Vayikra “And He Called Out”
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 who profess our faith in Jesus, we study the Old Testament to understand the historical, cultural, and contextual background of the history of our heritage in Jesus. This is commonly known as the Messianic teachings of Christianity and is a part of our Saturday Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Dallas, TX.
While customs are not commandments, there is beauty for believers in Jesus (Yeshua) to understand their identity as grafted into the covenants with Israel. As descendants of Abraham, all Christians are heirs according to the promise given to Abraham even before Sinai. Christians should study and learn the Torah and show respect for their Jewish brothers and sisters. It is through the study of the law that we see another level of greatness in Jesus who is the lawgiver and the greatest Torah teacher of all time.
Vayikra is the Hebrew title for “And He Called Out” and is the name for the weekly Torah portion reading for the Book of Leviticus starting in chapter 1 verse 1 and going through chapter 5 verse 26.
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 1 Samuel in chapter 15 verse 2 through chapter 2 verse 34.
The gospel readings incorporated with the weekly Torah portion readings come from the book of Mark in chapter 6 with verses 14 through 29.
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 Overview-
The twenty-fourth Torah Portion reading is called “Vayikra.” The title is derived from the first Hebrew word of the book of Leviticus which says “And the Lord called to Moses,.” The English title “Leviticus” is derived from the Greek Septuagint which was around during the time of Jesus. The book of Leviticus is predominantly spelling out the Levitical rituals.
Leviticus also describes the duties of the priests, and the sacrificial system. This includes introducing ritual purity, biblical dietary requirements, God’s calendar which includes feasts and festivals annually, holiness laws, laws in relationship to redemption and restoration, vows, tithes and offerings. It also lays out what is commonly known as the Mosaic covenant.
Torah Portion Scriptural Highlights-
Leviticus 1:1 The Burnt offering
Leviticus 2:1 Grain offerings
Leviticus 3:1 Offerings of well-being
Leviticus 4:1 Sin offerings
Leviticus 5:14 Offerings of restitution
Haftarah (Prophets) Scriptural Highlights-
1 Samuel 15:2 Gods promise to Saul
1 Samuel 15:11 God regrets making Saul King
Brit (Gospel) Scriptural Highlights-
Mark 6:14 Herrod and John the baptist
Mark 6:28 John is beheaded
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
