The Book of Kedusha

The Book of Leviticus is the third book of the Torah written by Moses, and it is called “Vayikra” in Hebrew, meaning “Called.” This book is also called “The Book of Kedusha”, which is the Hebrew word for “holiness.” Kedusha is defined as “the designation and the setting apart of something or someone for the service of God by formal and legal restrictions and limitations. The kedusha of time is marked by formal and legal limits on man’s activities of work and construction”-The Temple, Joshua Berman, p. 6)

Another definition we will need to know is the definition for “keep and observe.” These terms play a pivotal role in Leviticus. Keep and Observe is defined as the “Incorporation of the things of God into our lives. It is staying true to the tavnit (pattern) God has given for a specific thing to be done, at a specific time, at a specific place, by specific people.” To understand Leviticus and to have a proper Tanak foundation, these two definitions must be understood and utilized.

Leviticus describes a living, working system in which the ritual purity of the central sanctuary is maintained, whether it was the Mishkan or the Temple. One of the things we need to remember when we talk about the korbanot (offerings), the altar, the priesthood, and the functions of the Temple is that all of it came from God. It is where God does business with man. This system is separate and apart from the work of Yeshua. In fact, they complement each other (John 1.17). The Temple system and the korbanot only dealt with the flesh (Heb 9.13), and Yeshua’s work dealt with the heart.

The word korban does not mean “sacrifice” as so many use the term. It means “to draw near” to God. The korbanot were seen as a restoration of the covenant relationship and a continuation of the covenant, often accompanied by a meal called a meal consecrated to God, or a “Lord’s Supper”, shared when the Torah was given in Exodus 24. The korbanot were like “near-death experiences,” and they speak of mortality.

There were three elements to a korban. We have the person, the korban itself, and the priest. All three allude to Yeshua. The korbanot revealed God’s love for his children. Only the name of God (Yehovah) is used in relation and connection with the korbanot, never “Elohim.” Yehovah is associated with the mercy of God, and Elohim (a title) is associated with judgment. Remember these concepts when you read and study this book.  

The five books of Moses are chaistic in structure. That means that Leviticus is the focal point of this structure. In the word “Vayikra,” there is a small Hebrew letter “aleph” at the end of the word. The next word in Hebrew is “el” (to), and it is written with an enlarged aleph. The small aleph alludes to Moses, and the enlarged aleph alludes to Messiah Yeshua, based on Deut 18.18.

We see right away that this book is about kedusha (holiness). It is a book about priests, and people will ask, “Why learn about that? All that has been done away with anyway.” It is also a book about kedusha, and they will ask, “Why learn about that? God gives me that.” However, they do not understand what kedusha means, and they think “holiness” (kedusha) means righteousness (tzedakah/tzadik), and it does not.  The word “kedusha” is related to the word “kadosh.” Quoting from the book, “The Temple” by Joshua Berman, p. 3, Berman says, “In our culture, we are apt to call a righteous person, one who is saintly and pious, a ‘holy’ person. The Bible is replete with characters who would seem apt for the appellation kadosh. However, when we examine the nomenclature that the Bible uses to describe its heroes, we arrive at a surprising conclusion. Noah is termed “ish tzadik”-a righteous man (Gen 6.9). Moses is called “ish Elohim” -a man of God (Deut 33.1). Caleb is described by God as “avdi”-My servant (Num 14.24). Samuel is described as “ne’eman”-faithful or loyal to God (1 Sam 3.20). None, however, are called “kadosh.” Again, the definition of kedusha means “to be set apart for the service of God with certain limitations and restrictions.  The kedusha of periods of time is marked by limits on man’s activities of work and construction (The Temple by Joshua Berman, p. 6). The first thing that God called “holy” or that had a kedusha was the Sabbath day (Gen 2.1-3).

The book of Leviticus has two strikes against it with most people who claim to be believers, and with most people, for that matter. It deals with the central sanctuary called the Mishkan, and later the Temple, which was called the “Beit ha Mikdash” or “house of kedusha.” Leviticus deals with the korbanot (offerings), daily life, atonement, covenant relationships, and worship. In this teaching, we will concentrate on just one aspect, the korbanot (offerings).

Lev 1.2 says, “When any man (adam) of you brings an offering (korban) to the Lord.” It then goes on to describe the “who, what, where, when, and why” of the korbanot. The word “adam” means “anyone”, even a heathen could send a korban to the central sanctuary. Yet, despite our inability to fully comprehend, the message is clear. The absolution of sin was not complete without the korbanot, from the “adam” to the priest.

We need to get rid of the misconception that animal korbanot was a barbaric practice where someone slaughtered an animal. The Hebrew word used is not “sacrifice” as in “giving something up.” It is not an offering, as in bringing a gift or a bribe to appease a god, like we have discussed in Exodus with our comparison of monotheism and polytheism. The word the Lord used is “korban” in Hebrew, and it means to “draw near.” The root for this word is “karav,” and it means to have intimate contact (Isa 8.3). The korbanot is a means to come closer to God. It is for the spiritual benefit of the person doing the korban that they do this. If we eat hamburger, chicken, and use leather for shoes for our physical benefit, how much more for the spiritual?

God doesn’t “need” the korbanot; they aren’t for him, they were for us. The korbanot will allude to several things. The korbanot alludes to the fact that we should offer ourselves to God, and it expresses gratitude and thanks. Our service to the Lord is to do his will (Torah). They also show us that we can “walk away from death,” and this should touch our attitude overall.

Now, when we say “closeness” or “nearness,” we are not necessarily talking about something that can be measured in feet and inches physically. A person can be “close” to someone but be many miles apart. There is a concept of space, light, mass, time, and energy in the physical world, and these concepts can also be applied spiritually. Spiritual space is like the Temple, spiritual time is the festivals, the sabbath, the Yovel (fiftieth year), and the Shemittah (seventh year). Spiritual light is God’s word; spiritual mass is any entity whose function is to carry out God’s will, like the angels, good or bad, God’s messengers, etc. Spiritual energy is the result of that work. Spiritual movement is moving towards God or away from him (Jer 7.24). The Torah wants us to internalize its values and to make it a part of our lives. The korbanot will help us “remember” what we did.

Why does the Torah use “adam” and not “ish” when talking about mankind in Lev 1.2? It alludes to Adam, the father of all of us, and sin. The secret of the korbanot is found in Adam, and we are all related. The name Adam also alludes to the Messiah. It is spelled with an aleph, dalet, vav, and mem in Hebrew. The aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and it means “ox, power, strength, first, and beginning.” It is symbolic of God. The word for blood is “dam.” Putting this together, the name “Adam” means “blood of God” or “first blood.”  If you are going to serve the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, this is what holiness is.  Leviticus is the book of Kedusha, so when we read a chapter in this book, say to yourself. “Holiness is… and then read the chapter.