Emor and the Showbread

The prophetic significance of the holy bread

Parashat Emor Leviticus 21:1–24:23 Ezekiel 44:15–31; Matthew 26:59–66

Each component of the tabernacle had a specific place and meaning. God left nothing to chance. Ultimately, He wanted to explain to His people Israel the structure and principles of the heavenly sanctuary through the model of the tabernacle.

According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it . (Exodus 25:9, KJV)

The showbread

The twelve showbreads were placed on the table in the sanctuary. They were stacked in two piles of six loaves each. Here we can quickly see the symbolism of the twelve tribes and the later division of the kingdom of Israel.

But the symbolism goes a bit deeper. Let’s take a closer look at the relevant texts.

The dough

And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake. (Leviticus 24:5, KJV)

The cakes or loaves were to be two-tenths of an ephah. This is equivalent to twice the amount of manna that fell daily from heaven in the desert (Exodus 16:36). Only on Shabbat was the amount doubled.

I find it interesting that each loaf had to be kneaded separately. So there was no big dough that was then divided into twelve parts. Instead, the Hebrews prepared the dough for each loaf separately.

In this way, we see the preparation of the dough as a reflection of the creation of man. God created Adam from the earth and formed him into a potter’s body. This body came to life only through the breath of the Almighty (Gen 2:7).

The weight of 2 tenths seems to me to indicate the Breath, the Spirit of God. The reference to Shabbat shows that the goal, the attainment of the final Shabbat, has been inherent in man since creation.

The baking process

Once the dough for the showbread was ready, it had to be baked. Again, there is a special procedure.

And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the LORD. (Leviticus 24:6, KJV)

To stack the loaves in two layers, they were baked in pairs (Menachot 94a:13). Again, we see the parallel with man, who was formed as an individual, but had to pass through the fire as a pair.

The waiting period

After baking, the loaves were placed on the table and remained there until Shabbat.

And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 8 Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. (Leviticus 24:7–8, KJV)

During this waiting period, the loaves are placed under a layer of incense. The incense symbolizes the unbreakable bond between God and man.

The incense is also referred to as an offering made with fire. However, the underlying Hebrew word ishe can also be pronounced isha. In this form, it means woman or wife.

Conclusion

This completes the picture. The showbread is symbolic of man and his history with God. From creation to the fall to the restoration of order on Shabbat. Everything is encoded in the loaves.

And so we also see the gospel encoded in such inconspicuous components of the tabernacle.

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