I knew going into this… Leviticus is a bear. It’s always Leviticus, right? This weeks parsha is no exception. At first glance, Emor looks like a list of rules for priests. Who they can marry. When they can mourn. What disqualifies them from serving. It feels… distant. Irrelevant. Upon reading the first half of this parsha, I had to sit for a while to find the deeper meaning, the real thread to pull. I feel wildly unqualified to even begin to dissect the first half of Emor. And then, the final half, we have God, laying out the various feats and holidays that He wants us to observe. Holiness is structured. It lives in people, and it lives in time. “These are My fixed times,” God says—not when you feel ready, not when life slows down, but fixed. Built in. Protected. Emor, at its core, is a blueprint for a life that makes room for God—intentionally, rhythmically, and with care.
Meanwhile, enjoy a super cute photo of Poppy, our two week old Easter Egger.
The closer you are to holiness, the more precise your life must become.
At first glance, reading about the rules of the priests, I find it a bit odd that so many rules and restrictions would be listed out. After all, we’re dedicating sacred Torah space for a fraction of a fraction of an already tiny number of people. And then clarity. This small group of people, who will be qualified to serve as a High Priest, they have a very important job. So yes, it is important to dedicate sacred Torah space. Even if this particular text won’t apply to a majority of us. More than that, ignorance of the law does not exempt you from observing the law. The majority should be aware of the laws for the minority, because as we’ll see in the Book of Prophets, priests should not make things up as they go. We the people need to hold those with vast responsibly to a high standard. And the only way to do this, is to be aware of the rules and laws set out by God.
A List of the Feasts from Leviticus 23+24
This is probably one of my favorite parts of Leviticus so far. I love that we have a very detailed list of all the feasts and holidays that God wants us to observe. I love that they’re very cleanly outlined. I love that they’re neatly broken up into Spring feasts, and Autumn feasts. I love that Shabbat is included in this list — even though it’s a weekly feast, it’s number one. After all, it is the only feast that makes it into the Ten Commandments.
“Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: These are My fixed times, the fixed times of GOD, that you shall proclaim as sacred occasions.” (23:2)
- Shabbat (yes, it’s listed first—this matters thematically | Year-round)
- Passover (Pesach | Spring)
- Feast of Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMatzot, week only | Spring)
- Feast of First Fruits (Omer offering during Passover / Reishit Ketzir | Spring)
- Feast of Weeks (Shavuot, 50 days after Passover | Spring)
- Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah | Autumn )
- Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur – technically a fasting day, not a feast | Autumn)
- Feast of Booths (Sukkot, week long | Autumn)
- Shemini Atzeret (the 8th day assembly, right at the end of Sukkot—often overlooked, but explicitly included | Autumn)
Fixed times of God. You guys, I love that. These are the fixed times that you purposely build into your life, your home, abstaining from work, being with God. I suppose the true meaning underneath Emor is what it looks like to live, and how and when to be with God.