Teaching For Shabbat of May 4th, 2024
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Torah: Leviticus 16:1–20:27
Haftarah: Amos 9:7-15 (scroll to the bottom Haftarah section for the video teaching on the haftorah)
In many years this is a double Torah portion covering both Torah Parsha Acharei Mot as well as Torah Parsha Kedoshim… but this year we will do Acharei Mot separately on May 4th.
Acharei Mot (אַחֲרֵי מוֹת) — Hebrew for “after the death” or “after,” the fifth and sixth words or the fifth word, and the first distinctive word or words, in the parashah) is the 29th weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה, parsha) in the annual cycle of Torah reading and the sixth in the Book of Leviticus. The parashah sets forth the law of the Yom Kippur ritual, centralized offerings, blood, and sexual practices. It constitutes Leviticus 16:1–18:30
Kedoshim (קְדֹשִׁים)— Hebrew for “holy ones,” the 14th word, and the first distinctive word, in the parashah) is the 30th weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה, parashah) in the annual cycle of Torah reading and the seventh in the Book of Leviticus. It constitutes Leviticus 19:1–20:27
Parsha Acharei Mot – Kedoshim Summary
Leviticus 16:1–20:27
Following the deaths of Nadav and Avihu, God warns against unauthorized entry “into the holy.” Only one person, the kohen gadol (“high priest”), may—but once a year, on Yom Kippur—enter the innermost chamber in the Sanctuary to offer the sacred ketoret to God.
Another feature of the Day of Atonement service is the casting of lots over two goats, to determine which should be offered to God and which should be dispatched to carry off the sins of Israel to the wilderness.
The Parshah of Acharei also warns against bringing korbanot (animal or meal offerings) anywhere but in the Holy Temple, forbids the consumption of blood, and details the laws prohibiting incest and other deviant sexual relations.
The Parshah of Kedoshim begins with the statement: “You shall be holy, for I, the L‑rd your God, am holy.” This is followed by dozens of mitzvot (divine commandments) through which the Jew sanctifies him- or herself and relates to the holiness of God.
These include: the prohibition against idolatry, the mitzvah of charity, the principle of equality before the law, Shabbat, sexual morality, honesty in business, honor and awe of one’s parents, and the sacredness of life.
Also in Kedoshim is the dictum which the great sage Rabbi Akiva called a cardinal principle of Torah, and of which Hillel said, “This is the entire Torah, the rest is commentary”—“Love your fellow as yourself.”
The Hierarcy of Holiness
There is a progression in one’s spiritual walk toward holiness that I revealed in previous years, revealing the upward growth one goes through after coming out of the world’s ways and coming into a knowledge of the basic instruction provided Torah, and then changing not only our outward behavior and actions but more importantly changing our thoughts from which our words and actions come from… This is what Yeshua was revealing when he said, “You have heard it said, You shall not kill, but I say to you if you are even angry with your fellow-man you have committed murder.” – Matt. 5:22
This change in thinking comes from Torah being written upon our hearts more fully… and this process of having the Torah being written upon our hearts and minds will continue to be accomplished at a higher level of holiness throughout the Messianic age of the Millennial Kingdom in fulfillment of Jeremiah 31:31-33
Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. 33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
I hope the following chart is a blessing in your understanding of this as we all desire greater Holiness in our lives and being!
NEW DVAR TORAH STUDIES FOR DEEPER UNDERSTANDING…
For further Torah study on parashah “Acharei Mot & Kedoshim”, please enjoy the latest illustrated Dvar Torah video teaching below… Listen and learn from Rabbi Isaac as he takes your understanding to an even deeper level! Enjoy and be blessed!
ACHAREI MOT/KEDOSHIM DVAR TORAH
TORAH FOR YOUR CHILDREN…
For simple cartoon summaries of the Torah parashot for your children we recommend the following videos below:
Haftarah
–Amos 9:7-15
This week’s haftorah foretells the exiles and punishments that will befall the Jews because they strayed after the ways of the heathens — behavior that this week’s Torah reading proscribes.
The prophet Amos delivers God‘s message, reminding the people of G‑d’s kindness to them — taking them out of Egypt and singling them out as His chosen nation. Nevertheless, because of their misdeeds, . God will destroy the Northern Kingdom of Israel; but will not completely destroy the house of Jacob. The Jews will be scattered amongst the nations, but eventually they will return to their land — on the day of the redemption. God will then reinstall the House of David to its former glory and there shall be peace and abundance upon the land.
The haftorah ends with God’s promise: “And I will return the captivity of My people Israel, and they shall rebuild desolate cities and inhabit [them], and they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their produce. And I will plant them on their land, and they shall no longer be uprooted from upon their land, that I have given them, said the L-rd your God.”
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Torah Parashah teaching with video and audio and illustrations by Rabbi Isaac. © 2024 Assembly of Called-Out Believers. Use by Permission.
Website: www.CalledOutBelievers.org
3 Comments
Shabbat Shalom Pastor Isaac, I have a question. I am reading from the Complete Jewish Bible and in Chapter 17, verse 7, it reads No longer will they offer sacrifices to the goat-demons, before whom they prostitute themselves!
I heard your message about how Aaron takes his sins and the sins of his family and then the sins of the nation of Israel and transfers them to Az’azel. But in our assembly we are taught that good and evil cannot co-exist with Adonai, so that goat is not identified with Satan or demons. So, I’m not sure what to make of Az’azel. Thank you. Enjoyed the study.
Shalom sister Dora… Thank you for your question! It is true that it is not possible for haSatan to be a part of the atonement God provides for His people, but the transfer of sin to the Azazel goat was a symbol of the eventual removal of sin, death and that dragon of old from Israel in the end of the age. Good and evil existed in Gan-Eden and good and evil was personified in haSatan appearing before Adonai in the book of Job so it is not difficult to accept that Adonai would use a symbol to convey not only the origin of sin from a fallen angel but also it’s final removal from the camp of Israel.
Azazel is, according to the Book of Enoch, a fallen Angel. “The whole earth has been corrupted through the works that were taught by Azazel: to him ascribe all sin.”— Book of Enoch 10:8 According to the Peshitta, Azazel is rendered Za-za-e’il (the strong one against/of God), as in Qumran fragment 4Q180… In the Torah, the name Azazel appears in association with the scapegoat rite, “Saʿir La-ʿazaʾzel”, (“goat for Azazel”), in the Torah ritual of Yom Kippur in Lev. 16:8 saying, “And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats: one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for Azazel (עֲזָאזֵל).”
Thanks Rabbi Isaac for wonderful teaching. The Christian church needs teachings like that to open the eyes for many Christian like me was before. The majority church’s think is just need keep under of grace. The people is perish due lacking knowledge.
I say thanks to Hashem every day for the messianic Jewish. Adonay bless you life! Big hug from London!