Jacob Ben Avraham

PARASHA: “Korach” (Korah) NUMBERS 16:1-18:32 This study is about a Levite named “Korah” and a few of his friends, Dathan and Abiram, and they got together with 250 other guys and they “Rose up in the face of Moses”. Now, this is certainly not a friendly gathering; they did not come to Moshe to say, “Yo Moe, Wuz Up?” 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 Mt. Sinai, received the commandments, interceded for the whole people on various occasions so that God would not destroy them, now want to question Moshe’s leadership calling. I 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 in the Hebrew language: “Kahal” (Qof, 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 receive instruction from the Torah through Adonai’s chosen vessels. “Holiness” or “Kodesh” means we are “separated” unto God 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. Now, here’s a question: was Korah right by saying that “all the congregation are holy, and that YHVH was with them?” Yes, he was 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. 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, a manager, assistant managers, shift leaders, and the 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 pastor, 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 who 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 bring their censers 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 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, intercede before the people, yet, Korah was not satisfied; he wanted even MORE, to be a priest, and perhaps even “High Priest”. 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. Korah’s rebellion led to destruction. 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 who 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, 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. There are 7 steps in a rebellion: 1) Self-exaltation, 2) jealousy, 3) conspiring with others, 4) the use of cunning or deceitful words, 5) accusation, 6) division, 7) death and destruction. Satan followed these steps as the Prophet Isaiah writes in (Isaiah 14:12-15). As a result, he was kicked out of Heaven with one-third of the angelic hosts (now called demons). Evil speech, slander, and deceit are known in Hebrew as "Leshon-Hara"; within these two words, there are two other words mixed in, which are "Evil" (ra) and "head" (rosh). In both cases, both Korah and Satan spoke evil against "The Head" or the "Supreme Leader" (Moses and God himself) The Word of God teaches us to "be in subjection to those who God has put above us to lead us and guide us on this earth. We must be reminded of what 1 Peter 2:13-15 says:” Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man, or unto governors. 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 Our LORD and God. 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! Shavua Tov (Have a good Week) "Yo Moe, just who do you think you are?"

PARASHA: “Korach” (Korah) NUMBERS 16:1-18:32 This study is about a Levite named “Korah” and a few of his friends, Dathan and Abiram, and they got together with 250 other guys and they “Rose up in the face of Moses”. Now, this is certainly not a friendly gathering; they did not come to Moshe to say, “Yo Moe, Wuz Up?” 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 Mt. Sinai, received the commandments, interceded for the whole people on various occasions so that God would not destroy them, now want to question Moshe’s leadership calling. I 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 in the Hebrew language: “Kahal” (Qof, 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 receive instruction from the Torah through Adonai’s chosen vessels. “Holiness” or “Kodesh” means we are “separated” unto God 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. Now, here’s a question: was Korah right by saying that “all the congregation are holy, and that YHVH was with them?” Yes, he was 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. 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, a manager, assistant managers, shift leaders, and the 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 pastor, 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 who 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 bring their censers 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 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, intercede before the people, yet, Korah was not satisfied; he wanted even MORE, to be a priest, and perhaps even “High Priest”. 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. Korah’s rebellion led to destruction. 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 who 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, 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. There are 7 steps in a rebellion: 1) Self-exaltation, 2) jealousy, 3) conspiring with others, 4) the use of cunning or deceitful words, 5) accusation, 6) division, 7) death and destruction. Satan followed these steps as the Prophet Isaiah writes in (Isaiah 14:12-15). As a result, he was kicked out of Heaven with one-third of the angelic hosts (now called demons). Evil speech, slander, and deceit are known in Hebrew as "Leshon-Hara"; within these two words, there are two other words mixed in, which are "Evil" (ra) and "head" (rosh). In both cases, both Korah and Satan spoke evil against "The Head" or the "Supreme Leader" (Moses and God himself) The Word of God teaches us to "be in subjection to those who God has put above us to lead us and guide us on this earth. We must be reminded of what 1 Peter 2:13-15 says:” Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man, or unto governors. 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 Our LORD and God. 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! Shavua Tov (Have a good Week) "Yo Moe, Just who do you think you are?"

Psalm 23. A verse-by-verse understanding (Part 2) VS 2. HE MAKES ME LIE DOWN IN GREEN PASTURES, HE LEADETH ME BESIDE STILL WATERS; (KJV) HE HAS ME LIE DOWN IN GRASSY PASTURES, HE LEADS ME BY QUIET WATERS (Complete Jewish Study Bible) When we read the second verse, we look into the life and mind of the shepherd. In this case, David the shepherd, who would one day be King David. He had his father's sheep to tend and care for. The job of a shepherd was to care for the sheep, watching over them and chasing off wild beasts that might want to kill them, or even thieves who might want to steal them. One important job was to see that they were fed. The shepherd would lead the sheep to pasture areas with green grass. Additionally, a water source had to be nearby. After the sheep had eaten the grass, they would drink water to satisfy their thirst. We are the same way. We eat breakfast and have either fruit juice and/or coffee. Food and drink are necessary for a balanced diet. "Lying down" is a relaxing posture. The shepherd would not "hurry" the sheep. No one likes to eat in a hurry. A meal should be a relaxing time. As the shepherd takes his sheep to grassy areas and to water sources, our shepherd, Yeshua/Jesus, gives us our spiritual food. The Bible is our "green pastures" and "Still waters." Yeshua has many titles, including "The Bread of Life" and "The Living Water." Bread has been a staple of man's diet for thousands of years and remains so today. We all need water as well. We get to know God by studying His WORD. It should be a joyful and relaxing time to read and digest the words written down by the prophets and other writers that God chose to record his words. The Holy Spirit is our guiding shepherd, who illuminates our minds and souls with understanding. VS3. HE RESTORETH MY SOUL; HE LEADETH ME IN THE PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR HIS NAME'S SAKE (KJV) HE RESTORES MY INNER PERSON. HE GUIDES ME IN RIGHT PATHS FOR THE SAKE OF HIS OWN NAME (Complete Jewish Study Bible) The LORD, who is our shepherd, has given us His WORD as our spiritual food. It is our "green pasture" and "Still and living water". The WORD of God talks to our inner person and leads us to get right with God through a "Born-again" experience, accepting Yeshua as LORD and Savior. He then becomes our Shepherd. Our soul is "restored" from being alienated from God to being reconciled to God through Yeshua. The Bible is our "right path," His commandments, "paths of righteousness." We are righteously saved by faith to walk in righteousness. Following and putting into practice his commandments (even though not all the 613 commandments are for today). His NAME is powerful. "Yeshuah" is "Salvation." For the sake of salvation, He gave up his life as a ransom for ours. The whole Bible is the "Path of Righteousness." Our job is to read, study, and live by God's standards as "His called out sheep"

Psalm 23. A verse-by-verse understanding (Part 2) VS 2. HE MAKES ME LIE DOWN IN GREEN PASTURES, HE LEADETH ME BESIDE STILL WATERS; (KJV) HE HAS ME LIE DOWN IN GRASSY PASTURES, HE LEADS ME BY QUIET WATERS (Complete Jewish Study Bible) When we read the second verse, we look into the life and mind of the shepherd. In this case, David the shepherd, who would one day be King David. He had his father's sheep to tend and care for. The job of a shepherd was to care for the sheep, watching over them and chasing off wild beasts that might want to kill them, or even thieves who might want to steal them. One important job was to see that they were fed. The shepherd would lead the sheep to pasture areas with green grass. Additionally, a water source had to be nearby. After the sheep had eaten the grass, they would drink water to satisfy their thirst. We are the same way. We eat breakfast and have either fruit juice and/or coffee. Food and drink are necessary for a balanced diet. "Lying down" is a relaxing posture. The shepherd would not "hurry" the sheep. No one likes to eat in a hurry. A meal should be a relaxing time. As the shepherd takes his sheep to grassy areas and to water sources, our shepherd, Yeshua/Jesus, gives us our spiritual food. The Bible is our "green pastures" and "Still waters." Yeshua has many titles, including "The Bread of Life" and "The Living Water." Bread has been a staple of man's diet for thousands of years and remains so today. We all need water as well. We get to know God by studying His WORD. It should be a joyful and relaxing time to read and digest the words written down by the prophets and other writers that God chose to record his words. The Holy Spirit is our guiding shepherd, who illuminates our minds and souls with understanding. VS3. HE RESTORETH MY SOUL; HE LEADETH ME IN THE PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR HIS NAME'S SAKE (KJV) HE RESTORES MY INNER PERSON. HE GUIDES ME IN RIGHT PATHS FOR THE SAKE OF HIS OWN NAME (Complete Jewish Study Bible) The LORD, who is our shepherd, has given us His WORD as our spiritual food. It is our "green pasture" and "Still and living water". The WORD of God talks to our inner person and leads us to get right with God through a "Born-again" experience, accepting Yeshua as LORD and Savior. He then becomes our Shepherd. Our soul is "restored" from being alienated from God to being reconciled to God through Yeshua. The Bible is our "right path," His commandments, "paths of righteousness." We are righteously saved by faith to walk in righteousness. Following and putting into practice his commandments (even though not all the 613 commandments are for today). His NAME is powerful. "Yeshuah" is "Salvation." For the sake of salvation, He gave up his life as a ransom for ours. The whole Bible is the "Path of Righteousness." Our job is to read, study, and live by God's standards as "His called out sheep"

PARASHAH: “Shlach’L’kha” (send for yourself) NUMBERS 13:1-14:44 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 Moses to the 12 tribes was that they might select a leader from each tribe to represent that tribe, so the list was 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. Now, the idea of spying out or "reconnaissance" the land came from the people in the first place and Moses approved the idea. He mentioned that in Deuteronomy chapter 1. So... 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” time line in the “finite” dimension, and we must remember that HE sees ALL THINGS from the “infinite” time line, 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, the “giants” (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”. (Yet the bigger they are, the harder they will fall). So, how would you "knock down" the giants? Well, Israel has artillery; Spears, bows and arrows, and slingshots! The soldiers can defeat them from a distance. 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 motor, inside, 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; Moses 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 one way we can look at the names from the ancient Hebraic 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 result, the Israelites 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. We deserve death, yet we are given life. We have the promises of God through His WORD. We can either believe them and accept them, even though some we can't see yet, or we can have disbelief, and call God a liar. In 1 Samuel 15:23, the prophet says that "Rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft," and "disbelief" is a form of rebellion. Disbelief can spread to others. It is like a cancer. Many find it easier to say, "This can't happen" than "Yes, it is possible through God's will." The rebellion of the 10 spies affected 2 or 3 million people (the ones over 20 years old). So, let's try and have positive mindsets towards God's promises. Even though many have not come into being yet, let us not lose faith in our "waiting" for the completion of the promises. God has proven Himself trustworthy in the past, and He is trustworthy still for the World to Come. Shalom, have a blessed week.

Thank you for your comments

PARASHAH: “Shlach’L’kha” (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 a leader from each tribe to represent that tribe, so the list was 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 unfolds 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” time line in the “finite” dimension, and we must remember that HE sees ALL THINGS from the “infinite” time line, 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). They even brought back some giant grapes. Yet the beginning of verse 28 starts with BUT! And then follows all the negativity, the people are strong, the cities are walled, the “giants” (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”. (Yet the bigger they are, the harder they will fall) , 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 motor, inside, 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 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 result, the Israelites 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? Or no?) 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 can use 4 long cords, one of which is blue and is the longest. The cords are folded over to make 8. 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”; 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 windings, 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”

PSALM 23; "A verse by verse understanding" WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ALL BELIEVERS? (Part 1) I would like to begin this study in Psalm 23 and look at it verse by verse. We must ask ourselves, "What does it mean to me?" "How does it relate to me as a born-again believer?" So, this will be a study of a few weeks, so, read a bit and then think about what you have read, then come back for more another day. THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, I SHALL NOT WANT (KJV) ADONAI IS MY SHEPHERD; I LACK NOTHING (CJSB) "Complete Jewish Study Bible" The only ones that can call Adonai their "shepherd" are the ones who are part of his selected and chosen flock of human sheep. He has chosen us from the beginning of time, and due to his infinite and all-knowing nature, God knew beforehand who would choose to follow Him through Yeshua, those who would choose to obey His Word above the calling of this lost world. A shepherd's job is to guide his sheep and provide for their everyday needs. This would include food, water, shelter, and protection. Today, we have real-life shepherds who care for actual sheep in the fields. Pastors and rabbis are also shepherds, since they have to care for human sheep. Yeshua pointed this out to Peter in John 21:15-18. He stated, "Feed my lambs," "Shepherd my sheep, "feed my sheep. He wasn't talking about the animal sheep; Peter wasn't a shepherd, he was a fisherman. Yet, He was referring to the human sheep of His pasture. Peter would be the leader of the church in Jerusalem at a later date. The job of shepherds (pastors, rabbis, ministers, etc.) is to teach and guide the "lambs" (young believers) and the "sheep" (older and more mature believers). Sheep and lambs are fed by the WORD of God and guided by the Holy Spirit. The WORD of God in a Holy Spirit-guided pastor or rabbi is what a "flock of human sheep" needs to grow in faith and in maturity. Lambs must grow into sheep eventually. God will provide all of our needs. This is a promise (Philippians 4:19). He will supply our spiritual needs as He knows what they are. He will and has provided us with our physical needs (food, water, clothes, housing, jobs, etc). Paul tells us to be content in the times of plenty and in the times of scarcity. He might have a lot, and at times, a little. Yet the promise still holds, "My God will supply All of my needs through Messiah Yeshua". Yet He has also provided us with "wants" as well. (How many pairs of shoes do you have in your closet? more than one pair, right?) So, our Good Shepherd has provided us with what we need during our sojourn on planet Earth, most importantly, He has provided us with the Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth (BIBLE) and has sent earthly shepherds to guide His human flock of believing lambs and sheep. So, we can conclude that as sheep, we lack nothing, and have everything we need. "

PSALM 23; "A verse by verse understanding" WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ALL BELIEVERS? (Part 1) I would like to begin this study in Psalm 23 and look at it verse by verse. We must ask ourselves, "What does it mean to me?" "How does it relate to me as a born-again believer?" So, this will be a study of a few weeks, so, read a bit and then think about what you have read, then come back for more another day. THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, I SHALL NOT WANT (KJV) ADONAI IS MY SHEPHERD; I LACK NOTHING (CJSB) "Complete Jewish Study Bible" The only ones that can call Adonai their "shepherd" are the ones who are part of his selected and chosen flock of human sheep. He has chosen us from the beginning of time, and due to his infinite and all-knowing nature, God knew beforehand who would choose to follow Him through Yeshua, those who would choose to obey His Word above the calling of this lost world. A shepherd's job is to guide his sheep and provide for their everyday needs. This would include food, water, shelter, and protection. Today, we have real-life shepherds who care for actual sheep in the fields. Pastors and rabbis are also shepherds, since they have to care for human sheep. Yeshua pointed this out to Peter in John 21:15-18. He stated, "Feed my lambs," "Shepherd my sheep, "feed my sheep. He wasn't talking about the animal sheep; Peter wasn't a shepherd, he was a fisherman. Yet, He was referring to the human sheep of His pasture. Peter would be the leader of the church in Jerusalem at a later date. The job of shepherds (pastors, rabbis, ministers, etc.) is to teach and guide the "lambs" (young believers) and the "sheep" (older and more mature believers). Sheep and lambs are fed by the WORD of God and guided by the Holy Spirit. The WORD of God in a Holy Spirit-guided pastor or rabbi is what a "flock of human sheep" needs to grow in faith and in maturity. Lambs must grow into sheep eventually. God will provide all of our needs. This is a promise (Philippians 4:19). He will supply our spiritual needs as He knows what they are. He will and has provided us with our physical needs (food, water, clothes, housing, jobs, etc). Paul tells us to be content in the times of plenty and in the times of scarcity. He might have a lot, and at times, a little. Yet the promise still holds, "My God will supply All of my needs through Messiah Yeshua". Yet He has also provided us with "wants" as well. (How many pairs of shoes do you have in your closet? more than one pair, right?) So, our Good Shepherd has provided us with what we need during our sojourn on planet Earth, most importantly, He has provided us with the Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth (BIBLE) and has sent earthly shepherds to guide His human flock of believing lambs and sheep. So, we can conclude that as sheep, we lack nothing and have everything we need.

Toggle Members Info ZECH 2:10-4:7 The prophet Zechariah speaks saying: “And many goyim(Gentiles) 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” Israel, and together, AM ECHAD! (One People). The Torah was given first to the Israelites who left Egypt. At Mt. Sinai, they received the "Marriage Covenant" (The Tablets of the Commandments) and God became the husband and Israel the bride. But we need to remember that a "mixed multitude was included with the 2 to 3 million people. Egyptians, Nubians, Ethiopians, (some of them were also slaves). They were accepted as part of the people. In Galatians 3:28 The Apostle Paul states that there is "no difference between Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female, all are ONE in Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) Not that there is no "physical or cultural difference" he is talking about our spiritual relationship with the LORD. God does not see a "difference" and will never discriminate, yet will accept ALL as the same when it comes to a salvation experience. That is important and good news for those who think they are "less than" others in importance. 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 names “Yehoshua” and “Yeshua”? Yes, they are one and the SAME. Yeshua has removed our GUILT of sin, through his sacrifice on Calvary’s cross. Our filthy garments are now sparkling white. Yes, we still have the stain of original sin, the "Yetzer Hara" in Hebrew, yet in the eyes of God, he sees "clean and white garments" on us all, through the sacrifice of Yeshua. 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. The seven eyes can also symbolize the ever-seeing eyes of God, who sees all. Could we say in "7 directions and/or 7 dimensions? Up, Down, North, South, East, West, and Inside of us all. 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 the Holy Spirit. When we mature in faith, we also gain spiritual gifts. What do we do with them? Do we use them to 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

ZECH 2:10-4:7 The prophet Zechariah speaks saying: “And many goyim(Gentiles) 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” Israel, and together, AM ECHAD! (One People). The Torah was given first to the Israelites who left Egypt. At Mt. Sinai, they received the "Marriage Covenant" (The Tablets of the Commandments) and God became the husband and Israel the bride. But we need to remember that a "mixed multitude was included with the 2 to 3 million people. Egyptians, Nubians, Ethiopians, (some of them were also slaves). They were accepted as part of the people. In Galatians 3:28 The Apostle Paul states that there is "no difference between Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female, all are ONE in Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) Not that there is no "physical or cultural difference" he is talking about our spiritual relationship with the LORD. God does not see a "difference" and will never discriminate, yet will accept ALL as the same when it comes to a salvation experience. That is important and good news for those who think they are "less than" others in importance. 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 names “Yehoshua” and “Yeshua”? Yes, they are one and the SAME. Yeshua has removed our GUILT of sin, through his sacrifice on Calvary’s cross. Our filthy garments are now sparkling white. Yes, we still have the stain of original sin, the "Yetzer Hara" in Hebrew, yet in the eyes of God, he sees "clean and white garments" on us all, through the sacrifice of Yeshua. 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. The seven eyes can also symbolize the ever-seeing eyes of God, who sees all. Could we say in "7 directions and/or 7 dimensions? Up, Down, North, South, East, West, and Inside of us all. 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 the Holy Spirit. When we mature in faith, we also gain spiritual gifts. What do we do with them? Do we use them to 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

NUMBERS: 8:1-12:16 Parasha: B'Ha'Alotekha (when you go up to...) We see in this parashah study, various themes. The first is “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 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 Earth, we do not see the pock-marked surface, only the light that is reflected from the sun. The same is true 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 partake of the bread and wine (or grape juice). 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, fillets of manna, manna patties, manna tortillas, manna shakes, baMANAbread,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!” God sent quail, and a lot of quail. Then, a plague broke out in the camp. While the meat was still being chewed, the plague started to take lives. One might imagine the source, (just a thought) with no refrigeration, under a hot sun, so much "dead quail" started to rot and attract flies, the flies spread the stench and the bacteria from the rotting and spoiled meat. You can guess the rest. 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 brother Moshe. It says, “because of the Cushite woman that Moshe married” What happened to Zipporah? Maybe she died. A Cushite is an Ethiopian or Sudanese. So what? In some places, there is still racial bigotry. Well, to look at plain facts. There is only ONE race, the "Human Race" Some do not believe in “mixed racial marriages” God doesn’t have a problem with it, and there is no 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, least we err and suffer the consequences, we may get more than just a skin rash. We should uphold our spiritual leaders and support them. Once again, thanks for reading. Always remember that these articles/study series are like lessons in a classroom. Every Forum site a "school" and every author is a teacher, and the articles are the "classrooms" Students are free to sit and read or leave and go to another class. But always remember to respect the teacher. Remember that comments can either uplift a teacher or tear down a teacher. Yours truly always presents from a Hebraic mindset. Please keep that in mind. It isn't that I am living in the past, as some state. Rather "knowing the past" helps us "understand the present". The Old Covenant is the key to understanding the New.

Thank you for your comments, Yes, we are all ONE in serving the ONE BODY, yet through MANY VESSELS

NUMBERS: 8:1-12:16 Parasha: B'Ha'Alotekha (when you go up to...) We see in this parashah study, various themes. The first is “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 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 Earth, we do not see the pock-marked surface, only the light that is reflected from the sun. The same is true 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 partake of the bread and wine (or grape juice). 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, fillets of manna, manna patties, manna tortillas, manna shakes, baMANAbread,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!” God sent quail, and a lot of quail. Then, a plague broke out in the camp. While the meat was still being chewed, the plague started to take lives. One might imagine the source, (just a thought) with no refrigeration, under a hot sun, so much "dead quail" started to rot and attract flies, the flies spread the stench and the bacteria from the rotting and spoiled meat. You can guess the rest. 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 brother Moshe. It says, “because of the Cushite woman that Moshe married” What happened to Zipporah? Maybe she died. A Cushite is an Ethiopian or Sudanese. So what? In some places, there is still racial bigotry. Well, to look at plain facts. There is only ONE race, the "Human Race" Some do not believe in “mixed racial marriages” God doesn’t have a problem with it, and there is no 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, least we err and suffer the consequences, we may get more than just a skin rash. We should uphold our spiritual leaders and support them. Once again, thanks for reading. Always remember that these articles/study series are like lessons in a classroom. Every Forum site a "school" and every author is a teacher, and the articles are the "classrooms" Students are free to sit and read or leave and go to another class. But always remember to respect the teacher. Remember that comments can either uplift a teacher or tear down a teacher. Yours truly always presents from a Hebraic mindset. Please keep that in mind. It isn't that I am living in the past, as some state. Rather "knowing the past" helps us "understand the present". The Old Covenant is the key to understanding the New.

Torah/Bible portion and Study: "Naso" (take) Numbers 4:21-7:89 This week's portion of Torah/Bible study is centered on the jobs and service of the Levites in the Tabernacle (Mishkan). As we read, we will note that the families of Gershon, Merari, and Kohat have been selected for different tasks in the setting up and taking down, transporting, and setting up again. Remember that the Children of Israel will be taking their journeys in the desert for 40 years (not the original plan of God) but due, to negativity, and rebellion, (the 12 spies) they had to spend 40 years wandering, (but always being guided) by God. It is interesting to note the roots of the names; Gershon, Merari, and Kohat, as they tell us a story, our story as well. "Gershon" (Ger) a sojourner, "Merari"(maror) Bitterness, and "Kohat" (Kahal) congregation. We are all "sojourners" on this planet called "Earth" because our permanent home is the New Jerusalem, the City of God, and while we go through "bitterness" in our lives, we are still united together by our congregations. Israel wandered in the desert, enduring times of "bitterness" yet still united as ONE people (Am Echad) by the ONE true God (Adonai-Elohim) The families of Levi were in charge of the service of the Tabernacle (Avodah) is the Hebrew word for "Service" and each of the three families had specific jobs or tasks (Mishmeret) as the Hebrew states in 4:28. Some were to carry the Tabernacle furniture on their shoulders by poles, (being covered at all times) others had the job of taking down the curtains and poles, putting them on carts (also covered) drawn by pairs of oxen. 4 pairs of oxen in all, and 4 carts. They would do this at the commencement of every move, and they would put up the Tabernacle at the next campsite. These were specific jobs and tasks that God assigned them through the guidance and instruction of Moses. Everyone had a job to do within the service of the Tabernacle. We, as born-again believers, in the body of Messiah, also have jobs and tasks to do as part of "service" There are many gifts of the Spirit that enable us to perform our tasks; Ref: 1 Corinthians 4-11; Romans 12:4-8; Ephesians 4:11-16. Some believers have the gifts of teaching, while others have that of evangelism, others are pastors and rabbis, and others have the gift of service, intercession, prayer warriors, music, healing, tongues (the ability to speak different languages), and the list can go on, we could expand to missionary aviation pilots, missionary doctors, and nurses, etc. "Prophecy" is mentioned, and that would come under "teaching" of the WORD. We may not be biblical prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, or Daniel, but those who teach are in the role of prophets. The prophets of old received the Word from God to relay to the people. There were no Bible bookstores back then, so the only source of God's Word came from the mouths of the prophets. We DO have God's Word in print, so, as teachers, we need to convey and interpret the Word of God accurately within (hopefully) the original Hebraic perspective so that those who listen can understand well. So, being in the body of Messiah Yeshua/Jesus, we all perform and partake in "service" (Avodah) and perform our tasks (Mishmeret) The root of that word is "Mishmor" or the verb "Sh+m+r" (Hebrew verbs consist of three letters) in this case, we could say "Shmar" (to guard or protect) We are guarding and protecting our "service" from the attacks of the enemy (Satan) who wishes to destroy us. In the word "Avodah" there are the letters "AD" which means "witness" There are always witnesses to our service, the angels in Heaven and also, unclean spirits (demonic entities) are watching with rage, wishing to devour and thwart our work. Waiting to throw a monkey wrench into the machinery. So, just as the families of the Levites were counted and performed their duties in ministry, so we ALL are counted and selected to perform our spiritual gifts within the body of Messiah. We ALL work for the common GOOD as we are all ONE in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus our LORD and Savior) Chapter 5 deals with expelling from the camp those with skin diseases (Tzara'at) We wonder why. Wouldn't that be cruel? Yet we need to understand the deeper reason. Many times, spiritual rebellion and impurity result in physical revelation. The physical body reveals to others the inner rebellion, gossip, slander, backbiting, hatred, etc. So, as the LORD walks in the camp, YHVH is All Holy, and these people need to taken outside the camp until their diseases are gone, until they repent, and then a priest will examine them, and if they are clean, they will be brought back inside the camp. We can't say that ALL skin diseases result from "Leshon Hara" (evil speech) but there is evidence that in many cases, that was the case. As believers, we need to be holy inside, have pure thoughts, and walk like the MASTER, being careful never to slander, or speak evil of others, especially those of the faith. Who knows if the "rash" that itches is a result of something like that? Chapter 6 deals with the "Nazir" or the "Nazarite vow" Back then, a person would "vow" to serve the LORD for "x" amount of months or years. Not cut his hair, not to drink wine or eat grapes, and not to touch any corpse. Samuel was a nazir, and Samson was a nazir. Paul took the "Nazarite vow" to prove to those around him that he lived by the Torah. Today, we might set aside a period to serve the LORD in some special capacity, for "x" amount of months or years. It doesn't mean we have to let our hair grow or abstain from wine or grape juice, but just be serious in what we wish to do, and honor our word to serve God, according to how the Holy Spirit leads us. But it doesn't mean to go and be a hermit alone on some mountaintop, away from people. Ministry and service is all about PEOPLE. Also, chapter 6 is where we find the Aaronic Blessing. What is it saying to us? 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 (faces of) 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 direct to you, and may you rest in HIS SHALOM! When we have Yeshua as Mashiach, we have that internal shalom, despite 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) The blessing is for all believers since we have all been grafted into the Community/Commonwealth of Israel. Shalom.

Torah/Bible portion and Study: "Naso" (take) Numbers 4:21-7:89 This week's portion of Torah/Bible study is centered on the jobs and service of the Levites in the Tabernacle (Mishkan). As we read, we will note that the families of Gershon, Merari, and Kohat have been selected for different tasks in the setting up and taking down, transporting, and setting up again. Remember that the Children of Israel will be taking their journeys in the desert for 40 years (not the original plan of God) but due, to negativity, and rebellion, (the 12 spies) they had to spend 40 years wandering, (but always being guided) by God. It is interesting to note the roots of the names; Gershon, Merari, and Kohat, as they tell us a story, our story as well. "Gershon" (Ger) a sojourner, "Merari"(maror) Bitterness, and "Kohat" (Kahal) congregation. We are all "sojourners" on this planet called "Earth" because our permanent home is the New Jerusalem, the City of God, and while we go through "bitterness" in our lives, we are still united together by our congregations. Israel wandered in the desert, enduring times of "bitterness" yet still united as ONE people (Am Echad) by the ONE true God (Adonai-Elohim) The families of Levi were in charge of the service of the Tabernacle (Avodah) is the Hebrew word for "Service" and each of the three families had specific jobs or tasks (Mishmeret) as the Hebrew states in 4:28. Some were to carry the Tabernacle furniture on their shoulders by poles, (being covered at all times) others had the job of taking down the curtains and poles, putting them on carts (also covered) drawn by pairs of oxen. 4 pairs of oxen in all, and 4 carts. They would do this at the commencement of every move, and they would put up the Tabernacle at the next campsite. These were specific jobs and tasks that God assigned them through the guidance and instruction of Moses. Everyone had a job to do within the service of the Tabernacle. We, as born-again believers, in the body of Messiah, also have jobs and tasks to do as part of "service" There are many gifts of the Spirit that enable us to perform our tasks; Ref: 1 Corinthians 4-11; Romans 12:4-8; Ephesians 4:11-16. Some believers have the gifts of teaching, while others have that of evangelism, others are pastors and rabbis, and others have the gift of service, intercession, prayer warriors, music, healing, tongues (the ability to speak different languages), and the list can go on, we could expand to missionary aviation pilots, missionary doctors, and nurses, etc. "Prophecy" is mentioned, and that would come under "teaching" of the WORD. We may not be biblical prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, or Daniel, but those who teach are in the role of prophets. The prophets of old received the Word from God to relay to the people. There were no Bible bookstores back then, so the only source of God's Word came from the mouths of the prophets. We DO have God's Word in print, so, as teachers, we need to convey and interpret the Word of God accurately within (hopefully) the original Hebraic perspective so that those who listen can understand well. So, being in the body of Messiah Yeshua/Jesus, we all perform and partake in "service" (Avodah) and perform our tasks (Mishmeret) The root of that word is "Mishmor" or the verb "Sh+m+r" (Hebrew verbs consist of three letters) in this case, we could say "Shmar" (to guard or protect) We are guarding and protecting our "service" from the attacks of the enemy (Satan) who wishes to destroy us. In the word "Avodah" there are the letters "AD" which means "witness" There are always witnesses to our service, the angels in Heaven and also, unclean spirits (demonic entities) are watching with rage, wishing to devour and thwart our work. Waiting to throw a monkey wrench into the machinery. So, just as the families of the Levites were counted and performed their duties in ministry, so we ALL are counted and selected to perform our spiritual gifts within the body of Messiah. We ALL work for the common GOOD as we are all ONE in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus our LORD and Savior) Chapter 5 deals with expelling from the camp those with skin diseases (Tzara'at) We wonder why. Wouldn't that be cruel? Yet we need to understand the deeper reason. Many times, spiritual rebellion and impurity result in physical revelation. The physical body reveals to others the inner rebellion, gossip, slander, backbiting, hatred, etc. So, as the LORD walks in the camp, YHVH is All Holy, and these people need to taken outside the camp until their diseases are gone, until they repent, and then a priest will examine them, and if they are clean, they will be brought back inside the camp. We can't say that ALL skin diseases result from "Leshon Hara" (evil speech) but there is evidence that in many cases, that was the case. As believers, we need to be holy inside, have pure thoughts, and walk like the MASTER, being careful never to slander, or speak evil of others, especially those of the faith. Who knows if the "rash" that itches is a result of something like that? Chapter 6 deals with the "Nazir" or the "Nazarite vow" Back then, a person would "vow" to serve the LORD for "x" amount of months or years. Not cut his hair, not to drink wine or eat grapes, and not to touch any corpse. Samuel was a nazir, and Samson was a nazir. Paul took the "Nazarite vow" to prove to those around him that he lived by the Torah. Today, we might set aside a period to serve the LORD in some special capacity, for "x" amount of months or years. It doesn't mean we have to let our hair grow or abstain from wine or grape juice, but just be serious in what we wish to do, and honor our word to serve God, according to how the Holy Spirit leads us. But it doesn't mean to go and be a hermit alone on some mountaintop, away from people. Ministry and service is all about PEOPLE. Also, chapter 6 is where we find the Aaronic Blessing. What is it saying to us? 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 (faces of) 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 direct to you, and may you rest in HIS SHALOM! When we have Yeshua as Mashiach, we have that internal shalom, despite 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) The blessing is for all believers since we have all been grafted into the Community/Commonwealth of Israel. Shalom.

PARASHA: “B’Midbar” (in the wilderness) NUMBERS 1:1-4:20 We start the Book of “Numbers” in English because it talks about “numbering” the tribes of Israel. In Hebrew, the name is "B'Midbar (In The desert). This is the book that tells about the journeys of Israel in the desert. Traveling under the watchful eye of Adonai, being led always by his "Shekinah" presence. Now, We wonder why the reason for “numbering the people?” for this reason, we need to go back to the beginning to see. In Egypt, Israel was a hodge-podge of undisciplined slaves working for Pharaoh, In Adonai’s timing, He sent Moshe, a “Messiah Type” to lead the people out of slavery to freedom. Once out of Egypt, came the task of taking Egypt out of the Israelites. They came to Mt. Sinai, ready to become a nation united under YHVH. The Ten Commandments served as the document in stone, a “Ketubah” to solidify the covenant. Now, the United Tribes of Israel under YHVH is established. But this is only the first part. Each Shavuot, (Pentecost) we remember the giving of the “Torah in Stone” amid thunder and fire. Now that the nation is established, YHVH takes a count, why the count? As a nation, as every nation in the world has, the Nation of Israel needs an army! So, the count is taken to form the very first IDF (Israel Defense Force). I am sure that many of you who are reading this have served in one of the branches of the Armed Forces of the USA, or other countries. I served in the US Army from 1972-1984. I met many people and learned many things. It was a great experience and a special time in my life. Quite a few of my family members also served in the Armed Forces, the first being an ancestor of mine, Richard Ellis, who served in the Massachusetts Militia in 1640. YHVH takes up the count and “enlists” every man who is 20 years old and older. They will serve in the armies of Israel. All those who are …”20 years old and upward who can go to war.” After the numbering, part of daily life would have been practicing and learning how to use different combat weapons, back then would have been swords, spears, bows and arrows, and slingshots. Every soldier has a job to do. Today we call these jobs MOS, (Military Occupation Specialties) One of mine was that of chaplain assistant. I was to assist a catholic chaplain who everyone called; “Father McCarthy” who had a bulldog named “Gus” who also went to chapel with him. 11 of the 12 tribes were called to be fighting men yet the tribe of Levi, was called to be the “chaplain tribe” They were exempt from combat duty, they would attend the Tabernacle and services. There were the kohanim (the priests) who would be the “chaplains” and the “Levites” who would serve as the “chaplain assistants” So, you are thinking, what does this numbering have to do with us as born-again believers in Messiah Yeshua? We are all soldiers in God’s army of believers. He’s got us all numbered. Yes, he has your number! We need to again, go back and look at our lives before and after Messiah Yeshua. Before, we were just a bunch of “hodge-podge lost sinners in the camp of HaSatan, until Yeshua took us out of that camp by shedding his blood on the cross of Calvary, when we accepted his sacrifice, we were officially “out” of the camp. Yet, there would still be a lot of “HaSatan and worldly influence” still in us, so, like the Israelites, “Egypt” was still in us. When we accepted Messiah Yeshua as our Mashiach and Goel (Redeemer) we were added to the Commonwealth of Israel, now part of the Community, the “Adat” which began at Sinai 3500 years ago. We are the “olive branches” that have been “grafted into” the Olive Tree. Now that we are members and citizens of “HIS People” we also are considered “soldiers” in the LORD’s Army. However, we fight a different type of war. In this world, armies fight with RPGs, M-16s, Kalashnikovs, Berettas, M-60s, etc. We fight against, “spirits and principalities of darkness” it is a spiritual war against HaSatan and his demons. Only through the Ruach HaKodesh (The Holy Spirit) and the power of His WORD can we overcome the onslaughts of the enemy. He realizes he has lost the war, yet still continues to fight a losing battle, which was won at the cross 2000 years ago. As the Kohenim (the priesthood) ministered and had jobs to do, and also the soldiers had their jobs to do, we believers also have jobs within our “Kehilot” and “Adat” (congregations). That is why the Holy Spirit has given gifts of the Spirit so that we might all serve in different capacities in the body of Messiah. In this way, the body grows and prospers. Some of us are rabbis, pastors, who also serve as teachers, also we have ministers in music and praise, finances, maintenance, prayer intercessors, counselors, and the list can go on. The twelve tribes of Israel encircled the Tabernacle, with the tribe of Levi next to it. The “Mishkan” was at the center of the People. So also, YHVH should be the “Center” of our life. The whole purpose of our life is to serve our God and Creator, while loving and supporting our brothers and sisters in the faith, reaching out to others who are lost, and teaching Torah to those who have ears to hear and learn. We are “numbered” in the eyes of Elohim, HE knows who we are, He has numbered the hairs on our head, and there is no such thing as “retirement” in the work of YHVH, well, there is…. It is called d-e-a-t-h. Another detail which I would like to add to this midrash. When Adonai numbered the people, he chose leaders out of each tribe. In all groups of “chosen” there are “leaders”. They can be pastors, rabbis, Sunday school teachers, Torah teachers, counselors, etc. But every group needs a leader or leaders. If not, we have a lot of sheep running around without shepherds. We see the names of the leaders. Many ask about the meanings of the names. Well, here they are as follows. Starting with chapter 1, verse 5; “Elizur’ = My God is the rock;” Shelumiel” = At peace with God. (I know, it sounds like “Schlemiel” but it isn’t. “Zurishaddai” = My Rock is Shaddai; “Nahshon” = Serpent, “Amminadab” = The (Divine) kinsman is generous ; “Nethaniel” = God hath given; “Eliab” = God is Father; “Elishama” = God hath heard, or God hears; “Ammihud” = The (Divine) kinsman is glorious; “Gammaliel” = God is my reward. In later times, it was the name of many famous rabbis, like the rabbi of Apostle Paul; “Pedahzur” = The Rock hath redeemed; “Abidan” = The Father hath judged; “Ahiezer” = The (divine) Brother is a help; “Ammishaddai” = The People of Shaddai; “Pagiel” = The lot (or fate) is given by God; “Eliasaph” = God has added; “Deuel” or “Reuel” = God is a friend; “Ahira” the (divine) brother is a friend. One other interesting aspect of the word "B'Midbar" (in the desert) that I would like to mention, is that within that, there is another word "D'bar" (Word) So, we can conclude that during the wanderings of the Children of Israel in the vast desert, they were not alone, they had the "WORD" God's promise that they would inherit the land of Canaan and that they are a "special and chosen people. All believers are part of that chosen people. We have been grafted into that covenant, the covenant renewed in the person of Messiah Yeshua (Jesus our Messiah). So, as we walk our journeys in life, (which are many) examples: childhood, teen years, adulthood, marriage, job and career, social life, etc. we need to remember that we need to keep the WORD in our journeys, the "Living WORD" (Yeshua) needs to be part of every aspect of our life's journeys. After our journeys are over, we will face a journey that will never end. Where will you spend that journey? Each journey we walk will take us to a different destination

PARASHA: “B’Midbar” (in the wilderness) NUMBERS 1:1-4:20 We start the Book of “Numbers” in English because it talks about “numbering” the tribes of Israel. In Hebrew, the name is "B'Midbar (In The desert). This is the book that tells about the journeys of Israel in the desert. Traveling under the watchful eye of Adonai, being led always by his "Shekinah" presence. Now, We wonder why the reason for “numbering the people?” for this reason, we need to go back to the beginning to see. In Egypt, Israel was a hodge-podge of undisciplined slaves working for Pharaoh, In Adonai’s timing, He sent Moshe, a “Messiah Type” to lead the people out of slavery to freedom. Once out of Egypt, came the task of taking Egypt out of the Israelites. They came to Mt. Sinai, ready to become a nation united under YHVH. The Ten Commandments served as the document in stone, a “Ketubah” to solidify the covenant. Now, the United Tribes of Israel under YHVH is established. But this is only the first part. Each Shavuot, (Pentecost) we remember the giving of the “Torah in Stone” amid thunder and fire. Now that the nation is established, YHVH takes a count, why the count? As a nation, as every nation in the world has, the Nation of Israel needs an army! So, the count is taken to form the very first IDF (Israel Defense Force). I am sure that many of you who are reading this have served in one of the branches of the Armed Forces of the USA, or other countries. I served in the US Army from 1972-1984. I met many people and learned many things. It was a great experience and a special time in my life. Quite a few of my family members also served in the Armed Forces, the first being an ancestor of mine, Richard Ellis, who served in the Massachusetts Militia in 1640. YHVH takes up the count and “enlists” every man who is 20 years old and older. They will serve in the armies of Israel. All those who are …”20 years old and upward who can go to war.” After the numbering, part of daily life would have been practicing and learning how to use different combat weapons, back then would have been swords, spears, bows and arrows, and slingshots. Every soldier has a job to do. Today we call these jobs MOS, (Military Occupation Specialties) One of mine was that of chaplain assistant. I was to assist a catholic chaplain who everyone called; “Father McCarthy” who had a bulldog named “Gus” who also went to chapel with him. 11 of the 12 tribes were called to be fighting men yet the tribe of Levi, was called to be the “chaplain tribe” They were exempt from combat duty, they would attend the Tabernacle and services. There were the kohanim (the priests) who would be the “chaplains” and the “Levites” who would serve as the “chaplain assistants” So, you are thinking, what does this numbering have to do with us as born-again believers in Messiah Yeshua? We are all soldiers in God’s army of believers. He’s got us all numbered. Yes, he has your number! We need to again, go back and look at our lives before and after Messiah Yeshua. Before, we were just a bunch of “hodge-podge lost sinners in the camp of HaSatan, until Yeshua took us out of that camp by shedding his blood on the cross of Calvary, when we accepted his sacrifice, we were officially “out” of the camp. Yet, there would still be a lot of “HaSatan and worldly influence” still in us, so, like the Israelites, “Egypt” was still in us. When we accepted Messiah Yeshua as our Mashiach and Goel (Redeemer) we were added to the Commonwealth of Israel, now part of the Community, the “Adat” which began at Sinai 3500 years ago. We are the “olive branches” that have been “grafted into” the Olive Tree. Now that we are members and citizens of “HIS People” we also are considered “soldiers” in the LORD’s Army. However, we fight a different type of war. In this world, armies fight with RPGs, M-16s, Kalashnikovs, Berettas, M-60s, etc. We fight against, “spirits and principalities of darkness” it is a spiritual war against HaSatan and his demons. Only through the Ruach HaKodesh (The Holy Spirit) and the power of His WORD can we overcome the onslaughts of the enemy. He realizes he has lost the war, yet still continues to fight a losing battle, which was won at the cross 2000 years ago. As the Kohenim (the priesthood) ministered and had jobs to do, and also the soldiers had their jobs to do, we believers also have jobs within our “Kehilot” and “Adat” (congregations). That is why the Holy Spirit has given gifts of the Spirit so that we might all serve in different capacities in the body of Messiah. In this way, the body grows and prospers. Some of us are rabbis, pastors, who also serve as teachers, also we have ministers in music and praise, finances, maintenance, prayer intercessors, counselors, and the list can go on. The twelve tribes of Israel encircled the Tabernacle, with the tribe of Levi next to it. The “Mishkan” was at the center of the People. So also, YHVH should be the “Center” of our life. The whole purpose of our life is to serve our God and Creator, while loving and supporting our brothers and sisters in the faith, reaching out to others who are lost, and teaching Torah to those who have ears to hear and learn. We are “numbered” in the eyes of Elohim, HE knows who we are, He has numbered the hairs on our head, and there is no such thing as “retirement” in the work of YHVH, well, there is…. It is called d-e-a-t-h. Another detail which I would like to add to this midrash. When Adonai numbered the people, he chose leaders out of each tribe. In all groups of “chosen” there are “leaders”. They can be pastors, rabbis, Sunday school teachers, Torah teachers, counselors, etc. But every group needs a leader or leaders. If not, we have a lot of sheep running around without shepherds. We see the names of the leaders. Many ask about the meanings of the names. Well, here they are as follows. Starting with chapter 1, verse 5; “Elizur’ = My God is the rock;” Shelumiel” = At peace with God. (I know, it sounds like “Schlemiel” but it isn’t. “Zurishaddai” = My Rock is Shaddai; “Nahshon” = Serpent, “Amminadab” = The (Divine) kinsman is generous ; “Nethaniel” = God hath given; “Eliab” = God is Father; “Elishama” = God hath heard, or God hears; “Ammihud” = The (Divine) kinsman is glorious; “Gammaliel” = God is my reward. In later times, it was the name of many famous rabbis, like the rabbi of Apostle Paul; “Pedahzur” = The Rock hath redeemed; “Abidan” = The Father hath judged; “Ahiezer” = The (divine) Brother is a help; “Ammishaddai” = The People of Shaddai; “Pagiel” = The lot (or fate) is given by God; “Eliasaph” = God has added; “Deuel” or “Reuel” = God is a friend; “Ahira” the (divine) brother is a friend. One other interesting aspect of the word "B'Midbar" (in the desert) that I would like to mention, is that within that, there is another word "D'bar" (Word) So, we can conclude that during the wanderings of the Children of Israel in the vast desert, they were not alone, they had the "WORD" God's promise that they would inherit the land of Canaan and that they are a "special and chosen people. All believers are part of that chosen people. We have been grafted into that covenant, the covenant renewed in the person of Messiah Yeshua (Jesus our Messiah). So, as we walk our journeys in life, (which are many) examples: childhood, teen years, adulthood, marriage, job and career, social life, etc. we need to remember that we need to keep the WORD in our journeys, the "Living WORD" (Yeshua) needs to be part of every aspect of our life's journeys. After our journeys are over, we will face a journey that will never end. Where will you spend that journey? Each journey we walk will take us to a different destination

Chapters 26 and 27 are the final chapters in the Book of Leviticus. When we read these final chapters, what the LORD is saying is; IF…you follow my torat (teachings, laws) and faithfully observe my mitzvoth (commandments) I WILL…. It is ALL CONDITIONAL, there is nothing without a condition. If we want God’s blessings and good favor, we will follow HIS WORD, and accept HIS LIVING WORD (Yeshua) into our life. Yeshua said; “If you love me, ye will obey my commandments” not only the commandments that he spoke about during his life on earth, but also, the ones which he gave to Moshe when HE was with the FATHER as part of ELOHIM. I must repeat this to avoid confusion and negative comments. We are NOT saved by obeying God's commandments, we are saved by FAITH and not by WORKS (which are the commandments) by the shed blood of Messiah Yeshua/Jesus Christ our LORD and Redeemer. However, we are saved UNTO good works, to obey and follow what God has written down in His Book by His chosen prophets. Of course, not all the 613 commandments can be followed today, But if we study and let the Holy Spirit guide us, we will learn what can be observed and what can not be followed Blessings and curses are a part of life. The world calls them “good luck and bad luck” there is no such animal! All things that happen in our lives are a result of blessings, curses, and tests. Do we love our LORD and Savior, Messiah Yeshua? Then, follow HIS commandments (He even stated this) , not to bring us salvation, that we already have, but as a RESULT OF our salvation (Yeshuah) And if you haven’t accepted Yeshua (Jesus) as your LORD and Savior, and Messiah, NOW is the perfect time, remember, we are NOT promised tomorrow, we are only one HEART BEAT away from eternity. Let’s look at the beginning of Chapter 26: “Do not make idols for yourselves and do not put up a carved image or a pillar for yourselves, and do not place a stone image in your land to bow down to it, for I am YHVH you Elohim. Guard my Shabbats and reverence (respect) my sanctuary, I am YHVH. This is a repetition of two of the most important commandments that were given to us on Sinai. “us” being that all believers are part of the extended community of Israel which had its beginning there at the foot of Mt. Sinai about 3000 years ago. Do we really go out and make ourselves idols? To bow down and worship? We would probably say “no”, yet what is an “idol”? It is anything that comes before our worship, service, and dedication to our ONE and Only God, Adonai-Elohim. Many people cease going to church or synagogue because “they don’t have time” or there are other distractions. One can put so much importance on things like sports, jobs, making money, leisure, and relatives, that the things of God are left behind, if this is the case, then we ARE making for ourselves idols, and indirectly, we are bowing down and worshipping them. Better cease or our heavenly father just might “remove” that obstacle from our midst! Like it or not. Another reason for not making idols and statutes of the so-called “likeness” of God is because that would be like reducing our LORD God, who is “everywhere” to fit inside of that “thing” that is made in that “so-called” likeness. We see all over, pictures of Yeshua (Jesus) in different forms, some have him knocking at the door, others have him as the “good shepherd” holding a lamb, and others just show a portrait. Others still have him hanging from the cross. Even though we might not bow down and worship these images, they are still “images” indeed, or so-called “likenesses” of what is supposed to be our “Messiah”. No, they are not carved images, yet they are still images, is it a good idea to have them? Only you can decide. “Guard/keep my sabbaths” When we “guard” something, we make sure that the thing we are guarding is protected from violation. The sabbath day is a day to rest and come to worship our LORD and Savior. As Messianic believers we come to worship on Saturdays, The Sabbath day was never changed, it was and still is Saturday. Yeshua's followers got together the first day of the week to break bread (fellowship with a meal) as stated in Acts, but that doesn't mean that the Sabbath was changed. Sunday, the first day of the week is celebrated to remember the resurrection of the LORD, and to fellowship with other believers. Two important days to get together and study the WORD and worship with other believers. We can come to worship on Saturday or Sunday, or even “both” days, (which is even better). Many families go out to eat on the weekends, so as to give the wife a day off, or two days off from cooking in the kitchen. That is a good thing. Another good thing to do is to visit others and share God’s word with them, especially with those who are bedridden and can not leave home. “Reverence my sanctuary” How is that done? When we go to worship, how do we go? In what frame of mind? Are the cell phones turned off? Are we dressed for the occasion? If the president of your country invited you to dine with him, how would you go dressed? In beach clothes or in a suit and tie? I am sure you would dress with the best you have. You are going to meet with the KING of kings and LORD of Lords, with “your creator” the one you will spend eternity with. Are your kids in check? Or are they running up and down the hallway looking for the bathroom? Is there idle conversation while the message is being taught? Or are all eyes and ears on the pastor/teacher/rabbi? We can either “show reverence/respect/honor” to our place of worship, or we can show “lack of” the choice is ours. The end of chapter 27 is on vows and promises. What is God saying here through Moses? If we vow something to the LORD, or promise something, like ourselves for a certain period, or some "thing" like a car, bus, or truck, for the LORD's work, we should make good on our promise. Yet Yeshua says that we should NOT vow, being that we do not know the future. That our YES be YES or NO be NO, or "If God allows me... I would like to...." In these two final chapters, we see that there are more "curses" than "blessings" These affected Israel. We know the story, Israel turned to idolatry, and thus, received the curses and was cast out of the promised land. Yet God did NOT forget HIS people, He received them again, forgave their transgression, and, as Isaiah put it; "Who ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? Is a country born in one day? Is a nation brought forth all at once? For as soon as Tziyon went into labor, she brought forth her children." (66:3) May 14th, 1948. Israel became a nation once again. We can see that the blessings and curses were directed towards Israel and Israel's way of life; agriculture, livestock, living in the land, being guarded against the enemies, physical and emotional health, etc... Yet we can see even in simple things, obedience to God's laws or even man's laws, can bring blessings, and disobedience, can bring curses. Stop at the red light, and be blessed. Go through a red light, receive the curse, and either get hit or get fined. So, to obey or disobey, that decision is ours. So, obey the LORD, honor His WORD, and love the LIVING WORD, and reap blessings. For some people, not even a blessed sunny day at the beach can separate them from cell phones Hey, Hey, Hey, put those things away, just for a while. Naples Beach, Naples, FL

Chapters 26 and 27 are the final chapters in the Book of Leviticus. When we read these final chapters, what the LORD is saying is; IF…you follow my torat (teachings, laws) and faithfully observe my mitzvoth (commandments) I WILL…. It is ALL CONDITIONAL, there is nothing without a condition. If we want God’s blessings and good favor, we will follow HIS WORD, and accept HIS LIVING WORD (Yeshua) into our life. Yeshua said; “If you love me, ye will obey my commandments” not only the commandments that he spoke about during his life on earth, but also, the ones which he gave to Moshe when HE was with the FATHER as part of ELOHIM. I must repeat this to avoid confusion and negative comments. We are NOT saved by obeying God's commandments, we are saved by FAITH and not by WORKS (which are the commandments) by the shed blood of Messiah Yeshua/Jesus Christ our LORD and Redeemer. However, we are saved UNTO good works, to obey and follow what God has written down in His Book by His chosen prophets. Of course, not all the 613 commandments can be followed today, But if we study and let the Holy Spirit guide us, we will learn what can be observed and what can not be followed Blessings and curses are a part of life. The world calls them “good luck and bad luck” there is no such animal! All things that happen in our lives are a result of blessings, curses, and tests. Do we love our LORD and Savior, Messiah Yeshua? Then, follow HIS commandments (He even stated this) , not to bring us salvation, that we already have, but as a RESULT OF our salvation (Yeshuah) And if you haven’t accepted Yeshua (Jesus) as your LORD and Savior, and Messiah, NOW is the perfect time, remember, we are NOT promised tomorrow, we are only one HEART BEAT away from eternity. Let’s look at the beginning of Chapter 26: “Do not make idols for yourselves and do not put up a carved image or a pillar for yourselves, and do not place a stone image in your land to bow down to it, for I am YHVH you Elohim. Guard my Shabbats and reverence (respect) my sanctuary, I am YHVH. This is a repetition of two of the most important commandments that were given to us on Sinai. “us” being that all believers are part of the extended community of Israel which had its beginning there at the foot of Mt. Sinai about 3000 years ago. Do we really go out and make ourselves idols? To bow down and worship? We would probably say “no”, yet what is an “idol”? It is anything that comes before our worship, service, and dedication to our ONE and Only God, Adonai-Elohim. Many people cease going to church or synagogue because “they don’t have time” or there are other distractions. One can put so much importance on things like sports, jobs, making money, leisure, and relatives, that the things of God are left behind, if this is the case, then we ARE making for ourselves idols, and indirectly, we are bowing down and worshipping them. Better cease or our heavenly father just might “remove” that obstacle from our midst! Like it or not. Another reason for not making idols and statutes of the so-called “likeness” of God is because that would be like reducing our LORD God, who is “everywhere” to fit inside of that “thing” that is made in that “so-called” likeness. We see all over, pictures of Yeshua (Jesus) in different forms, some have him knocking at the door, others have him as the “good shepherd” holding a lamb, and others just show a portrait. Others still have him hanging from the cross. Even though we might not bow down and worship these images, they are still “images” indeed, or so-called “likenesses” of what is supposed to be our “Messiah”. No, they are not carved images, yet they are still images, is it a good idea to have them? Only you can decide. “Guard/keep my sabbaths” When we “guard” something, we make sure that the thing we are guarding is protected from violation. The sabbath day is a day to rest and come to worship our LORD and Savior. As Messianic believers we come to worship on Saturdays, The Sabbath day was never changed, it was and still is Saturday. Yeshua's followers got together the first day of the week to break bread (fellowship with a meal) as stated in Acts, but that doesn't mean that the Sabbath was changed. Sunday, the first day of the week is celebrated to remember the resurrection of the LORD, and to fellowship with other believers. Two important days to get together and study the WORD and worship with other believers. We can come to worship on Saturday or Sunday, or even “both” days, (which is even better). Many families go out to eat on the weekends, so as to give the wife a day off, or two days off from cooking in the kitchen. That is a good thing. Another good thing to do is to visit others and share God’s word with them, especially with those who are bedridden and can not leave home. “Reverence my sanctuary” How is that done? When we go to worship, how do we go? In what frame of mind? Are the cell phones turned off? Are we dressed for the occasion? If the president of your country invited you to dine with him, how would you go dressed? In beach clothes or in a suit and tie? I am sure you would dress with the best you have. You are going to meet with the KING of kings and LORD of Lords, with “your creator” the one you will spend eternity with. Are your kids in check? Or are they running up and down the hallway looking for the bathroom? Is there idle conversation while the message is being taught? Or are all eyes and ears on the pastor/teacher/rabbi? We can either “show reverence/respect/honor” to our place of worship, or we can show “lack of” the choice is ours. The end of chapter 27 is on vows and promises. What is God saying here through Moses? If we vow something to the LORD, or promise something, like ourselves for a certain period, or some "thing" like a car, bus, or truck, for the LORD's work, we should make good on our promise. Yet Yeshua says that we should NOT vow, being that we do not know the future. That our YES be YES or NO be NO, or "If God allows me... I would like to...." In these two final chapters, we see that there are more "curses" than "blessings" These affected Israel. We know the story, Israel turned to idolatry, and thus, received the curses and was cast out of the promised land. Yet God did NOT forget HIS people, He received them again, forgave their transgression, and, as Isaiah put it; "Who ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? Is a country born in one day? Is a nation brought forth all at once? For as soon as Tziyon went into labor, she brought forth her children." (66:3) May 14th, 1948. Israel became a nation once again. We can see that the blessings and curses were directed towards Israel and Israel's way of life; agriculture, livestock, living in the land, being guarded against the enemies, physical and emotional health, etc... Yet we can see even in simple things, obedience to God's laws or even man's laws, can bring blessings, and disobedience, can bring curses. Stop at the red light, and be blessed. Go through a red light, receive the curse, and either get hit or get fined. So, to obey or disobey, that decision is ours. So, obey the LORD, honor His WORD, and love the LIVING WORD, and reap blessings. A sunny day at Naples' Beach is a blessing. R & R big time, Naples, FL. but some people just can't put down the cell phones, not even for a moment.

Torah/Bible study : "BHar“(on the Mountain) LEVITICUS 25:1-26:2 “Give it a rest! Will ya?” I am sure you have heard that expression before, or “Give it a rest already!” People tend to say that when one continues in some theme or argues over a point that is not worth it, HOWEVER, this is what God is saying when He sees the earth, soil, and ground being over-worked; “Give it a rest!” just as people need to rest and take their “Shabbat rest” so does the land which really belongs to HIM, we are just using it. Does not Psalm 24:1 state just that? "The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; This Bible/Torah deals with giving the land a rest after six years of planting and harvesting, on the seventh year the land shall rest. This, agriculturally, is very sound and comes from the mouth of the creator of all the earth. The reason is quite simple to understand. Crops, such as corn, wheat, barley, vegetables, etc., when they grow in the soil, take in nutrients, quite like us, when we eat, we absorb nutrients from the food we eat. Imagine the land after 6 years of planting and harvesting, all those nutrients, minerals, and chemicals from the soil, are being absorbed by the crops sown, if the land does not have a chance to rest and renew itself, it will soon become useless, quite void of nutrients…so… a year’s rest will give the soil enough time to replenish itself. We can apply this commandment today, to allow the land to rest after six years of planting and harvesting, even families that have little vegetable gardens in the back of their houses. May they enjoy six years of vegetables and then in the seventh year, just dump compost in the soil, food that goes bad, moldy bread, etc., don’t put it in the garbage, bury it in the garden, do that in that seventh year, and then the next year, plant and harvest again. We can similarly look at ourselves. How do we count our lives? By a 365-day year? Or by sabbaticals? If we were to count our years by the day, we could say we have many days and years ahead of us! Really? Do we know tomorrow? (didn’t think so). However, if we were to count our years on earth by counting by sevens? How many “sabbaticals” have we lived? How many “might” be left? If I were to count my sabbaticals, I would have to count starting in 1954. 1954-1960 first seven years, 1961-67, the second sabbatical. I would have to ask myself, what have I done or accomplished in each of these periods of seven years? Anything of importance? Have I influenced other lives? If we count by sabbaticals, we will find that we don’t have many sabbaticals to live. This commandment was given to the Children of Israel when they were at Mt. Sinai. They would put this into practice once they got into the Promised Land, the Land of Canaan, (40 years later). Yet we can also apply the wisdom and instruction from God to our own fields, gardens, and so on. On a smaller scale. All in all, Parasha "B'Har"(On the mountain) deals with giving the land a physical rest after 6 years, and also, the "Year of Yovel" or the "Year of Jubilee" where on the 50th Year, all properties and personnel in service of others, go free, it is a time of "Liberty" for those in service for debts or land that is "rented out" Again, we see that "GOD OWNS ALL" including us. Were we not made from the dust of the earth? so, if the earth is the LORD's so are we. We can look at this in the spiritual realm as well. We are like the crops, which are planted, by Adonai, on this earth, to grow in HIM, and reach maturity, yet there comes a harvest time, when we will be harvested to go back home, to our eternal Sabbath’s rest, to enjoy our “Yovel” our time of “Jubilee” to reap what we have sown, souls that have come to YESHUA through our testimonies, believers who have grown to maturity through “teachers of the WORD” it is not enough to give out the WORD of God, there must be the ones who teach it, like seeds that are planted and watered. For this reason, spiritual gifts are given, and among those are the “teachers of the WORD” the ones who water the seeds so that they may grow, mature, and in the end, be harvested. From a Hebraic perspective, we can look at the word "Yovel" (Jubilee) as "Liberty" or "freedom" in year 50. "50" from a Hebraic perspective, we can see "grace eternal" The number "5" in Hebrew signifies "grace" and "0" like the number "8" has no beginning nor end, so it is something "eternal" the name "HaAdam" in Hebrew means "The Man" or "Humanity" This word also sums "50" when we use Hebrew gematria. So, is there a connection? One way we can look at this is; "At the time of harvest, at the time of "Yovel" (liberty) we will leave our bodies and return to Him who gave us life. We will be FREE of the sin which we are born with, inherited from Adam, yet we will become like "HaAdam" who was made perfect and sinless before he disobeyed and brought sin into the world. "Liberated" from our sinful tabernacle, we will rejoice in our "Yovel" and become like Messiah Yeshua/Jesus. pure and without sin. The parashah also talks about slaves and servants. An Israelite could not be considered a slave, but a servant, yet a foreigner could be considered a slave. Yet both treatments of the slave or servant had to be humane, and they had to be released during the time of Jubilee, every 50 years. Normally, a slave or servant would be released at the end of 6 years, however, if the slave or servant wished to remain with the master, the time with the master ended at the time of Jubilee. What this portion of Torah is saying is that ALL possessions, both material, animal, and human, belong to Adonai. We have each other, our material blessings for only a season. We should enjoy each other and the blessings that the LORD has given us, for a season, employers should treat their employees with respect and with honor (they would be like the slaves and servants in Biblical times) Employers have their employees, just for a season. I would repeat Psalm 24:1 again. Someday, when we stand before our Heavenly Father, we will be accountable for all the things we have been given, both human, animal, and material things. For the season in which they were given to us, how did we treat them? In the time of Jubilee, how will be stand before Yeshua? Something to think about. He has liberated us from the curse of sin by His death on Calvary's cross. His "Yovel" made us free, free to follow HIM and follow his commandments. There might be clouds in the afternoon, but we can always look forward to the SONshine tomorrow. (Key Largo, FL; 5/12/2025)

Torah/Bible study : "BHar“(on the Mountain) LEVITICUS 25:1-26:2 “Give it a rest! Will ya?” I am sure you have heard that expression before, or “Give it a rest already!” People tend to say that when one continues in some theme or argues over a point that is not worth it, HOWEVER, this is what God is saying when He sees the earth, soil, and ground being over-worked; “Give it a rest!” just as people need to rest and take their “Shabbat rest” so does the land which really belongs to HIM, we are just using it. Does not Psalm 24:1 state just that? "The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; This Bible/Torah deals with giving the land a rest after six years of planting and harvesting, on the seventh year the land shall rest. This, agriculturally, is very sound and comes from the mouth of the creator of all the earth. The reason is quite simple to understand. Crops, such as corn, wheat, barley, vegetables, etc., when they grow in the soil, take in nutrients, quite like us, when we eat, we absorb nutrients from the food we eat. Imagine the land after 6 years of planting and harvesting, all those nutrients, minerals, and chemicals from the soil, are being absorbed by the crops sown, if the land does not have a chance to rest and renew itself, it will soon become useless, quite void of nutrients…so… a year’s rest will give the soil enough time to replenish itself. We can apply this commandment today, to allow the land to rest after six years of planting and harvesting, even families that have little vegetable gardens in the back of their houses. May they enjoy six years of vegetables and then in the seventh year, just dump compost in the soil, food that goes bad, moldy bread, etc., don’t put it in the garbage, bury it in the garden, do that in that seventh year, and then the next year, plant and harvest again. We can similarly look at ourselves. How do we count our lives? By a 365-day year? Or by sabbaticals? If we were to count our years by the day, we could say we have many days and years ahead of us! Really? Do we know tomorrow? (didn’t think so). However, if we were to count our years on earth by counting by sevens? How many “sabbaticals” have we lived? How many “might” be left? If I were to count my sabbaticals, I would have to count starting in 1954. 1954-1960 first seven years, 1961-67, the second sabbatical. I would have to ask myself, what have I done or accomplished in each of these periods of seven years? Anything of importance? Have I influenced other lives? If we count by sabbaticals, we will find that we don’t have many sabbaticals to live. This commandment was given to the Children of Israel when they were at Mt. Sinai. They would put this into practice once they got into the Promised Land, the Land of Canaan, (40 years later). Yet we can also apply the wisdom and instruction from God to our own fields, gardens, and so on. On a smaller scale. All in all, Parasha "B'Har"(On the mountain) deals with giving the land a physical rest after 6 years, and also, the "Year of Yovel" or the "Year of Jubilee" where on the 50th Year, all properties and personnel in service of others, go free, it is a time of "Liberty" for those in service for debts or land that is "rented out" Again, we see that "GOD OWNS ALL" including us. Were we not made from the dust of the earth? so, if the earth is the LORD's so are we. We can look at this in the spiritual realm as well. We are like the crops, which are planted, by Adonai, on this earth, to grow in HIM, and reach maturity, yet there comes a harvest time, when we will be harvested to go back home, to our eternal Sabbath’s rest, to enjoy our “Yovel” our time of “Jubilee” to reap what we have sown, souls that have come to YESHUA through our testimonies, believers who have grown to maturity through “teachers of the WORD” it is not enough to give out the WORD of God, there must be the ones who teach it, like seeds that are planted and watered. For this reason, spiritual gifts are given, and among those are the “teachers of the WORD” the ones who water the seeds so that they may grow, mature, and in the end, be harvested. From a Hebraic perspective, we can look at the word "Yovel" (Jubilee) as "Liberty" or "freedom" in year 50. "50" from a Hebraic perspective, we can see "grace eternal" The number "5" in Hebrew signifies "grace" and "0" like the number "8" has no beginning nor end, so it is something "eternal" the name "HaAdam" in Hebrew means "The Man" or "Humanity" This word also sums "50" when we use Hebrew gematria. So, is there a connection? One way we can look at this is; "At the time of harvest, at the time of "Yovel" (liberty) we will leave our bodies and return to Him who gave us life. We will be FREE of the sin which we are born with, inherited from Adam, yet we will become like "HaAdam" who was made pefect and sinless before he disobeyed and brought sin into the world. "Liberated" from our sinful tabernacle, we will rejoice in our "Yovel" and become like Messiah Yeshua/Jesus. pure and without sin. The parashah also talks about slaves and servants. An Israelite could not be considered a slave, but a servant, yet a foreigner could be considered a slave. Yet both treatments of the slave or servant had to be humane, and they had to be released during the time of Jubilee, every 50 years. Normally, a slave or servant would be released at the end of 6 years, however, if the slave or servant wished to remain with the master, the time with the master ended at the time of Jubilee. What this portion of Torah is saying is that ALL possessions, both material, animal, and human, belong to Adonai. We have each other, our material blessings for only a season. We should enjoy each other and the blessings that the LORD has given us, for a season, employers should treat their employees with respect and with honor (they would be like the slaves and servants in Biblical times) Employers have their employees, just for a season. I would repeat Psalm 24:1 again. Someday, when we stand before our Heavenly Father, we will be accountable for all the things we have been given, both human, animal, and material things. For the season in which they were given to us, how did we treat them? In the time of Jubilee, how will be stand before Yeshua? Something to think about. He has liberated us from the curse of sin by His death on Calvary's cross. His "Yovel" made us free, free to follow HIM and follow his commandments. It might seem a bit cloudy, but the sun will shine tomorrow. Clouds are part of life, and so is the SON shine! Key Largo, FL

EZEKIEL 44:15-31 In this prophetic book, the Prophets see into the future, the future priests of the third temple, (to be built in the near future) the descendants of “Zadok” will be the priests in the millennium, and the same high standards are for these priests as well. It also states the job of the priest: “And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and unholy, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean” This should also be the goal of every Torah teacher, rabbi, minister, pastor, etc. to teach the WHOLE TORAH, the WHOLE BIBLE in their place of worship and study, so that their sheep might follow their shepherd wholeheartedly and secure. LUKE 5:1-6:49 Yeshua speaks to the people from a boat. After teaching, He and Kefa go out on the lake, and the result is a boatload of fish. Kefa hears, yet protests, “We fished all night and caught nothing.” Yet he still obeys and “reaps the harvest.” Many fish are taken home to sell and eat. With simple obedience through faith, we can all reap the blessings that YHVH has in store for us. A little bit of faith, trust, and obedience, will bring in a big catch. Now, Kefa is promoted to be a “fisher-of-MEN” rescuing men’s souls from the grasp of HaSatan and bringing them into the Kingdom. Are you a fisher of men (and women) or are you still content with the small “fishy” things of life? You decide! Yeshua also, after the blessing of many fish, healed three people; one who had a skin disease, a person who was paralyzed, and a person who was “worldly-minded.” To the first He said; “be cleansed” To the second one He said; “Your sins are forgiven you” To the third, (Who was Matthew) He just said; “Follow me!” In all three cases, we have changed lives. When our sins are forgiven us, through repentance and accepting Yeshua as Messiah and LORD, we are “cleansed” (internally) and even at times, physically. And then, we “follow Him” which should be the logical reaction. “I have not called the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32) We must understand that everyone who is “righteous” (in right standing) similar to “Kadosh” was at one time “a sinner” (living a lifestyle of sin and rebellion). So, it is a change for the better, from a lost sinner to a “righteous” one who has been “born again.” The lost sinner needs to be instructed by the Torah unto righteousness, and the righteous need to be instructed by the Torah to “stay guided in the Path of Righteousness” We have all been called to minister unto those who need to know the LORD, to those who know the LORD yet need guidance, instruction, counsel, But be aware that the enemy, Satan, will attack, and turn people against you, even some in your own household. Perhaps not the case with everyone, yet, the enemy is aware of you, and if you are serious in ministering, you are a threat to the kingdom of Satan. Count it as a blessing that life on Earth is short and that before you know it, you will be standing before the LORD, to reap your reward, hopefully hear the Master's words; "Well done my faithful servant, welcome into the House of your LORD and Savior" Which Way do I go? Jesus said: I AM the WAY the Truth, and the Life, No one comes to the Father but by Me!

EZEKIEL 44:15-31 In this prophetic book, the Prophets see into the future, the future priests of the third temple, (to be built in the near future) the descendants of “Zadok” will be the priests in the millennium, and the same high standards are for these priests as well. It also states the job of the priest: “And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and unholy, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean” This should also be the goal of every Torah teacher, rabbi, minister, pastor, etc. to teach the WHOLE TORAH, the WHOLE BIBLE in their place of worship and study, so that their sheep might follow their shepherd wholeheartedly and secure. LUKE 5:1-6:49 Yeshua speaks to the people from a boat. After teaching, He and Kefa go out on the lake, and the result is a boatload of fish. Kefa hears, yet protests, “We fished all night and caught nothing.” Yet he still obeys and “reaps the harvest.” Many fish are taken home to sell and eat. With simple obedience through faith, we can all reap the blessings that YHVH has in store for us. A little bit of faith, trust, and obedience, will bring in a big catch. Now, Kefa is promoted to be a “fisher-of-MEN” rescuing men’s souls from the grasp of HaSatan and bringing them into the Kingdom. Are you a fisher of men (and women) or are you still content with the small “fishy” things of life? You decide! Yeshua also, after the blessing of many fish, healed three people; one who had a skin disease, a person who was paralyzed, and a person who was “worldly-minded.” To the first He said; “be cleansed” To the second one He said; “Your sins are forgiven you” To the third, (Who was Matthew) He just said; “Follow me!” In all three cases, we have changed lives. When our sins are forgiven us, through repentance and accepting Yeshua as Messiah and LORD, we are “cleansed” (internally) and even at times, physically. And then, we “follow Him” which should be the logical reaction. “I have not called the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32) We must understand that everyone who is “righteous” (in right standing) similar to “Kadosh” was at one time “a sinner” (living a lifestyle of sin and rebellion). So, it is a change for the better, from a lost sinner to a “righteous” one who has been “born again.” The lost sinner needs to be instructed by the Torah unto righteousness, and the righteous need to be instructed by the Torah to “stay guided in the Path of Righteousness” We have all been called to minister unto those who need to know the LORD, to those who know the LORD yet need guidance, instruction, counsel, But be aware that the enemy, Satan, will attack, and turn people against you, even some in your own household. Perhaps not the case with everyone, yet, the enemy is aware of you, and if you are serious in ministering, you are a threat to the kingdom of Satan. Count it as a blessing that life on Earth is short and that before you know it, you will be standing before the LORD, to reap your reward, hopefully hear the Master's words; "Well done my faithful servant, welcome into the House of your LORD and Savior" Which Way do I go? Which Way do I go? Yeshua said: I AM the WAY, the Truth, and the Life!

PARASHAH: “Emor” (say.) First of all. I want to thank God for 6 weeks of family time and fellowship with other believers in Miami, Florida and in Orlando. I went fishing and diving with my son David. Well, he's the fisherman and I am the swimmer and diver. He always seems to get the mangrove snappers under the bridge in the Florida Keys. I got to fellowship with Beth Hesed Messianic Congregation in Miami and with Shema Israel Yeshiva, where I graduated. In Orlando, I spent the weekend with "Shalom International Ministries "Casa de Israel." Miami is too expensive, but a wonderful place to live if you can afford the prices. Well, it is back to my PC and sending out these studies in God's Word. Brought back with me a lot of cheese! Even the airport drug dogs can sniff the cheese. Returned to El Salvador May 16th, in the evening. LEVITICUS 21:1-24:23 In this parashah study, we see more details on the sanctity, Holiness, and comportment of priests. When we read in chapter 21, we read that YHVH is very particular and pays much attention to the physical. We might think that God only looks upon the heart, but thousands of years ago, physical appearance was important, some with any imperfection; like a broken foot, blind in one eye, hunchback, dwarf…It doesn’t say that they could not serve in the Tabernacle or later on, the temple, but they couldn’t offer sacrifices. We must remember that the priest was a kind of mediator between the people and YHVH, Today, YESHUA the Messiah is our mediator, between us and the Father, and Yeshua was/IS without sin, perfect in all ways, both inside and outside. We may not know what he looked like physically, but we can know that he didn’t have any physical deformities, being God in the flesh. We read about the priest; “offering the food to Adonai” and many regulations in reference to “food”. It is talking about the animal offerings that were offered on the altar, yet the Hebrew word for “food” in this case is “Lechem” (bread). The priest had to be in perfect physical condition because he represented a perfect G-d. To be any less than “perfect” would have probably been a distraction. Today, Adonai does not look at our physical bodily conditions, as many people are born with physical defects. Adonai looks at the heart and into our spirit being. Before, the priests would offer up the “lechem” (food, bread) to Adonai, 2000 years ago, the “Bread of Life” was offered up for US! Today, what could be the “bread” that we could “offer to Adonai?” One could say that we offer up our service and spiritual gifts to HIM, through exercising the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit, by teaching others, preaching the Word, evangelizing, giving to others, etc…we are in a way, giving back “bread” to HaShem. He has given to us, and we give back to HIM through serving others and being faithful “priests” on earth. We can take note of Leviticus 22:31 and apply this to our lives as “Yeshua’s priests.” Therefore, you shall keep my commandments and perform them: I AM the LORD. You shall not profane my Holy Name, but I will be sanctified among “the Children of Israel (B’nei Yisrael)” I AM Adonai who sanctified you.” Of course, we can not keep ALL of the commandments set down in ancient times, yet many still apply to today’s life. We should learn them and take heed to them, and teach others HIS Torah! In doing this, we ARE hallowing HIS Holy Name. We also see regulations on marriage, touching dead things, etc.…the priest was in a class of his own. The priest was “God’s man” his “representative” on earth, so, as the priests had a higher calling, their expectations were much higher than the regular “Joe Israelite” There is a repeated phrase: “You shall not profane my Holy Name, I am YHVH (Yod Hey Vav Hey) “ when we act contrary to His commandments,and expectations as “B’nei Elohim” (children of God) we ARE profaning HIS Holy name, be it in words, or deeds. If the Israelites were observed by God through a looking glass, then the priests were observed by God through a microscope! If you get my drift! How are WE seen by our HOLY, SINLESS, GOD? Our standards are based on the Torah of Adonai. HIS standards should be OURS as well, yet we always come up lacking, because of our inborn sin nature. Thank Adonai for YESHUA, who bridged the gap caused by sin, to be our “high priest” before a Holy God, although our sin in dark and ugly, and we should see ourselves as such, because it is reality, through YESHUA, Our Heavenly Father sees us as “white as snow” or “white a wool” and now, under the new covenant, we are all “high priests” in his eyes, should not our expectations be as a “higher calling” just like the priests of old? We must also take into thought the phrase “Kiddush HaShem” which is “honoring/blessing/Holiness to the Name of Adonai” There are two Hebrew words that are almost the same; “Halel” and “Chilul” “Bless/praise” and “profane” in Hebrew, they are just three letters. The difference is the first letter; the “Hey” and the Chet” The difference between the two is just a line which is about one millimeter. What can we say? There is just a fine line between “blessing” the name of God, or “profaning” the name of God. We must be careful of our words, and deeds, least we “bless” with one breath, and then take another breath and “profane”. The idea of the “priests being holy, for I AM Holy” is there in this parashah. The difference in the words, “Kadosh” (Holy) and “Kadoshim” (holy ones) is that when YHVH talks about HIS Holiness, the word “Kadosh” has the “vav”, the letter “o” that letter symbolizes the “nail” whereas our “holiness” lacks the “vav” since we did NOT receive the “nails” only YESHUA did, who received them in our place! We can see a case of “profaning the Name of God” in Leviticus 24:11 when the son of a “mixed marriage” (An Israelite woman married to an Egyptian man) had a fight in the camp and cursed, or profaned, blasphemed the Name of Adonai. He was put to death by stoning. We see the name of the woman though, it was “Shelomith” daughter of “Dibri” The name “Shelomith” can be considered the feminine version of “Shalom’ (peace) and the name “Dibri” can be considered “My Word” from the word “Debar” Almost the same as “Dibrei” (words of) Together, “My words of Peace” yet just the opposite was seen, the son was fighting and profaned the Name of Adonai, so far away from “peace” Could the Egyptian father have had some negative influence on the son? Whenever there is a mixed marriage, a believer with an unbeliever, there is bound to be strife and lack of peace, since the couple are like “pulling against each other on a rope” and sooner or later, the rope is going to break. Chap 23: “HaMoedim of YHVH” (The feasts of the LORD). Here the special days of worship and assembly are mentioned, the first being the “Sabbath Day” it is a “day of Rest” a time of worship and coming together to worship Adonai and learn from HIS Word through His teachers, pastors, rabbis, evangelists, etc. The Sabbath day was NEVER changed to Sunday. Not that it was bad to come together on Sundays, any day of the week is a good time to come together. It just became customary for the believers in the first century to come together on the “first day of the week” like it is mentioned in Acts, to fellowship and eat together, but the believers ALWAYS considered Saturday, the Sabbath, the special and the official appointed day for rest, worship, and Bible study. For me, the sabbath and Sunday are both special days to worship God and study his word with other believers. The Passover and days of unleavened bread, symbolize Messiah Yeshua in our lives as the “Lamb of God” who took away the sin of the world, and who is also, the “Bread of Life”, who was “roasted in the fires of judgment for our sins, whose blood was shed for our sins, once and forever. The “matzah” bread without leaven symbolizes Yeshua as the Bread of Life, without sin (leaven). And his blood is symbolized by the wine. The Feast of First Fruits and Shavuot; counting 50 days from the time of Passover, to celebrate the blessing of a good and fruitful harvest of grains, (wheat and barley, the main crops). On Shavuot or “Pentecost” two leavened loaves of bread were made, each weighing about 5 pounds, and were “waved” by the priest before the LORD in a special ceremony. These loaves symbolize the blessings of YHVH, they could also represent Israel and the Nations, “2” is the number of “unity” and “division” we are all “united” to YHVH by Messiah Yeshua and have been “divided” or “separated” from the lost world of sin, YET, we still have our sin nature, noted by the leaven in the loaves of bread. It was also on “Shavuot” that the Torah was given on Mt. Sinai The Feast of Trumpets, “Yom Teruah” symbolizes the start of the “days of Awe” when we reflect on our own relationship with Adonai. How do we measure up to God’s standards? Lacking? Fall short? I would say YES. 10 days later, comes “Yom Kippur” the day of “covering” or “Atonement” which was when the high priest came into the Holy of Holies, once a year, to commune with Adonai. This day points to Calvary, when Yeshua’s blood “atoned” for our sins, past, present, and future. It is a day of fasting, repentance, and soul searching. It is a day when we are accustomed to dress in white. Feast of Tabernacles, or “Sukkot” is a joyous festival, when the “harvest” is in, kind of like “Thanksgiving” in the US of A. The time when God came to earth in human form as Yeshua, born in Beit Lechem, being raised learning carpentry and Torah, a teacher of Torah, healer of diseases, a raiser of the dead, and a sacrifice for our sins. This festivity was for 7 days, “7” the perfect number, and a special “8th” day “Hoshanah Raba” when the customary reading of the Torah starts over again from Genesis. It also symbolizes when the Israelites lived in tents, “temporary dwellings” as our bodies are “temporary dwellings” for our souls and for the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. Chapter 24: The Menorah, the lamps were lit from dusk to morning, and the menorah was made of gold, which symbolizes perfection. The flame/light symbolizes Yeshua who is the “Light of the World” and the “all-consuming fire” and also, all believers are the “lights of the world” reflecting the SON light! “Table of Shewbread” which was in the Holy place across from the Menorah. Has 12 loaves of unleavened bread, representing the 12 tribes of Israel, again, Yeshua the “Bread of Life” Hey, maybe that was where the idea of the “bagel” came from, bread with a hole in middle, who knows! Maybe! This bread was for Aaron and his sons. May you trust in the "Bread of Life" our "High Priest" as your LORD and Savior. Yeshua/Jesus paid it all on the Cross of Calvary. Let's not profane His Name, neither by word nor deed, May His holiness show in our lives. Twilight at 27,000 feet, from Miami to El Salvador (5/16/2025)