Conformed to His Image
April 1, 2022 Leviticus 16:29-30 This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you. For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all […]
We Have a High Priest
MARCH 31, 2022 Leviticus 16:23 Then Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of meeting, shall take off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the Holy Place, and shall leave them there. There are several examples of how different articles, once used in the Sanctuary, are forever regarded as holy. Obviously, the furnishings […]
Serve Him Willingly, Humbly and Faithfully
MARCH 30, 2022 Leviticus 16:21 Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable […]
The Blood of the Spotless Sacrifice
MARCH 29, 2022 Leviticus 16:8-9 Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the Lord’s lot fell and offer it as a sin offering. As I said in the previous devotional, Jewish tradition teaches that each of the goats used […]
Throw Azazel Over the Cliff
MARCH 28, 2022 Leviticus 16:8-9 Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the Lord’s lot fell and offer it as a sin offering. After presenting a sin offering for himself and his household, the next step in the service […]
Forgiveness of Sin
MARCH 27, 2022 Leviticus 16:6 Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house. It is important to see that, before the earthly High Priest could make atonement for the people, it was necessary that he acknowledge his own transgressions — and in a very […]
The Miracle of Life
The name of the twenty-seventh reading from the Torah is Tazria (תַזְרִיעַ), which means “she conceived.” The name is derived from the words of Leviticus 12:2, where the LORD says to Moses, “When a woman [conceives] and bears a male child.” Leviticus 12 discusses the laws of purification after childbirth.
Speak to the sons of Israel, saying: “When a woman gives birth …” (Leviticus 12:2)
The birth of a child is a holy and wonderful thing. Every time a baby is born, the birthing brings to light a small incarnation. Every baby is an immortal soul housed in garments of flesh. A baby comes into the world in the image of God. Life springs forth from life.
In some cases, the miracle is more obvious than in others. A Christian acquaintance of my wife was having a baby when complications occurred. The baby was in the wrong position in the birth canal, and the doctors grew concerned. They listened carefully to the heart monitor as the birth progressed, but sadly, the fluttering heartbeat tapered off and stopped. An hour later, the baby girl was stillborn. The doctor set the lifeless body aside, and mother and father were crushed. In the midst of her tears, the mother saw the baby’s leg move. She pointed it out to the staff, but the doctors explained that these were simply reflexive muscle movements. A few moments later, the baby gasped, coughed, and gasped again. Suddenly the hospital staff went into an emergency frenzy as they began resuscitation of the little girl. The child is fine today.
Not every story has a happy ending like that. There are few things more sober and heartrending than a pregnancy that ends prematurely or a baby born into this world only to pass on to the next world. We can’t explain why things like that happen, but it is possible that some souls are so pure and burn so hot that they quickly return to the flame that first gave them life.
The laws of the Torah ensured that, in the days of the Tabernacle, the amazing miracle of birth would not be treated as something mundane. God cordoned off childbirth with holy laws that gave the new mother a special status. The sacrifices after childbirth remind us that the act of giving birth is itself a miraculous encounter with the Divine. It is not to be regarded as just ordinary life. Instead, the Torah grants the event sanctity and significance by requiring sacrifices. The new baby is a gift from God, and the mother naturally wants to reciprocate with a gift. She brings a burnt offering and a sin offering as her gifts to God, who blessed her with a child.
Close the Mouth of the Adversary
MARCH 26, 2022 Leviticus 16:8 Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat. While there are certain elements of the Yom Kippur service that occurred frequently throughout the year, there are other elements that were performed only on this day and at no other […]
No Flesh Should Glory in His Presence
MARCH 25, 2022 Leviticus 16:4 He shall put the holy linen tunic and the linen trousers on his body; he shall be girded with a linen sash, and with the linen turban he shall be attired. These are holy garments. It is understood that the High Priest had two different types of garments. The first set of garments […]