Haf. Vayikra (Isaiah 43:21-44:23)

Join Beth Tikkun as we continue our study of the Haftarah portions for the 2013-14 Torah cycle. In this study we invest most of our time in the opening verses of this passage. We learn the true meaning of the word praise and its connection to light. We alsolearn that not only do God’s people praise Him, but He also praises His people. We will take a close look at the various Hebrew words for sin and how they are used in the Bible. Finally, we analyze the title Yeshurun and discuss the foolishness of idolatry.

Haf. Vayikra

Categories Haftarah Portion, Media | Tags: , , , , | Posted on March 9, 2014

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3 Comments

  1. by Pennie Cranham

    On March 14, 2014

    Dear Grant,
    (I am the Pennie who is connecting you with pilgrim hall and Woking in England this August)
    Just listened to your teaching this morning on hafTorah vayikra. It was great….I am learning a lot.
    Can I put a thought into the mix?
    My understanding is that the word Avon = Iniquity in the Hebrew renders as twisted distorted veiled concealed. (learnt that from a fluent Hebrew speaker) I have over these years been working on a piece of humanities truth that checks out the Genesis 3 account as a cycle, one of many cycles and patterns there are in Torah and Tenack. (David Deukin is now helping me with this work which is huge and enncompasses so much )…..i would like therefore to suggest that theft is not the primary sin of Adam, although wouldnt deny it happening, but rather as a cycle of seeing humanities ‘fall’ it starts with the doubt in the question ‘did God really say’ and begins the pattern of avon (twisted distorted veiled concealed) in how Eve sees God which sets the foundation for how she sees herself…….the next question posed in the garden from God to Adam is after they have committed Pesha….a willful deviation or crossing over the line of God’s instruction when they eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil…….God calls ‘Adam where are you’? and they are hiding because Adam has created a separation of his own choosing and fear has entered the scene ……..the cycle then moves on to a further question which evolves out from God’s conversation with Adam……..and He asks Adam who told you you were naked?…….causing a response from Adam that is initially excuse and contrite and then defensive and rebellious….a coming together of both iniquity and pesha in the point of chettat……the very physical moment when Adam and Eve had missed the mark and would have no choice but to walk out from the garden…..God created the first Test for mankind within the safety of the garden/ of Himself, and it wasn’t to see whether they got it right or wrong, whether they would even obey or disobey, but to see what was on their hearts. I believe Adams sin was not theft but rather not being what he was created to be for…..maybe it was his indolence his sloth in not ‘covering’ Eve that was part of the problem…..the consequences for both Adam and Eve would bear this thought out when God tells them was living outside the garden will look like……..and it was His mercy that sent them out of the garden of course because they were truly free now to repent and return and cross back into His garden which of course is the very Good news of God.

    Anyway, just some thoughts……
    Blessings on your day and Shabbat Shalom
    pennie Cranham

  2. by L. Grant Luton

    On March 16, 2014

    Pennie, So good to hear from you. And thank you for the kind words concerning the teachings. I look forward to meeting you and your friends in England later this year!

    Thank you also for your comments concerning Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden. I think we can bring both of our thoughts into agreement by realizing that we are talking apples and oranges here. You are describing the complex inner workings of Adam and Eve’s souls, whereas I am looking only at the outward action they performed. Certainly, there were all kinds of flawed thoughts and feelings within them when they finally made the decision to eat from the tree, but they did not cross a moral line until they actually ate. Up to this point God had given only two commandments — a positive one: ‘be fruitful and multiply’, and a negative one; ‘you shall not eat from the tree…’ After they sinned, God did not ask, “Did you doubt Me?” or “Adam, did you fail to protect your mate?” Instead, He asked, “Did you eat of the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?” THAT was the commandment which had been disobeyed and thus comprised the first actual, measurable sin. This in no way dismisses their inner failures and flawed logic, but the principle here is as Paul stated: “For sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law.” (Romans 5:13) So this is why I say that the first sin, at least the first one that was “counted”, is the sin of theft. But there is no question that this first illegal act was preceded by the things you describe as taking place in their souls.

    Blessings to you and all in Woking!

    Shalom,
    Grant L.

  3. by Pennie Cranham

    On March 21, 2014

    Grant,
    I hadn’t quite worked out how these postings worked and only just found your reply.

    I appreciate your response and will think on it. Thank you. I guess my initial thought is that maybe its an example of that well known phrase and saying, the ‘fruit and root’ syndrome. Was the fruit or the consequence, theft, but the root ‘doubt’ established in the snakes question? Maybe Abba was establishing some sort of principle here related to what would be given later in Leviticus although right now at 5.30 in the morning my brain cant join the dots……Apples and oranges might hold the clue ha ha!!

    Blessings on you day when you finally arrive in it

    pennie

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