Tazria/Metzora - Day #6

Tazria-Metzora  

She will conceive/Leper — תַזְרִיעַ־מְּצֹרָע

Torah Portion: Leviticus 12:1 - 15:33

Leviticus 14:33-15:15 

14:33 Hashem spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 34 “When you have come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put a spreading mildew in a house in the land of your possession, 35 then he who owns the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, ‘There seems to me to be some sort of plague in the house.’ 36 The priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest goes in to examine the plague, that all that is in the house not be made unclean. Afterward, the priest shall go in to inspect the house. 37 He shall examine the plague; and behold, if the plague is in the walls of the house with hollow streaks, greenish or reddish, and it appears to be deeper than the wall, 38 then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days. 39 The priest shall come again on the seventh day, and look. If the plague has spread in the walls of the house, 40 then the priest shall command that they take out the stones in which is the plague, and cast them into an unclean place outside of the city. 41 He shall cause the inside of the house to be scraped all over. They shall pour out the mortar that they scraped off outside of the city into an unclean place. 42 They shall take other stones, and put them in the place of those stones; and he shall take other mortar, and shall plaster the house.

43 “If the plague comes again, and breaks out in the house after he has taken out the stones, and after he has scraped the house, and after it was plastered, 44 then the priest shall come in and look; and behold, if the plague has spread in the house, it is a destructive mildew in the house. It is unclean. 45 He shall break down the house, its stones, and its timber, and all the house’s mortar. He shall carry them out of the city into an unclean place.

46 “Moreover, he who goes into the house while it is shut up shall be unclean until the evening. 47 He who lies down in the house shall wash his clothes; and he who eats in the house shall wash his clothes.

48 “If the priest shall come in, and examine it, and behold, the plague hasn’t spread in the house, after the house was plastered, then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, because the plague is healed. 49 To cleanse the house, he shall take two birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop. 50 He shall kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water. 51 He shall take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet, and the living bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird, and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times. 52 He shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the running water, with the living bird, with the cedar wood, with the hyssop, and with the scarlet; 53 but he shall let the living bird go out of the city into the open field. So shall he make atonement for the house; and it shall be clean.”

54 This is the law for any plague of leprosy, and for an itch, 55 and for the destructive mildew of a garment, and for a house, 56 and for a swelling, and for a scab, and for a bright spot; 57 to teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean.

15:1 Hashem spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘When any man has a discharge from his body, because of his discharge he is unclean. 3 This shall be his uncleanness in his discharge: whether his body runs with his discharge, or his body has stopped from his discharge, it is his uncleanness.

4 “‘Every bed on which he who has the discharge lies shall be unclean; and everything he sits on shall be unclean. 5 Whoever touches his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening. 6 He who sits on anything on which the man who has the discharge sat shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.

7 “‘He who touches the body of him who has the discharge shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.

8 “‘If he who has the discharge spits on him who is clean, then he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.

9 “‘Whatever saddle he who has the discharge rides on shall be unclean. 10 Whoever touches anything that was under him shall be unclean until the evening. He who carries those things shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.

11 “‘Whomever he who has the discharge touches, without having rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.

12 “‘The earthen vessel, which he who has the discharge touches, shall be broken; and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water.

13 “‘When he who has a discharge is cleansed of his discharge, then he shall count to himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes; and he shall bathe his flesh in running water, and shall be clean.

14 “‘On the eighth day, he shall take two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, and come before Hashem to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and give them to the priest. 15 The priest shall offer them, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering. The priest shall make atonement for him before Hashem for his discharge.

Today’s Challenge:

A sensitive, hard-to-discuss subject today. Most believe the discharge in today’s reading (Leviticus 15) relates to sexual activity. So, why all the rules? We know that reproduction is very important to Hashem, as evidenced by the commandment to “go and be fruitful and multiply.” It makes sense that there would be some cleanliness rules surrounding this commandment. Hashem wants all of our being to be clean before Him, inside and out. Because many humans do partake in sexual activity (meaningfully with a spouse), we are now given instructions on how to become clean when we go before Hashem. It all makes sense.

Today’s Challenge:

Here is an unusual challenge for today. Since today’s reading focuses on cleanliness rules after sexual activity, it may be a good time to review this area in your life. We live in a world that looks at sex as in a very different way than the one true Elohim. There is perversion, sex outside of marriage, multiple partners, and disregard for honoring the sacredness of marriage. This is a good opportunity to examine this aspect of your life. Are you giving honor to Hashem? Are you following His commandments? Review, repent, ask for forgiveness, and change. That is why we have Torah, to give us life. A life that is clean in all areas and close to Him.

Shemini - Day #6

Shemini שְּׁמִינִי - Eighth  

Torah Portion Leviticus 9:1-11:47

Leviticus 11:1–32

11:1 Hashem spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘These are the living things which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth. 3 Whatever parts the hoof, and is cloven-footed, and chews the cud among the animals, that you may eat.

4 “‘Nevertheless these you shall not eat of those that chew the cud, or of those who part the hoof: the camel, because it chews the cud but doesn’t have a parted hoof, is unclean to you. 5 The hyrax, because it chews the cud but doesn’t have a parted hoof, is unclean to you. 6 The hare, because it chews the cud but doesn’t have a parted hoof, is unclean to you. 7 The pig, because it has a split hoof, and is cloven-footed, but doesn’t chew the cud, is unclean to you. 8 You shall not eat their meat. You shall not touch their carcasses. They are unclean to you.

9 “‘You may eat of all these that are in the waters: whatever has fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, that you may eat. 10 All that don’t have fins and scales in the seas and rivers, all that move in the waters, and all the living creatures that are in the waters, they are an abomination to you, 11 and you shall detest them. You shall not eat of their meat, and you shall detest their carcasses. 12 Whatever has no fins nor scales in the waters is an abomination to you.

13 “‘You shall detest these among the birds; they shall not be eaten because they are an abomination: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, 14 the red kite, any kind of black kite, 15 any kind of raven, 16 the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, 17 the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, 18 the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, 19 the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.

20 “‘All flying insects that walk on all fours are an abomination to you. 21 Yet you may eat these: of all winged creeping things that go on all fours, which have long, jointed legs for hopping on the earth. 22 Even of these you may eat: any kind of locust, any kind of katydid, any kind of cricket, and any kind of grasshopper. 23 But all winged creeping things which have four feet are an abomination to you.

24 “‘By these you will become unclean: whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening. 25 Whoever carries any part of their carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening.

26 “‘Every animal which has a split hoof that isn’t completely divided, or doesn’t chew the cud, is unclean to you. Everyone who touches them shall be unclean. 27 Whatever goes on its paws, among all animals that go on all fours, they are unclean to you. Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening. 28 He who carries their carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening. They are unclean to you.

29 “‘These are they which are unclean to you among the creeping things that creep on the earth: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard, 30 the gecko, and the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink, and the chameleon. 31 These are they which are unclean to you among all that creep. Whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until the evening. 32 Anything they fall on when they are dead shall be unclean; whether it is any vessel of wood, or clothing, or skin, or sack, whatever vessel it is, with which any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the evening. Then it will be clean.

Today’s Meditation:

Now we begin learning about clean and unclean animals. We first hear mention of the clean and the unclean on Noah’s ark. Now Hashem is telling us specifically what we can and can’t eat. Here, it is clear in verse 7 that we are not to eat pig meat. What don’t we understand about this? If Hashem Himself is telling Moses to instruct the people not to eat these animals, then we must not only obey for obedience's sake, but also for health reasons. Some of these animals eat bad things, which go into their system, which in turn would go into ours. Hashem is protecting us. Why do we try to change His laws? Why do we say we no longer have to follow them? Throughout the centuries, people have had varying opinions about Scripture. I dare say this is probably the most serious misinterpretation of Scripture man has made. Search your heart. It is clear what we are supposed to eat and what we are not. Then follow the commandments. In them you will have life.

Today’s Challenge:

My husband ate raw bacon when he was a kid. He was sick for about a year and almost died. There are real and specific reasons why Hashem gives us commandments. If He tells us not to eat certain foods, there is a reason. And even if there wasn’t, shouldn’t we obey every Word He says? If you are eating unclean foods, and you have read the list today, I encourage you to stop. He gives us a wide variety of wonderful foods. Eat them. Obey Hashem and live. 

Week of Pesach - Day #6

Torah Portion: Numbers 9:1-14  

Numbers 9:1-14

9:1 Hashem spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “Let the children of Israel keep the Pesach in its appointed season. 3 On the fourteenth day of this month, at evening, you shall keep it in its appointed season. You shall keep it according to all its statutes and according to all its ordinances.”

4 Moses told the children of Israel that they should keep the Pesach. 5 They kept the Pesach in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, in the wilderness of Sinai. According to all that Hashem commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did. 6 There were certain men, who were unclean because of the dead body of a man, so that they could not keep the Pesach on that day, and they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. 7 Those men said to him, “We are unclean because of the dead body of a man. Why are we kept back, that we may not offer the offering of Hashem in its appointed season among the children of Israel?”

8 Moses answered them, “Wait, that I may hear what Hashem will command concerning you.”

9 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Say to the children of Israel, ‘If any man of you or of your generations is unclean by reason of a dead body, or is on a journey far away, he shall still keep the Pesach to Hashem. 11 In the second month, on the fourteenth day at evening they shall keep it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12 They shall leave none of it until the morning, nor break a bone of it. According to all the statutes of the Pesach, they shall keep it. 13 But the man who is clean, and is not on a journey, and fails to keep the Pesach, that soul shall be cut off from his people. Because he didn’t offer the offering of Pesach in its appointed season, that man shall bear his sin.

14 “‘If a foreigner lives among you, and desires to keep the Pesach to Hashem, then he shall do so according to the statute of the Pesach, and according to its ordinance. You shall have one statute, both for the foreigner, and for him who is born in the land.’”

Today’s Meditation:

Men become compromised and can not bring the Pesach sacrifice. They go to Moses for answers, and he says to them in verse 8, “Moses answered them, ‘Wait, that I may hear what Hashem will command concerning you.’” Here is the point. He doesn’t just arbitrarily answer the men; he seeks Hashem first. He doesn’t make up his own ideas on what to do – He consults with the Father. And that is just what we should do. We need to go to Hashem when we have a question about what to do regarding Torah or anything else of importance. And we need to wait until He responds (in some particular way) and lets us know what He wants us to do. Don’t you want His plan instead of yours? Try going to Him today. Pray and seek His face. Find out what He has to say and then try to do it.

Vayikra - Day #6

Vayikra  וַיִּקְרָא - And He Called  

Torah Portion: Leviticus 1:1-5:26

Leviticus 4:27–5:10

4:27 “‘If any of the common people sins unwittingly, in doing any of the things which Hashem has commanded not to be done, and is guilty, 28 if his sin which he has sinned is made known to him, then he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without defect, for his sin which he has sinned. 29 He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill the sin offering in the place of burnt offering. 30 The priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar. 31 All its fat he shall take away, like the fat is taken away from the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a pleasant aroma to Hashem; and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.

32 “‘If he brings a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he shall bring a female without defect. 33 He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering. 34 The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and all the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar. 35 He shall remove all its fat, like the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings. The priest shall burn them on the altar, on the offerings of Hashem made by fire. The priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin that he has sinned, and he will be forgiven.

5 “‘If anyone sins, in that he hears a public adjuration to testify, he being a witness, whether he has seen or known, if he doesn’t report it, then he shall bear his iniquity.

2 "Or if anyone touches any unclean thing, whether it is the carcass of an unclean animal, or the carcass of unclean livestock, or the carcass of unclean creeping things, and it is hidden from him, and he is unclean, then he shall be guilty.

3 “‘Or if he touches the uncleanness of man, whatever his uncleanness is with which he is unclean, and it is hidden from him; when he knows of it, then he shall be guilty.

4 “‘Or if anyone swears rashly with his lips to do evil or to do good—whatever it is that a man might utter rashly with an oath, and it is hidden from him—when he knows of it, then he will be guilty of one of these. 5 It shall be, when he is guilty of one of these, he shall confess that in which he has sinned; 6 and he shall bring his trespass offering to Hashem for his sin which he has sinned: a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin.

7 “‘If he can’t afford a lamb, then he shall bring his trespass offering for that in which he has sinned, two turtle doves, or two young pigeons, to Hashem; one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering. 8 He shall bring them to the priest, who shall first offer the one that is for the sin offering. He shall wring off its head from its neck, but shall not sever it completely. 9 He shall sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar; and the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar. It is a sin offering. 10 He shall offer the second for a burnt offering, according to the ordinance; and the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin which he has sinned, and he shall be forgiven.

Today’s Meditation:

Hashem makes a way for atonement for sin. A person who sins must bring an animal for sacrifice, or animals are sacrificed on behalf of the nation. Animals were valuable to people, just as money is to us today. Think about it: if every time you sinned, you had to pay some money, a lot of money. Would that deter you? Sin has consequences, and we aren’t necessarily used to that. But there is a natural consequence. Some people are affected, and mistakes can alter history—something to consider.

Today’s Challenge:

In considering sin and atonement, I challenge you today to take a moment to reflect on how the mistakes you have made impact those around you. If you are in a recurring sin, make a change. You may be in the middle of suffering from an addiction -- but realize how that affects those around you. I believe that with Hashem’s help, we can stop sinning in our lives. And we can make a special atonement. Make a gift or offer a service to someone else. And be sure to ask Hashem for forgiveness. We may not have a Temple right now, but someday we will. We will be affected by the physical consequences and the cost of sin. So, let’s try to practice being obedient now.

Vayakhel/Pekudei - Day #6

Vayakhel/Pekudei  ויקהל/פקודי   

Torah Portion: Exodus 35:1-40:38

Exodus 39:22-43 

39:22 He made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue. 23 The opening of the robe in the middle of it was like the opening of a coat of mail, with a binding around its opening, that it should not be torn. 24 They made on the skirts of the robe pomegranates of blue, purple, scarlet, and twined linen. 25 They made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates around the skirts of the robe, between the pomegranates; 26 a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, around the skirts of the robe, to minister in, as Hashem commanded Moses.

27 They made the tunics of fine linen of woven work for Aaron and for his sons, 28 the turban of fine linen, the linen headbands of fine linen, the linen trousers of fine twined linen, 29 the sash of fine twined linen, blue, purple, and scarlet, the work of the embroiderer, as Hashem commanded Moses.

30 They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote on it an inscription, like the engravings of a signet: “HOLY TO HASHEM”. 31 They tied to it a lace of blue, to fasten it on the turban above, as Hashem commanded Moses.

32 Thus, all the work of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting was finished. The children of Israel did according to all that Hashem commanded Moses; so they did. 33 They brought the tabernacle to Moses: the tent, with all its furniture, its clasps, its boards, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, 34 the covering of rams’ skins dyed red, the covering of sea cow hides, the veil of the screen, 35 the ark of the covenant with its poles, the mercy seat, 36 the table, all its vessels, the show bread, 37 the pure lamp stand, its lamps, even the lamps to be set in order, all its vessels, the oil for the light, 38 the golden altar, the anointing oil, the sweet incense, the screen for the door of the Tent, 39 the bronze altar, its grating of bronze, its poles, all of its vessels, the basin and its base, 40 the hangings of the court, its pillars, its sockets, the screen for the gate of the court, its cords, its pins, and all the instruments of the service of the tabernacle, for the Tent of Meeting, 41 the finely worked garments for ministering in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office. 42 According to all that Hashem commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did all the work. 43 Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it as Hashem had commanded. They had done so, and Moses blessed them.

Today’s Meditation:

In verse 30, we read that they make a crown for the priest, and on the crown are the words “Holy to Hashem”. This is not to be taken lightly. Think if you were wearing a crown and going into the Tabernacle of Hashem, that said you were holy to Hashem. What a privilege, but what a responsibility too. The priests had special garments to wear and had to be washed and anointed for service. They had to be fully prepared to serve Hashem, precisely as He had instructed. They had to become holy to come before and serve Hashem. Something to think about for us today. When we meet Hashem for prayer and/or worship, do we prepare to become holy? We could repent for our sin, cleanse our hearts, and even wear nice clothing. We could make it all very special. When we meet with Hashem, it could be extraordinary.

Today’s Challenge:

At the end of today’s reading, we see that the people finished all the work they had to do, as Moses instructed them, and they were blessed. My challenge to you today is to reflect on a service you have been performing for Hashem and ask yourself whether you have completed what He asked of you. Make sure you actually complete any special project for someone else. Often, we start things and do not finish them. Just as He blessed the Israelites for completing the Tabernacle, so will He bless us for completing the tasks He asks us to do.