Interfaith Leviticus Parshas

[pohaikawahine]

so we are going to try and keep all the parshas for Leviticus on one thread and will still cross post to the "tabernacle" thread as we go .... I'm reading a parsha overview by Rabbi Avi Geller which is great fun to read because it really is "lively" and he has a good introduction to the book of leviticus...

basically in the beginning the divine presence was manifested openly throughout the universe and it didn't leave until the people disregarded the will of the creator ....this first happens with Adam who removed himself one level from G-d, then when cain killed abel, another level was removed until He reached the "seventh heaven" .... then the process begins to reverse with Abraham who brings the divine presence back down one level, Isaac another, Jacob a third until seven generations from Abraham, the Divine Presence has fully returned .... that was at Sinai .... then, guess what .... the golden calf incident, and the process starts to reverse .... so the theme of the book of Leviticus is "how do you keep G-d here with us?" ....

bandit - this is great because if you look at the seven energy centers in the body and the spiralling energy that moves up and down, you would describe the above process the ascent and the descent of this energy and ultimately how do we find the ability to maintain the ascent (assuming this is a good and spiritual thing to do) or perhaps this is the state we wish to achieve in our lives (now or later) .....

so how do we keep the divine presence with us .... "the first half of Leviticus discusses how the divine presence was maintained in Temple times through the sacrifical service .... the second half, which can be summarized by the name of Parshat Kedoshim - "You shall be holy" - deals with how to keep the divine presence in our midst even when there is no temple. We achieve this by sanctifying our physical aspects - food, speech and relationships." (Rabbi GEller)

Rabbi Geller says that the Talmud states there are seven levels of heaven that G-d ascends .... this brings us back to the sacred essence of the number seven ....

So Leviticus starts with "and He called to Moses" .... and an important point that Rabbi Geller makes is "the voice doesn't escape the confines of the Tabernacle and is unheard by the people outside" .... if the tabernacle is also located within our minds, or lets say we access the inner sanctum through our minds, then this would make perfect sense .... it can only be heard by the one doing the accessing ....

this whole site seem to start with the thought that "there are many paths to the mountaintop" and I've always added "we will all see the same moon when we get there" .... but now I think we should add "when we get to the mountaintop we may all walk together but we can only passover one by one" .... Leviticus will help us on our walk, tell us how to live our lives using symbolism as a reminder, so that we can maintain the Divine Presence even without the Temple .... when we get to the mountaintop the "regathering" will begin and we will each start crossing over into a new way of thinking, into a new way of living, to a world that is the one we dream of and pray for ..... this is very exciting .... aloha nui, poh

 

[Bandit]

Tzav

This fire on the altar burns continuously for the law of the burnt offering. Every morning they kindle new wood & any animal parts not consumed stay on. The ashes are scooped out of the middle & dumped beside the altar. The kohen change clothes when they remove the ashes & they are taken to a clean place outside of the courtyard. (this is not every day)

The meal offering with oil & frankincense, similar to the fats of the animal, it goes up in smoke. Whatever is left over Aron & his sons eat it as unleavened within the courtyard of the tent of meeting. This appears to be God sharing the offering with them.
Aron & his sons also make a meal offering of their own. The flour & oil is scalded with boiling water. They break pieces of the bread & burn it on the altar. Half in the morning & half at evening as a perpetual eternal offering.

All this going up in smoke is noted as sweet fragrance to God.
Eaten in a holy Holy Place is noted as a place within the courtyard.

There is something strange their about the blood for a sin offering-if any of it is brought inside the tent it it shall not be eaten, but burned. (I don’t understand that ).

Then there are peace offerings. The right thigh is eaten by Kohen & they wave the breast.
Waving in a back & forth motion or elevation is an up & down motion.
Guilt offering has the same law as a sin offering. & this goes on & on- day after day.

I am wondering if the Passover is during this parsha or the next one.

 

[Bandit]

bandit - this is great because if you look at the seven energy centers in the body and the spiralling energy that moves up and down, you would describe the above process the ascent and the descent of this energy and ultimately how do we find the ability to maintain the ascent (assuming this is a good and spiritual thing to do) or perhaps this is the state we wish to achieve in our lives (now or later) .....

so how do we keep the divine presence with us .... "the first half of Leviticus discusses how the divine presence was maintained in Temple times through the sacrifical service .... the second half, which can be summarized by the name of Parshat Kedoshim - "You shall be holy" - deals with how to keep the divine presence in our midst even when there is no temple. We achieve this by sanctifying our physical aspects - food, speech and relationships." (Rabbi GEller)

Rabbi Geller says that the Talmud states there are seven levels of heaven that G-d ascends .... this brings us back to the sacred essence of the number seven ....
this is very exciting .... aloha nui, poh

Aloha Pohaikawahine

this sounds right to me. it is very exciting . i am seeing this sacrifice & offerings in our daily lives & like you say, this is how we keep God in & around us...prayer, fasting, praise, tithes.

i also remember something in the scriptures about 7 heavens or maybe that was 7 layers of understanding from the scriptures. i dont think it is possible to remain in the ascent all the time because of the burdens of life that keep us maintined in the flesh. i dont see this a just a meditation process either- there is a divine presence from God that is seperate but is also united. without this i think we would be lost & miserable.

i think Pastors & some leaders in the church get to experience this more often, except they get to hear about all the problems that the people have. i am talking specifically people in the ministry that pray often & have the devotion & love that God desires from His people.

 

[pohaikawahine]

aloha e bandit .... I read a great descriptions of the various types of sacrafices , again from Rabbi Geller

voluntary burnt offering - is called olah, and is not required but is used to atone for neglecting to perform positive commandments and form harmful thoughts or intentions

peace offering - a person has not sinned but has a positive feeling and wans to relate to the Almighty from that good feeling (fats are burned on the altar, parts are given to the kohen, and the remainder is eaten by the donar) ... this sounds a little like the process that is used in parts of the south pacific to distribute the catch of fish to the community

sin offering - only severe sins - done unintentionally - are atoned with a sin offering ... the person was not aware of the prohibition

guilt offering - for certain transgressions, there is a requirement to bring an additional offering called a guilt offering ....one who unintentionally derived benefit from the Temple and any of its vessels or edibles; one who stole money or denied receiving a loan or a security and took a false oath ....; one who isn't sure if a transgression was performed at all .... the guilt offering atones until a person can establish that he actually did sin, in which case he then brings the regular sin offering ....

since passover begins next week on April 12, it should be in the next parsha of Leviticus ....

what is really fascinating about where we are going in Leviticus is the concept that there are actually two shabbat's .... the regular rest on the 7th day concept (that of the limited world of reality) and then the Great Shabbat (which I believe takes place the day before or the day of Passover) .... the Great Shabbat would symbolize the limitless world of G-d which we could conceivable enter when we "passover" into the other realm of spirit (this takes place through our minds and not our physical death) .... when we crossover or passover into the upper three energy centers of the human head .... as Rabbi Geller puts it "the Exodus Shabbat is the source of all 'holy convocations.' All the HOly days of the Jewish year are a product of the contact with the infinite established through the great Shabbat." He says further that the Kiddush prayer we recite on Shabbat closes with "Blessed are You G-d, who santifies the Shabbat" but the Kiddush of a Holy day closes with "Blessed are You G-d, who santifies Israel and the festive seasons." The Great Shabbat open a window to the infinite beyond the seventh day.

"Lev 8:33 "You shall not go outside the entrance of the Tent of Meeting for seven days, until the day that your period of ordination is completed. For your ordination will require seven days."

It appears that Passover takes place in the parsha through the description of what happens when one enters the tent of meeting and does not die .... the Lord's annointing oil is upon you .... but we will get into this in the next parsha Shemini .... let's find out what the word "Shemini" means .... I was able to find the word "shemeenee" which means 1/8th but I don't know if this is the same as "shemini" ....???? aloha nui, poh

 

[Bandit]

"Lev 8:33 "You shall not go outside the entrance of the Tent of Meeting for seven days, until the day that your period of ordination is completed. For your ordination will require seven days."

It appears that Passover takes place in the parsha through the description of what happens when one enters the tent of meeting and does not die .... the Lord's annointing oil is upon you .... but we will get into this in the next parsha Shemini .... let's find out what the word "Shemini" means .... I was able to find the word "shemeenee" which means 1/8th but I don't know if this is the same as "shemini" ....???? aloha nui, poh

interesting commentary on the different offerings & thank you for showing me that!

here is what i found on shemini...


[FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica]Shemini Atzeret, which means "the eighth day of assembly," is an eight-day festival which takes place immediately after the seven-day festival of Sukkot. [/FONT]
n. Judaism
A festival happening after the seventh day of Succoth, marked by a service in memory of the dead and a special prayer for rain.

POH, i wanted you to check this out also:

Leviticus has a single overall pattern. Ring composed of Rings…Ring composition has an unequivocal ending in the return to the beginning…the structure has written the conclusion into the beginning…Leviticus has little narrative, so without the benefit of a plot structuring the book the skillful writer has to deal differently with the problems of closure.
excerpts from page 52 & 53 Leviticus in Literature

Leviticus being totally different from Genesis, Exodus & Numbers & it appears the author is standing from a distance with instructions in the first half of the book.
i think that is what i am seeing for now any way.

 

[Bandit]

Aloha Pohaikawahine

Tazria-MetzoraLeviticus 12:1-15:33

i am just stopping in here briefly to say hello & drop a little something off on this parsha in Leviticus. there was some discussion about sacrifice & i noticed this week was talking about purification. one thing that struck a chord was leprosy & for some reason they called this a supernatural plague. i am not sure why, perhaps the severity & it being beyond control. they were mentioning how the disease also infected the clothes.

there is an old movie called the devil at 4 o' clock that i remember. it has an interesting plot where a priest builds a home for children with leprosy from all around the world to go & live until they are healed. the community did not have faith in this work & the children were naturally kept seperate. the few leaders who really cared saved the lives of the children from death of a disease & also from an ironic earthquake that hit the island which eventually brought the forgotten & also healed children & ministry together with society. the priest layed down his life for these children in the volcanic earthquake because he loved them that much. it revealed, though his faith in God appeared to be shaken because no one believed in his efforts, it was through devastation that he found hope & that God was always there & had never given up on this man & his work.

i am seeing a parallel between this & the daily tabernacle process & how we go through the trial & fire of sacrifice in our daily lives to become pure. this of course being an ever going process in this life & that is ok. we start out as the first man- a natural man & through some kind of purification, seperation from the natural man & sacrifice we become a spiritual man as the old man (first man) dies. (this is for the women too, not just men)

i am still thinking of a new name for you. as i was searching i found an interesting glossary & something called Ho'oponopono Process.

Patterns​

From the moment of my birth
To the instant of my death
There are patterns I must follow
Just as I must breathe each breath.
Like a rat in a maze
The path before me lies
And the pattern never alters
Until the rat dies.


And the pattern still remains
On the wall where darkness fell
And its fitting that it should
For in darkness I must dwell.
Like the color of my skin
Or the day that I grow old
My life is made of patterns
That can scarcely be controlled.


http://hooponopono.org/

if that link does not work try this:
GLOSSARY

have you ever heard of this before? it all seems pretty basic but i feel some of the pattern & mazes in this hooponopono AND that we have found in the scriptures can also relate in part to what we have been seeing in the tabernacle patterns.


i hope all is going well with you. this is my favorite forum & hope to catch up with you from time to time over the growing season.
lots of love to you POH

 

[pohaikawahine]

lots of love to you too bandit .... I'll get back to the parsha and the tabernacle in the wilderness in a few days .... I spent the whole 8 days of passover trying my best to follow the practices of judiasm and also in remembrance of the holocaust .... I am very familiar with the process of ho'oponopono which basically means "to make right" - it is a process to restore and maintain good relationships within a family and was essentially a family matter in the original use .... these days it has appeared in many forms not connected directly with the family unit .... the part that I really like best is that when a matter is resolved through the process, all negative feelings about it are released and the ties that bind the wounds are cut .... we have a tendency these days to carry wounds for a long time instead of really getting to the heart of the matter and then releasing the hurt or harm ....

but not to get sidetracked here .... I will be back with some postings on the parshas .... aloha nui, poh

 

[Bandit]

oh POH! i went to a jewish service on saturday this week. i really did enjoy it. there was a lot of energy & an over all good feeling. i even wore one of those kippahs or beanies or whatever they call it.
the young people have guitars & tamborines & they all clap real fast to music & it it is not a stuffy rigid place at all. one girl played the piano & i got to meet them all.

it lasted about 2 hours & then the rabbi invited me to have lunch with the others. i am glad you are finding that way a good way for you.
no rush on the tabernacle & parsha. i am just glad to hear all is well with my parsha partner .

 

[pohaikawahine]

wow how wonderful - our timing must be "meant to be" because I'm going this Friday .... I'll be going to Friday dinner with friends and then to the Synagog .... it will be my first visit .... can't wait .... and yes, the parsha can wait because we are going the next step .... we will get back to the parsha .... I also bought a Jewish Cookbook by a woman named Faye Levy .... of all the books I chose that one because my name is Fay (as you already know) and my grandfather's middle name was Levi .... so it seemed like the book that I should get and it is filled with great food .... we will alternate homes for the Friday dinner, so I have to start learning .... aloha nui my friend, poh

 

[Bandit]

Acharei-Kedoshim

Leviticus 16:1-20:27

this weeks parsha is right after the deaths of arons two sons. i cant remember why they got zapped but they did. then it goes into this once a year thing entering the holy of holies.

there is a certain & specific way for them to enter the holy of holies if they did not do it, they would die likes arons sons. i think this is important to know what we are supposed to do before we can enter the holy of holies lest we die & we dont want to die but be made alive.

the pillar of cloud continues, the cloud of incense continues & of course yom kippur. he wears 4 garments like a regular kohen, no gold & he washes his hands & feet...& he immersed himself...i think it said he changes his clothes 5 times in this service. this is a very long study & i dont know how they kept all this straight.
boy am i glad ot be on THIS side of the Tabernacle & not that side!

wow how wonderful - our timing must be "meant to be" because I'm going this Friday .... I'll be going to Friday dinner with friends and then to the Synagog .... it will be my first visit .... can't wait .... and yes, the parsha can wait because we are going the next step .... we will get back to the parsha .... I also bought a Jewish Cookbook by a woman named Faye Levy .... of all the books I chose that one because my name is Fay (as you already know) and my grandfather's middle name was Levi .... so it seemed like the book that I should get and it is filled with great food .... we will alternate homes for the Friday dinner, so I have to start learning .... aloha nui my friend, poh

have fun on your visit & cooking too. i like the way you keep things in your family close to you in special ways

 

[pohaikawahine]

aloha e bandit .... I think the whole point is to be able to enter the holy of holies safely because it is only there that you finally face your maker .... it is only there that you come face-to-face with g-d .... I believe it is a place of great beauty and there is nothing to fear .... we can only enter one-by-one, but together when we get there the regathering will begin to take on more form ....

this weeks parsha Kedoshim (and I may be off on the parsha's .... sometimes I get confused about exactly where we are in Leviticus) .... is very interesting because it speaks to leaving a portion of the field standing (taking care of the poor), and many of the laws about ghosts, divination, who and who not one may have relations with (sex that is) etc..... it sounds so familiar with many of the practices (old practices) in the south pacific regarding the need to not take everything and to leave something behind in harvesting clams, plants, fish, etc..... all of the prohibitions (or kapu's, taboo's) are related to perpetuating the species and survival (harvest plants and leave some standing, etc.) even the sexual taboo's are related to keeping the species strong by prohibiting even speaking of things of a sexual nature with one's brothers, uncles, etc..... when I read this parsha it makes me think of the same list of prohibitions even though we don't speak of "stoning" or things like that....

at the end of the parsha it seems to sum everything up (Lev 23-24) "you shall not follow the practices of the nation I am driving out before you. For it is because they did all these things that I abhorred them and said to you? You shall possess their land, for I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey. I the Lord am your God who has set you apart from other peoples." It is almost as though what we were driven out of is the baser material part of our being (those lower energy centers) and pushed up toward the more spiritual side of our natures to find that land of milk and honey .... aloha nui, poh

 

[Bandit]

hey POH

we are in complete agreement on this. some things we should practice & some things we should not practice. the nations will get out of our way as we move forward to the Land of Milk & Honey.
the baser material being temporary, like the way we see the Tabernacle as physical is temporary.

 

[pohaikawahine]

hey POH

we are in complete agreement on this. some things we should practice & some things we should not practice. the nations will get out of our way as we move forward to the Land of Milk & Honey.
the baser material being temporary, like the way we see the Tabernacle as physical is temporary.

This is perfect bandit .... in this weeks parsha, emor (I got the name wrong on one of my posts) I love the interpretation given by Rabbi Weisz Aish HaTorah, Jerusalem (www.aish.com/torahportion/mayanot) where is speaks to the counting of days between Passover and Shavuot, the day the Torah was given on Mount Sinai (we are currently in the process of the count of days) and he relates it to the numbers seven and eight and the 50 year Jubilee .... the whole process takes us from the stage of materialism (animal instinct) to the stage of spiritualism where we in essence passover into the world of revelation or that meeting place with g-d. He describes that "when the Jewish people left Egypt, they were transported to an enormous spiritual level and experienced an act of Divine revelation" and here we also deal with two types of food which is levened bread (barley and wheat) representing human food and unlevened bread (mana) representing spiritual food. This is the only levened bread brought to the altar in the temple. The levened bread is offered by the Sotah (the unfaithful wife) because it is the bread of humans (at our material level) and I love the use of the Sotah because it reflects (not an actual unfaithful wife) but one who is not faithful to the essence of where the Torah will take us .... still at the material aspect of our beings. The 50 days (which would respond to the actual day the Torah was given at Mount Sinai) is connected to the reference of the 50 year Jubilee meaning "forever" and linked to the concept that the maximum term of service of a Jewish slave, who elects to serve his master "forever" (Exodus 21:6) actually ends in the Jubilee year, when he goes free. So here it is, when we make that transition from the material world to the spiritual world (an internal process taking place in the portable tabernacle in the wilderness) we find our freedom. In essence we have passed through the wilderness, entered the land of milk and honey and my favorite reference these days ...and "the women danced" (Exodus 15:20) .... what greater joy can there be .... to receive the Torah is to receive freedom because she (the Torah) gives us the process (through the inner meanings and symbols) to reach that place of revelation. I know what I'm trying to say, but I'm not always sure I say it well with words.

I was reading an article the other day that there isn't as much "joy" in jewish prayer as there should be .... and all I can think of is "...and the women danced" which is reaching a point where there is joy beyond what we can imagine .... the Torah is stately and beautiful and is filled with joy and passion .... the Song of Songs describes this with great passion .... my goodness, we are so blessed to be on this path .... aloha nui, poh

 

[pohaikawahine]

gosh bandit .... we are at the end of Leviticus and I really don't want it to end .... as I have come to understand Leviticus as a process to reach the land of milk and honey and the importance of the concept of the Jubilee (the day of freedom from bondage) all of the commandments take on a different hue .... however our discussion on the tabernacle will be very much a part of the Book of Numbers for we will begin to form the great circle of twelve, in a sense we have reached the top of the mountain and now we must begin to understand exactly what is going on up there .... that is the circle of twelve .... we should probably get Dauer to "sticky" a new thread titled Interfaith Book of Numbers Parshas (Dauer, if you read these can you do that for us?) Mahalo nui, poh