Jacob Ben Avraham

ISAIAH 49:14-51:3 Israel cries out “The LORD hath forsaken me and forgotten me” but the prophet through the Holy Spirit assures the people, NO, the LORD has NOT forsaken you. There is a big difference between, “abandonment, forgetfulness, and chastisement”. The fact that YHVH has punished his people does not mean that He has abandoned Israel. When a father chastises his son or daughter, does that mean he no longer loves him or her? Does he cast them out of the house? Or say, “you are no longer my son or daughter?” No, of course not, Scripture tells us that a father who loves his children will discipline them. We can say the same with YHVH and “Am Israel” He loves his people, and so, HE will discipline them. Yes, he cast them out of the land, but in goyim lands, they continued to live and spread the teaching of the ONE GOD (Echad) who is Adonai-Elohim-Yeshuah. We are loved by our heavenly father, even when it hurts. JOHN 7:1-8:59 Some are a bit confused when Yeshua says to his brothers, “You guys go up to Yerushalayim to Sukkot, I will not YET go up. He did NOT LIE, (as some critics try to say). He was planning to go up, but not at that time. Remember that the celebration of Sukkot (Tabernacles) is a 7-day celebration, culminating on the 8th day, “Hoshanah Raba” it is possible that his brothers and his talmidim went during the beginning of the festivities, and Yeshua waited until the end, the 8th day. It was on the 8th day that the priests brought up water from the pool of Siloam, and Yeshua took this opportunity to say to the people; “If anyone is thirsty, let him keep coming to me and drink, whoever puts his trust in me, as the scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from his inmost being” We can remember the time when “B’nei Israel” (the children of Israel) were in the desert, and they got water from a ROCK. The ROCK symbolizes Yeshua, who is the ROCK of ages and the LIVING water. Water flowed from the rock so that the Israelites and the cattle could drink as much as they wanted. In Hebrew, there are 3 words for "Rock" which are "Tzur" and "Aven" (which is a combination of "Av + Ben" (Father and Son) and there is "Selah" (which means a stone fortress). The ROCK which gave water to the Israelites was a "fortress" It can be seen today in Northeast Saudi Arabia, it seems to be about 50 feet high and it is split down the middle, giving a "lake" of water to all the congregation (certainly not just a puddle). The water that Yeshua talks about is our inner life through a renewed spirit, remember that He also told the woman of Samaria the same thing. It was to her that he revealed himself as Mashiach openly. So, when we read the WORD of God and listen to music that praises HIM, we are receiving “living water” Shalom Ben Avraham Stay on the path that the LORD has chosen for you.

PARASHAH: Ekev (as a result) DEUT: 7:12-11:25 A little bit on the word "Ekev" It is the root in the name "Ya'akov" (Jacob) One meaning of the word "Ekev" is "heel" the other, in this case, as in this Parasha, is "As a result of" "following" Adonai is promising blessings IF his people will just "follow Him" and as a "result of" Am Israel "following Him and his commandments, blessings will follow. We look at the "heel" which is the back part of our feet. Where ever we go, our "heels" follow us, they are a part of our body, and they have no choice. Also, in gematria, the word "Ekev" (Ayin, Kof, Bet) has the sum of 172. The words "Ben Ami" (Son of my people) also sum 172 Who is the "Son of my People?" Yeshua our Redeemer. “Now, O Israel, what does Adonai your Elohim ask of you? Only to fear Adonai your Elohim, walk in His Ways, Love Him, and Serve Him, with all of your heart and all of your soul” (10:12) I am jumping the gun a little bit, but just “how much do you love God?” is the question. We might say, “with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength!” Really? Seriously? Well, if you do, then you should be… or asking yourself the following; Following his commandments with all seriousness. There are a lot more than just 10. (yet we know that not all 613 are for today). “His Ways” are “His Commandments” That is the reason behind Bible study. Making the Sabbath and Sundays the most important days of the week to get with God’s people and study, not making any other plans, being in church or the synagogue all day (if possible, but I doubt it). Not closing your wallet to give to the poor and needy. Do you speak positive words in one breath, and negative words in the other.? Remember, can a tree produce both good and bad fruit? No, not a biological tree, but a human tree can! And we do it every day, blessings and curses from the same mouth. Are you following God’s chosen diet for you in Leviticus 11? It is for your own good health and welfare. Are you saying “The Torah commandments are in the past, we don’t need to follow them anymore” then why don’t you go out and steal? Or take someone’s wife? Those commandments are in the Torah! The Torah/Law was not crucified on the Cross of Calvary, our sins WERE! The curse of sin and death WAS, because Yeshua bore it ALL. Would you risk your life for another life? Even for a street bum? Are material things very important in your life? Or too important? Would you risk losing them? Would you give them up to follow the Master? Do you let anger loose in your life? Or do you have it in check? Do you look forward to study HIS word, even if it is not on the Sabbath or Sundays? If yes, then there should be hundreds, or perhaps thousands reading this Parasha now on these forum sites, not just 30 or 40! There are many that say “I love God with all my heart” but the fruits don’t jive with the words. I am speaking to myself as well. It is just something to think about the next time you say; “I love God with all my heart” Now let’s get started with this Midrash entitled “Ekev” Moshe starts out reminding and giving “Am Israel” assurance that “because ye harken unto these ordinances and keep them, and do them…YHVH shall keep with thee the covenant…. He starts out on a positive note; however, we know that history reveals that Israel did NOT keep the covenant, but broke the covenant, and went after strange gods, idolatry, etc. Perhaps this was an incentive to obey, and they would reap the blessings of obedience…IF…they would obey. Many parts of this Parashah are a repetition of the words; “if” and “then”. We are talking about a conditional covenant. ALL covenants are conditional. The word “life” itself contains the word “if” right in the middle. We can sum up “life” as many “conditional experiences” depending how we react to them; “if” we react in one way, “then” the result will follow, either negative or positive. Even the covenant of salvation which is for ALL mankind is “conditional” “If” we repent and accept Yeshua as our Redeemer and LORD, “Then” we will receive the gift of salvation which follows. Salvation is a gift for all mankind, yet we must receive it through a repentant and contrite heart, a willingness to turn “Shoov” and follow the Master. Our master is like our father who loves his children very much. The father promises his son that if the son would obey the rules of the house, do his homework on time, help take out the garbage, clean the bathroom, help mom with the dishes…THEN…the father would take the son camping during the summer. It is all about “rewards” for “obedience” Is this any different for us? I would say not. Rewards for obedience have nothing to do with our salvation experience. Our salvation is based on FAITH and FAITH ONLY, and not on our obedience to mitzvoth, yet obedience to the Torah comes as a result of our relationship with Yeshua HaMashiach. Even he said; “If you love me, obey my commandments. Yes, he gave some new ones unlike those written down by Moshe, who received them from G-d on Mt. Sinai. Yet even back then, Yeshua was with the Father during the giving of the Ten Commandments, and later, the rest of the 603 that were given during the 40-day period of being with God on Har Sinai. So, did Yeshua give us ALL the mitzvoth? I would have to say YES. More than once Moshe reminds the people to “follow and obey” the commandments, to “Hear” (Shema) the word “Shema” is related to “Shamar” which is to “guard”. So, to “Shema” the commandments of Adonai is to “remember, observe, put into action, and guard, not only “hear and listen to”. We must always remember that obedience to the commandments of Adonai, the ones that can be observed literally today, has nothing to do with our salvation experience. We are saved, secure, forever, by the blood of Yeshua, by his once-only sacrifice. Obedience to the Torah commandments comes as a “result of” our family relationship with Adonai, as obedient children, we will “want to” do as our father tells us to do, for our own good, to be a Holy, set-apart people. An interesting verse is 8:1 “All the COMMANDMENT which I command thee this day shall yet observe to do, the ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land….” in Hebrew it is “Kol ha Mitzvah” it is written in the singular and not in the plural! But shouldn’t it be “mitzvoth” (commandments)? One would think so, but it IS in the SINGULAR, but why? The sages’ comment that all the commandments can be summed up into ONE commandment; “Love YHVH thy God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your might, and strength” and when we do love Adonai in this way, we will follow all the rest of the commandments, including loving our neighbor as ourselves. Chap 9:4…. Moshe reminds the people that it isn’t because they are a “righteous” nation that God is allowing Am Israel to move into the land Canaan, conquer the pagan inhabitants, and take possession, rather it is because of those nations’ “unrighteousness” and “wickedness” that is the reason. Just like the time of the flood, the wicked world was destroyed and Noach and his family were saved, yet Noach had his problems too, and his righteousness had flaws too, just like ALL of us. Our holiness is full of “holes”, and our salvation is because our God is a merciful God and he just chose to love us, just because HE is a LOVING and MERCIFUL GOD, and not that we deserve salvation. We can also state that the land of Canaan was given to the Israelites because of the promise that YHVH made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob too. YHVH never breaks his promises. Chap 11, Moshe gives an order; “Therefore, thou shall love YHVH thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his ordinances and his commandments ALWAYS! Moshe cannot say this enough, like a father tells his children, “obey the rules, obey the rules, obey the rules” it is for their own good. Unfortunately, the admonition of obedience for many people goes in one ear and out the other. We can also see on various occasions that Moshe intercedes before “Am Yisrael” before Adonai. He reminds them of their sin with the golden calf, and how Adonai wanted to destroy Israel, and even Aaron, for permitting the people to do such a thing. Yet Moshe convinces Adonai to give Israel and Aaron another chance…and then another…and then…Could we go on? Does not that describe all of us? Moshe here is a type of Mashiach who intercedes for his people, as Yeshua intercedes on our behalf before the Father. We all continue to have a rebellious heart, many times walking in the flesh, disobeying His Mitzvoth, yet we have life, we are not struck down, He forgives our trespasses through Yeshua, whose blood paid for all of our sins, past, present, and future. We just have to have discipline and learn to walk in His commandments, trusting Him as Messiah and LORD. Trusting in HIM seals the covenant personally, walking in HIS commandments is a result of the first. Let us go forth with a renewed heart, and show our love to God, by learning and obeying his Torah, of course, we cannot be Torah observant 100%, but through the power of the Ruach HaKodesh, we can be obedient sons and daughters of Adonai El Elyon, and live a lifestyle that honors HIM. Ben Avraham The Queen Bee is always watching!

Good point, Yes, all of those are the fruits of sin

ISAIAH 40:1-26 The prophet comforts Israel that their sins have been forgiven, and the punishment is over. YHVH again is compared to a father who must punish his children for sins and disobedience. The father will chastise, yet not forever. Darkness has passed and the light has come. “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of YHVVH, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” Yochanan the Baptizer fulfilled these words. As we know, he prepared the way for Yeshua, his cousin and his LORD, preparing people's hearts and minds. “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; he shall gather the lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosom and shall gently lead those that are with young” (vs 11) Doesn’t this sound like our Savior and LORD? We are HIS flock and He feeds us with His WORD. His word guides us and leads us all. He has sent shepherds to teach his word and to guide us. There are many “old sheep” and “young sheep” those that are young are young in the word, yet through the right guidance, the young will mature into older and wiser sheep. We call young sheep "lambs" so, there are many "lambs" that must grow into mature "sheep" through studying God's Word, and putting it into action. We all start out with knowledge. From knowledge we go to "understanding" and from "understanding" we arrive at "wisdom." All three aspects of spiritual growth are necessary. As a shepherd leads his sheep, allow us LORD to be led by YOUR Word, and by your shepherds who have been sent by You to lead, guide, and teach ALL of your people. Amen” JOHN 6:1-71 This starts out with “After these things…” what things one might ask? The previous chapter talks about Yeshua going up to Yerushalayim after the feast of the Passover, and he healed a lame man at the pool of Siloam. Yes, he was criticized by many, as even many of his believers and followers were and still “are” criticized, made fun of, and even murdered, all in HIS name. “After these things, Yeshua went over the Sea of Galilee, which is of Tiberias. I have been to the city of Tiberias. In July, it is “Hot” very much so, but the Sea of Galilee is very refreshing, but watch out, there are a lot of fish that come by to nibble at your feet. This is where the crowd comes to hear Yeshua, he goes to a nearby mountain and has the people sit down. The number was about 5000. Yeshua knew that the people were hungry, so, he turns to Philip and says; “Where shall we buy bread so that these may eat?” Didn’t he know? Yes, of course, He was just waiting for Philip’s response. Perhaps, He was waiting for an answer such as; “We can’t possibly buy so much bread, so…YOU feed them LORD!” but he didn’t say that. It was Andrew who came with the boy who had 5 loaves of barley bread and 2 fish. We need to know that first, the boy must have come forward to offer his lunch. Of course, the boy knew that 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish would not be enough for the whole crowd…BUT…with a little bit of faith…ANYTHING is possible. I mean, if Yeshua could heal the lame man, he could also feed this crowd. We have the offer, 5 pieces of bread and 2 fish. We have the blessing and thanks, Yeshua lifts the loaves and fishes, (probably found a basket to put them in) and then, the distribution. There was enough for ALL. With the faith of a little boy, the faith of a mustard seed, we see a “mountain” of pieces of bread and a whole bunch of fish. As the result, 12 baskets full were left over. One wonders who got the baskets of bread and fish. Probably the boy, to redistribute the blessing to his family and friends. We look at the numbers, “5” and “2”. “5” is the number of grace, and “2” is the number of a covenant. It takes “2” entities or parties to make a covenant. Yeshua shows “grace” to the people, and makes a small covenant, “blessings to this crowd, for the faith of a small boy” When we add 5 + 2 we get the perfect number “7” which is the number of God. Yeshua, who is the “bread of Life” who has made his followers “fishers of men” has made a covenant in heaven, His life, and blood for our salvation. The Word of God is also the “Bread of Life” which comes from the Father for all of us to eat and digest. Let us all go forth and be “fishers of men (and women) to reach and teach them the Words of the Master so that ALL might have eternal life through HIM who died to set us free. Shalom Ben Avraham Blessing the children under the Tallit

PARASHAH “V’et’ Chanan” (and I pleaded) DEUT 3:23-7:11 Moshe continues to retell the experiences of his life to “Am Israel” as the end of his life is nearing, He is like a father on his death bed, and causes all of his children to come near and listen to their father’s experiences, or rather “all” of their experiences. “V’et ‘Chanan l’Adonai” begins Moshe, “I pleaded to YHVH…” on the account of entering into the promised land. As we remember, Moshe in anger and had struck the “Rock” (Selah) and yet, water still came forth because of the mercy of Adonai, yet now Moshe pleads for mercy, the word “chanun” is a form of the Hebrew “mercy”. One Israeli singer has a song which is; “Avi Chanun” (My father who is merciful). So, Moshe in a way is saying, “I plead for mercy to Adonai” let me see the promised land. Yet the answer of Adonai was still “No” (Speak no more of this matter). We are all destined for “x” amount of years on this earth, who knows if, through actions we do, might “speed up” that time, or even “prolong” the time. King Hezekiah pleaded for more years of life, and he was granted the years, however, during those extra years, there was born to him “Manasseh” who proved to be one of the worst kings in Israel. Should Hezekiah have asked for those extra years? Another way we can look at God's answer is that He might be saying; "I put you on earth to bring my people out of Egypt, to bring them here to me, to give them my Torah, and to lead them to this point. Now, I have in mind another to continue where you have left off. "Yehoshua" will bring them into the promised land. You have completed your work." We should take advantage of the years that God is giving to us on this planet called “earth” and make the best of them. If He has called us into ministry, let us perform that which He has called us to do to the best of our ability, doing it unto HIM who is the author of life, and when he calls for us, we will go, without complaining, or ask for “more years” In this Parashah, we see the review of the Ten Commandments. What are these all about? They formed the “Ketubah” the contract between Elohim and Israel. They were given on Har Sinai, directly to the Israelites by HaShem himself, the rest of the 603 mitzvoth were given to Moshe who relayed them unto the people, still, they ALL came from Adonai. (4) “Now, therefore, harken O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments which I teach you, for to do them” Moshe was the teacher, taking all that the “Master” charged him to teach, and not “adding to” nor “diminishing” anything, teaching all the details, the “fine print” sort of to say. Teachers of God’s Word, have a unique calling, it is their life, it is their passion, and they will not rest until they accomplish what they have set off to do. I AM the LORD thy God: “Anochi Adonai Eloheicha” He is emphasizing “I AM” (I MYSELF AM) “Anochi” is a very important statement, telling his people, that it was HE who brought them out of Egypt, and out of slavery. Two very important things, therefore, He has every right to be their God, and He has every right to be OUR God, since He has taken us out of the “World of Sin” (Egypt) and out from “Spiritual slavery” “THOU shall not have any other gods before me” since pagan worship was the norm of Egypt, worshiping and bowing down to false “elohim” this was a reminder to Israel that YHVH is different, He is NOT like the false deities of Egypt, He is UNIQUE (Yachid) and He is ONE (Echad). But when people over-emphasize jobs and work, making money, sports, etc.… making them more important than our worship and attention towards Adonai, those “things” become “other gods” Yes, Adonai is a “Jealous” and “Zealous” God! (El Kanah) and has every right to be so. “THOU SHALT NOT take the name of YHVH thy God in vain” What is that? It is using our LORD’s holy name in unholy ways, in unholy conversations, making promises using God’s name, like “I swear to God that I’ll…” and then, not fulfilling those promises. We should use HIS HOLY NAME in worship and praise only. “KEEP (guard) the Sabbath Day to keep it Holy” Where are we on the sabbath day? We should be in God’s House to worship, praise, and learn from his word through teachers of the Word. It is a time of rest, and relaxation, a time for family to get together and worship the LORD, even for the house-wives, turn off the ovens and husbands, take them out to eat, or just whip up some sandwiches. Enjoy the Sabbath day, it is the LORD’s to rejoice and relax in. The Sabbath day has always been Saturday, it was never changed to Sunday (this will probably create some comments). But EVERY day of the week is a time to study God’s Word and praise Him for all of his blessings. “HONOR Thy Father and Thy Mother” goes without explanation. I think it is common sense for children to honor and obey their parents, for they are the ones who raise them up. Yet the Fathers and Mothers have a GREAT responsibility, to raise them in the knowledge of God and his word. If not, then, they will be responsible for possible “rebels” later on in life. “THOU shalt not kill; THOU shalt not commit adultery; THOU shalt not steal”. Ever wonder why these are listed together? Example, if one commits adultery, takes the wife of another in sex, that person is “killing” that relationship and is “stealing” what does not belong to him. The word “Kill” means “murder” taking an innocent life, it does NOT refer to self-defense or soldiers fighting in a war. There are many ways of “stealing” some rabbis say that “all sins” are a form of “stealing” not just taking money, coming back late from lunch break is “stealing” time from your employer, telling a lie is “stealing” the confidence one might have had in you, and it is “murdering” that trust. “THOU shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor” being truthful to someone is very important, and not telling the whole truth, is in fact, telling a lie, and being false to someone who is close to you, again, it is “stealing trust” and “murdering a relationship” through being “false”. ‘THOU shalt not covet” If Adonai wants you to have what your neighbor has, He will give it to you. We should be content with the much or the little we have, anyway, when we die, ALL will be left behind. So, no need to covet, it just brings about headaches. (6) This chapter has the “Shema” one of the most important verses in the Torah; “Shema Israel, YHVH Eloheinu, YHVH Echad” “Shema” (Listen to and heed/do/obey) “Yisrael” we are part of HIS people. It started out as 12 tribes, sons of Jacob, then it included those Egyptians who chose to follow Moshe out of Egypt. Adonai did not reject them just because they were Egyptians, they also became part of the nation, through “adoption”. In the beginning, America consisted of only the indigenous tribes that came from Asia during the Ice Age, but later, European peoples came as immigrants and settlers, when it became a nation in 1776, the United States of America consisted of ALL peoples who were living in the land. The 12 tribes of Israel became a great “Adat” (congregation, community) now consisting of all believers in Yeshua. we have been adopted into HIS Chosen family through Yeshua HaMashiach, it pertains to ALL believers. Adonai is OUR GOD since we are FAMILY, and He is ONE in Unity (Father, Son, Spirit “Echad” the word for “Adonai Eloheinu” consists of the most sacred letters YHVH, in the ancient Hebrew, those letters symbolize “Behold the hand, Behold the nail”. So, if we looked at the words “YHVH Eloheinu” from an ancient Hebraic position, we could read; “Behold the hand, Behold the nail, who is G-d that instructs (us) and leads us to (eternal) life through the nail that (penetrated) the hand” I guess that is one way one could look at it. The word “Elohim” has three meanings; One is the Tri-unity of G-d, yet if we spell it “elohim” with a small “e” in English, then it means “gods” in the plural (usually false gods) yet it also means “ambassadors” or “representatives” of “Adonai-Elohim” Remember that Yeshua, when He addressed the Prushim (Pharisees) said, “No ye not that ye are gods?” (John 10:34; Psalm 82:6) “You shall love…” (vs 5) Yes, with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. This includes “teaching” His word to our children, at all times, to others who have the ears and willingness to listen. Be the person in our house, Be the person “walking with us on the “way” at bedtime and at morning time, the time for God’s Word and teaching it is at ALL TIMES, provided of course that the other person wished to hear it. God’s Word is to be shared and taught, NEVER to be forced upon another! Binding upon the hands and frontlets between our eyes, using Tefillin are symbolic in that God’s Word is to be in our minds and put into action using our hands, in performing mitzvoth (good works). Writing them and putting God’s Word on our doorposts and gates using “mezuzot” is symbolic to let people know that “living here is a family who honors God and His Word” Moshe reminds the people again and again to “Keep the commandments of the LORD thy God and his testimonies and statutes” in many verses. Just keep in mind that “keeping the commandments does not “save a soul” Salvation comes only from accepting Yeshua (Jesus) as LORD and Savior, that and that ONLY saves a person from eternal condemnation. Obedience to the commandments comes “after” as a sign that we are now part of HIS family, and we now have new desires to follow HIM in HIS ways. There is “Yeshuah Kadosh” (Righteous Salvation) and “Mitzvoth Kadoshim” (righteous works) both are separate yet both go together. The latter is a result of the first. Oh, final thought. Did Moses ever make it into the Promised Land? One might say "Yes, he did" but he had to "wait a while." Remember on the Mt. of Transfiguration, when Yeshua was surrounded by a bright cloud, and he was talking to Moses and Eliyahu. Moses represented the Torah, Elijah represented the Prophets, and Yeshua, the New Covenant. We can only imagine what they talked about, probably about their prophecies about Him which came true. So, Moses made it in, after a 1500-year wait. Ben Avraham Fellowship at a local church in El Salvador (2016)

TISHA ‘B’AV, WHY? HOW? …Tisha ’B’Av, or the “9th of Av” this year starts on the Eve of August 6th. This was and still is a time of sadness, and sorrow. The question begins with “Eiha? (how) and “Lamah” (why?). The book of Lamentations begins with “Eiha” (how) “How alone she sits, the city (Jerusalem) once great with people….” …..The voice of Yirimyahu (Jeremiah) after the destruction of the 1st Beit HaMikdash (Temple) and the city of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E the destruction culminated on the 9th of Av, (Tish’B”Av) This date marks the tragedies of many destructions in the history of the People of Israel. Here’s a list, the destruction of the 1st temple is the first. …..70 A.D. the Roman emperor Titus, destroys the second temple and murders millions of Israel’s inhabitants, and 100,000 taken captive to Rome, those taken captive to Rome are used as sport in the arena, and others served as slaves. Many others from Jerusalem fled the country, going to Europe, Africa, and other parts of the world. …..1095 A.D. Crusades, started by the church in Europe, the main goal to kick the moors out of Jerusalem, any crusaders were anti-Semitic, during this time, 40% of Europe’s Jews were destroyed. One important event happened in Mainz, Germany. There were 700 Jews living in that city at that time. They sought refuge in a large church to be protected from the crusading murderers. The Bishop at that time was kind and accepted to hide the Jews in the church. The Jews had given the Bishop all their valuables in exchange. To no avail. The crusaders entered Mainz, discovered their hiding place, and murdered all of them including the Bishop. Some say that the Jews there committed suicide rather than falling into the hands of the crusaders. …..1478 The start of the Spanish inquisition by Pope Nicolas, many Jews had to renounce their faith and accept Christianity, if not, they would be tortured and killed. This of course is not “real Christianity” but rather “Pseudo or false Christianity. Those who were genuine/real believers and followers of Jesus would never do such atrocities against God’s anointed people. …..1492 The expulsion of the Jews from Spain on the 9th of Av. Many went to England and to other countries in Europe, later on, many came to the Americas and settled in Mexico, Central, and South America. By that time, many families had lost their Jewish identity, but now, many are finding it again. …..1635 “Pogroms” or persecutions against the Jewish people starts in Poland …..1939 The “holocaust” or “Shoah” begins in Nazi Germany. Result? We all know, that 6,000,000 Jewish people were killed by forced labor, starvation, and just “shot or gassed” in the concentration camps, just for being Jews. …..1978 11 Palestinians land in a small Kibbutz in Israel by sea. They hijacked a bus, killed the driver, and drove towards Tel Aviv. On the way to Tel Aviv, they used weapons fire and threw hand grenades out the windows at people on the street, and the result was that 38 Israelis were killed. …..2012 A rabbi in Rutherford, N.J. was at home during the night with his wife and 5 children. An Arab boy outside threw a Molotov bomb through the living room window to kill the family and burn down the synagogue that was part of the house. (Molotov bomb: a glass bottle filled with gasoline and a rag, the rag is lighted and the bottle is thrown). During the time of Tisha B’Av many will sing this sad song; “Look from the heavens and see, we have become an object of scorn and contempt among the nations. We are regarded as sheep to the slaughter, to be killed, beaten, and destroyed. But despite this, we have not forgotten your name, we beg you not to forget us!” …..We regard this time as a time of sadness and grief. It is also a time of fasting from Saturday evening to Sunday evening (this year). but we must also remember this time as a time of survival, and a time to get out of “spiritual exile” It is a time to “return home to Abba” a time of “Teshuvah”. Our ancestors in ancient Israel committed spiritual adultery, went after pagan gods, and went away from the ways of the Torah, despite the warnings of God. God looked down and warned our people, finally, the punishment ensued yet Elohim has not and will NEVER reject his people, the remnant that survived is now in the millions, in every nation of the world. It is time to return, return to G-d, return to the ways of his Torah, return to the “Living Torah” Ben Avraham Railroad tracks to suffering and death. Entrance to the notorious death camp of "Auschwitz" (in Poland)

Parashot: “D’varim” (Words); DEUTERONOMY 1:1-3:22 We start the final book of the original 5 books of the Torah, in which Moshe wrote down all the statutes, commandments, precepts, details, etc. that Adonai dictated to him to write. We must remember that Am Israel received the first 10 commandments directly from the mouth of Adonai, written down in stone, and given to the people, as a form of “Ketubah” or “marriage contract. Later, Adonai called Moshe back up to the mountain and there, dictated the rest of Torah, the rest of the 603 commandments which he wrote down on the scrolls. 603 were written down by Moshe, yet dictated by Adonai, and 10 were dictated and written by YHVH himself. All in all, we must conclude that ALL the TORAH comes from YHVH, whether directly or indirectly written. This book of Deuteronomy is the last. Moshe began writing it, and it was probably finished by Yehoshuah (Joshua) or another leader. The book relates the travels and experiences that “Am Yisrael” took and went through in 40 years’ time. Moshe retells the experience somewhat as a father would relate to his son. Let’s say that father and son travel across the USA for 6 months, then, perhaps 10 years later, the father would remind the son of their trip by remembering their “experiences” “Remember son, the time when we were traveling through Texas and, well, you insisted in exploring that abandoned house, even when I said it would NOT be a good idea…….” The father tells both the good experiences and the bad experiences, the times when the son obeyed and the times when the son disobeyed. Moshe is doing the same thing. This is similar to last week’s parashah “Masei” (journeys) in which Moshe relates the journeys of Israel. An interesting midrash is the difference and similarity between two words; “D’varim” (words) and “D’vorim” (bees) One could say that the words that Moshe spoke to the Israelites were like the “stings of bees” and after giving this message, a little later on, Moshe went up Mt. Pisgah a died, just like when a bee stings, it leaves the stinger in the victim and dies. What can we learn from the beginning of D’varim? Are we mature enough to receive rebuke? From elders? From others who are in authority? When a believer or even a non-believer is rebuked, it is for his or her own good, either to bring that person to the knowledge of Messiah Yeshua or to turn that person from error to walk in harmony with the Torah. I think that we can ALL relate to the Children of Israel. At one time or another, we have ALL gone astray, doing our own thing, knowing that "this and that" is sinful, yet we go ahead and do it anyway. Maybe it makes us feel good, a moment of pleasure, then the guilt sets in. We need to refer to the 5 words that start with "R": Rebuke, Repent, Return, Renew, Restore. The Word of God rebukes us with the "Word" itself, sent by the "Living WORD'. This leads us to "repent" and "Return" (Shoov) and thus we make "Teshuvah" which means; "turn around and go the other way, back to God." Then, we have a "renewed relationship" with our creator, and we have "restoration." God rebukes, We repent, We return, God renews our relationship and restores us. Moshe tells the people the words of Adonai: “YHVH your Elohim spoke to us in Horeb saying “You have dwelt long enough in this mountain…turn you and take your journey…. (1:6) It seems that “Am Yisrael” were in their “comfort zone”. They were at Mt. Horeb. Perhaps they wanted to stay right there, yet it was NOT the promised land. It was where they received the Torah, it was where they received instruction, but now they have to go to where Adonai wanted them to be. It is interesting that the word “Horeb” is written without a “vav”. The word “Horeb” in Hebrew has only three letters; “Chet” “Resh” and “Beit”. These are the same letters that spell out the word “Sword” which is “Cherev”. So we have “Chorev” and “Cherev” The only difference is the vowels “o” and “e”. Is there a “Remez” here? A symbolism? The sages say that in a way, Moshe is telling the people; “You have received the Torah at “Chorev” now, continue on towards the Promised Land, the Land of Canaan, and put into practice the Torah. If you disobey, a curse will fall upon you and the “Cherev” (the Sword) will pursue you. So, it is either “Obedience” which you learned from the Torah at “Chorev” …or…the “Cherev” will destroy you for “disobedience”. Now, the Israelites were right at the border of Moab and Canaan; the Jordan River separated the two nations. It was time to leave their “comfort zone” and “cross over” and conquer the pagan peoples, and lay claim to the land! They had fought giants before, you know, the bigger they are, the harder they fall, especially if Adonai “falls” them. Remember that it all starts in Egypt (Mitzraim) the land of “restriction”, Moshe leads them out, symbolizing a sort of Messiah, leading them to Mt Sinai, they receive the Torah, for 40 years they undergo instruction, go through both “good times” and “bad times” sometimes, “very bad times” when YHVH chastised and killed many of them for disobedience and rebellion. Yet now, it is time for the promise to be fulfilled, the “Promised Land” We go through the same thing in our lives. We start out being liberated from our “Egypt” we are liberated from the “lost world and the ways of the lost” by accepting Yeshua as our Messiah and LORD. We grow in faith, in spiritual maturity, or…perhaps fail in our relationship with YHVH, going through valleys and dark places, yet always emerging into the light of Torah again. Sometimes we get comfortable in one place, or doing one thing, yet, God is saying…” turn now and take your journey” or “continue your journey and continue to grow in faith, expose yourself to different “stuff” “situations” yet always trusting in HaShem. Ben Avraham The dawning of a new day. Every new day is a day to serve the LORD.

JEREMIAH 1:1-2:3 The calling of Navi Yirimyahu (the prophet Jeremiah) As we see in the beginning, God says, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you!” A great statement, a great truth that flies in the face of abortionists, those that say, “a fetus is not yet human”. If God is saying that EVEN BEFORE” being formed in the womb, He had Jeremiah in mind. Where are we before being formed in the womb of our mothers? No one seems to know; the WORD does not say. Some believe that we are in Spirit form and that we await bodies to go into, and that when a man and woman unite together in love when the sperm meets the egg, there is a guardian angel that is sent to be with that person, and either God or the angel takes the spirit and puts it inside the tiny microscopic body. Well, who knows if this is true, but it might just be that way. Everyone has a calling in life, we just have to find out what it is. Our first calling is to “get right with God” and accept Yeshua as our Messiah, LORD, and Savior. That act of faith will secure our eternity in Heaven. Then we must search our hearts and ask the LORD what our calling will be. It may be full-time ministry, it may be a secular job joined with ministry. The gifts of the Holy Spirit will enable us to do many things. Jeremiah was called to a difficult task, to “wake up” the nation of Israel that was seeded deep in sin, his calling as “Prophet” (or spokesman) was for him, he accepted it, and we have his book to prove it. Prophets declared the words of Adonai to the nations, today we have the complete written word of God. Everything we need to know is written in the Bible. His entire WORD is in 66 books. Can God speak through individuals today with “special words?” Sure, but those words will NOT contradict what is already written in the Torah. If you are called to teach and expound God’s WORD, (which was the mission of the prophets of old in a general way) STUDY to show thyself WORTHY, a WORKMAN that needeth not be ashamed, but rightfully dividing the WORD of TRUTH! JOHN 1:1-51 ” In the beginning, was the WORD, and the WORD was with God and GOD was the WORD” This opening statement clarifies that YESHUA was part of the creation in the beginning, Yeshua has many names; Son of David, The Second Adam, Son of Man, the WAY, the TRUTH, the LIFE, the LIVING WORD, and many more. WORDS are alive, and with words, Elohim created the heavens and the earth, bringing into being all that is in existence today. There are the things that were “created” (Bara) and those things (such as man) that were “Made” (Asah) “Asah” is used when things are “made” from pre-existing material, such as Adam (man) from the earth, dust, water, and the spirit was put inside the body. "Bara" in complete meaning is to "create with a purpose" All things created had a purpose. The purpose being reproduction and bringing into being more of that created kind. The title of Yeshua “The Living Word” in Hebrew is “HaD’bar Chayim” the word “Dabar” which is “word” consists of three Hebrew letters, “Dalet, Bet, and Resh” when we look at this from an ancient Hebraic perspective, we see the symbolism in these letters which can say; first door to the house” We are “households” and when Yeshua knocks on our “doors” do we open our door to let Him in? the word in Hebrew for “door” is “Delet” which can mean in the ancient Hebrew symbolic letters “instruction is the door to the covenant” God’s instruction through the Torah points us to Yeshua who is the “covenant” of our salvation. In time, GOD was manifested in human form as YESHUA, who is the “Living WORD” He fulfilled the covenant of the cross to pay the price of sin, to crush the head of HaSatan, to teach the Torah, heal the sick, we as followers of Yeshua are called to share and teach his WORD to all who will listen. Are you fulfilling YOUR CALLING? Shalom In the beginning, God created even the birds of prey, for a specific reason

PARASHIOT “Matot v’ Masei” (Tribes and Journeys of) Numbers 30:1-36:13 So, How's YOUR life journey going? or rather "journeys" because life is all about many journeys, stops, and then starting a new journey. Both physical and spiritual journeys. I just hope that the LORD is leading you. Well, this is one of my LONG WINDED messages, so, you might want to read a little then get a cup-o-coffee, then come back later, or read the whole message. We're starting from Numbers 30, about "vows" We need to be careful upon making “vows” Adonai takes serious “promises” that we make, especially using “His” Holy Name (YHVH). We might have said in times before words like; “I swear to God that I’ll…or… “I promise that I’ll” …or … “Next week by this time, I’ll…! But how do you know that you will still be in the land of the living by next week to fulfill your promise? We take “making promises too lightly”. If we remember the Israelite “Yephtah” who, upon winning a war against Israel’s enemies, “vowed” a vow and said, “Whatever comes out first from my house to meet me, I will offer it up as a burnt offering”. I am sure that he was probably thinking of some animal, be it a lamb or a goat, yet when he got home, his only “daughter” came out to meet him. The WORD of God says he “kept” his vow, yet how can we imagine that God would accept a human sacrifice? The WORD does not say, but there is a possibility that he DID offer up his daughter, yet not as a burnt offering, but perhaps a servant to the Levites in the tabernacle, What did Yeshua say about vows? “Let our YES be YES, and NO, be NO” without more words. We might have good intentions, yet only the LORD manages our time on earth. If we say that we will do something, and we use God’s name, and we end up NOT doing it, we will have taken HIS HOLY NAME in vain. So, what words can we say when we want to do something, without “vowing”? ”If God permits, I will try to…” or “I am not sure if I can, but, I will try to…” these words seem better because it leaves the option “if God permits”. We can make plans for the future, but the future is always in the hands of Adonai. In this parashah, we look at a woman vs a man making and keeping vows. If the woman is married, then, as long as the husband agrees to the vow, it is OK, and she must make it good, however, if he doesn’t agree to the vow, then, the vow that the woman makes is annulled. The same thing if the woman is under her father’s roof, (or tent). If the father agrees, all is well, if not, all is NOT well, and the vow is nullified. How do we take this today? When making vows or promises, and really, it is better NOT to promise, but if so, it should first be discussed between the husband and wife, or between father and daughter, and an agreement reached, whether or not such promise, vow, or decision, is to be made. It is good to serve Adonai and be involved in ministry, but it should be agreed upon when it involves families. Chapter 31 speaks about the “slaughter of the Midianites” when we read this, we shudder, at such bloodshed, yet it was because of the influence of Balaam, that the Midianite prostitutes caused sin to enter the camp, thus bringing a “curse” upon Israel. It was necessary to wipe out the Midianites so as to prevent further sin, yet we see that the soldiers bring back captive women and children, which was common practice in Bible days as well as the rest of the “loot” such as livestock, silver, gold, etc. Problem is that the “women” were the cause of the sin that was brought upon Israel. That is why Moshe was so upset, so he ordered the “women who knew men” to be killed as well as the male children, but why the male children? What harm can a little boy do? Perhaps nothing at that time, but in time, these “little boys” would grow up and seek vengeance against “those Israelites who killed daddy!” Today in modern warfare, we do not see soldiers “looting” houses and people’s property, but they do capture weapons, war equipment, etc. Question! What is to become of all that “drug money” which is captured in drug busts, which is a form of war? Isn’t that “loot?” Well, yes, it is, and, what is to be done about it? Well, this is just my opinion, and mine alone. I would say, divide up the “loot” and give some of it to the soldiers, officers, and agents involved in the drug busts, because they put their lives on the line, the rest, divide up among clinics, hospitals, halfway houses that deal with drug-addicts and their treatment and recovery. But again, my opinion only. Chapter 32 deals with the settlement of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh in Gilead, on the east side of the Jordan River. Was it a bad thing that they settle on that side? Moshe was of the opinion that if they build shelters for their children, wives, and cattle first and then, join the other tribes to conquer the land of Canaan, then, after the wars and conquest, they could go back to their families. When we see the land of Israel and then look around at the other nations, there are many more Jews living “outside” of the land of Israel than “inside”. However, we are ALL “Am Echad” (One people) even though divided by oceans and continents. Chapters 34 to the end of B’Midbar, deal with the journeys of the Israelites during their time in the desert up to the death of Moshe. They journeyed to many different places, yet ALWAYS guided by the RUACH ELOHIM (God’s Spirit). We also journey a lot in our life. One could say that our lives can be considered “journeys and stops” perhaps there are 8 different journeys and stops, the journey of “childhood” which enters later “adolescence” then goes to “young-adulthood” then to “education and career” then to “marriage and family” then to “Senior-adulthood” then to “retirement and rest” then to “eternal rest and Shalom” at death. Each can be a “journey” but are we letting Adonai lead us during these journeys? Or are we doing our “own thing?” The Book of Numbers ends with; “These are the commandments and the ordinances which YHVH commanded to B’nei Yisrael through Moshe in the Plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho” Thus, we see that ALL the Torah mitzvoth come from Adonai, the first Ten being spoken directly to the People of Israel, and the rest, through Moshe to the people. The Torah leads us all to a knowledge of Yeshua, to accept Him as our Savior and LORD, through faith and faith ONLY. “Masei” (journeys) A Torah Midrash over NUMBERS 33:1-36:13 ” Masei” or “journeys” or “stages” in some translations, describes the encampments of the Israelites starting in “Mitzraim” (Egypt) which comes from the root word “Mtzr” or “m’tzar” meaning “restricted” and ending at last in the promised land, giving the division of “Eretz C’anaan” between the different “matot Israel” (the tribes of Israel. In Numbers 33:1,2 it reads; “These were the wanderings of B’nei Israel who went out of the land of Egypt under the leadership of Moshe and Aaron. Moshe recorded their DEPARTURES, stage by stage as directed by YHVH; and these are the stages of their DEPARTURES. We see in these 2 verses that the word “departures” is mentioned twice, once in the beginning of the verse, and then at the end. One way we can look at this is that we can either look back to where we came from, or we can look forward to where we are going, or both! We can say “we departed from… or we can say; “We departed towards…” It is important to remember where we come from, how we were raised, perhaps even our short-comings, our mistakes, yet NOT to DWELL ON THEM! But concentrate on what the LORD has ahead for us, our goals, family goals, work goals, and ministry goals. Don’t let our lives in Egypt depress us, look forward to our land of Canaan. We can’t just look at this from a superficial view, saying, “well, so what, they traveled here and there and they finally made it home, they would have made it a lot sooner if they hadn’t complained so much! I mean, they listened to the spies, etc.”. We need to look into the moral, spiritual, and symbolism. It is much more than just, “going from place to place physically” They started out “restricted” to a place called “Egypt” and that is what “Mitzraim” means from the root word, m-Tz-r, (mem, Tzadik, Resh) using the Hebrew letters, “Mitzraim” sounds more plural, so it could also mean “restrictions”. What was restricted? Their FREEDOM! They were surrounded by pagan idolatry, they couldn’t leave! Because they were slaves to Pharaoh. It took the power of Adonai-Elohim the great I AM-YHVH, to get them out using his chosen servant Moshe. They left on the 15th of Nisan, the morning after Passover. The Word says they left with a “high hand” in some translations, “Boldness” with all “confidence” “fearless” with “valor”. It is interesting that the word “Masei” in the Hebrew is spelled, “mem, Samech, Ayin, Yod” if we could see this word in the ancient Hebrew spelling, the symbols would look like, “water, leaning on a short staff, an eye, and a hand connected to the arm” So, what could this word symbolize? What does “journeys” mean? Well, here is one idea; the “multitudes march forward, leaning on the staff in sight of the hand!” huh? OK, sooo what does THAT mean? Look at it this way, Moshe lead the way, he walked with a staff, as the custom of all leaders back then, the people kept Moshe in sight, and as he leaned on his staff, they followed, the “hand” leans on the “staff” but who gave Moshe the staff? It was YHVH! As they journeyed, the kept YHVH in sight! The staff also symbolizes leadership, we lean on HIS leadership, and we have the “hand” in our sight, the “hands” that were pierced with the nails on Calvary. “Journeys” are not only physical, but also spiritual! The Israelites left Egypt, crossed the Red Sea, now, they left “restrictions” behind, the sacrificed lambs of Passover symbolized Yeshua, the sacrificial lamb, who conquered the curse of sin and death, of HaSatan. Now they are on their way to a new life, just as we begin a new journey starting from the cross of Calvary. The Israelites experienced “bitter waters” at Marah, yet they experienced an oasis at Elim. We experience both bitter times, and times of “refreshing cool waters”. Good times and bad times are part of our wanderings, or “life’s journeys” They encamped at Mt Sinai, to receive the Torah, to become officially united as a nation. “Am Echad b’Elohim” (One united People of God) We receive Yeshua as our Messiah and LORD, and we receive his WORD, his Torah to guide us through the “wilderness of life”. Then comes a list of all the places where they stopped, camped, and continued when the Glory Cloud lifted. All these stopping places took place during a period of 40 years. The number “40” symbolizes “testing” The LORD was “trying, testing” his people. Each place they stopped at, they learned new things, they experienced the sacrificial offerings once the Mishkan (tabernacle) was fully erected. Yes, they complained, and Adonai chastised, yet forgave his children. He was with them all through the 40 years of journeys, and He brought them into the promised land through their new leader “Yehoshua” who took Moshe’s place. Our journeys through life will take us to many “stops” and “settlements” one might consider a “new job” a kind of “Stopping to settle down for a while” just like moving from “house to house” or “apartment to apartment” or “mobile home to mobile home”. Another “journey” in life is the “marriage journey” then there are the “childhood, adolescence, teenage, young adult, middle age, and Senior” journeys. In each journey we learn and experience different things, “bitter waters” as well as “refreshing new waters” all the time being led by “the LIVING WATER! There will be enemies to fight, the worse kind being “spiritual enemies from the Kingdom of Darkness” who will put traps in our way, stumbling blocks, bad attitudes, issues, carnality, etc. But all these are part of the journeys in life. Aaron’s journey lasted 123 years. Methuselah’s journey lasted 969 years, while Abel’s journey was very short, maybe his journey ended when he was a teen. Enoch’s journey lasted 300 years. We know not how long our journey will last, it is in God’s hands. What is important is that we learn from our experiences during our “stops” along the way, especially the “education stops” Education is a lifelong stop, or, could we even call it a "journey?" it should continue all of our days. We have our secular education and our Torah education. Sometimes there are conflicts between them, and we must adjust our ways, to the TORAH ways, not the other way around. We should continue to learn until the day we enter our eternal shalom, and even "up there" we might even continue to learn. Maybe Heaven has Bible institutes with professors like David, and Abraham doing the teaching, and even Yeshua himself. The last stop is the “Canaan” stop, “death” is our trip across the Jordan River that will bring us to the River of Life in the World to Come, In the New Jerusalem, we will receive our share of our inheritance, issued out to us by Our LORD and Messiah, Yeshua HaMashiach, (Jesus the Christ) Then, in the New Jerusalem, begins our “new journey” which will never end. How can we imagine a journey without an end? We really can’t, not with finite minds. “Time” as we know it will be meaningless. Perhaps 100 years on earth will be like 10 seconds in heaven. As Elohim says, “One day is likened unto a thousand years and a thousand years as a day” It is said that the “Jew is always wandering/traveling” Is this really true? The Jewish nation was sent out of the land to foreign lands, yes, they were cast out, and expelled, but for what eternal and divine purpose? To take the belief in One God, in Adonai-Elohim, Adonai-Echad, YESHUA! To the pagan peoples. Many look at expulsion as a punishment, yet the big picture is “evangelism”. Rav Shaul (Apostle Paul) was a traveling Jew, He founded many “Kehilot Meshichit” (Messianic congregations) in many different areas of the middle east. ” Ashkenaz” was a descendant of Japheth, son of Noah, who “journeyed” to what is now Germany, and his descendants to East Europe and Russia (probably after the fall of “Babel”), and “B’nei Israel” (the Children of Israel) in their “journeys” met with the “descendants” of Ashkenaz, intermarried, and thus spreading the belief of ONE GOD to Germany and East Europe, thus we have the “Y’hudim-Ashkenazim” (The Ashkenazim Jewish peoples). Some say that the desire to “travel” and “journey” is inbred into all Y’hudim, perhaps not all, many Jewish families have stayed in one place for centuries, and others, are on the move. I personally like to travel and go to different places. I have traveled to many states in the USA and to about 12 countries in my “life’s journeys” As we physically journey from place to place, remember that we are also “journeying” spiritually, being guided (hopefully) by God’s WORD, through his Holy Spirit. May you prosper in your journeys through life, “Buen Camino Peregrino!” (Have a good walk pilgrim!) Ben Avraham (Yeah, this was a bit long!) Life's journey starts when we are little kids

A BIT MORE ON "ZEAL" I KINGS 18:46-19:21 In this study, we see the second example of “zeal” for Adonai. Israel was again, bowing down and worshipping Baal, and Eliyahu really had enough and decided to do something about it. He initiated a contest between YHVH and Baal. Whoever answers the prayers and brings down fire to devour the animal sacrifices, that “god” would be GOD, who the Israelites would worship from then on. Of course, we know who won the contest. Yet as soon as Jezebel, the queen and wicked wife of King Ahab, heard this, and was told that Eliyahu had the 450 priests of Baal slain, she sent a “death threat” to Elihayu. Well, he ran all the way to Mt Horeb in Saudi Arabia, hundreds and hundreds of miles away. There he hid out for a while. There are times when a “man of God” or a “woman of God” can pretty much tire out, become exhausted, and really need a rest. Eliyahu was no different. Adonai understood that. He allowed him to rest, he sent an angel to cook for him, and reassured him that there were 7000 Israelites that did not bow the knee to Baal! Elihayu’s mission wasn’t quite over yet, he still had a job to do before being taken up to Heaven in a chariot of fire. Now that was quite a hot exit! When we serve the LORD, we work to the best of our anointed abilities, yet we need to know when to rest. Not quit mind you. Quitting and resting are two different things. Serving Adonai in ministry is a life calling, ending only at death! So, continue to serve YHVH, in this way we show our zeal. JOHN 2:13-17 We read here the story of Yeshua in the Temple and how he drove out the money changers with a "homemade" whip. He displayed anger and overturned the tables of the money changers with the words; "My Father's House is a house of prayer, take these away, don't make this house and market place" in some translations it says "you have made it a den of thieves" These money changers would exchange Roman Denarii and Greek Drachmas (coinage) into Jewish Shekels since they did not accept foreign coins since they displayed images (images of emperors and false gods). Then with the Jewish Shekels, the offerors would purchase animals to be used in sacrificial offerings, at times, the money changers would cheat these foreign proselytes and perhaps give them fewer Shekels than what the exchange market was set for. Thus, they became a "den of thieves". Verse 17 states; "Then the disciples remembered what was written 'The Zeal of your house consumes me" with the reference to Psalm 69:9 which states the same but through the words of King David. He also was "zealous" for the House of the LORD. King David's voice echoed his own zeal and also, the zeal of Messiah Yeshua. LUKE 23:1-24:53 We have seen in the above cases, “zeal” for YHVH, yet in this case, we see YESHUA himself who was the “lamb to the slaughter”. Remained silent in front of his accusers, before Pilatus and Herod. There is a time for a believer to protest, to speak out, and there is a time to remain silent. For this reason, Yeshua came into the world. Not to claim kingship then, yet the whole earth was his to rule. His mission was to teach Torah, heal the sick, and die for our sins. His "zeal" for the Father was to remain obedient all the way to the cross. Yes, there were times when he got incensed and angry. there were times when he showed his power, yet on the final day of his earthly life, it was a time to be silent, yet a time to forgive his accusers, to accept the nails, and to say; “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do!’ “Aba, Sh’vook l’hoon la ge’ir yadeen mana av’deen” (Aramaic) and “It is finished” “ha m’shalam” (Aramaic) seem like the translation is saying “the peace’ (is restored) Zeal can come in two forms, aggressive, and passive, we need to know when to use them. Shalom Ben Avraham Well, here's a page from my 7th grade Jr. High Yearbook (1967) Mr. Tarbox was my homeroom teacher (math). I'm on the second row, the second kid on the right. "Guy" was my locker buddy (passed away) Michelle also passed away. Debbie was a bully. Many Memories. Some of them were even "good". For those who have passed away, I hope they are in heaven.

PARASHA: “Pinchas” NUMBERS 25:10-29:40 "On being Zealous for God!" (and for the things of God) This Torah portion starts with somewhat a surprise, a promotion in rank for an execution committed, and rather suddenly. Pinchas, the grandson of Aaron was a Levite, and during the time of the “weakness and falling away of the men of Israel, He took matters into his own hands, and slew Zimri and Cozbi, who were committing fornication in the sight of all Israel, yet Adonai rewarded him for this and gave him an “everlasting covenant of peace and an everlasting priesthood” because he was “Zealous” for his God, because he made an “atonement” for “B’nei Israel”. to understand this, we must go back to Parashah Balak. King Balak wanted Balaam to curse Israel, yet Adonai did not do this, as Adonai prohibited this. Israel was already blessed by Adonai, and who Adonai has blessed, no man can curse. However, as many past rabbis and sages believe, what happened afterwards was indeed a tragedy. Even though the Torah does not record this, because of the events that followed, we can conclude that this is what might have happened afterwards. Perhaps, Balaam went to Balak and told him that even though he could not curse Israel, the children of Israel could bring a curse among themselves by disobeying God’s commandments and going after other gods. The Torah says that b’nei Israel went after the Moabite prostitutes and went to worship their god “Baal-Peor” thus bringing down the wrath of YHVH. The result was a plague that killed 24,000 Israelites until Pinchas took action and took a lance and thrust it through the bellies of Zimri and Cozbi, thus “staying” the plague. As Adonai called it, “making an atonement for the children of Israel’ “Blood” for “blood." We can see that the same thing happened at Calvary, Yeshua made atonement for our sins, His death for our lives. The spear of Pinchas penetrated Zimri and Cozbi, while the Roman spear penetrated Yeshua's side. Also, the Roman nails penetrated the wrists of Yeshua, holding Him fast to the cross. The spear of Pinchas held fast Zimri and Cozbi to the ground, yet they were guilty as charged, while Yeshua was not guilty as charged, yet our guilt was charged to HIS account. The death of Zimri and Cozbi obtained life for the remainder of the Israelites when the plague was stopped. The death of Yeshua obtained life for ALL who believe. The first commentary concerning this event is recorded in Psalm 106:28-31. David tells how the Israelites went after Ba'al Peor and ate sacrifices, thus angering Adonai, and as a result, a plague broke out among the people, yet Pinchas took action and executed judgment and the plague was halted. We find this a very “rash” thing to do, yet, we need to understand that Israel was under a “theocracy” and not a “democracy”. Their ruler, King, and commander-in-chief was YHVH himself. God calls the shots, makes the rules and decides outcomes. Under our “democracy” we have presidents, kings, senate, governors, etc. who make rules and vote on rules and outcomes. Try being “zealous” for God today the same way Pinchas did would land us in prison very quickly. Another thing we must remember is that we ALL have two natures, the “Yetzer Hara” (The evil inclination, or the sin nature) and the “Born again” spirit-filled nature that comes when we accept Yeshua as Messiah and LORD. Both live inside us, and some things can “trigger” that old sin nature and cause havoc and misery in our lives. In the case of the Israelite men, it was the arrival of the Midianite and Moabite prostitutes, and not only did they bring a curse upon the encampment of the Israelites, but they also brought death to 24,000 of the population. Now, it seems like a large number, but if we realize that the Israelites probably numbered 2 or 3 million, then that number is quite small. We need to also realize that not ALL of Israel went after “Baal-Peor” only the ones that went after the prostitutes. One can also ask a question; “Can one change his or her nature of being?” To answer this question, we need to look at a story. A king once had two sons. To test them, he asked them that question. The first son said; “Yes, one can change his or her nature.” Yet the second son said; “No, one can never change his or her nature. The king then said; “Go out and prove your statement, you have a week.” So, both sons when out, and after a week, they returned to the palace. The first son came near the king and queen with a large cloth bag. He put it on the floor and out came a cat. The cat was dressed in fine linen and had a servant’s hat. The cat got up and walked on its two hind legs and lifted a small silver tray towards the king and queen. On the tray were two chocolates. The king and queen smiled and marveled at the cat and accepted the two chocolates. Everyone applauded! How wonderful! The second son said; “wait a minute.” He took a small cloth bag and emptied it on the floor and out ran 5 mice. When the cat saw the mice, it dropped the tray and ran after the mice on all four paws. “You see,” said the son, “the cat went back to its old nature, it only needed a “trigger”. You can dress a cat in fine clothes and teach it a few tricks, but it will always be a cat, and cats chase mice according to their feline nature. We will always have our “old nature of sin” with us, and it will rear up its ugly head, as Rav Shaul (Apostol Paul) testifies in Romans 7:14-25. Only physical death will free us from the “old sin nature” Every day it is a constant battle. The spirit against the flesh and the flesh against the spirit. Now back to the action of Pinchas. His faith and love for the Torah and for God were backed by “action”. We could take other examples. A cat lover walks by a group of mean kids that are teasing a cat, pulling its tail, and just giving it a hard time. The cat lover could just say; “poor cat” and start to cry over it and continue walking…or…the cat lover could run up to the mean kids and push them aside, grabbing the cat and taking it to safety. The cat lover not only showed love and compassion for the cat but also showed an active and positive “action”. The same can be said about protesting against the murder of the unborn through abortions, many people will write letters and let their voices be heard, instead of just feeling sorry for the unborn who are murdered inside female wombs. Later on, in this Parashah, we see that Moshe intercedes for Israel when Adonai tells him to go up Har Abiram and take a look around because he will die there. Adonai appoints “Yehoshua” as Moshe’s successor, to lead the people into the promised land. We see two leaders now, “Pinchas” who is granted the title and inheritance of “High Priest” for his action, he symbolizes the “Kana” (Zeal) for Adonai, and Yehoshua, who is given the “Ruach Elohim” to lead the people. Yehoshua is the same as “Yeshua” for HE is the one who leads US in our lives today. Yeshua also showed “Kana” when he drove out the money changers in the temple, he used a bit of violence, yet not for “religious” reasons, but for the “love” of HIS father and for respect for HIS HOUSE. Today HIS HOUSE consists of all “Kehilot” (assemblies) of born-again believers all over the world, not buildings. John 2:17 reads; "Zeal for your house has consumed me!" There are other ways one can show “zeal” for YHVH today; Loving his Torah, obeying his commandments, teaching his Word to those who would listen, loving our neighbors, supporting our local body of believers, voting for government officials who also uphold biblical standards. Pointing out sinful ways to sinners (in a loving, not condemning way) and pointing them to a personal relationship with Yeshua our Messiah. Chapters 28 and 29 deal with the review of the sacrifices and offerings that the Israelites would offer to YHVH. Remember that they are about to cross over the Jordan to possess the promised land. There they would be “permanent residents” and the fight would continue to cast out the Canaanites (another reason for the census) to see how many “fighting men” the nation consisted of. Each and every element of the offerings and sacrifices illustrates who YESHUA is and what he stands for; 2 lambs per day, fine flour with oil; Yeshua who is the Lamb of God, who is the BREAD of Life, who has the Ruach HaKodesh (The Holy Spirit) within him. The oil symbolizes the Spirit of Elohim, and the “anointing by the Spirit on ALL believers. Wine was also used to pour over the sacrifices, the “wine” symbolizes the blood of Yeshua that ran down the cross, out of his veins for atonement for all who believe and accept his sacrifice for sin. Bullocks were also sacrificed, the bullock symbolizes “strength” as the ancient symbol of the letter “Aleph” was in the form of a bull. Adonai is “strength” yet he allowed himself to become “lower than the angels” to walk as man and be a willing sacrifice for sin. The goats remind us of Yom Kippur, one was set free and the other sacrificed, reminding us that our sins were “cast away” from us as well as dealt with on the cross. The sacrificed rams remind us of the “ram” that was in the thicket when Abraham offered his son Isaac as a sacrifice. That ram was sacrificed instead of Isaac, just as Yeshua was offered as a blood sacrifice in our place. It was His sinless blood, for our sinful blood. Do you accept His sacrifice? if yes, you are on the winning side. Ben Avraham Shalom A page from my 8th grade (1968) Jr. High Yearbook. Where's Ben Avraham? first kid on the right, top row, next to my friend Bennetta, who sent me this page last month. Yes, we are still in contact with each other. Quite a few of these kids have died since then.

MICAH 5:6-6:8 ”and the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples….” thus, begins the Prophet Micah’s message. We can witness this account today. In every nation of this modern world we see the Jewish people. In almost every large city, there are Jewish neighborhoods, communities, Jewish Community Centers, The mission of Israel in the diaspora was to be a “light unto the nations” the nations thousands of years ago were dwelling in idolatry; the worship of pagan deities permeated their lives. Israel’s mission was to “introduce the worship and love of “One God” Adonai-Elohim, yet even in Israel idolatry was to be found, Elohim would have to “cut off” the worship of graven images, witchcrafts, Asherim, etc., ” Oh, my people, what have I done to thee?” (6:3) Adonai has a right to ask this question. Did HE not take them out of Egypt? Bring them into a new land, He was to be their king, yet they fell into idol worship. ”and what does the LORD require of thee? only to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God” (6:8) And that is what it is all about, If Yeshua loved mercy, did what was just and right, and lived a humble lifestyle, shouldn’t we do the same. Following in HIS footsteps is a meaningful goal in our lives. JUDE 11: "Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward..." 2 PETER 2:15: (Speaking about the false prophets)..."which have forsaken the right way and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam, Son of Peor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness The Torah portion of this week was "Balak" and attention was paid to the unrighteous and false prophet Balaam, or in Hebrew "Bilam" (Baal-Am) "lord of the people" Much warning is given to false teachers and false prophets (some call themselves teachers) who are involved in ministry for financial gain, many who will preach what the people WANT to hear, and NOT what they NEED to hear. Many will interpret scripture to fit their own agenda or misinterpret it, taking scripture out of context. Some will go against sound doctrine or add to doctrine. What is sound Biblical doctrine? 1). We are ALL created in God's holy image, "sinless". 2) Through Adam, we inherited the sin nature. 3) God still loves us and wants us back in fellowship, the only way being through Yeshua(Jesus). 3) We need to be "born again" spiritually, through faith, and never through works. 4) Once reconciled to God through Yeshua, we are to live a righteous lifestyle as "tsaddikim" (righteous ones) until our Heavenly Father calls us home. 5) the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, without mistakes, inspired by the Holy Spirit through His chosen vessels. 6) There is a Heaven and a Hell, and ALL people will end up in one of those places, for all eternity. I could go on, but these are the foundations of the Judeo-Christian faith. Many false teachers will change these doctrines, omit some, invent some more, many, through greed like Balaam, will see what it is in it for them. It is all about THEM and not about OTHERS. So, beware of the "Balaams" of this world, they are out to deceive you. Stick to the Pure WORD of Truth. Learn what the Bible says so you will recognize falsehood when you hear it. LUKE 22:1-71 The final and last day of Yeshua on earth is here. He is celebrating the Pesach with his Talmidim. This is very meaningful as it illustrates what the “bread and the wine” symbolize. ” This is my body which is being given to you” “the cup is the New Covenant ratified by my blood which is being poured out for you”. During the time of Pesach, and every time we take communion, which is like a “mini Pesach” we are reminded of our Messiah, who was beaten, whipped, torn apart, spat upon, and nailed to a cross, all because HE loved us SO MUCH. He, God in the flesh, loved his creation, a creation that was once sinless, became flawed by sin and wanted a new relationship once again. The Matzah which is marked by little holes illustrates the nail holes, and he hung by those nails until his life paid our sin debt in full. The New Covenant is ratified, by HIS BLOOD, the blood of bulls, sheep, and goats did NOT, and NEVER did have the power to remove sin, the animal sacrifices only SYMBOLIZED what Yeshua would do in the future. That is why the New Covenant is a better covenant, because the blood of Yeshua, symbolized by the wine we drink, had and has the power to forgive, and atone for the sin of mankind. Man, only has to ACCEPT this sacrifice in a personal way, only then, can Messiah’s death on the cross benefit the person. So, if you have never accepted Yeshua as Messiah and LORD, do it now! Shavua Tov (have a good week) Torah Scrolls, the WORD of God never changes

PARASHAH: “Balak” NUMBERS 22:2-25:9 This is the famous story of Bilam, who was asked to “curse” Israel, and instead, “Blessed” Israel, yet before this, his donkey spoke to him. The name “Bilam” or Balaam” might be a shorter version of the name “Baal-haAm” (lord of the people). Some believe that he was a true prophet of G-d, others believe he was a false prophet or a corrupt prophet. Yet YHVH used him for the purpose of blessing "Am Yisrael" The princes of Balak, king of Moab, offered money to Balaam to curse Israel, so, Balaam consults Adonai as to what he should do. Elohim gives the answer; “Thou shalt not go with them (the men from Balak), thou shalt not curse them (Israel) for they are blessed” (Num 22:12) What the LORD has blessed, stays blessed, what the LORD has cursed, stays cursed UNLESS the LORD himself lifts the curse and changes the curse to a blessing. However, one can also invite a curse to come upon himself or herself, or an entire community. Balaam tells the princes, “I cannot go with you” yet Balak is stubborn, and wants Israel cursed, he offers more money, and fame, re-sends his princes, and asked them again to propose to Balaam; “Stay here tonight and I will see what the LORD will tell me” says Balaam. But hey, didn’t Adonai already say NO? what more is there to ask again? or…is there a hidden reason? Maybe a money reason? We can see perhaps a greedy prophet trying to see if “God will change his mind”. Just a little curse for a lot of money? However, Adonai says; “Go with them, but only say what I tell you to say”. So, the word of God says that in the morning, Balaam saddled his ass and went with the princes of Moab, BUT…God was angry because he WENT! There is a problem here, didn’t Adonai already give his permission for Balaam to GO, yet he was angry because he WENT! What is the root of interpretation here? Adonai gave his permission for Balaam to go PHYSICALLY with the princes of Moab, Yet, Balaam in his heart was GOING ALONG WITH THE IDEA, to curse for money, greed was in his heart. One thing is to GO, another is to GO ALONG WITH THE IDEA, or be in unison to do evil. This is why the anger of the LORD was kindled, Balaam had in his heart the IDEA or the DESIRE to GO CURSE ISRAEL for riches. It was all about the “inner motive” of Bilaam, Adonai knows the heart above all things. We can all “go” places, but if our hearts carry evil intentions, then, the “going” will bring a curse upon ourselves. Here is another idea. God gave permission for Bilaam to go, only that he makes known the plan to bless Israel, yet Bilaam did not tell the second group of emissaries that he would bless Israel. He allowed them to think that he would pronounce a curse upon Israel. In this type of deceit, Bilaam would “blaspheme” the name of God, knowing one thing, and hiding it on purpose. Perhaps Bilaam thought that if he told the group that he would only “bless” Israel, then, he would not receive payment. It would then be a “financial setback”. (ill-gotten greed). Now Adonai used Balaam’s donkey to “wake him up” as to what is happening. Then, “Malach-YHVH” the (Angel of the LORD) stands in the way, the ass avoids him, three times, until Balaam strikes his donkey three times for going off the road. Finally, the LORD opens the mouth of the donkey and the donkey is made to speak; “Why have you smitten me these three times?” Wouldn’t you wonder that Balaam would have been impressed that an animal would speak? Hebrew at that? Even the Angel spoke; “Why have you smitten your donkey these three times?” Some wonder about the number “3” does it have meaning? There are “3” entities in Elohim, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Yeshua was in the ground for 3 days, there are 3 parts of the Bible, the Torah, the Prophets, and Hebrew poetry, and the Brit HaDASHAH (New Testament) Yeshua asked Kefa 3 times “Do you love me?” The Angel of Elohim gave “3” warnings to Balaam, yet he did not SEE, or perhaps, did not WANT to see or heed the warnings, until his donkey, “alerted him” Another thing we can see is that God is concerned for the treatment of animals. Those who have pets should treat them with love and tender care, not mistreat them, for if the angel saw the donkey being struck and called Balaam’s attention on that, the LORD sees how YOU are treating your pet, (hopefully no one has a pet crocodile running around the house, yet there was a case of a family that DID have indeed a PET ALLIGATOR in the house) Balaam meets Balak, and again, they go to “3” separate places to view Israel, and Balaam orders “7” altars to be built. 7 bulls and 7 rams would be sacrificed. “7” is the perfect number, yet all three times, Balaam opens his mouth to BLESS Israel, Whom YHVH has blessed, no man can curse. Even in the third blessing, Balaam echoes the blessing of Abraham; “Blessed be everyone that blesseth thee and cursed be everyone that curseth thee!” What can we learn from all this? We must always support and bless Israel, bless our brothers and sisters in our congregations, do not let money be the main interest in our doing “good” if we wish to bless our neighbor, with our prayers, labor, favors, etc., let it not be guided by monetary gain, but our sincere desire to bless and be a witness to Yeshua our Messiah. Oh yes, and treat your cats, dogs, birds, tropical fish, etc. with TLC! Adonai is watching! But let’s look at the blessings that Bilaam said to Israel, and Yes, Balak was fuming! This is to show that G-d even works among heathen prophets, to shower blessings on his people; (23:8-10) We see various things of interest here: Bilaam states: “How can I curse whom Elohim has not cursed?” “It is a people that shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations” “Who hath counted the dust of Jacob or numbered the stock of Israel” “Let me die the death of the righteous, and let mine be like his” “A people that dwell alone.” One might think about the meaning of this. One way to look at this is that Israel is a “unique’ (Yachid) people, that is not given to worship idols like the other nations, but given and chosen to worship Adonai only, therefore, “Not reckoned among the nations.” Adonai did not curse Israel, but later, Israel brought upon itself a curse because the Israelites hooked up with the prostitutes of Moab and entered into the pagan rites of the Moabites (persuaded by Bilaam) He must have said to the king that God cannot curse them but they can bring a curse upon themselves though! Israel is unique, no nation like Israel. The word for “unique” is “Yachid” and is different from the rest of the nations because Israel believes and worships only “One G-d” YHVH! The rest of the nations at that time were pagan idolatrous nations. Why is Jacob/Israel compared to dust? Can anyone count “dust?” yet dust will last forever. The desire of all is to “die like a Tzadik!” a righteous person, but Bilaam did not die like a Tzadik, he died like a pagan prophet who was, unwillingly, used by YHVH. The next blessing is from 23:19-24. “God (EL) is not a man that He should lie, Neither the Son of man that He should repent” The word for God in this verse is “El” (the strong one who leads and instructs) and through the Torah, Adonai shows us the way to Mashiach! Yes, God is NOT a man, He is Spirit in the pure essence of His being, yet He became flesh, in Yeshua, to die for our sins, and Yeshua never needed to repent of anything since He was and IS sinless! ‘None hath beheld iniquity in Jacob nor seen perverseness in Israel” Yet didn’t YHVH want to wipe Israel from the earth for past sins and rebellion? Yes, BUT, Moshe interceded for them like Yeshua intercedes before the Father on our behalf. YHVH was looking at Israel through Messiah Yeshua, He sees Israel as if Israel had never sinned, being righteous! Are we any different? Our flesh is black like sin (figuratively) because our flesh is dead and dying, yet inside us lives our soul-spirit, and it is white as snow, purified through the Blood of Yeshua. The third blessing is from 24:3-9. “How goodly are thy tents O Jacob and thy dwellings O Israel” This is the beginning of one of our daily prayers. The tents and dwellings symbolize the whole people of Israel, the ones who dwell inside the tents. Here, the word "dwellings" refers to "Mishkan" the "Dwelling of Adonai" which is among the people. So, the people dwell in tents, and also, YHVH dwells in a tent, HE is there for THEM. “Water shall flow from his branches, and his seed shall be in many waters” Yeshua is the “Living Water” (Mayim Chayim) many waters can symbolize the “multitudes” of peoples, since the Hebrew letter “Mem” symbolizes both ‘water’ and the “masses” (of people) His is the “Seed of faith” which has been scattered among all the nations of the world. The blessing ends like the promise of Abraham, “blessed be every one that blesses thee, and cursed be everyone that curseth thee” and in HIS SEED shall ALL the world be blessed, “HaZeman Yeshua” (the seed of Yeshua) the seed of “Faith” Shalom Ben Avraham All sons have the right to act goofy at times.

PARASHA: “Chukat” (ordinance of) Numbers 19:1-22:1 When we look at all the 613 commandments of the Torah, we can divide them into three categories; "Chukkim" (from where we get "Chukat") which are laws that are not obvious in understanding. The Red Heifer, looking at the serpent for healing, etc...This requires faith, perhaps a lot of it, and leave it to God, He understands the meaning of these "chukkim" (the "ch" is pronounced like a guttural "h") like "Yohan Sebastian BaCH" Then we get "eidot" which are laws that demand our faithfulness, and that show symbolism such as the Shabbat, the Moedim, manna, tziziot, etc. Then we have; "Mishpatim" or logical laws/commandments that are not hard to understand, such as "thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not lie, commit murder, etc... These are commandments which help us relate to our fellow man. There are several themes in this Torah study. Number one is the “Red Heifer” This was for members of ‘B’nei Israel” that came into contact with the dead. We need to be reasonable since death was a common experience with Israel as with all of us, it is part of life. Death is the twilight of our existence. If death is our twilight, then our “sunrise” will be in the “World of Come” the “Eternal Heavenly Kingdom. If Yeshua is our Messiah and LORD and Savior, death is just a passage to eternal life with our king, Master, LORD, friend, husband, and Redeemer. The priest had to sacrifice and burn up completely a cow, converting it to ashes. With this sacrifice there were very important ingredients to be mixed with the ashes; Cedarwood, hyssop, and crimson. So, we now have cow ashes, cedar wood, hyssop, and crimson. These would be mixed with water and this mixture would be applied to a person who had to touch a dead person, (for the reason of preparation and burial). After that, the person would be “tahor” (clean) and could re-enter the camp, since the person had to be outside for seven days. It is interesting to note that the priest applying the mixture would be considered “Tamei” (unclean) until the evening! How does this illustrate Yeshua HaMashiach? We have the animal sacrifice, which always symbolizes our Messiah, then the cedarwood symbolizing the cross of Calvary, HE was our sacrifice for sin and was nailed to a wooden cross. The hyssop reminds us of the first Passover when lamb’s blood was applied on the doorposts of Israel’s Egyptian dwellings. Without the shedding of blood, there can be no remission of sin. The “crimson stuff” reminds us of the blood, which was shed on the cross, His sinless blood was applied to our sins. There was an exchange, our “unrighteousness” for His “righteousness” Just as the priest remained “unclean” until the evening, so our Messiah became “unclean” for those few hours on the cross, because He bore our sins, past, present, and future. Our “uncleanness” was exchanged for “cleanness” through Yeshua. The Hebrew for "The Perfect Red Heifer" is "Parah Edumah T'mimah." There is symbolism in these three words; "Parah" (cow) "the face of greatness revealed" (Yeshua) who is "Adumah" (contains the name "Adam") T'mimah (perfect). Who is the perfect Adam, whose face was revealed on earth? Yeshua! The word "T'mimah" also contains the word "Mayim" which is "water" Water was added to the ashes of the "Parah Adumah" for the cleansing of the unclean. We also have the Acronyms of these three words; "Peh" "Aleph" "Tav" (the face/mouth of the ET (Aleph and Tav) or (Alfa and Omega) Chapter 20 deals with the death of Miriam. A leader, some say, can only take so much until tempers explode. He (Moshe) has lost his beloved sister, the people are complaining “again” that they want water, understandable, we all need water to live. Adonai understands, and speaks to Moshe “Take Aaron and your staff, go to “The” Rock and speak to it, and it shall bring forth water.” Seems like it was not just any rock, it was “THE” Rock. Oral tradition says that this rock followed the congregation where ever they went and water flowed from “The Rock” It is interesting that the Hebrew word is not the usual word “Tzur” or “Aven” used for “Rock” or “stone” but the word “Selah” is used, this word means a “large stone or rock fortress or stronghold”. It also means a “rock that contains water. We can also look at the name "Miriam" which contains the letters that spell "mayim" (water) She was Moses' older sister who made sure that the daughter of Pharaoh would look after her youngest brother. She put him in the "water" (Nile) near the palace steps. Then she was with Moses and went through the "water" of the Red Sea. She was present at the time of the "bitter waters" and when Moses hit the ROCK (first time) which brought forth "water" in abundance. She died right before Moses struck the ROCK in anger (2 times). Then...1500 years later, another "Miriam" (Mary) brought forth, while still a virgen, the "Water of Life" and the "Solid ROCK" in the town of Beit-Lechem (The House of Bread). This “Selah” reminds us of Mashiach who is the “living water”. Also, when we look at the Hebrew spelling of the word “Selah” we can see “Mayim” (water) in the middle of the letters. So, what do we mean by that? Well, let’s spell out the word “Selah” in Hebrew, this word contains three Hebrew letters “Samech (s) Lamed (l) and “Ayin” (ah) let’s look at the middle letters in these words; “saMech” “laMed” and “aYin” we have the letters M+M+Y, and when we rearrange the letters and add the vowels, we get “MaYiM” which is the word “water” in Hebrew. When we add up the number value in Gematria, we get 40+10+40 = 90, “9” points to Yeshua who is “Emet” (The Truth) and “0” is the number of “eternity” because it has no beginning nor end. In the area of Mt Sinai, in North East Saudi Arabia, one can see a “large strong, rugged Rock” with a crack down the middle of it. It seems like it is at least 30 feet tall. It is believed that “This” is “The Rock” (HaSelah) Moshe, however, in his anger, did NOT obey the voice of HaShem. Instead, he said to the people; ” Listen you rebels, shall WE get water for you out of this rock?” and then struck the rock TWICE, with his staff. Water still came out, God still had compassion for His people, YET…Moshe and Aaron were in deep trouble! This spill of anger cost Moshe his entrance into the promised land. The ROCK, symbolized YESHUA who is our SOLID ROCK, our FORTRESS! (Selah) who was struck only ONCE, for our sins. He died ONCE, was crucified ONCE! For ALL of our sins, past, present, and future. Moshe misrepresented YHVH, he said, “are WE to get water for you…” The people saw “Moshe and Aaron” so, they probably thought’ ‘Moshe and Aaron got water for us’ Let’s hear it for Moshe and Aaron, nice going guys!” so they got the glory instead of Adonai. However, we know that Moshe DID enter the promised land, 1500 years later, at the Mt. of Transfiguration. He appeared with Eliyahu, Moshe represented the Torah, and Eliyahu HaNavi” (The Prophets), and of course, Yeshua represented the New Covenant, all three symbolize the “Whole complete WORD of God” with nothing lacking! Chapter 21 talks about the “fiery serpents” in the desert, that were sent as punishment by God to bite the people who were “again” complaining. (Oi vey, when will they stop already?!) As soon as the people repented, God told Moshe to make a “bronze serpent” and place it on a pole and erect it so that ALL could see. In all places in scripture, the “serpent” symbolizes HaSatan, with exception of this ONE time, this time, the bronze or copper serpent (seraph) symbolizes Yeshua, as he said in John; “As the serpent was lifted up in the desert, so the Son of Man will be lifted up” He was both “lifted up” on the Cross of Calvary, and “lifted up” into the Heavenlies in his ascension. It is interesting that the word for “fiery serpent” is “Nachash Seraph” probably because on biting a person, the bite burned like fire. The “Seraphim” are angels that are related to “fire”. The Torah tells us that YHVH sent “N’chashim” (serpents) to bite the people. But during this fierce judgment, the people repent and plead to Moshe, “Tell YHVH to take away the “Nachash!” (21:7) in English and Spanish, the word “serpent” is written in the plural “serpents” but NOT in the original Hebrew, in the Hebrew, the word is singular, “Serpent” this is interesting, why singular” were there not many snakes around biting the people? Yes, but the singular word and phrase, “intercede with YHVH that He removes the “serpent” from us”. This points us to the symbolism of “HaSatan” who is “The Serpent” the same that was in the Garden of Eden. The people repent and in a way are saying, “remove Satan from our midst” Remove "sin" from our midst. This is what happened at Calvary when our Messiah took upon himself all the “Bites of HaSatan, the “Nachash” to heal us so that we might have eternal life. The image of the beast that caused death was also the source of life! Yeshua became death so that we might have life. There is also a relationship between the Hebrew words “Mashiach” and “Nachash” in the gematria, “Mashiach” (mem, sheen, yod, chet) and “Nachash” (nun, chet, sheen) both add up to 358! (mem=40, sheen=300, yod=10, chet=8) 40+300+10+8 = 358. “Nachash’ is (nun=50, chet=8, sheen=300) 50+8+300= 358! What does Mashiach give us? 3 (He is part of Elohim) who gives us “grace” (5) for a new “beginning” (8). Also, 3+5+8=16, and 1+6=7, “7” the perfect number of YHVH! Interesting to note that probably not all of the Congregation of Israel could visibly “see” the serpent, being the encampment perhaps 4 or 5 miles square due to the number of people and cattle, so, even “looking in the direction “ of the serpent would have served the purpose of receiving healing from the snake bites (my thought). Today, our faith is our “healing” to receive salvation through trusting in Yeshua/Jesus who was “lifted up” and bore our sins. Shalom Ben Avraham Quiet and still waters

PARASHA: “Korach” (Korah) NUMBERS 16:1-18:32 This study is about a Levite named “Korach”. The name "Korach" means "baldness and uncovered." He and a few of his friends; Dathan and Abiram got together with 250 other tribal leaders and they “Rose up in the face of Moshe”. Now, this for sure is NOT a friendly gathering, they did not come to Moshe on friendly terms. No, it was a REBELLION! Pride and arrogance had filled the hearts of these men and now they questioned Moshe’s authority. We can’t seem to understand why, after Moshe led them through the wilderness, went up Har Sinai, received the commandments, and interceded for the whole people on various occasions so that God would not destroy them, now want to question Moshe’s leadership calling. Guess we can call it just that, “blind arrogance and the will to do “their own thing.” They came against Aaron and Moshe with the following words; “Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and YHVH is among them; wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the assembly of YHVH?” (16:3) The words “congregation” and “assembly” are one in the same “Kahal” (Qoph, Hey, Lamed) “behold there is holiness in instruction” That is what every single congregation should be all about, be the congregation a Sunday honoring church or a Sabbath honoring Messianic Synagogue, we are all ONE body in MESSIAH YESHUA, dedicated to receiving instruction from the Torah through Adonai’s chosen vessels. “Holiness” or “Kodesh” means we are “separated” unto YHVH by our lifestyles and through our acceptance of Yeshua as our LORD and Savior. Studying the Word of God and applying it to our lives increases our maturity in the faith. Rambam stated the following; "Any person whose spirit moves him (or her) and inspires him to depart from the (evil) things of the world and place themself before the face of God and serve Him as His minister, work for Him, serve Him, know Him, and follow His Torah, and walk in good moral standards in all correctness, rejecting the worries of this world will be considered "Kadosh" and a "Tzadik". Now, here’s a question, was Korah right by saying that “all the congregation is holy, and that YHVH was with them?” Yes, he was absolutely right! “You shall be unto me a holy nation and a kingdom of priests” (Exodus 19:5) There was nothing wrong with that statement because it is a TRUE statement. Today, every born-again believer is a “priest” we have access to the Throne of Grace, just like the priests of old went before the people in the Tabernacle and later on, in the Holy Temple to make intercession before YHVH. The only difference between the Holiness of God and the holiness of repentant man is that "our" holiness is lacking, "God's" holiness is complete, perfect, and sinless. Our holiness is still full of "holes." (The sin nature). We become "holy" through faith and acceptance of Yeshua as LORD and Savior. Through Yeshua, we have intercession before a Holy God. What was WRONG, was that they questioned Aaron and Moshe’s authority by saying; “wherefore lift ye up yourselves above the Kahal of YHVH?” The truth is, that they did NOT lift themselves up over the “Kahal Yisrael” it was ADONAI who lifted THEM UP! It was YHVH who ordained them as leaders to lead the flock of Israel. In every organization, there has to be a leader or leaders. In every business, there is an owner, president, manager, assistant managers, shift leaders, and workers. All of them have “value” yet they need to be led by leaders, or the business will topple over, and the workers scatter like sheep without a shepherd. In the church/synagogue setting, there has to be a pastor or rabbi, assistant pastors, and associate rabbi or rabbis, then, we have the Sunday School teachers, Torah teachers, youth workers, children’s ministry, music, and worship leaders and assistants, secretaries, finance officers, etc.… ALL have MUCH VALUE in ministry, for that reason, we are given the spiritual gifts to make the Body of Messiah work and run like a well-oiled machine. YET, when rebels come and want to disrupt the congregation, disaster can happen, and that is what the enemy “HaSatan” wants, yet before that happened, YHVH had to step in and deal with the situation at hand. In all, we have 250 plus Korah, Dathan, and Abiram that are causing the rebellion. A rebellion that could have spread to a few million Kahal members, “Kol HaKahal Yisrael” (to ALL the congregation of Israel). YHVH has them to bring their censors and put incense and fire in them and bring them before the Mishkan. YHVH will settle the matter once and for all. Remember that the censor, incense, and fire symbolize our prayers that ascend to Adonai. Moshe in a way is saying; “LORD, YOU decide who you want to lead, and be a high priest!” Adonai answered in a very frightening way. But before that, Moshe pointed out to Korah that he was already appointed to serve in the tabernacle, and intercede before the people. Yet, Korah was not satisfied and he wanted, even MORE. He wanted to be priest, and perhaps even “High Priest”. There could have been a way of asking about a “promotion” (sort of saying) Korah could have approached Moshe and have Moshe ask God about perhaps promoting him to the priesthood, in a humble and respectful way, yet Korah was defiant. There are 7 steps to rebellion. What are they? 1) Self-exaltation, 2) jealousy, 3) conspiring with others, 4) deceitful and/or crafty words, 5) accusations, 6) division 7) death. When we look at Satan's rebellion against Adonai, we see all these steps. In the end, we will see that Satan is as "good as dead" burning in the Lake of Fire. Korach followed these same steps. Korah’s defiance led to a rebellion, and the rebellion led to destruction. Not only the destruction of Korah, but also of those who followed him. In Hebrew, the words “Korach” which symbolizes “Rebellion” and “Sh’dad” which means “destruction” are related because they both have the same numeric value in Hebrew gematria “308”. As we read on, the “earth opened up” and swallowed up Korah and his household. HOWEVER, God did not punish the righteous members of Korah’s family. Remember that the “Sons of Korah” wrote some of the Psalms. He had some sons that were against their father’s rebellion, and they were saved. Just as we remember the plea of Abraham concerning Sodom and Gomorra, “Far be it that YHVH should destroy the righteous with the wicked” so Adonai sent an Angel to take Lot and his family out of Sodom, but just as Lot’s sons-in-law and his wife perished, saving only Lot and his two daughters, some of the sons of Korah were saved, and the rest of the family went down into Sheol. Then we see that Adonai wipes out all the 250 rebels, and cleans the slate! No more rebels. May that be a lesson for those who would want to challenge Adonai or his appointed ones. However, is there a time when God’s leaders can be challenged? I would say that if a leader or leaders are teaching lies, false doctrines, and leading the people AWAY from God, teaching that there are “many ways” to God and that Yeshua is NOT enough, THEN…that leader needs to stop and think what he or she is doing, if others of the Kahal bring this to their attention, it should be done in a humble, respectful way, not in a rebellious way. We must be reminded of what 1 Peter 2:13-15 says: “ Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man”, “or unto governors” and “So is the will of God” God has appointed them to lead us. We ALL have a place in ministry, we are all vessels of VALUE. Yet all vessels have a maker, and that maker is YHVH, and he always chooses a certain vessel or vessels to lead the others, we must all come under that leadership, lift up that leadership, uphold those hands of leadership through support and prayer. Who knows, maybe Adonai will choose YOU as an appointed leader! Shalom Ben Avraham What time is it? Time to get saved! (if not already). A fellow once asked a pastor; "When is the best time to accept Jesus as my LORD and Savior?" The pastor answered; "5 minutes before you die." "But pastor, I don't know when I will die." the fellow answered. "In that case" the pastor responded, "Now is the best time!"

MATT 4:19 and MARK 1:17 both repeat the words of Yeshua: "Come, Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." What an offer our Messiah made to his disciples. Peter, James, and John especially since that was their profession. They were professional fishermen on the Sea of Galilee, yet they decided to drop their nets and follow Messiah Yeshua, trusting all their needs to HIM. Nothing wrong with fishing, either as a profession or as a sport. I remember in my aunt's house she had a picture of a fisherman in a river and she had a few rods with fly fishing equipment. I also had my fishing adventures, both in fresh water and in salt water. I remember walking with grandpa on the Miami Beach fishing pier once. I found a small piece of a wooden lawn chair, I also found some fishing line. All I needed was a sinker and a hook. I decided to ask some fishermen if they could part with those items. One kind guy gave me both, and I found some bait along the wall. I put it on the hook and with the line tied to the end of the wooden dowel (which used to be part of that chair) and then lowered it into the water. A few minutes later, I brought up a Red Snapper. Nice experience. Grandpa said: "Very good, you caught a Red-a-Snap" I remember the novel and then it was made into a movie; "The Old Man and the Sea." By Ernest Hemingway. I read the novel and then saw the movie (about three times). If you read the novel or saw the movie, you will know that "Santiago" was a poor, old, Cuban fisherman. He lived alone in a small shack on one of the beaches in Cuba, probably during the late 1950s. He had a young friend, a boy named Manolo. He was a good friend to Santiago. Yet Santiago had gone 84 days without catching a fish. Now the other fishermen thought of him as "salao" or "bad luck" and would not let Manolo go fishing with him on his little boat. Santiago had a passion, it was Baseball, and he always liked to talk about Baseball with Manolo. Santiago was still strong, yet in his younger days, he was even stronger since he won an all-night arm-wrestling match. Santiago had also a strong will. He would not give up. One day he decided he would indeed catch a fish. He would go a long way out to sea and not return until he had caught his prize fish. Well, he went out that day, and indeed, a very large Marlin swallowed the bait and the hook attached to his makeshift pole and strong cord. He spent a day and a night and the next day struggling with that fish, when he finally wore it out and brought it alongside his boat, it was as long as his boat. He took his harpoon and killed it. Then, after tying it to the side of his boat, he put up his sail and headed back to the beach. But problems followed him, the Marlin left a blood trail in the water and it attracted sharks. Soon, the sharks "galanos" were upon his catch. Santiago fought the sharks with a club and a knife, yet they kept coming, attacking and tearing off chunks of the Marlin. By the time he reached the shore, all that remained of the Marlin was a skeleton attached to the tail and the head. Old Santiago dragged himself up to his shack and fell down on his cot and went to sleep. The next day, all the fishermen were amazed at his catch. "Never has there been such a fish!" "You are the greatest fisherman Santiago." They all exclaimed. Manolo went and got Santiago some coffee with some rice and beans. He stayed with him until he woke up. Santiago was no longer "salao" he regained his honor. Manolo went fishing with him again. I'm sure that the fishermen gave Santiago something for what was left of the Marlin, at least for bait. Yeshua said to be "fishers of men." That is the call of all believers. We are to go out and fish for the souls of men (and women). All men and women are finite bodies inhabited by infinite souls. Since these souls will spend eternity somewhere, we all have a job to do. We cast the line using the Bible as bait. Yet we can not just go up to a person and say; "Here, read this" we need to present it in a way that it will grab a person's attention, like casting a line with bait in the water, then, slowing reeling it in, or use some plastic bobbers with a hook and a bit of bait on the end. Some people will respond and "bite" and "take" the bait. Then, we have to reel them in. Once fastened to our boat, we head back to shore. Our shore is the heavenly shore where there is no more crying or pain. Yet Satan sees the souls of men, those souls who have taken the Bible Bait and are headed towards the celestial shore. He will send his demonic sharks to attack and rip apart those who have been caught. ripping them apart with false doctrines, doubt, cares of the world, injecting thoughts like; "You're not REALLY saved, dude!" The fisher of souls has a job, to lead that person to understand the Word of God, to instruct him or her in the commandments, in knowing who God is, who Yeshua/Jesus is. Therefore, discipleship is important. The bites might come but not as intense as if left without guidance in the Word. Instruction in the "WAY to go". There are those who fish, and those who instruct the one fished out of the world of sin. The rewards will be for both. So, fishers of men and women, fish, catch and instruct those that are on the line. The harvest is much but the laborers are few. The sea of sin is loaded with fish, and many fish are looking to swallow the bait, others could care less. We can't catch them all, only a few, but those few who the Father has chosen. Old Santiago rests easy that night. The story ends with "Santiago dreaming about lions on the beach of some African shore." Yes, I wouldn't mind dreaming about a lion, but not any lion, only the "Lion of Judah." "The Old Man and the Sea" Is on YouTube if you want to watch it. (a few versions are available) Ben Avraham A good catch by my son David. Me? I was swimming and diving under the bridge (Key Largo, FL)

MATT 4:19 and MARK 1:17 both repeat the words of Yeshua: "Come, Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." What an offer our Messiah made to his disciples. Peter, James, and John especially since that was their profession. They were professional fishermen on the Sea of Galilee, yet they decided to drop their nets and follow Messiah Yeshua, trusting all their needs to HIM. Nothing wrong with fishing, either as a profession or as a sport. I remember in my aunt's house she had a picture of a fisherman in a river and she had a few rods with fly fishing equipment. I also had my fishing adventures, both in fresh water and in salt water. I remember walking with grandpa on the Miami Beach fishing pier once. I found a small piece of a wooden lawn chair, I also found some fishing line. All I needed was a sinker and a hook. I decided to ask some fishermen if they could part with those items. One kind guy gave me both, and I found some bait along the wall. I put it on the hook and with the line tied to the end of the wooden dowel (which used to be part of that chair) and then lowered it into the water. A few minutes later, I brought up a Red Snapper. Nice experience. Grandpa said: "Very good, you caught a Red-a-Snap" I remember the novel and then it was made into a movie; "The Old Man and the Sea." By Ernest Hemingway. I read the novel and then saw the movie (about three times). If you read the novel or saw the movie, you will know that "Santiago" was a poor, old, Cuban fisherman. He lived alone in a small shack on one of the beaches in Cuba, probably during the late 1950s. He had a young friend, a boy named Manolo. He was a good friend to Santiago. Yet Santiago had gone 84 days without catching a fish. Now the other fishermen thought of him as "salao" or "bad luck" and would not let Manolo go fishing with him on his little boat. Santiago had a passion, it was Baseball, and he always liked to talk about Baseball with Manolo. Santiago was still strong, yet in his younger days, he was even stronger since he won an all-night arm-wrestling match. Santiago had also a strong will. He would not give up. One day he decided he would indeed catch a fish. He would go a long way out to sea and not return until he had caught his prize fish. Well, he went out that day, and indeed, a very large Marlin swallowed the bait and the hook attached to his makeshift pole and strong cord. He spent a day and a night and the next day struggling with that fish, when he finally wore it out and brought it alongside his boat, it was as long as his boat. He took his harpoon and killed it. Then, after tying it to the side of his boat, he put up his sail and headed back to the beach. But problems followed him, the Marlin left a blood trail in the water and it attracted sharks. Soon, the sharks "galanos" were upon his catch. Santiago fought the sharks with a club and a knife, yet they kept coming, attacking and tearing off chunks of the Marlin. By the time he reached the shore, all that remained of the Marlin was a skeleton attached to the tail and the head. Old Santiago dragged himself up to his shack and fell down on his cot and went to sleep. The next day, all the fishermen were amazed at his catch. "Never has there been such a fish!" "You are the greatest fisherman Santiago." They all exclaimed. Manolo went and got Santiago some coffee with some rice and beans. He stayed with him until he woke up. Santiago was no longer "salao" he regained his honor. Manolo went fishing with him again. I'm sure that the fishermen gave Santiago something for what was left of the Marlin, at least for bait. Yeshua said to be "fishers of men." That is the call of all believers. We are to go out and fish for the souls of men (and women). All men and women are finite bodies inhabited by infinite souls. Since these souls will spend eternity somewhere, we all have a job to do. We cast the line using the Bible as bait. Yet we can not just go up to a person and say; "Here, read this" we need to present it in a way that it will grab a person's attention, like casting a line with bait in the water, then, slowing reeling it in, or use some plastic bobbers with a hook and a bit of bait on the end. Some people will respond and "bite" and "take" the bait. Then, we have to reel them in. Once fastened to our boat, we head back to shore. Our shore is the heavenly shore where there is no more crying or pain. Yet Satan sees the souls of men, those souls who have taken the Bible Bait and are headed towards the celestial shore. He will send his demonic sharks to attack and rip apart those who have been caught. ripping them apart with false doctrines, doubt, cares of the world, injecting thoughts like; "You're not REALLY saved, dude!" The fisher of souls has a job, to lead that person to understand the Word of God, to instruct him or her in the commandments, in knowing who God is, who Yeshua/Jesus is. Therefore, discipleship is important. The bites might come but not as intense as if left without guidance in the Word. Instruction in the "WAY to go". There are those who fish, and those who instruct the one fished out of the world of sin. The rewards will be for both. So, fishers of men and women, fish, catch and instruct those that are on the line. The harvest is much but the laborers are few. The sea of sin is loaded with fish, and many fish are looking to swallow the bait, others could care less. We can't catch them all, only a few, but those few who the Father has chosen. Old Santiago rests easy that night. The story ends with "Santiago dreaming about lions on the beach of some African shore." Yes, I wouldn't mind dreaming about a lion, but not any lion, only the "Lion of Judah." "The Old Man and the Sea" Is on YouTube if you want to watch it. (a few versions are available) Ben Avraham A good catch! (by my son David) Me? I was swimming and diving under the bridge

JOSHUA 2:1-24 This is the other “Spy Story”, involving “two” spies. I remember from back in the 1960s watching “Man from U.N.C.L.E” on TV, involving two spies. Yehoshua sends them out to spy out “Jericho” they arrive at the house of “Rahab” a prostitute, she hides them and expresses her faith in the “unseen God of the Hebrews” from verses 9 to 13 we read of her faith. She hid the spies because the king of Jericho somehow found out that they came to her. She risked her own life and the life of her family by hiding them on the roof. “Our lives for yours” were the words of the spies when they left through the window by a rope. (vs 14) but faith needs action, (faith without works is dead) to show her faith, she needed to tie a scarlet cord in the window, so that when the Israelite army came, Rahab and her family would be saved. This reminds us of Passover. When the angel of death saw the “red” (blood) on the doorposts, the angel would “pass over” all who were in the house. In the case of Rahab and her family, they were saved from destruction, by obeying the mandate “bind this line of scarlet cord in the window…”(2:18). We read in Hebrews 11:31; "By faith, the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not when she had received the spies with Shalom." We also note that Rahab is in the line of Messiah Yeshua! . Read chapter 6:25. Rahab and her family were taken from Jericho to the Israelite camp, just like the Israelites were taken from Egypt to (eventually) the promised land. Once she was rescued from Jericho and went to live with the Community of Israel, she met and married Salmon. They had a son named Boaz. Boaz met and married Ruth the Moabitess, who abandoned Moab to follow Adonai. They had a son named Obed, and Obed's son was Jesse. Jesse of course was the father of David, and the rest is history. In the line of David is "Yeshua Ben David". In our case, Yeshua is saying “My life for yours” what do we have to do? “Just believe and accept his one-time-only sacrifice” for all of our sins, past, present, and future. And we pass from the “camp” of sin to the “camp” of Adonai. LUKE 17:1-18:43 Yeshua teaches here that “stumbling blocks” are inevitable, they will come in our lives, we will fall, yet we will get up again, that is part of the life of a believer. Our lives are like riding “roller-coasters” at times we are “up” and at times we are “down” because we are in our sinful bodies, yet it will only be “up” when we get into our “new bodies” in Heaven. Yeshua also speaks of forgiveness, which at times seems hard to do, especially when a person commits the same sin against us time after time, after time. YET we are COMMANDED to forgive. This can not come from the carnal man, only from the spirit-filled man (and woman). Kefa (Peter) once asked Yeshua; "How many times should I forgive, seven times?" yet Yeshua answered; "Not seven but seventy times seven." Does that mean we should stop at 490 times forgiving someone? We would understand this is not to be taken literally, but what Yeshua is saying is that we should not stop forgiving a person. I know this sounds hard for someone who has received harm from someone, especially a family member. But in extreme cases, we should "forgive" but also practice "tough love" Yeshua also speaks of “servanthood” why do we do the things we do? To get special treatment or rewards? Or…because that which we do is expected of us from the Master? Yes, we are HIS servants, and because we ARE we do what we do using our spiritual gifts. YET Adonai has already promised rewards in heaven, but we shouldn’t do what we do because of the future rewards, but out of love for what HE has done for US on Calvary’s Tree. Shalom It was dark and the battleship captain saw a light up ahead coming towards him. "I'm a battleship captain, change your direction, you're going to hit me." a voice came back on the radio; "YOU change YOUR direction captain, I'm the lighthouse.

PARASHAH: “Shelach’l’ha” (send for yourself) NUMBERS 13:1-15:41 Most of us know the story of the 12 spies that were sent to spy out the land of Canaan, sent by Moshe by the word of YHVH. But let’s look at the story carefully and see what we can dig out of the sand pile, we might find some valuable stuff hidden in the sand. The word of Moshe to the 12 tribes was that they might select from each tribe a leader to represent that tribe, so the list is read. Among those selected, we are going to concentrate on two of the leaders; “Kaleb” son of “Yephuneh” from the tribe of Y’hudah, and “Hoshea” son of “Nun” from the tribe of Ephrayim”. The story goes as follows as we read the Torah. The 12 are sent out on a “reconnaissance” mission to “spy out” the land. What do we mean by that? Any time an army is going to invade a territory, the army needs to know how many men the enemy has, what they have, where they live, their fortresses, etc. This is a common battle strategy, nothing new. Adonai has already “promised” them the land, done deal! Yet they still have to go into battle, but the battle already has the outcome, Israelites win! This is what Adonai sees looking up the “finite” timeline in the “finite” dimension” and we must remember that HE sees ALL THINGS from the “infinite” timeline, the things that have already come to pass, even before they “pass” They travel throughout the land of Canaan for 40 days, and they see many things, the fruit of the land, grapes, pomegranates, figs, date palms, etc. It is indeed a land flowing with “milk and honey” (figs and dates). Yet the beginning of verse 28 starts with BUT! And then follows all the negativity, the people are strong, the cities are walled, and the “giants” are there! (and not the team from New York) I mean “the big tall guys” It is very easy to spread discouragement among the people, (vs 32) “and they gave the children of Israel an evil report of the land”. Imagine that your father promises to give you a brand-new Mercedes Benz for your birthday, and he says; “go to the Mercedes dealer and check it out son!” so you go and look at it, you look into the motor, then come back and say; “Hey pop, this is going to eat up a ton of gas, the insurance is going to be high, it might get stolen… Well, dad might say, “OK son, forget it then if you feel that way!” The only ones that saw the promise of YHVH were Kaleb and Hoshea, they looked to the promise, but the rest of the leaders set their eyes on the “circumstances”. Going back to verse 16, it points out something interesting; Moshe changes the name of “Hoshea” to “Yehoshua” this is very interesting and sheds light on internal symbolism. The name “Yehoshua” contains two names in the Hebrew language “YH” (Yah) and YESHUA! When we look at the full name “Yehoshua Ben Nun” from the ancient paleo-Hebrew letters and their symbolism, one could get the following message; “Behold and let the eye see (that God, the All-consuming fire) extends the hand to receive the nail, to give (BEN) life to the house (to families) and by the nail, (His) life was given up so that (we) might have life!” (NUN) When we look at the name “Kaleb Ben Yephuneh” from the ancient Hebrew symbolism, we could get this message: “The house is anointed for instruction” (Kaleb) and “behold let it be made that from the mouth comes forth instruction” (Yephuneh). I guess it depends on how one looks at the letters, perhaps another rabbi would come up with something different, but this is how I personally look at the names from the ancient perspective. The result was that panic and discouragement spread throughout the camp, and it wasn’t just a few thousand Israelites, but rather a few million, discouraged by 10 negative leaders. And 10 out-vote 2! Even though Kaleb and Yehoshua tried to encourage the people, the negatives won over. As the saying goes, you can put a few rotten apples in a barrel of good apples, and the good ones will never correct the rotten ones, but the rotten ones will infect the good ones with rottenness. The reason for "spying out" the land was for observation! making invasion plans, to take notes, just like scouts of the Armed Forces do today when preparing for battle. But, when the spies said "however" or in some translations "but" those words inject negativity. From HOPE to DISPAIR and it affected the whole camp of a million and more Israelites. So, Bad news for these negative speakers, death for them, and a "waiting game" for the rest. Another thing to mention is that just before this event, we remember that Miriam spoke against her brother Moses, saying that "Hey, hasn't Adonai spoken through us all, and not only through Moshe?' and the result of her "Leshon Hara" was that Adonai struck her with "Tzara-at" and had to stay outside the camp for 7 days. Ten of the twelve spies spoke "Leshon Hara" against the Land of Israel! and as a result, Adonai struck them all down with a plague! The rest of the Congregation of Israel had to stay in the desert wilderness for 40 years, 1 year for each day the spies were in Canaan. Then, to make matters worse, they tried to go into the land without the blessing of Adonai, and they were beaten back. YHVH wanted to destroy them all, yet Moshe intercedes for them, and Adonai listened to Moshe. This is the same way Yeshua intercedes for us to the Father, on our behalf when we “get rotten” (miracle we’re still in the land of the living ) Going to chapter 15, we read something interesting from verses 38 to 41, about making and wearing “Tzitziot” or “fringes” on our garments. There are many “traditions” in Judaism, such as the wearing of “Yarmulkes” (head coverings) and Ashkenazim dressing in black and white with black hats, even the lighting of two candles comes from “tradition” Tradition isn’t bad, as long as we understand the meaning behind the tradition. But one should NEVER teach “tradition” as “commandments” there is a world of difference between the two. However, the making and wearing of Tzitziot, IS a commandment, however many do not follow it, I guess it is up to each individual. One can read it and say; “God says it but I won’t follow it” or, “God says it and I will do it” We all have the choice to do or not to do. Whatever the Holy Spirit convicts us to do. No one knows how the original Tzitziot were made, none have survived 3000 years. Today, there are many different styles and “knot tying” and “wrappings” of the thread when making Tzitziot. One only has to go to YouTube and look up “Tying Tzitziot” and you will have quite a few videos of instructions on “how-to” that is the way I learned, from watching a few YouTube videos on “making Tzitziot”. But what do the Tzitziot symbolize? The scripture tells us in verse 39, “to remember the commandments”. The blue cord reminds us of the “blue sea” where the Israelites crossed, and the “blue” of the heavens from whence our Messiah and LORD will break through to return to earth. Today, we use 4 long cords, one of which is blue and is the longest. This cord is used to do the wrappings, and all 4 are used to make the knots. When one ties the knots, it is customary to say, “BaShem Mitzvah Tzitzit” (in the name of the commandment (of making) the tzitzit. There are 5 knots, symbolizing the 5 first books of the Torah, the number “5” also symbolizes “grace” and then there are the windings of the blue thread. The 4 cords are folded over so as to give the appearance of “8” cords, “8” is the number of a “new beginning” which we all have when we are “born-again” The windings go as follows (but to get a good view and idea, you need to go to YouTube and view the Tzitziot tying videos) 7 windings, then knot, then 8 windings, then knot, then 11 windings, then a knot, then 13 winding, then the final knot. Why the 7, 8, 11, and 13 windings of the blue thread? Well, these spell out the name Y H V H using numbers. “7” being the “perfect number of God, then 7+8=15 which are the sum of the letters Y + H (Y=10, H=5). 11 = “V +H” (V=6, H=5) so now we have the infallible name Y H V H. “13” is the sum of the word “ECHAD” (oneness of God) Alef=1, Chet=8 and Dalet=4. 1+8+4=13, it also symbolizes the 13 attributes of Adonai found in Exodus when Moshe asks to “see God” and his “Spirit passes before him” All in all, try and be positive and not negative. We need to look past the present circumstances and trust the LORD for results. I know, sometimes that's hard to do, but Adonai has only our good in mind, not evil. Shalom Ben Avraham From daylight to twilight (pic 2) Key Largo, FL

ISAIAH 45:7 "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD (YHVH) do all these things." This is a strange verse that might capture the attention of many. I am sure we have heard it said that "Evil comes from the Devil" We all seem to connect evil to Satan and his demonic entities. Yet, this verse clearly states that YHVH created evil. Case closed. But we must ask ourselves "why?" Why did a loving, perfect, and Holy God create evil? So, as we attempt to answer this question. Let's look at the words with a fine-tooth comb. "Light and darkness" "peace and evil" "form, make, create" How can we relate these words to our world today? in the world in which we live? Here we see opposites, "light vs darkness" "peace vs evil". We can also see these in similarities; "light and peace" and "Darkness and evil" Two go together and two are different. But they are ALL made by Adonai. The word used for "create" in Hebrew is "Bara" which means "to create or bring into being for a specific purpose." It is not just to create or make and throw out there into existence, sit back and see what happens. All things were made for a purpose. We see in Genesis Chapter 1 that there was darkness, yet out of the darkness came light. "Light" is also referred to as Yeshua himself. One thought is that when YHVH "spoke" into existence all that He created, the words that He spoke emanated at such a high frequency that the sound waves were heated to such a degree that they glowed with "light" But this is just an idea. No one was around back then to observe creation. Yet, before Genesis 1, there was just eternity past, and, nothingness? the blackness of empty space? Yet since Elohim existed eternally from eternity past, then, there can not be "nothingness" rather "somethingness" (wow, is that really a word?) Yes, (my word) Elohim existed so there was no such thing as "nothingness" yet "darkness?' did it exist before Genesis 1? Can darkness associate itself with evil? There are two entities of "darkness" one is "physical" darkness (if one can call it that) and the other "spiritual darkness". In order to sleep well, we need a "dark" room, to close our eyes and rest. Photographers many years ago developed film in a "dark" room. When I was in high school, I took a course in photography and Mr. Tovar, my photography teacher taught us how to go into a pitch-black closet and unroll the film in our camera into a black box with a hole in the top, then pour in the chemicals to develop the negatives. "Darkness" was needed to develop the film. There are animals that only come out during the darkness of night to feed, and flowers close up to rest during the night. So, that kind of darkness is good, so "peace" and "relaxation" can come in the "darkness" to allow us to sleep and rest. But spiritual darkness relates to evil. Not knowing the Torah (Bible) exposes us to evil. What we don't know CAN hurt us. Rejection of God's gift of Salvation brings darkness into our lives and makes us slaves to the "evil" master; HaSatan. Knowing what spiritual darkness is can lead us to the "light" of the gospel. rejecting "evil" and welcoming "Shalom" (peace) through Yeshua. Recognizing a poisonous scorpion (darkness, evil) from a non-poisonous one can bring one "peace" in that we know what to look for and avoid. Well, all scorpions sting, but some are like a bee or wasp sting, and others, well... you'd better go see a doctor quickly! (the difference is in the claw and stinger) When we read and obey God's Commandments, we get "peace" in our lives, yet the "negative" commandments warn us against "evil" and knowing what "evil" can do against us, and thus avoiding the same, brings us "peace". In a dark room, where the is pitch-blackness, if you stike a match, that light from the match however small that flame is, chases away the darkness, now, as our eyes adjust, we can see around us. So is the Word of God, like a flame from a match, that will reveal everything around us and the spiritual darkness will flee. (mind you, don't blow out the flame) So, back to the million-dollar question; Why did God create evil and peace together? Perhaps the answer is in the creation of mankind. Mankind was given a choice to obey or disobey. God wanted man and woman to love and obey Him out of free will and choice. The same is for us today. If there had been no such thing as "evil" then, we would have no choice BUT to obey and love, there would be no testing our love, we would be like robots or machines that run because they are programmed to run. We are more than machines, we are His living creations, created with a choice to "walk in the light and have peace" rather than "succumb to the darkness and be enveloped in evil". Would we also dare say that God created evil, to punish evil doers? Whatever a man sows, that he must also reap. We can see that in our everyday lives. Even Yeshua said to Peter; "He who lives by the sword will die by the sword." So, evil might have been created for that reason also. Either way, the choice is ours. Ben Avraham The light gives way to darkness, yet the light will soon return (Key Largo, FL)

ZECH 2:10-4:7 The prophet Zechariah speaks saying: “And many goyim shall be joined to YHVH in that day, and they shall become MY PEOPLE” (vs 11) But wait a minute, isn’t Israel the people of YHVH? Yes, they will NEVER cease to be, but also, the gentiles will be “joined with” the YisraEL im, and together, AM ECHAD! (One People). There was a High Priest named Yehoshua, and Zechariah the Prophet describes him as wearing filthy garments, YET, his garments are changed to costly robes, and his GUILT has been removed. Is there a connection between the name “Yehoshua” and “Yeshua”? Yes, they are one and the SAME. Yeshua has removed our GUILT of sin, through His sacrifice on Calvary’s cross. The golden candlestick, (The Menorah) and the two olive branches, one on each side. Israel and the nations, that will become ONE in fellowship with Messiah Yeshua, ONE community of believers, ONE body in Messiah, yet many members. The stone with seven eyes, what could that be or symbolize? We could say that the Stone is YESHUA the solid ROCK, who is perfect, (illustrated by the number 7) and through His sacrifice of death on the cross, the sin and guilt of the land were removed on that same day! The land can also symbolize the people of that land. LUKE 15:1-16:31 Yeshua teaches the Prushim (Pharisees) an important lesson. They were criticizing him for receiving tax collectors, and other “sinners” probably the ones rejected by the religious leaders and listened to Yeshua. Many came to accept His forgiveness and love. Yes, there is great joy in Heaven when one lost soul comes to accept Yeshua as Messiah and LORD. We ALL need to continue to listen to HIM. It does not stop at accepting Yeshua as LORD, it is only the beginning. We need to grow in faith, and continue to “listen” to Him through his Word and through the Holy Spirit. When we mature in faith, we also gain spiritual gifts. What do we do with them? Do we use them for the glory of God? Or do we ignore them, and let them waste away? What do we do with the possessions that YHVH gives us? Do we use them wisely? Do we use money wisely? Is it really ours? Or is it HIS? Yes, the passage says; “you can not serve two masters” we can only serve one, yet many serve the “money master” we can have it all on this earth, and have very little or nothing in heaven, or…have a little bit on this earth and have riches in heaven. We need to look at the BIG picture. Shalom

PARASHAH: “B’ha’alocha” (in your setting up) NUMBERS: 8:1-12:16 Is God's light shining forth from you? That should be the goal of all believers. Just as the Menorah gave forth light to fill the Holy place, thus we should shine God's light to fill those who are around us. We see in this parashah study, various themes. The first being of “putting up the lamps” or one could say; “going up to light the lamps”. This speaks of the golden Menorah, which was inside the Mishkan. As we know it was made of pure gold, one single piece hammered out to light the inside of the Mishkan. How they did that, making it from one piece of gold is a miracle, but we serve a God of miracles. The menorah had seven branches, “7” is the perfect number of YHVH. Gold symbolizes purity. So, we serve a pure and holy God who sent YESHUA who is the LIGHT of the world. The seven-branch menorah had seven lamps which were filled with pure olive oil. The priests would light the lamps in the evening until the morning light. The light of the menorah was the only source of light in the Mishkan. Outside was darkness, yet YHVH was outside in the form of a column of fire, inside, the menorah burned so that light was always there. Yeshua is our light, He is with us and gives us his light both day and night. We are like the branches of the menorah; we need to stay connected to the oil to have light. Yeshua said: “Ye are the light of the world”, just like the moon has no light of its own but reflects the light of the sun. The moon up close is full of meteor craters, it is a pock-marked satellite in space, not very attractive up close, but when we look at it from the earth, we do not see the pock-marked surface, only the light that is reflected from the sun. The same is with all believers, we are all “pock-marked” with the stain of sin, but YHVH looks at us through the light of Yeshua and sees us as “kol kadosh” (All holy). The stain of sin is not only covered by the blood of Yeshua, but also atoned for. Dealt with completely. The Levites were offered up to YHVH for service. To honor this, there was the burnt offering and the sin offering on their behalf. There were two bulls and an offering of fine flour. The bulls speak of the strength of Adonai, and the fine flour, one could say “Yeshua the Bread of Life”. Yeshua is our strength and our life, if we are going to be like the Levites, dedicated to serving HIM, then we need HIS strength. In chapter nine, we read about the Passover, always to be celebrated by ALL believers, even if we can’t celebrate it always on the 14th day of the first month, such as the case of some who were unclean by touching a corpse. There is always provision, they could celebrate it on the 14th day of the second month. All believers celebrate the Passover (abbreviated) when we take communion, some churches do it twice a month, and some celebrate it every Sunday, but no matter what the tradition is, we are reminded of HIS body and HIS blood. When the cloud lifted, the Israelites would move, when it settled, the Israelites would stop and make camp. That is the way all believers should act, when we are led by Adonai, we should be sensitive to his calling, to his direction, sometimes we need to wait on him, wait for him to move, or move others, sometimes the waiting can be a few days, or years. We should try not to get ahead, that HE may not follow US, but US following HIM. Chapter eleven tells us about the “complaining” of the people. Sounds like us at times; “grumble, grumble, grumble and groan!” “What? Manna again?” we’re tired of manna Waffles, manna bagels, Fillet of manna, manna patties, manna tortillas, manna-shakes, etc.… Oh the stuff we had in Egypt, we miss it so much!” but…they forgot to mention that they were slaves, slaves to a tyrant. Adonai gets angry and “fires up” the people. “You want meat?” “OK, I’ll give you meat!” Rex Humbard, a TV preacher once said; “God may give you what you want, but you may not want what you get!” We need to be satisfied with the little or the much that Adonai gives us, be it just beans and rice with tortillas, or a steak with potatoes. HE will ALWAYS supply our needs. Sometimes I think that people eat just too much. We need the physical food but we also need the spiritual food which comes from the Torah. Chapter twelve speaks of Miriam and Aaron, when they spoke against their own brother Moshe. It says, “because of the Cushite woman that Moshe married” What happened to Zipporah? Maybe she died. A Cushite is a Sudanese, a black woman. So what? In some places, there is still racial bigotry, some do not believe in “mixed racial marriages” God doesn’t have a problem with it, and there is not a commandment against it. There IS a problem with mixed FAITH marriages, when one is a believer and the other isn’t! then, there are problems with being “unequally yoked” Yet the problem addressed was that Miriam and Aaron were questioning Moshe’s authority as leader. “Hey, God speaks to us all, right? Well... back then, it was Moshe who conveyed Adonai’s words, yet Adonai placed his spirit upon 70 other tribal leaders too, this was to help Moshe “bear the burden”. Miriam was stricken with “Tza-arat” (leprosy) she was afflicted with some kind of skin disorder for her words against her brother. But why wasn’t Aaron stricken as well? He was there too? Aaron was under the “anointing” while Miriam was not. Moshe prayed for her healing, the shortest prayer in the Bible; “El na r’pha na lah!” (Oh God heal her!) and seven days later, she was healed. Let us be careful of our words that are directed towards servants of the LORD, lest we err and suffer the consequences, we may get more than just a skin rash. We should uphold our spiritual leaders and support them. Shalom Ben Avraham A little light chases away darkness

JUDGES 13:2-25 The story of Shimshon (Samson) starts here, it is full of promise, but Samson chooses the flesh and not the spirit. He was a Nazarite who broke all the Nazarite vows, in the end, lost his sight and his physical strength, yet, He was still used by Adonai to take vengeance upon the Philistines, which cost him his life. We see a God of mercy who showed mercy again unto this wayward judge, returned to him his strength, punished the Philistines, then took him home to glory. Perhaps he would have lived many more years had he honored his Nazarite vows, and had honored God. When we look at our own lives, are we bent more toward the flesh or toward the Spirit? Question; Can one take a “Nazarite vow” today? There is nothing in scripture that says one can not. It is up to the individual whether to abstain from wine or grape juice or not. Yet one can choose to serve whole-heartedly the LORD with all that he or she has, without taking a “Nazarite vow” Spiritually, one can be a “Nazarite” following Yeshua, the “Nazarene” (a play on words?) As the late singer; Keith Green once said; “A Jesus-Freak is one who goes “bananas” for the LORD” So, let’s go “bananas” and follow “Yeshua HaNotzri” (Yeshua the Nazarene) with all our heart. LUKE 13:1-14:35 Among the themes in this chapter, the parable of the fig tree is enlightening, A fig tree is supposed to bear fruit in the right season. In the month of May, June, and July, are the months that fig trees bear fruit, at least here in South East Texas. there is one right across the fence line where we live, on the property of an African church, and we have been blessed by so much fruit. Did you know that boiling fig leaves as tea lowers blood sugar? Among other health benefits? Yet the fig tree in this story had been planted three years ago, and still no fruit! Yet the keeper of the vineyard told the owner, “let’s use some fertilizer, then see what happens” All believers in a way are like fruit trees, we must bear fruit, by sharing, teaching God’s word to others, using our spiritual gifts, yet at times, we might need some “fertilizer” perhaps some more individual study in the WORD, a “pep” talk through a counselor or a pastor/rabbi, or just an encouraging word by another brother or sister in Messiah Yeshua. Remember, the fruit is our “good works” which the tree produces, and the “fertilizer” can be the understanding and wisdom that comes from studying God’s Word. Fellowship with Hispanic believers. So many years ago, forgot when. (in my younger years)

PARASHA: “Nasso” (Elevate) NUMBERS 4:21-7:89 We will see various themes in this Parashah study. In Chapter 4, the duties of some of the important Levite families; “B’nei Kohat” “B’nei Gershon” “B’nei Merari” (sons of). Their jobs consisted in taking down, transporting, and setting up the Mishkan (Tabernacle) throughout the wilderness journeys. Each family member had an important task to do within the Tabernacle and its furnishings. Interesting note that all the furnishings had to be covered by a blue cloth. Blue symbolizes “HaShamayim” (The Heavenlies) It is interesting to understanding the root meanings of these names; “Gershon” (Ger) meaning “sojourner” a visitor and not a permanent resident. “Merari” (Maror) meaning, “sad” or “bitterness”. And then “Kohat” meaning “togetherness in a congregation (Kahal). So these family members transported the furnishings of the Tabernacle from one site to another for the 40 years they were in the wilderness. (perhaps one site per year, since there were 40 encampment sites) By the meanings of these names, we can see; “We move together as a congregation, but as sojourners, not permanent residents, and even though sometimes moving can be sad, and we go through bitter times, we must remember that YHVH is with us and will never abandon us” We are all “sojourners” on planet earth, and at times, we run into bitter experiences such as job losses, perhaps untimely deaths, divorces, lost friendships, etc…yet we must remember that we are all part of the Body of Messiah, which is our main “Adat” (Body) but we have many “Kehilot” (congregations, assemblies) and we must encourage each other to stay firm and keep our eyes and hopes on the World to Come, Eternity, The New Jerusalem, we all have our permanent residence there, and there we will no longer be “sojourners” and there will be no more “bitterness” and this earth will be re-made, re-fashioned into, perhaps, what it was in the beginning of time, before sin and corruption, and the New Jerusalem will come down to sit on the “New Earth” forever. “Baruch HaShem!” In the service to Adonai, we each have different jobs and ministries to perform. The Body of Messiah consists of many members, some preachers/pastors/rabbis, teachers of Torah, of Hebrew, Youth ministers, musicians, praise and worship members and leaders, finance personnel, maintenance personnel, prayer warriors, intercessors’, counselors, and the list could go on, HaShem has put his Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) on each and every born-again believer and has given each member different gifts and jobs to do in the body of Mashiach. We have all been “elevated” to perform our different ministries in the Body of Messiah Yeshua. It is very interesting that in this Parashah, there are the repeated letters “Ayin and Dalet” in this case the two letters are pronounced “ED” which in Hebrew means “witness’. The word for “congregation” is “Adat” which has the letters “Ayin and dalet” the other word “Avodah” which means “service” also has the letters “Ayin and Dalet”. We can look at it in this way; When we “serve” or do “service” in our “congregations” we should be good “witnesses” to those who observe us, as also, there are “witnesses” in the Heavenlies who observe our service to our LORD and God. Just as the different families of the Levites served in the tabernacle and later in the temple, so we also should serve in our congregations using our spiritual gifts and abilities. There should be no laziness in the body. We were not appointed just to show up on the sabbath and/or on Sundays just to sit in the pews, listen to the message, drop some money in the box, and leave. It is much, much more than that, anyone can do just that, what are you doing with YOUR gifts of the spirit? It is interesting to note that service in the Mishkan started at 30 years old and ended at 50. (4:29) Each Levite family member had a twenty-year commitment to serve. When did Yeshua begin his ministry? When he was 30 years old! Coincidence? Or obedience to Torah? Chapter 5; Unclean persons isolated! Anyone who was physically unclean had to be put outside the camp, until the uncleanliness had passed. When we sin, can we consider ourselves spiritually “outside the camp?” out of fellowship with YHVH? I would say yes, our spiritual condition is much more important than our physical condition, as Adonai looks upon the heart and not upon the flesh. But once we repent and get right again with our LORD, we are back in fellowship and in right standing. We could be physically inside the synagogue or church, going through the “praise” motions, yet spiritually miles away, yet through true confession and “Teshuvah” when we “Shoov” (return) to Adonai, He accepts us again. He never leaves us, we leave HIM! (5:5) Confession and Restitution; Part of our lives is “confession and restitution” if we have wronged our brother or sister in Messiah, we must confess that “wrong” and if possible, make up the “wrong” if it is possible. If not, when all we can offer is a sincere “I am sorry for what I did” then, it is up to the person wronged to be mature enough to accept that and leave the event in the past, and not mention it at all, for evermore. (5:11) Concerning unfaithful wives; it the days of old in Israel, if a wife was accused by her husband of adultery, she had to either confess or take an oath of “not guilty” a prayer was written with the name YHVH on it, and washed off into a bit of muddy water, if the woman told the truth, nothing would happen to her and the husband would have to accept her and HE would have to confess his “jealous spirit” BUT If the woman were guilty, then, her thigh would rot and her belly would s swell, that would be a horrible punishment, sounds like her womb would never again harbor a child. A lesson to all marriages is to be faithful one to the other. Not that the same thing would happen, but where there is adultery, there is the spirit of jealousy, the spirit of HaSatan, and many times, broken marriages and lives, marriage is a covenant, and a broken covenant leads to the curse. Chap 6. The Law of the Nazarite. After reading this chapter, we ask ourselves, are there Nazarites today? Is there any prohibition on undergoing a Nazarite vow? Torah does not prohibit it, if a person feels compelled to take a Nazarite vow, then, that person should honor that vow and stay away from raisins and grape juice, and grape wine. If one could remember the 1960s, in the “hippie era” one could think; “a lot of Nazarites, everyone has long hair” but not so, I don’t think that hippies had long hair because they were Nazarites. One can take an “oath” to serve HaShem completely for “X” amount of years, perhaps on the mission field, without undertaking a Nazarite vow, remember it is the heart that matters, not so much the “hair” The Priestly Blessing; a very important blessing that says a lot: MAY YHVH BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU This is written in the Hebrew “singular” YOU not the plural YOU, because Israel, and all believers today are as ONE (Echad) in unity and ONE in fellowship, Adonai KEEPS us by “guarding us against curses and calamity, against sickness, poverty, He delivered our souls from the curse of sin, through Yeshua HaMashiach. HOWEVER, we can, through rebellion, bring on to ourselves these curses! MAY YHVH MAKE HIS FACE SHINE UPON YOU AND BE GRACIOUS UNTO YOU. The idea of “shine” is happiness, purity, and friendship so, May “P’nei Adonai” bring happiness to you and keep you pure “tahor” and bring to you many friends, also GRACIOUS is from the Hebrew “Chen” (grace) something that is not merited, by GRACE we are saved, not by our own merit, He showed us the “Face of Grace” in YESHUA HaMASHIACH who is our YESHUAH (salvation) LIFT UP HIS COUNTENANCE UPON YOU AND GIVE YOU PEACE. May YHVH give his “attention” to you and directed to you, and may you rest in HIS SHALOM! When we have Yeshua as Mashiach, we have that internal shalom, in spite of the world around us being in a lot of “unrest” So THEY SHALL PUT MY NAME ON THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL AND I WILL BLESS THEM. We can see that one of the names of God which is EL, is part of the name “YisraEL” and the most sacred name; YHVH is part of “Y’HUdaH (Judah) Chap 7 “The offerings of the leaders” The leaders of the Tribes of Israel brought offerings to the Mishkan, great offerings of silver, gold, and other items, for the maintenance of the Tabernacle. We might ask; "In what way?" The Tabernacle had to be put up and taken down, again and again during the 40-year journeys here and there. The metal pieces wear out and have to be replaced. The bronze, silver, and gold would have been used to fix or replace these pieces. Today, we bring tithes, and offerings, yet our offerings can also be the offering up of our Time and Talent as well as our finances, it all goes back to using our spiritual gifts to edify the body of Messiah. Shalom Ben Avraham One way to serve is through praise and worship through dance.

SHAVUOT/PENTECOST What’s it all about? Shavuot/Pentecost. This year, Pentecost/Shavuot is today, Sunday, 6/5/22. One could say; On Havdalah, Saturday eve, 6/4/22, we usher in Shavuot, or Pentecost (Same thing). This is the time of year when this “Moed” (appointed time) is celebrated. There are three times when all Israelites were commanded to go up to Yerushalayim to celebrate God’s appointed times, Passover, The Feast of Tabernacles, and the Feast of Weeks, known as “Shavuot” or in Greek “Pentecost” which most churches recognize. We all remember the day of “Pentecost” as when the “Ruach HaKodesh” (The Holy Spirit) fell upon all the believers that were gathered in Yerushalayim to celebrate the Feast of Weeks. Yet the “Feast of Weeks” (Shavuot) had been celebrated yearly for the past thousand years, ever since the day that Fire fell on Mt. Sinai. That was the very first “Shavuot”. When Moshe and the People of Israel received the Torah from God at Sinai in the form of two tablets of stone. These were just the major points of the Torah, there were to be many more details in the making. It really goes back to Egypt when the Israelites were still slaves. YHVH made some promises to His people, and we remember those promises in the form of the 4 cups of wine during Passover. “I am YHVH, I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians “I will deliver you from their bondage “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. “I will take you for MY PEOPLE and I will be YOUR GOD. The first three were accomplished in Egypt, then, at Sinai, on the day of Shavuot, the 4th promise was fulfilled. YHVH took the 12 tribes of Israel and united them as a NATION. The Israelites left behind Egypt, yet “Egypt” followed them across the Red Sea, in the form of mind-set and philosophy and in the form of “false gods” This was evident when they made the “golden calf”. It took YHVH one day to take Israel out of Egypt, but it took 40 years to take Egypt out of Israel. When we read Exodus 19:18,19 we read about the day of “Torah-giving” at Sinai. They received the Torah amidst lightning, thunder, the sound of the Shofar, and the voice of God. Yet when YHVH finished the 10th commandment, the people said, “Speak to us yourself Moshe, but don’t let God speak to us or we will die” We wonder what would have happened if the people had not said that? Perhaps YHVH would have continued speaking out the commandments in front of all the people. But, YHVH called Moshe up to the top of the Mountain and the rest of the Torah was given. 10 commandments were spoken directly to the people by YHVH, and 603 were spoken by God to Moshe, and later, given to the people. Yet all the 613 commandments have their roots in the first 10. In Leviticus, we see the commandment to celebrate Shavuot in chapter 23:15-22. They were to count “7” sabbaths (49 days) and then the next day (day 50) they were to celebrate. This time was harvest time. During the time of Passover, the barley harvest was ready, then 50 days later, the wheat harvest. Two loaves of wheat bread were to be made and “waved” before YHVH (up towards heaven, down towards the earth, then to the North, South, East, and West) Blessing and thinking Adonai for the blessings from heaven (the rain that falls from Heaven down to the earth) blessing all the lands of the earth, those lands that are in the North, the South, the East, and the West. When it rains, the seeds come up, grow, and mature, then harvested. On thing to note, God said; “when you enter the land which I am going to give you and reap the harvest…) So, this was not done while the Israelites were in the wilderness, but when they entered Canaan! And settled that land. The two loaves of bread were to be baked with leaven. We think of leaven as related to sin, but it is also a good thing, leaven is also related to teaching and instruction. Yes, we are all “leavened” with the “sin nature” yet we are also “leavened” by God’s Word, his Torah, which should “grow” inside of us. So just as bread swells up and grows through leaven, so we grow through the “leaven” of God’s Word. Together with the two loaves, 7 yearling lambs were offered, also a bullock, two rams, and a drink offering were presented as burnt offerings. The lambs symbolize “Yeshua” who is the “lamb of God” the number 7 symbolizes perfection. The bullock symbolizes the “strength” of Adonai, the two rams remind us of the substitute ram which took Isaac’s place on Mt. Moriah. Two rams, perhaps one for the Jews and the other for the Gentiles, with the understanding that Yeshua was the substitute and redeemer for both Israel and for the rest of the nations (HaGoyim) The drink offering was wine, which symbolizes the blood of Yeshua. One can wonder, why 2 loaves? The number 2 in Hebrew can symbolize “union and division”. It takes 2 entities to make a covenant. In our case, Yeshua and us! Through his death, we are “united” in Him when we trust Him as our LORD and Savior, and we are “divided” from the lost world of perdition. We can look at the number 2 as in the loaves of bread as things that come in pairs; 2 tablets of the commandments, transformation and resurrection, cleansing and purification, death and life illustrated by the believer’s baptism, but it also symbolizes the Jews and Gentiles. We can also see parallels in Sinai and Yerushalayim; Fire came down on Sinai, and it also came down at Jerusalem. The fire at Sinai did not touch the people, the fire during Jerusalem’s Pentecost DID touch each and every believer! At Sinai, the “Ruach Elohim” (Spirit of God) rested on Moshe, at Pentecost, it INDWELLED in every believer. At Sinai, the Torah was written on tables of Stone and read to the people, at Jerusalem, the Torah was written on the tables of the heart of believers. Both events took place on Shavuot, both events were accompanied by languages. At Sinai, in Hebrew, at Jerusalem, in Hebrew PLUS many, many other languages (some believe 70). We must remember that at the time of Acts, there were Jewish people living in many parts of the "local world" meaning Israel, Arabia, Turkey, Persia, Rome, Greece, Crete, North Africa, probably even Spain. The disciples were given that gift of "tongues" (Glossa, in Greek) meaning "foreign languages" so that those Jews and proselytes from those nations could understand since their native languages were not Hebrew. We only see this gift given in this particular moment, we don't read about it in other instances or occasions. We aren't saying that it isn't possible for a believer to wake up speaking a second language without having to learn it beforehand. All things are possible with God. But it would have to be a special occasion and for a special purpose. At Sinai, there was a mixed multitude (Israelites, Egyptians, and perhaps Nubians) at Jerusalem, people from all over the then populated world. The Torah is the teaching, and the Holy Spirit is the “teacher” Pentecost at Jerusalem also fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy: “For out of Zion shall come forth the Torah and the WORD of Adonai, from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:3) At Sinai, the people were kept away, at Jerusalem, the people were touched by God, the glory of God came to each believer. In Old Testament times, the Spirit of God rested on only certain individuals, such as the Prophets, at Pentecost, it filled ALL BELIEVERS just as today, when a person receives Yeshua as LORD and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell inside of that person. On another note; the Hebrew word KOLOT means both “voices” and “thunder”. At Sinai, the people heard “voices” both thunder and the voice of God. At Jerusalem, the people heard the “voices” of those who were gifted with the different languages to preach God’s WORD. A final note, the first fruits of the harvest can symbolize “Yeshua” and the “harvest” itself, ALL BELIEVERS who are part of it. Today, there is still much “fruit” to harvest, so, we must get busy and teach the word and share the gospel with those who have an ear to hear and a heart to accept the same. Also, if we remember, one of the instructions that Yeshua gave his disciples was to; "await in Jerusalem, because the "comforter" would be sent. That is exactly what happened on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was sent on that day, the 50th day after Passover. Today, each and every believer has the Holy Spirit living inside. HAG SAMEACH SHAVUOT HAPPY SHAVUOT/PENTECOST Ben Avraham Our weekly Bible study at the "Inspectoria" (Fuerzas Armadas de El Salvador) San Salvador