Parashat Emor starts with (literal translation)
“and spoke - va’yomer - YHVH to Moshe, ‘speak – emor -
to the priests, the sons of A’haron’” (21:1). In both instances, the verb used
for “speak” is the same one, a.m.r (alef, mem, resh).
Parashat Emor also contains the
well-known chapter 23, which lists and specifies YHVH's appointed times.
Chapters 21 and 22, on one end of the Parasha deal, respectively, as we have
just seen, with the priests' conduct of holiness, the sanctity of the
offerings, and the handling thereof. It is interesting to note the
order; the sanctity of the priests ("they shall be holy
to their Elohim", 21:6) is followed by the sanctity of the
offerings (called "holy things", 22:3), followed by
the sanctity of the appointed times (chapter
23). The other end of the Parasha is made up of chapter 24, with its
themes of the perpetual light ("ner ha'tamid"
vs. 1-4) and the twelve loaves that were to be set on the gold table (vs.
5-9). A brief account describing how YHVH's name was profaned * and the immediate and resultant consequences, together with a series of instructions on penalties applicable to similar cases and a variety of
offenses, seals off Parashat Emor.
Before examining chapter 23 with its
listing of the "mo'adim" (the appointed times), let us pause to look
at a curious or even bizarre statement in 22:11. The topic at hand has to do
with partaking, or even "drawing near" to the holy things which the
people would dedicate to YHVH. It was the priests' duty to distinguish who was
fit for this and who was not. In verse 10, it says, "No outsider shall eat the holy offering; one who dwells with the priest, or a hired servant, shall not eat the holy thing". However, verse 11 seems to
contradict what we just read, as well as all the previous strict qualifications
regarding these dedicated things. Here is what it says: "But if the priest
buys a person with his money, he [the bought person] may eat it [the dedicated
thing]; and one who is born in his house [the priest's] may eat his food".
The purchased individual would have been a slave, most likely a Canaanite, while the "one who is born in the house" is, again, a reference to one of the servants (compare Genesis 17:12-13, 23). Is this hinting at the tremendous
undertaking by Elohim, whose Son was to "purchase with own blood" the
"slaves to sin" from every "kindred and tongue and nation",
and thus the latter will be able to partake of that which is "holy"
or "dedicated" ( the "kodesh")? (see Acts 20:28; Romans
6:20; Rev. 7:9).
Chapter 23 is situated in the center
of the Parasha, with verses 1 and 2 stating the following: “YHVH spoke again to
Moses, saying, 'Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, YHVH's appointed
times ["mo'adim"] which you shall proclaim as holy convocations
[“mik'ra'ey kodesh”] - My appointed times are these…'" Here we encounter
the important terms, “mo’adim” and “mikra'ey kodesh” (singular: “mo'ed” and
“mikra kodesh”). Mo’ed stems from the root y.a.d (yod, ayin,
dalet), which is "appoint, design, or designate".
Thus, we read in Amos 3:3 (literal translation): "Do two men walk together
unless it has been designated, or appointed for them [to do so]?" The
conjugation of the verb implies that someone else was responsible for their
meeting.
“Mo'ed”, as we see in the text
before us, is connected to a specific called-out and destined assembly,
many times termed “e'dah” (originating in the same root), which gathers
or convenes together. In 24:14, for example, the assembly, or “edah”, is told to
stone an offender. In T’hilim (Psalms) 82:1, “Elohim takes His stand in His
edah”. The “appointed times”, therefore, relate to an appointed
group of people. Some are of the opinion that the word for witness, “ed”
masculine, and “e’dah” (feminine) also originate from the same root. But
there is more…
“Tent of [appointed] meeting” is
“Ohel Mo'ed” (mentioned herein 24:3). A similar, though not an identical term, is found in T’hilim (Psalms) 74:4 and 8,
where we read, “Your enemies roar in the midst of Your meeting place… They have
burned Your sanctuary". The renderings of “your meeting place”
and "sanctuary" here are: “mo’ade’cha” and “mo'adey
El”, literally "your appointed times” and “appointed times of
El”, making evident that Place and Time in the Hebrew mind are not always
demarcated by a clear boundary. Our text reveals the “three-strand cord” of place, time, and people, held together by the sovereignty of the One who has appointed and chosen them and is responsible for bringing about their interactions with one another. Finally, y.a.d is also to “establish
a destiny”, and so we read in Romans 8:29-30:
“Whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed
to the image of His Son… Moreover, whom He predestined, these He
also called…” (italics added). In the Hebrew translation of the Greek text,
“predestined” is rooted in “ya’ad”. Who are the ones whom He foreknew,
predestined, and called? As we have seen above (and will see later), the
calling and appointing have been and are Yisrael’s, thus establishing again (in
context with the above quote), that y.a.d refers not only to people, time, and
place but also to an eternal destiny (past, present, and future). “Eternity” or
“forever” is sometimes designated by the word “ad” (ayin, dalet), such
as in Tehilim 48:14 (‘ever”). “Mo’ed”, with a slight alteration, may be
rendered as “m’ad” – from eternity or “from of old” or “ever”, which takes us
all the way back to creation, as in B’resheet 1:14 the “seasons” in the
original text are rendered “mo’adim”.
The “holy convocations”, as
mentioned, are “mikra'ey kodesh”, with the singular being “mikra”. The
root k.r.a (kof, resh, alef) makes up the verb “to call”, even
though the "convocation" - the assembling - is made up of people. The
calling, therefore, is what designates the “mikra kodesh”. In addition, these
“holy convocations” are also the special times that are synonymous with
“mo’adim”. And so, once again, the “calling” proves to be the common paradigm
or ‘ingredient’ shared by the people and the appointed times during which they
are to convene. Another parallel of “mikra” to the root yod, ayin, dalet that
we just reviewed, is that it too lends itself to ‘place’. In Yishayahu 4:5 we
read, “...then YHVH will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and
above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming
fire by night”. The “assemblies” mentioned here are rendered “mikra”.
The first "appointed day"
– the “Shabbat” - is also the prototype upon which all the others are
established (ref. 23:3). It speaks of rest, trust, and faith directed toward
the Heavenly Father (a topic we dealt with at length in Parashat Yitro – Exodus
18-20).
The mo’ed, which starts the annual
cycle, is celebrated on the first month of the biblical calendar (the month of
Aviv). The 14th day of that month is designated as YHVH's Pesach (Passover),
whereas the next seven days are called the Feast of Matzot (Unleavened
Bread). The root p.s.ch (pey, samech, chet), which we examined in
Parashat Bo (Exodus 10-13:16, in 12:11), means to “pass or skip over”. The
lamb’s blood was smeared on the Hebrews’ doorposts, thus covering and
protecting the sons of Yisrael from YHVH's arm, which dealt severely with the
Egyptians. It was by virtue of that blood that YHVH “passed” or
“skipped over” the dwellings of the Israelites, who thus came to no harm. The
wider scope of the principle set in motion here is the atoning blood of
the Lamb of Elohim, which covers and protects the redeemed from sin’s
death sentence.
Next is the Feast of Matzot,
or Chag HaMaztot (plural of “matza”, which
is a thin, wafer-like cracker baked without yeast). “Chag” is a feast whose
root, ch.u.g (chet, vav, gimmel), means “to circle” (e.g., Ps. 107:27), thus
pointing to the cyclical nature and annual recurrence of YHVH’s feasts and
appointed times. As we have seen already in Parashat Bo, the root
m.tz.h (mem, tzadi, hey) means “to drain or squeeze out”
to the very last drop of water. Yeast can only be activated in an
accommodating environment (that is, in water). Since yeast or leaven
is likened to the element that leavens or puffs up the whole lump (ref. Gal.
5:9), water may be compared to the environment that enhances it. The "old
leaven" (1 Cor. 5:8) being sin, in the form of the deeds of darkness (Rom.
13:12), wickedness (1st Cor. 5:13), and more, is removed as the redeemed are
constituted "holy matzot; for Messiah, our Pesach [lamb who]… has been
sacrificed" (1 Cor. 5:7). Notice that aside from “matza”,
unleavened bread is also called “lechem oni”, translated as “bread of
affliction” (Deut. 16:3). Yeshua, who is the “Bread of Life” (John 6:35), was
born in the House of Bread (Beit-Lehem) and was in Beit Onya (Bethany) - House
of Affliction (John 12:1) - six days before He gave His disciples the
bread (“matza”) representing His body (Luke 22:19).
"Then YHVH spoke to Moses,
saying, ‘Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘when you enter the land…
and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf [omer which is a
specific measurement] of the BEGINNING/re’sheet of your harvest to the priest.
And He shall wave the sheaf before YHVH for you to be accepted; on the day
after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it’" (23:9-11 literal
translation). The first harvest (of barley) takes place very early in the
spring. From Dvarim (Deuteronomy) 16:9 we learn that the picking is "from
the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing [barley]
grain". Because “omer” is also a measurement (one-tenth of an
epha), there is no question as to the amount of the "first of the
harvest". Thus, the priest was to wave those first
(beginning-resheeet) sheaves before YHVH, "for your acceptance"
- lir'tzon'chem (root r.tz.h – resh, tzadi, hey – meaning, “satisfy,
favor”), after the Shabbat. This was totally fulfilled by Yeshua, who was in
the beginning (ref. Gen. 1;1; John 1:1-2), and is declared to
be the beginning and the end (ref. Col. 1:18; 1John 2:13-14;
Rev. 1:8, 3:14, 21;6, 22:13). Following His resurrection, which occurred
after the Shabbat, He immediately went up to His Father (ref. John 20:17) to
offer Himself on our behalf, thus rendering us acceptable. After the first
barley harvest was cut, one waited until the day after Shabbat and counted seven weeks, making the 50th day a “mo'ed”, which is intrinsically tied to the
Counting of the Omer.
The land and its fruitfulness, or
lack thereof, was to reflect Yisrael's relationship with YHVH, as it is "a
Land for which YHVH your Elohim cares; the eyes of YHVH your Elohim are always
on it, from the beginning even to the end of the year" (Deut. 11:12). The
Cycle of the Feasts "from the beginning even to the end of the year"
is partly designed for this purpose. Thus, if the rains come in
their due season, watering the ground which responds to the seed (ref. Hos.
2:21, 22), it can indicate that the Nation of Yisrael is walking with their
Elohim, "who keeps for us the appointed weeks for the harvest" (Jer.
5:24). In that case, all is well and the Counting of the Omer can
begin. Conversely, the consequence of disobedience and sin is drought (Lev.
26:18-20, 26, for example), which means that there is no barley, no sheaves,
and nothing to count. That, in turn, will affect the next mo'ed, which
is Shavu'ot. The mo'adim, the Land, and the relationship with the Almighty are
all intertwined, making the life of the Hebrew person inseparable from his
Elohim, his Torah, his land, and community. The omer, therefore, affects the
celebration of Shavu’ot. It also signifies total dependency on YHVH and speaks
of His control over the natural and spiritual causes, their
conditions, and aftermath.
On Shavu'ot, the focus is on "a
new grain offering to YHVH" (23:16), also termed "first fruits of the
wheat harvest” (Ex. 34:22) called bikkurim, which is derived
from the word “b'chor” – “firstborn”. Note that in the Hebrew Bible this
word does not appear in connection with the waving of the first barley sheaves
(v. 10), where, as we noticed above, “resheet” (that is, “beginning”
or "first", stemming from “rosh” – “head”) is
used. Interestingly, Yisrael is declared "holy to YHVH”, and
like Yeshua is also called “the first - resheet - of His harvest" (Jer.
2:3). Hence, both of these special times (the Counting of the Omer
and Shavu'ot) are a reminder to Yisrael that as YHVH's firstborn (Ex. 4:22),
they too belong to Him. The Feast of First Fruit (Bikkurim/Shavu’ot, see Ex.
34:22; Num. 28:26) has also been fulfilled by Messiah when He sent the Spirit
of Holiness so that we may be the “bikkurim” – the “first
fruit” who were “brought forth by the word of truth” (James 1:18). Shavu’ot’s
two loaves that are baked with leaven (which are to be waved, 23:17,20),
signify that YHVH’s two peoples, unlike His Son, can be still plagued by the
power of sin, but conversely, also with the ‘leaven’ of the animating presence
of the Spirit (see Matthew 13:33; Luke 13:20-21),.
Intertwined with this mo'adim
‘inventory’ is an important insertion which lends another dimension to the
feasts and to the life of the sons and daughters of Yisrael. It reads as
follows: “When you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not reap
to the very corners of your field nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you
are to leave them for the needy and the alien” (23:22 italics
added). The reason given for this injunction, albeit very short, summarizes it
all: "For I am YHVH your Elohim". We found a similar injunction in
last week’s portion (Kdoshim), in 19:9-10, which was preceded by the declaration:
"You shall be holy for I YHVH your Elohim am Holy" (19:2). YHVH’s
heart, His character, and deeds express His holiness. He desires to bestow this
kind of holiness upon His people and, in turn, they are to live accordingly.
From the first month through the
third, we now move to the seventh, which is replete with mo'adim, starting with
the first day. (Rosh Chodesh - "head of the month", the usual term
for the first day of the month, is not used here.) The "first day" of
the seventh month is to be a “shabbaton”, a Shabbat-like day, and also a “mikra
kodesh” - a "holy convocation" (23:24). It is to be a “zich'ron tru'ah”,
that is, a day dedicated to remembering the “sound or
a blast” (that was first heard on Mount Sinai, Ex. 19:16).
Yet, “t'ruah” is a generic noun, thereby shrouding this mo’ed with some
obscurity. The raising of human voices, the blowing of a shofar (ram’s horn),
or a silver trumpet can all produce the “t’ruah” sound. The combination of
'jarring' the communal memory and the emphasis on sound may also be in
preparation for the tenth day of the month, the most solemn of all the feast
days, “Yom HaKippurim”, literally "Day of the Atonements"
(v. 27). The sound of the alarm is intended, therefore, to help the
People of Yisrael recall the greatness of their Elohim, His deeds and
commandments, as well as their own responses and shortcomings. In other words,
it is a call to self-examination leading to repentance. Since “tru'a” signifies
several different calls and alarms (e.g. Num. 10:5, 6,9,10), “…blessed is the
people who knows [understands, discerns] the “tru'a” [the specific sound and
its intent]; O YHVH they walk in the light of your countenance!" (Ps.
89:15).
The Day of Atonement/s is a mikra
kodesh, "on exactly the tenth day" (23:27) to commence on the
previous evening (according to verse 32); and "it is to be a Shabbat
Shabbaton" - a Shabbat of Shabbats. What else singles out this
day? In addition to a total cessation of labor, it is also to be a time of
"affliction of the soul". To “afflict" here is “(ve)ee'ni'tem,”
the root being a.n.h (ayin, noon, hey), shared by the adjectives “humility” or
“self-denial”. Yisha’yahu (Isaiah) 58 clarifies for us the kind of affliction
YHVH is referring to: "Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a
man to afflict/humble [ah'not] himself? Is it for
bowing one's head like a reed and for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a
bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to YHVH? Is this not the
fast, which I choose: to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of
the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke? Is it not to
divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor [ah’ni,
the same root] into the house…?" (vs. 5-7 emphases added).
Thus, he who truly afflicts himself is not necessarily engaged in ceremonial
acts only but, rather, empathizes with the afflicted and comes to their aid.
Lastly, a quick glance back to Pesach will remind us of the "bread of
affliction" - lechem oni - literally "bread of affliction or
humility", which is another name for the “matza”, as we already noted
above. Lechem Oni, therefore, is a fitting title for He who is the "Bread
of Life", the Pesach's Matza, and who is also described in Z’char’yah
(Zechariah) 9:9 as "humble - ah'ni - and mounted on a donkey".
The other aspect of the Day of
Atonement, the “kippurim” or “kapara” of the root k.f.r (kaf, pey/fey, resh),
with its primal meaning "to cover", we have examined several times
(particularly in Parashat Noach – in Gen. 6:14). The ultimate sin-covering and
subsequent forgiveness were epitomized in the life and atoning death of Yeshua,
who became the final sacrifice and ransom for all (ref. 1 Tim.2:6).
We are still in the seventh month.
On the 15th day, the Feast of Succot - Booths or Tabernacles - is to be
celebrated for seven days. The first day is to be a holy convocation, on which
no work is to be performed. This feast is to be kept "when you have
gathered in the crops of the land" (23:39) and is, therefore, another
special time, during which the Israelites are reminded of the connection that
the Land and its produce bear to their relationship with Elohim. They are also
enjoined to dwell in “succot” (“booths”): “…for seven days… so that your
generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I
brought them out from the land of Egypt" (vs. 42, 43). After this mo'ed,
there is an eighth day, which aside from being a mikra kodesh, is also
described as an “atzeret”, translated "solemn assembly"
(v. 36). The root a.tz.r (ayin, tzadi, resh) means, "to restrain, hold back, refrain",
as well as "to rule, possess, and to
check". "Solemn", referring to the
"assembly", is no doubt an expansion of "restraint",
denoting the importance of the day.
“Succa” (singular of
“succot”) stems from the root s.ch.ch. (sah'mech, kaf, kaf), meaning to “cover, protect,
or a (temporary) shelter”. Its primal root is to “weave together"
(for example, "You have woven me - tesukeni - in my mother's womb,"
Ps. 139:13). "Succa" is also a "thicket". Besides
being translated as a literal shelter for men and animals, this word is used
figuratively; especially known is the “fallen succa - dynasty - of David",
which YHVH promises to restore (Amos 9:11, Acts 15:16). The "mercy
seat" - kaporet - in the Holy of Holies was covered by the wings of the
Cherubim, which are described as “covering the mercy seat with their wings”
(Ex. 25:20). The term "covering" in this instance utilizes
“so’che'chim”, sharing the same root as “succa”.
While Succot brings together several
aspects and reasons for all the other mo'adim, it also points to future events.
Succot is the only feast that is followed by an eighth day (a day that stands
on its own). A full (and prophetically complete) unit of days is always
comprised of seven days. The eighth day, therefore, signifies a new beginning.
The restoration of David's “dynasty”, or “house”, when compared to a succa,
clearly indicates that the Feast of Succot is yet to have an even greater
fulfillment. On the day that “the Branch of YHVH will be beautiful and
glorious… there will be a succa to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge
(chupa - wedding canopy) and protection from the storm and the rain", is
an exciting future promise found in Yisha’yahu (Isaiah) 4:2, 6. Being placed at
the end of the cycle of the feasts, the solemn eighth day points to that which
is even beyond the feasts’ cycle…
Shabbat, by commemorating the
Creator’s work and His redemption of the Hebrews from bondage and their
everlasting covenant, lays the foundation for the mo'adim; whereas the mo'adim
illustrate the various phases of the life and path of faith. At the
same time, Shabbat, being the epitome of rest and cessation of all self-effort,
also foreshadows the coming Kingdom. Thus, it represents, as well as stands
for, the destination of the Believer's path, and hence is twofold: a foundation
but also a tangible image of the goal. In this way, the Shabbat may be compared
to Messiah Yeshua, in that He too is the foundation, the Root, as well as the
Branch - both a Beginning and an ultimate Destination (ref. Revelation 22:16).
Some of the word definitions were gleaned from:
The New Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Lexicon, ed. Francis
Brown, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, Mass. 1979.
Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, ed. R. Laird
Harris, Moody Press, Chicago,
1980.
Etymological Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew, ed. Matityahu
Clark, Feldheim Publishers, Jerusalem, New York.1999.
