The week of March 14-20th

Vayikra - ויקרא : "And he called"
Torah : Leviticus 1:1-5:19
Haftarah : Isaiah 43:21-44:23
Gospel : Luke 1-3       (Note: the readings for Luke are much longer than in Mark.)

In this week's portion, we learn about the sacrificial system. First, name the 5 different types of sacrifices. What are they? What are their Hebrew terms, and what English terms do we use with them?

It is important to note that the generic term for the English term "sacrifice" in Hebrew is the term "Olah." The term "Olah" has a different connotation than "sacrifice" does. An "Olah" refers to the process of drawing near to the L-rd. "Sacrifice" in English can range from pagan practices of killing animals and even human sacrifice. Also, we think of "sacrifice" when one gives up something for another. The ultimate sacrifice one could think of is when a person fights on behalf of another, even to the point of death. We often say that our military soldier "sacrificed their lives" for our country.

The term we use for "sacrifice" and "offering" in Hebrew has 5 specific terms, and 1 overarching term. We do not have enough words in English do properly translate the Hebrew terms, much less their connotations. We must be careful not to oversimplify the concepts described in these passages. We must also recognize that the purpose of these offerings did not bring about eternal effects, but were only temporary acts of worship. They were progressive actions that over time taught the Israelites what the consequences of their sins were, but they did not affect their eternal status in the eyes of G-d. Only the condition of their hearts and their acceptance of G-d (Elohim) as their L-rd (Adonai) produced an eternal effect. They were forward-looking toward the future redemption through Messiah. One must understand that even Yeshua brought these prescribed offerings as acts of obedience. These sacrifices were still being done during the writing of the book of Acts by the believers. Only when the Temple was destroyed 40 years after Yeshua's resurrection did these sacrifices end. So to connect Yeshua's death and resurrection with these sacrifices listed here misses the point of the sacrifices. Temple sacrifices were not acts of salvation, they were actions of discipleship. When the Messiah returns and the Temple is rebuilt, these sacrifices will be done again. (See Ezekiel 43-44, 46.) On the other hand, each sacrifice may very well allude to eternal actions of Messiah's death, but one must not extend their meanings beyond the literal meanings of the text.

Check back later for some more details about each of the significances of the sacrifices.