Join Mark Call of Shabbat Shalom Mesa fellowship for a look at parsha “Vayikra” (the first parsha in the Book of the same name, AKA “Leviticus”, chapters 1 through 5).
This parsha begins with very different, perhaps even grammatically ‘problematic’ verse, that essentially says somebody “called out to Moshe” in an evidently loving way. And it includes one of those “jots and tiddles”, too!
In the Erev Shabbat review of what that means, Mark notes that the Book begins with the word “And…” – so it’s a continuation of SOMETHING, and notes that much of this whole Book also makes the vitally important point that it’s in there for a reason!
And if we ignore that reason, or – worse still – try to convince ourselves that what He said hasn’t changed somehow DID, then what He really do for us after all? Scripture draws a clear bright line between “unintentional sin” and – well, whatever it should be called when the choice is ignorance instead.
Vayikra is a call to ‘intimacy’ with YHVH — and after the events that closed out the Exodus, perhaps specifically a RETURN toward intimacy. And as part of that process, it includes some specific procedures for how that works, when one chooses to make “an offering of themselves” to Him.
And right there, SOME of the issues with what has become dogma surrounding what is now called “sacrifice” begin to come into focus.
After the overview introduction of Erev Shabbat, Mark follows up with the hardcore Scriptural proof that the reason not only a ‘whore church’ that ignores His Word is STILL in exile but a whole society now chooses death over life is that what once passed for ‘priests’ “FAILED to teach the difference” between the clean and unclean, holy and profane, good and evil. We don’t even understand the difference between an offering and a sacrifice, much less what has been “done away with” as opposed to done for us.
Yes, this one is hard-hitting, certainly not “politically correct” (much less filled with ‘socialist just-us’) and not to be missed.
“Vayikra: ‘Finders Keepers’ and other Acts of Willful Ignorance”
The combined part 1 and 2 files for both sections are up here, and available for download and off-line listening:
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