It is customary for religiously practicing Jews to read from an annual cycle of weekly Old Testament readings called Torah Portions. This is said to be the same reading schedule that was taught every Sabbath in the Synagogues during the times of Jesus in the first century.

As Christians exploring the Torah portion cycle we must maintain a balance of including the Old Testament, the prophets, and the gospels in our weekly bible study.

Torah Portion Name and Readings-

Emor is the Hebrew word for “speak” and is the name for the weekly Torah Portion reading for the Book of Leviticus starting in chapter 21 verse 1 and going through chapter 24 verse 23.

Prophets and New Testament-

It is also important to point out that along with the Torah portion readings and teachings, there are what are called Haftarah portions which are readings from the Bible in the books of the prophets. This week’s haftarah readings come from the book of Ezekiel in chapter 44 verse 15 through verse 31.

The gospel readings incorporated with the weekly Torah portion readings come from the book of Matthew in chapter 26 with verses 59 through 66.

Torah Portion Overview-

Towards the end of this week’s Torah Portion The Lord gives us a commandment about the olive oil lamps on the lamp stand (menorah) and the bread of the presence (often called shew bread). The lamps are to burn from evening to morning continually (tamid) (Leviticus 24:3, also see Exodus 27:20-21) and the bread is to be a food offering (Leviticus 24:9). The bread is set out every Sabbath (verse 8) and left for a week after which it is eaten by the priests in a holy place (verse 9). This was to show that although it was a “food offering” it was not actually consumed by Yahweh, as other Ancient Near Eastern peoples would have held. It was to be a type of fellowship meal, but which was not required for Yahweh to subsist.

It is interesting that the lamps were to be tended at evening and morning. This language can be compared to the creation account of Genesis 1. Some scholars, such as John H. Walton, see the Genesis 1 creation account as a type of temple creation text where Yahweh is creating a cosmic temple and being enthroned. The creation of the cosmic temple in “evening and morning” language ends with Yahweh taking His throne (resting) on the Sabbath. This is exactly what we see here in Leviticus 24, where the oil is tended at evening and morning and then the bread is replaced, offered, every Sabbath. There is a strong connection here. Furthermore the menorah is often believed to represent the tree of life, which was found in the sacred Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9)! But what is the meaning here.

Remember that the Menorah was situated in the Holy Place across from the table of the bread of the presence. With the Menorah symbolizing the Tree of Life, you could say that the its “fruit” was the light that it cast down onto the bread. Indeed, light and life are often conflated (Job 33:30, Psalm 56:13, John 1:4). Thus, the imagery here is that the tree of life produces fruit which is light/life. The fruit of the tree of life was not just life, it was eternal life (Genesis 3:22). Thus we see that an idea, an analogy, that the tree of life produces eternal life which will “shine down onto” the bread.

This idea is further expanded by John.

John 1:1-5 (ESV) 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Notice that the Word, Jesus (Yeshua), had life in Himself which was the “light of mankind”. Here we see life and light connected again. This is followed by the statement “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” The opposite of light is darkness, and the opposite of life is death. Thus, this analogy is saying that our Messiah had life in Himself that death could not overcome, a reference to the resurrection and eternal life!

Furthermore Jesus compares Himself to bread from heaven which brings eternal life!

John 6:48-58 (ESV) 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” 52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

(Also see John 8:12).

Thus the menorah and its light shining on the bread of the presence can be seen as a testimony and promise of the eternal life of the Messiah which will one day give us eternal life (at the resurrection)! Blessed be our King, Messiah and LORD, Yeshua (Jesus) forever and ever, amen!

Torah Portion Scriptural Highlights-

• Leviticus 21:1 Priests shall be holy

• Leviticus 22:17 Offerings that are accepted

• Leviticus 23:1 The Feasts of Yahweh

• Leviticus 24:1 The lamps

• Leviticus 24:5 The bread of presence

• Leviticus 24:10 Punishment for blasphemy

• Leviticus 24:17 Justice for physical harm

Haftarah (Prophets) Scriptural Highlights-

• Ezekiel 44:15-31 Commands for Levite Priests

Brit (Gospel) Scriptural Highlights-

• Matthew 26:59-66 The High Priest and Priests try Jesus (Yeshua)

The Book of Leviticus “Vayikra” which means “He called Out.”

The Old Testament is commonly referred to as the Torah. It is considered the most sacred of all of Israel’s Scriptures. Most of our modern Bibles include the Old Testament “Torah” as the first five books in the Bible. The name for the third book of the Bible, Leviticus, is called Vayikra in the Hebrew. The name “Vayikra” comes from the opening phrases in the book of Leviticus which means “He Called Out.”

Leviticus flows directly out of the stories in the previous book of Exodus and continues the story of their gathering by God to enter into a covenant relationship with the Hebrew God known as Adonai, Yahweh, Hashem, and many other titles. The book gives an telling of instructions and testimonies of how the Hebrew people wrestled to become bond servants while shaking off the slave mentality.

As Christians, we find the book of Leviticus and the stories therein, as a historical account of how we as believers are grafted into the covenants and promises of God with our forefathers and how we can learn to walk and learn from their actions as God establishes His people and nation by teaching them how to be bond servants not slaves.

To Watch an overview of this week’s Torah Portion CLICK HERE