Hebrew word of the Week "Shemini"
Torah Messiah
Parashah Shemini
Vayikra: 9:1 – 11:47
Haftarah: Samuel II 6:1-19
Better Promises: Luke 7-9
By: William Bawgus
NAU Leviticus 11:45 'For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.'"
This week's parashah describes the definition of what it means to be Holy. Many have a distorted view on the idea of Holiness and that it pertains to beauty and how things look and how one feels when they enter a place, or how one feels when they hear a religious leader speak, or how one looks. Holiness first of all is not based on how someone feels or based on how an object looks. Holiness is not decided by a religious council, or religious leaders. We as humans cannot, and will never be able to determine what is holy or un-holy. Holiness comes from the Word of G-d, holiness is defined on what G-d said holiness is.
The word “holiness” in Hebrew is “Kadosh” vdq . It is defined as, “apartness, set apart, sacredness, dedicated, and consecrated.
Therefore, when G-d said that “you are to be holy” he literally is saying that we are to be set apart, we are to be dedicated.
The phrase, “You are to be holy” is used five times in the Bible. When this phrase is used, the four out of the five times it is found in the Torah. The fifth time it is used in the New Testament.
In Biblical study when you see an identical phrased used in Scripture, in different places, it is trying to give you important information and revelation. Take the verses that the phrase is used and seek out what is trying to be communicated to the reader. This is an exercise used in determining what G-d is trying to say. Use the context that surrounds the phrase to pull out meaning.
Let’s take a look at the four times the phrase “you shall be holy” is used in the Torah to determine what we are supposed to do to be holy.
NAU Exodus 22:31 "You shall be holy men to me, therefore you shall not eat any flesh torn to pieces in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.
Leviticus 11:45 - 12:1 45 'For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.'" 46 This is the law regarding the animal and the bird, and every living thing that moves in the waters and everything that swarms on the earth, 47 to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the edible creature and the creature which is not to be eaten.
Leviticus 19:1-37 NAU Leviticus 19:1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 "Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, 'You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy. 3 'Every one of you shall reverence his mother and his father, and you shall keep My sabbaths; I am the LORD your God. 4 'Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods; I am the LORD your God. 5 'Now when you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD, you shall offer it so that you may be accepted. 6 'It shall be eaten the same day you offer it, and the next day; but what remains until the third day shall be burned with fire. 7 'So if it is eaten at all on the third day, it is an offense; it will not be accepted. 8 'Everyone who eats it will bear his iniquity, for he has profaned the holy thing of the LORD; and that person shall be cut off from his people. 9 'Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 'Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the LORD your God. 11 'You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. 12 'You shall not swear falsely by My name, so as to profane the name of your God; I am the LORD. 13 'You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of a hired man are not to remain with you all night until morning. 14 'You shall not curse a deaf man, nor place a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall revere your God; I am the LORD. 15 'You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly. 16 'You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor; I am the LORD. 17 'You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him. 18 'You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD. 19 'You are to keep My statutes. You shall not breed together two kinds of your cattle; you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor wear a garment upon you of two kinds of material mixed together. 20 'Now if a man lies carnally with a woman who is a slave acquired for another man, but who has in no way been redeemed nor given her freedom, there shall be punishment; they shall not, however, be put to death, because she was not free. 21 'He shall bring his guilt offering to the LORD to the doorway of the tent of meeting, a ram for a guilt offering. 22 'The priest shall also make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before the LORD for his sin which he has committed, and the sin which he has committed will be forgiven him. 23 'When you enter the land and plant all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as forbidden. 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, an offering of praise to the LORD. 25 'In the fifth year you are to eat of its fruit, that its yield may increase for you; I am the LORD your God. 26 'You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor practice divination or soothsaying. 27 'You shall not round off the side-growth of your heads nor harm the edges of your beard. 28 'You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the LORD. 29 'Do not profane your daughter by making her a harlot, so that the land will not fall to harlotry and the land become full of lewdness. 30 'You shall keep My sabbaths and revere My sanctuary; I am the LORD. 31 'Do not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out to be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God. 32 'You shall rise up before the grayheaded and honor the aged, and you shall revere your God; I am the LORD. 33 'When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. 34 'The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God. 35 'You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measurement of weight, or capacity. 36 'You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin; I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt. 37 'You shall thus observe all My statutes and all My ordinances and do them; I am the LORD.'"
Leviticus 20:25-26 25 'You are therefore to make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean bird and the clean; and you shall not make yourselves detestable by animal or by bird or by anything that creeps on the ground, which I have separated for you as unclean. 26 'Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine.
Three out of the four uses of the phrase “You shall be holy”, the context it’s used in is about what and how we are to eat. The verses that follow and come before the use of the phrase all have to do with the types of animals that we can and cannot eat.
The third use of the phrase “you shall be holy” in Leviticus 19: 1-37 describes various commandments that were given to the entire community of Israel. These commandments contained practical actions to take of how one should live in his or her daily life, how to eat, how to treat your neighbor, how to worship, how to live at home, and how to act in your daily work.
By reading these verses in there context, we can determine that holiness is how we live according to the Bible. Living in this world before we enter the world to come has some practical actions. Holiness is not based on what we decide is holy, holiness is based on what G-d said would make us holy. It is required for us to live holy lives because G-d is holy. G-d is not part of this world and he has given us certain rules in scripture so that we can understand G-d and His holiness. Being in this world, which is full of sin and ways that can cause one to distance himself from G-d, we need the Creator of all things to lay down some standards for us to follow to help us draw near to him and understand what he wants from us. Following what the rules of holiness will distinguish us from the rest of the world. We are to be different from the practices of those who do not know G-d. People must recognize us as a peculiar people, a people that are governed by order and not loose living. We cannot and must not try to mix what the world does with what G-d commands us to do. It is never ok to follow a certain tradition, eat a certain food and perform a certain action that is not found in the word of G-d. Prayer cannot and never will make anything that has already been declared un-holy, holy. G-d’s word is the same yesterday, today and forever.
We must take the verses found in Leviticus an use them to determine what is holy for us and how to live holy lives. G-d specifically has given us what determines us holy and what makes us un-holy. It is up to us if we decide to be holy.
Three out of the four times that we are told to be holy all have to do with what we choose to eat. This is what I will be discussing for the rest of this article.
Many have come to the conclusion that we as Christians can eat anything we want. I have to say that those who say this are going against G-d and His Son Y’shua the Messiah. G-d in no way has changed his Law or His Torah. G-d has a detailed plan for us to fuel our bodies. G-d provides us with clean animals for food and eating. Those animals that are termed unclean are not to be eaten.
Many Christians will want to argue with me right about now and start to bring up verses that they think support their wrong understanding that we can now eat anything we want. I will now post some of those scriptures that Christians have misunderstood and still misunderstand. G-d’s word is very clear on how and what we are supposed to be eating. It has not changed and if people think it has then they are in error and calling G-d a liar. The commandments are our only way that we can show our love for G-d and Messiah Y’shua. John said:
1 John 5:3 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.
To love G-d is to keep His commandments. Food laws are G-d’s commandments.
Y’shua said:
John 15:10 10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.
John 14:15 15 "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
Keeping the commandments of G-d is how we love G-d. The way we eat and what we eat is our expression of our love for G-d and Y’shua. When scripture says do all things unto the Lord, eating is included. We have taken for granted our eating habits. We have lost control of our health. We are killing ourselves every time we eat outside of G-d’s word. Why do you think that today we have so many diseases, and sicknesses? It is because we have failed to keep G-d’s commandments on eating.
Some are under the impression that Y’shua did away with the food laws , but the Torah says:
Deuteronomy 12:32 - 13:1 32 "Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.
If Y’shua ignored this verse of the Torah, then that would make him a sinner and disqualify him to be the Messiah, and would make him ineligible to be our perfect sacrifice . Y’shua himself said that we are not to even think that he came to do away or abolish the Law and the Prophets, but that he came to give us the correct way of doing them and teaching them. If we do not even teach these commandments then we are considered the least of all believers. (See Matthew 5:17-20).
Y’shua ate only clean animals and obeyed the LAW of G-d. How much more should we.
One of the verses that is commonly used to defend that Y’shua did away wit the food laws is found in Marl Chapter 7. Remember, if Y’shua did not come to do away with the Law and the Prophets , then this includes food laws. If we find something in scripture that goes against what Y’shua taught then we have to examine the translation and or the translators.
CJB Mark 7:19 For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and it passes out into the latrine." (Thus he declared all foods ritually clean.)
In this verse people often use the phrase “thus he declared all foods clean” to show that Y’shua did away with the food laws found in the Torah.
The first thing we have to do is go to the beginning of the chapter of Mark 7 and find the context of this statement. Lets look at Mark 7 from the beginning.
Mark 7:1-9 NAU Mark 7:1 The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come from Jerusalem, 2 and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they 1carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders; 4 and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they 1cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the 2washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.) 5 The Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, "Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?" 6 And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. 7 'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.' 8 "Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men." 9 He was also saying to them, "You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your atradition.
The bold type above clearly shows that Y’shua is in a debate on traditions verses G-d’s commandments. Here the Pharisees are bringing up the tradition of “Natilat Yadaim” Which is known as the washing of the hands before each time one eats. This is a ritual that is found nowhere in the Torah that G-d gave to Moshe. This is a man made doctrine or commandments. The prayer that is still used today goes like this.
“Blessed are you YHVH our G-d, King of the universe who has commanded us in the washing of our hands”
The Pharisees had asked Y’shua why the disciples are not keeping this tradition before they eat.
Here is the tradition from the Mishna (Oral Law) that the Pharisees are pertaining to.
Mishna: Yadayim (hands) Chapter 2
1: IF A PERSON POURS WATER OVER ONE OF HIS HANDS WITH A SINGLE RINSING HIS HAND BECOMES CLEAN. IF OVER BOTH HIS HANDS WITH A SINGLE RINSING, R. MEIR DECLARES THEM TO BE UNCLEAN UNTIL HE POURS A MINIMUM OF A QUARTER OF A LOG OF WATER OVER THEM. IF A LOAF OF TERUMAH4 FELL ON THE WATER THE LOAF IS CLEAN.5 R. JOSE DECLARES IT TO BE UNCLEAN
2: IF HE POURED THE FIRST WATER OVER HIS HANDS [WHILST STANDING] IN ONE PLACE, AND THE SECOND WATER OVER HIS HANDS [WHILST STANDING] IN ANOTHER PLACE, AND A LOAF OF TERUMAH FELL ON THE FIRST WATER, THE LOAF BECOMES UNCLEAN. BUT IF IT FELL ON THE SECOND WATER IT REMAINS CLEAN. IF HE POURED THE FIRST AND THE SECOND WATER [WHILST STANDING] IN ONE PLACE, AND A LOAF OF TERUMAH FELL THEREON, THE LOAF BECOMES UNCLEAN. IF HE POURED THE FIRST WATER OVER HIS HANDS AND A SPLINTER OR A PIECE OF GRAVEL IS FOUND ON HIS HANDS, THEY REMAIN UNCLEAN, BECAUSE THE LATTER WATER ONLY MAKES THE FIRST WATER ON THE HANDS CLEAN. R. SIMEON B. GAMALIEL. SAYS: IF ANY WATER-CREATURE [FALLS ON THE HANDS WHILST THEY ARE BEING CLEANED] THEY NEVERTHELESS BECOME CLEAN.
Can you see how much has been added to what G-d actually said. Y’shua is coming against these religious leaders for making these laws more important that what G-d commanded.
If you notice that the prayer above says that G-d commanded us. Where has G-d commanded us to wash our hand? The answer is nowhere. I am not saying that you should not do the washing of the hands, what I am saying is that you should not make it more important than what G-d has actually commanded us, and this is exactly what the Pharisees had done with all of the traditions.
Y’shua responds,
"Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. 7 'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.' 8 "Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men." 9 He was also saying to them, "You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your atradition.
This is the heart of G-d, that we walk according to His commandments and not enforce our man made doctrines and traditions. Y’shua hold strong to His Bible (the Torah (law) and the Prophets), and is warning us not to create our own ideas, traditions or interpretations. We must never contradict what G-d says even Leviticus Chapter 11, that deals with the food laws for us to follow.
As you can see, this entire debate has nothing to do with food.
This whole debate was to in form his audience that there are things outside of us that can make us ritually unclean, there are internal things that can also make us and our heart unclean.
Mark 7:21-23 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, 1fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, 1aenvy, slander, 2pride and foolishness. 23 "All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man."
Now back to our problem with verse 19. (thus he declared all foods clean). Notice how this phrase is put in quotation marks and italicized? This is to let us know that the translator added this to this verse to try and help the reader understand what was going on. It is obvious that either the translator didn’t understand the context of what we just went over or the translator had an agenda.
Here is more proof that this was added to the text. Look at the King James Version below of verse 19.
KJV Mark 7:19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?
Nope our troubling phrase is not there. As we can see, Leviticus 11 is still valid for today’s believers in Y’shua. We are to BE HOLY. Our last place that the phrase “You shall be holy” is used is in the New Testament in 1 Peter
NAU 1 Peter 1:16 because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."
The context of this verse is as follows:
1 Peter 1:14-17 14 As 1aobedient children, do not 2bbe conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your cignorance, 15 but 1alike the Holy One who called you, 2bbe holy yourselves also cin all your behavior; 16 because it is written, "aYOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY." 17 If you aaddress as Father the One who bimpartially cjudges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves din fear during the time of your estay on earth;
Again Holiness is based on how we conduct our lives in obedience to G-d’s commandments. We are to be “as obedient children” and not let the world tell us what we can and cannot do. G-d has given us clear instruction to be Holy and separate from the rest of the world. The world is dying because they have not obeyed G-d. Just look around and you can see the consequences of what happen when a people turn from G-d.
I leave you with this.
Leviticus 11:45 - 12:1 45 'For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.'
Have a great Shabbat!
