Emor (Say) Leviticus 21:1

Weekly Torah Section: Emore (Say) Leviticus 21:1-24:23, Haftorah: Ezekiel 44:15-31

In both the Torah and Haftorah portions we read about the priests and their duties and qualifications. In the Haftorah, Ezekiel 44:15-31 we read the words of Ezekiel. Who was he? When were these verses written and where was he when he wrote this? Ezekiel was a priest from the temple in Jerusalem so he knew intimately what the priestly duties were. He wrote these verses in Babylon by the river Chebar in 585 BCE.

In Ezekiel 44:15 it says that the sons of Zadok (In Hebrew Zadok means righteous) will stand before the L-rd and offer the offerings while the other priests will do the more menial tasks. Why were they singled out? They were the only priests that kept the commandments concerning the sanctuary and offerings to G-d. Again, they stayed close to G-d and they stayed holy while the rest of Israel had strayed away from G-d. Even the other priests had not remained faithful. This reminds us of the New Testament verses where it says in the last days many of the elect will fall away. If we as the elect know our priestly duties and our role as Christians we will not be deceived in the last days.  It also goes back to how important it is to stay clean in the midst of a crooked world. What was the sons of Zadok’s inheritance? In Ezekiel 44:28 it says the L-rd was their inheritance. May this be our inheritance as well.

All these verses in Ezekiel take place in the Messianic age when the Torah will go forth from Jerusalem.

Sh’mini (The Eighth)

Sh’mini (The Eighth) Leviticus 9:1-11:47 and II Samuel 6:1-7:17

I would like us to look first at II Samuel and then move to the Torah portion for tonight. First a touch of background: the Philistines had captured the ark from Israel in battle and took it to their territory. However, pretty quickly they saw that was not working out for them so they took it from Gath and returned it to Beith Shemesh. In I Samuel 6:19 it tells us the people of Beth Shemesh opened the ark and because of that 50,070 people died. Then they sent it on to Kirjath Jearim where it stayed in the house of Abinadab for twenty years.