Emor: Say — אמור

Thoughts on Last Weeks Torah Portion.
 
See our page on Spiritual Coaching:
 
Leviticus 16-20
In our review for last week, we heard Rabbi Sacks set out the ethical aspects of Kings, Priests and Prophets.  Those aspects included Wisdom, Justice and Holiness for which traits fathers of families should develop.  Moreover, Rabbi Sacks finishes his discussion on this parsha by saying that Leviticus 19 does make sense when we look at Holiness in terms of making order.

---

Rabbi Sacks said,
 
"We are far less familiar with the priestly idea that just as there is a scientific order to nature, so there is a moral order, and it consists in keeping separate the things that are separate, and maintaining the boundaries that respect the integrity of the world God created…An ordered universe is a moral universe, a world at peace with its Creator and itself."
 
So what we see is that Holiness is about creating order.  But it is not just any kind of order, it is the order that God prescribes.  It is the order that God prescribes to be in a relationship with Him and to be in His presence.  In summary, this is how Holiness looks.

God's Law Order

>

Holiness

>

God's Presence

>

Relationship with God

​​Yeshua/Jesus added special emphasis to this view by teaching the importance of having pure motives and attitudes, in other words, having a pure heart - Jeremiah 31.  Our summary now looks like this.

Pure Heart

>

God's Law Order

>

Holiness

>

God's Presence

>

Relationship with God

Consider this brief video teaching on Holiness in the Book of Leviticus.

Isaiah Chapter 31
Those who trust in Egypt’s military might rely on an arm of flesh as Jehovah alone is all-powerful.

Hebrew Study

Jeremiah 31:33

English	Hebrew	Transliteration
I put	​נָתַ֤תִּי	nah-tah-tee
-	​אֶת־	eht
my Torah	תּֽוֹרָתִי֙	toh-rah-tee
in their minds	​בְּקִרְבָּ֔ם	be-keer-bahm
and on	וְעַל־	ve-ahl
their hearts	לִבָּ֖ם	lee-bahm
I write her/it	אֶכְתֲּבֶ֑נָּה	ehk-tah-veh-nah
and I will be	וְהָיִ֤יתִי	ve-hah-yee-tee
to them	לָהֶם֙	lah-hehm
​to God	​לֵֽאלֹהִ֔ים	leh-loh-heem
and they	​וְהֵ֖מָּה	ve-hehm-mah
they shall be	יִֽהְיוּ־	yee-yu
my	לִ֥י	lee
people	​לְעָֽם׃	le-ahm

---

Resource Links for this Week's Portion

TORAH: Leviticus 21:1-24:23
GOSPELS: Matthew 26:59-66

Listen and Read the Portion
First Fruits of Zion

Torah Pearls with Nehemia Gordon

HAFTARAH: Isaiah Chapter 32

Commentary with Avraham Gileadi, PhD