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Jacob Ben Avraham

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  1. ISAIAH 43:21-44:23 YHVH speaks through the Prophet Yeshayahu and complains that Israel has forgotten about God, they no longer bring sacrifices, but are engrossed in sin, He explains that craftsmen will use their skill to make idols, that have no value, what a waste of craftsmanship! They can take iron and make a plowshare, swords, and even an idol. Is the fault in the iron? Or in the craftsman? Iron is just a material from the ground, the craftsman can turn it into something for usefulness or idolatry. The worker in wood can cut down trees, make perhaps a plow, a wheel, use the wood for fuel for fire, or make a wooden idol. Is it the wood’s fault? or does the fault lie with the craftsman? Even today, we can use money either to buy food for our family, pay our bills, or buy and sell drugs! Does the fault lie in the money? Or the use of it? We can use money to honor or dishonor God and those around us, the choice is ours. What are we doing with the resources that God has given us? Everything belongs to God. He owns it all. We just use HIS resources. Someday, we will ALL be held accountable for how we have used what HE has given us "on loan" We can use what He has given to us for HIS glory and honor, or to satisfy greed and self. God cries out to Israel; “I SHALL WIPE OUT YOUR TRANSGRESSIONS LIKE A CLOUD, AND YOUR SINS LIKE A MIST, RETURN TO ME AND I SHALL REDEEM YOU” (44:22) The promise still stands. If we “shoov” (return) to HIM, HE will save us! That's what the name "Yeshuah" means. "Salvation is of YAH" MARK 11:1-12:44 There are several themes in these verses. Yeshua is in all of them. One theme is that when he went into the temple in Yerushalayim, he threw over the money tables and chased out the money changers, saying “My house is a House of prayer but you have made it a den of thieves” There are many synagogues and some churches that refuse to conduct business on the Sabbath or the day of worship because they are reminded of that verse. However, Yeshua called them “thieves” These money changers were exchanging foreign money such as Greek “drachmas” and Roman “Denarii” for Israel “Shekels” to buy sacrificial animals. Many times, the money changers would not honor the exchange rate, and would “cheat” the clients. If 12 Mexican pesos equaled 1 US dollar, it would be like accepting the 12 pesos and giving the person 75 cents! Perhaps these money changers were cheating in this way. Are there ways that we are thieves? If God has set aside the Sabbath to attend HIS house, to visit with Him and show HIM due honor, are we there? be it on Shabbat or on Sunday? or both? Or are we at the park, at a ball game, or just in the "I don't want to go to church today" mode? Either way, we are "stealing" from God! Our time belongs to the LORD. Tithes and offerings also belong to Him. Let us honor the LORD with our time and with our resources, and not be thieves. In 12:29-31 Yeshua quotes the “Shema” Hear O Israel YHVH is our Elohim, YHVH is ONE (Echad) and he continues, Love Elohim with all your heart, being, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. Yeshua just summed up all the 613 commandments in two verses! Because all the commandments have to do with our relationship with YHVH and our relationship with our fellow man. That is the purpose of Bible study, to learn these commandments and put them into practice, to deepen our relationship with Messiah Yeshua to be a good witness to our fellow man, and to bring lost mankind to a saving relationship with Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Christ). Messiah Yeshua, the Bread of Life, who paid our sin price with his body and blood
  2. ISAIAH 43:21-44:23 YHVH speaks through the Prophet Yeshayahu and complains that Israel has forgotten about God, they no longer bring sacrifices, but are engrossed in sin, He explains that craftsmen will use their skill to make idols, that have no value, what a waste of craftsmanship! They can take iron and make a plowshare, swords, and even an idol. Is the fault in the iron? Or in the craftsman? Iron is just a material from the ground, the craftsman can turn it into something for usefulness or idolatry. The worker in wood can cut down trees, make perhaps a plow, a wheel, use the wood for fuel for fire, or make a wooden idol. Is it the wood’s fault? or does the fault lie with the craftsman? Even today, we can use money either to buy food for our family, pay our bills, or buy and sell drugs! Does the fault lie in the money? Or the use of it? We can use money to honor or dishonor God and those around us, the choice is ours. What are we doing with the resources that God has given us? Everything belongs to God. He owns it all. We just use HIS resources. Someday, we will ALL be held accountable for how we have used what HE has given us "on loan" We can use what He has given to us for HIS glory and honor, or to satisfy greed and self. God cries out to Israel; “I SHALL WIPE OUT YOUR TRANSGRESSIONS LIKE A CLOUD, AND YOUR SINS LIKE A MIST, RETURN TO ME AND I SHALL REDEEM YOU” (44:22) The promise still stands. If we “shoov” (return) to HIM, HE will save us! That's what the name "Yeshuah" means. "Salvation is of YAH" MARK 11:1-12:44 There are several themes in these verses. Yeshua is in all of them. One theme is that when he went into the temple in Yerushalayim, he threw over the money tables and chased out the money changers, saying “My house is a House of prayer but you have made it a den of thieves” There are many synagogues and some churches that refuse to conduct business on the Sabbath or the day of worship because they are reminded of that verse. However, Yeshua called them “thieves” These money changers were exchanging foreign money such as Greek “drachmas” and Roman “Denarii” for Israel “Shekels” to buy sacrificial animals. Many times, the money changers would not honor the exchange rate, and would “cheat” the clients. If 12 Mexican pesos equaled 1 US dollar, it would be like accepting the 12 pesos and giving the person 75 cents! Perhaps these money changers were cheating in this way. Are there ways that we are thieves? If God has set aside the Sabbath to attend HIS house, to visit with Him and show HIM due honor, are we there? be it on Shabbat or on Sunday? or both? Or are we at the park, at a ball game, or just in the "I don't want to go to church today" mode? Either way, we are "stealing" from God! Our time belongs to the LORD. Tithes and offerings also belong to Him. Let us honor the LORD with our time and with our resources, and not be thieves. In 12:29-31 Yeshua quotes the “Shema” Hear O Israel YHVH is our Elohim, YHVH is ONE (Echad) and he continues, Love Elohim with all your heart, being, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. Yeshua just summed up all the 613 commandments in two verses! Because all the commandments have to do with our relationship with YHVH and our relationship with our fellow man. That is the purpose of Bible study, to learn these commandments and put them into practice, to deepen our relationship with Messiah Yeshua to be a good witness to our fellow man, and to bring lost mankind to a saving relationship with Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Christ). Messiah Yeshua, the Bread of Life, who paid our sin price with his body and blood
  3. PARASHA: “Vayikra” (and he called) LEVITICUS 1:1-6:7 The word “VaYikra” is interesting, as it occurs 3 times. It means “called to (and a person’s name) In other words, Adonai called Moshe from where “he was” to where “Adonai is”. To “bridge the gap of distance” The first “VaYikra” was when Moshe was in the desert attending Yitro’s flock of sheep. Moshe sees the “burning bush” and then, Adonai “Calls to” Moshe to come “closer”, thus, bridging the gap of distance. The second time it occurs is when Adonai “calls to” Moshe to go up Har Sinai, to receive the Torah commandments, and thus, to teach those to HIS people. In both occasions, “fire” is what separated Moshe from Adonai, yet Adonai still “called to” and said to “come near” This is the third time, at the beginning of Leviticus, the Mishkan is finished, the glory cloud rests on it, and then, Adonai “calls to” Moshe, to “come near”. The Tabernacle has been built according to Adonai’s instructions, it is HIS home, and now, He invites Moshe and the priests into HIS home. Today, Adonai “calls to us all” to come near his glory, through our relationship with Messiah Yeshua, who bridges that “gap” of distance, through his blood, He is the “Korban” that brings us near, we are sinful, and He is holy. We responded to His call because He calls us by name! We start the book of Leviticus, this part of the Torah has to do with the Mishkan (the Tabernacle) now ready to be used, and the sacrificial system that will be instituted within the Mishkan. All the sacrifices point to and illustrate MESIAH YESHUA (Jesus the Christ) who he is and what his one-time sacrifice means to us as believers. Even though the sacrificial system was completed with Messiah’s death on Calvary, studying its meaning is worthwhile since it is an integral part of the Torah. One interesting part of the word; “Vayikra” is that in Hebrew, there is a small “Aleph” at the end of the word. Some ask why. Why is the “Aleph” small and a bit elevated? One answer is that it reminds us that we must humbly approach God, we must humble ourselves when we look up to HIM. The other answer is that Adonai “humbled” himself when He came to earth as man, in the form of Yeshua, exposing himself to heat, cold, happiness, sadness, getting tired, and finally, feeling the pain of the nails and the whips, all for our sakes. The letter “Alef” is made up of one “Vav” and two “yods” one on one side of the “Vav” and the other on the other side, one on top and one on the bottom. One can see the symbolism, two “hands” and the “nail”. Two “Yods” and one “Vav” sum “26” and the sacred name YHVH also sums “26” in gematria. You must first read over the scripture verses from Chapter 1:1 through 6:7. Now we are ready for a discussion. The whole idea of a “Korban” (offering) is to generate the idea of “substitution”. Also, the word “Korban” symbolizes “coming close to God.” Our sin separates us from God, yet through the blood, in our case, the blood of Yeshua, we come “close” to God. The sacrificial system involves; a gift, a death, a substitute, a renewed “close” relationship. “The gift (HaMatanah)” comes from the person offering, which is an animal. The animal, which would be a goat, a lamb, a bull, or a bird, would be killed and the blood splattered on the altar (Mizbeach), the animal would be a “substitute” for the person who offers it. The sins of the person “transfer” to the animal. Through the sacrifice, the relationship between the offeror and YHVH is renewed. But remember that the “sacrifices” or "offerings" are just symbolic of what they mean, which is Messiah Yeshua taking on ALL of our sins and being nailed to the cross, and shedding his blood for our sins, giving us a “renewed” relationship with Him, through a “born-again” experience. There were 5 kinds of “korbanot” (offerings); 1. The burnt offering (Olah) 2. The sin offering, 3. The guilt or trespass offering; 4. The Peace offering (Korban Shelamim) 5. The grain or meat offering (Minchah). Each one identifies our relationship with Messiah Yeshua. THE BURNT OFFERING (Olah) This involved an animal sacrifice, the animal was completely burned on the altar and the ashes were taken away and buried “outside the camp” The head, the inner organs, and the legs were burned as well. The pieces of the animal were arranged on the altar and burned. The head could symbolize our “thoughts” and the inner organs could represent our “inner being, the heart, and the legs, our “walk” All of these were “offered up” to YHVH, thus symbolizing our “complete surrender to God in all that we are and have. The altar as you remember was made of hardwood overlaid with bronze and had a grill in the middle, and under the grill were earth and stones. Wood was laid on the grill and the animals were cut up and laid on the grill and burned. This reminds us of Yeshua who was “sacrificed” by his own free will on a WOODEN cross and was consumed by the “fires of judgment” He was judged for OUR SINS. The animal’s throat was cut and the blood was poured out and splashed on the altar. The person offering the animal showed that he/his family was “offering themselves to the LORD”. It also symbolizes our awareness of our sin nature. This sacrifice originated in Genesis, with Adam and Eve, Abel offered an “Olah Korban” so did Abraham, when he offered up the ram instead of his son Isaac, and so did Noah, when he left the ark. THE SIN OFFERING (korban chatat) This also involved an animal sacrifice. It symbolizes our sins that we commit by mistake, (active) or something we do not do, or forget to do (passive). In this korban, the person would offer the animal as a sacrifice, placing his hands on the head of the animal, transferring his “sins” into the animal, which would be the “substitute. The animal’s throat would be cut and the blood splattered on the altar. The priest would offer on the altar the fat, the liver, and the kidneys of the animal. These could symbolize our inner being. In this, the person confessed their sins and they did it by free will, and the animal symbolized Yeshua who paid our sin price in full. THE TRESPASS OR GUILT OFFERING; This involved the same process, only that the person who committed an offense against another would also have to bring compensation for the wrongdoing, either in payment in silver or gold, or payment with animals. When we offend another person, be the person a brother or sister in Messiah or an unbeliever, we need to “compensate” the sin, if we can do it, sometimes, we cannot, if the sin is against the person’s character, no amount of money can repay the damage done, only a sincere confession in humbleness. So, we need to watch our “walk”. THE PEACE OFFERING (Shelamim). The word “Shelamim” comes from “Shalom” (peace) this was an enjoyable sacrifice in which both the priest and the offeror and his family would enjoy “roast beef, goat, or lamb” This was a “thankfulness” offering for blessings received. The animal was offered in the same way, only the meat was shared between the priest and his family, and the offeror and his family. We see this kind of “korban” even today in the parks, when families go out and BBQ ribs (hopefully beef and not pork) chicken, beef sausage, steaks, etc., many times they invite friends and family to enjoy in the “grilling and BBQ” they also have bread, or tostadas, tortillas, drinks, salad, etc. to accompany the meal. THE MEAL OR MEAT OFFERING (Minchah) This was a non-blood offering on the altar, in this korban, fine flour was offered, mixed with olive oil, and frankincense, and also, the flour was made into cakes, rolls of bread, or flatbreads (tortillas) but made without leaven or honey. These usually accompanied the peace offerings, to make the meal a “feast”. The fine flour symbolizes “YESHUA THE BREAD OF LIFE” the oil THE RUACH HA KODESH (The Holy Spirit) the frankincense, OUR FELLOWSHIP THROUGH PRAYER. The animal represented Yeshua who gave his life for us and took upon himself ALL of our sins, past, present, and future. The word “KORBAN” (sacrifice) comes from the Hebrew verb KARAV which means; “to come near” We can only come near to YHVH through the shed blood of Messiah Yeshua, who was the “sacrificed lamb” The Bible says that “without the shedding of blood, there can be no remission of sins” Our sins were “atoned for once, and forever. That is why the “new covenant” or “renewed” covenant is a BETTER covenant because there is no more need for animal sacrifices because YESHUA took their place. Full moon during the Festival of Purim (Adar 13 and 14)
  4. PARASHA: “Vayikra” (and he called) LEVITICUS 1:1-6:7 The word “VaYikra” is interesting, as it occurs 3 times. It means “called to (and a person’s name) In other words, Adonai called Moshe from where “he was” to where “Adonai is”. To “bridge the gap of distance” The first “VaYikra” was when Moshe was in the desert attending Yitro’s flock of sheep. Moshe sees the “burning bush” and then, Adonai “Calls to” Moshe to come “closer”, thus, bridging the gap of distance. The second time it occurs is when Adonai “calls to” Moshe to go up Har Sinai, to receive the Torah commandments, and thus, to teach those to HIS people. In both occasions, “fire” is what separated Moshe from Adonai, yet Adonai still “called to” and said to “come near” This is the third time, at the beginning of Leviticus, the Mishkan is finished, the glory cloud rests on it, and then, Adonai “calls to” Moshe, to “come near”. The Tabernacle has been built according to Adonai’s instructions, it is HIS home, and now, He invites Moshe and the priests into HIS home. Today, Adonai “calls to us all” to come near his glory, through our relationship with Messiah Yeshua, who bridges that “gap” of distance, through his blood, He is the “Korban” that brings us near, we are sinful, and He is holy. We responded to His call because He calls us by name! We start the book of Leviticus, this part of the Torah has to do with the Mishkan (the Tabernacle) now ready to be used, and the sacrificial system that will be instituted within the Mishkan. All the sacrifices point to and illustrate MESIAH YESHUA (Jesus the Christ) who he is and what his one-time sacrifice means to us as believers. Even though the sacrificial system was completed with Messiah’s death on Calvary, studying its meaning is worthwhile since it is an integral part of the Torah. One interesting part of the word; “Vayikra” is that in Hebrew, there is a small “Aleph” at the end of the word. Some ask why. Why is the “Aleph” small and a bit elevated? One answer is that it reminds us that we must humbly approach God, we must humble ourselves when we look up to HIM. The other answer is that Adonai “humbled” himself when He came to earth as man, in the form of Yeshua, exposing himself to heat, cold, happiness, sadness, getting tired, and finally, feeling the pain of the nails and the whips, all for our sakes. The letter “Alef” is made up of one “Vav” and two “yods” one on one side of the “Vav” and the other on the other side, one on top and one on the bottom. One can see the symbolism, two “hands” and the “nail”. Two “Yods” and one “Vav” sum “26” and the sacred name YHVH also sums “26” in gematria. You must first read over the scripture verses from Chapter 1:1 through 6:7. Now we are ready for a discussion. The whole idea of a “Korban” (offering) is to generate the idea of “substitution”. Also, the word “Korban” symbolizes “coming close to God.” Our sin separates us from God, yet through the blood, in our case, the blood of Yeshua, we come “close” to God. The sacrificial system involves; a gift, a death, a substitute, a renewed “close” relationship. “The gift (HaMatanah)” comes from the person offering, which is an animal. The animal, which would be a goat, a lamb, a bull, or a bird, would be killed and the blood splattered on the altar (Mizbeach), the animal would be a “substitute” for the person who offers it. The sins of the person “transfer” to the animal. Through the sacrifice, the relationship between the offeror and YHVH is renewed. But remember that the “sacrifices” or "offerings" are just symbolic of what they mean, which is Messiah Yeshua taking on ALL of our sins and being nailed to the cross, and shedding his blood for our sins, giving us a “renewed” relationship with Him, through a “born-again” experience. There were 5 kinds of “korbanot” (offerings); 1. The burnt offering (Olah) 2. The sin offering, 3. The guilt or trespass offering; 4. The Peace offering (Korban Shelamim) 5. The grain or meat offering (Minchah). Each one identifies our relationship with Messiah Yeshua. THE BURNT OFFERING (Olah) This involved an animal sacrifice, the animal was completely burned on the altar and the ashes were taken away and buried “outside the camp” The head, the inner organs, and the legs were burned as well. The pieces of the animal were arranged on the altar and burned. The head could symbolize our “thoughts” and the inner organs could represent our “inner being, the heart, and the legs, our “walk” All of these were “offered up” to YHVH, thus symbolizing our “complete surrender to God in all that we are and have. The altar as you remember was made of hardwood overlaid with bronze and had a grill in the middle, and under the grill were earth and stones. Wood was laid on the grill and the animals were cut up and laid on the grill and burned. This reminds us of Yeshua who was “sacrificed” by his own free will on a WOODEN cross and was consumed by the “fires of judgment” He was judged for OUR SINS. The animal’s throat was cut and the blood was poured out and splashed on the altar. The person offering the animal showed that he/his family was “offering themselves to the LORD”. It also symbolizes our awareness of our sin nature. This sacrifice originated in Genesis, with Adam and Eve, Abel offered an “Olah Korban” so did Abraham, when he offered up the ram instead of his son Isaac, and so did Noah, when he left the ark. THE SIN OFFERING (korban chatat) This also involved an animal sacrifice. It symbolizes our sins that we commit by mistake, (active) or something we do not do, or forget to do (passive). In this korban, the person would offer the animal as a sacrifice, placing his hands on the head of the animal, transferring his “sins” into the animal, which would be the “substitute. The animal’s throat would be cut and the blood splattered on the altar. The priest would offer on the altar the fat, the liver, and the kidneys of the animal. These could symbolize our inner being. In this, the person confessed their sins and they did it by free will, and the animal symbolized Yeshua who paid our sin price in full. THE TRESPASS OR GUILT OFFERING; This involved the same process, only that the person who committed an offense against another would also have to bring compensation for the wrongdoing, either in payment in silver or gold, or payment with animals. When we offend another person, be the person a brother or sister in Messiah or an unbeliever, we need to “compensate” the sin, if we can do it, sometimes, we cannot, if the sin is against the person’s character, no amount of money can repay the damage done, only a sincere confession in humbleness. So, we need to watch our “walk”. THE PEACE OFFERING (Shelamim). The word “Shelamim” comes from “Shalom” (peace) this was an enjoyable sacrifice in which both the priest and the offeror and his family would enjoy “roast beef, goat, or lamb” This was a “thankfulness” offering for blessings received. The animal was offered in the same way, only the meat was shared between the priest and his family, and the offeror and his family. We see this kind of “korban” even today in the parks, when families go out and BBQ ribs (hopefully beef and not pork) chicken, beef sausage, steaks, etc., many times they invite friends and family to enjoy in the “grilling and BBQ” they also have bread, or tostadas, tortillas, drinks, salad, etc. to accompany the meal. THE MEAL OR MEAT OFFERING (Minchah) This was a non-blood offering on the altar, in this korban, fine flour was offered, mixed with olive oil, and frankincense, and also, the flour was made into cakes, rolls of bread, or flatbreads (tortillas) but made without leaven or honey. These usually accompanied the peace offerings, to make the meal a “feast”. The fine flour symbolizes “YESHUA THE BREAD OF LIFE” the oil THE RUACH HA KODESH (The Holy Spirit) the frankincense, OUR FELLOWSHIP THROUGH PRAYER. The animal represented Yeshua who gave his life for us and took upon himself ALL of our sins, past, present, and future. The word “KORBAN” (sacrifice) comes from the Hebrew verb KARAV which means; “to come near” We can only come near to YHVH through the shed blood of Messiah Yeshua, who was the “sacrificed lamb” The Bible says that “without the shedding of blood, there can be no remission of sins” Our sins were “atoned for once, and forever. That is why the “new covenant” or “renewed” covenant is a BETTER covenant because there is no more need for animal sacrifices because YESHUA took their place. Full moon during the Festival of Purim (Adar 13 and 14)
  5. THREE TABERNACLES? OR THREE IN ONE? (Pikudei: Exodus 38:21-40:38) "accountings of" The Tabernacle is finished, and the congregation brings the finished product to Moshe for inspection. Giving an account of one's work, contribution, offerings, tithes, etc is very Biblical. The LORD expects nothing less from his people. Giving an account of what one has done. It is being accountable for what we have been given and what we have done with it all. That is why there are "accountants" in every business. Even though Moshe probably didn't do any of the physical building (or perhaps he did) he was in charge of the building project as he received the instructions of how the Tabernacle was to be made directly from Adonai. We have the same method today. "Ronald MacDonald" himself doesn't make hamburgers, but all of his managers have to give an "account" to him of how the businesses are going, The gains and the losses, etc. Once everything had been placed inside the Tabernacle, the "Anan HaKavod" (The Glory Cloud) came and surrounded the Tabernacle. The Torah states that Moshe could not enter the Tabernacle because of the Glory Cloud of YHVH, yet on other occasions, he went into the cloud (example, on Mt. Sinai). Why couldn't he go into the Tabernacle on that occasion? One good answer might be; "He was invited by God to enter the Glory Cloud while on Sinai." This time, the invitation was not given. We might say this also. YHVH came down to inspect His house where He will dwell among His people. He wanted to see that all was done under His instructions. The Tabernacle was finished and Adonai came in to dwell with His people on the 1st of Nissan, (April 9th this year) So, April 9th is "New Year's Day" There is only one way to approach YHVH, and that is through Yeshua. The Tabernacle reflected the person of Yeshua in all ways. It is like if you had a house designed and built according to your specifications. Upon finishing the house, you will want to go in and inspect it to see if all is as you wanted it to be. After that, then you will want others to come in. In this Torah portion, the Tabernacle is mentioned/referred to in three ways: 1. HaMishkan (The Tabernacle) 2. HaMishkan, HaOhel Moed (The Tabernacle, Tent of Meeting) 3. HaMishkan, HaEidut (The Tabernacle of the Testimony). In reality, they are ALL the same, yet referred to by different names. Why is that? Why does Moshe refer to them in different ways? Perhaps we can see the ministry of Adonai in different ways. “HaMishkan” If we go back to the ancient Hebrew spelling of the word “Mishkan” It is spelled with 4 Hebrew letters. “Mem” “Sheen” “Kaph” and “Nun” It comes from the verb “Sh’ken” which is “to dwell”. Adonai ordered Moshe to build the Tabernacle so that HE could dwell amongst HIS people. One can look at the letters from the ancient Hebrew perspective and say; “The Living Water who is the All-Consuming Fire anoints (his people) with life” … or … “Our lives became anointed when the presence of the All-Consuming Fire /the Living Water is amongst us” “HaOhel Moed” (The Tent of Meeting) Why do we go to the synagogue/church? Because it is the meeting place where we meet with Elohim. His spirit is there! Even if only two believers are present in some place, HE is in the midst! So, Adonai dwells with his people so we can “meet” with HIM. “Ohel Moed” has 7 letters, “7” is the number of perfection. “Aleph” “Hey” “Lamed” and then; “Mem” “Vav” “Ayin’ “Tav” Again, going back to the ancient Hebrew understanding of the symbolism in the letters, we could understand these two words in the following manner: “Behold the God of Instruction and Teaching (gives his people/us) the “living water (of the word) which connects us with insight, which is at the door”. When we meet with Adonai, we are taught His Word through his chosen teachers, we are taught about Yeshua who is the “Living Water” who gives “insight’ (or understanding). The understanding is there at the door, all we have to do is open the door (of our mind and heart) to receive it. It is interesting that the last word “Moed” has the letters “Ayin and Dalet” which spell “Witness” There are witnesses when we meet with Adonai, Adonai himself, and his holy angels besides those who are there to receive the Word of God. “HaEidut” (Testimony or Pact) The Mishkan was also known as the “Eidut” the Tabernacle of Testimony. What is the testimony? The testimony is the presence of the “Tables of the Torah” The tablets of the Commandments placed in the Ark of the Covenant. The word “Eidut” spelled in Hebrew consists of three letters; “Ayin’ “Dalet” and “Tav”. When we see these from the ancient Hebraic perspective, we can see this message; “Insight is at the door of the Covenant” or we could also understand it as; “The covenant gives insight, and that is at the door”. The letter “Tav” in the ancient spelling looks like a cross leaning to one side. It speaks of the New Covenant under Yeshua, and when we understand (insight) the message of “Yeshuah” (Salvation) then “Yeshuah” is at the “door”. All that we need to do is open the door and receive “Yeshuah” which comes from “Yeshua” (which seems like a play on words). Again, we see the two letters “Ayin and Dalet” (ED) yet here they are reversed, yet they are still present, the “Witness” Inside the Ark of the Covenant were the tablets of the Commandments which YHVH made anew after Moshe broke the original ones, and the broken pieces of the first tablets. We might ask why. It might be to remind us that we broke the law, and we are guilty and we have the sin nature, yet we have been renewed by Yeshua, who made us "anew" through His Holy Spirit. He is the one who fulfilled the Torah in full, without breaking it. In conclusion, the Tabernacle was all about where Adonai came to dwell amongst his people to dwell with them, teach them his word, his ordinances, and his commandments, to direct them to a new lifestyle other than the life they had in Egypt. We meet with Adonai in HIS place of worship to receive his word, and to allow HIM to dwell inside of us through His Holy Spirit. We learn His Word and his Word directs ALL to YESHUA/JESUS, who is the Messiah in the New Covenant. "Chazak, Chazak, v'nitchazek" (Be strong, hold fast, let us strengthen one another) We say this when we come to the end of each book in the Bible. Have a blessed week.
  6. THREE TABERNACLES? OR THREE IN ONE? (Pikudei: Exodus 38:21-40:38) "accountings of" The Tabernacle is finished, and the congregation brings the finished product to Moshe for inspection. Giving an account of one's work, contribution, offerings, tithes, etc is very Biblical. The LORD expects nothing less from his people. Giving an account of what one has done. It is being accountable for what we have been given and what we have done with it all. That is why there are "accountants" in every business. Even though Moshe probably didn't do any of the physical building (or perhaps he did) he was in charge of the building project as he received the instructions of how the Tabernacle was to be made directly from Adonai. We have the same method today. "Ronald MacDonald" himself doesn't make hamburgers, but all of his managers have to give an "account" to him of how the businesses are going, The gains and the losses, etc. Once everything had been placed inside the Tabernacle, the "Anan HaKavod" (The Glory Cloud) came and surrounded the Tabernacle. The Torah states that Moshe could not enter the Tabernacle because of the Glory Cloud of YHVH, yet on other occasions, he went into the cloud (example, on Mt. Sinai). Why couldn't he go into the Tabernacle on that occasion? One good answer might be; "He was invited by God to enter the Glory Cloud while on Sinai." This time, the invitation was not given. We might say this also. YHVH came down to inspect His house where He will dwell among His people. He wanted to see that all was done under His instructions. The Tabernacle was finished and Adonai came in to dwell with His people on the 1st of Nissan, (April 9th this year) So, April 9th is "New Year's Day" There is only one way to approach YHVH, and that is through Yeshua. The Tabernacle reflected the person of Yeshua in all ways. It is like if you had a house designed and built according to your specifications. Upon finishing the house, you will want to go in and inspect it to see if all is as you wanted it to be. After that, then you will want others to come in. In this Torah portion, the Tabernacle is mentioned/referred to in three ways: 1. HaMishkan (The Tabernacle) 2. HaMishkan, HaOhel Moed (The Tabernacle, Tent of Meeting) 3. HaMishkan, HaEidut (The Tabernacle of the Testimony). In reality, they are ALL the same, yet referred to by different names. Why is that? Why does Moshe refer to them in different ways? Perhaps we can see the ministry of Adonai in different ways. “HaMishkan” If we go back to the ancient Hebrew spelling of the word “Mishkan” It is spelled with 4 Hebrew letters. “Mem” “Sheen” “Kaph” and “Nun” It comes from the verb “Sh’ken” which is “to dwell”. Adonai ordered Moshe to build the Tabernacle so that HE could dwell amongst HIS people. One can look at the letters from the ancient Hebrew perspective and say; “The Living Water who is the All-Consuming Fire anoints (his people) with life” … or … “Our lives became anointed when the presence of the All-Consuming Fire /the Living Water is amongst us” “HaOhel Moed” (The Tent of Meeting) Why do we go to the synagogue/church? Because it is the meeting place where we meet with Elohim. His spirit is there! Even if only two believers are present in some place, HE is in the midst! So, Adonai dwells with his people so we can “meet” with HIM. “Ohel Moed” has 7 letters, “7” is the number of perfection. “Aleph” “Hey” “Lamed” and then; “Mem” “Vav” “Ayin’ “Tav” Again, going back to the ancient Hebrew understanding of the symbolism in the letters, we could understand these two words in the following manner: “Behold the God of Instruction and Teaching (gives his people/us) the “living water (of the word) which connects us with insight, which is at the door”. When we meet with Adonai, we are taught His Word through his chosen teachers, we are taught about Yeshua who is the “Living Water” who gives “insight’ (or understanding). The understanding is there at the door, all we have to do is open the door (of our mind and heart) to receive it. It is interesting that the last word “Moed” has the letters “Ayin and Dalet” which spell “Witness” There are witnesses when we meet with Adonai, Adonai himself, and his holy angels besides those who are there to receive the Word of God. “HaEidut” (Testimony or Pact) The Mishkan was also known as the “Eidut” the Tabernacle of Testimony. What is the testimony? The testimony is the presence of the “Tables of the Torah” The tablets of the Commandments placed in the Ark of the Covenant. The word “Eidut” spelled in Hebrew consists of three letters; “Ayin’ “Dalet” and “Tav”. When we see these from the ancient Hebraic perspective, we can see this message; “Insight is at the door of the Covenant” or we could also understand it as; “The covenant gives insight, and that is at the door”. The letter “Tav” in the ancient spelling looks like a cross leaning to one side. It speaks of the New Covenant under Yeshua, and when we understand (insight) the message of “Yeshuah” (Salvation) then “Yeshuah” is at the “door”. All that we need to do is open the door and receive “Yeshuah” which comes from “Yeshua” (which seems like a play on words). Again, we see the two letters “Ayin and Dalet” (ED) yet here they are reversed, yet they are still present, the “Witness” Inside the Ark of the Covenant were the tablets of the Commandments which YHVH made anew after Moshe broke the original ones, and the broken pieces of the first tablets. We might ask why. It might be to remind us that we broke the law, and we are guilty and we have the sin nature, yet we have been renewed by Yeshua, who made us "anew" through His Holy Spirit. He is the one who fulfilled the Torah in full, without breaking it. In conclusion, the Tabernacle was all about where Adonai came to dwell amongst his people to dwell with them, teach them his word, his ordinances, and his commandments, to direct them to a new lifestyle other than the life they had in Egypt. We meet with Adonai in HIS place of worship to receive his word, and to allow HIM to dwell inside of us through His Holy Spirit. We learn His Word and his Word directs ALL to YESHUA/JESUS, who is the Messiah in the New Covenant. "Chazak, Chazak, v'nitchazek" (Be strong, hold fast, let us strengthen one another) We say this when we come to the end of each book in the Bible. Have a blessed week.
  7. EX 35:1-38:20 I was not able to write in the past three weeks. I had to return to Houston, TX for paperwork for immigration and doctor visits. I'm OK, Just returned home to El Salvador this afternoon. I need to catch up on the Bible study portions. This is this week's. These are the final chapters of Exodus (Shemot) and Moshe talks about honoring the Sabbath day, the prohibition of lighting a fire on the Sabbath, gathering an offering to build the Tabernacle and its furnishings, the appointment of persons to make certain items, and finally, the building project in detail and the outcome. All these are worth talking about. ” Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh day shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of rest to YHVH” ” You shall kindle no fire throughout your dwellings on the Sabbath day.” These are very important statements, commandments repeated from before. Even before the building project begins, YHVH wants His people to know the work days, rules, and regulations. In this “work-a-holic” world in which we live, the believer should know when to stop and rest. YHVH commands it, for our own good and mental soundness. Too many people work all seven days a week, perhaps 10 or more hours each day to make a “lot-of-money” only to spend the extra money at the hospital when they have a nervous breakdown because of all the extra work hours. The Sabbath is a day to spend with the family, at the family’s place of worship at a synagogue or church. It is a time to spend with the LORD, to worship, learn from HIS WORD, and fellowship with other believers. It is a time to leave the things of the house alone, perhaps eat out, and return home at the end of Sabbath. It is intended as a “day of rest” so, “rest” means exactly that, “rest”. When we look at the commandment; “Thou shalt kindle no fire throughout your dwellings on the Sabbath” we need to ask ourselves, what was fire used mainly for? Probably for cooking! To boil water, prepare food in different ways. Manna fell from the sky and the Israelites perhaps ate it as is, or boiled it, or made it into bread, they probably roasted goats or lambs from the flocks, heated ovens for “Manna flat bread” It was a task and a half to start and maintain a fire, cooking, preparing and all that. So, YHVH is saying STOP! just for the Sabbath, and take a break from it all. Stop slaving over the hot stove and rest, prepare something on Friday, that is why HE gave a “double-portion” of Manna on Friday. Today, how can we put that “mitzvah” into good use without “overdoing it” as some Jewish sects do, not, turning on a light switch, not driving a car, etc. Well, to start, we can prepare meals for Saturday on Friday, and on the Sabbath, just heat them. Another idea, eat something light like salad and sandwiches. Many churches and synagogues have the custom of eating out or eating “in”. Some Jewish synagogues have “Oneg” a lunch prepared for the members and guests after service. Some church Sunday school classes go out to eat as families after services on Sundays. Why not? Give the housewife or house-husband a break from kitchen duty! Don’t they deserve it? Anyway, the Sabbath was made for man and woman, to “rest” and take it easy, and mediate on YHVH. Another way we can look at this commandment is that “kindling a fire” could also refer to our “tempers” many have very hot tempers which flare up. The Sabbath is a time of peace, not to sow arguments over this and that, just take it easy and relax, let our temperaments be cool and calm. If someone wants to start an argument on the Sabbath, just walk away and leave it alone. It can wait for another day. Now we need to look at the Tabernacle. The order to build it, to take up an offering of materials, to assign workers, to “build it” to “put it all together” and finally, to invite YHVH to come down and dwell in it, which he DID, at the close of the book of Exodus. So, go ahead and read the chapters. How can we look at this in light of our lives as born-again believers in Messiah Yeshua? (Jesus Christ?) The “tabernacle” today is YHVH’s dwelling place which is every “Kehilah” (congregation) where born-again believers meet to worship the LORD, singing praises and teaching his WORD. The tabernacle is also the body of all believers, with the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) dwelling inside of us! YHVH has given each and every believer some gift and talent to “maintain” the “Body of Believers” as YHVH chose different individuals to build the furniture of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) , so HE has selected different believers with different talents to maintain the many congregations in this world. The root word of “Mishkan” are the letters SH+K+N, (Shaken) meaning to “dwell with” or one could say “to live among” This is the Hebrew word for “Tabernacle” (Mishkan). 1. The Mishkan itself with the curtains, poles, staves, etc. = A “fence” to keep holiness in and ungodliness out! Once inside, you are in the holy place, where YHVH dwells, and where the priests minister. Our Kehilot are “holy places” where the LORD dwells and where we join for fellowship with other believers. 2. “Aron HaKodesh” (The Ark of the Covenant) the “heart” of the Mishkan, where the tablets of the commandments are kept, together with a pot of Manna, and Aron’s rod. It symbolizes the believer who “should” shine like “gold” both inwardly and outwardly. We should be mindful of the commandments to put them into action as “unto good works” Yeshua is our “Manna” the “Bread of Life” and the Rod of Aron as our “Rod of authority, our high priesthood of believers” the “Shekinah glory” which rested above the mercy seat is the everlasting presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. 3. “The Table of Incense” it symbolizes our prayers as they go up “like smoke” unto the heavenlies, even to the Throne of Grace. One thing to point out, all the furniture except the Menorah, was made of Acacia wood overlaid with gold, the wood symbolizes the humanity of Yeshua, and the gold “purity”. The incense was made of various ingredients but making an exact replica of the original substance is forbidden, most worshippers today who use incense use a mixture of Frankincense and Myrrh, which is readily available. It is a relaxing aroma that helps one to sleep at night. 4. “The Golden Menorah” was made of one solid piece of gold, hammered, and formed into a seven-branch candlestick. It had seven lamps filled with olive oil and burned all night. In the morning, the priest would come into the Holy Place, trim the wicks, and re-fill the lamps with olive oil. We look at the Menorah as “Yeshua Ha Or Olam” (Yeshua who is the light of the world, the Eternal Light) we are the 6 branches that are on either side of the “Shamash” the helper lamp which is in the middle, Yeshua said, “Ye are the light of the world” that means “every believer is a light in dark places” but our light comes from Yeshua” we have no light of our own, like the moon, moonlight is sunlight reflected off the lunar surface. The oil symbolizes the Ruach Ha Kodesh, (The Holy Spirit) and the wicks are “us” we need to be in contact with the “oil” to have brightness. 5. “The Table of Shewbread” was made of hardwood overlaid with gold. Had 12 loaves of bread, symbolizing the 12 tribes of Israel. The table and bread symbolize “Yeshua HaLechem Chayim” (Yeshua the Bread of Life) Even the “unleavened bread” of Passover symbolizes “Yeshua” who is the unleavened bread” 6. Outside the holy place are two items, the bronze laver and the Brazen Altar. The bronze laver was a huge bronze bowl filled with water. The priests would wash their hands and feet after offering blood sacrifices. It was made of bronze which symbolizes “judgment” When the water was still, the priest would see his reflection in the water. When we look in still water, or in a mirror, we see our reflection, we see who we are, sinners saved by grace, yet we still have the sin nature, and Yeshua went through “judgment” in our place, we have been “washed” in his blood and made clean. Remember that Yeshua washed the feet of his talmidim. 7. “the Bronze Altar” (Mizbeach) (pronunciation = “ach” like Johann Sebastian Bach) not “beach” which is by the ocean, NO! It was made of hardwood overlaid with bronze, symbolizing the humanity of Yeshua who was judged in the “fires of our sin”. The animal sacrifices were performed on this altar, the blood was poured out at the base of the altar and the animals were roasted on a grill. Think of the Mizbeach as a big BBQ pit. The brazen altar symbolizes the cross of Messiah Yeshua, and the animals symbolize Yeshua himself who poured out his blood for us sinners, who incurred “our judgment” in his own body. We see the materials that went into building the Tabernacle; gold, silver, bronze, fine linen, wood, blue, purple, scarlet, and animal skins, They all have symbolic meanings; Gold=purity (of Messiah) and the goal of every follower of Mashiach, Silver=redemption (Yeshua redeemed us from the curse of sin) bronze=Judgment (Yeshua was judged for our sins, Fine linen= our new nature and our walk with the LORD, wood=Humanity of Messiah Blue=Heaven, Purple=Royalty, (we are royalty in Messiah Yeshua, part of his royal family) Scarlet=blood. Animal skins=the covering of our sins before, but now, our sins have been erased, not just covered. At the end of Exodus, in 40:38 it says that YHVH settled upon the Mishkan in a cloud. Now his presence is visible. Messiah is still with us in the form of the Holy Spirit, WE are the living Tabernacles and the Spirit of God lives in our heart, as well as within the “Kehilot” of believers who come together for worship. We read that “Bezaleel” was chosen by Adonai to build many pieces of the furniture that went into the Mishkan. He was filled with the “Ruach Elohim” (The Spirit of God) so as to fulfill this tremendous task. He was given “Knowledge” (da’at) “Understanding” (binah) and “Wisdom” or skill (Chochma). Today, we acquire knowledge from books, or through listening to others, we can read the WORD and acquire knowledge, but hopefully, it will not stop there. From knowledge we get “understanding” and from there, we put those to use in the form of “wisdom” or “skills”. “Bezaleel” is introduced as “Bezaleel, son of Uri, son of Hur of the tribe of Y’hudah” the rabbis say that he is given three names, or three identities, Bezaleel, Son of Uri, Son of Hur. Even though we know that it is the same person. In a way, we have three names or three identities. One name is the name that our parents gave us. Another name, could be how the community around us may call us, like “teacher” or “helper” or “counselor” “pastor” “rabbi” etc, the third name is that name that Adonai will give us in the World to Come. We will have an “eternal name” that perhaps, may reflect on the kind of life we lived on earth. “B’tzel’el” means “in the shadow of EL” (God). So, he walked in HIS shadow, as an obedient servant, and was given the blessing of building a great part of the Mishkan. Remember that YOU are the Tabernacle of God where the Holy Spirit resides. Take care of yourself. Keep yourself in service for HIM! Ben Avraham
  8. EX 35:1-38:20 I was not able to write in the past three weeks. I had to return to Houston, TX for paperwork for immigration and doctor visits. I'm OK, Just returned home to El Salvador this afternoon. I need to catch up on the Bible study portions. This is this week's. These are the final chapters of Exodus (Shemot) and Moshe talks about honoring the Sabbath day, the prohibition of lighting a fire on the Sabbath, gathering an offering to build the Tabernacle and its furnishings, the appointment of persons to make certain items, and finally, the building project in detail and the outcome. All these are worth talking about. ” Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh day shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of rest to YHVH” ” You shall kindle no fire throughout your dwellings on the Sabbath day.” These are very important statements, commandments repeated from before. Even before the building project begins, YHVH wants His people to know the work days, rules, and regulations. In this “work-a-holic” world in which we live, the believer should know when to stop and rest. YHVH commands it, for our own good and mental soundness. Too many people work all seven days a week, perhaps 10 or more hours each day to make a “lot-of-money” only to spend the extra money at the hospital when they have a nervous breakdown because of all the extra work hours. The Sabbath is a day to spend with the family, at the family’s place of worship at a synagogue or church. It is a time to spend with the LORD, to worship, learn from HIS WORD, and fellowship with other believers. It is a time to leave the things of the house alone, perhaps eat out, and return home at the end of Sabbath. It is intended as a “day of rest” so, “rest” means exactly that, “rest”. When we look at the commandment; “Thou shalt kindle no fire throughout your dwellings on the Sabbath” we need to ask ourselves, what was fire used mainly for? Probably for cooking! To boil water, prepare food in different ways. Manna fell from the sky and the Israelites perhaps ate it as is, or boiled it, or made it into bread, they probably roasted goats or lambs from the flocks, heated ovens for “Manna flat bread” It was a task and a half to start and maintain a fire, cooking, preparing and all that. So, YHVH is saying STOP! just for the Sabbath, and take a break from it all. Stop slaving over the hot stove and rest, prepare something on Friday, that is why HE gave a “double-portion” of Manna on Friday. Today, how can we put that “mitzvah” into good use without “overdoing it” as some Jewish sects do, not, turning on a light switch, not driving a car, etc. Well, to start, we can prepare meals for Saturday on Friday, and on the Sabbath, just heat them. Another idea, eat something light like salad and sandwiches. Many churches and synagogues have the custom of eating out or eating “in”. Some Jewish synagogues have “Oneg” a lunch prepared for the members and guests after service. Some church Sunday school classes go out to eat as families after services on Sundays. Why not? Give the housewife or house-husband a break from kitchen duty! Don’t they deserve it? Anyway, the Sabbath was made for man and woman, to “rest” and take it easy, and mediate on YHVH. Another way we can look at this commandment is that “kindling a fire” could also refer to our “tempers” many have very hot tempers which flare up. The Sabbath is a time of peace, not to sow arguments over this and that, just take it easy and relax, let our temperaments be cool and calm. If someone wants to start an argument on the Sabbath, just walk away and leave it alone. It can wait for another day. Now we need to look at the Tabernacle. The order to build it, to take up an offering of materials, to assign workers, to “build it” to “put it all together” and finally, to invite YHVH to come down and dwell in it, which he DID, at the close of the book of Exodus. So, go ahead and read the chapters. How can we look at this in light of our lives as born-again believers in Messiah Yeshua? (Jesus Christ?) The “tabernacle” today is YHVH’s dwelling place which is every “Kehilah” (congregation) where born-again believers meet to worship the LORD, singing praises and teaching his WORD. The tabernacle is also the body of all believers, with the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) dwelling inside of us! YHVH has given each and every believer some gift and talent to “maintain” the “Body of Believers” as YHVH chose different individuals to build the furniture of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) , so HE has selected different believers with different talents to maintain the many congregations in this world. The root word of “Mishkan” are the letters SH+K+N, (Shaken) meaning to “dwell with” or one could say “to live among” This is the Hebrew word for “Tabernacle” (Mishkan). 1. The Mishkan itself with the curtains, poles, staves, etc. = A “fence” to keep holiness in and ungodliness out! Once inside, you are in the holy place, where YHVH dwells, and where the priests minister. Our Kehilot are “holy places” where the LORD dwells and where we join for fellowship with other believers. 2. “Aron HaKodesh” (The Ark of the Covenant) the “heart” of the Mishkan, where the tablets of the commandments are kept, together with a pot of Manna, and Aron’s rod. It symbolizes the believer who “should” shine like “gold” both inwardly as well as outwardly. We should be mindful of the commandments to put them into action as “unto good works” Yeshua is our “Manna” the “Bread of Life” and the Rod of Aron as our “Rod of authority, our high priesthood of believers” the “Shekinah glory” which rested above the mercy seat is the everlasting presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. 3. “The Table of Incense” it symbolizes our prayers as they go up “like smoke” unto the heavenlies, even to the Throne of Grace. One thing to point out, all the furniture except the Menorah, was made of Acacia wood overlaid with gold, the wood symbolizes the humanity of Yeshua, and the gold “purity”. The incense was made of various ingredients but making an exact replica of the original substance is forbidden, most worshippers today that use incense use a mixture of Frankincense and Myrrh, which is readily available. It is a relaxing aroma that helps one to go to sleep at night. 4. “The Golden Menorah” was made of one solid piece of gold, hammered, and formed into a seven-branch candlestick. It had seven lamps filled with olive oil and burned all night. In the morning, the priest would come into the Holy Place, trim the wicks, and re-fill the lamps with olive oil. We look at the Menorah as “Yeshua Ha Or Olam” (Yeshua who is the light of the world, the Eternal Light) we are the 6 branches that are on either side of the “Shamash” the helper lamp which is in the middle, Yeshua said, “Ye are the light of the world” that means “every believer is a light in dark places” but our light comes from Yeshua” we have no light of our own, like the moon, moonlight is sunlight reflected off the lunar surface. The oil symbolizes the Ruach Ha Kodesh, (The Holy Spirit) and the wicks are “us” we need to be in contact with the “oil” to have brightness. 5. “The Table of Shewbread” made of hardwood overlaid with gold. Had 12 loaves of bread, symbolizing the 12 tribes of Israel. The table and bread symbolize “Yeshua HaLechem Chayim” (Yeshua the Bread of Life) Even the “unleavened bread” of Passover which symbolizes “Yeshua” who is the unleavened bread” 6. Outside the holy place are two items, the bronze laver and the Brazen Altar. The bronze laver was a huge bronze bowl filled with water. The priests would wash their hands and feet after offering blood sacrifices. It was made of bronze which symbolizes “judgment” when the water was still, the priest would see his reflection in the water. When we look in still water, or in a mirror, we see our reflection, we see who we are, sinners saved by grace, yet we still have the sin nature, and Yeshua went through “judgment” in our place, we have been “washed” in his blood and made clean. Remember that Yeshua washed the feet of his talmidim. 7. “the Bronze Altar” (Mizbeach) (pronunciation = “ach” like Yohann Sebastian Bach) not “beach” which is by the ocean, NO! was made of hard wood overlaid with bronze, symbolizing the humanity of Yeshua who was judged in the “fires of our sin”. The animal sacrifices were performed on this altar, the blood was poured out at the base of the altar and the animals were roasted on a grill. Think of the Mizbeach as a big BBQ pit. The brazen altar symbolizes the cross of Messiah Yeshua, and the animals symbolize Yeshua himself who poured out his blood for us sinners, who incurred “our judgment” in his own body. We see the materials that went into building the tabernacle; gold, silver, bronze, fine linen, wood, blue, purple, scarlet, and animal skins, They all have symbolic meanings; Gold=purity (of Messiah) and the goal of every follower of Mashiach, Silver=redemption (Yeshua redeemed us from the curse of sin) bronze=Judgment (Yeshua was judged for our sins, Fine linen= our new nature and our walk with the LORD, wood=Humanity of Messiah Blue=Heaven, Purple=Royalty, (we are royalty in Messiah Yeshua, part of his royal family) Scarlet=blood. Animal skins=the covering of our sins before, but now, our sins have been erased, not just covered. At the end of Exodus, in 40:38 it says that YHVH settled upon the Mishkan in a cloud. Now his presence is visible. Messiah is still with us in the form of the Holy Spirit, WE are the living Tabernacles and the Spirit of God lives in our heart, as well as within the “Kehilot” of believers who come together for worship. We read that “Bezaleel” was chosen by Adonai to build many pieces of the furniture that went into the Mishkan. He was filled with the “Ruach Elohim” (The Spirit of God) so as to fulfill this tremendous task. He was given “Knowledge” (da’at) “Understanding” (binah) and “Wisdom” or skill (Chochma). Today, we acquire knowledge from books, or through listening to others, we can read the WORD and acquire knowledge, but hopefully, it will not stop there. From knowledge we get “understanding” and from there, we put those to use in the form of “wisdom” or “skills”. “Bezaleel” is introduced as “Bezaleel, son of Uri, son of Hur of the tribe of Y’hudah” the rabbis say that he is given three names, or three identities, Bezaleel, Son of Uri, Son of Hur. Even though we know that it is the same person. In a way, we have three names or three identities. One name is the name that our parents gave us. Another name, could be how the community around us may call us, like “teacher” or “helper” or “counselor” “pastor” “rabbi” etc, the third name is that name that Adonai will give us in the World to Come. We will have an “eternal name” that perhaps, may reflect on the kind of life we lived on earth. “B’tzel’el” means “in the shadow of EL” (God). So, he walked in HIS shadow, as an obedient servant, and was given the blessing of making a great part of the Mishkan. Remember that YOU are the Tabernacle of God where the Holy Spirit resides. Take care of yourself. Keep yourself in service for HIM! Ben Avraham
  9. 1 KINGS 5:12-6:13 The tabernacle was used for many, many years. It followed “B'nei Israel”(The Children of Israel) when they crossed over the Jordan, 480 years later, it was replaced by the first temple that Melech Shlomo (King Solomon) built. It must have been magnificent. The Ark of the Covenant and the furniture that were inside the Mishkan were transferred to the new temple. The question is asked what happened to the Tabernacle after the temple was built? It is believed that it remained in Shiloh, but later, it was destroyed by the Philistines when they captured the Ark of the Covenant. Another belief is that it was taken to the temple and stored there or in the House of David, the pieces of furniture, of course, continued to be used in the temple. Yet many years later, after the death of Shlomo (Solomon), the priesthood corrupted themselves, and the kings as well. The temple was destroyed by the Babylonians. It was rebuilt by those who returned from captivity in Babylon with Ezra and Nehemiah, yet in 70 AD, destroyed by Emperor Titus, and the furniture taken to Rome. A believer can walk away from God, we can go astray, and the Ruach HaKodesh (The Holy Spirit) will call for us, to invite us back into fellowship, yet for how long? Will the Spirit of God call us back indefinitely? Or...like the Spirit of God that finally, “Left” the presence of the Temple, leaving it “Ichabod” just an empty building, can we become like an “empty vessel? Just walking around empty and lifeless? Remember that we are the "temple" of the Holy Spirit, and whatever we do in our bodies can affect our souls and spirit. Sometimes believers are depressed and act carnal. Maybe the Spirit of God is telling us something. "Hey, you're doing wrong, come back to me, I'm waiting on you." But just as a believer is capable of going astray and walking away from the presence of God, the believer can also return, and be received with open arms by the Father. One day, the third temple will be built, and the presence of YHVH will be there, and Yeshua will be back to rule the earth. We will be there too, to share in this rule for one thousand years, and then...into eternity. MARK 3:1-4:41 Here we see Yeshua on the Sabbath, and he heals a man with a withered hand, yet receives criticism from the Prushim (Pharisees). Yet Yeshua explains, “doing a good deed on the sabbath is permitted” so, YES, if one works, doing a “mitzvah” on the Sabbath is permitted, if it is to bless another, help another, be it to bring medicine for someone who is sick, help repair a hole in a roof (if you see the rain clouds a-comin'!). We shouldn't be legalistic when it comes to helping others or doing tasks for others who may be incapacitated. Be it on a Saturday or Sunday or any day of the week, we need to reach out and help whoever needs help, cleaning a garage, bringing food from a food bank, pulling weeds from a garden, etc. Yeshua went down to the Lake and more people came to be healed. The Sea of Galilee is a peaceful place to swim in. Just standing in the water and feeling the fish nibble at your feet, is quite an experience. I swam down about 10 feet in the lake at Tiberias and brought up a ceramic dish. Still have it, a free souvenir. But just looking at the Lake brings back thoughts of Yeshua there 2000 years ago, healing those with illnesses. He still does, and he heals our souls as well.
  10. 1 KINGS 5:12-6:13 The tabernacle was used for many, many years. It followed “B'nei Israel”(The Children of Israel) when they crossed over the Jordan, 480 years later, it was replaced by the first temple that Melech Shlomo (King Solomon) built. It must have been magnificent. The Ark of the Covenant and the furniture that were inside the Mishkan were transferred to the new temple. The question is asked what happened to the Tabernacle after the temple was built? It is believed that it remained in Shiloh, but later, it was destroyed by the Philistines when they captured the Ark of the Covenant. Another belief is that it was taken to the temple and stored there or in the House of David, the pieces of furniture, of course, continued to be used in the temple. Yet many years later, after the death of Shlomo (Solomon), the priesthood corrupted themselves, and the kings as well. The temple was destroyed by the Babylonians. It was rebuilt by those who returned from captivity in Babylon with Ezra and Nehemiah, yet in 70 AD, destroyed by Emperor Titus, and the furniture taken to Rome. A believer can walk away from God, we can go astray, and the Ruach HaKodesh (The Holy Spirit) will call for us, to invite us back into fellowship, yet for how long? Will the Spirit of God call us back indefinitely? Or...like the Spirit of God that finally, “Left” the presence of the Temple, leaving it “Ichabod” just an empty building, can we become like an “empty vessel? Just walking around empty and lifeless? Remember that we are the "temple" of the Holy Spirit, and whatever we do in our bodies can affect our souls and spirit. Sometimes believers are depressed and act carnal. Maybe the Spirit of God is telling us something. "Hey, you're doing wrong, come back to me, I'm waiting on you." But just as a believer is capable of going astray and walking away from the presence of God, the believer can also return, and be received with open arms by the Father. One day, the third temple will be built, and the presence of YHVH will be there, and Yeshua will be back to rule the earth. We will be there too, to share in this rule for one thousand years, and then...into eternity. MARK 3:1-4:41 Here we see Yeshua on the Sabbath, and he heals a man with a withered hand, yet receives criticism from the Prushim (Pharisees). Yet Yeshua explains, “doing a good deed on the sabbath is permitted” so, YES, if one works, doing a “mitzvah” on the Sabbath is permitted, if it is to bless another, help another, be it to bring medicine for someone who is sick, help repair a hole in a roof (if you see the rain clouds a-comin'!). We shouldn't be legalistic when it comes to helping others or doing tasks for others who may be incapacitated. Be it on a Saturday or Sunday or any day of the week, we need to reach out and help whoever needs help, cleaning a garage, bringing food from a food bank, pulling weeds from a garden, etc. Yeshua went down to the Lake and more people came to be healed. The Sea of Galilee is a peaceful place to swim in. Just standing in the water and feeling the fish nibble at your feet, is quite an experience. I swam down about 10 feet in the lake at Tiberias and brought up a ceramic dish. Still have it, a free souvenir. But just looking at the Lake brings back thoughts of Yeshua there 2000 years ago, healing those with illnesses. He still does, and he heals our souls as well.https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/second-temple-jerusalem-5035856.jpg
  11. Parashah: “T'rumah” (offering) EXODUS 25:1-27:19 In this study of God's WORD we see that a request is made for a “free-will offering” so that the tabernacle can be built and the articles of furnishings for the same. As we remember, when the Israelites left Egypt, they left with quite a treasure which the Egyptians gave them so that they would leave. We could consider this, “back pay” for all the work they had done for four hundred years. Egypt had quite a wealth in gold, silver, gems, fine fabrics, etc., and now, Egypt remained poor and in ruins while “B'nei Yisrael” left with the “spoils of war” a war which YHVH fought against the gods of Egypt, and won. So, in a battle, the spoils of war belong to the victor. So, while the Israelites were protected, God fought against the demonic entities, in the guise of the “gods of Egypt” Pharaoh included. So, rightly, the riches and spoils of Egypt belong to YHVH, being carried by HIS people. So, where in the desert are the people going to spend it all? they are just carrying it around, a lot of extra weight and burden, might as well put it to good use. The plan is to build a place where YHVH can come down and live with his chosen people. It isn't that YHVH can only live in one place, He is eternal, everywhere, yet He will “rest” with His people, minister to His people right there, visible by a cloud by day and fire by night. The “invisible God” will be “visible” in those two ways. In “Yitro” The Torah was given to Israel, and the marriage “Ketubah” was given in the form of the Ten Commandments, written in stone, In “Mishpatim” “justice” was given, and some more commandments (51) explained by YHVH through Moses, and now, YHVH is saying “Take ME into your life, make ME a place to dwell among you” Yet first, the people have to gather the materials to make HIM a “Mikdash” (Sanctuary) yet more on this word later. The materials would be “freely given” The Word says; “Take for me an offering” (Terumah) yet at the end of the verse, the word is “Terumati” (my offering). Question, is it Israel’s offering, or God’s offering? It is BOTH. Israel gave and God made sure it was enough, and it was “more than enough”. Remember in the New Covenant when the boy offered 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes? “He gave” and then, Yeshua multiplied the offering, “HE gave BACK”. In the days of Elisha, the widow gave a bit of wheat and oil to make some bread for the prophet, and then, GOD through Elisha gave back! Many pots of olive oil were left over, enough to sell and pay off the widow’s debt. Whatever we have to offer, Adonai will bless and double it in only a way that HE will be glorified. There is also an interesting word in verse 2; “meiet kol ish” (of every man). Each man would give an offering, a free-will offering. The word “meiet” is really the letter “M” with “ET”. “ET” carries the symbolism of “God of the Covenant” or the “Alef and the Tav”. So, what can we see here? It is that since every man would give a free-will offering, we are reminded that Yeshua, who is the “Alef and the Tav” gave HIMSELF as a free-will offering for sin, once and only once on Calvary’s cross for ALL MANKIND, (Kol ish!). The letter “m” (mem) can mean “of” or “from” it also symbolizes “Mashiach” and “water”. Messiah is the “Living Water”. We look at 25:8, “.and let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them…” Thus said Adonai speaking to Moshe. The word “to dwell among” is “Shakhn’ti” and it not only means “to dwell among” it also means “to dwell inside” and that is the way it is today, the “Ruach Elohim” the “Spirit of God dwells “inside” of every born-again believer. God is our “neighbor”. The word “neighbor” in Hebrew is the word; “Shakhein” and we can see those letters in the word “shakhn’ti” the three main letters in the word “Shakhein” are “sheen” “kaph” and “nun” “sh” “k” “n” we can also see those letters “inside” the word “Mishkan” (tabernacle) and the word “Shekinah” (the Shekinah glory) today we know it as the Spirit of God, who dwells inside every believer. So, YHVH is our “neighbor” who dwells inside of us 24-7. Another word “Tabernacle” is “sanctuary” (Mikdash) Something interesting about this word is that in Hebrew, the word has 4 letters; “m” “k” “d” and “sh” (mem, qof, dalet, sheen). The letter “k” or “Qof” symbolizes “holiness” it is right in the middle of the word. Without the “Qof,” we would have the other 3 letters and if one puts the “Sheen” (sh) first, the word would be “Sh +m+d” (Shemed) which means “vanity”. What is the symbolism here? A sanctuary without holiness would be a place for vanity. Without holiness, what else is there besides vanity? Something else is here. The words "Mikdash" (Sanctuary) and "Mishkan (Tabernacle) are both used. Within the word, "Mikdash" are the letters that spell out the word "Kadosh" (Holy) So, Adonai wants a "Holy Sanctuary" for Him to dwell in to have fellowship with his people. Also, the word "Mishkan" (Tabernacle) and "Kadosh" (holy) have the same gematria, (410) when we add these numbers 4+1+0 = 5 "5" is the number of "grace" by grace Adonai came and dwelt with His people. "Mikdash" has the gematria of 444. 4+4+4 = 12. All "12" tribes contributed to the building of the Mikdash or Mishkan (same place, different words) The building project was, one could say, financed by Egypt. For 4 hundred years, Israel worked for a hard taskmaster, “Pharaoh and Company” building edifices dedicated to false gods, now, Israel has a new master, The Creator of the Universe, the Maker of Man, the future “Yeshua Ha Mashiach” A place will be built for HIM to minister to his people, and every piece of furniture will reflect who HE IS. There are 13 general items for the building project; 1. Gold, 2. Silver, 3. Brass, 4. Blue, purple, and scarlet fabric, 5. Fine linen, 6. Goat’s hair, 7. Ram’s skins, 8. Sealskins, 9. Acacia-wood, 10. Oil, 11. Spices, 12. Onyx stones, 13. Other gemstones. The number “13” in Gematria is the sum of the letters in the word “Echad” which means “ONE in unity”. With those materials, the Mishkan/Mikdash was built, so that Adonai could be ONE with HIS PEOPLE, which now includes all believers. We are all ONE with Messiah Yeshua. Gold, silver, precious stones, fabric, and wood. Now there is a question, where did the wood come from? Is there any Shitim and Acacia trees in the desert? If one looks at the desert of Saudi Arabia today, even through “Google Maps” or “Google Earth” one can see almost no trees, just bare mountains. But we are talking about a desert almost 4000 years ago, it was probably very different, it had to be, remember that the Israelites brought with them cattle, and sheep, what are they going to eat? Sand? No, there had to have been vegetation, trees. They could have cut the trees down in the desert and fashioned them into boards for the “Mishkan” (tabernacle) or they might have brought them out of Egypt, already cut and fashioned, perhaps some of the Egyptian lumber yards just gave them all that, since not all of the Egyptians were rich in gold and silver (just an idea) This is a “free-will offering” Moshe states, “of every man whose heart maketh him willing”. So it was not forced, it was “of free will”. We know that the people gladly gave, so much that later on, Moshe has to say, “Stop giving already, we have enough”. Can you imagine a pastor or rabbi from a church or synagogue that would say that to his congregation, “OK brothers and sisters, we have enough money for all of our needs, you can stop giving?” I don't think that will ever happen, when one gives of his or her time, talent, and treasure, God gives back many times over. Money is like a conduit, it should flow like water through a pipe, to be spread out, not “backlogged” Many hoard money like a squirrel hoards nuts in a tree, no amount in the bank seems to be enough. One rich man was asked, “How much is enough?' he said, “Only one dollar more...” and it never ends. Adonai has promised us that He would provide for ALL of our needs, through his abundance in grace, both in spiritual ways, physical, and material ways, if we will only trust Him. We ask ourselves, what kind of “T’rumot” (offerings) can we “offer up” today? Gold, silver, and bronze? Yes, that would be money, from our paychecks, tithes, and offerings. Fine linen, blue, purple, and scarlet threads? Yes, that would be clothing. Some ministries collect used and new clothing to donate to the poor and needy. I would say, we can offer up almost anything of value to someone in need. But most of all, we can “offer up ourselves” as living sacrifices. We can offer up our abilities to serve, offer up our spiritual gifts since that is why God has given spiritual gifts, to edify the body of Messiah. Now, on to the building project; So, the building project is started, with the “tent of meeting” (The tabernacle/Mishkan) with its wooden boards, bars, clamps, and curtains of linen, the furniture that would go inside; The brazen Altar, the brazen Laver, the Menorah, the table of shew-bread, the incense altar, and finally, the Ark of the Covenant, (Aron Ha Kodesh. Each one of these pieces reflects who Yeshua is and his finished work on Calvary's cross. The Ark of the Covenant is mentioned first, made of acacia wood overlaid with gold, both inside and out. Inside this box would be the tables of the Law, the “Torah” It symbolizes the purity and sinlessness of YHVH. The wood; the humanity of Yeshua who was YHVH in the flesh, both God and man. As it was covered with gold inside and out, it symbolizes that we also should be, through the Holy Spirit, “pure” inside and out, both physically, and spiritually, where people can see and where only God can see, inside us. The Torah, God's teaching and instruction to us, is inside the Ark, as the “Living Torah” who is Yeshua is inside of us, and also, his teaching, his “Torah” inside of us, to understand, learn from, and put into action in our daily lives. The Cherubim that are on top of the Kaporet look down upon the mercy seat, and they remind us of God's Holy Angels that are around us and who protect us. The “Shekinah Glory” the “Holy Presence of YHVH” was on top of the “Kaporet” (the cover) and when the high priest would sprinkle blood on the cover, YHVH would see the blood. The blood on the cover symbolized (before Yeshua) that the sins of man were “covered” for one year, but after Calvary, the sins of all of us were “erased” “wiped away” and “blotted out” forever. The 7 branch Menorah (candlestick) was made of pure gold, with 7 branches, the “perfect number of God” The six branches would extend from the center branch, just like we, believers, depend on the center branch, or “trunk” for our sustenance, there were “6” branches, (number of man) connected to the “7th” main branch. This Menorah symbolizes “Yeshua” as the “Light of the World” and the oil inside it as the “Ruach Ha Kodesh” (The Holy Spirit) We see the “wicks” that are inside the lamps as “believers” who depend on the “oil” (the Ruach HaKodesh) for our continuous growth, as part of the body of Messiah Yeshua. The table of shew-bread symbolizes Messiah Yeshua as the “Bread of Life” with the 12 loaves of unleavened bread. The bread was to be there, “continuously” The priests would eat the bread on the sabbath and more bread was placed on the table, so that there would be “always the presence of “the Bread of Life” As believers, the living Torah is our spiritual bread, and we must partake daily of this bread. No wonder Yeshua was born in Bethlehem, yet in Hebrew the name is “Beit-Lechem” the “House of Bread” Again, the table was made of Acacia wood overlaid with gold, the purity of the sinless presence of God and the humanity of Messiah Yeshua. Then there is the table of Incense, also made of acacia wood overlaid with gold. This is where coals from the brazen altar were placed, and incense burned. The incense symbolizes our prayers, which go up to Heaven as the sweet-smelling incense smoke also goes up. This piece of furniture is mentioned in the next Torah portion. The curtains of the tabernacle were to be made of fine linen, with the colors, blue, purple, and scarlet. These colors remind us of “blue skies of heaven above” “purple” (the color of royalty, Yeshua the King), and scarlet, (the color of blood) reminding us of Yeshua's blood that was shed for all our sins, past, present, and future. And of course, the wooden planks that remind us of the humanity of Yeshua. In the outer court of the tabernacle, there is the brazen altar, made of bronze and filled with water. This is where the priests washed their hands and feet. Bronze symbolizes judgment, imagine when the priests approached the still waters in the bronze laver, they would be able to see their reflection in the water. Imagine that is us looking into a mirror, what do we see? The image of a holy God, yet tainted with sin, we need to judge ourselves, and turn from our sinful ways, repent of our sins, like Yeshua said, “Your sins are forgiven, GO, and SIN NO MORE”. Finally, there is the brazen altar, which is the first thing a person would see inside the tabernacle. It symbolizes Yeshua who was judged for our sins. It is made of acacia wood overlaid with bronze. The bronze symbolizes the judgment that Messiah Yeshua went through to pay our sin price. The animal sacrifices were placed on the grills which were on top of the altar. The animals symbolize our Messiah Yeshua, their blood symbolizes HIS blood, and the fire symbolizes the “fires of judgment” that Yeshua endured on the cross of Calvary, once and only once. It was sufficient, for our sins, past, present, and future. Let not his sacrifice for sin be for naught. If you have never placed your faith in Yeshua as Messiah, Savior, and LORD, do it now. Shavua Tov The lamps will burn from dusk to dawn.
  12. JEREMIAH 34:8-22, 33:25-26 Jeremiah is known as the “weeping prophet” because Israel had returned to idolatry, and corruption, YHVH sends him with a message to Israel, “Repent” and “turn from your sins”, one of the sins was to go back on their word. Jeremiah told them that God had said, “Release your slaves” Since they had not released them after 7 years, they did that, but afterward, they “re-captured” their slaves and returned them to captivity, this is to be “double-minded” for “appearance sake” they released the slaves/servants, but when they thought that “the prophet wasn't looking” they went back on their word. Result? Babylon came and captured Israel! And king Zedekiah was taken to Babylon as a slave. However, we must remember that our "slave" relation, or better yet "servanthood" relation with our Heavenly Father is quite different. We are "servants" (Avedim, in Hebrew) out of our own free will, since we have a "better" Master, one who gave up His life on our own behalf, does He not deserve our service? How well do we as believers respond when someone calls our attention? When we are in the wrong, do we really repent, and turn from our sins? or.... when we think no one is looking, go back to our sins? Our old attitudes, our old “issues?” A thief looks ahead, in back, to the left, to the right, to make sure that no one is looking, but the thief never looks “up”! Yes, our Heavenly Father who is on high is looking down on us all, and observes ALL our actions, even in private, so, we are NEVER alone! Someone is always watching us. God, his holy angels, Satan and his demons, all that are in the spirit realm are always watching our every move. So, make sure our lives are holy, unto God on high. MARK 1:1-2:28 The talmid/disciple Mark writes about John the Baptist, and his ministry to prepare the people for the coming of his cousin, Yeshua, preparing hearts, and minds. Baptism was important in Jewish life, it symbolized who was once unclean, is now clean, from “Tamei” to “Tahor”, from “death to life”. When a born-again believer is baptized, the believer identifies himself or herself with Yeshua in death and life, death, burial, and resurrection. But John was just “preparing” the way for He who is THE WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. Yeshua is the WAY to eternal life, He is the TRUTH, which is the opposite of lies and deception, and He is LIFE eternal, to those who embrace Him as Savior and LORD. So, How are we to walk our “Halacha?” (Spiritual walk) We need to walk in HIS WAYS. What are HIS WAYS? The way of the Torah, obedient to HIS mitzvoth. If we are walking in HIS WAYS, We are walking in the TRUTH, and if we walk in the TRUTH, and we have accepted the LIVING TRUTH (Emet Chai) then we have ETERNAL LIFE, No wonder Yeshua identifies himself by these three words. We are all called by Yeshua through his spirit, to follow him, do we follow Him? or...do we expect HIM to follow US? He teaches us through HIS word, are we listening? When Jesus returns He will “come with clouds” (Revelation 1:7, emp. added; Acts 1:11), “and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
  13. JEREMIAH 34:8-22, 33:25-26 Jeremiah is known as the “weeping prophet” because Israel had returned to idolatry, and corruption, YHVH sends him with a message to Israel, “Repent” and “turn from your sins”, one of the sins was to go back on their word. Jeremiah told them that God had said, “Release your slaves” Since they had not released them after 7 years, they did that, but afterward, they “re-captured” their slaves and returned them to captivity, this is to be “double-minded” for “appearance sake” they released the slaves/servants, but when they thought that “the prophet wasn't looking” they went back on their word. Result? Babylon came and captured Israel! And king Zedekiah was taken to Babylon as a slave. However, we must remember that our "slave" relation, or better yet "servanthood" relation with our Heavenly Father is quite different. We are "servants" (Avedim, in Hebrew) out of our own free will, since we have a "better" Master, one who gave up His life on our own behalf, does He not deserve our service? How well do we as believers respond when someone calls our attention? When we are in the wrong, do we really repent, and turn from our sins? or.... when we think no one is looking, go back to our sins? Our old attitudes, our old “issues?” A thief looks ahead, in back, to the left, to the right, to make sure that no one is looking, but the thief never looks “up”! Yes, our Heavenly Father who is on high is looking down on us all, and observes ALL our actions, even in private, so, we are NEVER alone! Someone is always watching us. God, his holy angels, Satan and his demons, all that are in the spirit realm are always watching our every move. So, make sure our lives are holy, unto God on high. MARK 1:1-2:28 The talmid/disciple Mark writes about John the Baptist, and his ministry to prepare the people for the coming of his cousin, Yeshua, preparing hearts, and minds. Baptism was important in Jewish life, it symbolized who was once unclean, is now clean, from “Tamei” to “Tahor”, from “death to life”. When a born-again believer is baptized, the believer identifies himself or herself with Yeshua in death and life, death, burial, and resurrection. But John was just “preparing” the way for He who is THE WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. Yeshua is the WAY to eternal life, He is the TRUTH, which is the opposite of lies and deception, and He is LIFE eternal, to those who embrace Him as Savior and LORD. So, How are we to walk our “Halacha?” (Spiritual walk) We need to walk in HIS WAYS. What are HIS WAYS? The way of the Torah, obedient to HIS mitzvoth. If we are walking in HIS WAYS, We are walking in the TRUTH, and if we walk in the TRUTH, and we have accepted the LIVING TRUTH (Emet Chai) then we have ETERNAL LIFE, No wonder Yeshua identifies himself by these three words. We are all called by Yeshua through his spirit, to follow him, do we follow Him? or...do we expect HIM to follow US? He teaches us through HIS word, are we listening? When Jesus returns He will “come with clouds” (Revelation 1:7, emp. added; Acts 1:11), “and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
  14. PARASHA: “Mishpatim” (Judgments) We can ask ourselves; "What constitutes a nation?" Well, we could very well say: "The People, professions, religion, and the legal/governmental systems. "The People" (families) "Professions" (how the people make their living) "Religion" (how does faith play a role in a nation) "Legal and governmental system" (Jurisprudence, laws, courts, judges, etc) Every nation on earth is made up of those aspects. Israel was no different. Israel left Egypt with millions of family members. They arrived at Mt. Sinai to be united as "Am Echad" (One People, One Nation) their jobs consisted of two areas; Agriculture/farming and animal husbandry. They grew crops and raised animals. Their faith was in ONE GOD, "Adonai-Elohim" just as we believe in the same ONE God, represented by Yeshua/Jesus, "God in the flesh" and then, the legal system of laws and "answers to legal situations" The "judgments" were those "answers" to legal situations in the jurisprudence of Israel. In Hebrew, the word is "Mishpatim" . In this section, there are about 50 commandments, so, space does not permit an explanation of each one. I did do a YouTube video on this section, which ended up being 3 videos. But I will concentrate on a few. EXODUS 21:1-24:18 This parashah involves the giving of a variety of commandments, that Elohim gave to Moshe to give/write down and teach to “The children of Israel” The first has to do with slaves and the treatment of slaves. The system of slavery in Israel back in Biblical times was much different from the cruel slavery of Africans in the United States, The Caribbean islands, and South America starting from the 1600s, into colonial days, up until the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. (in the United States). England, Spain, Portugal, and France were all involved in this "slave trade" Unfortunately, the slave owners used the bible as a “reason” to own slaves, as they said, “The Bible permits slavery!” Yes, but only in extreme circumstances when one could not pay one's debts. The person was only a slave for 6 years, in year 7, the master had to release the slave and give the slave gifts of oil, wine, and wheat, so he or she could start a life over again. The slaves could not be abused, like slaves were whipped and abused under American slavery. But if the slave wished to remain with the master, the master could make a hole in the slave's ear and put in a ring, indicating that the slave was a slave for life, (being the choice of the slave) but “life” was up to 50 years, until the year of “Jubilee” if the slave chose to be with his or her master for “life” and the year, let's say was “40” then, “Life” was 10 years more, and then the slave would be released. It is interesting to read that the scripture says in Exodus 21:6 “Then his master will bring him before Elohim, and shall bring him to the door or the doorpost and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl” The word, Elohim, can not only mean “God” but also, “Those who represent God” perhaps Levites, officials of the Tabernacle, the temple, city, etc. The word “Master” is a form of “Adonai” in this part, it is spelled; “Adonav” (his master). The doorpost was the official place of doing business, like at the county clerk’s office. So, the person who loved his master made his love for him official, before “Adonav” (His master) before “Elohim” (God himself and before those who represent Him. If the slave was hurt in any way, say the master hit the slave and knocked a tooth out, or put an eye out, the slave was to be released immediately, and with compensation. Not so in America during the years of slavery. Rav Shaul/Paul the Apostle talks about being “bondslaves” or "Bondservants" to Messiah Yeshua, and that is our state. Would we want to be “released” from following HIM? Would we want to be under a “different master?” There are only two that claim our lives; Yeshua or HaSatan. We were “bought with a price” the price of blood, and we were released from Satan's bondage, to follow and subject ourselves to a new master, “Adonai” which means; “my master” We are “servants” to the Most High God. The Hebrew word for “slave” and “servant” is the same in Hebrew; “Eved” slaves/servants were not considered “objects of purchase” or “property” they were considered “human beings” just like we are considered in the eyes of YHVH his “servants’ “children” “adopted sons and daughters”. Do not sons and daughters serve their parents? ”An eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe; (21:24....) if you read on, we see that it doesn't mean, “if you knock out my tooth, I have a right to knock your tooth out too” or “if you blind me in on eye, I have the right to put out your eye” or in modern terminology, “If you break my stereo, I have the right to go into your house and smash your stereo” how, I ask you, does that solve the problem? It doesn't, it just creates more problems. If we look at this situation in light of scripture, it is saying in other words; “just compensation for hurt or damage received” How would that work? If I broke your arm accidentally or on purpose, I would be responsible for taking you to the doctor and paying the medical bill, and even, paying you “lost wages” if you couldn't work. It doesn't mean that the other guy could break “my arm too”. If you broke my stereo, then I would expect you to either pay to have it fixed or buy me another one of equal value, (arm for arm, stereo for stereo, etc.) We continue to read about many rules, commandments, and judgments, that make very good sense, even today, yet many of these judgments are not practiced today, everyone is off to the lawyers for a lawsuit. My opinion is that if the legal system today, was set up to reflect the Biblical standards of criminal justice in accordance to God's Word, there would be a lot less crime. The criminals would think twice before committing crimes. An example would be the following; A man goes to prison for stealing a car, sells it, and spends the money, so the prisoner has to work in prison and the money he would make would be sent to the victim to compensate the loss. His sentence would end only when the sum is completed. Or...the court system would pay the victim the money lost in the theft, and the thief would have to work to pay back the court. This type of punishment would reflect more the Torah standard of criminal justice. We come now to Exodus 23:19. “You shall bring the first fruits of thy land unto the House of YHVH, thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk” One commandment does not even reflect the other. It would be like saying, “Turn out the lights when you leave the house, hey, don't forget to check the mailbox for mail”. What has one got to do with the other? G-d is saying is saying here to bring your tithe to the House of YHVH but then goes on to a different subject. Would this; “seething a kid in its mother's milk” be taken literally? To break this commandment, one would have to take a kid goat, butcher it, cut up the meat, then take the mother goat, milk her, then boil the meat in the mother's milk. Who would go to the trouble to do all that? Today, when people make stew, the meat is usually boiled/seethed in water with condiments, not in milk. But if we look at this commandment in a Derashic sense, (the moral and spiritual sense) we could get this understanding; It may be all about the separation of life and death, of the clean from unclean (Tamei from Tahor) good from bad. In “Basar v'chalav” (meat and milk) we can see that the word “Chalav”(milk) spelled in Hebrew is “Chet, Lamed, Beit (ch+l+v) yet the word “fat” is also spelled (ch+l+v) yet pronounced “Chelev” They are related, “milk” is a form of “fat”, and the fat of an animal was offered up on the altar to YHVH, as a “sweet savor” a “pleasant smell” unto YHVH, this was part of the worship service. We worship G-d with our full “heart” and the word “Ch+l+v” contains the letters “lamed” and “beit” (l+v) (Lev) which means “heart” Milk symbolizes “life” a baby is nurtured by its mother's milk to live, to have life. Yet the flesh (Basar) symbolizes death, as a believer, to be in the “flesh” is the opposite to being “in the spirit, full of life”. Once the animal is cut up, if not used, the flesh sits and rots, flies come around, and it becomes “Tamei” (unclean) when we are in the “flesh” we are in a way of speaking, “unclean” spiritually, until we confess our sins, and become as “milk” (full of life) again, walking in the spirit, and, like the fat of a clean animal, being a “sweet savor unto YHVH” . This is just one way one can look at this prohibition of boiling a kid in its mother's milk, from a Derashic (moral and spiritual) standpoint. (watch “Basar v' Chalav/Meat and Milk” on YouTube “Kehilah Melech Yisrael”) ”if you meet an enemy's ox or his ass going astray, you will bring it back to him again” (Ex 23:4) This is one way to make your enemy, your friend, make peace with him. Would not this be for today as well, of course, it would! “Do not oppress the stranger, seeing you were strangers in the land of Egypt” Other Bibles say “foreigner” The USA used to welcome all immigrants, but now many are being oppressed, being deported, being cheated in wages, we must turn this around and start helping those who come to this country to seek a better life, thus turning a curse into a blessing. If you read from chapters 21 to 24, and look carefully at the commandments/judgments, you will see that most make perfect sense even in our modern days. God's Word is right on the money! Let's all serve as "bondservants" in service of our LORD and Savior. Our life and rewards in Heaven will reflect how we served the LORD here on earth. Let's be in HIS SERVICE every day of our lives.
  15. PARASHA: “Mishpatim” (Judgments) We can ask ourselves; "What constitutes a nation?" Well, we could very well say: "The People, professions, religion, and the legal/governmental systems. "The People" (families) "Professions" (how the people make their living) "Religion" (how does faith play a role in a nation) "Legal and governmental system" (Jurisprudence, laws, courts, judges, etc) Every nation on earth is made up of those aspects. Israel was no different. Israel left Egypt with millions of family members. They arrived at Mt. Sinai to be united as "Am Echad" (One People, One Nation) their jobs consisted of two areas; Agriculture/farming and animal husbandry. They grew crops and raised animals. Their faith was in ONE GOD, "Adonai-Elohim" just as we believe in the same ONE God, represented by Yeshua/Jesus, "God in the flesh" and then, the legal system of laws and "answers to legal situations" The "judgments" were those "answers" to legal situations in the jurisprudence of Israel. In Hebrew, the word is "Mishpatim" . In this section, there are about 50 commandments, so, space does not permit an explanation of each one. I did do a YouTube video on this section, which ended up being 3 videos. But I will concentrate on a few. EXODUS 21:1-24:18 This parashah involves the giving of a variety of commandments, that Elohim gave to Moshe to give/write down and teach to “The children of Israel” The first has to do with slaves and the treatment of slaves. The system of slavery in Israel back in Biblical times was much different from the cruel slavery of Africans in the United States, The Caribbean islands, and South America starting from the 1600s, into colonial days, up until the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. (in the United States). England, Spain, Portugal, and France were all involved in this "slave trade" Unfortunately, the slave owners used the bible as a “reason” to own slaves, as they said, “The Bible permits slavery!” Yes, but only in extreme circumstances when one could not pay one's debts. The person was only a slave for 6 years, in year 7, the master had to release the slave and give the slave gifts of oil, wine, and wheat, so he or she could start a life over again. The slaves could not be abused, like slaves were whipped and abused under American slavery. But if the slave wished to remain with the master, the master could make a hole in the slave's ear and put in a ring, indicating that the slave was a slave for life, (being the choice of the slave) but “life” was up to 50 years, until the year of “Jubilee” if the slave chose to be with his or her master for “life” and the year, let's say was “40” then, “Life” was 10 years more, and then the slave would be released. It is interesting to read that the scripture says in Exodus 21:6 “Then his master will bring him before Elohim, and shall bring him to the door or the doorpost and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl” The word, Elohim, can not only mean “God” but also, “Those who represent God” perhaps Levites, officials of the Tabernacle, the temple, city, etc. The word “Master” is a form of “Adonai” in this part, it is spelled; “Adonav” (his master). The doorpost was the official place of doing business, like at the county clerk’s office. So, the person who loved his master made his love for him official, before “Adonav” (His master) before “Elohim” (God himself and before those who represent Him. If the slave was hurt in any way, say the master hit the slave and knocked a tooth out, or put an eye out, the slave was to be released immediately, and with compensation. Not so in America during the years of slavery. Rav Shaul/Paul the Apostle talks about being “bondslaves” or "Bondservants" to Messiah Yeshua, and that is our state. Would we want to be “released” from following HIM? Would we want to be under a “different master?” There are only two that claim our lives; Yeshua or HaSatan. We were “bought with a price” the price of blood, and we were released from Satan's bondage, to follow and subject ourselves to a new master, “Adonai” which means; “my master” We are “servants” to the Most High God. The Hebrew word for “slave” and “servant” is the same in Hebrew; “Eved” slaves/servants were not considered “objects of purchase” or “property” they were considered “human beings” just like we are considered in the eyes of YHVH his “servants’ “children” “adopted sons and daughters”. Do not sons and daughters serve their parents? ”An eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe; (21:24....) if you read on, we see that it doesn't mean, “if you knock out my tooth, I have a right to knock your tooth out too” or “if you blind me in on eye, I have the right to put out your eye” or in modern terminology, “If you break my stereo, I have the right to go into your house and smash your stereo” how, I ask you, does that solve the problem? It doesn't, it just creates more problems. If we look at this situation in light of scripture, it is saying in other words; “just compensation for hurt or damage received” How would that work? If I broke your arm accidentally or on purpose, I would be responsible for taking you to the doctor and paying the medical bill, and even, paying you “lost wages” if you couldn't work. It doesn't mean that the other guy could break “my arm too”. If you broke my stereo, then I would expect you to either pay to have it fixed or buy me another one of equal value, (arm for arm, stereo for stereo, etc.) We continue to read about many rules, commandments, and judgments, that make very good sense, even today, yet many of these judgments are not practiced today, everyone is off to the lawyers for a lawsuit. My opinion is that if the legal system today, was set up to reflect the Biblical standards of criminal justice in accordance to God's Word, there would be a lot less crime. The criminals would think twice before committing crimes. An example would be the following; A man goes to prison for stealing a car, sells it, and spends the money, so the prisoner has to work in prison and the money he would make would be sent to the victim to compensate the loss. His sentence would end only when the sum is completed. Or...the court system would pay the victim the money lost in the theft, and the thief would have to work to pay back the court. This type of punishment would reflect more the Torah standard of criminal justice. We come now to Exodus 23:19. “You shall bring the first fruits of thy land unto the House of YHVH, thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk” One commandment does not even reflect the other. It would be like saying, “Turn out the lights when you leave the house, hey, don't forget to check the mailbox for mail”. What has one got to do with the other? G-d is saying is saying here to bring your tithe to the House of YHVH but then goes on to a different subject. Would this; “seething a kid in its mother's milk” be taken literally? To break this commandment, one would have to take a kid goat, butcher it, cut up the meat, then take the mother goat, milk her, then boil the meat in the mother's milk. Who would go to the trouble to do all that? Today, when people make stew, the meat is usually boiled/seethed in water with condiments, not in milk. But if we look at this commandment in a Derashic sense, (the moral and spiritual sense) we could get this understanding; It may be all about the separation of life and death, of the clean from unclean (Tamei from Tahor) good from bad. In “Basar v'chalav” (meat and milk) we can see that the word “Chalav”(milk) spelled in Hebrew is “Chet, Lamed, Beit (ch+l+v) yet the word “fat” is also spelled (ch+l+v) yet pronounced “Chelev” They are related, “milk” is a form of “fat”, and the fat of an animal was offered up on the altar to YHVH, as a “sweet savor” a “pleasant smell” unto YHVH, this was part of the worship service. We worship G-d with our full “heart” and the word “Ch+l+v” contains the letters “lamed” and “beit” (l+v) (Lev) which means “heart” Milk symbolizes “life” a baby is nurtured by its mother's milk to live, to have life. Yet the flesh (Basar) symbolizes death, as a believer, to be in the “flesh” is the opposite to being “in the spirit, full of life”. Once the animal is cut up, if not used, the flesh sits and rots, flies come around, and it becomes “Tamei” (unclean) when we are in the “flesh” we are in a way of speaking, “unclean” spiritually, until we confess our sins, and become as “milk” (full of life) again, walking in the spirit, and, like the fat of a clean animal, being a “sweet savor unto YHVH” . This is just one way one can look at this prohibition of boiling a kid in its mother's milk, from a Derashic (moral and spiritual) standpoint. (watch “Basar v' Chalav/Meat and Milk” on YouTube “Kehilah Melech Yisrael”) ”if you meet an enemy's ox or his ass going astray, you will bring it back to him again” (Ex 23:4) This is one way to make your enemy, your friend, make peace with him. Would not this be for today as well, of course, it would! “Do not oppress the stranger, seeing you were strangers in the land of Egypt” Other Bibles say “foreigner” The USA used to welcome all immigrants, but now many are being oppressed, being deported, being cheated in wages, we must turn this around and start helping those who come to this country to seek a better life, thus turning a curse into a blessing. If you read from chapters 21 to 24, and look carefully at the commandments/judgments, you will see that most make perfect sense even in our modern days. God's Word is right on the money! Let's all serve as "bondservants" in service of our LORD and Savior. Our life and rewards in Heaven will reflect how we served the LORD here on earth. Let's be in HIS SERVICE every day of our lives.
  16. ISAIAH 6:1-7:6 ” KADOSH, KADOSH, KADOSH, ADONAI TZEVA’OT” .... Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD(YHVH) of hosts” When the Torah mentions the “Holiness” of God, the word is KADOSH, the “O” is there, (the letter “vav” in Hebrew) but when “holiness” is mentioned referring to mankind, the “O” is missing, and we have KAD_SH, this “missing “vav” symbolizes our “incompleteness in holiness", because of our inborn “sin nature” This is something that can only be understood in the original Hebrew. That is why it is so important to know the basics of Biblical Hebrew because if not, we are missing some true treasures in the WORD. The letter "Vav" can be understood as the word "and" in English. It joins two words together. It looks like an upside-down golf club or hockey stick. It can also be understood as the vowel "o" if it has a "dot" on the top. The letter "Vav" is also symbolized as a "nail" or "tent peg" or a "spike" (Something that connects). So, when we look at the word "Kadosh" (Holy) from a Hebraic perspective, we see that the "Vav" (nail) is present. Our Heavenly Father, in human form as Yeshua/Jesus, received the "nails" in his hands so as to make us "holy" through his sacrifice and shedding of blood. In this way, when we trust HIM as our LORD and Savior, our Heavenly Father imputes Yeshua's holiness to us. In the verse "Be Ye Holy for I AM Holy" (1 Peter 1:16) in the Hebrew New Testament, the "Vav" is missing in "be ye holy" since we did NOT receive the nails in our hands, yet our Savior DID. Our "Holiness" is an "incomplete action" Being "holy" or "set apart" is a lifelong process that becomes complete when we are with the LORD someday, and we receive our new sinless bodies. Yeshayahu (Isaiah) is being asked by God, “Whom shall I send, who will go for US?” (Elohim) The Prophet answers, “Here am I, send me!” and God responds, “Go, and tell the people!” That should be our attitude as well, we have those orders too from God, to “tell the people” about Yeshua, to teach those who will listen, to his WORD, even though many will not understand at the beginning, or will refuse, we have to try, WE (all believers) are responsible for taking the “Good News” to others who will listen, and with the modern technology, the internet, this has become possible, what used to be almost impossible, now is possible, with fingers going across the keyboard and with the click of the mouse, the word is sent out. So, take advantage of today's modern technology. If the net can be used for silly and evil purposes, it can also be used for spreading the WORD and teaching the WORD to others (even through 10-minute "TikTok" segments) MATTHEW 27:1-28:20 This relates to the age-old story of Yeshua's trial, execution, and resurrection, this story we know well, He did it to pay the price of our sins, past, present, and future, His one-time-only sacrifice was good forever and still IS good forever. But many people still reject this sacrifice, reject this gift of salvation, for a short-lived world of pleasure, for an eternity of suffering and pain. When we look at Passover, which is coming up soon,( Starts April 22nd, 2024) we are reminded of the “Passover lambs” that were sacrificed/slaughtered on the eve of Passover. The blood of the lambs sprinkled on the doorposts of the Israelite houses in Goshen, thus protecting them from the Angel of Death. We could also presume that if an Egyptian family did the same, they also would have been spared being stuck dead by the Death Angel. (the first born that is). All those sacrificed lambs point to Yeshua, who was the “Lamb of God” who took away the curse of sin from the world. The unleavened bread which was eaten that night, which we still eat on Passover, is “Yeshua the Bread of Life”. The Lamb of God and the Living Bread go together. Pilate wrote these words on the cross, YESHUA OF NAZARETH, KING OF THE JEWS, in Hebrew it would have been 'YESHUA HA NOTZRI, V'HA MELECH Y'HUDIM. Within this title are the letters YHVH, which explain who Yeshua is, God on earth, made flesh and blood, whose blood was shed to set us free. Shavua Tov (Have a good week) "Checkmate my dear Motel!" "Oi, you always win!" "Motel, when you become a rabbi, I'll let you win!"
  17. I believe that children hundreds of years ago, when McGuffey came out with those readers, really had a good foundation of God's Word, even in school. The "We" in the post refers to all born-again believers.
  18. ISAIAH 6:1-7:6 ” KADOSH, KADOSH, KADOSH, ADONAI TZEVA’OT” .... Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD(YHVH) of hosts” When the Torah mentions the “Holiness” of God, the word is KADOSH, the “O” is there, (the letter “vav” in Hebrew) but when “holiness” is mentioned referring to mankind, the “O” is missing, and we have KAD_SH, this “missing “vav” symbolizes our “incompleteness in holiness", because of our inborn “sin nature” This is something that can only be understood in the original Hebrew. That is why it is so important to know the basics of Biblical Hebrew because if not, we are missing some true treasures in the WORD. The letter "Vav" can be understood as the word "and" in English. It joins two words together. It looks like an upside-down golf club or hockey stick. It can also be understood as the vowel "o" if it has a "dot" on the top. The letter "Vav" is also symbolized as a "nail" or "tent peg" or a "spike" (Something that connects). So, when we look at the word "Kadosh" (Holy) from a Hebraic perspective, we see that the "Vav" (nail) is present. Our Heavenly Father, in human form as Yeshua/Jesus, received the "nails" in his hands so as to make us "holy" through his sacrifice and shedding of blood. In this way, when we trust HIM as our LORD and Savior, our Heavenly Father imputes Yeshua's holiness to us. In the verse "Be Ye Holy for I AM Holy" (1 Peter 1:16) in the Hebrew New Testament, the "Vav" is missing in "be ye holy" since we did NOT receive the nails in our hands, yet our Savior DID. Our "Holiness" is an "incomplete action" Being "holy" or "set apart" is a lifelong process that becomes complete when we are with the LORD someday, and we receive our new sinless bodies. Yeshayahu (Isaiah) is being asked by God, “Whom shall I send, who will go for US?” (Elohim) The Prophet answers, “Here am I, send me!” and God responds, “Go, and tell the people!” That should be our attitude as well, we have those orders too from God, to “tell the people” about Yeshua, to teach those who will listen, to his WORD, even though many will not understand at the beginning, or will refuse, we have to try, WE (all believers) are responsible for taking the “Good News” to others who will listen, and with the modern technology, the internet, this has become possible, what used to be almost impossible, now is possible, with fingers going across the keyboard and with the click of the mouse, the word is sent out. So, take advantage of today's modern technology. If the net can be used for silly and evil purposes, it can also be used for spreading the WORD and teaching the WORD to others (even through 10-minute "TikTok" segments) MATTHEW 27:1-28:20 This relates to the age-old story of Yeshua's trial, execution, and resurrection, this story we know well, He did it to pay the price of our sins, past, present, and future, His one-time-only sacrifice was good forever and still IS good forever. But many people still reject this sacrifice, reject this gift of salvation, for a short-lived world of pleasure, for an eternity of suffering and pain. When we look at Passover, which is coming up soon,( Starts April 22nd, 2024) we are reminded of the “Passover lambs” that were sacrificed/slaughtered on the eve of Passover. The blood of the lambs sprinkled on the doorposts of the Israelite houses in Goshen, thus protecting them from the Angel of Death. We could also presume that if an Egyptian family did the same, they also would have been spared being stuck dead by the Death Angel. (the first born that is). All those sacrificed lambs point to Yeshua, who was the “Lamb of God” who took away the curse of sin from the world. The unleavened bread which was eaten that night, which we still eat on Passover, is “Yeshua the Bread of Life”. The Lamb of God and the Living Bread go together. Pilate wrote these words on the cross, YESHUA OF NAZARETH, KING OF THE JEWS, in Hebrew it would have been 'YESHUA HA NOTZRI, V'HA MELECH Y'HUDIM. Within this title are the letters YHVH, which explain who Yeshua is, God on earth, made flesh and blood, whose blood was shed to set us free. Shavua Tov (Have a good week) "Checkmate my dear Motel" "Oi, you always win!" "Motel, when you become a rabbi, I'll let you win!"
  19. PARASHA: “Yitro” (Jethro) EXODUS 18:1-20:26 We see in this Torah study, a lot of wisdom on the part of Moshe and Yitro, his father-in-law. First, we learn that Moshe had sent his wife and children back to stay with their father. I believe for safe-keeping, when one sees danger, it is wise to care for one's family, as Moshe did, His wife and children might have been in danger, the Egyptians might have retaliated, might have kidnapped his wife and children, or killed them, so Moshe took precaution, which is a good thing. The second piece of wisdom comes from Yitro, He is a man of experience, so he says; “Moshe, what are you doing to this people?” hey, you are only one man, and a few million of them? Come on dude, get wise-er, this isn't a one-man deal here, no such things as “lone-rangers” in ministry, even the “Lone-Ranger” was not alone, he had “Tonto”. Ministry is to be shared with other believers, that is why the Ruach Ha Kodesh has given the Spiritual gifts, to be shared, to minister to others, by many, not just one. The rabbi cannot do it alone, neither can the pastor. The rabbi needs his co-workers, and so does the pastor, if not, they are going to run themselves ragged. This is called “pastor/rabbi Burn-out” Another thing to point out is that it directs us to a question. The scripture says that Moshe sat in judgment of the people and made known the ordinances of God. But…Moshe and the people had not received the Torah yet. That came afterward. So, if Moshe hadn’t received the commandments yet, how did he know the ordinances of God with which to judge the people? Two possibilities. The “Oral Torah” was given probably to Adam, who passed it on to Seth, and from Seth to Enoch and from Enoch to Methuselah, and so forth until it reached Moses. So, he knew, from the teaching of the patriarchs. The other possibility is that during the time that Moshe was sent back to Egypt, God revealed his laws and statutes to him personally through visions or dreams. Remember that God spoke to Moshe as one man speaks to another. These are just possibilities, then on Sinai, they were given orally to Moshe and the people, then, God wrote them on stone tablets and later, Moshe wrote them on parchment papers or o lamb skins. From the “Oral Torah to the Written Torah.” This is the Bible study covering the “Ten Mitzvoth” the “Ten Commandments” but before the giving of these, YHVH presents the deal to the people, kind of like when the bride-groom presents himself to the bride, these are beautiful words; ” Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself, therefore IF you harken unto my voice and keep my covenant, THEN ye shall be my treasure from among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, and you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation” (19:4-6) It is all conditional, like all contracts, and covenants, we see the “IF” and “THEN” He says that He bore Israel on eagles' wings. An eagle will carry her young on her wings to protect them from harm. So did YHVH, He brought Israel through the Sea on dry land, and brought them nigh unto Har Sinai, now, they have to decide, will they accept YHVH as their one and only God? And obey HIS words? It is like asking the bride to accept the groom as her only husband, provider, and loving ruler, (not tyrant) BUT…even though Israel broke the covenant many times, YHVH has remained faithful and we are HIS HOLY PEOPLE, his ELECT, whether we were born and raised in Israel or from the nations, doesn't matter, we are HIS because we have accepted HIS sacrifice in YESHUA our “Goel” (Redeemer), and we choose the follow his Torah, his LIVING Torah. The HE lays out the first 10 of the 613 commandments, which generalize, one can say “all” of the Torah: We need to realize that the first ten were given directly by Adonai to his people, HIS voice to HIS people, the other 603 were given to the people THROUGH Moshe, but still, they are all GOD’s commandments. Moshe simply did not make them up. ”ANOCHI YHVH ELOHEIHA” ( I AM ADONAI YOUR GOD) with the I AM emphasized, one can say “Ani” (I) or Anochi (I really AM) He is saying, I am who I have claimed to be, the God who took you out of Egypt and brought you here, I am ready to be your God, so if that is the case, there can only be ONE God in your life, that is ME, I don't want statues of me, that what the Egyptians did, so, don't do as they did, (It took one day to take Israel out of Egypt, but 40 years to take Egypt out of Israel, if you get the meaning). Don't bow down and worship other gods, that will NOT be accepted. It is interesting to see that the word “Egyptians” and “Egypt” is the same in Hebrew, it is the word “Mitzraim”. When Israel crossed the Red Sea, the “Egyptians” were drowned in the sea, yet “Egypt” followed Israel still, in the manner of “mindset” “philosophy”, and “influence”. Today when we reject the ways of the world, and come to “Yeshua” there are still “world-ways” one tends to follow, sometimes we do things even without thinking, which reminds us of the “ways of the world” (evil things). Yet we see today, even though we don't make or bow down to silver, gold, wooden statues that symbolize who God is, or TRY to symbolize who he is, sorry guys, they didn't have cameras back then to take pictures, many bow down and consider more important things like; football, soccer, money, sex, TV, fast cars, work, you name it, if these come before our worship and service to our God YHVH, then those things ARE OUR gods!! put them in their proper places, least YHVH take them from us by force!! THOU SHALT NOT TAKE THE NAME OF YHVH IN VAIN... What is being said here? When many take oaths, and promises, many times the name of GOD is used; like “I swear to God I'll pay you back next week” Well, if next week rolls around and you pay back what you owe, you will have HONORED the NAME of GOD, yet if you don't, you will have taken the NAME of God in vain! It is better not to make promises and use God's name, we can always say “I'll do my best to pay you back as soon as I am able” and leave it at that. One can take the name of the LORD thy GOD in vain without words, our mere actions and comportment speak of God and who He is, if we behave unlike born-again believers, if we behave like a lost person, using foul language in front of others, getting upset and throwing temper fits, we are TAKING HIS NAME IN VAIN. And using those ugly 4 letter words, And other sorts of ugly language...well. that is not swearing, that is being just plain vulgar. REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY TO KEEP IT HOLY...The sabbath is and always will be Saturday, it was never changed to Sunday, nothing wrong with going to church on Sunday, to me, it is a “double blessing” to worship Adonai two days straight. Yes, the early believers met on the first day of the week (Sunday) to break bread and have fellowship, this was “Havdalah” this was the close of the Sabbath and the welcome of the new week. We honor the first day of the week to remember the resurrection of our Messiah and LORD. The empty tomb is the proof. The custom of the New Testament times was fellowship on the first day of the week, and to remember Messiah Yeshua. Yet this did not mean that the Sabbath day was changed from Saturday to Sunday. Yeshua resurrected on the first day of the week, Baruch HaShem!! great! And we also can worship on Sundays at local churches. I have seen many churches have services on both days. We should dedicate the sabbath day to be in the Synagogue or at church, to worship, and learn from his word through God's chosen ministers, Sunday school teachers, and Torah teachers. Go home and rest, or take the family out to lunch, give the wife a break from the kitchen, or eat lunch at the synagogue (Oneg) and leave the material things and worldly things to the next day. Rest means rest! I have read in rabbinical commentaries that when “The World keeps the Sabbath perfectly...THEN… Messiah will return!” well, He still has never returned, does that mean that the world has not kept Shabbos perfectly? Guess so. Shabbat is HaSatan's perfect and favorite time to stir up trouble and tempers so that we will NOT have a restful Shabbat. Be aware of that. HONOR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER...This needs no explanation, it is common sense to honor our parents and respect them because of WHO they are, and what they have done for us. My mom and dad used to say to me; “We went without many times to give you the things that you have today” Our parents give us love, raise us, hopefully, to love God, ( I can't speak for all of you readers, since everyone is different) But, if our parents gave us love and taught us about God and Yeshua/Jesus, then, we ought to do the same for our kids. Honoring fathers and mothers does not mean sticking them in a rest home when they are old and going off and forgetting about them, doesn't work like that. Were your parents rotten to you? Did they mistreat you? Well, love them anyway! It is what Yeshua taught. THOU SHALT NOT MURDER, THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, THOU SHALT NOT STEAL.....ever wonder why those three commandments are together? If one commits adultery, that person is “murdering” a marital relationship, and “stealing” what does not belong to you, being another person's spouse. Yeshua explains it even better, He said if you only “think” of sleeping, or having sex with another person's wife or husband, that person has already committed adultery in his or her mind, it gets pretty intense if you look at it that way. “Murder” does NOT include going to war and fighting for your nation, you are DEFENDING your family and homeland. “Stealing?” can be a two or three-page explanation, if you come back late from lunch, you are “stealing” time from your employer, if you do not do your very best, then you are “stealing” from your employer, your ability and usefulness. Can a man rob God? Malachi says, “Yes” God speaking through his prophet, “You have ROBBED me of your tithes and offerings” One can rob from God when we do not utilize our spiritual gifts, or waste them on worldly things. DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS....this is another lengthy subject, but with simple words, always tell the truth, and do not hide the truth from others. To know that some thieves are planning to rob your neighbor, and you remain silent and do not alert your neighbor, it is if you open your neighbor's door for the thieves, you are being false. To tell a half-truth is to be false. Yes, the truth at times can be costly, and painful, but being false can be worse. DO NOT COVET.... Be satisfied with what you have, the job you have, the bank account you have, with the car you have, with the wife or husband you have...Coveting can lead to worse crimes, look at Aachen, who coveted the Babylonian tunic and gold from Jericho, it cost him his life, and his family's lives too. If you want more than you have already, take it to the LORD in prayer, if the LORD sees that there is nothing wrong with giving you a little more, HE will give it to you in HIS perfect time. You never know, people with “more things” usually have “more headaches” or “more” to worry about. I remember what the TV preacher Rex Humbard said once, “God may give you what you want, but you're not going to want what you get!” So, give thanks for what you already have, when we go to heaven, we will leave it ALL BEHIND. Have a blessed week.
  20. PARASHA: “Yitro” (Jethro) EXODUS 18:1-20:26 We see in this Torah study, a lot of wisdom on the part of Moshe and Yitro, his father-in-law. First, we learn that Moshe had sent his wife and children back to stay with their father. I believe for safe-keeping, when one sees danger, it is wise to care for one's family, as Moshe did, His wife and children might have been in danger, the Egyptians might have retaliated, might have kidnapped his wife and children, or killed them, so Moshe took precaution, which is a good thing. The second piece of wisdom comes from Yitro, He is a man of experience, so he says; “Moshe, what are you doing to this people?” hey, you are only one man, and a few million of them? Come on dude, get wise-er, this isn't a one-man deal here, no such things as “lone-rangers” in ministry, even the “Lone-Ranger” was not alone, he had “Tonto”. Ministry is to be shared with other believers, that is why the Ruach Ha Kodesh has given the Spiritual gifts, to be shared, to minister to others, by many, not just one. The rabbi cannot do it alone, neither can the pastor. The rabbi needs his co-workers, and so does the pastor, if not, they are going to run themselves ragged. This is called “pastor/rabbi Burn-out” Another thing to point out is that it directs us to a question. The scripture says that Moshe sat in judgment of the people and made known the ordinances of God. But…Moshe and the people had not received the Torah yet. That came afterward. So, if Moshe hadn’t received the commandments yet, how did he know the ordinances of God with which to judge the people? Two possibilities. The “Oral Torah” was given probably to Adam, who passed it on to Seth, and from Seth to Enoch and from Enoch to Methuselah, and so forth until it reached Moses. So, he knew, from the teaching of the patriarchs. The other possibility is that during the time that Moshe was sent back to Egypt, God revealed his laws and statutes to him personally through visions or dreams. Remember that God spoke to Moshe as one man speaks to another. These are just possibilities, then on Sinai, they were given orally to Moshe and the people, then, God wrote them on stone tablets and later, Moshe wrote them on parchment papers or o lamb skins. From the “Oral Torah to the Written Torah.” This is the Bible study covering the “Ten Mitzvoth” the “Ten Commandments” but before the giving of these, YHVH presents the deal to the people, kind of like when the bride-groom presents himself to the bride, these are beautiful words; ” Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself, therefore IF you harken unto my voice and keep my covenant, THEN ye shall be my treasure from among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, and you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation” (19:4-6) It is all conditional, like all contracts, and covenants, we see the “IF” and “THEN” He says that He bore Israel on eagles' wings. An eagle will carry her young on her wings to protect them from harm. So did YHVH, He brought Israel through the Sea on dry land, and brought them nigh unto Har Sinai, now, they have to decide, will they accept YHVH as their one and only God? And obey HIS words? It is like asking the bride to accept the groom as her only husband, provider, and loving ruler, (not tyrant) BUT…even though Israel broke the covenant many times, YHVH has remained faithful and we are HIS HOLY PEOPLE, his ELECT, whether we were born and raised in Israel or from the nations, doesn't matter, we are HIS because we have accepted HIS sacrifice in YESHUA our “Goel” (Redeemer), and we choose the follow his Torah, his LIVING Torah. The HE lays out the first 10 of the 613 commandments, which generalize, one can say “all” of the Torah: We need to realize that the first ten were given directly by Adonai to his people, HIS voice to HIS people, the other 603 were given to the people THROUGH Moshe, but still, they are all GOD’s commandments. Moshe simply did not make them up. ”ANOCHI YHVH ELOHEIHA” ( I AM ADONAI YOUR GOD) with the I AM emphasized, one can say “Ani” (I) or Anochi (I really AM) He is saying, I am who I have claimed to be, the God who took you out of Egypt and brought you here, I am ready to be your God, so if that is the case, there can only be ONE God in your life, that is ME, I don't want statues of me, that what the Egyptians did, so, don't do as they did, (It took one day to take Israel out of Egypt, but 40 years to take Egypt out of Israel, if you get the meaning). Don't bow down and worship other gods, that will NOT be accepted. It is interesting to see that the word “Egyptians” and “Egypt” is the same in Hebrew, it is the word “Mitzraim”. When Israel crossed the Red Sea, the “Egyptians” were drowned in the sea, yet “Egypt” followed Israel still, in the manner of “mindset” “philosophy”, and “influence”. Today when we reject the ways of the world, and come to “Yeshua” there are still “world-ways” one tends to follow, sometimes we do things even without thinking, which reminds us of the “ways of the world” (evil things). Yet we see today, even though we don't make or bow down to silver, gold, wooden statues that symbolize who God is, or TRY to symbolize who he is, sorry guys, they didn't have cameras back then to take pictures, many bow down and consider more important things like; football, soccer, money, sex, TV, fast cars, work, you name it, if these come before our worship and service to our God YHVH, then those things ARE OUR gods!! put them in their proper places, least YHVH take them from us by force!! THOU SHALT NOT TAKE THE NAME OF YHVH IN VAIN... What is being said here? When many take oaths, and promises, many times the name of GOD is used; like “I swear to God I'll pay you back next week” Well, if next week rolls around and you pay back what you owe, you will have HONORED the NAME of GOD, yet if you don't, you will have taken the NAME of God in vain! It is better not to make promises and use God's name, we can always say “I'll do my best to pay you back as soon as I am able” and leave it at that. One can take the name of the LORD thy GOD in vain without words, our mere actions and comportment speak of God and who He is, if we behave unlike born-again believers, if we behave like a lost person, using foul language in front of others, getting upset and throwing temper fits, we are TAKING HIS NAME IN VAIN. And using those ugly 4 letter words, And other sorts of ugly language...well. that is not swearing, that is being just plain vulgar. REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY TO KEEP IT HOLY...The sabbath is and always will be Saturday, it was never changed to Sunday, nothing wrong with going to church on Sunday, to me, it is a “double blessing” to worship Adonai two days straight. Yes, the early believers met on the first day of the week (Sunday) to break bread and have fellowship, this was “Havdalah” this was the close of the Sabbath and the welcome of the new week. We honor the first day of the week to remember the resurrection of our Messiah and LORD. The empty tomb is the proof. The custom of the New Testament times was fellowship on the first day of the week, and to remember Messiah Yeshua. Yet this did not mean that the Sabbath day was changed from Saturday to Sunday. Yeshua resurrected on the first day of the week, Baruch HaShem!! great! And we also can worship on Sundays at local churches. I have seen many churches have services on both days. We should dedicate the sabbath day to be in the Synagogue or at church, to worship, and learn from his word through God's chosen ministers, Sunday school teachers, and Torah teachers. Go home and rest, or take the family out to lunch, give the wife a break from the kitchen, or eat lunch at the synagogue (Oneg) and leave the material things and worldly things to the next day. Rest means rest! I have read in rabbinical commentaries that when “The World keeps the Sabbath perfectly...THEN… Messiah will return!” well, He still has never returned, does that mean that the world has not kept Shabbos perfectly? Guess so. Shabbat is HaSatan's perfect and favorite time to stir up trouble and tempers so that we will NOT have a restful Shabbat. Be aware of that. HONOR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER...This needs no explanation, it is common sense to honor our parents and respect them because of WHO they are, and what they have done for us. My mom and dad used to say to me; “We went without many times to give you the things that you have today” Our parents give us love, raise us, hopefully, to love God, ( I can't speak for all of you readers, since everyone is different) But, if our parents gave us love and taught us about God and Yeshua/Jesus, then, we ought to do the same for our kids. Honoring fathers and mothers does not mean sticking them in a rest home when they are old and going off and forgetting about them, doesn't work like that. Were your parents rotten to you? Did they mistreat you? Well, love them anyway! It is what Yeshua taught. THOU SHALT NOT MURDER, THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, THOU SHALT NOT STEAL.....ever wonder why those three commandments are together? If one commits adultery, that person is “murdering” a marital relationship, and “stealing” what does not belong to you, being another person's spouse. Yeshua explains it even better, He said if you only “think” of sleeping, or having sex with another person's wife or husband, that person has already committed adultery in his or her mind, it gets pretty intense if you look at it that way. “Murder” does NOT include going to war and fighting for your nation, you are DEFENDING your family and homeland. “Stealing?” can be a two or three-page explanation, if you come back late from lunch, you are “stealing” time from your employer, if you do not do your very best, then you are “stealing” from your employer, your ability and usefulness. Can a man rob God? Malachi says, “Yes” God speaking through his prophet, “You have ROBBED me of your tithes and offerings” One can rob from God when we do not utilize our spiritual gifts, or waste them on worldly things. DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS....this is another lengthy subject, but with simple words, always tell the truth, and do not hide the truth from others. To know that some thieves are planning to rob your neighbor, and you remain silent and do not alert your neighbor, it is if you open your neighbor's door for the thieves, you are being false. To tell a half-truth is to be false. Yes, the truth at times can be costly, and painful, but being false can be worse. DO NOT COVET.... Be satisfied with what you have, the job you have, the bank account you have, with the car you have, with the wife or husband you have...Coveting can lead to worse crimes, look at Aachen, who coveted the Babylonian tunic and gold from Jericho, it cost him his life, and his family's lives too. If you want more than you have already, take it to the LORD in prayer, if the LORD sees that there is nothing wrong with giving you a little more, HE will give it to you in HIS perfect time. You never know, people with “more things” usually have “more headaches” or “more” to worry about. I remember what the TV preacher Rex Humbard said once, “God may give you what you want, but you're not going to want what you get!” So, give thanks for what you already have, when we go to heaven, we will leave it ALL BEHIND. Have a blessed week. Gut Shabos
  21. Hello and thank you for your comment. You ask if the name "Yeshua" is different from "YHVH" Well yes, these are two different names yet they describe the same eternal entity who is our eternal God. YHVH comes from the word "Havayah" which is the "essence of existence" and we get the letters Yod Hey and Vav from "Haya' (the past) "Hoveh" (the present) and "Yiyah" which is (the future) these words describe that our Heavenly Father is of the past, the present, and the future. YHVH also illustrates, in paleo-Hebrew, the statement "Behold the hand, Behold the nail" this statement describes Yeshua, who is YHVH in the flesh, from the word "Yeshuah" salvation is from Yah. When we pray, we always pray to the Father in the name of Yeshua,
  22. JUDGES 4:4-5:31 In this reading, we read about Devorah and Jael, two women of God who played an important role in Israel's history. We read about many “men of God” but very few “women of God” but they are out there, and today, we have many women who are used mightily by God in ministry. Through Deborah and Jael, Sisera and his army were vanquished, just as Moshe was an example of a leader, Deborah was also a leader, and Jael, whose name in Hebrew “Yah-El” means “El (God) is YHVH (Yah) “his Holy Arm revealed” "Deborah" comes from "Dabar" (Word) and she was the Prophetess at that time, who gave "God's Word" to the people who came to seek counsel at that time. So, we had back then both men and women prophets, those who God spoke to in order to judge and give counsel to the people. We also need to recognize Miriam, the sister of Moses, who led the praises and worship after Israel crossed the Sea of Reeds. Hadassah (Queen Esther) who intervened for the Jewish people in the time of King Ahasuerus and the evil Haman. We need to recognize also the women who followed Yeshua and served him throughout his ministry. There were also many women who followed Judah Ben Matityahu (Judah the Maccabee) when he and his army went out to fight against King Antiochus of Syria. They kept the "campfires burning". If you are a woman and reading this Parashah, never say “Because I am a woman, God cannot use me” Yes, he can, there are ministries for women, mostly, women ministering to other women, reaching out to those who have been abused in marriages, victims of rape, assault, homeless women, etc. YOU, my sister, have a place in ministry. Venture out and discover what it is, just be available. MATTHEW 26:1-75 This chapter deals with Yeshua's final days with his disciples on earth, His anointing by the generous woman who poured the “nard” perfume on him, the betrayal by “Y'hudah Ish Kariot” (Judas, the man from the region of Kariot) in every group of disciples, there are always a few who are “fakers” We have the final “Pesach” dinner with his disciples, and Kefa's denial. It was at this final supper together, that Yeshua expressed himself through the bread and the wine. His body and blood. The original Passover back in Exodus only had roasted lambs or goats, unleavened bread, and bitter herbs. At the time of the last supper, cups of wine were added, as well as charoset (sweet mixture). All these have meaning. The unleavened bread = Yeshua, who is the Bread of Life. The cups of wine, the blood of our Savior which was shed for our sins. The bitter herbs, the bitterness of sin. The charoset (sweet mixture) the sweetness of our salvation and our new life with our LORD and Savior. The charoset is made in different ways depending on the culture. Most have ground nuts mixed with raisins and dates with wine. Since Judas was the betrayer, he did not have a genuine relationship with Yeshua, and therefore, left the room and did not participate in the whole supper ceremony. Even so, Yeshua still loved him. He loves all people and wishes that all would come to repentance and accept him as LORD and Savior, but a true relationship can not be forced, only offered. In those 3 years with Yeshua, Judas learned nothing. Imagine those who have been exposed to the gospel for a lifetime, and still reject it, what a waste of life. But there is a lot we can learn from this, Peter denied knowing Yeshua, out of fear, but Judas openly rejected him by identifying him with a kiss on the cheek. Both sins are forgivable, the only difference is that Peter confessed and received forgiveness, while Judas felt remorse, but did not cry out for forgiveness, but went out and committed suicide. There is sin that leads to remorse and a “feeling sorry for oneself” and sin that leads to remorse, and from remorse to confession, and from confession to forgiveness, and from forgiveness to restored fellowship. How many readers out there have chosen the latter? We are all sinners and have fallen short of the glory of God, but confession of sins, and receiving forgiveness is something only you can do, I cannot do it for you. Yeshua receives ALL who come to him, no matter how evil you have been, nor what you have done, no sin is beyond forgiveness. Just ask, and turn from your sin, and forgiveness and restoration are yours.
  23. JUDGES 4:4-5:31 In this reading, we read about Devorah and Jael, two women of God who played an important role in Israel's history. We read about many “men of God” but very few “women of God” but they are out there, and today, we have many women who are used mightily by God in ministry. Through Deborah and Jael, Sisera and his army were vanquished, just as Moshe was an example of a leader, Deborah was also a leader, and Jael, whose name in Hebrew “Yah-El” means “El (God) is YHVH (Yah) “his Holy Arm revealed” "Deborah" comes from "Dabar" (Word) and she was the Prophetess at that time, who gave "God's Word" to the people who came to seek counsel at that time. So, we had back then both men and women prophets, those who God spoke to in order to judge and give counsel to the people. We also need to recognize Miriam, the sister of Moses, who led the praises and worship after Israel crossed the Sea of Reeds. Hadassah (Queen Esther) who intervened for the Jewish people in the time of King Ahasuerus and the evil Haman. We need to recognize also the women who followed Yeshua and served him throughout his ministry. There were also many women who followed Judah Ben Matityahu (Judah the Maccabee) when he and his army went out to fight against King Antiochus of Syria. They kept the "campfires burning". If you are a woman and reading this Parashah, never say “Because I am a woman, God cannot use me” Yes, he can, there are ministries for women, mostly, women ministering to other women, reaching out to those who have been abused in marriages, victims of rape, assault, homeless women, etc. YOU, my sister, have a place in ministry. Venture out and discover what it is, just be available. MATTHEW 26:1-75 This chapter deals with Yeshua's final days with his disciples on earth, His anointing by the generous woman who poured the “nard” perfume on him, the betrayal by “Y'hudah Ish Kariot” (Judas, the man from the region of Kariot) in every group of disciples, there are always a few who are “fakers” We have the final “Pesach” dinner with his disciples, and Kefa's denial. It was at this final supper together, that Yeshua expressed himself through the bread and the wine. His body and blood. The original Passover back in Exodus only had roasted lambs or goats, unleavened bread, and bitter herbs. At the time of the last supper, cups of wine were added, as well as charoset (sweet mixture). All these have meaning. The unleavened bread = Yeshua, who is the Bread of Life. The cups of wine, the blood of our Savior which was shed for our sins. The bitter herbs, the bitterness of sin. The charoset (sweet mixture) the sweetness of our salvation and our new life with our LORD and Savior. The charoset is made in different ways depending on the culture. Most have ground nuts mixed with raisins and dates with wine. Since Judas was the betrayer, he did not have a genuine relationship with Yeshua, and therefore, left the room and did not participate in the whole supper ceremony. Even so, Yeshua still loved him. He loves all people and wishes that all would come to repentance and accept him as LORD and Savior, but a true relationship can not be forced, only offered. In those 3 years with Yeshua, Judas learned nothing. Imagine those who have been exposed to the gospel for a lifetime, and still reject it, what a waste of life. But there is a lot we can learn from this, Peter denied knowing Yeshua, out of fear, but Judas openly rejected him by identifying him with a kiss on the cheek. Both sins are forgivable, the only difference is that Peter confessed and received forgiveness, while Judas felt remorse, but did not cry out for forgiveness, but went out and committed suicide. There is sin that leads to remorse and a “feeling sorry for oneself” and sin that leads to remorse, and from remorse to confession, and from confession to forgiveness, and from forgiveness to restored fellowship. How many readers out there have chosen the latter? We are all sinners and have fallen short of the glory of God, but confession of sins, and receiving forgiveness is something only you can do, I cannot do it for you. Yeshua receives ALL who come to him, no matter how evil you have been, nor what you have done, no sin is beyond forgiveness. Just ask, and turn from your sin, and forgiveness and restoration are yours. Together to study the WORD
  24. PARASHAH: “B'shalach” (when he let go) or (when he sent out) EXODUS 13:17-17:16 We are coming down to the “showdown” where Pharaoh gets his just desserts, and gets what he deserves for defying the God of Israel, going back on his word to “let Israel go”, you cannot pursue Israel without getting hurt, and Pharaoh and his army got to drink bitter waters, went off the “deep end” and received a very fatal “water baptism” in Yam Suf (Sea of Reeds) Yet before all this happens, there are some interesting verses to look at. Exodus 13: 18 states; “The children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt” It also states that Elohim did not lead them through the land of the F’lishtim: (The Philistines) because an encounter with them might bring the Israelites to face war, frighten them, and cause them to go back to Egypt. But if they had weapons, why would they fear a battle? One can assume that even though they had weapons if they didn’t know how to use them, they would be no good. We can say the same thing about the Bible. It is little good in the hands of one who does not know how to use it, or uses it in wrongful ways, inventing “strange” doctrines, or taking verses out of context. The Israelites were ex-slaves, not warriors. Another question, where did they get the weapons? Were the weapons among the spoils of Egypt? Here is another view from a Derashic perspective (Moral and spiritual) The word for “armed” in Hebrew which is used is “chamushim” Jewish commentators state this word has roots in the words “chamesh” (the number 5) and “chamishim” (50). So how do we apply these? It is believed that it was the 5th generation after Yosef that left Egypt, if a generation is 80 years, it would add up to 400 years. Also, the number 5 symbolizes “grace”. So, the Israelites not only left Egypt with some spears and swords but they were also armed with the “grace” that Elohim bestowed on them. More importantly, they were armed with the protection, the blessings, and the leadership of Elohim who led them out of Egypt. The number “50” also reminds us of the “50 gates of understanding” which the ancient rabbis say are 50 questions that Elohim asked Job at the end of “Sefer Job.” (The Book of Job) I would like to answer the question using a question. If we can have eternal life through the blood and sacrifice of Yeshua for our sins, past, present, and future, why do so many people still REJECT Him? The scripture states that ‘Wide is the way that leads to destruction, but narrow is the way that leads to eternal life.’ How many Israelites put the lambs' blood on their doorposts? We hope that all did. But of course, we can't be sure. Another word for “armed” is “equipped”. One could also say that “B’nei Yisrael” went out of Egypt “equipped” with the “5” promises that Adonai gave to His people; 1) Elohim will deliver Israel out from under the burden of Egyptian Slavery; 2) Israel will be REDEEMED by the ARM of Elohim-YHVH; 3) Elohim-YHVH will take Israel as HIS people and will be their GOD; 4) Israel will be brought into the chosen land of promise; 5) The promised land will be an INHERETANCE. But let’s look at the Peshat, the literal meaning of the word; “armed” It could also come from the Egyptian word “chams” which is “lance." Here's something else. Once the Israelites crossed the narrow portion of the Sea of Reeds, they were "out of Egypt" and when the Egyptians drowned in the Sea, the scriptures state that the "Israelites saw their bodies on the seashore." from the bodies of the Egyptian soldiers the Israelites took weapons; swords, bows, and arrows, (the spears probably sunk to the bottom of the sea). So here we can confirm that they "left Egypt (behind) and were fully armed (with the weapons they recovered). Now, they would need to learn how to use them. Moses probably taught them how. As believers, we have the Word of God, but if we are unskilled in using His WORD, or if we do not know how to interpret it correctly, we could do much harm to others, just like a sword in the hands of a child, the child could cut himself, or hurt one of his friends Another thing to ponder upon is that when the word “Egyptians” is used, the word “Mitzraim” is used, which also means “Egypt” (the nation of). Why “Mitzraim” and not “Mitzrim?” One can say that even though “b’nei Yisrael” left Egypt, Egypt still followed them out! They left with the Egyptian culture, ways, language, and all that was part of them in those 400 years as slaves. It took Elohim one day to take Israel out of Egypt, but it took 40 years to take Egypt out of Israel! We are the same way, even though we are born-again believers, we still carry around the garbage related to our “Yetzer-Hara” (sinful nature) but little by little, the Ruach HaKodesh takes that from us as we mature in the faith. We might wonder how many Israelites left Egypt, probably about 2 million, plus those Egyptians that “saw the light” plus the sheep and cattle, it was a huge people group that headed eastward across the Sinai Peninsula. "And it was told the King of Egypt that the people were fled” (14:5). What? Didn't he already know that? Of course, he did, he let them go! It was probably a team of scouts that were sent out to track down the Israelites to see where they were going, and they gave their report back to Pharaoh. Now this took place a few days later, now Pharaoh is sorry he let them go. What? Didn't he remember the plagues? Some people never learn, they love misery. Now Pharaoh musters together his entire army! Another mistake, never send out your entire armed forces, always leave behind reserve units. But Pharaoh was not a wise general. This probably took another few days, thus giving Israel about a week's head start, it would take quite a few days for about 2 million people to cross the Sinai Peninsula. The names “Elohim” and “YHVH” are both used in this Parashah, “Elohim” is used at the beginning of this parashah, in Chap 13:17 meaning the “Strong, powerful God” yet the name YHVH, later on, shows the personal name, (coming from “Havayah” meaning “to exist”) shows the personal relationship as “Adonai” which we also say when reading YHVH, anytime the word LORD is used in scripture, it is the name YHVH. YHVH takes them across the Sinai Peninsula to thus entice the Egyptians, to utterly finish destroying them thus ending the powerful rule of Egypt, Egypt never recovered from that defeat, it formed another army years later, but it never had the power it once had with Rameses, Thutmose, Narmer, and other pharaohs of the past dynasties. When the Israelites get to the beach, they get ready to cross, in Hebrew it is known as “Yam Suf” in English, it is known as “Nuweba Beach” it is a tourist resort today in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. We see that YHVH goes behind the Israelites to protect them, in the form of darkness to the Egyptians, yet light to the Israelites. To us as believers, Yeshua is our light, for us to follow, but to Satan, Yeshua is the conquering king, without the light of Yeshua, without the light of the Torah, we live in darkness, spiritual darkness. Chapter 14:13 is interesting. Moshe says; “Fear not and stand still and see the SALVATION of YHVH” In Hebrew, the word “Salvation” is “YESHUAT” we have the name of our Messiah “Yeshua” plus the “Tav” Symbolically, we can see that Yeshua is part of Elohim, and He is moving to bring HIS people through the sea, It also reminds us that the “Tav” (T) symbolizes the covenant, it takes the form of the cross in Paleo-Hebrew. We have the name “Yeshua” and the “cross” He is saving his people from physical destruction by the Egyptians, and in the future, He will die to save the world from Spiritual destruction. In gematria, “Yeshuat” adds up to 786. Reading from right to left, one way to understand the message of this sum of numbers is; “MAN achieves ETERNAL life (a new beginning) through the PERFECT God who is Yeshua, who is part of Elohim Now YHVH tells Moshe to “lift up your rod and your hand” and cause the sea to part, and it is divided in two. We read that Israel crossed on “dry land” with a strong wind to dry up the sea bottom, today this area is known as the “Gulf of Aqaba” They crossed a small stretch of sea bottom, about 10 miles across, to get to the land of Midian, now known as Saudi Arabia, if you go to Google earth, and look up “Nuweba Beach” you can see the area that the Israelites crossed over at. Then, YHVH gave the order to Moshe to raise his hand over the water again, and the waters closed up again and drowned the Egyptian army. we see something in the words, “hand” (Yad) and “rod” (Mateh) that make us think. The “rod” is a symbol of authority, of rulership. The “hand” is a symbol of “power and strength” The Torah speaks of YHVH reveling his “Holy Arm” the “arm is connected to the hand” The ancient Hebrew symbol of the “Yod” is the extended “arm and hand” so we can see the message here, “Moshe” is the authority as he shows his leadership by raising his rod, and his hand opens and closes the sea, thus demonstrating his strength and power, but of course, it is not HIS, it is GOD's leadership and strength, being revealed THROUGH Moshe. When the people follow Moshe, it is as if they are following GOD, trusting in his leadership and strength. When we receive Jesus/Yeshua as Messiah, we trust in HIM as our leader and our strength, and we follow HIM through his WORD, yet many hope that Yeshua will follow THEM! (not going to happen) . Today, you can see on YouTube what is left of the Egyptian chariots at the bottom of the Gulf of Aqaba, they are coral formations that look like mushrooms, probably the axle and wheels of the chariots, look up, “The real Exodus Crossing” When we look at all this from a moral and spiritual insight (Derash) We have been rescued from HaSatan, by our Leader, who is strong, whose “hand” struck the death blow to Satan, whose “hands” bore the nails of Calvary's cross, and who leads us to a new life, we have been “kadoshed” (set apart) to follow HIM for all of our days, (Should we choose to) of course it is a choice, but the “good Shepherd always “looks back” for his lost or misguided sheep, to lead them back to the fold. We see other events that show God's protection and provision for his people, in verses 22-27 we see the “bitter waters made sweet” Moshe threw into the water “a tree” probably cut it down and threw it in, the waters were made sweet, the Torah is also called, “The TREE of LIFE” (Etz Chaim) that changes our bitterness to sweetness, from sorrow to happiness, from lost to saved. In chapter 16, the provision of “Manna” in the desert “Bread from Heaven” (Lechem b'Shemayim) another provision from YHVH, it symbolizes “Yeshua the Bread of Life” and in chapter 17, “Water from the Rock” This rock is there today in the Saudi Arabian desert very close to Mt. Sinai, it seems to be about 50 feet tall and has a crack down the middle. Go to “google images” and click on “The water rock at Horeb” Moshe was told to “strike the rock” and he did with his staff/rod” and out flowed water so that the congregation and the livestock could drink. This symbolizes “Yeshua the Solid Rock” (Yeshua HaTzur) and Yeshua who is the Living Water. (Yeshua Mayim Chayim). It also symbolizes that Yeshua was “struck ONLY ONCE for our sins at Calvary, ONLY ONCE meaning “nailed to the cross and died one time” and when Moshe got mad later on and struck the rock again, he was punished by God and couldn't enter the promised land, since he “misrepresented” who God is. As Moses led his people out of Egypt, so Jesus/Yeshua took us out of the camp of Satan, closing the gap, never to return. He gave us a new beginning. A change of masters, We are now under the guidance of the Good Shepherd, instead of the Father of Lies. Have a blessed week. And thank you for attending "Torah Class" (each one of these posts can be considered a "class")
  25. PARASHAH: “B'shalach” (when he let go) or (when he sent out) EXODUS 13:17-17:16 We are coming down to the “showdown” where Pharaoh gets his just desserts, and gets what he deserves for defying the God of Israel, going back on his word to “let Israel go”, you cannot pursue Israel without getting hurt, and Pharaoh and his army got to drink bitter waters, went off the “deep end” and received a very fatal “water baptism” in Yam Suf (Sea of Reeds) Yet before all this happens, there are some interesting verses to look at. Exodus 13: 18 states; “The children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt” It also states that Elohim did not lead them through the land of the F’lishtim: (The Philistines) because an encounter with them might bring the Israelites to face war, frighten them, and cause them to go back to Egypt. But if they had weapons, why would they fear a battle? One can assume that even though they had weapons if they didn’t know how to use them, they would be no good. We can say the same thing about the Bible. It is little good in the hands of one who does not know how to use it, or uses it in wrongful ways, inventing “strange” doctrines, or taking verses out of context. The Israelites were ex-slaves, not warriors. Another question, where did they get the weapons? Were the weapons among the spoils of Egypt? Here is another view from a Derashic perspective (Moral and spiritual) The word for “armed” in Hebrew which is used is “chamushim” Jewish commentators state this word has roots in the words “chamesh” (the number 5) and “chamishim” (50). So how do we apply these? It is believed that it was the 5th generation after Yosef that left Egypt, if a generation is 80 years, it would add up to 400 years. Also, the number 5 symbolizes “grace”. So, the Israelites not only left Egypt with some spears and swords but they were also armed with the “grace” that Elohim bestowed on them. More importantly, they were armed with the protection, the blessings, and the leadership of Elohim who led them out of Egypt. The number “50” also reminds us of the “50 gates of understanding” which the ancient rabbis say are 50 questions that Elohim asked Job at the end of “Sefer Job.” (The Book of Job) I would like to answer the question using a question. If we can have eternal life through the blood and sacrifice of Yeshua for our sins, past, present, and future, why do so many people still REJECT Him? The scripture states that ‘Wide is the way that leads to destruction, but narrow is the way that leads to eternal life.’ How many Israelites put the lambs' blood on their doorposts? We hope that all did. But of course, we can't be sure. Another word for “armed” is “equipped”. One could also say that “B’nei Yisrael” went out of Egypt “equipped” with the “5” promises that Adonai gave to His people; 1) Elohim will deliver Israel out from under the burden of Egyptian Slavery; 2) Israel will be REDEEMED by the ARM of Elohim-YHVH; 3) Elohim-YHVH will take Israel as HIS people and will be their GOD; 4) Israel will be brought into the chosen land of promise; 5) The promised land will be an INHERETANCE. But let’s look at the Peshat, the literal meaning of the word; “armed” It could also come from the Egyptian word “chams” which is “lance." Here's something else. Once the Israelites crossed the narrow portion of the Sea of Reeds, they were "out of Egypt" and when the Egyptians drowned in the Sea, the scriptures state that the "Israelites saw their bodies on the seashore." from the bodies of the Egyptian soldiers the Israelites took weapons; swords, bows, and arrows, (the spears probably sunk to the bottom of the sea). So here we can confirm that they "left Egypt (behind) and were fully armed (with the weapons they recovered). Now, they would need to learn how to use them. Moses probably taught them how. As believers, we have the Word of God, but if we are unskilled in using His WORD, or if we do not know how to interpret it correctly, we could do much harm to others, just like a sword in the hands of a child, the child could cut himself, or hurt one of his friends Another thing to ponder upon is that when the word “Egyptians” is used, the word “Mitzraim” is used, which also means “Egypt” (the nation of). Why “Mitzraim” and not “Mitzrim?” One can say that even though “b’nei Yisrael” left Egypt, Egypt still followed them out! They left with the Egyptian culture, ways, language, and all that was part of them in those 400 years as slaves. It took Elohim one day to take Israel out of Egypt, but it took 40 years to take Egypt out of Israel! We are the same way, even though we are born-again believers, we still carry around the garbage related to our “Yetzer-Hara” (sinful nature) but little by little, the Ruach HaKodesh takes that from us as we mature in the faith. We might wonder how many Israelites left Egypt, probably about 2 million, plus those Egyptians that “saw the light” plus the sheep and cattle, it was a huge people group that headed eastward across the Sinai Peninsula. "And it was told the King of Egypt that the people were fled” (14:5). What? Didn't he already know that? Of course, he did, he let them go! It was probably a team of scouts that were sent out to track down the Israelites to see where they were going, and they gave their report back to Pharaoh. Now this took place a few days later, now Pharaoh is sorry he let them go. What? Didn't he remember the plagues? Some people never learn, they love misery. Now Pharaoh musters together his entire army! Another mistake, never send out your entire armed forces, always leave behind reserve units. But Pharaoh was not a wise general. This probably took another few days, thus giving Israel about a week's head start, it would take quite a few days for about 2 million people to cross the Sinai Peninsula. The names “Elohim” and “YHVH” are both used in this Parashah, “Elohim” is used at the beginning of this parashah, in Chap 13:17 meaning the “Strong, powerful God” yet the name YHVH, later on, shows the personal name, (coming from “Havayah” meaning “to exist”) shows the personal relationship as “Adonai” which we also say when reading YHVH, anytime the word LORD is used in scripture, it is the name YHVH. YHVH takes them across the Sinai Peninsula to thus entice the Egyptians, to utterly finish destroying them thus ending the powerful rule of Egypt, Egypt never recovered from that defeat, it formed another army years later, but it never had the power it once had with Rameses, Thutmose, Narmer, and other pharaohs of the past dynasties. When the Israelites get to the beach, they get ready to cross, in Hebrew it is known as “Yam Suf” in English, it is known as “Nuweba Beach” it is a tourist resort today in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. We see that YHVH goes behind the Israelites to protect them, in the form of darkness to the Egyptians, yet light to the Israelites. To us as believers, Yeshua is our light, for us to follow, but to Satan, Yeshua is the conquering king, without the light of Yeshua, without the light of the Torah, we live in darkness, spiritual darkness. Chapter 14:13 is interesting. Moshe says; “Fear not and stand still and see the SALVATION of YHVH” In Hebrew, the word “Salvation” is “YESHUAT” we have the name of our Messiah “Yeshua” plus the “Tav” Symbolically, we can see that Yeshua is part of Elohim, and He is moving to bring HIS people through the sea, It also reminds us that the “Tav” (T) symbolizes the covenant, it takes the form of the cross in Paleo-Hebrew. We have the name “Yeshua” and the “cross” He is saving his people from physical destruction by the Egyptians, and in the future, He will die to save the world from Spiritual destruction. In gematria, “Yeshuat” adds up to 786. Reading from right to left, one way to understand the message of this sum of numbers is; “MAN achieves ETERNAL life (a new beginning) through the PERFECT God who is Yeshua, who is part of Elohim Now YHVH tells Moshe to “lift up your rod and your hand” and cause the sea to part, and it is divided in two. We read that Israel crossed on “dry land” with a strong wind to dry up the sea bottom, today this area is known as the “Gulf of Aqaba” They crossed a small stretch of sea bottom, about 10 miles across, to get to the land of Midian, now known as Saudi Arabia, if you go to Google earth, and look up “Nuweba Beach” you can see the area that the Israelites crossed over at. Then, YHVH gave the order to Moshe to raise his hand over the water again, and the waters closed up again and drowned the Egyptian army. we see something in the words, “hand” (Yad) and “rod” (Mateh) that make us think. The “rod” is a symbol of authority, of rulership. The “hand” is a symbol of “power and strength” The Torah speaks of YHVH reveling his “Holy Arm” the “arm is connected to the hand” The ancient Hebrew symbol of the “Yod” is the extended “arm and hand” so we can see the message here, “Moshe” is the authority as he shows his leadership by raising his rod, and his hand opens and closes the sea, thus demonstrating his strength and power, but of course, it is not HIS, it is GOD's leadership and strength, being revealed THROUGH Moshe. When the people follow Moshe, it is as if they are following GOD, trusting in his leadership and strength. When we receive Jesus/Yeshua as Messiah, we trust in HIM as our leader and our strength, and we follow HIM through his WORD, yet many hope that Yeshua will follow THEM! (not going to happen) . Today, you can see on YouTube what is left of the Egyptian chariots at the bottom of the Gulf of Aqaba, they are coral formations that look like mushrooms, probably the axle and wheels of the chariots, look up, “The real Exodus Crossing” When we look at all this from a moral and spiritual insight (Derash) We have been rescued from HaSatan, by our Leader, who is strong, whose “hand” struck the death blow to Satan, whose “hands” bore the nails of Calvary's cross, and who leads us to a new life, we have been “kadoshed” (set apart) to follow HIM for all of our days, (Should we choose to) of course it is a choice, but the “good Shepherd always “looks back” for his lost or misguided sheep, to lead them back to the fold. We see other events that show God's protection and provision for his people, in verses 22-27 we see the “bitter waters made sweet” Moshe threw into the water “a tree” probably cut it down and threw it in, the waters were made sweet, the Torah is also called, “The TREE of LIFE” (Etz Chaim) that changes our bitterness to sweetness, from sorrow to happiness, from lost to saved. In chapter 16, the provision of “Manna” in the desert “Bread from Heaven” (Lechem b'Shemayim) another provision from YHVH, it symbolizes “Yeshua the Bread of Life” and in chapter 17, “Water from the Rock” This rock is there today in the Saudi Arabian desert very close to Mt. Sinai, it seems to be about 50 feet tall and has a crack down the middle. Go to “google images” and click on “The water rock at Horeb” Moshe was told to “strike the rock” and he did with his staff/rod” and out flowed water so that the congregation and the livestock could drink. This symbolizes “Yeshua the Solid Rock” (Yeshua HaTzur) and Yeshua who is the Living Water. (Yeshua Mayim Chayim). It also symbolizes that Yeshua was “struck ONLY ONCE for our sins at Calvary, ONLY ONCE meaning “nailed to the cross and died one time” and when Moshe got mad later on and struck the rock again, he was punished by God and couldn't enter the promised land, since he “misrepresented” who God is. As Moses led his people out of Egypt, so Jesus/Yeshua took us out of the camp of Satan, closing the gap, never to return. He gave us a new beginning. A change of masters, We are now under the guidance of the Good Shepherd, instead of the Father of Lies. Have a blessed week. And thank you for attending "Torah Class" (each one of these posts can be considered a "class") Me and my wife in Egypt, 1999, by the Nile River, Cairo
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