The Torah is Full of Rules...

In this week's parasha....

There are rules for priests
Don't touch any dead bodies
except your family.

Do not shave your head
or the sidelocks of your beards.
Do not gash your flesh.

Priests have lots of rules
Do not marry a harlot
or a divorcee.

Priests have to be pure
They can't share the sacrifice
with any lay-folks.

Holidays happen:
Shabbat, Pesach, Shavuot
Yom Kippur, Sukkot,

Rosh Hashanah too.
These holidays are holy,
each one on its date.

Light the lights a lot
every day in the Mishkan
an "eternal light."

There was once a man
and he was a blasphemer.
He was stoned by all.

Kill a man - you die.
If you kill a beast - you pay.
The laws are so clear.

Shabbat Shalom!

It's time for some sacrificing around here...

And thus we begin
another book of Torah,
now Leviticus.

God tells what to do.
Sacrifices 101
is Mo's courseload now.

First, burnt offerings:
animals completely burned
by the holy priests.

Next, meal offerings:
Cakes of flour and oil,
part to burn by priests.

Sh'lamim offerings,
to demonstrate gratitude
are detailed next.

Then, sin offerings
if you omitted info,
if you touched unclean,

or if you swore oath
and then forgot about it.
Also guilt offerings:

Unwitting sinning,
lying or robbing also
make you do this one.

God is forgiving
when expiation is made
and it's all okay!

***

It's Shabbat Zachor
Zachor means "to remember"
It precedes Purim.

The reading is hard,
we remember Amalek
how he attacked us.

It fits with Purim
we remember times of pain
Amalek, Haman...

We celebrate now
but we know the world isn't
perfect just quite yet.

Chag Purim Sameach!
and Shabbat Shalom!