Torah: Vayikra (Lev.) 12:1-13:59

Haftarah: Mlakhim Bet (2 Kings) 4:42-5:19

Brit: Mattityahu (Matthew) 8:1-4; 11:2-6; Mark

1:40-45; Luke 2:22-24

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As Read in Lev. 12:2

H2232 za ra zaw-rah'. A primitive root; to sow; figuratively to

disseminate, plant, fructify: - bear, conceive seed, set with, sow (-er), yield.

H2232 Strongs #2232: AHLB#: 2137 (V)

2137) ( ZRAh) ac: Sow co: Seed ab: ?: The sowing of seeds by

scattering them across the field. [from: - as a spreading of seeds]

V) ( Z-RAh) - Sow: To spread seeds on the ground. [freq. 56] (vf:

Paal, Niphal, Hiphil, Pual) |kjv: sow, yield, sower, bearing, conceive, seed, set|

{str: 2232}

The ancient pictograph for this letter is and is some type of agricultural implement similar to a mattock or plow. The meanings of this letter are harvest or crop as this tool is used in the harvesting, food as from the harvest, cut from the function of the implement and broad from its shape. food, cut, pierce, scatter, plow, harvest, tool

As read in Leviticus 13:2:

H6883 tsa raath tsaw-rah'-ath. From H6879; leprosy: - leprosy.

H6883 Strongs #6883: AHLB#: 2691 (N2)

2691) ( TsRAh) ac: Infect co: Welt ab: ?: An infection of the skin,

usually leprosy, that causes welts. Also an infection of mildew or mold, as welts,

on clothing or a building.

Nf2

) ( TsR-AhT) - Infection: An infection of the skin, cloth or a

building. [freq. 35] |kjv: leprosy| {str: 6883}

Tsad: . The word "tsad" means "side" as a man lying on his side and may be the meaning of the last two pictographs. Most ancient Semitic alphabets used pictographs which closely

resemble the last pictograph indicating that this was most likely the original form of the letter.

The meaning of this letter is the side of something as well as hunting and chasing through the

idea of laying down in ambush. The modern name for this letter is tsade, a child root from the

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word tsad also meaning side. The phonetic sound of the letter is a "ts" in both ancient and

modern Hebrew. wait, chase, hunt, desire, trouble

H7471 H7471 Strongs #7471:

AHLB#: 1453-H (f)

1453) ( RAh) ac: Feed co:

Shepherd ab: Desire:

The pictograph is a picture of the head of a

man, the is a picture of they eye. Combined

these mean "man watches". The shepherd closely watched over his flock, often they are his only

companions.

A) ( RAh) ac: ? co: Friend ab: ?

Nm

) ( RAh) - Friend: A close companion. [df: ] [freq. 188] |kjv: neighbor, friend,

another, fellow, companion, other, brother, husband, lover| {str: 7453}

( RAh) ac: Feed co: Shepherd ab: Desire, Friend.

ZAYIN harvest or crop. food, cut, pierce, scatter, plow, harvest, tool TSAD is the side of something. wait, chase, hunt, desire, trouble

Both of these possess a seed. They both begin with a thought. Resh

means first, beginning, think, person, sum, top. Ayin means to watch, see,

know, experience, and to understand.

So the opening of our parashat-hashavua (Torah Portion for the

Week) in Leviticus chapter 12, opens with a seed,

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CJB Leviticus 12:1 ADONAI said to Moshe, 2 "Tell the people of

Isra'el: 'If a woman conceives and gives birth to a boy, she will be unclean

for seven days with the same uncleanness as in niddah (Lev 12:1-2 CJB)

She Conceives, also referred to as bears fruit. She gives birth to life!

3 Children too are a gift from ADONAI; the fruit of the womb is a

reward. (Psa 127:3 CJB)

The birth canal is opened and life comes forth! Here again, The

Father is working something out in the Natural to teach us something also

in the Spiritual. Much like another principle taught that is contrasted with

the first in the following chapter, Leviticus chapter 13.

If we may use the agricultural terminology, much like the heads of

grain are harvested during harvest-time, at the time of the birth of a child

there is harvesting of a person (Remember your meanings for

Zayin and Resh) In childbirth, there was first conception, a planting of a

seed, and when the time drew near, life came forth as the birth canal

opened and the infant is delivered.

When leprosy is involved there is another opening, however in this

case the result can end in death. With leprosy there is a Hunting, or

Troubling of the person . It can also be understood by looking at

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the shared 2-letter root of both words, Resh-Ayin which means desire. One

desires to bring forth life, the other desires to trouble

Why do we need to concern ourselves with this? Why is this

important in our day to day lives you may ask. For many of us we can all

admit that during any number of crises throughout the course of our life we

didnt know what the answer was. We just knew we were in a rough way, it

was painful, and we desired to grow through it but much of the time we

cried out for rescue, which is what Abba desires of His children. When we

are in a time of need our Heavenly Father desires for us to come to him for

refuge always.

But its important to keep in mind that although in many ways we

may be older but still unlearned in the ways of the mind of YHVH, He does

not wink at blissful ignorance. The writer of Hebrews reminds us,

Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on

to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works

and of faith toward God, (Heb 6:1 NAS)

To remind ourselves lets reflect back for just a moment at the last

couple of verses from last weeks Torah Portion Shemini. If you recall,

YHVH was instructing His people the difference between Clean

(tahor), and Unclean (tame)

45 'For I am the LORD, who brought you up from the land

of Egypt, to be your God;

thus you shall be holy for I am holy.'" 46 This is the law regarding the animal, and the bird, and every living

thing that moves in the waters, and everything that swarms on the earth,

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47 to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the edible creature and the creature which is not to be eaten.

(Lev 11:45-47 NAS)

The word there for distinction or difference is the word H914

Strongs #914: AHLB#: 2005 (V) 2005) ( BDL) ac: Separate co:

Piece ab: ?: [from: ]

V) ( B-DL) - Separate: To divide or separate something. [freq. 42]

(vf: Niphal, Hiphil) |kjv: separate, divide, difference, asunder, severed| {str: 914}

Bet-Dalet means to be

separate. Lamed means Shepherds

Authority. This is a tw0-edged word,

much like many Hebrew words, they

possess both a positive and a negative

meaning. You see, we can be

separated unto the Authority and

Protection of The Shepherd, or we can be separated from The Shepherd.

Much like the reminder of the silver half-shekel offering done

according to YHVHs blueprint kept the troops of Israel under the

protective atoning cover of YHVH. But when done outside of His plan, our

destruction is imminent. Lets look at another example.

14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt

spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the

south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be

blessed. (Gen 28:14 KJV)

30 For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now

increased unto a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed thee since my

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coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also?

(Gen 30:30 KJV)

43 And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and

maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses. (Gen 30:43 KJV)

21 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they

break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish. 22 And let

the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the

LORD break forth upon them. (Exo 19:21-22 KJV)

8 And David was displeased, because the LORD had made a breach upon

Uzzah: and he called the name of the place Perezuzzah to this day. 9 And

David was afraid of the LORD that day, and said, How shall the ark of the

LORD come to me? (2Sa 6:8-9 KJV)

The word were seeing repeated

over and over here in the following

examples of Scripture is peh-rets, or

paw-rats. And it means a breach or a

breaking out.

Much like soil must be tilled, opened and prepared for

seed, so is the way of all life, also amply demonstrated in the wide array of

pollinated flowers in our home state of South Carolina as observed in the

beautiful colors of Azaleas, Blue Hydrangeas, Redbuds, Magnolias and

Butterfly bushes.

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In 2Sam.6:9 King David asked the question How shall the ark of the

LORD come to me?

Let us remember what Yaakov, brother and servant of his brother Yeshua

said, 5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to

all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

(Jam 1:5 NAS)

Because we do not have the temple today, and we do not use the

sacrificial system today, all of us are at a degree of loss of understanding as

the sacrificial system was a tangible means The Father used to teach us

about Clean and Unclean!

26 Her cohanim have done violence to my Torah, profaned my holy things, made no

difference between the holy and the common, not distinguished between unclean

and clean, hidden their eyes from my shabbats, and profaned me among themselves.

(Eze 22:26 CJB)

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25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you

from all your uncleanness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart

and put a new spirit inside you; I will take the stony heart out of your flesh and

give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put my Spirit inside you and cause you to live by

my laws, respect my rulings and obey them. (Eze 36:25-27 CJB)

23 "'They are to teach my people the difference between holy and common and enable

them to distinguish between clean and unclean.(Eze 44:23 CJB)

What do we know about blood? Genesis 9:4 says, 4 only flesh with its

life, which is its blood, you are not to eat. (Gen 9:4 CJB)

And Deuteronomy 12:27 says, 27 There you will offer your burnt offerings, the

meat and the blood, on the altar of ADONAI your God. The blood of your

sacrifices is to be poured out on the altar of ADONAI your God, and you will eat

the meat. (Deu 12:27 CJB)

The blood was meant for the altar, for life. But the understanding is

by it that which is meant for life instead is poured on the ground, it makes

those that touch the blood unclean. We read in Lev. 12,

2 "Tell the people of Isra'el: 'If a woman conceives and gives birth to a boy, she will

be unclean for seven days with the same uncleanness as in niddah, when she is

having her menstrual period. 3 On the eighth day, the baby's foreskin is to be

circumcised.(Lev 12:2-3 CJB)

The woman is therefore in a state of

uncleanness for 7 days, or niddah,

meaning: impurity

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another reason why the child is taken away so they do not have to

participate in the mothers ritual uncleanness. The issues concerning the

womans cycle of blood are called Laws of Purity of Holiness and do not

reflect punishment but as the Etz Hayyim commentators point out, Tumah

(ritually unclean) seems to be the result of coming into contact with an

awesomely potent force that disqualifies one from approaching the

sanctuary. A woman who had just given birth might feel the presence of

God so strongly in that experience that she would feel no need to go to the

sanctuary to find God (Etz Hayyim, p.649).

6 'And when the days of her purification are completed, for a son or for a

daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the doorway of the tent of meeting,

a one year old lamb for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove

for a sin offering.

7 'Then he shall offer it before the LORD and make atonement for her; and

she shall be cleansed from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who

bears a child, whether a male or a female. 8 'But if she cannot afford a lamb,

then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, the one for a

burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make

atonement for her, and she shall be clean.'" (Lev 12:6-1 NAS)

So at the end of her purification she was to bring a sin offering for

atonement. Interestingly we read a similar account in the birth of our

Messiah. Reading in the book of Luke chapter 2 we read,

21 And when eight days were completed before His circumcision, His name

was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was

conceived in the womb. 22 And when the days for their purification

according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to

Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the

Lord, "Every first-born male that opens the womb shall be called holy to

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the Lord "), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the

Law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."

(Luk 2:21-24 NAS)

39 When Yosef and Miryam had finished doing everything required by the

Torah of ADONAI, they returned to the Galil, to their town Natzeret. 40

The child grew and became strong and filled with wisdom- God's favor

was upon him. 41 Every year Yeshua's parents went to Yerushalayim for

the festival of Pesach. (Luk 2:39-41 CJB)

Mary & Joseph Obeyed the Torah!

An important lesson for us to observe here is that as we obey His

Torah, the better understanding we will come into of making those

distinctions between Holy & common, between Clean & Unclean. Because if

we recall, it was Spiritual impurity that keep a people from approaching

YHVH.

What we are discussing here is determining those things that keep us

from intimacy with our Creator, and how to resolve and remove anything

that would stand in the way of our fellowship with Him; which is why He

has shared His Torah, which is His character and heart on how to address

those things that we would otherwise be left in bondage and kept from

YHVH had He not revealed how to address issues of uncleanness and purity

here!

And so, as stated earlier, there is such a stark contrast where we read

in the beginning of the parasha the creation of life, and then in the

following chapter we then read of a skin affliction, an outbreak that can

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cause death. The similarity we find between both is that most always, by

our choices have invited those seeds or things that make for life, or for

death yes?

*A person can be ritually cleanbut have an Unclean Heart!*

19 "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts,

false witness, slanders. (Mat 15:19 NAS)

So here are a few closing thoughts I want to leave for your consideration.

Colossians tells us that we have been created to reveal the glory of

Mashiach. 27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the

glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope

of glory: 28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man

in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 29

Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which

worketh in me mightily. (Col 1:27-29 KJV)

Also pointed out in the book of Ephesians we read 17 That Christ may

dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

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18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and

length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which

passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

(Eph 3:17-19 KJV)

Its important then that we, as obedient vessels, operate in obedience

to His Torah so that we can be empowered by His indwelling Spirit to carry

the Gospel around the world to the Lost. We read in the book of Matthew

23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and

preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness

and all manner of disease among the people. (Mat 4:23 KJV)

The word in Greek there for Gospel is G2098 euaggelion, pronounced yoo-ang-ghel'-ee-on. From the same as G2097; a

good message, that is, the gospel: - gospel. To announce the good news, to bring glad tidings, to bring the message of salvation. If we examine this word in the concordance to the Septuagint we find it is the same word in

Hebrew as Strongs# H1309 be o ra h be o ra h

bes-o-raw', bes-o-raw' from the feminine from H1319; glad tidings; by

implication reward for good news: - reward for tidings. 1319 basar

{baw-sar'} Meaning: 1) to bear news, bear tidings, publish, preach, show forth 1a) (Piel) 1a1) to gladden with good news 1a2) to bear news 1a3) to announce (salvation) as good news, preach 1b) (Hithpael) to receive good news; (2Sam.4:10). The word used for Gospel in The Hebrew language is the same word we find in this weeks parasha in Vayikra, Leviticus 13:2

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ba a r. baw-sawr' from H1319; flesh (from its freshness); by extension body, person; also (by euphemism) the pudenda of a man: - body, [fat, lean] flesh [-ed], kin, [man-] kind, + nakedness, self, skin.

Baw-sawr. The flesh. The gospel is to be carried throughout the world

and demonstrated in a vessel of flesh. Was this not what Yeshua did as

prophesied by Yeshayahu in chapter 53

9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death;

because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 10

Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when

thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall

prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

(Isa 53:9-10 KJV)

7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a

servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in

fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death,

even the death of the cross. (Phi 2:7-8 KJV)

24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we,

being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye

were healed. 25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned

unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. (1Pe 2:24-25 KJV)

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In drawing the comparisons and contrast between what it means to

give life in Tazria, and what it is to bring death through uncleanness of

Tzaarat we must examine whats in our heart. We are approaching Pesach

and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Be it known the close proximity of

these feasts and the parashas were studying right now is related!

45 "Everyone who has tzara'at sores is to wear torn clothes and unbound

hair, cover his upper lip and cry, 'Unclean! Unclean!' (Lev 13:45 CJB)

What we are approaching now must wait until next week, but as you read

next weeks parasha Metzora I want us to consider how things that are

already in our heart that defile us come out for everyone to see. And what

we need to understand is that in a true spiritual sense as demonstrated in

numerous verses today that if we are not walking in His commandments,

we risk a break out that can actually result in a physical manifestion of an

inward spiritual impurity. I have to leave it here for now. But consider what

weve shared today and well pick it up next week in Metzora.