Digging with Darren

FFOZ’s new online resource—TorahPortions.org—is now live. It is going to be a really great resource for weekly Bible study.

At a glance, you can see the weekly reading from the Torah, the Prophets and the Gospels, as well as:

• A topical outline for the current readings
• A summary of the weekly Torah reading
• Messianic commentary with insights on the weekly reading
• A preview of next week’s reading
• Any specific weekly reading throughout the year
• Downloadables & resources with more to come

Be sure to check it out and pass it along to anyone who you think would appreciate it. We really want to get the word out on this valuable online tool.

While I was searching through some of my emails and such that I had sent to a few men that I am challenging in Torah, I came across a some notes that I had written back in January that corresponds really well to my thoughts on this week’s Parasha (Emor) from last year. It’s a little rough around the edges, but I think it gets the point across.

Right-click (pc) or Control-click (mac!) to download:

I recently posted this on FFOZ’s Torah Club Forum, but thought I would go ahead and post it here as well. And (as I stated in the forum) most people will already know this, but it’s a good reminder…

Yesterday was the fourth reading for this week’s parasha. It included Vayikra/Leviticus 10:16. Within this verse we have the phrase [i]S’ir hachatat darosh darash Moshe[/i], which roughly equates to “Moshe inquired insistently (or diligently) about the he-goat of the sin-offering.”

What’s special about this? First, the repetition of the root דרש. This root is where we get the word “drash” or “drosh,” meaning to “seek out,” commonly used to mean a time of teaching from what one has already sought out in the Scriptures. The doubling of this root in the passage implies a seeking out that is more intense than normal. Second, the sages tell us that these two words mark the very center of the Torah.

From both of these insights we can infer that we are to diligently seek out the heart, or the “center,” of the Torah at all times and never be satisfied with a “pat answer.” We must be as the Bereans of the Apostolic Writings at all times–diligent students, seeking out the very heart of Torah.

It’s been a while since I’ve really had a chance to write due to keeping up with my business, my family and my studies. So… with that in mind, I thought I would make sure you know of a few (fairly) new study resources available to you that you might not have been aware of previously. Here they are:

Daily Dose of Torah
If you haven’t heard of Artscroll’s newest multi-volume work, you need to head over to Artscroll and check out their Daily Dose of Torah series. It’s a 14-volume set of books for daily Torah study. You can subscribe to receive each volume as it’s released (for the volumes that are yet unreleased) and receive them just ahead of the Torah reading schedule. Each book covers four weeks of study (four parashot) and includes the following each day:

• Torah thought for the Day
• Mishnah of the Day
• Gems from the Gemara
• Mussar Thought for the Day
• Halachah of the Day
• A Closer Look at the Siddur
• Question of the Day
• A Taste of Lomdus (once a week)

If you would like to check out a sample of A Daily Dose of Torah, you can download an entire week’s worth of (parashat Acharei-Mot) from this link. You don’t want to miss getting this particular week’s lesson, due to the correlation between the commentary included in the Torah Thought for the Day and the meaning of the death of our Messiah.

eRosh
FFOZ has just launched a new electronic publication, called eRosh. It will be a monthly email including activities and teachings geared toward bringing the family together in their study and application of Torah. It will include a monthly calendar of the events pertaining to the particular month, along with activities for children of all ages. The description states:

Young children will love to color with Isaiah the prophet and help him find the new moon! Older kids can become a Disciple Detective, while teens can focus on the practical life lessons found in Scripture with the new study, Pirkei Avinu (Sayings of our Father).

More on FFOZ’s eRosh can be found on the FFOZ blog. Be sure to sign up for this free resource on the FFOZ website.

Shemot (”Names”)
Shemot / Exodus 1:1-Exodus 6:1

“And these are the names of the Children of Israel who were coming into Egypt…The Children of Israel were fruitful, teemed, increased and became strong—very much so; and the land became filled with them.” (Exodus 1:1,7)

As with a good number of the parashot, Shemot begins with the letter ו (vav). In Hebrew, a vav is a letter added to the beginning of a word to represent the conjunction “and.” Our parasha begins “And these are the names (shemot / שמות)…” This statement connects the current parasha with the previous one. But the vav is the connector. It connects the previous thought to a new thought. In this case it connects the previous parasha to the current one. But not only does it connect one parasha to the next, it connects one generation to another. But not only does it connect one generation to another, but it connects despair to hope.

“Chazak! Chazak! Venitchazeik!”

Last week was the first time we have spoken these words for this Torah cycle. They are spoken at the end of each book of Torah as a transition from one book to the next. They mean “Be strong! Be strong! And may we be strengthened!” I find it fitting that these words connect the last words of Breisheet with the first words of Shemot. They connect the bitter ending of Breisheet with the optimistic introduction of Shemot.

Joseph died at the age of one hundred and ten years; they embalmed him and he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.

These words cannot be the fatalistic end of the story. There has to be more. There has to be hope for a future. Then we hear the reminder… “Chazak! Chazak! Venitchazeik!” Be strong! Be strong! And may we be strengthened! They are followed with the words of Shemot…

And these are the names of the Children of Israel who were coming into Egypt…The Children of Israel were fruitful, teemed, increased and became strong—very much so; and the land became filled with them.

Did you hear that? They “teemed, increased and became strong—very much so.” The death of Joseph wasn’t an end, but a beginning. It wasn’t the end of the story. On the contrary, it only set the stage for the greater story—a story of signs & wonders, devotion, love and redemption.

Maybe there has been tragedy or unfortunate circumstances in your life recently. It’s not the end. There is a vav if we continue reading. Just as the Children of Israel were at a point of hopelessness at the passing of Joseph (the one that led us into the country!), a vav was waiting for them just ahead. We all have a vav waiting on us if we stand firm.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:2-4

Always remember—Mashiach is the vav connecting us to Israel. Torah is the vav connecting us to Hashem. If you are in a difficult place, remember the words “Chazak! Chazak! Venitchazeik!” and hang on to your vavs.

Call to Holiness

And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness. 

The unclean will not journey on it; 

it will be for those who walk in that Way; 

wicked fools will not go about on it.

No lion will be there, 

nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; 

they will not be found there. 

But only the redeemed will walk there,

and the ransomed of the LORD will return. 

They will enter Zion with singing; 

everlasting joy will crown their heads. 

Gladness and joy will overtake them, 

and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

(Isaiah 35:8-10, NIV)

Like the entire sefer Vayikra, and closely tied to the previous parashah (Kedoshim), Emor begins with a call to holiness. It specifically begins with the issues of holiness which apply to the Kohanim (priests), continues to include the summary of the mo’edim (feasts) and ends with instructions for the Menorah and the Bread of the Presence and a curious story of a blasphemer.

“They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God…” (21:6)

At the very beginning of the parashat, Hashem tells Moshe to instruct the Kohanim to be cautions from becoming contaminated with ritual uncleanness¹, but to be on every guard to remain pure before Hashem in order that they may not even temporarily disqualify themselves from their service in the Mishkan (Tabernacle). Throughout the parashat, Hashem is constantly reminding us:

אני יהוה מקדשם
Ani Adonai q’dsham

I am Hashem, Who sanctifies² them

Defining Holiness

It’s sad, but the majority of believers do not have a grasp on holiness. The same words the author of the book of Hebrews says to his audience can be said in our day and time:

Though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so.
(Hebrews 5:12-63, NIV)

Sadly, the majority of Bible teaching either revolves around these “elementary teachings” about Messiah, or is a precursor to these things. If we are truly disciples of the Master, we need to have these things “under our belts,” and be moving on to the meat of the Word. Our topic—holiness—is not for those who are still struggling with the salvation issue, or it will be completely misconstrued.

In order to fully understand the weight of holiness, we must first examine the word ‘holy’ itself. In Hebrew, the word for ‘holy’ is קדשׁ (kadosh / kadash / kodesh – depending on usage). In its pure sense, this word means ‘distinctness,’ ‘set-apartness.’ It is a distinguishing factor of an object, person, or time³, which clearly defines one of these things from all others. Many have skewed definitions of holy, and thus have put their definition into practice at the expense of themselves and others. Monks and nuns are a prime example of this. With a definition of ‘holy’ that implies ‘separateness,’ they have removed themselves from the common man (those who truly need spiritual guidance), and thus have also incarcerated themselves in the process.

Also, we have a misconception of the term ‘profane.’ We tend to view the opposite of ‘holiness’ as ‘wickedness.’ However, this is not the case. The opposite of ‘holiness’ is the ‘profane.’ But what does this mean? In Hebrew, the word ‘profane’ is חַלָל, (not to be confused with הַלָל – ‘praise’) and carries with it the connotation of being ‘common’ or ‘contaminated.’ ⁴

Unfortunately, we have been brainwashed into only making the distinctions between ‘righteousness’ and ‘wickedness,’ and not ‘holy’ and ‘profane.’ This is to our detriment. The Jews, however, have made this a priority, especially during the Biblical period. During the days when the Beit HaMikdash was standing, sefer Vayikra was the first book put to memory by children. Why? In order to teach the children to go beyond making the distinctions of morality, to holiness—something for which we have no comprehension. Here are a few Scriptures which call for a distinction between the holy and the profane:

• Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy (Exo 20:8)

• You shall keep the sabbath, because it is holy for you; every one who profanes it shall be put to death; whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. (Exo 31:14)
• You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean (Lev 10:10)
• For I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls upon the earth. For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God; you shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. (Lev 11:44-45)
• Say to all the congregation of the people of Israel, You shall be holy; for I the LORD your God am holy. (Lev 19:2)
• Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am the LORD your God. (Lev 20:7)
• You shall be holy to me; for I the LORD am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine (Lev 20:26)
• They shall be holy to their God, and not profane the name of their God; for they offer the offerings by fire to the LORD, the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy. They shall not marry a harlot or a woman who has been defiled; neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband; for the priest is holy to his God. You shall consecrate him, for he offers the bread of your God; he shall be holy to you; for I the LORD, who sanctify you, am holy. (Lev 21:6-8)
• Tell Aaron and his sons to keep away from the holy things of the people of Israel, which they dedicate to me, so that they may not profane my holy name; I am the LORD (Lev 22:2)
• So you shall keep my commandments and do them: I am the LORD. And you shall not profane my holy name, but I will be hallowed among the people of Israel; I am the LORD who sanctify you, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the LORD. (Lev 22:31-33)
• For you are a people holy to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, out of all the peoples that are on the face of the earth. (Deut 14:2)
• It is a snare for a man to say rashly, “It is holy,” and to reflect only after making his vows. (Prov 20:25)⁵

How Do We Live Holy Lives?

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:14-16, NIV)

But how do we make holiness evident in our lives? Is it merely outward only? It is both outward and inward, and is reflected in all areas of our lives. One example of an outward leading to an inward is in the commandment of the tzit-tzit:

The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by going after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD your God.’ ”
(B’midbar / Numbers 15:37-41, NIV)

The reason for this outward form of holiness is in order that we might “obey them [the commandments] and not prostitute yourselves by going after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God.”

In other areas, Peter admonishes us:

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,” and, “A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
(1 Peter 2:1-17, NIV)

In this passage, Peter tells us that those of us that have been adopted into the family of Hashem have become a priesthood of sorts (not replacing the physical priesthood) in that we have certain obligations. He tells us our primary obligation is holiness. Just as the physical priests are to distinguish between the holy and the profane, the clean and unclean, we are to make those distinctions in our lives and the lives of our family. These distinctions should lead to lives that are above reproach (vs 12).

In order to do this, we must do just as Peter warns us. We must “ not use [our] freedom as a cover-up for evil,” but rather “live as servants of God.” We must live out the Spirit of Torah, rather than the Letter of Torah.

Parable: “The Letter and the Spirit”

Rab Hanan’s son, Rabbah, hired a few day laborers to move some barrels of wine. While working, they accidentally dropped a barrel, which broke, and the wine spilled onto the ground. To punish the men, Rabbah confiscated their coats.

The workers went to Rab to complain about the way they were being treated. After listening to their complaint, the great sage advised his son to return the men’s coats.
“But is this what the law would rule?” Rabbah protested.
“Do it in spite of the law,” Rab replied, “and give the coats back to these men. Follow the path of goodness.”
Once their coats were returned, the men said, “Look here, we are only poor laborers. We worked an entire day and we have families to support. Should we not receive payment for our labor?”
Rab said to his son, “Go and pay them.”
Again Rabbah asked, “But what does the law require?”
“Do it in spite of the law,” his father advised. “Maintain the way of righteousness, my son, and do not expect to always find life according to the letter of the law. Understand that the spirit of justice is often of greater value. Pay your workers anyway!”⁷

Yeshua’s Admonition

You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. 
(Matt 5:38-42, NIV)

Is Yeshua over-riding the Torah? No. Torah makes provision for damages, via the “eye-for-an-eye” passages.⁶ No. This is Yeshua’s explanation of the “intention” of the Torah’s laws in this regard. The laws of damages were two-fold. They were first, for the protection of those who incur damages at the hands of others. Most importantly, however, they were for the one who was liable for the damages, to teach one the lesson of taking personal responsibility for the harm of others. These laws were never created for the self-motivated demands of the one incurring damages. They were never a means to retaliate for damages, but rather be compensated for damages. Yeshua makes this clear in that when we incur damages, we are not to demand justice. We are to live by the spirit of the Law, which has at the heart a desire to treat others with the mercy which we would desire to receive if the tables were reversed. Yeshua upholds Torah completely, and instructs us on how to live beyond the letter of the Torah to the greater spirit of holiness which it contains.

Our portion tells us:

Keep my commands and follow them. I am the LORD. Do not profane my holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the LORD, who makes you holy and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD. (Lev 22:31-33, NIV).

It is by keeping the commands of Hashem that sanctifies the name of Hashem among others. It is by living our lives without holiness that we profane the name of Hashem. When we pray, “Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name,” it is how we live our lives which “hallow” (i.e. “make holy”) the name of the Almighty. When we live only by the Letter of the Law, we are making the Torah to serve us. We have become like those whom Peter warns us, by saying:

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth—men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone. (2 Tim 3:1-9, NIV)

However, if we use the literal letter of the Law as the foundation upon which we build in order to obey the Spirit of the Law, we will be continually changing in the means in which we consecrate ourselves to Hashem. We will always be on the lookout for means by which we can give an area of our lives to Hashem—whether it is entering into the spirit of the Sabbath a few hours early, or holding our tongue when we have the “right” to justify ourselves.

In conclusion, there are several areas of living holy lives on which the Torah is silent. We must, however, not assume that we have license in these “grey” areas. We must not make such assumptions. We must not bend the Torah for our own personal lusts. We must continually be in the process of transforming ourselves into the image of Messiah. If we are not continually in the process of living out holy lives, we are not living in holiness. We are living within comfort zones. And if we are not living holy lives, we are merely pagans in denial.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God 
(Romans 12:1-2, KJV)

Footnotes

1. Bonus: Compare Vayikra 21:1-4 to John 20:1-9
2. Sanctification is simply the verb form of the word holy (קדש) in Hebrew
3. See B’reisheet / Genesis 2:2-3
4. It is noteworthy to be reminded of Peter’s conversation with Cornelius in Acts 10 at this point.
5. Consecration is serious business, and we need to understand it as such. The story of Jeptha (Judges 11) is probably in the mind of the writer of this proverb.
6. The erroneous view of a literal “eye for an eye” has been propagated by those unfamiliar with, and in opposition to Torah as a basis for holy living. This is simply not the case. See Exodus 21:18 and following.
7. Saving the World Entire and 100 Other Beloved Parables from the Talmud, Rabbi Bradley R. Bleefeld & Robert L. Shook. #74-The Letter and the Spirit. (Talmudic source: Baba Metzia 83a)

Exodus 25:1 – 27:19

Here are some general thoughts on the parashat Terumah…

In this Torah Portion we find the call for the building of the Mishkan (משׁכן, Tabernacle). In the opening line we hear Hashem speaking to Moshe:

“Speak to the Children of Israel and let them take for Me a portion (terumah, תרומה), from every man whose heart motivates him you shall take My portion.”

I believe this is they key phrase for understanding this parashah, as well as the entire building of the Mishkan.

Here we find Hashem desiring something to come into existence — the Mishkan, the place where He will meet with His people. It is to be a holy place, a place like none other. It is to be a place of perfection that will emulate the Heavenly courts (see the book of Hebrews & Midrash Rabba) in as many aspects as humanly possible. So, the question is, why did Hashem not create this edifice Himself? Why did He have man build it, rather than saying, “Let there be the mishkan!” Why did he use human agents to create such a reflection of the heavenlies?

I think there are several reasons for this. The first being that since the creation of mankind, Hashem has used man to accomplish His will on this earth. Instead of doing everything on His own, He has chosen to enter into “partnership” with man in achieving His purposes. We have a role to play in the work of the Malchut (Kingdom), and we need to be about it.

Secondly, with an entire nation coming together for the common purpose of building a dwelling place for their Redeemer, they have a common purpose. This effectively builds community. They have to rub shoulders, work side-by-side, communicate and forgive. They had to build relationships. They had to build trust. They had to be vulnerable. If this massive structure were to ever be completed, it would require the cooperation of many thousands of people. Without a common purpose and without communication, community cannot effectively be cultivated. Hashem knew this in His plan for the construction of the Mishkan.

Lastly, they had to make a personal investment. They had to invest not only their resources, but their time. And it wasn’t forced on them. Remember the words, “from every man whose heart motivates him”? Hashem didn’t coerce those who didn’t want to participate. However, there were benefits for those who chose to do so. Let me give you an example.

How did you get your first vehicle? Did you work to earn the money to purchase it, or was it given to you? From whichever perspective you came from, have you noticed the other perspective? Generally, those to whom things of great value are given, versus earned are treated with less value than they are actually worth. Why? Because the person receiving them hasn’t seen the value in the object due to their lack of investment. Here’s another example. Have you ever built a house? If so, you probably would have a much harder time selling it than a pre-existing house that you merely purchased. Why? Because you have invested blood, sweat and tears into it. We can appreciate much more what we have made an investment into.

The same is true with relationships. While we would be hurt if we lost a casual friend, we would be in great mourning at the loss of a spouse or child or sibling. Why? Because of our investment. We have poured our lives into these lives, and our investment is great. This is what makes us vulnerable, risking the deep hurt that comes with that loss. But is also what makes us better. Intimate relationships make us smooth where we are rough, lighter when we are heavy, stronger when we are weak. Like a shared glass of wine, they make it twice as enjoyable if it is good, and half as bad when it is distasteful. Life was meant to be shared. Begin sharing it with someone today.