Vayikra (Leviticus)
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Meaning
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Day Six
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Haftara
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B'rit Hadashah
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1 Our Father, we receive Your Words and hide Your commandments with us; 2 we incline our ear unto wisdom, and apply our hearts to understanding; 3 We cry after knowledge and lift up our voices for understanding; 4 we seek it as silver; and search for it as for hidden treasures; 5 We declare that we shall understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. Declaration of Proverbs 2:1-5.
Leviticus 11:29-47 (NASB)1
29 'Now these are to you the unclean among the swarming things which swarm on the earth: the mole, and the mouse, and the great lizard in its kinds, 30 and the gecko, and the crocodile, and the lizard, and the sand reptile, and the chameleon. 31 'These are to you the unclean among all the swarming things; whoever touches them when they are dead becomes unclean until evening. 32 'Also anything on which one of them may fall when they are dead becomes unclean, including any wooden article, or clothing, or a skin, or a sack -any article of which use is made -it shall be put in the water and be unclean until evening, then it becomes clean. 33 'As for any earthenware vessel into which one of them may fall, whatever is in it becomes unclean and you shall break the vessel. 34 'Any of the food which may be eaten, on which water comes, shall become unclean, and any liquid which may be drunk in every vessel shall become unclean. 35 'Everything, moreover, on which part of their carcass may fall becomes unclean; an oven or a stove shall be smashed; they are unclean and shall continue as unclean to you. 36 'Nevertheless a spring or a cistern collecting water shall be clean, though the one who touches their carcass shall be unclean. 37 'If a part of their carcass falls on any seed for sowing which is to be sown, it is clean. 38 'Though if water is put on the seed and a part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you. 39 'Also if one of the animals dies which you have for food, the one who touches its carcass becomes unclean until evening. 40 'He too, who eats some of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening, and the one who picks up its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. 41 'Now every swarming thing that swarms on the earth is detestable, not to be eaten. 42 'Whatever crawls on its belly, and whatever walks on all fours, whatever has many feet, in respect to every swarming thing that swarms on the earth, you shall not eat them, for they are detestable. 43 'Do not render yourselves detestable through any of the swarming things that swarm; and you shall not make yourselves unclean with them so that you become unclean. 44 'For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on the earth. 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.
It rained through the night and I slept in. It's a gloomy day out there but to balance that out, as I looked through the kitchen window getting my first cup of 'joe', I noted that the patches of snow back in the treeline are getting smaller and there's more brown-vegetation popping up between those white patches. That brown rooster is crowing his odd warble-crow while supervising the hens out in the run. Between Sheamus and the yet-unnamed one, the two roosters seem to be sharing the duties. But even though the rains have made me feel like I will need high-octane coffee laced with morphine, I will project a good day for today! I woke in the wee hours from a disturbing dream and then woke hours later this morning from one that could have been disturbing if it wasn't so utterly ridiculous. Sometimes I wake from a dream and I think, “Okay. NO way I'm going to lay down again—I'm getting up!”
Then, I can tell how late it is without even looking at the clock because of how the coffee has held its heat. This morning I confirmed by looking at my computer that it is after nine. There's a setting on our drip coffee maker that keeps the heater on only for so long. Because we got the coffee maker at my favorite flea market that's open from May to October situated down a country road off the highway, we never got any paper with instructional data. It never 'cooks' the coffee. How blessed I am to have a coffee/timepiece combo machine and it tells me I'm quite late to finish the Biblical dietary menus from yesterday!
There's one thing that puzzled me yesterday and it got away from me because the writing took a turn in a couple of directions that were surprising. I had to dig a little to understand one phrase.
20 All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you. Leviticus 11:20.
Has this caused some consternation to anybody else that there are “fowls that creep” on “all four”. I never picked this up before in all the years we've been doing Torah but this week it 'jumped out' of the text like it had never done before. It happens at least once a year. Suddenly, a phrase or a word becomes illuminated like it jumped off the page and bopped my head back a bit. What sort of fowl, which to my understanding are birds, have more than two legs to walk upon? So, to the dictionary of Hebrew words, Strong's, I went. It turns out that the word fowls, from the Hebrew, can also be classified as creatures that are covered by feathers OR wings!
עוֹף ʻôwph, ofe from H5774; a bird (as covered with feathers, or rather as covering with wings), often collectively:—bird, that flieth, flying, fowl. masculine noun.
The KJV spurred me on to check verse twenty in other Bibles I have. The Complete Jewish Bible describes “all winged swarming creatures”. In the NASB, which is the text urged to be used in this project by our founder, Gaylen Jones, (and add to that it was in front of me, I should have seen it), it is plain that these 'fowls' as described in my favorite choice of study Bible has confirmed that it wouldn't hurt to look at other translations. Even in my copy of the “New Translation” of the Jewish Tanakh published in 1985, it is rendered as “winged swarming creatures”. And now I know why the Torah edition went off in other directions yesterday even though the extra reading I did took up a bit of time! Meanwhile, in the heavenly realm, I can see our Father, with Messiah at His side, turning to an angel at His left side and commenting, “Don't worry. She'll see how much of a non-issue this is when she starts her day tomorrow.” I suppose the resistance to use other possibly dodgy Bible translations has become so ingrained I realized it keeps me from utilizing even the ones that I do trust. Memo to self: Reorganize the work desk so that trusted resources are at eye level.
In these first verses that we've set upon today, I must say that along with the other species mentioned in yesterday's reading, I have no difficulty with the slightest consideration to never add such to my menu. Turtles, mice, lizards, and snails have no worries about being prey for this student of Torah! I hear that bacon is a hard choice for many to make, and had it not occurred the way it did with me, perhaps I'd still be pining for a slice of bacon now and then. Back in 1996, as I was cooking up a batch of pork chops, there was such a disagreeable smell that I thought I'd bought bad meat. The next batch I bought was the same. It was wretched. Then in the months following, I discovered that any pork product emitted a smell that was so putrid that I had a hard time even having it in the house because I knew the moment it hit the pan that horrible stench would return! I came home from work for supper and I could tell that Richard had cooked bacon for lunch. I could smell it before I opened the door. Even the frankfurter wieners that had pork mixed with the beef were obnoxious and I refused to eat them. I asked around and searched for YEARS for the answer to that question, “Why, suddenly does pork stink so bad?”
One coworker stated that it was because it was meat from a female pig. But that didn't answer why I'd been eating pork my whole life and it never affected my olfactory sense like that! What should I do? Asking the guy at the meat counter to make sure he sells me chops from a male pig would seriously undermine my credibility. It was at best twenty years before I discovered what possibly happened. I left a link below explaining how a gene that some folks have makes pork smell and/or taste repulsive. But there's further to the mystery. Why, so sudden, should this happen? I could only assume that I still had the genes with which I was born. Why did it take until I was well into my forties before that gene activated? It's still a mystery. It wasn't until many years after that I felt compelled to eat as directed by God's Word. A few believers do admit that it would be difficult for them to give up pork and seafood and to their credit, they admitted it. I can understand this. My mother used to make what we call “head cheese” out of the hocks of pigs. It was practically a staple in my childhood. When I chose to opt for the Bible menu, that was hard. When I brought this to His attention, I heard His soft inner voice tell me to “look for a substitute”. So, I tried a can of corned beef and added a good shake of pepper and I found my substitute. (You can say 'eeeeyew' if you wish.) Another product I was enamored with was Clamato Juice. Again, the direction was to find a substitute, which I did. To be perfectly transparent about that, I have to tell you that just out of curiosity, one day I sampled a few sips of Clamato juice long after eliminating it from my menu and found it to be 'eeeyew'. The experiment confirmed to me that I didn't miss it in the least!
I had a bit of a concern when I began cooking for the Seniors Club. They like their pea soup flavored with a big old ham bone, their “Christmas Ham”, and sausage. There's another mystery. The obnoxious smell is not a problem! I cooked a rasher of pork bacon for a Caesar salad not long ago and—no putrid odor. It was laid out separately so that those who wanted could use it. I was surprised to see that there was some left that went into the freezer when the day was over. It might be the first Seniors Club that always has kosher selections. Add to that, this year we have a new member who keeps kosher because she converted to Judaism as a young woman. Each believer is free to make a choice as far as “Chapter Eleven” (of Leviticus) is concerned. Whether you decide for or against is between you and our Father. I just know that I made the decision and I've never regretted it. When I come across something like Worcestershire Sauce or a Caesar dressing that has anchovies in it, I “look for a substitute”. By the way, did you know you can make a Worcestershire Sauce that has no anchovies in it and that you make it with apples and oranges? How can such a sharp pungency come from fruit? Who knew?
As we see in the last portion of the reading, there were actions associated with the “contact” with unclean flesh that were important to Yah.
31 These are unclean to you among all that creep: whosoever doth touch them, when they be dead, shall be unclean until the even. 32 And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean; whether it be any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack, whatsoever vessel it be, wherein any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even; so it shall be cleansed. 33 And every earthen vessel, whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean; and ye shall break it... 39 And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that toucheth the carcase thereof shall be unclean until the even. 40 And he that eateth of the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: he also that beareth the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even. 41 And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten. 42 Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination. Leviticus 11:31-33; 39-42.
In the past, I've banged on to a small extent about how much healthier it is to exclude pork from the diet just based on what we've learned about the more negative impacts of pork than say, beef or lamb. But the best thing I can say is to do the research, weigh it all in the balance, and go as He leads you! And if you have difficulty, God has an exhaustive list of the available substitutes!
This week, we've looked at the types of “unclean” that affected Israel in their diet. Next week we shall see other unclean states that could occur in daily living in Israel and how they were to cope with those. These are instructions for all levels of Israeli society, not just the priests. Have a peaceful and restful Shabbat.
Then, I can tell how late it is without even looking at the clock because of how the coffee has held its heat. This morning I confirmed by looking at my computer that it is after nine. There's a setting on our drip coffee maker that keeps the heater on only for so long. Because we got the coffee maker at my favorite flea market that's open from May to October situated down a country road off the highway, we never got any paper with instructional data. It never 'cooks' the coffee. How blessed I am to have a coffee/timepiece combo machine and it tells me I'm quite late to finish the Biblical dietary menus from yesterday!
There's one thing that puzzled me yesterday and it got away from me because the writing took a turn in a couple of directions that were surprising. I had to dig a little to understand one phrase.
20 All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you. Leviticus 11:20.
Has this caused some consternation to anybody else that there are “fowls that creep” on “all four”. I never picked this up before in all the years we've been doing Torah but this week it 'jumped out' of the text like it had never done before. It happens at least once a year. Suddenly, a phrase or a word becomes illuminated like it jumped off the page and bopped my head back a bit. What sort of fowl, which to my understanding are birds, have more than two legs to walk upon? So, to the dictionary of Hebrew words, Strong's, I went. It turns out that the word fowls, from the Hebrew, can also be classified as creatures that are covered by feathers OR wings!
עוֹף ʻôwph, ofe from H5774; a bird (as covered with feathers, or rather as covering with wings), often collectively:—bird, that flieth, flying, fowl. masculine noun.
The KJV spurred me on to check verse twenty in other Bibles I have. The Complete Jewish Bible describes “all winged swarming creatures”. In the NASB, which is the text urged to be used in this project by our founder, Gaylen Jones, (and add to that it was in front of me, I should have seen it), it is plain that these 'fowls' as described in my favorite choice of study Bible has confirmed that it wouldn't hurt to look at other translations. Even in my copy of the “New Translation” of the Jewish Tanakh published in 1985, it is rendered as “winged swarming creatures”. And now I know why the Torah edition went off in other directions yesterday even though the extra reading I did took up a bit of time! Meanwhile, in the heavenly realm, I can see our Father, with Messiah at His side, turning to an angel at His left side and commenting, “Don't worry. She'll see how much of a non-issue this is when she starts her day tomorrow.” I suppose the resistance to use other possibly dodgy Bible translations has become so ingrained I realized it keeps me from utilizing even the ones that I do trust. Memo to self: Reorganize the work desk so that trusted resources are at eye level.
In these first verses that we've set upon today, I must say that along with the other species mentioned in yesterday's reading, I have no difficulty with the slightest consideration to never add such to my menu. Turtles, mice, lizards, and snails have no worries about being prey for this student of Torah! I hear that bacon is a hard choice for many to make, and had it not occurred the way it did with me, perhaps I'd still be pining for a slice of bacon now and then. Back in 1996, as I was cooking up a batch of pork chops, there was such a disagreeable smell that I thought I'd bought bad meat. The next batch I bought was the same. It was wretched. Then in the months following, I discovered that any pork product emitted a smell that was so putrid that I had a hard time even having it in the house because I knew the moment it hit the pan that horrible stench would return! I came home from work for supper and I could tell that Richard had cooked bacon for lunch. I could smell it before I opened the door. Even the frankfurter wieners that had pork mixed with the beef were obnoxious and I refused to eat them. I asked around and searched for YEARS for the answer to that question, “Why, suddenly does pork stink so bad?”
One coworker stated that it was because it was meat from a female pig. But that didn't answer why I'd been eating pork my whole life and it never affected my olfactory sense like that! What should I do? Asking the guy at the meat counter to make sure he sells me chops from a male pig would seriously undermine my credibility. It was at best twenty years before I discovered what possibly happened. I left a link below explaining how a gene that some folks have makes pork smell and/or taste repulsive. But there's further to the mystery. Why, so sudden, should this happen? I could only assume that I still had the genes with which I was born. Why did it take until I was well into my forties before that gene activated? It's still a mystery. It wasn't until many years after that I felt compelled to eat as directed by God's Word. A few believers do admit that it would be difficult for them to give up pork and seafood and to their credit, they admitted it. I can understand this. My mother used to make what we call “head cheese” out of the hocks of pigs. It was practically a staple in my childhood. When I chose to opt for the Bible menu, that was hard. When I brought this to His attention, I heard His soft inner voice tell me to “look for a substitute”. So, I tried a can of corned beef and added a good shake of pepper and I found my substitute. (You can say 'eeeeyew' if you wish.) Another product I was enamored with was Clamato Juice. Again, the direction was to find a substitute, which I did. To be perfectly transparent about that, I have to tell you that just out of curiosity, one day I sampled a few sips of Clamato juice long after eliminating it from my menu and found it to be 'eeeyew'. The experiment confirmed to me that I didn't miss it in the least!
I had a bit of a concern when I began cooking for the Seniors Club. They like their pea soup flavored with a big old ham bone, their “Christmas Ham”, and sausage. There's another mystery. The obnoxious smell is not a problem! I cooked a rasher of pork bacon for a Caesar salad not long ago and—no putrid odor. It was laid out separately so that those who wanted could use it. I was surprised to see that there was some left that went into the freezer when the day was over. It might be the first Seniors Club that always has kosher selections. Add to that, this year we have a new member who keeps kosher because she converted to Judaism as a young woman. Each believer is free to make a choice as far as “Chapter Eleven” (of Leviticus) is concerned. Whether you decide for or against is between you and our Father. I just know that I made the decision and I've never regretted it. When I come across something like Worcestershire Sauce or a Caesar dressing that has anchovies in it, I “look for a substitute”. By the way, did you know you can make a Worcestershire Sauce that has no anchovies in it and that you make it with apples and oranges? How can such a sharp pungency come from fruit? Who knew?
As we see in the last portion of the reading, there were actions associated with the “contact” with unclean flesh that were important to Yah.
31 These are unclean to you among all that creep: whosoever doth touch them, when they be dead, shall be unclean until the even. 32 And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean; whether it be any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack, whatsoever vessel it be, wherein any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even; so it shall be cleansed. 33 And every earthen vessel, whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean; and ye shall break it... 39 And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that toucheth the carcase thereof shall be unclean until the even. 40 And he that eateth of the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: he also that beareth the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even. 41 And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten. 42 Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination. Leviticus 11:31-33; 39-42.
In the past, I've banged on to a small extent about how much healthier it is to exclude pork from the diet just based on what we've learned about the more negative impacts of pork than say, beef or lamb. But the best thing I can say is to do the research, weigh it all in the balance, and go as He leads you! And if you have difficulty, God has an exhaustive list of the available substitutes!
This week, we've looked at the types of “unclean” that affected Israel in their diet. Next week we shall see other unclean states that could occur in daily living in Israel and how they were to cope with those. These are instructions for all levels of Israeli society, not just the priests. Have a peaceful and restful Shabbat.
“Vehalachta Bidrachav—you shall walk in His ways!”
1 NASB www.lockman.org for daily reading and KJV in commentary unless otherwise specified.
Why some people hate pork: Gene found which changes how we taste pig meat (and not for the better...) | Daily Mail Online
Why some people hate pork: Gene found which changes how we taste pig meat (and not for the better...) | Daily Mail Online
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