Shemini | שמיני | “Eighth”
Part 2
Torah: Leviticus 9:1 - 11:4
Haftarah: II Samuel 6:1 - 7:17(A); II Samuel 6:1 - 6:19 (S)
Please also read: Day 307: The Children of the Eighth Day,
from The Book of Mysteries by Jonathan Cahn
In each day of this study we will focus on a theme or themes from the corresponding reading or aliyah. Here is the full list of aliyot for this portion:
from The Book of Mysteries by Jonathan Cahn
In each day of this study we will focus on a theme or themes from the corresponding reading or aliyah. Here is the full list of aliyot for this portion:
Daily Readings
Introduction
This is Part Two in our continuing study of the third portion of Leviticus: Shemini which in Hebrew means “Eighth.” In Part One we learned that the eighth day is the day for new beginnings and it foreshadows the greatest of 'new beginnings, 'resurrection - life after death. In today's study we will examine the second aliyah or reading from our portion.
Summary of the second aliyah
Day 2: Lev. 9:17-23 The High Priestly blessing and the Glory of the Lord
Aaron concluded offering the sacrifices as Moses had commanded. Aaron then lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them. Moses and Aaron then went inside the Tent of Meeting, and when they came out, they blessed the people again. Then the Glory of the Lord appeared to all the people.
On the cross Yeshua's arms are necessarily outstretched as he gazes out over the crowd. We could compare the head gear and signet 'Holy to the Lord' on Aaron's head to the crown of thorns and the sign posted by Pilate which had the inscription: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. But the Psalmist paints this picture for us as well.
Go to Shmini Part Three
Download Parashat Shmini Study Guide
Aaron concluded offering the sacrifices as Moses had commanded. Aaron then lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them. Moses and Aaron then went inside the Tent of Meeting, and when they came out, they blessed the people again. Then the Glory of the Lord appeared to all the people.
Themes for study
He lifted up his hands and blessed them Lev 9:22
Pshat (plain meaning)
After the sin offerings and burnt offerings needed to make atonement for the priests and for the people are brought to the altar and offered in the prescribed manner, and the fellowship offerings are brought for the celebratory meal, everything has been done that was commanded and everyone is waiting to see what will happen - for Moses had said "the glory of the LORD will appear to you.” (Lev 9:6)
In this momentous occasion, we are given a picture of the High Priest, who has just finished making atonement for himself and for the other priests and for all Israel. His arms are outstretched and his hands raised above his head to confer on the people the priestly blessing.
Lev. 9:22 Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them. He came down after sacrificing the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the fellowship offering. 23 Moses and Aaron then entered the tent of meeting.
Rmez (hidden meaning)
We do not have to change many of these details to picture Yeshua's last moments of life before expiring on the cross. Lev 9:22 appears to be a picture of Yeshua on the cross blessing (praying for) the people and offering the sacrifices necessary to atone for our sins, after which He is taken down and shortly thereafter will enter into the heavenly sanctuary.
Luke 23:33 When they arrived at the place called The Skull, they crucified Him there, along with the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. 34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided His clothes and cast lots.
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| "He lifted his hands and blessed the people" _Leviticus 9:22 |
Psa. 28:2 Listen to the sound of my pleading when I cry to You for help,
when I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.
Yeshua is, according to the author of Hebrews our High Priest atoning for our sins and as He dies on our behalf, He prays for those who crucified him, in a sense blessing them.
Heb. 7:26 For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself.
Drash (Comparative meaning)
Let's return for the moment to the blessing of Aaron the High Priest in Leviticus 9:22. Most scholars would agree that the blessing likely made at this time would have been the High Priestly Blessing, sometimes referred to as the Aaronic Blessing, described in Numbers 6:22-27. Although it stands apart in the Torah, it is chronologically identical to the passage in Lev 9:22, immediately after the Tabernacle was set up for the first time. This blessing, or one very similar, has been recited for millennia in countless synagogues and Christian churches (usually the Benediction) all around the world.
Num. 6:22 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,
Num. 6:24 The LORD abless you and bkeep you;
25 the LORD cmake his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 the LORD dlift up his countenance3 upon you and give you peace.
Num. 6:27 “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”
There is a great deal to unpack here and we will visit this subject again in our study on Parashat Nasso. Nevertheless, it is important not to overlook verse 27 when God commanded Aaron and his sons to bless the people by placing His name יְהוָ֖ה Yehovah on them. In modern day Jewish services and events when the blessing is rendered in Hebrew, the rabbi will substitute Adonai or Ha Shem (lit. The Name) for the name of God. But if we are being true to the Torah commandment we should be using the true name as it appears in the Hebrew - יְהוָ֖ה.
Fast forward to one of the last appearances that Messiah Yeshua made to His disciples and we see Him exercising His authority as High Priest blessing them before departing.
Luke 24:49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” 50 And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.
(See also 1 Kings 8:55; Psalm 28:2; 134:2; Luke 23:33, 34, 53; Rom 5:1-5; 1 Cor 5:21; Heb 7:26-28)
The Glory of the Lord appeared Leviticus 9:23-24
At the end of the book of Exodus we are told that after the Tabernacle was painstakingly crafted and set up no one – not even Moses or Aaron could enter because of the Glory of the Lord filled the place. This in writing circles is known as a 'cliffhanger.'
Ex. 40:34 Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
The Tabernacle is supposed to be this great place where God is going to dwell with His people and a place where the people can 'draw near' to Him. But something is wrong. No one can go inside. We are compelled to keep reading to find out what happens next. When we turn the page we arrive at the Book of Leviticus, which as we shall explore in another study, is primarily a 'handbook' of priestly duties and hygienic practices – a kind of 'user's manual' for the Tabernacle. In other words, after it was built, the users had to learn how to operate it properly. That is what we have been learning as we progress through all of these seemingly arcane statutes about the various types of offerings and the proper way to execute all of it.
Lev. 9:23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. 24 And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.
Success! It works, just as advertised! Now Moses and Aaron are not only able to enter the Tabernacle, they also come back out and the Glory of the Lord appears to the people just as Moses had predicted. There are many places in scripture where the glory of the Lord filled the sanctuary and no one could enter because the Glory of the Lord filled the place, most notably in prophetic passages about end-times events.
Rev. 15:8 The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.
However, the manner in which the fire erupted from the Sanctuary and consumed the offerings that were on the alter, was a very explosive attention getter. This brings to mind another occasion when God's glory was called down from heaven by Elijah to capture the attention of the people and in an effort to see the error of their path and turn their hearts back to God.
1 Kings:37 Answer me, O LORD! Answer me, so that this people will know that You, the LORD, are God, and that You have turned their hearts back again.” 38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water in the trench. 39 When all the people saw this, they fell facedown and said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!”
It begs the question, what will God find it necessary to do in our time of great apostasy, to cause the people to fall on their faces and acknowledge Him as Sovereign of the Universe.
(See: Ex 40:34; Num 16:19, 42; 1Kings 8:10-12; 18:38-39; 1 Chr 23:13; Ezek 44:4)
Note about the exegetical terms used in our studies
In our study I will often use the "Pardes" method of biblical exegesis. This refers to the types of approaches commonly used in rabbinic Judaism for interpretation of text in Torah study. The term, sometimes also spelled PaRDeS, is an acronym formed from the same initials of the following four approaches:
· Rmez (רֶמֶז) – "hints" or the deep (allegoric: hidden or symbolic) meaning beyond just the literal sense.
· Drash (דְּרַשׁ) – from Hebrew darash: "inquire" ("seek") – the comparative (midrashic) meaning, as given through similar occurrences.
· Sod (סוֹד) (pronounced with a long O as in 'lore') – "secret" ("mystery") or the esoteric/mystical meaning, as given through inspiration or revelation.
Go to Shmini Part Three
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