Parsha “Tzav” (Leviticus chapters 6 through 8) begins with the word ‘command,’ but this time specifically Aaron and his sons, having to do with some more detail of the offerings that they are going to make.

And, again, there is something for us to learn here, too, but it starts with a realization, and an understanding: Not only does the ‘mishkan,’ or tabernacle there in the wilderness no longer exist, and neither do either of the two later temples, but today, there no ‘kohenim’ to make those offerings, either.

The Erev Shabbat reading:

This is a year where “calendar variants’ loom large. Variants of the roman church are talking about ‘easter’ this weekend, while some of the more ‘equinox-oriented’ calendar variants among those seeking to return to Torah have Pesach in this same timeframe, while others, including those waiting for’abiv’ barley, and most rabbinic Jewish reckonings, based on the Hillel calendar, will observe Pesach closer to the end of April.

So there is almost a one-month spread this year, and – perhaps ironically – the Big Total Solar Eclipse on April 8th falls right in between.

Mark Call looks at a number of ‘indicators’ that are either “signs” that judgment is at hand, or of a nation gone insane.

Or all of the above.

But he noted up front that he is, “no longer surprised how many times,” over recent years, we’ve heard reports that another Red Heifer ‘candidate’ has been found, and is being examined in Israel. Including, it seems, now. Usually with a reminder that procedures are being put in place to dedicate an altar, and resume some sort of “temple operations,” which turns out to be a source of excitement, anxiety, and certainly great division among those who fancy themselves ‘Bible believers.’

Is this a “good thing,” or a “bad thing?” And what about the ‘third temple’ prophecies?

Almost always, too, the claims from some version of the Book of Hebrews that those “silly jews don’t know that ‘jesus christ’ DID AWAY WITH all of that!’ And the ‘red heifer’ is now nothing but superstition, because that’s the ‘whole point of EASTER.’

Which is, of course, the reason why it’s important to understand what Scripture actually says about all of the ‘controversy,’ and in what ‘sacrifices’ He says, “I do NOT delight.”


Tzav: Red Heifer or Chocolate Bunny?”

The combined two-part teaching is here:

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