Tazria/Metzora - Day #4

Tazria-Metzora  

She will conceive/Leper — תַזְרִיעַ־מְּצֹרָע

Torah Portion: Leviticus 12:1 - 15:33

 

Leviticus 13:55-14:20

13:55 Then the priest shall examine it, after the plague is washed; and behold, if the plague hasn’t changed its color, and the plague hasn’t spread, it is unclean; you shall burn it in the fire. It is a mildewed spot, whether the bareness is inside or outside. 56 If the priest looks, and behold, the plague has faded after it is washed, then he shall tear it out of the garment, or out of the skin, or out of the warp, or out of the woof; 57 and if it appears again in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in anything of skin, it is spreading. You shall burn what the plague is in with fire. 58 The garment, either the warp, or the woof, or whatever thing of skin it is, which you shall wash, if the plague has departed from them, then it shall be washed the second time, and it will be clean.”

59 This is the law of the plague of mildew in a garment of wool or linen, either in the warp, or the woof, or in anything of skin, to pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it unclean.

14:1 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought to the priest, 3 and the priest shall go out of the camp. The priest shall examine him. Behold, if the plague of leprosy is healed in the leper, 4 then the priest shall command them to take for him who is to be cleansed two living clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop. 5 The priest shall command them to kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water. 6 As for the living bird, he shall take it, the cedar wood, the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water. 7 He shall sprinkle on him who is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird go into the open field.

8 “He who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and bathe himself in water; and he shall be clean. After that, he shall come into the camp, but shall dwell outside his tent seven days. 9 It shall be on the seventh day that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows. He shall shave off all his hair. He shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his body in water. Then he shall be clean.

10 “On the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without defect, one ewe lamb a year old without defect, three tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a meal offering, mixed with oil, and one log of oil. 11 The priest who cleanses him shall set the man who is to be cleansed, and those things, before Hashem, at the door of the Tent of Meeting.

12 “The priest shall take one of the male lambs, and offer him for a trespass offering, with the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before Hashem. 13 He shall kill the male lamb in the place where they kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the place of the sanctuary; for as the sin offering is the priest’s, so is the trespass offering. It is most holy. 14 The priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 15 The priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand. 16 The priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before Hashem. 17 The priest shall put some of the rest of the oil that is in his hand on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering. 18 The rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed, and the priest shall make atonement for him before Hashem.

19 “The priest shall offer the sin offering, and make atonement for him who is to be cleansed because of his uncleanness. Afterward, he shall kill the burnt offering; 20 then the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meal offering on the altar. The priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean.

Today’s Meditation:

I am trying to understand the meaning of atonement. Online, the definition of atonement is “Kippur”. This means paying back a debt and purifying. So, after one has sinned, you have the chance from Hashem to make things right. First, there is repentance; then, there is atonement. You bring a sacrifice to Him. This offering is a way to pay back Hashem for what you did wrong, and through this gift, you are purified.

Today’s Challenge:

How can we present an offering to Hashem today? Many people think it is not necessary. That their spiritual doctrine (belief system) has taken care of this, others believe that we should offer up a sacrifice and that it is essential to do so. This, for starters, is obedience. It can be challenging to obey commands.

Along with obedience, we can offer daily prayer. At times, when sacrifices were made in the Temple, we can also pray (three times a day). We can do good deeds for others. We can be kind, generous, and thankful for what we have. All of this can be presented to Hashem as offerings. It can all be a small way to pay Him back for the wrongs we have done. This will draw us closer to Him and help us to be purified from our past actions.

Shemini - Day #4

Shemini שְּׁמִינִי - Eighth  

Torah Portion: Leviticus 9:1-11:47

Leviticus 10:12–15

10:12 Moses spoke to Aaron, and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his sons who were left, “Take the meal offering that remains of the offerings of Hashem made by fire, and eat it without yeast beside the altar; for it is most holy; 13 and you shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your portion, and your sons’ portion, of the offerings of Hashem made by fire; for so I am commanded. 14 The waved breast and the heaved thigh you shall eat in a clean place, you, and your sons, and your daughters with you: for they are given as your portion, and your sons’ portion, out of the sacrifices of the peace offerings of the children of Israel. 15 They shall bring the heaved thigh and the waved breast with the offerings made by fire of the fat, to wave it for a wave offering before Hashem. It shall be yours, and your sons’ with you, as a portion forever, as Hashem has commanded.”

Today’s Meditation:

We read about eating in a holy place (verse 13). The offering is holy, the priests have been sanctified, and so when they eat, it has to be a holy place. It makes me think about where we eat. Do you have a table in the kitchen or dining room where you eat with others in your family? If so, let’s try to make that space a special place. Remember, every good gift comes from the Father in heaven. So all our food comes from Him. Today, make your dining space a special place. Maybe a nice tablecloth, or setting the table ahead of time. And remember to praise Him for all you have.

Today’s Challenge:

In verse 12, they are told to eat a meal offering without yeast. It reminds me of the week of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Chol HaMoed. It is a challenge to go a week without leaven. We do not live in a Jewish community, and sometimes I don't know what we should have in our house during this week and what we should not, especially when my sons are packing lunches for work. What is important is that we remember these commands and the feasts. We recall the duties of the priests in the Tabernacle and the procedures to follow during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Most important to remember: when Hashem delivered His Hebrew people from Egypt, they left in haste, unable to bake bread. Let’s remember His miracles today - both the current ones and the past ones.

Week of Pesach - Day #4

Torah Portion: Exodus 22:24-23:19  

Exodus 22:24-23:19

Exodus 22:24 "... and My wrath will grow hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.

25 “If you lend money to any of My people with you who is poor, you shall not be to him as a creditor. You shall not charge him interest. 26 If you take your neighbor’s garment as collateral, you shall restore it to him before the sun goes down, 27 for that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What would he sleep in? It will happen when he cries to me that I will hear, for I am gracious.

28 “You shall not blaspheme Elohim, nor curse a ruler of your people.

29 “You shall not delay to offer from your harvest and from the outflow of your presses.

“You shall give the firstborn of your sons to Me. 30 You shall do likewise with your cattle and with your sheep. It shall be with its mother seven days, then on the eighth day you shall give it to Me.

31 “You shall be holy men to Me, therefore you shall not eat any meat that is torn by animals in the field. You shall cast it to the dogs.

23:1 “You shall not spread a false report. Don’t join your hand with the wicked to be a malicious witness.

2 “You shall not follow a crowd to do evil. You shall not testify in court to side with a multitude to pervert justice. 3 You shall not favor a poor man in his cause.

4 “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. 5 If you see the donkey of him who hates you fallen down under his burden, don’t leave him. You shall surely help him with it.

6 “You shall not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.

7 “Keep far from a false charge, and don’t kill the innocent and righteous; for I will not justify the wicked.

8 “You shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds those who have sight and perverts the words of the righteous.

9 “You shall not oppress an alien, for you know the heart of an alien, since you were aliens in the land of Egypt.

10 “For six years you shall sow your land, and shall gather in its increase, 11 but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the animal of the field shall eat. In the same way, you shall deal with your vineyard and with your olive grove.

12 “Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant, and the alien may be refreshed.

13 “Be careful to do all things that I have said to you; and don’t invoke the name of other gods or even let them be heard out of your mouth.

14 “You shall observe a feast to Me three times a year. 15 You shall observe the feast of unleavened bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib (for in it you came out of Egypt), and no one shall appear before me empty. 16 And the feast of harvest, the first fruits of your labors, which you sow in the field; and the feast of ingathering, at the end of the year, when you 

gather in your labors out of the field. 17 Three times in the year, all your males shall appear before Hashem Adonai.

18 “You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread. The fat of My feast shall not remain all night until the morning.

19 You shall bring the first of the first fruits of your ground into the house of Hashem your Elohim.

“You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.

Today’s Meditation:

We are reminded about the three major Feasts in this portion. But, we are also reminded in verse 23:7 “...and don’t kill the innocent and righteous; for I will not justify the wicked.” If you have read my blog for a while, you know I take a strong defense of the preborn. I know women get confused and can find themselves in unfortunate situations, but that is not a reason to be able to take the life of an innocent yet-to-be-born baby. We are instructed by Hashem not to do so. A baby developing in its mother’s womb should be safe and protected. Instead, one out of four pregnancies ends in an abortion. This is taking an innocent life. If you have had an abortion, Hashem will forgive you. There is an excellent website you can go to: https://yourabortionexperience.org. Get some help today; it will change your life. 

Tzav - Day #4

Tzav צַו - Command!  

Torah Portion: Leviticus 6:1-8:36

Leviticus 8:1–13

8:1 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and the bull of the sin offering, and the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread; 3 and assemble all the congregation at the door of the Tent of Meeting.”

4 Moses did as Hashem commanded him, and the congregation was assembled at the door of the Tent of Meeting. 5 Moses said to the congregation, “This is the thing which Hashem has commanded to be done.” 6 Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water. 7 He put the tunic on him, tied the sash on him, clothed him with the robe, put the ephod on him, and he tied the skillfully woven band of the ephod on him and fastened it to him with it. 8 He placed the breastplate on him. He put the Urim and Thummim in the breastplate. 9 He set the turban on his head. He set the golden plate, the holy crown, on the front of the turban, as Hashem commanded Moses. 10 Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and sanctified them. 11 He sprinkled it on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its vessels, and the basin and its base, to sanctify them. 12 He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head, and anointed him, to sanctify him. 13 Moses brought Aaron’s sons, and clothed them with tunics, and tied sashes on them, and put headbands on them, as Hashem commanded Moses.

Today’s Meditation:

Today it’s all about preparation. Hashem instructs Moses to gather everyone at the Tent (Tabernacle) and prepare. Aaron and his sons need to get washed, dressed, and ready. And everyone must gather there and prepare to make the sacrifice. This is going to be a big day, as we will soon see. I believe Hashem is all about preparing. He is an Elohim of order and not of disorder, just like we should be enacting in our lives. Order. It brings peace and prosperity because things get done.

Today’s Challenge:

My challenge to you today is about getting ready to meet Hashem. We have talked about this in the past. But today I want to challenge you about clothing. Aaron and his sons have been dressed in their special tunics. What do we wear when we go before Hashem? You may think it is irrelevant, but is it? During your prayer time, are you sitting in your old pajamas, ripped, stained clothing, or just not caring about what you're wearing? Maybe you are saying, “Hashem doesn’t care what I look like!” Well, yes, He does accept us for who we are, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have to be especially clean and nice when we come to Him. So, when you enter your prayer time or study time today, be neat, clean, and well-dressed. It is about respecting Hashem in all areas of our lives.

Vayikra - Day #4

Vayikra  וַיִּקְרָא - And He Called  

Torah Portion: Leviticus 1:1-5:26

Leviticus 3:1–17

3 “‘If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offerings, if he offers it from the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without defect before Hashem. 2 He shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the Tent of Meeting. Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall sprinkle the blood around on the altar. 3 He shall offer of the sacrifice of peace offerings, an offering made by fire to Hashem. The fat that covers the innards, and all the fat that is on the innards, 4 and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver, with the kidneys, he shall take away. 5 Aaron’s sons shall burn it on the altar on the burnt offering, which is on the wood that is on the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Hashem.

6 “‘If his offering for a sacrifice of peace offerings to Hashem is from the flock, either male or female, he shall offer it without defect. 7 If he offers a lamb for his offering, then he shall offer it before Hashem; 8 and he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it before the Tent of Meeting. Aaron’s sons shall sprinkle its blood around on the altar. 9 He shall offer from the sacrifice of peace offerings an offering made by fire to Hashem; its fat, the entire tail fat, he shall take away close to the backbone; and the fat that covers the entrails, and all the fat that is on the entrails, 10 and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver, with the kidneys, he shall take away. 11 The priest shall burn it on the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire to Hashem.

12 “‘If his offering is a goat, then he shall offer it before Hashem. 13 He shall lay his hand on its head, and kill it before the Tent of Meeting; and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle its blood around on the altar. 14 He shall offer from it as his offering, an offering made by fire to Hashem; the fat that covers the innards, and all the fat that is on the innards, 15 and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver, with the kidneys, he shall take away. 16 The priest shall burn them on the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire, for a pleasant aroma; all the fat is Hashem’s.

17 “‘It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings, that you shall eat neither fat nor blood.’”

Today’s Meditation:

In the first sentence of this portion, we learn that Hashem wants the best sacrifices, without defect. And He still does. He wants our praise, prayer, and repentance to be pure, honest, and forthright. He doesn’t want distraction or second-hand praise. He doesn’t want us to come before Him with sin in our hearts. Examine your heart today and repent. Make things right with others and with Hashem. 

Today’s Challenge:

Sometimes I have been in an assembly praising Hashem, but not with a pure heart. I may be distracted by looking around or by caring what others think of how I am praising. I challenge you today, whether you are at home or in a group, a synagogue or a church, to devote your praise fully to Him. Go to Him with a repentant heart, washed with forgiveness. Picture yourself with Him alone, praising Him with your whole heart. That’s what He is looking for. He wants all of us, not a part of us. Praise with sincerity and cleanliness. Remember, He is the Elohim of the Universe.