Parashah 29 Acharei Mot

Leviticus 16:1 – 18:30

By Dr. K. Blad  ©

Second edition 2013-14

Lucrative copying not permitted.  

Torah Readings (when Acharei Mot is read separately):

1.      16:1-17

2.      16:18-24

3.      16:25-34

4.      17:1-7

5.      17:8 – 18:5

6.      18:6-21

7.      18:22-30

8.      Maftir: 18:27-30

Haftarah: Amos 9:7-15

Acharei Mot

means “after the death”

Comments

The First Aliyah, 16:1-17

Vayikra 16 is one of the most important chapters of the Torah. In it are the instructions about the Day of Atonement, Yom HaKippurim, which falls on the tenth day of the seventh month, Tishri. This was the only day of the year during which the High Priest was able to enter the most consecrated area and offer incense and blood in the presence of HaShem. The purpose of this was to thoroughly cleanse the tabernacle of the sins that had been stored up in it during the previous year, on account of the uncleanness of the children of Israel. In spite of the fact that HaShem had given clear instructions about how the children of Israel were to keep away from ritual uncleanness so that the sanctuary would not be contaminated, it was inevitable that it would happen anyway. If someone who was unclean entered the tabernacle, it became unclean. A person could have entered the tabernacle not knowing that he was unclean. Someone else might have forgotten that he was unclean, and entered the tabernacle. Therefore HaShem instituted this Day of Atonement in order to cleanse the objects of the earthly tabernacle.

On this day, HaShem also shows man that he can be reconciled with Him. That is the great Day of Atonement. Atonement between HaShem and man is the central theme of the entire Scriptures, and in this chapter we see how this atonement will take place. The wrath of HaShem rests on man because of his sins. For man this wrath is deadly. The only thing that is able to still this wrath is if HaShem shows compassion. This compassion is revealed to man through the atonement that is based on the blood-sacrifice of innocent animals, as it is written in Leviticus 17:11,

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes atonement by reason of the life.”(HNV)

This chapter is also one of the best texts for us to look at and see what happened to the Messiah Yeshua before and after his resurrection when he entered into the High Priestly ministry according to the order of Malki-Tzedek. He entered the heavenly tabernacle and cleansed it with his own blood, as it is written in Hebrew 9:22-26,

“According to the Torah, nearly everything is cleansed with blood, and apart from shedding of blood there is no remission. It was necessary therefore that the copies of the things in the heavens should be cleansed with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Messiah hasn’t entered into sanctified places made with hands, which are representations of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the High Priest enters into the most consecrated place year by year with blood not his own, or else he must have suffered often since the foundation of the world. But now once at the end of the ages, he has been revealed to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”(HNV revised)

The tenth day of the seventh month is reflected in the tenth day of the first month. On the tenth day of the first month, a lamb was brought into every Israelite home in Egypt, where they were to celebrate Pesach in order to then leave the slavery of king Paroh. The Pesach lamb was appointed on the tenth day of the first month, and was sacrificed on the fourteenth day. The tenth day of the seventh month is therefore connected to the Pesach lamb. The blood of the Pesach lamb protected the firstborn from death. The meat of the lamb produced strength and healing in the weak and sickly bodies of the people. In a similar way, the sacrifices that are offered during Yom HaKippurim atone for the sins of the children of Israel in order to save them from death, as it is written in Leviticus 16:30,

“for on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins you shall be clean before HaShem.”(HNV revised)

Pesach is intimately connected with Yom Kippur. In the same way, the death of the Messiah Yeshua, which took place during Pesach, fulfilled a great part of the ministry of Yom Kippur in the heavenly tabernacle. He has entered into the Most Consecrated Place in heaven and remained there for nearly two thousand years. Since the High Priest not only entered the Most Consecrated Place of the earthly tabernacle, but also exited and blessed the people, we know that the Messiah is not going to remain in the Most Consecrated Place in heaven, but will go out from there to bless the people of Israel and all mankind. The Messiah has, therefore, fulfilled half of the Yom Kippur ministry. When he comes back to earth, he will fulfill the rest. On that day, all sin will be removed from those who have placed their hope in him, as it is written in Hebrews 9:27-28,

“Inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this, judgment, so Messiah also, having been once offered to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, without sin, to those who are eagerly waiting for him for salvation.”(HNV)

16:1 “HaShem spoke to Moshe, after the death of the two sons of Aharon, when they drew near before HaShem, and died”(HNV revised) – According to Nachmanides, this was spoken on the day after the sons of Aharon had entered the tabernacle with strange fire and died. Rashi, on the other hand, says that it was spoken on the same day that they died, in other words, the first day of the month Nissan (Aviv). Therefore the message of Yom Kippur was given during the month of Aviv, just before the Pesach celebration. This also connects the celebration of Pesach with Yom HaKippurim, as it is written in John 1:29,

“The next day, he saw Yeshua coming to him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’”(HNV revised)

“after the death” – This is the name of this Parashah, Acharei Mot, “after the death”. This teaches us that this message also speaks of what would happen to the Messiah after his death. After his death, the Mashiach entered the Most Consecrated Place of the heavenly Mishkan and fulfilled this prophetic picture, as it is written in Hebrews 9:11-12,

“But Messiah having come as a High Priest of the coming good things, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, entered in once for all into the most consecrated place, having obtained eternal redemption.”(HNV revised)

16:2 “and HaShem said to Moshe, ‘Tell Aharon your brother, not to come at all times into the Most Consecrated Place within the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark; lest he die: for I will appear in the cloud on the mercy seat.’”(HNV revised) – As High Priest, Aharon had access to the Most Consecrated Place, but only once a year. Moshe, however, could enter at any time.

The prohibition of entering the Most Consecrated Place comes right after the mention of the death of Aharon’s sons. This might be a hint to the fact that they had tried to enter without permission, in which case it would have been one of the reasons for their death. In order to avoid a repetition of this, HaShem gave very clear instructions about how to enter that place and about whom it was that could enter.

The Hebrew word that is translated “mercy seat” is kapporet,[1] which means “cover”, “covering”, “lid”. It comes from the root kafar,[2] which means “cover (with tar)”, “overlay”, but it also means “forgive”, “pardon”, “replace”, “atone”. The same root is in the word, Day of Atonement, Yom HaKippurim, which is also called Yom Kippur, see Leviticus 23:27; 25:9. In the Septuagint, the Hebrew word kapporet has been translated into Greek as hilasterion,[3] which means “atoning sacrifice”, “place of atonement”, “place of reconciliation”. This word comes from hilaskomai,[4] which means “atone”, “reconcile”, “appease”, “recompense”, “make amends for”. The mercy seat is considered to be HaShem’s throne on the earth.

This teaches us that the lid not only served as a cover for the ark, but also as a place where the sins were atoned for and where HaShem revealed his compassion and forgiveness. This is the place where HaShem and man are reconciled. This is why it also has been translated as “throne of grace”, as it is written in Hebrews 4:14-16,

“Having then a great High Priest, who has passed through the heavens, Yeshua, the Son of God, let us hold tightly to our confession. For we don’t have a High Priest who can’t be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace for help in time of need.”(HNV revised)

The place of atonement, the mercy seat, the lid of the ark, could only be visited by one person, once a year. When the Messiah came however, he was publicly revealed as a place of atonement, a mercy seat, as it is written in Romans 3:25-26,

“whom God set forth to be a mercy seat, through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness through the passing over of prior sins, in God’s forbearance; to demonstrate his righteousness at this present time; that he might himself be just, and the justifier of him who has faith in Yeshua.”(HNV revised)

As we saw earlier, the Greek word that is translated “mercy seat” is hilasterion. This word only occurs twice in the Greek text of The Messianic Writings. This word is also translated as “mercy seat” in Hebrews 9:5. As we mentioned earlier, hilasterion is the way the Septuagint translates the Hebrew word kapporet. Kapporet is the lid that covers the ark of the testimony. The Greek text of Romans 3:25 therefore teaches us that the Messiah was set forth as a place of atonement, a mercy seat, a lid of the ark that is in the Most Consecrated Place of the heavenly and the earthly temples. When Yeshua died, he was presented publicly as a place of atonement, which connects his death with Yom Kippur. When the Messiah was brutally executed, all mankind could see that there is cleansing and eternal obliteration of sin, not only for Jews, but for the whole world as well, as it is written in 1 John 2:2,

“And he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.”(HNV)

In 1 John 4:10, it is written,

“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”(HNV revised)

The meeting place for HaShem and man is above the ark in the temple, as it is written in Exodus 25:22,

“There I will meet with you, and I will tell you from above the mercy seat, from between the two Keruvim which are on the ark of the testimony, all that I command you for the children of Yisra'el.”(HNV)

In Exodus 30:6, it is written,

“You shall put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with you.”(HNV)

According to the Greek text in Romans 3:25, Yeshua was set forth to the whole world as a mercy seat. In the same way that the mercy seat was a place of meeting for HaShem and Moshe, the sacrifice of the Messiah is a place of meeting for HaShem and mankind, as it is written in John 12:32-33,

“‘And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ But he said this, signifying by what kind of death he should die.”(HNV revised)

The mercy seat is a place where HaShem reveals himself in an extraordinary way. The mercy seat exists on three different levels:

1.      In the tabernacle and temple on earth.

2.      In the body of the Messiah, which is a temple.

3.      In the heavenly temple.

Since HaShem revealed himself in an extraordinary way through the death and resurrection of Mashiach, his characteristics are revealed through this. We will name four of them here:

1. His righteousness. God’s righteousness demands that a sinner be punished with death. In order to forgive the sinner, HaShem must supply a substitute. Without a substitute that is a brother of the sinner, it is impossible to receive atonement. An animal cannot replace a person. If HaShem had set man free from sin and death through animal sacrifice, he would not be righteous. Through the death of Yeshua, the Eternal reveals that he is completely righteous when he forgives a sinner, see Romans 3:25-26.

2. His compassion and love. Through the death of Yeshua, everyone on earth can become God’s eternal children through the forgiveness of sins and freedom from death, see John 3:16; 1 John 3:1.

3. His faithfulness. Through the death of the Messiah and his resurrection on the third day, HaShem fulfilled his promises spoken to the prophets.

4. His power. By Yeshua being raised from the dead, being given a transformed and immortal body, and being glorified as all power was submitted to him, HaShem’s incredible power was revealed, see Ephesians 1:19-21.

16:3 “Herewith shall Aharon come into the sanctuary: with a young bull for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.”(HNV) – Aharon could only enter the Most Consecrated Place through the substitutional sacrifices of animals that were connected to the death of the Messiah. This teaches us that the death of Yeshua is the basis upon which man can draw near to HaShem.

During the time of the temple, the HaKohen HaGadol, High Priest, prepared for an entire week for the most important day of the year. He left his home in order to spend the last week in the sanctuary. For seven days he purified himself with the purification water from the red heifer, in case he had unknowingly come in contact with a corpse, as it is written in Numbers 19:11-13,

“He who touches the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days: the same shall purify himself therewith on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean: but if he doesn’t purify himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean. Whoever touches a dead person, the body of a man who has died, and doesn’t purify himself, defiles the tent of HaShem; and that soul shall be cut off from Yisra'el: because the water for impurity was not sprinkled on him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet on him.”(HNV revised)

During these seven days, he was also instructed by wise disciples whom the Sanhedrin had sent to him. This was so that he would be able to fulfill the Yom Kippur ministry correctly. There was also a substitute ready in case the High Priest would become tameh, ritually unclean, and unable to serve. They read and rehearsed Leviticus 16 and the laws, halachot, concerning the Day of the Atonement, until the High Priest knew them well. During that week, he also offered incense and lit the menorah.

The day before Yom Kippur the animals that had been chosen for this occasion were presented to him so that he would be able to recognize them easily. On the last day, the wise disciples were replaced by a group of kohanim (priests) who helped the High Priest practice the art of pouring the incense into his hands with a spoon. This would then be performed before HaShem in the Most Consecrated Place. This was one of the most difficult things since not one grain of the incense could be spilled on the ground.

The High Priest did not sleep the night before the great day. He read texts from Job, Ezra, the Chronicles, and Daniel in order to keep awake. If he fell asleep, the young priests would wake him by making noise with their fingers. If he became drowsy, he could stand for a while on the cold temple floor. There were others in Yerushalayim who also kept vigil that night. They read, prayed, and prepared for the great day.

16:4 “He shall put on the consecrated linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches on his body, and shall put on the linen sash, and he shall be dressed with the linen head-dress. They are the consecrated garments. He shall bathe his body in water, and put them on.”(HNV revised) – When the High Priest came before HaShem’s face in the Most Consecrated Place, he had to be wearing a special garment that consisted of four linen garments. Each year, new clothes were made for this special occasion. The regular clothes, which consisted of eight garments, were used by the High Priest in his normal daily temple ministry. They were made out of gold and precious stones as well as fabric and colors that came from both the animal and plant kingdom. The clothes that were used when entering into the Most Consecrated Place, came only from plants. These linen clothes expressed humility in the presence of HaShem.

Linen is presented for the first time in Scripture in Genesis 41:42, where it speaks of Yosef who was exalted and dressed in linen by Paroh. This teaches us that there is a connection between Yosef being exalted after having been in prison, and the priestly ministry during Yom Kippur. All of this leads us to Messiah ben Yosef, who was dressed in linen when he died. It is a sign of the priestly ministry according to the order of Malki-Tzedek, which he entered into after his resurrection, see John 19:40.

“bathe his body in water” – On Yom Kippur the High Priest did tevilah altogether five times with his entire body. Each time that he changed clothes he dipped his whole body in water and he washed his hands before and after. He washed his hands and feet altogether ten times that day.

First he did a tevilah (a purification dip) before he dressed in the golden clothes in order to begin the ministry that he performed every day as High Priest. After that he poured water on his hands and feet and offered up the daily morning offering, which was a lamb. He burned incense on the altar of incense and cleaned the menorah, the lamp stand. Then he offered his daily meal offering, minchah, as well as some of the additional offerings, musaf, which pertained to Yom Kippur, as it is written in Numbers 29:7-11,

“On the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a sacred convocation; and you shall afflict your souls: you shall do no manner of work; but you shall offer a burnt offering to HaShem for a sweet savor: one young bull, one ram, seven he-lambs a year old; they shall be to you without blemish; and their meal-offering, fine flour mixed with oil, three tenth parts for the bull, two tenth parts for the one ram, a tenth part for every lamb of the seven lambs: one male goat for a sin-offering; besides the sin-offering of atonement, and the continual burnt offering, and the meal-offering of it, and their drink-offerings.”(HNV revised)

Then he washed his hands and his feet and removed the golden clothes. He dipped himself in water and put on the clothes that were made of the finest linen, just for this occasion. Once again he poured water on his hands and feet, and then he was ready for the next step.

16:5 “He shall take from the congregation of the children of Yisra'el two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering”(HNV) – These animals were given so that the people would be atoned for.

16:6 “Aharon shall offer the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house.”(HNV) – According to Rashi, this is the same bull that is mentioned in verse 3. The High Priest had to pay for it himself. He laid his hands on the head of the young bull, and confessed his own sins and the sins of his family. According to Rashi, the word “atonement” in this verse means a confession of sins. Normally atonement has to do with the shedding of blood. According to Rambam,[5] Aharon uttered these words:

“HaShem, have compassion. I have sinned unintentionally. I have sinned intentionally and in an insolent way before you, both my family and I. HaShem, have compassion on my family and on me and atone the sins that we have committed unintentionally, and those that we have committed intentionally before you, as you say in your servant Moshe’s Torah (Leviticus 16:30), ‘For on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins you shall be clean before HaShem.’”

During all the confessions that the High Priest uttered throughout that day, he spoke God’s four letter Name, Yod, He, and Waw, He, altogether ten times. When the people heard the Name uttered they would bow to the ground and declare the following:

“Baruch shem kevod malchuto le’olam va’ed.” (Blessed for eternity be the name of his glorious kingdom.)

16:7 “He shall take the two goats, and set them before HaShem at the door of the Tent of Meeting.”(HNV revised) – The two goats had to be alike in appearance, weight, and height. They were purchased with the corporate finances of the congregation.

16:8 “Aharon shall cast lots for the two goats; one lot for HaShem, and the other lot for the scapegoat.”(HNV revised) – After the confession was uttered over the young bull, it was not immediately slaughtered. First the lots were cast between the two goats. This made up a central part of the ministry of the Day of Atonement. Two inscribed plates in an urn were used for the lots. The inscription on one said “For HaShem” and the other said “For Azazel”. The High Priest took out the plates, one in each hand, without looking at them, and placed them, one on each of the goats. The inscriptions were read and it was called out over the goat that was chosen for HaShem, “This is a chatat offering for HaShem!”

A scarlet colored thread was tied on the head of the goat that was for Azazel and another red thread was tied at the entrance of the Consecrated Place of the temple. Talmud[6] teaches,

“Our Rabbis taught: Throughout the forty years that Simeon the Righteous[7] ministered, the lot (‘For HaShem’) would always come up in the right hand; from that time on, it would come up now in the right hand, now in the left. And (during the same time) the crimson-coloured strap would become white. From that time on it would at times become white, at others not.”

The same writings say further on,

“Our Rabbis taught: During the last forty years before the destruction of the Temple the lot (‘For HaShem’) did not come up in the right hand; nor did the crimson-coloured strap become white”[8]

Forty years prior to the destruction of the temple was year 31 on the Roman calendar. According to my calculations, this was the same year that the Messiah Yeshua died. After his death, the Yom Kippur ministry was not performed in a manner pleasing to HaShem.

What is Azalel?[9]

According to Talmud,[10] Azazel is a combination of Aza and Azael, which were the names of two angels who, before the days of the Flood, asked for permission to live among man, with human appearance, in order to prove that they would not sin as man had done. When they were granted permission, however, they sinned more than man had done before the Flood. Rashi[11], commenting on this statement, says that the goat is called Azazel because it atoned for sins, including the immoral deeds of Aza and Azael.

In his commentary on VaYikrah however, Rashi says that the word Azazel describes a barren and rough mountain, a very high cliff. In Gur Ariyeh, which is a commentary on Rashi, it is written that Azazel is a term that combines the words az, “coarse”, “harsh” and el “strong”, “hard”. The additional zayin in the word does not change the fact that the word hails from az and el. It is common for the Hebrew to add a letter in a word that is a combination of root words. Nachmanides says that when it is written that the animal was sent to Azazel, it simply means that it was sent to a barren and unpleasant place.

A Midrash[12] interprets the word Azazel as being satan or a shed, an evil spirit, but since it is written later that offering to demons is strictly forbidden, this interpretation must be questioned, see Leviticus 17:7.

16:9 “Aharon shall present the goat on which the lot fell for HaShem, and offer him for a sin offering.”(HNV revised) – The goat was not slaughtered at this time. It was only brought forth to be appointed as a sin offering.

16:10 “But the goat, on which the lot fell for the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before HaShem, to make atonement for him, to send him away for the scapegoat into the wilderness.”(HNV revised) – Rashi says that when it says that the goat must be presented alive before HaShem, it means that later it was sent away to die. The thought was to send it to a cliff and throw it over the edge so that it would be crushed.

The two goats speak of two different aspects of the Messiah’s death. The blood of one of them is brought into the Most Consecrated Place, verses 15-16, and its body is burned outside the camp, verses 27-28. The other is sent out into the desert, verses 21-22. One of them atones for sin, i.e. it satisfies the righteousness of HaShem, which demands the death of sinners. The other removes the sin far from the children of Israel.

16:11 “Aharon shall present the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house, and shall kill the bull of the sin offering which is for himself.”(HNV) – The word “make atonement” is understood as an oral confession made over the High Priest’s personal animal. Here the High Priest uttered a second confession of all his sins and all the sins of the priests. In Psalm 135:19, the priests are called “house of Aharon”. After that he slaughtered the bull and let the blood pour into a cup that was given to another priest.

16:12 “He shall take a censer full of coals of fire from off the altar before HaShem, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil”(HNV revised) – This was the part of the ministry that required the most skill since he had to enter the Most Consecrated Place. The High Priest took glowing coals from the altar in the court and placed them in a golden bowl. Then a bowl with incense, which had been ground especially finely for this occasion, was given to him. He took the incense in both hands and put it in a spoon. He took the spoon in his left hand and the bowl with the coals in his right hand and entered the Most Consecrated Place. There he placed the bowl with the coals between the two poles of the ark. During the second temple period, when there was no ark, he placed it on the stone where the ark had stood. After that he took the spoon with either his fingertips or his teeth, in order to have both hands free, and he poured the incense into both hands. This was very difficult since no incense could be spilled on the ground.

16:13 “and he shall put the incense on the fire before HaShem, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the testimony, so that he will not die.”(HNV revised) – Then he placed the incense into the golden bowl with the glowing coals so that it made a cloud of incense between him and the mercy seat, where HaShem’s shechinah, glorious presence, was revealed. The smoke that was produced by the incense that was burning on the coals, which had been taken from the fire outside, symbolizes the moment when the Messiah Yeshua came before HaShem after being raised from the dead, as it is written in Zechariah 3:2b,

“Isn’t this a burning stick plucked out of the fire?”(HNV)

In order for Aharon to be able to be in the Most Consecrated Place when the shechinah was revealed, he must burn the incense so that it would make a cloud that would protect him from death. In this cloud, he could come near HaShem without danger. This cloud symbolizes the Mashiach. Through him we can come near HaShem without danger. Without the Mashiach’s sacrifice, sinners will die in the presence of the righteousness of the Almighty.

The incense that was crushed symbolizes the Messiah. The incense that was placed on the coals, symbolizes the moment with the Messiah died and went through the fire. Through this death, a protective cloud was formed in heaven. Through this cloud, man can draw near to the throne of grace, as it is written in Hebrews 4:14-16,

“Having then a great High Priest, who has passed through the heavens, Yeshua, the Son of God, let us hold tightly to our confession. For we don’t have a High Priest who can’t be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace for help in time of need.”(HNV revised)

In Hebrews 10:19-22, it is written,

“Having therefore, brothers, boldness to enter into the consecrated place by the blood of Yeshua, by the way which he dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having a great Priest over the house of God, let’s draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and having our body washed with pure water”(HNV)

After placing the incense on the burning coals, the High Priest exited backwards, without taking his eyes off the mercy seat. The people stood and prayed for him so that the ministry in the Most Consecrated Place would go well. If one mistake was made, the High Priest would die and the people would not be forgiven of their sins. According to a Midrash,[13] the majority of the High Priests during the second temple period died in the same year that they had ministered during Yom Kippur since they were corrupt and had bought their position with money.

When the High Priest came into the Consecrated Place, all the other priests left, see verse 17. He stayed there for a while and prayed a short prayer and then he went out into the outer court where the people stood worriedly waiting for him.

16:14 “He shall take some of the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east; and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.”(HNV) – This blood was taken from Aharon’s personal offering animal. The other priest had been constantly swirling the cup with the blood in it so that it would not coagulate. At this point, the High Priest would take this blood and go into the Most Consecrated Place a second time. There he would sprinkle the blood on the east side of the mercy seat, once upward and seven times downward, but not so that the blood would reach the ark. He counted aloud while he did this, “One (upward), one and one (downward), one and two, one and three… one and seven.” This way he would not make a mistake.

16:15 “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with his blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat”(HNV) – At this point the people’s goat that had been appointed for HaShem during the casting of the lots was sacrificed. They let the blood pour into a cup, and then it was taken within the veil and sprinkled in the same way as the blood of the personal bull offering, once upward and seven times downward. Then the High Priest exited backward and came out to the Consecrated Place.

16:16 “and he shall make atonement for the Consecrated Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Yisra'el, and because of their transgressions, even all their sins; and so he shall do for the Tent of Meeting, that dwells with them in the midst of their uncleanness.”(HNV revised) – Through the blood that was sprinkled before HaShem, atonement was made for the Most Consecrated Place and the Consecrated Place for the uncleanness that the children of Israel had contaminated the tabernacle with. Rashi says that the atonement that was brought by the blood sprinkled from the High Priest’s personal bull (verse 11) only covered the uncleanness that the High Priest and the other priests or the consecrated offerings had caused. In other words, the sprinkling only atoned for the sins that were committed by entering the area of the sanctuary while being unclean, tameh, by eating meat from the offerings while being tameh, or by eating offerings that were contaminated even though the person was tahor. The sprinkling of the bull’s blood cleansed the tabernacle from the uncleanness caused by the priests, and the sprinkling of the goat’s blood cleansed the tabernacle from the uncleanness caused by the children of Israel.

“and so he shall do for the Tent of Meeting” – In the same way that the blood of both animals was sprinkled in the Most Consecrated Place, once upward and seven times downward, it was then sprinkled on the veil of the Consecrated Place. First the blood of the bull was sprinkled and then the blood of the goat, once upward and seven times downward for each sprinkling.

The Second Aliyah, 16:18-24

16:18 “He shall go out to the altar that is before HaShem and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the bull’s blood, and some of the goat’s blood, and put it on the horns of the altar round about.”(HNV revised) – This is referring to the golden altar in the Consecrated Place, as it is written in Exodus 30:9-10,

“You shall offer no strange incense on it, nor burnt offering, nor meal-offering; and you shall pour no drink-offering on it. Aharon shall make atonement on its horns once in the year; with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once in the year he shall make atonement for it throughout your generations. It is most consecrated to HaShem.”(HNV revised)

The blood of both animals, the High Priest’s personal young bull and the people’s goat, was mixed and applied to the four corners of the golden altar.

16:19 “He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and make it consecrated from the uncleanness of the children of Yisra'el.”(HNV revised) – The High Priest cleansed the place on the altar and sprinkled the blood on it seven times. Blood was sprinkled altogether 43 times in the sanctuary 2 x (1+7) in the Most Consecrated Place, 2 x (1+7) on the veil to the Consecrated Place, 4 times on the horns and 7 times on the altar (16+16+4+7=43). The blood that was left over was poured out at the foot of the altar in the outer court.

In Hebrews 9:11-14, 24-26, it is written,

“But Messiah having come as a High Priest of the coming good things, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, entered in once for all into the Most Consecrated Place, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify to the cleanness of the flesh: how much more will the blood of Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? … For Messiah hasn’t entered into consecrated places made with hands, which are representations of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the High Priest enters into the most consecrated place year by year with blood not his own, or else he must have suffered often since the foundation of the world. But now once at the end of the ages, he has been revealed to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”(HNV revised)

In Hebrews 10:19-20, it is written,

“Having therefore, brothers, boldness to enter into the consecrated place by the blood of Yeshua, by the way which he dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh”(HNV revised)

Here it says that Yeshua’s blood is a way that we can walk on to enter into the Most Consecrated Place in heaven. This teaches us that when the High Priest sprinkled downwards seven times, a blood-way was “painted” that reaches the place where HaShem reveals himself. That is the place of intimacy with the heavenly Father, see Exodus 30:36b, “where I will meet with you”. The seven bloodstains on the ground are like seven steps that lead to the place of meeting. The number seven says that there is a sprinkling for each of the seven millennia of mankind’s sinful history on the earth. In the same way that it was sprinkled seven times on the ground, there will be 7,000 years of sin on the earth that need to be covered by the Messiah’s blood in the heavenly tabernacle. During the eighth millennium, there is not going to be any sin. Therefore the blood was only sprinkled seven times on the ground. After the seventh millennium, we will live in an age of righteousness, as a result of the Messiah’s death and resurrection.

16:21 “Aharon shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Yisra'el, and all their transgressions, even all their sins; and he shall put them on the head of the goat, and shall send him away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness.”(HNV) – This is the third confession of sins that the High Priest must make. This time it is for the sins of all the people.

16:22 “The goat shall carry all their iniquities on himself to a solitary land, and he shall let the goat go in the wilderness.”(HNV) – The High Priest could not leave the court until the man with the goat had reached the wilderness. In order to know that he was there, platforms were built to stand on. When the man came to the desert with the goat, a man on the last platform would wave a piece of cloth. This message would be seen and passed on by the man on the next platform and so on until the message reached the temple in Yerushalayim.

When the people were living in consecration and righteousness, the scarlet colored thread that was hung at the entrance to the sanctuary became white when the goat that was taken out to the desert died. However, as we saw earlier according to the testimony recorded in the Talmud, this miracle did not always happen later on, and after the death of Yeshua until the destruction of the temple, it never happened. Therefore, the wise men stopped putting up the thread at the entrance to the Consecrated Place. A Midrash[14] says that the messenger tied half of the string at the edge of the cliff and the other half on the horn of the goat.

This text says that the goat carried on it the sins of the children of Israel. This is a shadow of what happened with the Mashiach ben Yosef, as it written in Isaiah 53:4, 11-12,

“Surely he has borne our sickness, and carried our suffering; yet we considered him plagued, struck by God, and afflicted… He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by the knowledge of himself shall my righteous servant justify many; and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul to death, and was numbered with the transgressors: yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”(HNV revised)

16:23 “Aharon shall come into the Tent of Meeting, and shall take off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the Consecrated Place, and shall leave them there.”(HNV revised) – This is the third time that the High Priest changes clothes. The clothes that were used during Yom Kippur had to be preserved, and they could not be used during another Yom Kippur.

16:24 “Then he shall bathe himself in water in a consecrated place, and put on his garments, and come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people, and make atonement for himself and for the people.”(HNV revised) – This verse teaches us that he had to cleanse himself in a mikveh when he changed clothes. Then he put on the golden clothes in order to offer the two goats that are mentioned in verses 3 and 5. He also offered some of the extra offerings, musaf, that are mentioned in Numbers 29:7-11.

The Third Aliyah, 16:25-34

16:25 “The fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar.”(HNV) – After this, he changed clothes again for the fourth time, in order to enter the Most Consecrated Place and take out the spoon and the bowl of incense and coals. Hebrews 9:4 is not talking about the altar of incense that stood in the Most Consecrated Place, but about this bowl of incense that stood there throughout the entire Yom Kippur ministry. The word “altar” is not found in the Greek text of Hebrews 9:4.

After taking out the spoon and the bowl of incense, the High Priest changed clothes again to offer the last extra offering, musaf, of the day and to present the daily afternoon offering of a lamb and to burn the daily offering of incense on the golden altar. After that, he would offer the rest of the High Priest’s daily meal offerings on the altar. Then he took off the golden clothes and put on his own clothes to go home. The people joyfully followed him all the way home, since he had succeeded in his ministry.

16:27 “The bull for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Consecrated Place, shall be carried forth outside the camp; and they shall burn their skins, their flesh, and their dung with fire.”(HNV revised) – The bull and the goat were burned outside the camp to connect spiritually with what would happen to the Messiah Yeshua, as it is written in Hebrews 13:11-12,

“For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the consecrated place by the High Priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside of the camp. Therefore Yeshua also, that he might sanctify the people through his own blood, suffered outside of the gate.”(HNV revised)

16:29 “It shall be a statute to you forever: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and shall do no manner of work, the native-born, or the stranger who lives as a foreigner among you”(HNV) – It literally says that we should press or discipline our souls. This expression is always interpreted to mean fasting, i.e. neither eating nor drinking anything for 25 hours.

16:30 “For on this day he shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins you shall be clean before HaShem.”(HNV revised) – The Hebrew text here says that HE shall make atonement for you before HaShem. Who is this referring to? It is not only referring to the earthly High Priest, but also to Mashiach ben Yosef, the suffering Messiah who would come to bring atonement for the children of Israel and cleanse them from all their sins before HaShem.

If the Messiah died on the 14^th of Nissan, how could he then have fulfilled Yom Kippur, which is half a year later? The answer is that the Mashiach’s work is not yet finished. He has gone into the Most Consecrated Place in heaven, but he has not yet come out to the people. The second half remains to be fulfilled. When he comes out of that place, sin will be destroyed forever in all those who have received his sacrifice in a personal way. Then we will be completely transformed and set free from yetzer ha-rah. When the Messiah comes back, Yom Kippur will be the day when all the iniquities of the land of Israel will be done away with, as it is written in Zechariah 3:9,

“’For, behold, the stone that I have set before Yehoshua; on one stone are seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the engraving of it,’ says HaShem of Hosts, ‘and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.’”(HNV revised)

In Malachi 3:1-3, it is written,

“’Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, behold, he comes!’ says HaShem of hosts. ‘But who can endure the day of his coming? And who will stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like launderer’s soap; and he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver; and they shall offer to HaShem offerings in righteousness.’”(HNV revised)

16:31 “It is a Shabbat of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict your souls; it is a statute forever.”(HNV) – This is where the expression Shabbat shabbaton is found. This is only used to refer to the weekly Shabbat and Yom Kippur. None of the Shabbats of the annual feasts are called Shabbat shabbaton. Yom Kippur is the annual Shabbat of the extra-shabbats, just as the weekly Shabbat is the Shabbat of the weekdays. There are seven additional annual Shabbats beyond the weekly Shabbats. Among these, Yom Kippur is a special Shabbat, just as the weekly Shabbat is to the weekdays, see Leviticus 23. It is the same with the Yovel, the year of jubilee, in relation to the seven shmitah years, free years, see Leviticus 25.

16:32 “The priest, who is anointed and who is consecrated to be priest in his father’s place, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen garments, even the consecrated garments.’”(HNV revised) – This verse hints to us that Yeshua acted in his heavenly Father’s place when he brought atonement for our sins, as it is written in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21,

“But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Yeshua the Messiah, and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation; namely, that God was in Messiah reconciling the world to himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses, and having committed to us the word of reconciliation. We are therefore ambassadors on behalf of Messiah, as though God were entreating by us. We beg you on behalf of Messiah, be reconciled to God. For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.’”(HNV revised)

16:33 “Then he shall make atonement for the Consecrated Sanctuary; and he shall make atonement for the Tent of Meeting and for the altar; and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly.”(HNV revised) – All the offerings presented on Yom Kippur accomplish this complete cleansing once a year. They are, however, not capable of eliminating sin within man. They can only bring atonement for the uncleanness and sins that have been committed during the year. Hebrews 9:1 – 10:25 is a deep Messianic teaching about the Yom Kippur ministry. Among other things, it teaches us:

1. The Yom Kippur ministry on the earth does not make man complete by removing the very root of sin. It only forgives and covers it, but it does not remove it.

2. The Yom Kippur ministry in heaven, makes man complete when he receives the eternal and complete offering that Mashiach Yeshua presents.

3. One does not exclude the other, but one is the shadow of the other.

4. The one will not be removed until that which is complete has come in. For some, this will be when the Messiah comes back and for others it will be when heaven and earth pass away.

The Fourth Aliyah, 17:1-7

17:3-4 “Whatever man there is of the house of Yisra'el, who kills an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or who kills it outside the camp, and hasn’t brought it to the door of the Tent of Meeting, to offer it as an offering to HaShem before the tabernacle of HaShem: blood shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people.”(HNV revised) – There are two interpretations of this text:

1. It is only referring to the animals that have been appointed for sacrifice (R. Akiva and Rashi).

2. It is referring to animals that have not been consecrated. During the desert time, it was forbidden to offer outside the tabernacle (Talmud Chulin 17a), see Deuteronomy 12:15, 21.

Permission to eat meat was granted after the flood. Prior to this, it was forbidden.

17:7 “And they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices unto the evil spirits, after whom they go astray. This shall be a statute forever unto them throughout their generations.”(JPS revised) – The Hebrew word that is translated “evil spirit” is sair.[15] This word has been interpreted in several ways:

1. Evil spirit, demon, an incorporeal being who hover around in abandoned and uninhabited places, see Isaiah 13:21; 34:14.

2. According to a commentary by Ibn Ezra, these creatures were given the same name as goats, since this is the appearance they were assigned by those who believed in them.

3. According to Yonatan ben Uziel’s Targum, this verse is talking about idols that are likened to seirim (plural of sair).

In 2 Chronicles 11:15, it is written,

“and he appointed him priests for the high places, and for the male goats, and for the calves which he had made.”(HNV revised)

In 1 Corinthians 10:19-20, it is written

“What am I saying then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? But I say that the things which the gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God, and I don’t desire that you would have communion with demons.”(HNV revised)

The Fifth Aliyah, 17:8 – 18:5

17:11 “For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes atonement by reason of the life.”(HNV) – Blood represents life. Life is dependent upon blood.

Because the Messiah died and shed his blood, atonement was brought for the life of man. HaShem has instituted blood as a means of atonement because of the life, the soul, which is dependent upon the blood.

There is no foundation in the Scriptures for not allowing blood transfusion in order to save lives. The soul is not transferred from one person to another when some of the blood is transferred, and neither is any part of the soul (emotions, mind, or will). The soul is sustained by the blood, but it is not in the blood.

18:3 “You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived: and you shall not do as they do in the land of Kana`an, where I am bringing you; neither shall you walk in their statutes.”(HNV) – This text shows us that the children of Israel are called to be different than all other people in the world, and especially immoral people such as the Egyptians and Kana’anites. They have been called to eat differently, dress differently, speak differently, and so on. Does this mean that one can just look at the way others live and then do the opposite? Is that what HaShem wants to teach us with this word? To a certain degree, that can be correct, but if we let what the pagans practice be the reason we make decisions about a certain way of life, then we may neglect doing something that HaShem has accepted or even commanded. We should not avoid doing things that are right just because other people are doing them! That is why it is written in verse 4,

“You shall do MY ordinances, and you shall keep MY statutes, and walk in them: I am HaShem your God.”(HNV revised)

It is not the pagans who are to determine our behavior, but the Torah of HaShem. There are many former Christians who are now walking on the road of restoration and who reject everything that Christians do. Just because some things are done in the Christian world is not reason enough to reject them. For example, we cannot stop reading the Scriptures, just because satanists are reading them. This outlook is unhealthy and in the end will lead people away from the straight path.

18:5 “You shall therefore keep my statutes and my ordinances; which if a man does, he shall live in them: I am HaShem.”(HNV revised) – This text shows us that there is life in obedience to the commandments. The question is then: When we fulfill the commandments of the Torah, will we receive eternal life or long life on earth? The answer is: both. There are commandments that give long life under the sun, and there are commandments that were given in order to bring eternal life to man. For example, the commandment that tells us to believe in the prophet like Moshe who was to come, see Deuteronomy 18:15, is one of the commandments that give eternal life, as it is written in Acts 16:31,

“They said, ‘Believe in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah, and you will be saved, you and your household.’”(HNV)

In Romans 10:3-10, it is written,

“For being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they didn’t subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Messiah is the goal of the Torah for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moshe writes about the righteousness of the law, ‘The one who does them will live by them.’ But the righteousness which is of faith says this, ‘Don’t say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?” (that is, to bring Messiah down); or, “Who will descend into the abyss?” (that is, to bring Messiah up from the dead.)’ But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart;’ that is, the word of faith, which we preach: that if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Yeshua, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”(HNV revised)

There is no contradiction between Moshe and Yeshua. If there were, then Yeshua would have been a false Messiah. What Romans 10 teaches, is the same as what Leviticus 18:5 teaches, that there is life for the one who practices the Torah, since the Torah leads to the Messiah and to the righteousness that comes by faith which is spoken of in the Torah, see Deuteronomy 30:12-14. The problem arises when people try to use the commandments that are not given for eternal life and fulfill them in their own power and then believe that they can save their souls through their own merits. Another false teaching that is found within the apostate part of Judaism is that people have the right to enter the coming world by having their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds. Both these perceptions are dangerous and deceptive and in The Messianic Writings we can see that the messengers of the Messiah had to battle them often.

In Dr. David H. Stern’s translation[16] of Galatians 3:12, it is written,

“Furthermore, legalism is not based on trusting and being faithful, but on a misuse of the text that says, "Anyone who does these things will attain life through them"”

The Sixth and Seventh Aliyah, 18:6-30

18:24 “Don’t defile yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations which I am casting out before you were defiled.”(HNV) – All these things, see verses 6-23, were done in Egypt and in the land of Kana’an. Here we see that there are many commandments in the Torah that apply to gentiles. This text alone has twenty-four commandments that apply to the nations out of the 613 commandments that were given to Israel. The gentiles that had broken these commandments were judged for it. Almost all the sins listed here are sexual sins, but it also talks about sacrificing children by fire to a pagan idol, idol worship, and the shedding of innocent blood. In this text, therefore, we see the three primary sins: illegitimate sex, idolatry, and violence. Because of these sins, HaShem’s judgment comes upon all men, benei Noach, sons of Noach, as it is written in Ephesians 5:3-7,

“But sexual immorality, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not even be mentioned among you, as becomes sanctified ones; nor filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not appropriate; but rather giving of thanks. Know this for sure, that no sexually immoral person, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Messiah and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words. For because of these things, the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience. Therefore don’t be partakers with them.”(HNV revised)

The gentile nations have a responsibility before HaShem to fulfill those commandments of the Torah, which correspond to them. If they do not, then judgment will come over them sooner or later. This text also teaches us that since the land of Israel is a consecrated area, sins committed there will be judged more harshly than they would be if they were committed in another place.

18:28 “that the land not vomit you out also, when you defile it, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.”(HNV) – The land of Israel vomits out the inhabitants who commit these immoral sins. Because the children of Kana’an practiced these sins, the children of Israel received orders to drive them out of the consecrated land.

This Parashah contains commandments number 184-211 of the 613 commandments.

184. The prohibition for kohanim (priests) to enter the sanctuary at simply any time, Leviticus 16:2.

185. The command to present offerings during the day of Yom Kippur, Leviticus 16:3.

186. The prohibition of slaughtering an offering animal outside the temple’s court, Leviticus 17:3-4.

187. The command to cover the blood after an animal has been slaughtered, Leviticus 17:13.

188. The prohibition of the fleshly enjoyment of a woman who is ervah (“a forbidden woman”), Leviticus 18:6.

189. The prohibition of uncovering the nakedness of one’s father, Leviticus 18:7.

190. The prohibition of uncovering the nakedness of one’s mother, Leviticus 18:7.

191. The prohibition of having sexual relations with the wife of one’s father, even though it is not one’s mother, Leviticus 18:8.

192. The prohibition of uncovering the nakedness of one’s sister, Leviticus 18:9.

193. The prohibition of having sexual relations with the daughter of one’s son, Leviticus 18:10.

194. The prohibition of having sexual relations with the daughter of one’s daughter, Leviticus 18:10.

195. The prohibition of having sexual relations with one’s daughter, Leviticus 18:10.

196. The prohibition of having sexual relations with one’s father’s daughter, Leviticus 18:11.

197. The prohibition of having sexual relations with one’s father’s sister, Leviticus 18:12.

198. The prohibition of having sexual relations with one’s mother’s sister, Leviticus 18:13.

199. The prohibition of having sexual relations with one’s father’s brother, Leviticus 18:14.

200. The prohibition of having sexual relations with one’s father’s brother’s wife, Leviticus 18:14.

201. The prohibition of having sexual relations with one’s daughter in law, Leviticus 18:15.

202. The prohibition of having sexual relations with one’s brother’s wife, Leviticus 18:16.

203. The prohibition of having sexual relations with a woman and her daughter, Leviticus 18:17.

204. The prohibition of having sexual relations with a woman and her son’s daughter, Leviticus 18:17.

205. The prohibition of having sexual relations with a woman and her daughter’s daughter, Leviticus 18:17.

206. The prohibition of having sexual relations with two sisters while both of them are alive, Leviticus 18:18.

207. The prohibition of having sexual relations with a woman while she is in her monthly purification (nidah), Leviticus 18:19.

208. The prohibition of giving one’s son to Molech, Leviticus 18:21.

209. The prohibition of having homosexual relations, Leviticus 18:22.

210. The prohibition for a man to have sexual relations with an animal, Leviticus 18:23.

211. The prohibition for a woman to have sexual relations with an animal, Leviticus 18:23.