Vayikra: Called to Come Near
Transcript(from the video captions)
Let's pray. Vina Shabbash Shamayam, we bless and sanctify you. We thank you so much for your word that is a light onto our path as you guide us and strengthen us in this season and prepare us for Pesak and pour your spirit out on us. Father, thank you for that for the invitation in Yeshua's name. And everybody says, "So today we enter into the center of the Torah." But how many of you have really thought about Leviticus as the center of the Torah? How many How many love Leviticus? What happened to our narrative? Right? We [snorts] had so much narrative, have so much story, and now we don't have much of that. But this safeair is probably not even arguably the most important one. Yet it feels distant from us. It feels difficult. A world of offerings, a world of blood, domestic animals, rituals, sacred drama. Some of you really like drama. I like drama, right? Good drama. Not not chaotic drama. I'll save myself from saying anything else about that. Vikra can feel very obsolete, but yet it's so near. It can feel foreign, yet it's right within current events and where we are with God today.
But over time, two responses have emerged from it. In Christianity, especially in Protestant traditions, v Vikra is read through the lens of Messiah, not discarded but fulfilled. In Judaism, a different response emerges there. Different form without the temple, the rhythms of Bikra were carried into daily life. As we experienced last night, the tish Messiah's table, the schulan, and the patterns of holiness entering into our homes, into our families, onto our dinner tables. Two faithful responses, yet different. One centered in the life of Messiah, one centered in the sanctification of daily living and both of them asked the same question. What do we do with Vikra? What do we do with Leviticus? But the issue is not quite what we do with this sair this book. The question is what?
How do we enter into it today? But let's just clarify what is not the question. The question is not how do we deal with God's wrath? Some people are asking those questions today. That's not what it's asking. The real question is, how do we live with God Almighty in our midst? And so we get the call the call from God to Moshe in Vikra 1 Moshe Adonai El Moad Lemore. Then Adonai called to Moshe and spoke to him from the tent of meeting saying fill in the blank. That's right. When any of you bring an offering, the offering, bringing the offering means you are drawing near to God. It's a drawing near. Karov, nearness or karav, the act of being brought near to God is the very essence of corbonote. And last night we said that before there is any corban any offering there is a call. There is a call to Moshe because it means corban does not begin with distance but it begins with relationship. It begins with an invitation. God extends an invitation to us to draw near. When any of you brings an offering to Adonai, the Torah doesn't say simply when you bring a sacrifice. It says brought near. Yakareve
when any of you draws your heart near to me this is the way that you enter in to my presence God says in this whole entire safeair this book because the offering is not the value of what you give rather it is the quality and the sincerity of your heart as you draw near to God two very different things because if we're bringing a heart of sincerity and truth, then where's God's wrath? It's not in the picture. We're drawing with sincerity. But we must understand this very carefully because drawing near to God is not casual. It's not passive and it's not cheap. Which is why we have to have preparation. And last night we started that with Cababalot Shabbat. Welcoming in Shabbat was part of that preparation before God. Corbon is not about appeasing God. It's about restoring nearness that we cannot recover on our own. And this is where Messiah meets us in that place. We ask for help. God gives us help. And the Torah introduces this pattern of nearness today. The ola offering, which is a scent, a devotion to God, being lifted up, fully given, a minka offering, humble, a contrite heart, simple,
without inflated pride. You're going to have a prop in the background just to to look at and start to picture. In the very center of the corbonote, we have sha schlamin. This is communion. wholeness and shared fellowship with God as he restores us and makes us whole. That's in the very center of it. The kat is the purification offering for inadvertent sins. It restores awareness, makes us acute that we are into God's presence, that he is there. It's those sins that we make without even knowing it. I didn't realize I did that. But yet, it still leaves a stain in the world and on us. And then there's a sham. And a sham is the repair, the repairing of the breach and the restitution to restore what was broken because sometimes I hate to admit it but I we we break things and so we have to have the ash is but if we slow down for a moment we're going to see something spectacular that the offerings themselves the corbond speak to us directly on what's going on here about Pesak. It's there. How minka the grain offering. Did you know that you can't offer up levan comets to Hashem on the altar?
Right. It's right there. There it is. No grain offering that you present. And there's that word again. Tak takivu or ya yak that you present meaning that grain offering is your coming near to God can be made with that's no loss right in the Torah portion this week to remind us of that only what is unleavened ascends to God no comets not what is inflated andy but rather a heart of sincerity and truth must ascend before God. So you take the ola, the offering of ascension and you think about the ma loss and there you go we have a picture of Pesak right before us. Not the most expensive offering because the minka was humble was for those who couldn't afford to bring a domestic animal. But yet it's the most honest and sincere heart that we bring to God. The corbon is all about drawing near to God. But that also tells us that we have to deal with distance because if we're to draw near, then we must have been distant before. The Torah names it the inadvertent sin is that stain. Even those that we've committed unintentionally that sometimes our loved ones point out to us. Did you know you did this?
I didn't know. I I didn't know there's a breach, a tear in the relationship [crying] where something that was once whole is now disrupted. And then the third is a disengagement from God consciousness that we just forget that God is in our midst all of the time because because even without the temple standing, Hashem is still omnipresent. He is with us. He's the omnipresent one. And so he's with us. And so it's a moment when we are no longer fully aware that God is in our midst. He's still here right now. Right here, right now. And that is what that offering is for theat to bring that sin offering in those days. Rab Rabbi Nachman of Brezlo says says this. If you believe you have the power to break something, then you must believe that you have the power to rectify it. We still have to enter in. We still have to do. We still have to take this seriously. But that is the foundation of Corban. Fixing what has been broken. Not perfection, but responsibility. And here's the deeper truth in all of that. That you, us, we are not defined by our failures, but rather our response. How we respond to God and to each other
when we break something. We understand that in everyday life when something is known as a person admits when they fall short who takes responsibility, who makes things right. This is the person we want to be around. We trust them. We draw near to them. We know they're sincere. We forgive them. Well, it's no different with God. Just wants that heart of sincerity. But when someone refuses to acknowledge their mistakes, well, then we might withdraw or form a distance. And again, the same is true with God. But we have to distinguish very carefully here that not all sin is the same. Sometimes we conflate or like to broaden things. But a sin committed unintentionally is actually a lapse in awareness where we lose awareness of what is going on. It's a moment of disengagement that still causes a stain in the world and on us. But the core of the person that commits the unintentional sin is still a line with God. You see, we we desire to be near to God. We desire to be a mench menches to be good people. But yet we make mistakes. We there's a slipping going on. But when someone sins with full awareness,
that is something entirely different. It's not just a drifting, although it could have started with a drifting. It's a rejection. And that is something entirely different. And that's why there's no corbonote for intentional sin. There's only chuva, repentance, a turning away from sin and turning towards God. And that was what would bring the repair. Corbon assumed something very important and that is there's still a desire within us to return. There must be that desire. And if there's not that desire, we need to pray for that desire and pray for others to have that desire to return to God. Because without chuva, repentance, corbon is not only insufficient, but it's inappropriate. And so we have it. We can never draw near if we are unwilling to repair what we have broken. That's what Vikra is teaching us. That's the call from God to Moshe and to us today. We must be willing to be humble and ready to repair to the best of our ability even if it's gradual. But again, the goal is not moral perfection but awareness, humility, and responsibility. Sin creates a chasm, but that does not mean God is sitting angry, ready to
punish us, but rather there's still an invitation there to return. Judgment is real. But what is judgment? It is distance that becomes permanent when we refuse, God forbid, to return. That is very different than saying that God needed to be appeased or that God needed something, but rather we need it. We're the ones who need God's grace and his raamim, his mercy. We need that. And he desires to give us that. God does not need corban. We do. Rabbi Joseph Salvich explains this with incredible depth that sin is not merely a legal problem. It's an existential rupture. Even the unintentional act itself causes the tear, the breach in the relationship. A moment where we are no longer fully present before God. We have a laugh of judgment. We're unaware because holyness is not static. It's something that we must live. It must be sustained. It needs attention. It needs maintenance. It needs covenant, intentional acts of love towards God. The relationship has to be cultivated. It's all relational. When awareness fades, nearness before God fades. And that's why the kat offering is so incredibly powerful
because it restores what is broken, even those sins that we don't realize that we have committed. The person brings the offering, confesses their sins, and watches. And what are they seeing going on here? A mirror. That part of themselves that acted without awareness. The instinctive self, the distracted self, the unguarded self. A momentary lapse of judgment, of awareness. I was busy. I wasn't thinking. I was in my head. I was entertaining myself. All those things are what the sages called the animal soul. The animal soul itself is driven by instinct, ego, and the physical impulse. It's not all bad. But that the sages tell us are what in the days of the temple we were offering to God. Offering Hashem back that animal instinctive part of our soul that we just can't seem to reel in sometimes. And that is the domestic animal because remember we have a nama and a ruach within us that is attuned to God if we don't shut it out or suppress it or quench the spirit within us. The sages give us the insight. And when we sin unintentionally, it is often that part of us, call it the animal soul, that is moving
without awareness. It's that part that acts like an animal, right? Simple. Oh, good. Okay. And then what happens when we do that? And through the corbond it is elevated up to God. And then we are restored. We realigned in Hashem. Realignment is what we experience. The sprinkling of the blood restores. It represents purification like a purification offering, a reopening of what was blocked. Because from the beginning when humanity moves away from God, the result is always the same. Distance, fracture, death, God forbid. But Messiah as the perfect corban reverses that movement. Now and only now can we begin to understand Cororban Messiah correctly the Corbinote structure up on the screen you can see right in the center the Schlamim is that fellowship that is restored and that's everything we can call it a wholeness a reconciliation before God at the very top and bottom of the structure We have the ola the the ascension because we have fully given our heart to God. Not partially, not 10%, not 20%, I know it's gradual, but the desire to give all. At the bottom of that structure, we have the issham, the the guilt.
Oh, he's a perfect sham. He resolves our guilt. He makes us aware. There's repair. There's a restitution, a perfect life fully given to God. And then the ma of can think pesak because it's unleavened. It is sincere. It's not puffed up. And the kat is also a type of purification for the unintentional stuff that we say, "Well, I was unaware. It's not my fault. I didn't realize I did that." So what? You think you're not wrong? No, it's the honesty to say, "Okay, I admit in the 21st century, we call that falling on our sword." And Messiah stands in the center across the whole. He is the Ola, fully given to God. He is the minka, humble and pure, without corruption. He is the Schlamim, restoring fellowship and holiness for us. He is the katat bringing the purification and restored awareness before God so we realize that we've missed the mark. He is the perfect hasham blameless repairing what is broken and restoring what we could not have done on our own just by being good people. That was electric. Yes, he's all of those things and more and more. But I only have 30 minutes. Put your timers away, please.
Messiah does not make restitution to appease God. He restores what has been violated and reorders what has been dislocated. And this is the entire universe. we're talking about here that we are a very important piece of. He does not pay off an angry God. He restores a broken reality. The true definition of tunolam right to our souls. Ephesians 5:2. Walk in love just as Messiah also loved you and gave himself up for us. No, notice it's you and us, one people, an offering. There's the corban and sacrifice to bringing near to God as a fragrant aroma. The language of Leviticus 1:9, the ola ascension offering, a fragment, a fragrant aroma, a pleasing aroma to Hashem. Messiah's life fully aligned, fully given, fully received by us and acceptable to Hashem. The life that restores us and the life that we are now called to live. Yes, we are called to step into that life and to follow that example. Not because God needed something, but because God was doing what we could not do for ourselves, showing us, revealing to us, and providing the way back and literally carrying us on his back. This is the love of God in 3D right now.
So what does this mean for us? As we think about all these deep theological points that touch down on us and penetrate our heart, we start to think about are we aware of our actions? Are we thinking about that in prayer? How about our our holy maintenance, the holiness of our lives that shouldn't be taken lightly, but sometimes we just get so busy? Are we drifting or are we drawing near when we think about our lives? Are we present before God and before our families and before each other and this congregation? Last night we were really present and that was special. Or are we moving through life at times disengaged for whatever reason? So, as we think about all of this today on Yom Shabbat, think about repairing what has been broken with God's help. Think about taking responsibility even more so and being an example to your brother and sister around you and just taking responsibility not perfection but just heightened awareness, humility, walking humbly with our God that Mika the prophet tells us is really the center of Corban. returning quickly when we mess up and living consciously of God's spirit,
God's presence in our lives, and that people are watching, especially our children, whether it's your biological or the children here are your children, too. Because every act of return, every act of repair, every act of humility, every act of gamad deeds of loving kindness that we do, every single one of them becomes corban nearness to God. And that's how we press into our God. That's how we give thanks to God for all that he's done for us. And that's the meaning of Denu. God has done so much. But El Moshe and God called to Moshe and he calls us. He calls us near to him. And then he says go. But right now it's the call that God is here. Not because we were perfect, not because we were imperfect, but because we are invited. We are his children. We are children of God. And now we understand what the calling means. That it's not just a bunch of sacrifices that we can't relate to. This stuff has major relevance in our lives today. And we need the Christian tradition to tell us that and we need the Jewish tradition to tell us that to speak into our lives. We take the best from both and we make it our
own. And that is how God is working in us as a Messianic Jewish community. Not just to feel close, but to live differently before God. To become people who return quickly, to take responsibility and to restore what was broken. We walk with that awareness. Purification clears the way. Restoration makes things right. Devotion lifts the life. Humility and sincerity prepare the heart before God. And then finally, communion, that's the center, the shamim, brings wholeness. And all of that together brings transformation to be transformed. By the renewal of our minds, perfect and holy and acceptable before God. Transformation is the meaning of all of the corbonote. Corbon Corbana is not about appeasing God as you can see now. It is about restoring nearness that we cannot recover on our own. And this is the place where Messiah meets us. You are not distant anymore. You are near, but we all have to respond. You are called and now you and we know how to come near. Let's pray. Avenu Shabbash Shamay, we bless and sanctify your name in the heights of heaven and right here. And we thank you so much for
your amazing word that we will just there's so much treasure in there and we thank you for the wisdom of the sages and the wisdom of of those in the Christian tradition that have also given us great insights over the ages. And we thank you for this community that you are are building up in love. Many parts, one unified body, present before you and each other. I pray that you would speak to our hearts today where we are at and bring us into your fullness. As you would open up the eyes of our hearts today in Yeshua's name, I pray.