Kedoshim “Holy Ones”
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-
Kedoshim is the Hebrew word for “holy ones” and is the name for the weekly Torah Portion reading for the Book of Leviticus starting in chapter 19 verse 1 and going through chapter 20 verse 27.
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 Amos in chapter 9 verse 7 through verse 15.
The gospel readings incorporated with the weekly Torah portion readings come from the book of Mark in chapter 12 with verses 28 through 34.
Torah Portion Overview-
This week’s Torah Portion continues on with the Holiness code and issues a call for holiness.
Leviticus 19:2 (ESV) “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.
Often when we speak of holiness we use words like “set apart”, “sacred”, and “sanctified”, as well as “clean”, and “pure”. While those words are all valid and important I want to approach holiness from a different angle. I want us to think of holiness as something that is God’s nature. His normal state is holiness. He doesn’t have to act a certain way to be holy. Holiness is not something Yahweh does, it is something He is! Thus the pursuit of holiness is not about action, but about relationship! It is not about doing the right thing, it is about knowing the right person; Yahweh the Father, Jesus (Yeshua), and the Holy Spirit! God is Holy (1 Samuel 2:2, Revelation 4:8, Revelation 6:10, Revelation 15:4) and thus pursuing Him is a holy thing.
All too often we think of holiness as something that is away from us, such as the temple, tabernacle, its furnishings, vessels, etc. The reality of Scripture is that we (plural, the body of Christ) ARE the Temple.
1 Corinthians 3:17 (ESV)
If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
Also see 1 Corinthians 6:19 and Ephesians 2:21).
We live our lives as living sacrifices, in constant worship to God.
Romans 12:1 (ESV)
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Offering ourselves as living sacrifices we are also priests.
1 Peter 2:5 (and 1 Peter 2:9) (ESV)
you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Thus we all are the spiritual temple, its living sacrifices, and priests, all of which are holy. We, because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, are holy.
Colossians 1:21-23 (ESV) And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven…
(Also see Ephesians 1:4, 5:25-27, Romans 8:29)
Thus we should act holy, because we ARE holy.
1 Peter 1:15-16 (ESV) but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
(See also 2 Timothy 2:21)
The calling of holiness then, is a call to relationship with God and to act as we are, not to be something different! We walk in both obedience and love! We pursue Him above all else and seek to know Him. Let us celebrate our God who is Holy and love Him and obey Him!
Torah Portion Scriptural Highlights-
Leviticus 19:1 Introduction and call to be holy
Leviticus 19:3 Religious commands
Leviticus 19:11 Ethical commands
Leviticus 19:19 Miscellaneous commands
Leviticus 20:1 Punishment for Idolatry
Leviticus 20:9 Punishment for cursing parents
Leviticus 20:10 Punishment for sexual immorality
Leviticus 20:22 Be holy
Leviticus 20:27 Punishment for necromancy
Haftarah (Prophets) Scriptural Highlights-
Amos 9:7-15 The judgement of Israel and the prophecy of the booth of David
Brit (Gospel) Scriptural Highlights-
Mark 12:28-34 The Greatest and Second Greatest commandments in the law
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