His people not to have sexual relations outside of marriage? Most likely because when people committed adultery, the woman got pregnant. As a solution to this, instead of abortion, why not just put the baby in the arms of a hot, burning Molech statue? Either way, the baby would die. We strongly advise against doing this. 

Today’s Challenge:

Right after Hashem gives the command not to sacrifice children, He commands us not to “profane the Name of Elohim.” I’m thinking that profane here means disregarding His Name of Creation. He is the Creator of everything, and when we destroy His creation, we are profaning the Creator Himself. If you have ever had an abortion or were part of one in some way, maybe today is a good day to go to the Father and ask for forgiveness. Or perhaps you have been a part of destroying another kind of creation. Repent and make retribution. Or maybe you can restore what was taken. Let’s try not to profane His Name and make things right.