Emor - Day #7

Emor Say — אֱמוֹר  

Torah Portin: Leviticus 21:1–24:23

Haftarah: Ezekiel 44:15-31

Shabbat: Leviticus 24:1–23

24:1 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the children of Israel, that they bring to you pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually. 3 Outside of the veil of the Testimony, in the Tent of Meeting, Aaron shall keep it in order from evening to morning before Hashem continually. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. 4 He shall keep in order the lamps on the pure gold lamp stand before Hashem continually.

5 “You shall take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes of it: two tenths of an ephah shall be in one cake. 6 You shall set them in two rows, six on a row, on the pure gold table before Hashem. 7 You shall put pure frankincense on each row, that it may be to the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire to Hashem. 8 Every Sabbath day he shall set it in order before Hashem continually. It is an everlasting covenant on the behalf of the children of Israel. 9 It shall be for Aaron and his sons. They shall eat it in a holy place; for it is most holy to him of the offerings of Hashem made by fire by a perpetual statute.”

10 The son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel; and the son of the Israelite woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp. 11 The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name, and cursed; and they brought him to Moses. His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. 12 They put him in custody until Hashem’s will should be declared to them. 13 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 14 “Bring him who cursed out of the camp; and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him. 15 You shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘Whoever curses his Elohim shall bear his sin. 16 He who blasphemes Hashem’s name, he shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him. The foreigner as well as the native-born shall be put to death when he blasphemes the Name.

17 “‘He who strikes any man mortally shall surely be put to death. 18 He who strikes an animal mortally shall make it good, life for life. 19 If anyone injures his neighbor, it shall be done to him as he has done: 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. It shall be done to him as he has injured someone. 21 He who kills an animal shall make it good; and he who kills a man shall be put to death. 22 You shall have one kind of law for the foreigner as well as the native-born; for I am Hashem your Adonai.’”

23 Moses spoke to the children of Israel; and they brought him who had cursed out of the camp, and stoned him with stones. The children of Israel did as Hashem commanded Moses.

Today’s Meditation: 

Today, we read the story of the men who cursed and blasphemed His Name. This is very serious. And the penalty from Hashem was that they were to be stoned to death. Why? Hashem wants His people to be genuinely holy. And if someone is not and also blaspheming Hashem, it only brings division and confusion among the people. That’s what sin does. It affects everyone. They were preparing to enter the Promised Land, Israel. They were given a set of rules to maintain order and stay close to Hashem. This behavior did not promote unity nor foster respect for our Elohim. The penalty seems strong. Today, when people do this, they walk out without punishment. And the world is getting darker and darker. When the Mashiach comes, He will bring Hashem’s Light, and the world will change. And people will gladly follow the Torah. I’m eager for this to happen.

Today’s Challenge:

In verse 20, we read, “ It shall be done to him as he has injured someone.” I believe Hashem orders this because it would make someone think twice about punching someone in the face and causing damage. A lot of Hashem’s laws let you know that there are severe consequences for doing wrong. Today, we don’t get punished for many sins (except murder, etc). Yet we know the effects our sins have on others, and the world can be very detrimental. Examine your life and repent of any sins you may have committed. Make a strong commitment to Hashem that you will not do them again. Repay or make reparation for whatever you are able. Help repair our relationships and our world.

This Week’s Haftarah - Ezekiel 44:15-31

44:15 “‘“But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who performed the duty of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, shall come near to Me to minister to Me. They shall stand before Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood,” says Hashem Adonai. 16 “They shall enter into My sanctuary, and they shall come near to My table, to minister to Me, and they shall keep My instruction.

17 “‘“It will be that, when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments. No wool shall come on them while they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within. 18 They shall have linen turbans on their heads, and shall have linen trousers on their waists. They shall not clothe themselves with anything that makes them sweat. 19 When they go out into the outer court, even into the outer court to the people, they shall put off their garments in which they minister, and lay them in the holy rooms. They shall put on other garments, that they not sanctify the people with their garments.

20 “‘“They shall not shave their heads, or allow their locks to grow long. They shall only cut off the hair of their heads. 21 None of the priests shall drink wine when they enter into the inner court. 22 They shall not take for their wives a widow, or her who is put away; but they shall take virgins of the offspring of the house of Israel, or a widow who is the widow of a priest. 23 They shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the common, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

24 “‘“In a controversy, they shall stand to judge. They shall judge it according to my ordinances. They shall keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed feasts. They shall make My Sabbaths holy.

25 “‘“They shall go in to no dead person to defile themselves; but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister who has had no husband, they may defile themselves. 26 After he is cleansed, they shall reckon to him seven days. 27 In the day that he goes into the sanctuary, into the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin offering,” says Hashem Adonai.

28 “‘They shall have an inheritance. I am their inheritance, and you shall give them no possession in Israel. I am their possession. 29 They shall eat the meal offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; and every devoted thing in Israel shall be theirs. 30 The first of all the first fruits of everything, and every offering of everything, of all your offerings, shall be for the priest. You shall also give to the priests the first of your dough, to cause a blessing to rest on your house. 31 The priests shall not eat of anything that dies of itself, or is torn, whether it is bird or animal.

Today’s Haftarah Meditation:

These verses in Ezekiel are for the world to come, possibly the Messianic Era. It describes the duties of the priests, which are very close to the descriptions in the Torah. That is because, in the future, when the Temple is rebuilt, the Torah Temple rules will be followed and enforced. We are not done with sacrifices or priestly rule. Just read the Prophets.

Today’s Haftarah Challenge:

In verse 23, we learn that the priests will take on a teaching role. They will instruct the people about holiness, clean and unclean. Don’t you think that it would be a good idea to start learning that now? In preparation for the Temple and to follow what we can in our lives today. For example, the dietary laws. Torah says they are forever. And they will be taught again in the future. It is imperative, and I believe a sin, if we do not distinguish between clean and unclean foods. If we think we can indulge in any meats or shellfish, etc., we are making a terrible mistake. That’s why it is good to follow Hashem and His Torah every day. Study, learn, and obey.

Emor - Day #6

Emor Say — אֱמוֹר  

Torah Portion: Leviticus 21:1–24:23

Leviticus 23:33–44

23:33 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 34 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say, ‘On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the feast of booths for seven days to Hashem. 35 On the first day shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no regular work. 36 Seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to Hashem. On the eighth day, there shall be a holy convocation to you. You shall offer an offering made by fire to Hashem. It is a solemn assembly; you shall do no regular work.

37 “‘These are the appointed feasts of Hashem which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to Hashem, a burnt offering, a meal offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, each on its own day— 38 in addition to the Sabbaths of Hashem, and in addition to your gifts, and in addition to all your vows, and in addition to all your free will offerings, which you give to Hashem.

39 “‘So on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruits of the land, you shall keep the feast of Hashem seven days. On the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. 40 You shall take on the first day the fruit of majestic trees, branches of palm trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before Hashem your Adonai seven days. 41 You shall keep it as a feast to Hashem seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations. You shall keep it in the seventh month. 42 You shall dwell in temporary shelters for seven days. All who are native-born in Israel shall dwell in temporary shelters, 43 that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in temporary shelters when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am Hashem, your Adonai.’”

44 So Moses declared to the children of Israel the appointed feasts of Hashem.

Today’s Meditation:

This is one of my favorite feasts to celebrate. It is such a joyous occasion. You decorate a booth, eat and/or sleep in it for seven days. It serves as a reminder of how the Israelites lived in such temporary dwellings for 40 years. Each year, I get creative in building a sukkah. We have friends over and celebrate. It is a really special time. This year, consider setting up a special booth to commemorate this extraordinary festival.

Today’s Challenge:

We just spent this week learning about all the feasts. The wonderful thing is that they are cyclical. And each year they can be better. If you do not live in a Jewish community, it can be hard to celebrate these feasts correctly. So, do the best you are able. There is a lot of information, of course, on the internet, and you can learn from it. My challenge to you is to start taking the feasts seriously if you are not already. The next feast is the Feast of First Fruits, Shavuot. Study it, and figure out a way to remember it. I promise you and your family will be super blessed. The feasts help us to draw closer to Hashem by remembering His miracles and deliverance.

Emor - Day #5

Emor Say — אֱמוֹר  

Torah Portion: Leviticus 21:1–24:23

Leviticus 23:23–32

23:23 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, there shall be a solemn rest for you, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall do no regular work. You shall offer an offering made by fire to Hashem.’”

26 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 27 “However, on the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement. It shall be a holy convocation to you. You shall afflict yourselves, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to Hashem. 28 You shall do no kind of work on that same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement for you before Hashem your Adonai. 29 For whoever it is who shall not deny himself on that same day shall be cut off from his people. 30 Whoever does any kind of work on that same day, I will destroy that person from among his people. 31 You shall do no kind of work: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 32 It shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall deny yourselves. In the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall keep your Sabbath.”

Today’s Meditation: 

Today, we learn about celebration and honoring the “Feast of Trumpets” (Yom Teruah). On this day, we blow the shofar and have a holy convocation.  Some believe this is the day that the Mashiach will return. That we will look up and see Him coming in the clouds. Coming to earth to gather His people to Jerusalem, where He will rule and reign forever. Whatever happens that day, we know it will be divine and unlike anything else. If you don’t already pray for the Mashiach to come, maybe you could start praying. Our world is upside down. Right is wrong and wrong is correct. Only Hashem can straighten this out.

Today’s Challenge:

Once a year, we remember the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). In verse 27, we read, “You shall afflict yourselves.” We are to do this to remember the sins we have committed. Sin is far-reaching. It affects those around us and the world we live in. Here is a day when Hashem has set it aside so that we can pray, fast (afflict ourselves), and be forgiven. Isn’t it amazing that we serve an Elohim that is so full of grace and mercy, and that He forgives us for our disobedience? When there is a Temple, there is a procedure for forgiving the Nation. For right now, we go to Him, and for ten days preceding this Feast, we ask Him and others to forgive us. It purifies us and helps to repair the world. This Yom Kippur, I challenge you to plan for. Study it through Scripture and find out what you are to do. Think about it in advance. And start reaching out to the people you need to restore relationships with. Maybe if we all did this and prayed for His return, He would come sooner than later.

Emor - Day #4

Emor Say — אֱמוֹר  

Torah Portion: Leviticus 21:1–24:23

Leviticus 23:1–22

23:1 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘The set feasts of Hashem, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are My set feasts.

3 “‘Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation; you shall do no kind of work. It is a Sabbath to Hashem in all your dwellings.

4 “‘These are the set feasts of Hashem, even holy convocations, which you shall proclaim in their appointed season. 5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening, is Hashem’s Pesach. 6 On the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread to Hashem. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7 In the first day you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no regular work. 8 But you shall offer an offering made by fire to Hashem seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation. You shall do no regular work.’”

9 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘When you have come into the land which I give to you, and shall reap its harvest, then you shall bring the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. 11 He shall wave the sheaf before Hashem, to be accepted for you. On the next day after the Sabbath, the priest shall wave it. 12 On the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb without defect a year old for a burnt offering to Hashem. 13 The meal offering with it shall be two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to Hashem for a pleasant aroma; and the drink offering with it shall be of wine, the fourth part of a hin. 14 You must not eat bread, or roasted grain, or fresh grain, until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your Elohim. This is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

           

15 “‘You shall count from the next day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. 16 The next day after the seventh Sabbath, you shall count fifty days; and you shall offer a new meal offering to Hashem. 17 You shall bring out of your habitations two loaves of bread for a wave offering made of two tenths of an ephah of fine flour. They shall be baked with yeast, for the first fruits to Hashem. 18 You shall present with the bread seven lambs without defect, a year old, one young bull, and two rams. They shall be a burnt offering to Hashem, with their meal offering and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of a sweet aroma to Hashem. 19 You shall offer one male goat for a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old for a sacrifice of peace offerings. 20 The priest shall wave them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering before Hashem, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to Hashem for the priest. 21 You shall make a proclamation on the same day that there shall be a holy convocation to you. You shall do no regular work. This is a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

22 “‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you must not wholly reap into the corners of your field, and you must not gather the gleanings of your harvest. You must leave them for the poor and for the foreigner. I am Hashem, your Elohim.’”

Emor - Day #3

Emor Say — אֱמוֹר  

Torah Portion: Leviticus 21:1–24:23

Leviticus 22:17–33

22:17 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 18 “Speak to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘Whoever is of the house of Israel, or of the foreigners in Israel, who offers his offering, whether it is any of their vows or any of their free will offerings, which they offer to Hashem for a burnt offering: 19 that you may be accepted, you shall offer a male without defect, of the bulls, of the sheep, or of the goats. 20 But you shall not offer whatever has a defect, for it shall not be acceptable for you. 21 Whoever offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to Hashem to accomplish a vow, or for a free will offering of the herd or of the flock, it shall be perfect to be accepted. It shall have no defect. 22 You shall not offer what is blind, is injured, is maimed, has a wart, is festering, or has a running sore to Hashem, nor make an offering by fire of them on the altar to Hashem. 23 Either a bull or a lamb that has any deformity or lacking in his parts, that you may offer for a free will offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted. 24 You must not offer to Hashem that which has its testicles bruised, crushed, broken, or cut. You must not do this in your land. 25 You must not offer any of these as the bread of your Adonai from the hand of a foreigner, because their corruption is in them. There is a defect in them. They shall not be accepted for you.’”

26 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 27 “When a bull, a sheep, or a goat is born, it shall remain seven days with its mother. From the eighth day on it shall be accepted for the offering of an offering made by fire to Hashem. 28 Whether it is a cow or ewe, you shall not kill it and its young both in one day.

29 “When you sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving to Hashem, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted. 30 It shall be eaten on the same day; you shall leave none of it until the morning. I am Hashem.

          

31 “Therefore, you shall keep My commandments, and do them. I am Hashem. 32 You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be made holy among the children of Israel. I am Hashem, who makes you holy, 33 who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your Adonai. I am Hashem.”

Today’s Meditation:

We are learning about animal sacrifice. Just as Hashem wants people serving in the Temple to be unblemished, so also does He like the animals to be as perfect as possible. The requirements are listed. But think of this. If you have to give up a magnificent animal, worth more money than a damaged animal, wouldn’t this mean more to you? Which is harder for you to do, give $10 to your synagogue or $1,000? Hashem requires our best, and we should be willing to give it to Him in all areas of our lives.

Today’s Challenge:

Verse 31 reads, “Keep My commandments and do them.” So, is keeping different from doing? To me, keeping means you are willing to obey Hashem's instructions. And of course, doing is actually following them. Here is the question: Are you simply keeping the commandments, or are you also doing them? I try to keep the Sabbath, but am I really doing all that it requires? Am I truly resting and not working, or am I slipping some tasks into my Sabbath day that I shouldn’t be? Time to reevaluate and take a hard look. He wants us to keep and do. That’s really important to think about. 

Emor - Day #2

Emor Say — אֱמוֹר  

Torah Portion: Leviticus 21:1–24:23

Leviticus 21:16–22:16

21:16 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Say to Aaron, ‘None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a defect may approach to offer the bread of his Elohim. 18 For whatever man he is that has a defect, he shall not draw near: a blind man, or a lame, or he who has a flat nose, or any deformity, 19 or a man who has an injured foot, or an injured hand, 20 or hunchbacked, or a dwarf, or one who has a defect in his eye, or an itching disease, or scabs, or who has damaged testicles. 21 No man of the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a defect shall come near to offer the offerings of Hashem made by fire. Since he has a defect, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his Elohim. 22 He shall eat the bread of his Elohim, both of the most holy, and of the holy. 23 He shall not come near to the veil, nor come near to the altar, because he has a defect; that he may not profane My sanctuaries, for I am Hashem who sanctifies them.’”

24 So Moses spoke to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the children of Israel.

22:1 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Tell Aaron and his sons to separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, which they make holy to Me, and that they not profane My holy name. I am Hashem.

3 “Tell them, ‘If anyone of all your offspring throughout your generations approaches the holy things which the children of Israel make holy to Hashem, having his uncleanness on him, that soul shall be cut off from before me. I am Hashem.

4 “‘Whoever of the offspring of Aaron is a leper or has a discharge shall not eat of the holy things until he is clean. Whoever touches anything that is unclean by the dead, or a man who has a seminal emission, 5 or whoever touches any creeping thing whereby he may be made unclean, or a man from whom he may become unclean, whatever uncleanness he has— 6 the person that touches any such shall be unclean until the evening, and shall not eat of the holy things unless he bathes his body in water. 7 When the sun is down, he shall be clean; and afterward he shall eat of the holy things, because it is his bread. 8 He shall not eat that which dies of itself or is torn by animals, defiling himself by it. I am Hashem.

9 “‘They shall therefore follow My commandment, lest they bear sin for it and die in it, if they profane it. I am Hashem, who sanctifies them.

10 “‘No stranger shall eat of the holy thing: a foreigner living with the priests, or a hired servant, shall not eat of the holy thing. 11 But if a priest buys a slave, purchased by his money, he shall eat of it; and those who are born in his house shall eat of his bread. 12 If a priest’s daughter is married to an outsider, she shall not eat of the heave offering of the holy things. 13 But if a priest’s daughter is a widow, or divorced, and has no child, and has returned to her father’s house as in her youth, she may eat of her father’s bread; but no stranger shall eat any of it.

14 “‘If a man eats something holy unwittingly, then he shall add the fifth part of its value to it, and shall give the holy thing to the priest. 15 The priests shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, which they offer to Hashem, 16 and so cause them to bear the iniquity that brings guilt when they eat their holy things; for I am Hashem who sanctifies them.’”

Today’s Meditation:

Today, we read about more priestly rules. Hashem does not want animals with defects to be sacrificed, but, interestingly, He doesn’t like humans with defects either, even a person with a flat nose (verse 18). Hashem wants the best, the purest, even the most physically perfect. I don’t think He does this to hurt anyone’s feelings. I believe He requires it to show that we must be holy and perfect before serving Him. It is an example. Of course, He loves people of all shapes and sizes, with unique qualities. It’s just when we enter the presence that He asks us to be the best we can be. And that is for today. Only our defects are sin and an unrepentant heart. He does not want us to go before Him in prayer or worship with sin in our hearts. We must repent, do teshuvah, and come clean. Then we can enter His presence. This all teaches us what is right and what He needs.

Today’s Challenge:

In verse 9, we see that the penalty for disobedience is death once again. “They shall therefore follow My commandment, lest they bear sin for it and die in it, if they profane it. I am Hashem who sanctifies them.” We are not to take Hashem’s commandments lightly. They are required for our lives. Not to follow them brings death (in many ways). If you believe these commandments were erased in any way, I challenge you to study this. Torah says they are eternal. They always were, and they always will be. You can not “subtract or add” to them. Of course, some of them we are unable to follow. If we are not priests, and there is no Temple, or if we are not in the Land, but here is the heart of Torah. Please do your best and do what you can. He asks us this for a reason, because He loves us and wants to be with us. Torah is life. 

Emor - Day #1

Emor Say — אֱמוֹר  

Torah Portion: Leviticus 21:1–24:23

Leviticus 21:1–15

21:1 Hashem said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, ‘A priest shall not defile himself for the dead among his people, 2 except for his relatives that are near to him: for his mother, for his father, for his son, for his daughter, for his brother, 3 and for his virgin sister who is near to him, who has had no husband; for her he may defile himself. 4 He shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.

5 “‘They shall not shave their heads or shave off the corners of their beards or make any cuttings in their flesh. 6 They shall be holy to their Elohim, and not profane the name of their Elohim, for they offer the offerings of Hashem made by fire, the bread of their Elohim. Therefore, they shall be holy.

7 “‘They shall not marry a woman who is a prostitute, or profane. A priest shall not marry a woman divorced from her husband; for he is holy to his Elohim. 8 Therefore, you shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I, Hashem, who sanctify you, am holy.

9 “‘The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the prostitute, she profanes her father. She shall be burned with fire.

10 “‘He who is the high priest among his brothers, upon whose head the anointing oil is poured, and who is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not let the hair of his head hang loose, or tear his clothes. 11 He must not go in to any dead body, or defile himself for his father or for his mother. 12 He shall not go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his Elohim; for the crown of the anointing oil of his Elohim is upon him. I am Hashem.

13 “‘He shall take a wife in her virginity. 14 He shall not marry a widow, or one divorced, or a woman who has been defiled, or a prostitute. He shall take a virgin of his own people as a wife. 15 He shall not profane his offspring among his people, for I am Hashem who sanctifies him.’”

Today’s Meditation:

Today, we read about the priest's obligations regarding marrying and being around dead people. Hashem sets very high standards for holiness and purity. For the priest to perform service before Adonai, he must be as holy as possible. We don’t have the issue of being around dead people very much. We pay funeral homes to prepare bodies. However, this is not the case in the times of the Bible. Hashem makes it clear that this is not the work of a priest; in fact, he is to stay away from the dead body so that he is not defiled. Same with the marriage requirements. He is to marry a virgin, a pure woman. I really think we have no idea what holiness is. One day we will. When we are in the Olam Haba, in the presence of the Holy One, we will begin to understand His holiness and prostrate ourselves before him.

Today’s Challenge:

In verse 12, we read about the crown upon the priest, “for the crown of the anointing oil of his Elohim is upon him.” This is why a priest had to follow all the rules regarding purity while in the Temple area. He was sanctified with the oil of the Temple, which permitted him to do service before Hashem. Coming into contact with anything in the world would take away this anointing. How does this relate to us today? We obviously don’t have a Temple, but we do try to step into the presence of Hashem through prayer and worship, as well as our daily living. Today’s challenge is to look at yourself and see how close you come to being holy. Are you following Torah, repenting, and doing teshuvah? Let’s make sure that our thoughts and actions are pure. So, that when we come before Hashem, we are holy as He is holy.