Weekly D'rash Vayikra

This week we will join Josh and Rebeca Green in celebrating the wonderful simcha of the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Josiah Murray Green. Mazel Tov!

The portion for this week is the beginning of the Book of Leviticus, which describes the responsibility of the Israelites in bringing a variety of offerings to the Lord. The purpose of the offerings was to demonstrate trust in God and a desire to be forgiven and cleansed from sin. The introduction to the offerings in Lev. 1:2 contains several important words. “Speak to B’nei-Yisrael and tell them: When anyone of you brings an offering to ADONAI, you may present your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock.” The words bring and present are the Hebrew word krv which means to come near. The desire of God was to be in the presence of the people and for the people to come near to God. The Hebrew word for offering is qorban, meaning a form of a gift. Regardless of the type of offering, the people were to come near the tent of meeting with a gift for God. The first three chapters describe the responsibility of the people for bringing the burnt, grain, and peace offerings. In each case, we read that the aroma of the burnt part of the sacrifice was a sweet-smelling aroma to God. These offerings demonstrated to the people that God had received the offering and was pleased.

The burnt offering, as well as the sin and trespass offering, was brought by the people as a way of knowing that God had forgiven their sin (chapters 4–5). The offerings themselves did not forgive sins. God did not need the pleasing aroma to accept the people. The people needed these visible and aromatic ways to have an assurance of acceptance, cleansing, and forgiveness. God himself accepted them and forgave them. The act of bringing the offerings demonstrated their trust in God.

In the description of the guilt offering, we read “So it will be, when one becomes guilty of one of these things, they shall confess about what they have sinned.” The offerings were not simply religious activities. They demonstrated heartfelt confession and repentance. Later in the chapter, we read about the offering for “unintentional sin” and sin that is committed “unwittingly.” A person who sinned unintentionally did not desire to rebel against God but nevertheless sinned. This type of person is convicted about their sin, confesses it, and brings the offering. God always desired a broken and contrite heart. In ancient Israel, if a person brought an offering as some kind of religious gesture without heartfelt conviction, there would be no forgiveness or cleansing.

How wonderful that the Messiah has taken our sins upon Himself and makes atonement for us. When we embrace Yeshua, and are convicted about sinful activity and confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us (see 1 John 1:9). This is the assurance we have in Messiah Yeshua.

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Howard