MAY 22, 2022 Leviticus 23:34 Speak to the children of Israel, saying: “The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the Lord.” The seventh of the seven moedim — “appointed times” — is the Feast of Tabernacles, or as it is known in Hebrew, Sukkot. This is the plural form of the […]
The Torah portion begins by saying, “If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments so as to carry them out … ” (Leviticus 26:3). Isn't that a bit redundant? What is the difference between (1) walking in the statutes, (2) keeping the commandments and (3) carrying them out?
In his classic commentaries on the Torah, Rashi wondered about this too and proposed a solution. He suggested that “walking in the statutes” refers to intensive study of the Torah. “Keeping the commandments” refers to learning how the commandments of Torah are properly kept. “Carrying them out” refers to actually doing what the commandments say to do. In other words, we should study Torah for the purpose of learning it, and we should learn it for the purpose of doing it.
This approach to Torah may seem obvious. It isn't. Sometimes we study the Bible simply for the sake of learning the Scriptures, but we never get around to doing what the Bible tells us to do. We often hear the Word of God and learn its message but fail to put it into practice. This is especially true in regard to the laws of Torah.
In some Christian schools of thought, the laws of Torah are believed to have spiritual meanings instead of literal meanings. That suggests that the laws of Torah were never meant to be kept; they were only meant to be understood as spiritual lessons. Early church writings spoke about the spiritual meanings of the Torah's commandments while discouraging people from actually practicing the Torah. That kind of thinking resulted from the influence of philosophical thought in the early church. In the philosophical worldview, the acquisition of knowledge is a worthy goal in and of itself.
In Jewish thought, the purpose for studying is more than simply the acquisition of knowledge. Knowledge and learning are regarded only as means for better serving God. Therefore, in Jewish thought, we study to learn and we learn to do.
Behar/Bechukotai | בהר/בחקותי | “On the mountain/In my statutes ” Torah : Leviticus 25:1-27:34 Haftarah : Jeremiah 16:19-17:14 Gospel : Luke 13:1-33/John 10:22-42/Luke 14:1-15:32
MAY 21, 2022 Leviticus 23:27 Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. As I had previously mentioned, the seventh month is to the year what the seventh day is to […]
MAY 20, 2022 Leviticus 23:24 Speak to the children of Israel, saying: “In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.” As we discussed in the previous devotion, on the first day of the seventh month, the shofar was sounded in acknowledgment of […]
MAY 19, 2022 Leviticus 23:24 Speak to the children of Israel, saying: “In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.” Where the Hebrew calendar is concerned, the seventh month (called Tishri) is to the year what Sabbath is to the week. Three […]
MAY 18, 2022 Leviticus 23:22 When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the Lord your God. Throughout the Scripture, even when discussing those […]
MAY 17, 2022 Leviticus 23:15-16 And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord. The day that this […]
MAY 16, 2022 Leviticus 23:15-16 And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord. The day that this […]
MAY 15, 2022 Leviticus 23:10 Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: “When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest.” As we read about these different feast days, one thing becomes clear […]
MAY 14, 2022 Leviticus 23:4 These are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. It is obvious that the Creator desires that we observe these special times He established to meet with His people but why does He want us to “proclaim” these feasts? Is it that we proclaim them […]
