This parashah gives all the details for the submission of the different parts of the sacrifices to be presented to the Lord. Which parts go up in the fire, which parts go to which Priests performing the duties, and it ends with a detailed description of the anointing ceremony Aaron and his sons underwent when they were first anointed as priests (Cohanim) to the Lord.
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The book of Leviticus can be somewhat tiresome to read because there is so much minutia. Every single detail of the activities regarding the presenting of the sacrifice is covered completely. We are told which parts go to God and which parts are for the priest, what to do with the ashes, the presentation of the sacrifice and the laying on of hands, etc. It is a rather cumbersome amount of detail to take in.
I once wondered how they could possibly remember every little detail, then realized that this was something being done daily. Every day someone would have been presenting some form of a sacrifice for some reason, whether it was guilt, sin or a vow.
I am certain that there is a message in this parashah that can affect every one of us…I wish I knew what it was. I have read this with my spiritual ears open to hear something, and I only get crickets.
You know what? Maybe that is the message: sometimes, there just isn’t anything we get from reading the Bible. Sometimes we read it just to get to the next section or chapter. And I think that’s OK.
How many times have you read something and then suddenly, one day- BAM! -you now understand exactly what God is saying in that passage and you wonder how you never saw it before? When that happens to me I think that the reason for not seeing it before was simply because I wasn’t ready to see it or to understand it.
God knows our heart and our mind; he knows what we are thinking and more than that, he knows what we can understand and what we can’t yet grasp. As we grow in knowledge, we grow in understanding, and as we grow in these we also grow in wisdom, discernment, and spiritual maturity. And when we are knowledgeable and spiritually mature enough to grasp the Remes or Sud of a passage, that is when God opens our eyes to it.
If you are not familiar with Remes or Sud, click on this link to read the definition of the Jewish exegesis system of Pardes.
This is a wonderful thing because it means that no matter how many times we read the Bible, we never know what new and exciting revelation God may have in store for us.
So, nu? What are you waiting for? Finish this message and get your Bible. Start at the beginning and read a chapter or two every day. I often state that I keep my Bible in the bathroom because there I am guaranteed at least 5-10 minutes every day when no one will disturb me.
But wherever you keep your Bible, make sure it is handy and that you find 5 minutes or so every day to read a chapter.
Tonight begins Shabbat so Shabbat Shalom and may you have a restful and blessed day.
Until next time, L’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!
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