People, Land and Scripture

BIBLE VERSE OF THE WEEK

"Blessed is the man that walkers not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standers in the way of sinners, nor sitters in the seat of the scornful."

Psalm 1:1

PARASHAT READING

EMOR...

"Say...or Speak..."

Leviticus 21:1 - 24:23

17 May

Commentary:

In this portion, God speaks to Moses and command him about the laws of "priestly" behaviour when working in the Mishkan (Tabernacle), and the consuming of the sacrifices. These laws are with regard to touching corpses, pagan customs, and marriage of the kohanim, and they promote holiness and keep the Name of Adonai from being profaned.

In this portion we find that God also commands the observance of Shabbat, Passover, Counting the Omer, Firstfruits, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot. He speaks about the lighting of the menorah and the placing of the shewbread in the tabernacle. The portion ends with speaking about blasphemers and their punishments.

What does this mean for us today? This portion, "Say....or Speak", reminds us of the power of our words. A wise person knows and recognizes this power and uses it not to harm, but to the best advantage.

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