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Brit Chadashah

Mar. 30, 2024
II Adar 20, 5784

Shabbat Parah

Tzav
 

Lev. 6:8-8:36
[Table Talk]

Jer. 7:21-8:3;
Jer. 9:22-23

Heb. 7:23-8:6

 

  • Centrality of Leviticus
  • Leviticus and Yeshua
  • Place of Atonement
  • Thoughts on Holiness
  • Affirming the Light...
  • Month of Salvation
  • Preparing for Passover
  • Read the Summary
  • Why the Sacrifices?
  • Korban and Zevachim
  • More about the Mishkan
  • Waking up to Holiness
  • Holiday of Purim
  • Shabbat Parah...
  • The Tenth Red Heifer...
  • Ordained by the Lamb...

    The climax of the revelation at Sinai was the commandment to construct the Sanctuary, otherwise called the Mishkan or the "Tabernacle." Nearly half of the Book of Exodus is focused on the Tabernacle, and the book concludes with the Glory of God filling the Holy of Holies partition of the Tent. The Book of Leviticus begins right where the book of Exodus left off, with God calling to Moses from the Tent to explain the various animal and grain offerings (korbanot) that may be offered at the new Tabernacle...

    In this week's Torah portion (Tzav) many of the laws of the sacrifices are repeated, though this time Moses addressed the priests directly and provided additional details about how to perform their functions. For example, the priests were to ensure that the fire of altar never went out and that the whole burnt offering (olah) was consumed as it burned throughout the night. Additional rules concerning the removal of ashes from the altar, the portion of the offerings that were given to the priests, and the cleansing of utensils are given.

    God then instructed Moses to consecrate Aaron and his sons for their service in the priesthood. This involved washing them with water, arraying them in the priestly garments, and anointing them with holy oil. During the ordination ceremony, a sin offering and burnt offering were slaughtered on behalf of the priests, and then a special "ram of ordination" (eil ha'milu'im) was slaughtered. Some of this ram's blood was put on the right ear, right thumb, and big toe of the priests, and the rest was sprinkled around the altar. The sacrifice was then "waved" before the LORD and its meat was eaten with unleavened bread at the entrance to the Mishkan. Aaron and his sons were thereafter required to remain within the Mishkan for seven days and nights until their period of consecration was complete.
     

    Leviticus 6:9a Hebrew Analysis

     

    Shabbat Parah - שבת פרה

    Four "special Sabbaths" occur just before the start of spring: two before Purim and two before Passover.  Collectively, these Sabbaths are called "The Four Shabbatot" and one of four additional Torah readings (called Arba parashiyot) are read on each of these Sabbaths in preparation for the spring holidays.  The names of these Sabbaths are Shabbat Shekalim, Shabbat Zakhor, Shabbat Parah, and Shabbat HaChodesh, respectively.

    Purim-Pesach
     

    The Shabbat that immediately follows Purim is called Shabbat Parah - the "Sabbath of the Cow," when the chapter of the parah adumah (פָרָה אֲדֻמָּה), or the "Red Heifer" (Num. 19:1-22), is recited following the regular Torah service. The early sages chose this additional portion of Scripture to be reviewed at this time to help prepare for the coming New Year (i.e., Rosh Chodashim) and because the people were required to purify themselves before coming to Jerusalem for the pilgrimage festival of Passover.

    The Red Heifer offering is considered a paradox to most Jewish thinkers, though it is clearly a picture of the Messiah Yeshua. The paradox is that the one who offers this sacrifice becomes ritually impure, while the sprinkling of the ashes is used to make people clean... The ritual is considered "chok" (חק) within the Jewish tradition, meaning that it makes no rational sense.  In fact, the Talmud states that of all the taryag mitzvot (613 commandments), this is the only one that King Solomon could not fathom, since this sacrifice was regarded as the most paradoxical of all the sacrifices found in the Torah.


    Numbers 19:2a

     


    The Uniqueness of the Sacrifice

    The Parah Adumah sacrifice was entirely unique, for the following reasons:
     

    1. It was the only sacrifice that specifically required an animal of a particular color. This animal was extremely rare and unique of its kind (in fact, Maimonides wrote, "Nine Parot Adumot were prepared from the time the Commandment was given until the destruction of the Second Temple. Moses our Teacher prepared one, Ezra prepared one and seven more were prepared until the Destruction of the Temple. The tenth will prepared by the Mashiach." (We would say "was prepared" by the Mashiach Yeshua, blessed be He.)
    2. It was the only sacrifice where all the rituals were carried out outside of the camp (and later, outside the Temple precincts). That is, the "blood applications" of this sacrifice occurred in a location apart from the altar (the Talmud recounts that the High Priest performed the blood applications of the Red Heifer while gazing at the Temple and at the Holy of Holies from a mountain opposite the Temple mount).
    3. It was the only sacrifice where the ashes were preserved and used (other sacrifices required the ashes be disposed outside of the camp).
    4. Hyssop, scarlet yarn, and a cedar stick would then be thrown upon the burning parah adumah (these same items were used to cleanse from tzara'at, skin disease). In other words, the blood was assimilated into the ashes of the sacrifice, which were then gathered and mixed with water to create the "water of separation" (mei niddah) for the Israelite community. Note that the word "separation" (niddah) refers to menstrual impurity and harkens to Zech. 13:1: "On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and from niddah."
    5. It was the only sacrifice that ritually contaminated the priest who offered it, but made the one who was sprinkled by it clean.
       

    According to Jewish tradition, this sacrifice was to atone for the sin of the Golden Calf, though the Torah itself does not make this association.  The LORD Yeshua, our Messiah, is the perfect fulfillment of the Parah Adumah, since He was completely without sin or defect (2 Cor 5:21; John 8:46); He was sacrificed outside the camp (Heb 13:13); He made Himself sin for us (2 Cor 5:21); His sprinkling makes us clean (1 Pet 1:2; Heb 12:24; Rev 1:5); and the "water of separation" that His sacrifice created is the means by which we are made clean from the impurity of sin (Eph 5:25-6; Heb 10:22).

    For more about Shabbat Parah, click here.
     


    The Haftarah for Shabbat Parah

    The Haftarah read for Shabbat Parah (Ezek. 36:16-38) is ostensibly linked to the sacrifice of the Red Heifer, though on a deeper level it relates to Israel's national salvation and return to the promised land after the Great Tribulation period....  Despite the horrors of the worldwide Diaspora of the Jewish people and their faithlessness before the nations, God will be true to His promises by causing the Jews to finally accept His salvation (i.e., Yeshua) and to return to the land of Israel. At that time, "all Israel will be saved," as the Apostle Paul also foretold (Rom. 11:26). For more about this, see the Shabbat Parah page here.

    Blessing before Torah Study:

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    Some terms:

    • Parashah is the weekly Scripture portion taken from the Torah. Each parashah is given a name and is usually referred to as "parashat - name" (e.g., parashat Noach). For more information about weekly readings, click here.
       
    • Aliyot refer to a smaller sections of the weekly parashah that are assigned to people of the congregation for public reading during the Torah Reading service. In most congregations it is customary for the person "called up" to recite a blessing for the Torah before and after the assigned section is recited by the cantor. For Shabbat services, there are seven aliyot (and a concluding portion called a maftir). The person who is called to make aliyah is referred to as an oleh (olah, if female).
       
    • Maftir refers to the last Torah aliyah of the Torah chanting service (normally a brief repetition of the 7th aliyah, though on holidays the Maftir portion usually focuses on the Holiday as described in the Torah).  The person who recites the Maftir blessing also recites the blessing over the Haftarah portion.
       
    • Haftarah refers to an additional portion from the Nevi'im (Prophets) read after the weekly Torah portion. The person who made the maftir blessing also recites the blessing for the Haftarah, and may even read the Haftarah before the congregation.
       
    • Brit Chadashah refers to New Testament readings which are added to the traditional Torah Reading cycle. Often blessings over the Brit Chadashah are recited before and after the readings.
       
    • Mei Ketuvim refers to a portion read from the Ketuvim, or writings in the Tanakh. Readings from the Ketuvim are usually reserved for Jewish holidays at the synagogue.
       
    • Perek Yomi Tehillim refers to the daily portion of psalms (mizmorim) recited so that the entire book of Psalms (Tehillim) is read through in a month. For a schedule, of daily Psalm readings, click here.
       
    • Gelilah refers to the tying up and covering the Sefer Torah (Torah Scroll) as an honor in the synagogue.
       
    • Divrei Torah ("words of Torah") refers to a commentary, a sermon, or devotional on the Torah portion of the week.

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