Parashat Emor

8 May 2015                               Day 35 of Omer                          Iyyar  20  5775

Parashat Emor                                                                                              by Shelley Wood Gauld    Lev 21:1 – 24:23, Ezek 44:15 – 44:31, 1 Pet 2:4-10

Parashat Emor builds on the practical instructions found in ‘K’doshim’, but its focus shifts from the community to the kohanim; in particular, to the kohen gadol (high priest). He was to be held to the highest standards and was to be more ‘set apart’ than any other Israelite. Furthermore, because he represented the people, the community was to enforce HaShem’s rulings regarding his conduct. If he misused or fell short in his holy duties, there were repercussions – and he was not permitted to resign from his position… He had to remain as ritually pure as was humanly possible; which included minimal contact with the dead, marriage to a virgin only, no shaving with sharp blades, and not being permitted to serve if he developed a physical defect. It was surely only the special measure God’s Ruach resting upon the high priests that sustained them.

But you are a chosen people, the King's cohanim, a holy nation, a people for God to possess! Why? In order for you to declare the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9

The above scripture is often quoted in churches and amongst followers of Yeshua. And this is good ~ it serves as an important reminder that we too are held to a higher standard.

In the hands of the godly, faith in Yeshua has had an immensely civilizing effect on nations. However, in the hands of nominal believers, “Christian” governments and state churches, it has all too often been used as a scourging whip, a means of controlling entire societies, and of justifying war and persecution.

After Theodosius I adopted Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire in C.E. 392, pagan worship was outlawed and Christian doctrines came to be regarded as the basis of law and order. “Heresy” then became an offence against both church and state. During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, when civil rulers were unable, or refused, to discipline dissident elements, the church assumed control. In 1231, Pope Gregory IX established a special court, the Inquisition, which was designed to hunt down ‘heretics’ and force them to conform to church teachings... The medieval Crusades, with their intense persecution of Jewish communities, also demonstrated the dubious benefits of the marriage between church and state... The Crusades — essentially military campaigns waged against Muslims in control of Palestine during the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth centuries — were products of a combination of both spiritual and worldly motives.

The adoption of Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire thus had both positive and negative long-term consequences. The Faith’s new status brought an end to the cruel persecutions of the early Church, resulting in a more rapid dissemination of the messianic message. But from that time citizens of the Roman Empire, and later the Western world in general, became “Christians” merely by virtue of their nationality — by birth. In addition, those of differing religious persuasions were, at times, forced into the adoption of the Faith and conversions were not necessarily genuine. Down the centuries Yeshua has frequently been dishonoured by deeds performed “In His Service” by ‘Christian’ societies.

Thus, ironically, with the establishment of Christianity as the dominant religion of the Western world, the marketplace of men’s souls has been flooded with the “pearl of great price” (the longed for Messiah), coercive tactics have been used in selling this ‘product’, and God’s most priceless gift to humanity has slowly but surely been devalued…. and sincere believers in Yeshua have been swallowed up in vast seas of nominal Christianity….

How clever are the ways of the Adversary…. Yeshua came to be viewed as the motivation behind the persecution of others… in particular His own Jewish people…. Copies of the Bible, and hence the “Good News”, became commonplace; so much so that individuals came to view these as lifeless and boring… And a glut of houses of worship further dulled the spiritual senses… How did HaSatan slake the power of Mashiach ben Yosef? How does one diminish the power of an idea? ~ Duplicate it, replicate it, mass produce it, until everyone is absolutely surfeited and moves on to new ideas and activities…

How difficult it is to keep one’s footing in a sea of spiritual mediocrity…. Yet our task remains: to live as members of a ‘holy nation’ and ‘the King's cohanim’… to set ourselves apart… and to hold fast to a higher standard, in our Yeshua…