Archive for the ‘Biblical Reflections’ Category
One of the so-called “minor” festival days within Jewish tradition falls today, January 30th, which also happens to be a Sabbath day this year of 2010. It is called in Hebrew Tu b’Shevat which literally means “15th of Shebat,” referring to the 11th month/moon on the Jewish/biblical calendar (called Shevat, see Zech 1:7). We are not certain of the origins of all the names of the Jewish months, since in the Hebrew Bible months are normally just numbered, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and so forth. However, the Hebrew word shevat does mean a staff or rod, and thus by extension a “tribe.” One of the more interesting references to the 11th month is Deuteronomy 1:3 where Moses gives his final message to the assemblies of Israel east of the Jordan on the 1st of Shevat, which would have been the New Moon.
In Hebrew numbers are expressed by letters, Alef=1, Bet=2, Gimmel=3 and so forth. By such a system the number fifteen would be “ten & five” which is Yod Heh–however, since Yod Heh is an abbreviation for YHVH, the Divine and Holy Name of God, a substitute combination of Tet (nine) and Vav (six) are used–Thus the designation TU. The 15th of any lunar month is also the Full Moon and since Shevat, or the 11th month, often falls in late January/early February, it is the biggest and brightest moon of the year, sometimes called the “Wolf Moon,” see National Geographic story “Biggest Full Moon.”
In Jewish tradition this festival of the Full Moon of Shevat is also called the “festival of the Trees” and it marks a “new year” in terms of trees and their fruit, based on the Torah command in Leviticus 19:23-24: “When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, then you shall regard its fruit as “uncircumcised” (i.e., forbidden). Three years it shall be forbidden to you; it must not be eaten. And in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the Yehovah. But in the fifth year you may eat of its fruit, to increase its yield for you: I am the Yehovah your God.” This passage is viewed as having great significance, both practically and mystically, and it falls within the Holiness Code of the Torah (Lev 19), one of the more inspiring and universal collections of mitzvot or teachings.
In Israel and throughout the world it is a day of the planting of trees. It is also said that on the 15th of the 11th month the sap in the trees begins to rise signaling the end of winter, and the almond trees blossom by this day. I heard from a friend in Israel just this week that indeed the almond trees are out in full all over the Land. Since trees as so often used in the Hebrew Bible to represent human beings, their lifespan, and their potential to “bear fruit,” both the planting of a tree and its eventual growth and gifts are understood to represent symbolic meaning as well (see Psalm 1:3; 92:13; Eccl 12:1-7).
This day is also connected to the ma’aseror “tithe” of produce, as related to trees, fruit, and other produce.
In terms of the Torah text itself just as a tree is planted with future hope of fruit, but without any immediate result until at least three years of growth, plus a 4th year of dedication to YHVH, and then only in the 5th year the fruit is eaten–humans have similar experiences of new beginnings or “plantings” that do not yield immediate results but one must “wait” for the results to appear. Fruit trees continue to represent to most of us a picture of pardes or Paradise, as well as the original diet of human beings (Genesis 1:29; 2:9). Such a diet (called in Hebrew zeor’im or “seeds”) was seen as ideal and conducive to spiritual development. Daniel and his three companions in Babylon separate themselves from the food and wine of the king and for three years of “testing” eat “from the seeds,” experiencing health and spiritual insights and power far beyond their peers (Daniel 1:14-15).
As sundown fell across Israel, Europe, and the United States last evening millions of Jews and many others who care about the history of Israel are marking the advent of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication. What might be lost is the historical grounding of the feast of Hanukkah itself, which seems to actually derive from Friday’s date: Kislev 24 or the 24th day of the 9th month of the Jewish calendar. Notice carefully this historical background:
The book of the prophet Haggai comes to us from the 2nd year of the Persian King Darius, late summer, August, 520 BCE. It is one of the most precisely dated books in the Hebrew Bible, much like its sister Zechariah, and its twin Malachi. The three go together, like peas in the pod, both coming from that crucial time of the “restoration” of Judah to the Land following the Babylonian captivity. Collectively they are our LAST WORD from Yehovah in terms of how the redemption is to unfold. It is very likely, based on Haggai 1:12, where the Prophet is called the “messenger of Yehovah,” that Haggai is in fact the author of the book we call Malachi, as this book is just named “My Messenger,” and the name of the prophet who wrote it is not given. Both Haggai and Zechariah address their contemporary situation, as one would expect, and are concerned that the Temple be rebuilt and that the constitution of the new state of Judah be ordered according to the Torah. However, if read carefully, both clearly understand that this restoration of Judah is only a preliminary, even symbolic step, to a coming GREAT restoration of Judah and ALL Israel. Even though there is a Priest (Joshua), and a Governor (Zerubbabel) of the Davidic line, there is no anointing of the BRANCH figure of whom both Isaiah and Jeremiah had spoken. One way of putting this is to say that Haggai and Zechariah are working in the tall shadow of JEREMIAH (see especially chapters 30-31), and they know, from his clear and powerful prophecies, that the final days have not come with this tiny little beachhead return of a portion of Judah to the land. But they do believe that this return of Judah is a “sign” of things to come, and a guarantee that the Plan of Yehovah, to fill the earth with justice and righteousness, through Abraham’s seed, is not to fall to the ground.
And that leads us to the curious and fascinating references to the 24th day of the 9th month–Kislev 24 in modern Jewish parlance.
Notice, reading the book of Haggai is sequential, it takes you through the last months of the year. It begins with the Rosh Chodesh of the 6th month (August), takes you through the 21st day of the 7th month (2:1), which is the last day of Sukkoth (October), and then into December–with the 24th day of the 9th month. Haggai’s third and fourth messages come on this very day. It is a short book, and if you skim it through you will see the building sequence.
Kislev 24 is mentioned FOUR times in the second chapters, verses 10, 15, 18 and 20. Twice it is emphasized that “from THIS DAY FORWARD I will bless you,” and twice Haggai gets a special Word from Yehovah, on this very day. You have to read the whole chapter to get the context, but the message is basically that Yehovah will “SHAKE the heavens and the earth and ALL NATIONS,” overthrowing their power, anoint the chosen one (symbolized in that day by Zerubbabel), and essentially make Jerusalem the new world capital. For the DETAILS you need to go back, of course, to Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah in particular, as they set forth the entire agenda to which Haggai only briefly alludes.
This message is addressed to the two “messiahs,” the Priest and the “King” or Governor, Joshua and Zerubbabel, respectively (2:4-5). They become “signifiers” of things to come. They are not the final anointed ones, and Zechariah picks this up in his visions, especially chapters 4 and 6. These symbolic figures, as well as the promised presence of the Holy Spirit (see 2:5 and Zech 4:6!), are the guarantee that Yehovah will bring about these promises.
Notice, Zechariah begins getting his visions and messages in the 8th month of that same year (Zech 1:1), or mid-November. He has EIGHT night visions, they are all quite difficult to follow, but prophetically important in forecasting the redemptive future. There is much more detail in Zechariah, but the two, Haggai and Zechariah, should be read in tandem, as one explains the other. Now, note carefully, Kislev 24 is not specifically mentioned in Zechariah, but it is alluded to in chapter 4:8-10. It is the famous “day of small things,” that one might be led to “despise,” because after all, this tiny little remnant of Judah, beginning to lay the foundation of a nondescript temple, under the mighty thumb of the Persian empire, was hardly even worthy of the name of a city-state, much less a world kingdom, and yet had HOPES and DREAMS and promises of world dominion!
Chapters 7-14 of Zechariah, which he gets two years later, are quite different. They are straightforward and fairly plain, laying out, likely in some sequential order, both the preliminary events, and the detailed climax, of the “time of the end.”
So, what about Kislev 24? It seems to have a three-fold meaning. First, in the time of Haggai and Zechariah, it was the day MARKED for the promise that the redemption would ultimately come about, not by power, nor by might, but by the Spirit of Yehovah–but “in its time.” Second, subsequently though history, this day seems to be one upon which key events take place, perhaps only a few of which have been recognized down through history. And finally, it might well turn out that on some Kislev 24 in the future, that date will serve as a “countdown marker” for the unfolding of the mysterious 1260/1290/1335/2300 days of Daniel’s visions, which interested Sir Isaac Newton so much.
During the period of the Maccabees, when Syrian ruler Antiochus IV unleashed his great persecution against the Jews of Judea/Palestine, it was on Kislev 24 that the enemy was defeated and the Temple freed from its desecration. That is why the festival of Chanukah is celebrated beginning at sundown, at the end of Kislev 24. In other words, it is NOT so much Chanukah that is important, as its marker date: Kislev 24. It seems to become a kind of banner date in history that marks any kind of “signal” of future redemption.
Fast forward to December 9, 1917. General Allenby, leading the British forces (remember Lawrence of Arabia), liberates Jerusalem for the first time in centuries from Turkish/Muslim rule. The date on the Jewish calendar–you guessed it: Kislev 24! That evening the Jewish soldiers in the British army celebrated Chanukah and went to the Wall in openness and freedom. The Torah reading that week was Mikketz (Gen 41), where JOSEPH is raised to power and saves Judah. And the Haphtorah reading, for the special Sabbath of Chanukah, as it is today, is the fascinating Zechariah 2:14-4:7! Note how it begins: “I have returned to Zion,” which seems to be the essential meaning of THIS DAY.
It is doubtful that Allenby was aware, during the heat of the battle, of even Chanukah, but certainly he knew nothing of Kislev 24.
If we begin checking in history over the past 2520 years (remember that number), there have been numerous times when Kislev 24 has played a large part, and even a smaller more symbolic part, in the unfolding of redemptive history. For example, no matter what one’s view of Yeshua might be, it seems in all likelihood that Yeshua was conceived on this day, nine months before his birth in September 3 BCE.
Some UIWU officers also noticed some years ago that the encounter David Horowitz had at the cave with his teacher Moshe Guibbory, as recounted in his autobiography, Thirty-three Candles, was on Friday night, December 16/17, 1927–and again, you guessed it, this was Kislev 24th. The Torah reading was Vayeshev, which begins the Joseph cycle, and the Haphtorah was Amos 2:6-3:8, which seems quite appropriate. Horowitz had no idea of this until over 50 years later when it was pointed out to him by others.
Now, a tiny bit on the numbers. Note, these important visions came in the year 520 BCE. The year 2000/2001 marks 2520 years since that first Kislev 24 vision of Haggai. The number 2520 is interesting, it has several mystical mathematical properties, but one most obvious one is that it is 7 x 360, or seven “prophetic years.” A prophetic year in the Bible is 360 days, thus we get in the books of Daniel and Revelation the period of 1260 days for 3.5 years. There are a number of indications, both in the Torah and Prophets, especially Ezekiel, that a kind of “day for a year” principle applies in Prophecy, and accordingly, the official “Exile” of Joseph and Judah would last 2520 years. Perhaps this is the meaning of the phrase “after two days” and “on the third day” references in Hosea 6. Now Judah was essentially “restored” in type at least, in the year 520, but the full restoration, and the union of things between Judah and Joseph is yet to come, “after two days” according to Hosea (a day is a “thousand years” in these prophetic texts). The point is, based on this chronology, we are “in” the third day, as of the year 2000. And indeed, it does appear we have begun to experience a “shaking of all things.” Whether this is the ultimate upheaval to which Haggai refers remains to be seen.
It is also worth noting, in terms of Kislev 24, that if you add 2300 days (the figure in Daniel 8) to that day, you always, on the Jewish calendar, come to the last day of Unleavened Bread, oddly something like 6.3 years later. In other words, it is sort of a strange figure. And there are then various interesting ways, too complicated to go into here, that the periods of Daniel (1260/1290/1335) fit in, taking one to Shavuot of any given sequence of years. We do know for certain that the 2300 “days” was fulfilled as a “day for a year” running from Alexander’s defeat of Darius in 334 BCE (June 7), to the day, to June 7, 1967–when Jerusalem was liberated by the Israelis in the Six Day War. The point seems to be that Alexander’s march to Jerusalem began a period of 2300 days/years of the trampling of Jerusalem. So what this seems to indicate is that there is a larger (day for a year) fulfillment of these periods, as well as a shorter “day for a day” fulfillment, once the “countdown” begins.
One might conclude then, from these indications, that on some Kislev 24, at some year “on our days and in our time” (whether past or future), people will come to recognize that Haggai’s “shaking” did indeed begin. It does not seem likely that time has quite yet come, but every year at this time one’s thoughts go to this date, given such an important designation by Haggai and Zechariah. On a personal level, it seems it can always be a date of “renewal” for any of us, and a time of new beginnings, looking to both the past and to the future.
The book of Hosea/Hoshea’ is the book of all books when it comes to the deeper prophetic vision of the fate and future of the so-called Northern Kingdom, or “house of Israel,” in contrast to the “house of Judah,” to use the Biblical terminology. It is seldom read with much discrimination by either Jews or Christians in terms of these two “houses,” but anyone who spends a bit of time with it, even the first chapter, will quickly realize it is addressed almost exclusively to the northern house of Israel, also called by the name of the tribe “Ephraim” who became the head/birthright tribe of ALL Israel, notice carefully:
Reuben was the firstborn but his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, “For Judah became strong among his brothers and a Nagid (chief, anointed one) was appointed from him, but the birthright belonged to Joseph” (1 Chron 5:1-2).
As such the there was, is, and will be a bit of “jealousy” and “hostility” between the two houses, as Isaiah 11:13 makes clear, particularly as the two houses are drawn back to the Land.
Hosea really tells it all, and as Zechariah is very much the Prophet focused on the return of Judah to the Land, Hosea is focused on Israel/Ephraim. Accordingly, their destinies are quite different as are their specific roles and experiences in final return to the Land. The Prophets of Isaiah and Jeremiah “broad brush” the overview but it is specifically in Hosea that the sharp detailed future of Israel/Ephraim is projected.
There is much to absorb in that regard, as Israel (not Judah) becomes “Not my People,” and “No Mercy,” her two new names, and thus loses its identity as Israel. The image Hosea is given is that of a formal divorce of a husband to sends away an adulterous wife, and based on Torah such a banning is to be permanent not temporary (Deut 24). This means that the northern kingdom, for all practical purposes “become Gentiles” to put it in plain English, or as Hosea puts it, “they shall be wanderers among the nations” and will number as the “sands of the sea.” They follow an “east wind” to the West. During their “many days” of separation they are essentially cut off from the access to and knowledge of YHVH, which Judah continues to experience through king and priest as well as the revelation of Torah and Prophets.
The way in which Israel/Ephraim finally is brought back is most interesting. The main passage in Hosea that sketches this out, also using a “marriage” image, is the following, and the details and language are most instructive and complex:
“Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. (15) And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt. (16) And in that day, declares YHVH, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Lord” (Baal) (17) For I will remove the names of the Lord (Baalim) from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more. (18) And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. (19) And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. (20) I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know YHVH. (21) “And in that day I will answer, declares YHVH, I will answer the heavens, and they shall answer the earth, (22) and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil, and they shall answer Jezreel, (23) and I will sow her for myself in the land. And I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People,‘You are my people’; and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’” (Hosea 2:15-23; but 2:14ff in Christian Bibles).
Both what proceeds and follows this key central passage on the “return” and re-marriage of Ephraim/Israel to YHVH is vital to follow but here I focus just on three key elements of this section. Notice:
How: The means of the regathering:YHVH will “allure” Ephraim. This is an most interesting and important one, the Hebrew word “patah” (different but related to patach “to open”). It is usually a negative term, for one who is so “open” as to be simple and thus easily fooled or enticed, but it can mean, in a certain context such as this, to draw one in, thus “allure” is a good translation. Some translations, picking up on the context of YHVH as lover, use the verb “to woo” her. What is implied is that an attachment to another/s, in this case “Lords” is dissolved and a renewal of vows toward YHVH takes place. Israel is actually “in love” and drawn to YHVH.
Where: The setting is “in the wilderness,” and specifically identified with the “door” of entry at Achor, down toward the Dead Sea in the Judean desert and southward to the Negev. It is the same “route” ancient Israel used in coming up out of Egypt in entering the Land across from Jericho. How literal one is to take this is an open question but the description is “alluring” to say the least.
When: It is a time of the bow, sword and war in the Land where there is no safety.
To understand how the “alluring” takes place, that is, its setting, one has to read carefully Hosea 2:1-13, where a rich, and prosperous Ephraim, tied to and happy with her lovers/Baalim, is stripped naked and loses everything, and thus ends up in the “desert” situation Hosea addresses, whether literally or figuratively.
Much to ponder here but if you have not read through Hosea lately it might prove quite instructive in evaluating the situation today of Judah in the Land.
This thoughtful article by Rabbi Riskin in the Jerusalem Post on Friday was worth passing along. Also, be sure and tune into the live video or audio broadcast on the weekly Torah portions coming to you from Temple Sinai and the Roots of Faith congregation, 10:30 CST each Sabbath:
http://rootsoffaith.org/streaming-video
Parashat Vayera: Why Israel is God’s Chosen
Nov. 5, 2009
Shlomo Riskin , THE JERUSALEM POST
I have loved [known] him in order that he will command compassionate righteousness and moral justice… Genesis 18:19)
In last week’s portion, Lech Lecha, we read of God’s covenant with Abraham – that seminal event which made Israel the Chosen People. An important contemporary theologian, Michael Wyschogrod, maintains that our covenant is a result of God’s preferential love for the descendants of Abraham, through which He continues to “dwell within the continuity of historic or corporate Israel.”
The Bible itself teaches (Deut. 4:37-38; 7:7,8), “He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their seed after them, and brought you out in His presence with great power from Egypt, to drive out nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in and give you their land for an inheritance… God did not love you and choose you because you were greater in number than any people; rather, you were the fewest of any people; it was because the Lord loved you and because He would keep the oath He swore to your ancestors….”
This is how Wyschogrod formulates his thesis: if God continues to love the people of Israel – and it is the faith of Israel that He does – it is because He sees the face of His beloved Abraham in each and every one of his offspring, as a man sees the face of his beloved in the children of their union. (See Meir Y. Soloveichik, God’s First Love, First Things, November 2009).
I would maintain, however, that God’s election of Abraham was not merely an act of love but rather a morally directed charge in keeping with the fundamental definition of ethical monotheism. This is made clear in this week’s portion; “And Abraham shall surely become a great and powerful nations, through whom all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; it is to this end that I have known [loved, specifically appointed] him; in order that he will command his children and his household after him to guard the way of the Lord, to do compassionate righteousness and moral justice (tzedaka umishpat), in order that the Lord may bring you, Abraham, whatever He has said He would.” (Genesis 18:18, 19)
The divine election of Abraham and his descendants is explained by their responsibility for spreading God’s message of compassionate righteousness and moral justice. This fits with the ancient definition of a covenant – a two-way street of mutual obligations. This covenant between God and our ancestors provided an enlightened alternative to the corrupt societal structures which brought about Divine punishment through deluge, fire and brimstone. And even though God unconditionally guarantees that Abraham’s seed – the Jewish people will never be destroyed – our ability to live in the Land of Israel as a sovereign nation is dependent upon our moral and ethical worthiness.
The relationship between our status as a nation and our ethical standing is iterated and reiterated throughout the Bible. Even those biblical passages which emphasize divine love as the reason for the election conclude with a warning: “But you shall observe the statutes and commandments which I have commanded you this day, that it may go well with you and with your children so you may lengthen your days on the land which the Lord your God has given you…” (Deut. 4:40)… “And you shall know that the Lord your God, He is God the faithful God who observes the covenant and – lovingkindness for those who love Him and observe His commandments … So you shall observe the commandment and the statutes and the laws which I have commanded you this day to do them (Deut. 7:9-11).
Indeed the Bible prophecies two destructions and exiles – one foretelling the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE (Lev. 26:14), “if they will not hearken unto Me,” and the second dealing with the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE and the second exile (Deut. 28:15), “And it will happen if they do not hearken to the voice of the Lord your God…” The prophet Isaiah (1: 27) even refers to the divine charge to Abraham when he insists that ultimately “Zion shall be redeemed by means of moral justice [mishpat] and [Israel] shall return [to her land] by means of compassionate righteousness [tzedaka].” No wonder that these are the concluding words of our prophetic reading (haftara) on the Shabbat before Tisha Be’av, the anniversary of the destruction of both Temples.
The message which emerges from this study should be clear and frightening. God loves and believes in Abraham’s progeny, and there will always be a faithful remnant worthy of redemption. But whether our present miraculous return – “the beginning of the sprouting of our redemption” – will truly flower into the long-anticipated salvation of our nation and the world depends on our penitent hearkening to God’s voice, and our ability to serve as a sacred model of compassionate righteousness and moral justice.
The writer is the founder and chancellor of Ohr Torah Stone Colleges and Graduate Programs, and chief rabbi of Efrat.
On Sunday July 26th, Keith Johnson and Nehemia Gordon, authors of A Prayer to our Father, will talk about their book at a special event sponsored by United Israel and hosted by Dr. James D. Tabor at the Doubletree Inn & Suites located in South Park (6300 Morrison Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28211 Tel: 704-364-2400). This meeting will be from 4-6pm in the Barringer room. The public is invited and there is no admission charge. Copies of the book will be available for purchase.
Two billion Christians worldwide consider the Lord’s Prayer the ultimate expression of their faith—but few know the stunning story of its Hebrew origins. A Prayer to Our Father (175 pp., tpb, $19.95) is the true story of an exciting journey of faith of a Jewish Bible scholar and an African American pastor who join forces to uncover the truth about the most beloved prayer in the Christian world.
Their provocative new book reads like a detective novel. Written by two most unlikely collaborators, the charismatic personalities of the authors are as riveting as the story. Former chaplain to the Minnesota Vikings, Keith Johnson has ministered to some of the top names in the NFL and NBA. Jerusalem-based Jewish scholar and author, Nehemia Gordon, has spent his career translating the Dead Sea Scrolls and studying the deep mysteries of the Jewish religion.
Johnson and Gordon’s gripping adventure begins in the ancient city of Jerusalem and takes them to the very spot in Galilee where Jesus taught the multitudes to pray. Along the way they discover a Hebrew version of the Lord’s Prayer, preserved in secret by Jewish rabbis for over a thousand years. Their riveting journey and extraordinary relationship are chronicled in A Prayer to Our Father.
See the Website: http://www.aprayertoourfather.com/ for further details on the book and the background of the authors.
Nehemia Gordon holds a Masters Degree in Biblical Studies and a Bachelors Degree in Archaeology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Gordon has worked as a translator on the Dead Sea Scrolls and as a researcher deciphering ancient Hebrew manuscripts. He has been invited to speak in synagogues and churches around the world and has led groups of pilgrims and visitors on tours of biblical sites. A native of Chicago, Nehemia has made his home in Jerusalem, Israel for the last fifteen years.
Keith Johnson earned his Masters of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and has spent nearly two decades in Christian ministry. As an ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church, Johnson has served as pastor of Park Avenue Church in Minneapolis and as chaplain of the Minnesota Vikings. Johnson was also chosen as one of only 40 chaplains from around the world to serve the athletes of the 1996 Olympics Games in Atlanta. Keith lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife and sons.
Waiting in hope, I surely waited in hope for YeHoVaH!
He stretched out toward me; He listened to my scream!
He pulled me up from the pit of waste; from the miry mud,
He set my feet upon a rock, made my steps firm.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our Elohim.
Many will see and they will fear and they will put trust in YeHoVaH.
Happy is the man who sets in YeHoVaH his trust! (Psalm 40:1-5)
Bless my life-breath YeHoVaH! And all inside me his holy Name!
Bless my life-breath YeHoVaH! And don’t forget all His retributions:
The One excusing all your wrong doings; The One healing all your illnesses;
The One buying back your lives from the pit of destruction;
The One who wreathes your head with Chesed and Rachamim (faithful love & mercies);
The One who satiates you with the good;
Of your ornamentation he makes new like an eagle your youths. (Psalm 103:1-5)
Yesterday on Shabbat Jews and other Torah oriented folk who follow the weekly cycle of Torah readings (Parashot) began the second scroll of the Torah, namely Exodus or “Shemot” in Hebrew. In Hebrew the books of the Torah take their names from the first key word of the opening line, in this case “These are the names (Heb shemot) of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each coming with his own household (Exodus 1:1).
Likewise, each Torah reading, week by week, takes its name from the first words of the first line of a given section or division, so in this case, the name of the first Torah reading from the book of Exodus is the same as the book itself–Shemot/Names, and runs from Exodus 1:1 through 6:1.
It is a rather amazing prelude to the Exodus story, not only providing the account of the birth of Moses, the greatest Prophet of human history (see Deut 34:10), but it quickly covers, in summary fashion, his life up to age 80 when he is tending the flocks of his father-in-law Jethro, in the area of Horeb, which is most likely known today as Paran, in the NE Sinai peninsula. At age 80 one would think, given the history of Moses’s flight as a fugitive from Egypt, and his 40 years in the household of Jethro, that his life was basically set with the main events now past. Yet the rest of the Torah recounts the final 40 years of Moses’s life, that proved to be more critical than any of his previous 80 years. At the core of his subsequent story, and at the absolute center of his experiences, was his initial encounter with YHVH, whom he encountered as mysterious voice emerging from a flaming bush that was somehow not consumed but kept burning brightly as he got closer. Then he heard, “Moses Moses,” and one who identified himself in the first person: “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses took off his shoes and hid his face–for the ground itself was holy through this unprecedented manifestation of YHVH.
It was this fateful encounter that changed the history of the world. Moses is called in the Torah the “meekest man in all the earth” (Numbers 12:3), and he considers himself wholly inadequate for the awesome task God assigns to him–namely to go to the Pharaoh of Egypt and tell him face to face–YHVH, the God of Israel, commands you to Let My People Go.”
It is difficult to read these words today without putting this familiar story into the category of a “Bible story,” far removed from the real world of nations, peoples, and governments such as ours today. Step back and actually try to imagine Moses as a shepherd in the desert, following the extraordinary life experiences of his past, long ago having given up on any significant role to his life beyond his family–and suddenly having this encounter that turned everything around and ended up changing everything–setting the stage for the Mt Sinai encounter and revelation, the greatest even in human history. One has to think back to Abraham, who in Genesis 12, also heard a voice, the manner of which is not reported, but is told to leave his country and kindred to a land that he would be shown–to pull up everything and become the first “Hebrew,” or wandering one who had left the civilization beyond the River (Euphrates) following a vision and a voice in his head that promised him a destiny that would change the world.
When you think about it, Abraham and Moses, and their two encounters with YHVH, both decisive in their own way, become the foundation of all that subsequently follows…
Today’s Torah reading, Vaychi, lit. “and he lived”: Genesis 47:28-50:26, ends the book of Genesis. It contains many fascinating elements, including the death-bed scene of the last hours of Jacob with his special blessing of the sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, as well as prophetic says regarding his twelve sons and what would befall them in the “latter days.” If one reads carefully the language, although it is recorded in the mouth of Jacob, the first person references seem to fit better as YHVH speaking through him. Also, even though this section is often referred to as the “blessings of Jacob” upon his sons, the text does not say that. Rather it says that Jacob tells them what will “befall them in the afterward days…” In fact, these sayings actually contain curses, at least in the cases of Reuben, Simon, and Levi–the three eldest of the twelve sons.
A few random observations…
Joseph is told that he would “become a assembly of peoples,” which is echoed by the general prediction that Jacob subsequently offers–Joseph will be a “fruitful wine” whose branches run over the wall, as watered by a well. He is made strong by the “hand of the Might One (‘Avir) of Jacob” (49:22-24). Most surprising then is the statement that “from thence (Joseph’s line) comes the shepherd the Stone of Israel (v. 24). This blessings seems to anticipate some redemptive role for one of the descendants of Joseph, whereas one normally thinks of Judah as the tribe bringing forth the messianic line. This might be our earliest hint of the notion of two “messiahs,” one of Judah and the other of Joseph…
Ephraim the younger son of Joseph, receives the “birthright” over Manasseh his older brother, to whom the blessing would normally come as firstborn. Both are to become great, but the younger Ephraim is to be even greater, as he will become a “fullness of nations.”
This is explained in 1 Chronicles 5:1 as the “birthright” being given to “Joseph” over Reuben, the firstborn, because of the latter’s sexual sins. Even in Gen 49 Jacob says to Reuben “You shall not excel.”
A similarly negative evaluation is put upon Simon and Levi, despite the honor that is given to the tribe of Levi, and the priests as sons of Aaron, among the Jewish people to this day. What Jacob says of them is rather shocking–”Let my soul not come into their council.” He then curses them and declares “I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel,” indicating, that these prophetic words of Jacob are understood to really be the words of YHVH through him.
Judah is blessed but his blessing contains the interesting and mysterious line: “The staff shall not depart from Judah, nor the sceptre between his feet, until Shiloh come, and to him shall the obedience of the peoples.” I have translated this rather literally here, making Shiloh a proper name, as I think it likely is. Others render this phrase “until he comes to Shiloh,” or “until he comes to whom it belongs,” or even “until tribute come to him.” One is tempted here to bring in the similar phrasing of Ezekiel 21:27 “…until he comes whose right it is,” which is connected to the ending of the Solomonic line Judean kings in the person of Jeconiah (compare Jeremiah 22:24-30), with some future rightful heir to take the rulership.
It is worth noting, perhaps, that the gematria of Shiloh is 358–the same as the Hebrew word “Moshiah” or messiah. Indeed, it seems likely, given the close context in this passage of Jacob’s sayings, that the idea of the “sceptre” departing from Judah, and perhaps then being given to Joseph is a definite possibility, given the language of 49:24.
The death and burial of Jacob in his own land are moving and poignant, and the book of Genesis ends with the death of Joseph at 110 years old. Notice, he is put in a “box,” (Hebrew ‘aron), or coffin, the same word used for the “ark” or box that holds the stone tablets with the ten words in Exodus–so much for any holy or special meaning for the word “ark.”
These are some of my notes for the Torah portion this week. I have plenty of other thoughts but I wanted to send these out early and encourage you to read the portion this week.
This week’s Torah lesson begins with a story about Moses sending out leaders from every tribe (except Levi) to explore the land of Canaan. They are often referred to as “spies”, but the Hebrew word “tur” literally means to seek out or explore. Their purpose is to bring back information – specific information requested by Moses and so in a way, they are to “spy out” the land.
Chapter 13:4-15 gives the names of these leaders. Two of these leaders (interestingly enough…one from Judah and one from Ephraim) bring back a good report while the others give an “unfavorable report” (see 14:32). They are to search out and report on the following:
1. What is the land like?
2. Are the people weak or strong?
3. Are they few or many?
4. Is the land good or bad?
5. Are the towns walled or not?
6. Are there trees or not?
And finally they are told to “be bold” and bring back some of the fruit of the land (13:17-20).
The reconnaissance mission takes them 40 days. Caleb, the leader representing the tribe of Judah and Hoshea, the leader representing the tribe of Ephraim (whose name is changed by Moses to Yehoshua – 14:16) bring back the good report.
There is a lot of clamor in the camp as the “spies” relate what they saw. Caleb quiets the people before Moses and tries to encourage the people to take possession, but again this week we find the people complaining and even desiring death or a return to Egypt rather than the prospect of pushing onward into the land of promise.
I find that the allure of what one knows can be very distracting to people in the quest. The unknown is not the popular choice for most, and slavery can be difficult to shake off. People can grow comfortable in the most uncomfortable situations.
The valiant two give the people their best arguments to move ahead. They tell the Israelites that the LORD is with them and warn the people not to “rebel against the LORD”, but this only brought them threats of stoning (14:5-10)!
God is angered by the poor choice of the people and wants to destroy them, disinherit them and start over with Moses (14:11-12). Moses intercedes for the people reminding God of His very nature. Notice what he says -
“Let the power of the LORD be great in the way that you promised when you spoke, saying: The LORD is slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love (hesed), forgiving iniquity and transgressing, but by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children to the third and the fourth generation.” This becomes a repeated description of God throughout the Bible (see Nehemiah 9:17, Psalm 86:15, 103:8, 145:8, Joel 2:13, and Jonah 4:2). One should study these words closely.
God listens to the voice of Moses and agrees to forgive (14:20) but then says something quite remarkable. He swears that “the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD”. We read elsewhere of this global mission. I understand this to mean that the taking of the land was to be the beginning of something incredible. Israel’s mission would be manifested from this promised land. From there they would become a Light unto the nations! Here we read that the “glory of the LORD” would fill the earth. Notice the following passages from the prophets:
KJV Isaiah 11:9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
KJV Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
This is the goal and meaning of history – it is the manifestation of God’s Kingdom on earth.
God is persuaded by the intercession of Moses, but the penalty of unfaithfulness will be paid in full. These leaders had “spied out the land for forty days” and brought back a bad report and so they would now bear their iniquity – a year for every day! They would learn God’s displeasure and would die in the wilderness. Ironically, this is what they had requested (14:2).
Chapter 15 describes various offerings that were to be offered when they did finally cross into the land. In 15:14-16, we read that the alien who resides with Israel shall do as the Israelites do. They are to have and keep the same ordinances as every natural Israelite. See also verse 29 for the same idea dealing with “atonement”.
The torah reading ends with a passage requiring the wearing of “fringes – tzittzit” on the corners of their garments(15:37-41). See also Deuteronomy 22:12.
This Torah reading offers some insights into what is expected of those who find themselves in a leadership role among the people of God. Our faith in God must be strong. Even when things look ominous, we must keep our eyes on God and not allow circumstances or situations to influence our walk with God, or keep us from fulfilling His commands.
We should seek to intercede for the people of God. Moses learned to reason with God based upon “knowing” his character. This week’s lesson contains an excellent description of God’s character. We should learn it by heart!
We also learn that God gives us challenges that He will help us through. These may seem impossible, but they often put us in a place to be a light to those around us. Have faith and be bold. Stand on God’s word and you cannot fail.
A valuable lesson is communicated in this Torah portion that is often overlooked. Forgiveness does not free us from the consequences of our sins. We must often bear our iniquity – and this sometimes takes years to play its course.
I hope that you will take the time to read and study this Torah portion. There is much to be gleaned and I have only scratched the surface. Shalom and good reading!
Ross K. Nichols www.RootsofFaith.org
I wanted to post some of my notes this week related to my personal study of the weekly parsha called Be-Ha’alotcha (translated, “When you put up”). It has some key points and some of the most interesting – though seemingly unconnected stories.
It begins with instructions for the “putting up” of the menorah, and speaks of the “purification of the Levites”, who according to the literal reading of the Hebrew (8:16) are “given, yes given” to YHWH.
There is allowance made for a “make up” Passover for those that were on a journey or impure when the Pesach of the first month was kept.
In Chapter 9, we read an interesting point that “there will be one statute for you (pl) and for the stranger and for the citizen of the land”. I love this idea. There are many out there that place artificial distinctions between Israel and humanity. It is my opinion that all of the world will be instructed into the “Way of YHWH”. Indeed this is the reason for Israel serving as a nation of Priests, being given a charge to be a light to the nations, etc. One only has to read Isaiah chapters 2 and 56 (for example) to see that this is the goal for humanity.
Chapter 9:15-23 we read of the cloud and how it guided the travels of the Israelites. I had not noticed it in previous readings of this text, but the movement of the cloud and the reaction to this move by the people following, are closely associated with their obedience to the “word of YHWH” (mouth might be a better rendering).
Chapter 10 deals with the reasons for the sounding of the trumpets and the order of travel for the tribes.
Chapter 11 switches gears on us. Here we meet with much complaining by the people. They long to return to Egypt. I guess this had me thinking. Often, I meet people who have left their “spiritual Egypt”, but for one reason or another they begin to crave the things that they had there. The provision of God begins to lose its flavor and they want to return. These complaints are “bad in the ears of YHWH” and His anger is flared – and subsequently we read that it was bad in Moses’ eyes.
The people still direct their complaints to the man Moses and not to God. In this week’s lesson we see that despite Moses’ humility – he is becoming a bit tired. The people lash out at Moses and he unloads on God. He feels that he is carrying the burden alone and asks God to kill him if things continue as they are. I think that it is interesting to note that God does not react…or should I say over-react to Moses when he makes this comment. In fact, he seemingly ignores his drama altogether and just resolves the issues at hand. Often, I think we take comments of others and over-react causing more problems rather than setting forth solutions. This can be a lesson to us all. God does not chide Moses for his exaggerated remark, He merely sets things straight. Read it and see how God “fixes” the problem!
In verse 20 we find that God informs Moses what he should relate to the complainers. If they want what they had in Egypt, then that is what they shall get. Not just a taste of what they had, but enough that it will run out of their noses! It should be noted that this is a result of their “rejecting YHWH”. This is very similar to the later demand for a King like the nations. Often, I find that God fulfills the request of His people, even when they are in rebellion. He allows them what they ask for in order that they will realize what they have done and return to His ways. Be careful what you ask for!
This Torah reading also contains some interesting points on the imparting of the Spirit. Chapter 11:1-18, and 24-25 reveal the solution to Moses carrying the whole burden alone. God takes some of the Spirit that is upon Moses and shares it with the “70″. They prophesy as an indication that the Spirit is on them, but then it says that they did not do so again (v.25). One is reminded of the story in 1 Samuel 10. Of particular note is what is recorded in 1 Samuel 10:6 – When the spirit comes upon you…you will become a different man! How true is this? When people claim to be spirit filled and continue to practice their ungodly behavior, one has to wonder if their claims are true.
When Moses is informed that some are in the camp prophesying and that he should make them stop – he says that he wished all YHWH’s people were prophets. This is important. Too often, leaders want to be in charge and have others serve them. Not so with Moses! Yeshua said that this is the way Gentiles think. Many churches are full of this in their pastor adoration! We should all learn from this.
An interesting play on words that shows up in the Hebrew comes next. Moses has just asked that YHWH “put his Spirit on” the people so that they could all be prophets. In the very next verse, the “Ruach” does indeed travel to the people, but translated as “wind”, the Ruach from YHWH brings the quail that the people craved! Be careful what you ask for!
In Chapter 12, we find Aaron and Miriam complaining against Moses. This is a remarkable story! God calls them into account for their challenge against Moses. He would later ask them, “Why did you not fear to speak against my servant Moses?!” We should learn from this that one should be very cautious when speaking words against the meekest man on all the earth. God spoke to him, mouth to mouth and he saw the “form of YHWH”!
For her part in this, Miriam is afflicted. I find it very instructive to read the prayer that Moses offers on her behalf. I have been in prayer meetings with many over the years where people petition God with many words. Yeshua talks of this repetitious prayer practice. Do we think that we must go on and on for God to hear us and answer? Moses says 5 Hebrew words and God acts. “God, please heal her please.” We should learn from this.
So this is my summary of the Torah reading for this week. Study it and learn from it. The festival of Shavuoth has just passed. I pray that like the ancient Israelites, we receive the Torah afresh. Put these words in your heart. Be humble, seek God and keep your prayers simple. Plead with God on behalf of others – even when they do wrong to you. Moses wished that all of God’s people were prophets and that He would put his spirit on all of them. I pray that as well.
Have a great week. Shalom, Ross
Ross K. Nichols
www.RootsofFaith.org