“O that you will strengthen yourself and persevere very much in order to observe, to do, according to all of the Torah that Moshe My servant has commanded you. Do not deviate from him to the right or to the left, that you may succeed wherever you may go.” Joshua 1:7
Baruch HaShem, do not be afraid, stand still and see the salvation of HaShem! My goodness, it has been a very eventful and disastrous time since I posted my last Op, both internationally and personally. No doubt we are at the cusp of the beginning of the prophesied Birth Pains! We are facing growing disasters on all fronts now, both collectively and individually, more so than I think any of us thought we would have to face!
Global war, global famine, global economic collapses, the unprecedented corruption, wickedness, violence and lawlessness coupled with the effects they are having on our physical bodies! No doubt it must be soon!
How is this uplifting you ask? Because nothing is too difficult for HaShem, the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Elohim of Yisrael! This said, I very much feel compelled to put this Op together to remind all of us, myself included, we are NOT alone, HaShem, Master of Legions, is with us and is helping us and He will continue to do so until THE day arrives!
As I said in my previous Op, HaShem willing, I plan on doing more Op’s focusing on the Temple of HaShem and how it operated. This Op will continue that theme as we focus on a very specific event which occurred in the Temple every Sukkot and you will see how it applies to each of us today and the hope and confidence He makes available to each of us. But as always, before we jump into this, always remember the following eternal characteristics of HaShem:
HaShem never changes per Num 23:19/Mal 3:6/Hebrews 13:8/James 1:17
His Word is firmly established per Psalm 119:89
He reveals the end out of the beginning per Is 46:10
He does nothing without first revealing it to His prophets per Amos 3:7
He says there is nothing new under the sun per Ecclesiastes 1:9
He says His Torah is the ONLY truth there is per Psalms 119:142
He says His Torah is a tree of life and eternal per Proverbs 3:18-19 and Psalm 119:160
He says His Torah is perfect and restores the soul per Psalm 19:7
He says His Torah makes the simple one wise per Psalm 19:7
He says His Torah Is freedom and liberty per Psalm 119:45 and James 1:25
He says His Torah is the only good doctrine there is Proverbs 4:2
He says His Torah will add length of days and years of life and peace per Proverbs 3:2
He says all of the ways of His Torah are ways of pleasantness and peace per Proverbs 3:17
He says His Torah is for our good and well-being per Deuteronomy 6:24
He says His Torah is health for our lives per Proverbs 3:8
He says His Torah is life to our soul and a graceful ornament for our neck per Prov 3:22
He says His Torah is better than pearls and all desires cannot compare to it per Prov 8:11
He says those who walk with His Torah are praiseworthy per Psalms 119:1
He says observing His Torah is how we purify our path per Psalms 119:9
He says His Torah is better than thousands in gold and silver per Psalms 119:72
He says His Torah brings abundant peace to those who love Him and His Torah per Psalms 119:165
He says there is one Torah for all per Exodus 12:49/Leviticus 24:22
He says those who hate His Torah love death per Proverbs 8:36
He says His Torah is the way of faith per Psalms 119:29-30
He says His Torah makes us wiser than our enemies per Psalms 119:98
He says His Torah is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path per Psalms 119:105
He says one who finds His Torah has found life per Proverbs 8:35
He says one who finds His Torah has found favor from HaShem per Proverbs 8:35
He says Messiah Yeshua is the GOAL of His Torah, meaning without His Torah, Messiah cannot be known per Romans 10:4
He says if we had believed Moshe/Torah, we would have believed Messiah per John 5:46
He says His Torah makes us wiser than our enemies per Psalms 119:98
He says His salvation is far from the wicked for they sought not His Torah per Psalms 119:155
He says to hold fast to and guard His Torah, for it is our life per Proverbs 4:13
In the Temple of HaShem in Jerusalem, there is an amazing event which takes place on the Feast of Sukkot (Erroneously referred to as Tabernacles). This Feast of HaShem is the third of the required Three Pilgrimage Feasts in which all of Israel is to come before HaShem in His Temple in Jerusalem. The First Pilgrimage Feast is Pesach (Passover), the Second Pilgrimage Feast is Shavuos (Erroneously called Pentecost) and then Sukkot.
HaShem commands Sukkot in Devarim (Deuteronomy) 16:13-16 where He says “Make for yourself a Succot festival for SEVEN DAYS when you gather in the produce from your threshing floor and your wine vat. And you are to REJOICE on your festival, you with your son and your daughter, your slave and your maidservant, the Levite, the convert, the orphan, and the widow within your gates. For SEVEN DAYS you are to CELEBRATE to HaShem, your Elohim in the place that HaShem will choose (The Temple in Jerusalem), for HaShem your Elohim will bless you in all your crops and in all your under takings, and you shall be nothing but joyous.”
So, we can see HaShem is focusing Sukkot on rejoicing and celebrating, but what are we to celebrate? Sukkot comes five days after the most solemn Feast and day of HaShem i.e. Yom Kippur in which HaShem decides and judges each of us to determine who lives and who dies for that year. Then five days later we celebrate for seven days for the Feast of Sukkot. Prophetically, at the end of the seven year Birth Pains, Yeshua will march into Jerusalem on that Yom Kippur and defeat the False Messiah then five days later on that Sukkot there will be the greatest celebration in human history as we celebrate HaShem rescuing His people and defeating His enemies once and for all! Baruch HaShem!!
You may be asking how this applies to the Temple and each of us? Please, be patient and hang on…:)
During Sukkot there is an amazing Temple service which takes place on the last day of the Feast. This service is called the ‘Celebration of the Place of the Drawing of the Water.’ Inside the Court of the Women in the Temple of HaShem, there would be massive celebrations taking place. Per Tractate Sukkah 51b from the Talmud Bavli it says “The pious and the men of action would dance before the people who attended the celebration with flaming torches that they would juggle in their hands, and they would say before them passages of song and praise to HaShem. And the Levites would play on lyres, harps, cymbals and trumpets, and countless other musical instruments.” In fact, in Tractate Sukkah 51a from the Talmud Bavli it describes this celebration “One who did not see the Celebration of the Place of the Drawing of the Water, never saw celebration in his days.”
I won’t go into describing how this celebration was performed, but instead want to focus on where in the Temple the Kohanim and Levites performed this ceremony and celebration!
In the Court of the Women, walking Westward, towards the Sanctuary itself, there is a giant gate, called ‘The Nikanor Gate’ which separated the Court of the Women from the Court of Israel and the Azarah i.e. the Courtyard where the Mizbeach (Altar) was located. In front of this gate were FIFTEEN STEPS GOING UP FROM THE COURT OF THE WOMEN…Now this is key you hold onto this as we proceed.
Tractate Middot 2.5 from the Kehati Mishnah which says “And fifteen steps that led up from within it to Ezrat Yisrael (Court of Israel), corresponding to the fifteen steps that are in Psalms, for on them the Levites would recite the song. They were not straight, but curved, like half a round threshing floor.”
These fifteen steps were unlike the other sets of stairs in the Temple in that they were rounded steps. On the last day of Sukkot, the Levites would stand on these fifteen steps, during the Celebration of the Place of the Drawing of the Water, and they would sing a song. This song is called ‘The Song of Ascents’ which correspond to the Psalms of Ascent we read in our bibles! These Psalms are specifically Psalms 120-134, and is why when we read in our English translations these specific Psalms start off with ‘A Psalm of Ascent’ because it is part of the Song of Ascent! Now, remember, when approaching HaShem in His Temple, one is ALWAYS going up and closer one draws to HaShem, the higher level of kedusha (Holiness) is required! It is these Psalms of Ascent I want to focus on in this Op and will include below. When you read the Psalms of Ascent, remember, the Levites are singing these Psalms during a time of great rejoicing and you will see how they apply to each of us today in this world at war.
What is amazing is we see Yeshua Himself participating in this celebration!! Yochanan (John) 7:37 says “And on the LAST GREAT DAY OF THE FESTIVAL (Sukkot), Yeshua stood (In the Court of the Women in the Temple in Jerusalem) and cried out saying ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me, and let him who believes in Me drink!'” Remember this celebration is called the ‘Celebration of the Place of the Drawing of the Water’ and Yeshua is calling people to drink from HaShem!!! Not a coincidence He chose to shout this during this ceremony!!
THE PSALMS OF ASCENT
Now remember, each Psalm corresponds to a step going up towards HaShem’s Throne!
First Step: Psalm 120 says “A Song of Ascents. To HaShem, in my distress I cried and He answered me. HaShem, rescue my soul from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue. What can He give you, and what can He add to you, O deceitful tongue? You are like the sharp arrows of the mighty; with coals of rotem wood. Woe unto me, for my drawn out sojourn; I dwelt with those who inhabit the tents of Kedar. Long has my soul dwelt with those who hate peace. I am peace, but when I speak, they are for war.”
Second Step: Psalm 121 says “A Song of Ascents. I raise my eyes upon the mountains; whence will come my help? My help is from HaShem, Maker of Heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to falter; your Guardian will not slumber. Behold, He neither slumber nor sleeps, the Guardian of Israel. HaShem is your Guardian; HaShem is your Shade at your right hand. By day the sun will not harm you, nor the moon by night. HaShem will protect you from every evil; He will guard your soul. HaShem will guard your departure and your arrival, from this time and forever.”
Here is a music video filmed in Ein Gedi, Israel, a very prophetically significant location concerning Messiah and the defeat of our enemies:
Third Step: Psalm 122 says “A Song of Ascents. By David. I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the House of HaShem (Temple in Jerusalem).’ Immobile stood our feet, within your gates, O Jerusalem. The built up Jerusalem is like a city that is united together. For there the tribes ascended, the tribes of HaShem, a testimony for Israel, to give thanks to the Name of HaShem. For there sat thrones of judgment, thrones for the House of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; those who love you will be serene. May there be peace within your wall, serenity within your palaces. For the sake of my brethren and my comrades, I shall speak of peace in your midst. For the sake of the House of HaShem, our Elohim, I will request good for you.”
Posted here is a music video from Joshua Aaron, a singer who lives in Israel singing Psalm 122:
Fourth Step: Psalm 123 says “A Song of Ascents. To You I raised my eyes, O You Who dwell in the heavens. Behold! Like the eyes of servants unto their masters hand, like the eyes of a maid unto her mistress hand, so are our eyes unto HaShem, our Elohim, until He will favor us. Favor us, HaShem, favor us, for we are fully sated with contempt. Our soul is fully sated with mockery of the complacent ones, with the contempt of the arrogant.”
Fifth Step: Psalm 124 says “A Song of Ascents. By David. Had not HaShem been with us, let Israel declare it now! Had not HaShem been with us when men rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us alive, when their anger was kindled against us. Then the waters would have inundated us; the current would have surged across our soul. Then they would have surged across our soul, the treacherous waters. Blessed is HaShem, Who did not present us as prey for their teeth. Our soul escaped like a bird from the hunters snare; the snare broke and we escaped. Our help is through the Name of HaShem, Maker of heaven and earth.”
Sixth Step: Psalm 125 says “A Song of Ascents. Those who trust in HaShem are like Mount Zion that falters not, but abides forever. Jerusalem, mountains enwrap it, and HaShem enwraps His nation, from this time and forever. For the rod of wickedness shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous, so that the righteous shall not stretch their hands into iniquity. Do good, HaShem, to good people, and to the upright in their hearts. But those who turn to their perverseness, HaShem will lead them with the workers of iniquity, peace upon Israel.”
Seventh Step: Psalm 126 says “A Song of Ascents. When HaShem will return the captivity of Zion, we will be like dreamers. Then our mouth will be filled with laughter and our tongue with glad song. Then will they declare among the nations, ‘HaShem has done greatly with these’. HaShem has done greatly with us, we were gladdened. O HaShem, return our captivity like springs in the desert. Those who tearfully sow will reap in glad song. He who bears the measure of seeds walks along weeping, but will return in exultation, a bearer of his sheaves.”
Eighth Step: Psalm 127 says “A Song of Ascents for Solomon. If HaShem will not build the house, in vain do its builders labor on it; if HaShem will not guard the city, in vain is the watchman vigilant. It is vain for you who rise early, who sit up late, who eat the bread of sorrows, for indeed, He gives His beloved ones restful sleep. Behold! The heritage of HaShem is children; a reward is the fruit of the womb. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of youth. Praiseworthy is the man who fills his quiver with them; they shall not be shamed, when they speak with enemies in the gate.”
Ninth Step: Psalm 128 says “A Song of Ascents. Praiseworthy is each person who fears HaShem, who walks in His paths. When you eat the labor of your hands, you are praiseworthy, and it is well with you. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the inner chambers of your home; your children shall be like olive shoots surrounding your table. Behold! For so is blessed the man who fears HaShem. May HaShem bless you from Zion, and may you gaze upon the goodness of Jerusalem, all the days of your life. And may you see children born to your children, peace upon Israel.”
Tenth Step: Psalm 129 says “A Song of Ascents. Much have they distressed me since my youth, let Israel declare now. Much have they distressed me since my youth, but they never conquered me. On my back the plowers plowed, they lengthened their furrow. HaShem is righteous, He cut the ropes of the wicked. Ashamed and turned back will be all who hate Zion. They shall be like the grass on rooftops, that, even before it is plucked, withers, with which the reaper cannot fill his hand, nor the binder of sheaves his arm; and of which passersby have never said, ‘HaShem’s blessing to you; we bless you in the Name of HaShem.'”
Eleventh Step: Psalm 130 says “A Song of Ascents. From the depths I called You, HaShem, My Master, hear my voice, may Your ears be attentive to the sound of my pleas. If You preserve iniquities, O Elohim, my Master, who could survive? For with You is forgiveness, that You may be feared. I put confidence in HaShem, my soul put confidence, and I hoped for His word. I yearn for my Master, among those longing for the dawn, those longing for the dawn. Let Israel hope for HaShem, for with HaShem is kindness, and with Him is abundant redemption. And He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.”
Here is a very good video to go with Psalm 130, the Eleventh Step. This video was recorded in Israel…just look at that land!
Twelfth Step: Psalm 131 says “A Song of Ascent. By David. HaShem, my heart was not proud, and my eyes were not haughty, nor did I pursue matters too great and too wonderous for me. I swear that I stilled and silenced my soul, like a suckling child at his mother’s side, like the suckling child is my soul. Let Israel hope to HaShem, from this time and forever.”
Thirteenth Step: Psalm 132 says “A Song of Ascent. O HaShem, remember unto David all his suffering. How he swore to HaShem, and vowed to the Strong One of Jacob. If I enter the tent of my home; if I go upon the bed that is spread for me; if I allow sleep to my eyes, slumber to my eyelids; before I find a place for HaShem, resting places for the Strong One of Jacob. Behold! We heard of it in Ephras, we found it in the forested field. We will arrive at His Tabernacles, we will prostrate ourselves at His footstool. Arise, HaShem, to Your resting place, You and the Ark of Your strength. Let Your priests be clothed in righteousness, and Your devout ones will sing joyously. For the sake of David, Your servant, turn not away the face of Your anointed. HaShem has sworn to David, a truth from which He will never retreat: ‘From the fruit of your issue I will place upon your throne. If your sons keep My covenant, and this, My testament, that I shall teach them, then their sons too, forever and ever, shall sit upon your throne.’ For HaShem has chosen Zion, He has desired it for His habitation. This is My resting place forever and ever, here I will dwell, for I have desired it. Her sustenance I will bless abundantly; her needy I will satisfy with food. I will clothe her priests with salvation; her devout ones will always sing joyously. There I shall cause pride to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for My anointed. His enemies I will clothe with shame, but upon him, his crown will shine.”
Here is another video filmed in Israel which corresponds to the above Thirteenth Step i.e. Psalm 132:
Fourteenth Step: Psalm 133 says “A Psalm of Ascent. By David. Behold, how good and how pleasant is the dwelling of brothers, moreover, in unity. Like the precious oil upon the head running down upon the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down over his garments. Like the dew of Hermon descending upon the mountains of Zion, for there HaShem has commanded the blessing. May there be life forever!”
Fifteenth and Final Step: Psalm 134 says “A Song of Ascents. Behold, bless HaShem, all you servants of HaShem, who stand in the House of HaShem in the nights. Lift your hands in the Sanctuary and bless HaShem. May HaShem bless you from Zion, Maker of heaven and earth.”
I hope you all can see the theme of these fifteen steps! HaShem is our only place of refuge, safety, security, provision, healing, rest, and hope!! What better reminder for all of us, myself included, in the wicked, violent, war torn world we currently live in!!
One final video for you to watch…filmed in Jerusalem, running to greet Messiah:
May it be so very, very soon in our days!!
Shalom!
SOURCE MATERIALS:
The Scriptures by Institute for Scripture Research
“Had Your Torah not been my preoccupation, I would have perished in my suffering.” Psalms 119:92
As I put this Op together, it is 19 February 2022, and the world is on the precipice of war via Russia and Ukraine. America is collapsing under the weight of its corruption and wicked society. Canada has fallen into tyranny and martial law. Australia has become a dictatorship and our enemies are emboldened and are giddy at the thought of a world in which America is no longer the dominate superpower. I know, its very depressing and oppressive to contemplate, but HaShem warned us this is how the world would be the closer we get to the Final Redemption!
My hope and intention is this Op is to be the first of a series of Ops in which we discuss in depth the Temple of HaShem, not just what has been erroneously taught over the years by Christendom, but a real, in-depth discussion on not just the Temple of HaShem, but more importantly the FUNCTION of the Temple of HaShem!
Why is this so important, especially in our day today? Because, the Temple of HaShem is THE House of HaShem on earth, it is His Throne where He will dwell among His people and thus understanding His Temple and how it functions will help us understand HaShem Himself!
Is the Temple of HaShem just a conglomerate of buildings put together randomly by a bunch of people who just thought it would look nice or was there a specific reason and unchanging design handed down by HaShem? Obviously the answer is HaShem handed down a specific ‘Tavnit’ or ‘Blueprint’ via His Ruach (Spirit) per Exodus 25 and I Chronicles 28! Ezekiel 40-48 discusses the Tavnit of the Third Temple.
Studying and understanding the layout of His Temple is enormously important because we must understand the function and how it operates. But we must also study and learn the ceremonies, the korbonot (Offerings), the utensils used, the garments worn and the liturgy prayed as they all teach us of HaShem! Nothing has been tossed aside, nothing has been replaced and nothing has been rendered obsolete as Christendom teaches. Sadly, we do not have a Temple in Jerusalem today, so we can only do so much in the Services to HaShem, but Baruch HaShem, He promises His Temple WILL be rebuilt and we are witnessing this time grow closer and closer by the day!
So, with this all said thus far, I want to begin this series of Op’s with discussing a specific topic concerning how His Temple functions. But, before we jump into this, always consider the following eternal characteristics of HaShem:
HaShem never changes per Num 23:19/Mal 3:6/Hebrews 13:8/James 1:17
His Word is firmly established per Psalm 119:89
He reveals the end out of the beginning per Is 46:10
He does nothing without first revealing it to His prophets per Amos 3:7
He says there is nothing new under the sun per Ecclesiastes 1:9
He says His Torah is the ONLY truth there is per Psalms 119:142
He says His Torah is a tree of life and eternal per Proverbs 3:18-19 and Psalm 119:160
He says His Torah is perfect and restores the soul per Psalm 19:7
He says His Torah makes the simple one wise per Psalm 19:7
He says His Torah Is freedom and liberty per Psalm 119:45 and James 1:25
He says His Torah is the only good doctrine there is Proverbs 4:2
He says His Torah will add length of days and years of life and peace per Proverbs 3:2
He says all of the ways of His Torah are ways of pleasantness and peace per Proverbs 3:17
He says His Torah is for our good and well-being per Deuteronomy 6:24
He says His Torah is health for our lives per Proverbs 3:8
He says His Torah is life to our soul and a graceful ornament for our neck per Prov 3:22
He says His Torah is better than pearls and all desires cannot compare to it per Prov 8:11
He says those who walk with His Torah are praiseworthy per Psalms 119:1
He says observing His Torah is how we purify our path per Psalms 119:9
He says His Torah is better than thousands in gold and silver per Psalms 119:72
He says His Torah brings abundant peace to those who love Him and His Torah per Psalms 119:165
He says there is one Torah for all per Exodus 12:49/Leviticus 24:22
He says those who hate His Torah love death per Proverbs 8:36
He says His Torah is the way of faith per Psalms 119:29-30
He says His Torah makes us wiser than our enemies per Psalms 119:98
He says His Torah is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path per Psalms 119:105
He says one who finds His Torah has found life per Proverbs 8:35
He says one who finds His Torah has found favor from HaShem per Proverbs 8:35
He says Messiah Yeshua is the GOAL of His Torah, meaning without His Torah, Messiah cannot be known per Romans 10:4
He says if we had believed Moshe/Torah, we would have believed Messiah per John 5:46
He says His Torah makes us wiser than our enemies per Psalms 119:98
He says His salvation is far from the wicked for they sought not His Torah per Psalms 119:155
He says to hold fast to and guard His Torah, for it is our life per Proverbs 4:13
Remember, HaShem COMMANDS you and I in Ezekiel 43:10-11 “You Ben Adam (Son of Man)! Tell the family of Israel of the Temple and let them be ashamed of their sins, and measure the design (Tavnit). And if they are ashamed, the form (Tavnit) of the House and ITS DESIGNS, ITS EXITS AND ENTRANCES, AND ALL ITS APPEARANCE, ITS LAWS, ALL ITS DECORATION, AND ALL ITS REGULATIONS MAKE KNOWN TO THEM AND WRITE IT DOWN BEFORE THEIR EYES, THAT THEY MAY REMEMBER ITS FORM (Tavnit) AND ITS DECREES AND PERFORM THEM.“
HaShem commands we study everything of His House and then we will be ashamed of our sins. Why? Because the Temple of HaShem is also called ‘The House of Kedushah’! This Hebrew word ‘Kedushah’ means ‘Holiness.’ Trust me, when you begin studying His House, you will learn very quickly what the concept of ‘Holiness’ actually means and not what Christendom has taught as they are directly opposed to one another.
Further, HaShem, in Ezekiel 43:10-11, commands that everything of His Temple be written down. It was written down, just as He commanded, its called the Oral Torah i.e. the Mishnah, the Talmud Bavli, the Talmud Yerushalmi, the Mishnah Torah, the Midrash, etc. Another reason why if we want to understand the Written Torah of HaShem contained in His Tanakh (Erroneously called the Old Testament), we MUST have the Oral Torah. The two go hand in hand…cannot have one with out the other.
Of the 613 commandments in the Written Torah, how many of them are explained on how to walk in them in the Tanakh? None of them are! Where do we go to learn how to walk in the Torah of HaShem? We go to where the written rulings of the Sanhedrin, i.e. the court HaShem established and anointed with His Ruach to render such rulings, are contained i.e. the Mishnah. The commentary of the Mishnah is encapsulated in the Talmud Bavli and the Talmud Yerushalmi, which comprise a significant portion of the Oral Torah!
Additionally, of the 613 commandments in the Written Torah, how many apply to the Temple of HaShem? A significant portion do i.e. 271 commandments to be precise apply directly to the Temple of HaShem! It also reinforces the Temple of HaShem is where we see His Torah in action!
SO WHY THE NEED FOR THE TEMPLE?
To answer this question, I will quote from the book written by my teacher, Joseph Good of HaTikvah Ministries, entitled ‘Measure the Pattern’ which states on page 2: “Several years ago a leading rabbi in the movement to rebuild the Temple asked an audience ‘Why do we have to know all of this information, why is all of this detail necessary?’ The answer is simple. There was, is and always will be a plan by HaShem. We are not allowed to change that plan. We must remain faithful to the tavnit of HaShem. The Temple is not just a collection of buildings and ceremonies, but rather a RETURN TO A WORLD WHERE HASHEM IS REVEALED AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS. MAN WAS CREATED BY HASHEM AND PLACED WITHIN A PERFECT ENVIRONMENT, GAN EDEN (THE GARDEN OF EDEN). MAN WAS ALSO CREATED WITH A KEDUSHAH (SANCTIFICATION) AS MAN WAS CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF HASHEM AND HASHEM IS KADOSH (HOLY). When man transgressed he was driven from Gan Eden and lost his Kedushah. In Hebrew the term for the Temple is ‘Beit HaMikdash (House of Kedushah)’. THE TEMPLE, THROUGH THIS TAVNIT (ARCHITECHTURE, FLOORPLAN, CEREMONIES, CONCEPTS OF HOLY AND PROFANE, CLEAN AND UNCLEAN AND ALL ORDINANCES ASSOCIATED WITH THE ABOVE), BECOMES THE TRANSLATOR OF HASHEM’S TORAH. ‘LET THEM MEASURE ACCURATELY,’ ‘ALL OF ITS FORMS,’ ‘ALL OF ITS ORDINANCES,’ AND ‘ALL OF ITS LAWS’.”
So, the Temple of HaShem is THE place of Kedushah (Holiness) and if we want to know, understand and further our relationship with HaShem, we MUST study and know His Temple!
With this said, when Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 “Do you not know that you are A Dwelling Place of Elohim (Temple) and that the Spirit of Elohim dwells in you? If anyone destroys the Dwelling Place of Elohim, Elohim shall destroy him. For the Dwelling Place of Elohim is SET-APART (Kadosh/Holy), WHICH YOU ARE.” So, if Paul LIKENS us to the Temple of HaShem, shouldn’t we better know how the Temple of HaShem functions and how He defines what is clean and unclean, what He says is kadosh food, behavior, actions, holidays, set-apart days, New Moons, Shabbat, etc? Despite what Christendom teaches, Paul is NOT saying the Temple of HaShem in Jerusalem has now been replaced and rendered obsolete, in reality he is teaching the exact opposite…he is reiterating if we want to know HaShem and know how to walk in His ways i.e. His Torah and how to interact with Him, how to be kadosh, then the Temple in Jerusalem is the ONLY way to do so, reiterating what HaShem says in Ezekiel 43:10-11 which we just discussed above.
Now that this foundation is laid, let’s begin to discuss the topic of Guarding the Temple of HaShem!
There are two categories of Levites who serve HaShem in the Temple. They are the Kohanim (Priests) and the Levi’im (Levites). Every Kohanim is a Levite, but not every Levite is a Kohanim. They serve two purposes in that the Kohanim perform the ceremonies unto HaShem while the Levites perform the duties of the escorts, attendants, singers and musicians.
The Kohanim and Levi’im families were divided up into 24 Courses (Mishmarot) and would take turns throughout the year serving in the Temple. Each group i.e. a Mishmar, would serve for one week of duty within the Temple every six months, with the exception of the three Pilgrimage Feasts (Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot) when ALL the Mishmarot were present. During each week of service each Mishmar would begin their service on Shabbat and then exit on the following Shabbat.
One of the duties was to guard the Temple of HaShem. Numbers 18:2 says “And you (Kohanim) and your sons with you shall be before the Tent of Testimony.” In verse four, regarding the Levi’im it says “They shall be jointed to you (Kohanim), and they shall safeguard the charge of the Ohel Moed (Tent of Meeting) for all of the service of the Tent.” Numbers 3:38 says “Those who camped before the Mishkan to the front, before the Ohel Moed to the east, were Moshe and Aharon and his sons, guardians of the charge of the Sanctuary, for the charge of the Children of Israel.”
So, where did they perform their guard duties because the Written Torah doesn’t tell us. Tractate Middot 1.1 from the Mishnah (Oral Torah) tells us. It says “At THREE sites the Kohanim stood guard in the Temple: Beit Avtinas, Beit HaNitzotz and in Beit Hamoked. The Levites, in TWENTY ONE sites: Five for the five gates of Har Habayit; four for its four corners, from inside it; five for the five gates of the Azarah (The Inner Courtyard), four for its four corners, from the outside; and one in Lishkat HaKorban, and one in Lishkat HaParokhet and one for behind Beit HaKaporet.”
The Mishnah explains further: “At three sites, the Kohanim stood guard in the Temple: in Beit Avtinas i.e. the Avtinas House, the chamber where the incense was manufactured, named after the Avtinas family of Kohanim who specialized in this task; it was on the southern wall of the Azarah, the inner courtyard. And in Beit HaNitzotz i.e. the Place of the Spark, a balcony on the northern side of the Azarah built over Shaar HaNitzotz i.e. the Gate of the Spark, so called because a small flame was kept there, as a permanent source of fire for the Azarah. And in Beit HaMoked i.e. Place of the Hearth, another chamber on the northern side of the Azarah, east of Beit HaNitzotz, so called because the Kohanim warmed themselves up there by a fire.”
“And the Levites stood guard in twenty one sites: Five Levitic guards for the five gates in the outer walls of Har Habayit i.e. the outer compound, four for its four corners from inside it i.e. standing inside Har HaBayit near the corners of its outer walls, five for the five gates of the Azarah. There were four additional Levitic guards of the Azarah from the outside i.e. standing outside its walls because ONE MAY NOT SIT DOWN IN THE AZARAH, and it was difficult to stand all night. There was no such restriction, however, on Har HaBayit. And one Levite guard stood in Lishkat HaKorban i.e. Chamber of the Sacrifices or also called Lishkat HaTela’im i.e. Chamber of Lambs, a room in Beit HaMoked where lambs were kept for the Tamid (Daily Burnt Offerings) and one in Lishkat HaParokhet i.e. Chamber of the Curtain where the curtain demarcating the Holy of Holies was woven, and one for behind Beit HaKaporet i.e. Place of the Kaporet, the cover of the Ark of the Covenant i.e. the Holy of Holies. The Levite stood in the Azarah directly behind the Holy of Holies.”
Per the commentary from the book ‘Avodas HaKorbanos’ it says “Once administrator would be appointed over all the watchmen and their shifts. He was known as the Officer of the Temple Mount. He would make his rounds, checking each watch post throughout the night, and lit torches were in place along his route. Any watchman who did not stand up when the administrator approached and say to him ‘Officer of the Temple Mount, peace be upon you!’, obviously had fallen asleep at his post, and the administrator would beat him with his stick. He was even permitted to set the negligent watchman’s clothes on fire! And we see that such a thing did occur, for they would say in Yerushalayim ‘What is that noise we hear coming from the Temple Courtyard? It is the cry of a Levi being beaten and his clothes being burned, for having fallen asleep while on his watch.'”
It sounds harsh to beat a guard and light their clothes on fire for having fallen asleep on their post, but remember their function is to guard to prevent any contamination or uncleanliness from entering the Temple and if they inadvertently did so via falling asleep, it could bring disaster upon Israel! Its very serious! Keep this in mind.
This is where we must understand and know the layout of the Temple. Sadly, I do not have a map or a diagram with which to show you exactly where each guard post is located. The point I want to stress is HaShem set up guard posts in His Temple every night! Notice also the number 24 keeps coming up i.e. 24 Mishmarot (Priestly courses) and 24 guard posts. Nothing is a coincidence with HaShem!
What’s the significance of the number 24?
There are 24 hours in a day
There are 24 books which comprise the Tanakh (Erroneously called the Old Testament)
There are 24 major limbs on the human male body
The number 24 represents the Holy City of Jerusalem
The daily Amidah prayer petition for HaShem to rebuild Jerusalem is comprised of 24 words
The 24 Mishmarot of the Kohanim and Levi’im
The 24 guard watches of the Kohanim and Levi’im
There are 24 Hebrew letters in the phrase “Blessed be the Name of His Glorious Kingdom forever and ever.”
The word ‘Shalom’ (Peace) is found 24 times in the Chumash (The five books of the Written Torah)
We can see HaShem is very much communicating and teaching us many, many things just through these Temple Guards!! And we haven’t even begun to scratch the surface yet of His Temple!! Baruch HaShem!
The question needs to be asked: “Does HaShem need guards to protect His House?” Absolutely not! He is fully capable of protecting His Own House! So why does He command the placement of guards? The answer is they served as WATCHMAN and to enhance the honor of His House! More importantly they served as watchman to prevent those who were not authorized from entering areas they were not allowed. In other words they kept watch to prevent any contamination or uncleanliness from entering…HINT HINT HINT!
So you may ask how this applies to each of us? Well, if Paul says we are likened to the Temple of HaShem, then we better have set up guards, figuratively speaking, in place to guard our beings from allowing anything contaminated or unclean into our lives as it will affect our service unto HaShem!
Now more than ever before, in my opinion, in the day and time we currently live in, in a world gone utterly mad, with all the filth, debauchery, wickedness, lawlessness and corruption we are having to live in, we must make sure we have set up guards in our lives to try and keep out the garbage and the trash! Can we do so perfectly? Sadly no! But we must try our upmost to do so. And how do we do so? We study, learn and walk in His Torah, because His Torah is a tree of life to those who take hold of it!
Remember, the definition of ‘Faith’ as HaShem defines it, is not just a cognitive belief in something or someone, ‘Emunah’ (Faith) as HaShem defines it is first believe HaShem is King and sole Creator, THEN we put that Emunah into action by accepting upon ourselves the yoke of His Torah and begin to walk and live our lives according to His Torah, submitted to His Kingship and Rulership. HaShem is ‘Echad’ i.e. He is ONE, He shares His glory with no one and He answers to no one…there is no other like Him and we must be set-apart to Him as He is set-apart!
As I said in the beginning, hopefully, HaShem willing, this will be the first of many Ops specifically discussing the Temple of HaShem and how it functions! May we bring honor and esteem to His Great Name because He is worthy and deserving of it!
Much to consider.
Shabbat Shalom!
SOURCE MATERIALS
The Scriptures by the Institute for Scripture Research
Tractate Tamid Koren Tamud Bavli
Tractate Middot Kehati Mishnah
Rambam Hilchot Beit HaBechirah Mishnah Torah
Jewish Wisdom in the Numbers by Artscroll
The Chumash Shemot by Artscroll
Measure the Pattern by Joseph Good of HaTikvah Ministries
“Attribute to HaShem honor worthy of His Name, take an offering and come to His courtyards. Prostrate before HaShem in His intensely holy place, tremble before Him, everyone on earth. Declare among the peoples, ‘HaShem reigns!’ Indeed, the world is fixed so that it cannot falter, He will judge the nations with equity.” Psalms 96:8-10
My goodness it has been far too long since posting my last Op! Lot’s happening both in the world and in my personal life as of late! There can be no denying it anymore, the world is very rapidly spiraling towards the appointed times in which all the prophecies we have read for decades are swiftly coming to pass right in front of our very eyes! Baruch HaShem!
Just today, 4 Feb 2022, the news is showing the leaders of Russia and China meeting to discuss their joint efforts and alliance to combat and destroy the United States in what is now expected to be a very real shooting war in the coming days and weeks. It is Gog and Magog (Russia and her allies) being drawn out by HaShem to wage war against Assyria (Europe) and Babylon (America)! We are even seeing Russia moving its forces into position in the Middle East with the expressed purpose of engaging Israel and to defend its ally i.e. Iran! Point is, its all coming together very, very rapidly just as HaShem told us it would!
One of the critical components of the End of Days Prophecies is that of the Third Temple in Jerusalem! To this day most people either have very little biblical understanding of the Temple of HaShem or have been taught very, very bad and blasphemous teaching of the Temple of HaShem all based upon the lying doctrine of Replacement Theology!
This is why I find it very interesting in this weeks Torah portion i.e. ‘Terumah’ which is found in Shemot (Exodus) 25:1-27:19 with the Haftarah readings found in I Kings 5:26-6:13, HaShem gives us His command to build the Beis HaMikdash (The Temple) to include all of the required utensils in order for the Temple Services to be performed!
Remember from my past Ops, HaShem commands all of us, you and I, in Ezekiel 43:10-11, to study and learn EVERYTHING concerning His House i.e. His Temple, the layout of His Temple to include every gate, every room, every utensil, every offering, every garment, every aspect of each Temple Service as well as the liturgy which are recited each and every day and why? Because HaShem reveals Himself in His House and in His Temple Services which He gave to Moshe in Shemot (Exodus) 25 and to David in I Chronicles 28 by His Ruach (Spirit)! In doing so, we grow in our relationship to HaShem and also will recognize His real Messiah and not fall for the counterfeit one!
This all said thus far, there is an account in HaShem’s Word concerning the End of Days Third Temple in which we read of the Messiah Who comes as both King and Kohen (Priest) and He offers up a bull as a Chatat (Sin) Korbonot (Offering) on behalf of Himself and Israel to HaShem! This is usually either completely ignored or is twisted up to render the meaning of the verses to mean something entirely else…….all done out of a complete lack of understanding of HaShem’s House and why? Because Replacement Theology has constantly and continues to teach today the Temple of HaShem has been completely rendered irrelevant! This is what I wish to discuss in this Op, however, before we can jump into this, always consider the following eternal, unchanging characteristics of HaShem:
HaShem never changes per Num 23:19/Mal 3:6/Hebrews 13:8/James 1:17
His Word is firmly established per Psalm 119:89
He reveals the end out of the beginning per Is 46:10
He does nothing without first revealing it to His prophets per Amos 3:7
He says there is nothing new under the sun per Ecclesiastes 1:9
He says His Torah is the ONLY truth there is per Psalms 119:142
He says His Torah is a tree of life and eternal per Proverbs 3:18-19 and Psalm 119:160
He says His Torah is perfect and restores the soul per Psalm 19:7
He says His Torah makes the simple one wise per Psalm 19:7
He says His Torah Is freedom and liberty per Psalm 119:45 and James 1:25
He says His Torah is the only good doctrine there is Proverbs 4:2
He says His Torah will add length of days and years of life and peace per Proverbs 3:2
He says all of the ways of His Torah are ways of pleasantness and peace per Proverbs 3:17
He says His Torah is for our good and well-being per Deuteronomy 6:24
He says His Torah is health for our lives per Proverbs 3:8
He says His Torah is life to our soul and a graceful ornament for our neck per Prov 3:22
He says His Torah is better than pearls and all desires cannot compare to it per Prov 8:11
He says those who walk with His Torah are praiseworthy per Psalms 119:1
He says observing His Torah is how we purify our path per Psalms 119:9
He says His Torah is better than thousands in gold and silver per Psalms 119:72
He says His Torah brings abundant peace to those who love Him and His Torah per Psalms 119:165
He says there is one Torah for all per Exodus 12:49/Leviticus 24:22
He says those who hate His Torah love death per Proverbs 8:36
He says His Torah is the way of faith per Psalms 119:29-30
He says His Torah makes us wiser than our enemies per Psalms 119:98
He says His Torah is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path per Psalms 119:105
He says one who finds His Torah has found life per Proverbs 8:35
He says one who finds His Torah has found favor from HaShem per Proverbs 8:35
He says Messiah Yeshua is the GOAL of His Torah, meaning without His Torah, Messiah cannot be known per Romans 10:4
He says if we had believed Moshe/Torah, we would have believed Messiah per John 5:46
He says His Torah makes us wiser than our enemies per Psalms 119:98
He says His salvation is far from the wicked for they sought not His Torah per Psalms 119:155
He says to hold fast to and guard His Torah, for it is our life per Proverbs 4:13
HaShem commands in Shemot (Exodus) 25:8 “They shall make a Sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them.” There are two Hebrew words which apply to the House of HaShem i.e. Beis HaMikdash and Beis HaMishkan. Beis HaMishkan is the Tabernacle in which Moshe and Aaron built in the Wilderness and was portable. The Beis HaMikdash is the Temple in which David and later his son Solomon built in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount and was a permanent structure built upon the exact spot HaShem chose and placed His Name there. The laws, rules and ordinances apply equally to each and are incredible teaching tools HaShem uses to teach us to understand and walk in kedusha (Holiness). The closer one draws towards HaShem, the higher level of kedusha is required. Sadly because of our current sin nature and impure states, we cannot just enter into His House. There are very important protocols which must be adhered too and to ignore those protocols can bring about absolute catastrophe for all of Israel!
Mitzvah #95 from the Book of the Mitzvot is “The obligation to build the Holy Temple.” An excerpt from this entry says “We are commanded to construct a Temple that is dedicated to the Name of HaShem, that is to say, dedicated as the place where we shall bring our sacrificial offerings before Him, on the three pilgrimage festivals in which all of Israel is required to come up to Jerusalem to the Temple (Pesach, Shavuos and Succos i.e. Passover, Feast of Weeks and Tabernacles). In addition, this mitzvah includes an obligation to construct the utensils that are needed in the Temple for the Avodah (Service), for example, the Menorah, the Table, the Altar, and all the other utensils.”
The command here by HaShem to build the Holy Temple has the Hebrew letter ‘Vav’ in it, which changes the tense of this command to being ‘Present Tense’ meaning this command applies to every single generation, to include you and I today in 2022!! Keep this in mind as we proceed!
Consider, the Temple of HaShem in Jerusalem is literally man being able to go into the Garden of Eden once again! How is this accomplished? The Kohen HaGadol (High Priest) can enter only one time a year into the Most Holy Place i.e. where the Ark stood, and this could only be done on Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement). If he were to enter into the Most Holy Place outside of Yom Kippur, it would result in the immediate death of the Kohen HaGadol. The point is, before man sinned, man could walk with HaShem in the Garden with nothing to separate the two. Then man sinned, and he was expelled out of the garden and ever since then HaShem has been restoring the breach in the relationship with the Temple and the korbonot (Offerings) being the place where man could on only one day a year enter into the Presence of HaShem i.e. the Garden. The restoration and renewal of this relationship has begun i.e. Yeshua and His death and resurrection, but sadly it is still not completely restored as of yet, but hopefully very, very soon, HaShem will completely restore this relationship to its fullness once again!
The Temple of HaShem is the Place where He has set His Name and is where Israel and the nations will all come up on His three Pilgrimage Feasts to bring our korbonot and bring our tithes as well as the Place where we can go to dwell with our Master! Remember, the task He gave to Israel is to be a light to the nations i.e. bring the Torah to the world and in doing so draw the people to HaShem per Isaiah 42:6-7 which says “I am HaShem; I have called you (Israel) with righteousness; I will strengthen your hand; I will protect you; I will set you for a covenant to the people, for a LIGHT TO THE NATIONS; to open blind eyes; to remove a prisoner from confinement, dwellers in darkness from a dungeon.” In order to be a light to the nations, requires Israel live and walk out the Torah of HaShem as an example of the goodness of HaShem and in so doing will inspire the nations to dump their pagan gods and idolatrous ways and embrace HaShem. Another reinforcement as to why the real Messiah of HaShem MUST be completely and perfectly Torah observant. Then after the Birth Pains and Yeshua is ruling and reigning from the Temple in Jerusalem, all the nations will see the goodness of HaShem and ALL will come and walk in His righteousness i.e. His Torah, but I am getting ahead of myself!
The prophecy HaShem gave stating His Messiah will be BOTH King and Kohen HaGadol (High Priest) is recorded in Zechariah 6:9-15 which states “The Word of HaShem came to me saying, ‘Take from the exiles, from Heldai, from Tobijah, and from Jedaiah. Come on that day; come to the household of Josiah son of Zephaniah, who have from from Babylonia, and take silver and gold and make crowns, and place one of them on the head of Joshua son of Jehozadak the Kohen Gadol. Say to him, ‘Thus said HaShem, Master of Legions: Behold, there is a man, his name is Zemah (Branch), and he will flourish in his place; HE WILL BUILD THE SANCTUARY OF HASHEM. He will build the Sanctuary of HaShem; he will bear majesty, and he will sit and rule upon his throne. The Kohen will be upon his own throne, and there will be a disposition of peace between the two of them. The crowns will be a remembrance for Helem, for Tobijah, and for Jedaiah, and for Hen son of Zephaniah in the Sanctuary of HaShem.’ People from far away will come and build the Sanctuary of HaShem and then you will know that HaShem, Master of Legions, has sent me to you. This will happen if you truly listen to the voice of HaShem your Elohim.” It is from this prophecy in Zechariah we know the real Messiah of HaShem is a man and His Name is Yeshua (Joshua).
Another prophecy HaShem gave is recorded in Psalms 110:4 which says “HaShem has sworn and will not relent, ‘You (Messiah) shall be a Kohen (Priest) forever, because you are a KING OF RIGHTEOUSNESS!'” Remember HaShem reveals the end out of the beginning per Isaiah 46:10 and as such He gave us a picture in the account of what we read in Genesis 14 concerning Malchizedek. What is very important to understand, the Hebrew term ‘Malchizedek’ is in fact two Hebrew words i.e. Malchi (King) and Zedek (Righteousness) = King of Righteousness. What is more important is not only is this term a title but its specific to a specific location in Israel! Malchizedek is the title of the King OVER the Place of Righteousness i.e. the Temple of HaShem in Jerusalem!
So, we see Yeshua, must be from the line of Judah but it is also possible Levy as well and we can prove this is the case via His mother i.e. Mariam! She had a cousin i.e. Elisheva (Elizabeth) who was married to Zechariah, a Kohen (Priest) from the order of Abiyah who served in the Temple. A Kohen could only marry another Kohen, which means Elisheva was a Kohen from the line of Levy (She just couldn’t serve in the Temple). This means Mariam had to be from Levy as well in order to be blood relatives of Elisheva! Keep this in mind!
In addition to this, when we read in the Apostolic Writings how Yeshua and Joseph were ‘Carpenters’ it has a much more important meaning when we learn to understand this from the Jewish perspective and I will quickly explain. Per Tractate Shabbos 114a from the Talmud Bavli, a ‘Carpenter’ or otherwise known as a ‘Builder’ was a Torah scholar who engaged themselves in ‘Building the world all their days’ i.e. learning and teaching others how to walk in the Torah of HaShem! In my opinion, this would make much more sense that Yeshua, the Messiah of HaShem and Joseph were Torah scholars! Again, keep this in mind.
With all this said, let’s now address the topic at hand. Ezekiel 40-48 discusses the construction of the Rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem i.e. the Third Temple. Ezekiel 45:22 is the verse to discuss which says “The Prince shall make on that day, for himself and for the entire population, a bull for a sin offering.” There is much to unpack in this verse so be ready!
In Hebrew the term ‘The Prince’ is the Hebrew word ‘Nasi’. This is a very well known term used in the Temple of HaShem. The definition of this word ‘Nasi’ from the Dictionary of the Talmud describes it as: ‘Prince, chief, ruler, officer.’
So how do we know this Prince is the Messiah? The text in Ezekiel will tell us so. Ezekiel 37:23-25 says “And they will no longer be contaminated with their idols and their abhorrent things and with all their sins; and I shall save them from all their habitations in which they sinned, and I shall purify them, and they shall be a nation for Me, and I will be Elohim for them, with MY SERVANT DAVID KING OVER THEM, and a single shepherd will be for all of them. In My ordinance they will go and in My decrees they will guard, and perform them, and they shall dwell on the land which I gave to My servant Jacob within which your fathers dwelt, and they shall dwell upon it, they, their children and their children’s children forever, and MY SERVANT DAVID WILL BE PRINCE FOR THEM FOREVER.“ So, we see from the text Yeshua, the Servant of HaShem and descendant of David will be Prince i.e. King over Israel forever and will rule from the Temple of HaShem as both King and Kohen Gadol!
Tractate Horayos 10a from the Talmud Bavli says concerning Ezekiel 45:22 “Who is the Nasi? This is the King!” Reaffirming here in Ezekiel 45 the Nasi can be none other than Yeshua!
With this stated, when we read it is this Prince Who offers up a bull as a Chatat (Sin) korbonot on behalf of Himself and all of Israel, we need to understand what is going on here! Did Yeshua sin? Nope! We have to understand the consecration/inauguration ritual to install a new Kohen HaGadol into service in the Temple! Further, we have to understand the significance of why a bull is being offered here and not a sheep or a goat!
First and foremost we must understand there are FOUR vestments which comprise an ordinary Kohen’s Temple Service garments while for the Kohen HaGadol (High Priest) he wears EIGHT vestments which comprise the garments of the Kohen HaGadol! During the Yom Kippur Temple Service, the Kohen HaGadol changes out of his garments and puts on the ordinary garments several times throughout the service! And it is only here on Yom Kippur the Kohen HaGadol is allowed to enter the Most Holy Place!
Further, per Shemot (Exodus) 29:30 there is a SEVEN day consecration/inauguration period in which the new Kohen Gadol goes through several rituals in order to be consecrated into the position as Kohen HaGadol before HaShem! What is extremely important to understand is the anointing oil used in this consecration ceremony, which we will discuss shortly!
Vayikra (Leviticus) 8:10 shows us Moshe used a specific mixture of ingredients as the ‘Shemen HaMishchah’ i.e. the Anointing Oil to anoint the Mishkan/Mikdash/All the utensils. Verse 12 shows us this Anointing Oil was poured onto the head of Aharon to install him as the Kohen HaGadol (High Priest) setting the precedent for all the future Kohanim.
Now what is interesting to note is this Prince, Who has brought a bull as a Chatat (Sin) Korbonot, can only bring a bull if He has been anointed by the Shemen HaMishchah! We see this in Tractate Horayos 11b from the Talmud Bavli which says “There is no difference between a Kohen Gadol anointed with the anointing oil and a Kohen Gadol of additional vestments EXCEPT THE BULL THAT COMES FOR ALL THE COMMANDMENTS.” Now let me quickly explain: If the Shemen HaMishchah anointing oil is not available, a new Kohen HaGadol can be installed by putting on all the vestments of the Kohen HaGadol each day for seven straight days as the inauguration process. If he is installed by putting on these vestments, then he cannot bring a bull as a Chatat! He can only bring a female sheep or male goat. Why is this important you may ask? Because as it pertains to Ezekiel 45:22 and here is the crux of this Op, the Prince has brought a bull therefore He, per Torah requirements He must have been anointed by the newly restored and produced Shemen HaMishchah, meaning once more we see HaShem has restored everything in His Temple even down to the Shemen HaMishchah! Again, it exposes Replacement Theology as being the garbage doctrine it so often tries to teach!
Some have objected to the idea of the Messiah bringing a Chatat (Sin) Korbonot and further state those who teach He will do so is teaching the epitome of blasphemy. I would point out Yeshua, in order to perform and function as the Messiah of HaShem, MUST do ALL of the Torah! We see Yeshua Himself state this in Matthew 3:14-15, when John is immersing folks and he see’s Yeshua and objects to immersing Yeshua and tells Him it is Yeshua Who should immerse him and Yeshua replies by telling John, He (Messiah), MUST DO AND ADHERE TO ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS i.e. keep and do all the Torah! Again it reiterates nothing of what HaShem established can be changed or tossed out!
Replacement Theology Christendom would teach Yeshua kept the Torah in order to toss it aside and render it irrelevant, but this does not in any way, shape or form match up with what HaShem said in His Word! If one simple Hebrew letter of the Torah is changed or removed, as Christendom teaches, then Yeshua is immediately disqualified as being the Messiah of HaShem. It is the False Messiah who changes and removes the Torah of HaShem as described in the Tanakh and Apostolic Writings.
I just wanted to cite this in a short Op to hopefully inspire people to see just how intricate and detailed HaShem and His Temple truly is and how so much we, myself included, have to yet learn per His command in Ezekiel 43! Everything in His Word is there for a reason and He is teaching us something. We just need to take the time to go and learn and embark on this amazing journey to grow closer to HaShem especially now in these very grim, dark and difficult days we live in! May it be so very, very soon in our days!
Something to consider. Shabbat Shalom 🙂
SOURCE MATERIALS:
The Scriptures by the Institute for Scripture Research
“You shall observe My Shabbats and revere My Sanctuary, I am HaShem.” Leviticus 19:30
What a world we currently live in!!! How very tired, weak and weary many of us are feeling now with all the pressures and opposition we each face in our daily lives. If not for the mercy, compassion and grace of HaShem, none of us would have any hope of making it through to the End!
As we fast approach the End, I believe HaShem is revealing more and more about His Word and is also reinforcing why we are commanded to do certain things by HaShem! One of those extremely important commandments is Shabbat! HaShem discusses keeping His Shabbat countless times throughout His Tanakh as well as the Apostolic Writings. It is one of those commandments which is absolutely vital to our relationship to HaShem but also to our literal survival in this world!
In this Op we will be exploring and discussing an often overlooked verse relating to Shabbat in the Apostolic Writings which once again reveals nothing has changed but also supports the validity and necessity of the Oral Torah to our walk with HaShem as well as understanding Who His Messiah can only be!
But before we jump into this, as always, never forget the following eternal characteristics of HaShem:
HaShem never changes per Num 23:19/Mal 3:6/Hebrews 13:8/James 1:17
His Word is firmly established per Psalm 119:89
He reveals the end out of the beginning per Is 46:10
He does nothing without first revealing it to His prophets per Amos 3:7
He says there is nothing new under the sun per Ecclesiastes 1:9
He says His Torah is the ONLY truth there is per Psalms 119:142
He says His Torah is a tree of life and eternal per Proverbs 3:18-19 and Psalm 119:160
He says His Torah is perfect and restores the soul per Psalm 19:7
He says His Torah makes the simple one wise per Psalm 19:7
He says His Torah Is freedom and liberty per Psalm 119:45 and James 1:25
He says His Torah is the only good doctrine there is Proverbs 4:2
He says His Torah will add length of days and years of life and peace per Proverbs 3:2
He says all of the ways of His Torah are ways of pleasantness and peace per Proverbs 3:17
He says His Torah is for our good and well-being per Deuteronomy 6:24
He says His Torah is health for our lives per Proverbs 3:8
He says His Torah is life to our soul and a graceful ornament for our neck per Prov 3:22
He says His Torah is better than pearls and all desires cannot compare to it per Prov 8:11
He says those who walk with His Torah are praiseworthy per Psalms 119:1
He says observing His Torah is how we purify our path per Psalms 119:9
He says His Torah is better than thousands in gold and silver per Psalms 119:72
He says His Torah brings abundant peace to those who love Him and His Torah per Psalms 119:165
He says there is one Torah for all per Exodus 12:49/Leviticus 24:22
He says those who hate His Torah love death per Proverbs 8:36
He says His Torah is the way of faith per Psalms 119:29-30
He says His Torah makes us wiser than our enemies per Psalms 119:98
He says His Torah is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path per Psalms 119:105
He says one who finds His Torah has found life per Proverbs 8:35
He says one who finds His Torah has found favor from HaShem per Proverbs 8:35
He says Messiah Yeshua is the GOAL of His Torah, meaning without His Torah, Messiah cannot be known per Romans 10:4
He says if we had believed Moshe/Torah, we would have believed Messiah per John 5:46
He says His Torah makes us wiser than our enemies per Psalms 119:98
He says His salvation is far from the wicked for they sought not His Torah per Psalms 119:155
He says to hold fast to and guard His Torah, for it is our life per Proverbs 4:13
“It is not incumbent upon you to complete the work; yet, you are not free to desist from it. If you have studied much Torah, a great reward will be given to you, for your Employer is trustworthy to reward your labor. And know, that the reward of the righteous is in the time to come.” Mishnah Tractate Pirkei Avot 2.16
I thought I would add a statement from the Pirkei Avot above into this Op to show just how similar it is to what Yeshua taught! Moving on.
In the Book of Acts, just after the Talmidim of Yeshua witnessed Him being taken up from the Mt of Olives, there is a statement made which most people either just glance over, completely ignore or try to explain it away using the latest Replacement Theological gimmick currently in circulation. The verse in question is Acts 1:12 which says “Then they went back to Yerushalayim from the Mount of Olives, which is near Yerushalayim, A SABBATH DAY’S JOURNEY.” What is the significance of a sabbath day’s journey? Before we can examine this further, we need to first establish HaShem commands we keep His Shabbat.
The following verses will establish HaShem’s command to guard and keep His Shabbat:
Exodus 16:28-29“HaShem said to Moshe, ‘How long will you refuse to observe My commandments and My teachings? See that HaShem has given you the Shabbos; that is why He gives you on the sixth day a two day portion of bread. Let every man remain in his place; let no man leave his place on the seventh day.'”
Exodus 20:8-11“Remember (Guard/keep/do) the Shabbos day to sanctify it. Six days shall you work and do all your labor; but the seventh day is Shabbos to HaShem, your Elohim; you shall not do any work, you, your son, your daughter; your slave, your maidservant, your animal, and your convert within your gates, for in six days HaShem made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day. Therefore, HaShem blessed the Shabbos day and sanctified it.”
Exodus 31:12-15“HaShem said to Moshe, saying: ‘Now you, speak to the Children of Israel, saying ‘However, you must observe My Shabbotot, for IT IS A SIGN BETWEEN ME AND YOU FOR YOUR GENERATIONS, to know that I am HaShem, Who makes you holy. You shall observe the Shabbos, for it is holy its desecrators shall be put to death, for whoever does work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among its people. For six days work may be done and on the seventh day is a day of complete rest, it is sacred to HaShem; whoever does work on the Shabbos day shall be put to death.'”
Deuteronomy 5:12-15 “Safeguard the Shabbos day to sanctify it, as HaShem, your Elohim, has commanded you. Six days shall you labor and accomplish all your work; but the seventh day is Shabbos to HaShem, your Elohim; you shall not do any work, you, your son, your daughter, your slave (Hired servant), your maidservant, your ox, your donkey and your every animal, and your convert within your gates, in order that your slave and your maidservant may rest like you. And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and HaShem, your Elohim, has taken you out from there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm; therefore HaShem, your Elohim, has commanded you to make the Shabbos day.”
Isaiah 58:13-14“If you restrain your foot because it is the Shabbat; refrain from accomplishing your own needs on My holy day; if you proclaim the Shabbat ‘a delight’, and the holy day of HaShem ‘honored’, and you honor it by not engaging in your own affairs, from seeking your own needs or discussing the forbidden, then you will delight in HaShem and I will mount you astride the heights of the world; I will provide you the heritage of your forefather Jacob for the mouth of HaShem has spoken.”
So, we can see very quickly HaShem is extremely serious about His people guarding/doing His Shabbat and further, His Shabbat is THE sign between Him and His people! What is interesting is this word ‘Sign’ is the same word for ‘Mark’. My point is, if HaShem’s Shabbat is the sign/mark between Him and His people, then what potentially could be the sign/mark the adversary counterfeits with? What day has Replacement Theology adopted as its Shabbat, teaching HaShem’s Shabbat has been replaced/superseded? I will let you put the rest of the puzzle together yourself.
You may be asking what is the purpose for Shabbat? Well, let’s quickly examine this and find out.
The following excerpt is from the ‘Aryeh Kaplan Anthology II’ book discussing ‘Why the Sabbath?’. It says “If you say that you believe in G-d, but do not believe that He is as real as you or I, or that He is One, then you really do not believe in G-d, at least, not the Jewish concept of G-d. You are really speaking of something else. But how do we, as Jews, define G-d? We find the answer in the very first verse of the Torah. It says: ‘In the beginning, G-d created the Heaven and the Earth.’ Here we have a definition of G-d. G-d is the Creator of all things. He is the One Who brought all things into existence. This has some very important implications. As Creator of all things, G-d must be both greater than all creation and distinct from it. Therefore, we, as Jews, reject the philosophy of pantheism. As Creator, G-d’s existence cannot depend on any of His creatures. Our definition therefore rejects any concept of G-d as an abstract ethical force or social convention. If a person says that he believes in G-d, but does not believe that He is Creator, then he does not really believe in the Jewish concept of G-d. But there is another point in our belief in G-d. Some people think that G-d created the world and then forgot about it. They may claim to believe in G-d, and even admit to some abstract Creator, but they insist, at the same time, that His existence has no bearing on their lives. To them, G-d is a remote philosophical abstraction.
We see G-d as much more than this. When G-d introduced Himself in the Ten Commandments, He said per Exodus 20:2, ‘I am the L-rd your G-d, Who took you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.’ G-d was telling us that He is involved in the affairs of man and has a profound interest in what we do.
G-d Himself gave the Exodus as an example. It was here that the entire Jewish people experienced G-d. To them, G-d was no mere abstraction. They saw His deeds to such an extent that they were actually able to point and say, ‘This is my G-d.’
Here again, one who does not accept G-d’s involvement and interest in the affairs of men cannot be said to believe in the Jewish concept of G-d. He is violating the first of the Ten Commandments.
In light of these concepts, we can now understand the significance of the Shabbat.
Faith requires more than mere lip service. IT MUST ALSO INVOVLE ACTION IN THE FORM OF OUR STEADFAST ADHERENCE TO G-D’S WILL. The Hebrew word for faith is ‘Emunah’. It comes from the same root as ‘Ulman’ i.e. a craftsman. FAITH CANNOT BE SEPARATED FROM ACTION. But, by what act in particular do we demonstrate our belief in G-d as Creator? The answer now becomes obvious.
The one ritual that does this is the observance of the Shabbat. It is the confirmation of our belief in G-d as the Creator of all things. We now understand what the Talmud means when it says that one who does not keep the Shabbat is like an idol worshiper. Violation of the Shabbat is an implicit denial of faith in G-d, the Creator.”
Keeping His Shabbat is the demonstration of our faith in HaShem…no wonder then HaShem says Shabbat is THE SIGN between Him and His people!
Typically those in Replacement Theology will counter using the account of Yeshua and His Talmidim walking through the field, plucking grain on a Shabbat and claim Yeshua was intentionally doing this to break the restrictions of Shabbat and show soon a new way would come and replace Shabbat. Further, many in the Hebrew Roots/Messianic world will use this account as proof Yeshua rejects the Oral Torah. In reality and I am quoting from the book ‘Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus’ by David Bivin and Roy Blizzard Jr, on page 43 it states“”It may come as a surprise to some, but most of the difficult passages or problems confronted in New Testament studies could be solved through a knowledge of Rabbinic Literature. Many of Jesus’ sayings have their parallels in Rabbinic Literature.”” The author is pointing directly at the Oral Torah as being the key to understanding the Apostolic Writings and I wholeheartedly agree with this assessment per my own personal experiences in studying the Oral Torah and seeing how much of it explains what we are reading in the Apostolic Writings. This said, is there any truth to what Replacement Theology and many in the Hebrew Roots/Messianic world teach? Let’s examine this further and find out. This account is found in Matthew 12:1-12:
“At that time Yeshua went through the grain fields on the Shabbat. And His taught ones were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain to eat. And when the Pharisees (Shammai Pharisees) saw it, they said to Him, ‘Look, Your taught ones are doing what is not right to do on the Shabbat!’ But He said to them, ‘Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him; how he went into the House of Elohim (Temple) and ate the showbread which was not right for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?’ Or did you not read in the Torah that on the Shabbat the priests in the Set-apart Place profane the Shabbat, and were blameless? But I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the Set-apart Place. And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire compassion and not offering (Hosea 6:6)’ you would not have condemned the blameless. For the Son of Adam is Master of the Shabbat. And having left there, He went into their congregation. And see, there was a man having a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, ‘Is it right to heal on the Shabbat?’ so as to accuse Him. And He said to them, ‘What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Shabbat, shall not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more worth is a man than a sheep! So it is right to do good on the Shabbat.”
So, we see the issue here is picking grain on Shabbat because Yeshua and His Talmidim were hungry. The accusation levied against Him, i.e. the prohibition of picking grain on Shabbat, is this something some person just dreamed up one day or is there more too it?
Now remember, in previous Op’s we have discussed the legality and validity of the Sanhedrin HaShem established in the Torah which He then commanded we obey the rulings the Sanhedrin renders on how to walk in the Torah of HaShem! I won’t rehash this here as you can refer to my previous Op’s, if interested. Yeshua reiterated this when He commanded we are to obey those who sit in the Seat of Moshe i.e. the Sanhedrin! Where are the right rulings of the Sanhedrin contained? They are written down in the Mishnah followed by the commentary of the Mishnah which is contained in the Talmud Bavli and Talmud Yerushalmi i.e. the Oral Torah! This said, per Tractate Shabbat 7.2 in the Mishnah it lists 39 labor prohibitions rendered by the Sanhedrin for Shabbat. They are:
Sowing
Plowing
Reaping (Gleaning grapes, gathering dates, picking olives, gathering figs, plucking anything from its point of growth i.e. grain)
Binding sheaves
Threshing
Winnowing
Sorting
Grinding
Sifting
Kneading
Baking
Shearing the wool
Bleaching it
Beating it
Dyeing it
Spinning
Stretching the warp on the loom
Making two loops
Weaving two threads
Separating two threads
Tying a knot (This is specific to tying a permanent knot i.e. working)
Untying a knot (This is specific to those who trapped the mollusc from which the blue tekkelet color was harvested from)
Sewing two stitches
Tearing in order to sew two stitches
Trapping a deer (Or any other animal, or any living creature which requires catching)
Slaughtering it
Flaying it
Salting it
Curing its hide
Scraping it
Cutting it up
Writing two letters (This is specific to marking the boards of the Tabernacle to identify their pairs for repair or construction)
Erasing in order to write two letters (At times they erred in the Tabernacle, and they would erase in order to write anew. Again, it denotes working)
Building
Pulling down
Extinguishing
Lighting a fire
Striking with a hammer
Carrying from domain to domain (Carrying from the private domain to the public domain and vice versa)
Now, these are the prohibitions for HaShem’s Shabbat, but what Yeshua was teaching that life supersedes these restrictions and He uses a specific account of David and his men eating the Showbread in the Temple when they are not authorized to do so. Let’s quickly look into this and see what is going on.
1 Samuel 21:1-7 says “David arose and left, and Jonathan came back to the city. David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the Kohen (Priest). Ahimelech hurried to greet David, and said to him ‘Why are you alone, with no one accompanying you?’ David said to Ahimelech the Kohen, ‘The king ordered me on a mission, and told me, ‘No man may know anything about the matter for which I have sent you and commanded you.’ Thus, I informed my attendants to be at a certain secret place. And now, what do you have available? Five loaves of bread? Give them or whatever there is into my hand.’ The Kohen answered David, saying ‘I have no ordinary bread available; there is only sacred bread (Showbread), provided that your attendants have kept themselves from women.’ David answered the Kohen, and said to him, ‘Women have been withheld from us yesterday and the day before; moreover, when I left, the garments of the attendants were pure, even though this is a mundane mission, surely today it will remain sacred in a proper vessel.’ So the Kohen gave him sacred food (Showbread), for there was no other bread there except for the Showbread that was being removed from before HaShem, in order to place hot Showbread on the day it is taken off.'” This is where we need to understand how the Temple functioned in addition to the Temple Services.
On each Shabbat, Showbread, which is baked every Friday, is placed on the Table before the Most Holy Place by the Kohen. It will remain there before HaShem the entire week. The following Shabbat, the Showbread is removed and replaced with freshly baked Showbread. The Showbread which was removed is kadosh (Holy) and is divided up among among the Kohanim and thus can only be eaten by the Kohen. In this instance, Ahimelech made sure David and his men were ritually pure and then he gave them the Showbread because of hunger i.e. life! This account of David is what Yeshua is pointing too…so in reality Yeshua was NOT breaking Shabbat, but was addressing a life and death issue!
This is where I see most of those in Replacement Theology and many in the Hebrew Roots worlds where if they understood HaShem and His Torah would see HaShem’s Torah is NOT a bunch of crushing do’s and don’ts! Again, them using the above account of Yeshua plucking grain as their proof Torah kills and destroys and Yeshua was challenging that fact. In fact Tractate Yoma 82a from the Talmud Bavli teaches a Torah principle “There is no halakha that stands in the way of saving a life, except for the prohibitions against idol worship, forbidden sexual relationships and murder.” What does this mean? It means, if the only way to save a life is to violate Torah, then that person MUST violate Torah other than in instances of idol worship, forbidden sexual relationships and murder! Further, in Tractate Yoma 85a/b from the Talmud Bavli it says “Saving a life overrides Shabbat.” My point is for all of this, is again Yeshua did nothing wrong nor was He violating Shabbat in a manner which was unacceptable! He did NOT do this to teach Torah/Shabbat were soon to be rendered obsolete and replaced as so many have taught and continue to teach, nor was He challenging some man made rule concerning Shabbat. What He did was fully acceptable and right. In my opinion the Shammai Pharisees were just looking for a reason to ensnare Him and as always, Yeshua turned it around on them and revealed their hypocrisy! I digress.
With this all said, let’s now examine the purpose of this Op i.e. Acts 1:12 and ‘A Shabbat’s day journey.’ So, a Shabbat’s day journey was a specific calculation and was a total of 2,000 cubits length from the place where Shabbat was being kept. This was not some arbitrary number pulled out of thin air by some rabbi one day, it is based upon Scriptural authority specifically one of the sets of verses we examined above concerning HaShem’s command to keep Shabbat:
Exodus 16:28-29“HaShem said to Moshe, ‘How long will you refuse to observe My commandments and My teachings? See that HaShem has given you the Shabbos; that is why He gives you on the sixth day a two day portion of bread. Let every man remain in his place; let no man leave his place on the seventh day.'”
The underlined portion above is what forms the basis for the limits of Shabbat. Further, Tractate Eruvin 51a from the Talmud Bavli it tells us they compiled the verses above from Exodus to remain in place but also the Scriptural commands for a person who accidentally killed someone and fled to a ‘City of Refuge’ per Numbers 35:27. Per Numbers 35:5 HaShem commands to measure 2,000 cubits to establish the borders of a ‘City of Refuge’. This concept was taken by the Sanhedrin and was used to establish the limits of Shabbat i.e. 2,000 cubits.
Why is this so important to understand you may ask? Because, the Talmidim just witnessed Yeshua ascend into Heaven from the Mount of Olives and clearly Yeshua, not one time, instructed His Talmidim to disregard and toss out the Torah nor the Oral Torah because it states in the verse in Acts they traveled a Shabbat’s day journey, meaning they were returning to the place in Jerusalem from where they were keeping Shabbat! I will say it again and again and again until my dying breath, Yeshua did NOT terminate the Torah. He did not teach against the Oral Torah. He did not teach anything new and He did not replace nor change anything HaShem had established from the beginning! Had He done so, He would have just disqualified Himself as being the Messiah of HaShem. This is precisely why the ‘Jesus’ that Replacement Theology Christendom in its doctrine has established and fashioned, is not and cannot ever be the real Messiah of HaShem, for one simple reason….he changed and replaced everything HaShem had established from the beginning.
Remember, 1 John 5:3 tells us HaShem’s Torah is NOT burdensome! His Torah is a tree of life, meant to bless and protect us here and now in a world of madness, insanity, debauchery, idolatry and lawlessness!
Much to consider in all of this.
Shabbat Shalom!
SOURCE MATERIALS
The Scriptures by the Institute for Scripture Research
The Milstein Edition of the Chumash with the Teachings of the Talmud by Artscroll
The Koren Talmud Bavli Tractates Sanhedrin, Yoma, Eiruvin
“O that you will strengthen yourself and persevere very much in order to observe, to do, according to all of the Torah that Moshe My servant has commanded you. Do not deviate from him to the right or to the left, that you may succeed wherever you may go. This Book of the Torah is not to leave your mouth. You should contemplate it day and night in order to observe, to do, all that is written in it. For then you will make your ways successful, and then you will become understanding.” Joshua 1:7-8
How many times has the doctrine of Replacement Theology painted a picture the Messiah of the Bible is anti-Torah, anti-Israel and teaches a theology in which the core teaching states the Torah, Israel and the Old Testament have all been replaced and superseded by the Church and the New Testament? Its the common doctrine having been taught for nearly 2,000 years now.
This is why I firmly and wholeheartedly am convinced the Jesus of Replacement Theology Christendom and the Yeshua as revealed in the entire Bible are two very different doctrines, which I have discussed countless times throughout my Ops over the years and as such will not rehash it all here.
This all said thus far, there is absolute proof, from Yeshua’s own mouth that He did NOT come to render the Torah of HaShem null and void nor did He come to end the Temple, change the Feasts of HaShem nor replace Israel. There is only one character in the Bible who is all about change and teaches Replacement Theology and that is the False Messiah!
We read in Matthew 22 how the Talmidim (Disciples) of Yeshua asked Him a question as to what was the greatest commandment in the Torah. Let’s examine what He said, but first, before we delve into this Op, always remember the following unchanging truths about HaShem, our Great King and Sovereign of the Universe:
HaShem never changes per Num 23:19/Mal 3:6/Hebrews 13:8/James 1:17
His Word is firmly established per Psalm 119:89
He reveals the end out of the beginning per Is 46:10
He does nothing without first revealing it to His prophets per Amos 3:7
He says there is nothing new under the sun per Ecclesiastes 1:9
He says His Torah is the ONLY truth there is per Psalms 119:142
He says His Torah is a tree of life and eternal per Proverbs 3:18-19 and Psalm 119:160
He says His Torah is perfect and restores the soul per Psalm 19:7
He says His Torah makes the simple one wise per Psalm 19:7
He says His Torah Is freedom and liberty per Psalm 119:45 and James 1:25
He says His Torah is the only good doctrine there is Proverbs 4:2
He says His Torah will add length of days and years of life and peace per Proverbs 3:2
He says all of the ways of His Torah are ways of pleasantness and peace per Proverbs 3:17
He says His Torah is for our good and well-being per Deuteronomy 6:24
He says His Torah is health for our lives per Proverbs 3:8
He says His Torah is life to our soul and a graceful ornament for our neck per Prov 3:22
He says His Torah is better than pearls and all desires cannot compare to it per Prov 8:11
He says those who walk with His Torah are praiseworthy per Psalms 119:1
He says observing His Torah is how we purify our path per Psalms 119:9
He says His Torah is better than thousands in gold and silver per Psalms 119:72
He says His Torah brings abundant peace to those who love Him and His Torah per Psalms 119:165
He says there is one Torah for all per Exodus 12:49/Leviticus 24:22
He says those who hate His Torah love death per Proverbs 8:36
He says His Torah is the way of faith per Psalms 119:29-30
He says His Torah makes us wiser than our enemies per Psalms 119:98
He says His Torah is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path per Psalms 119:105
He says one who finds His Torah has found life per Proverbs 8:35
He says one who finds His Torah has found favor from HaShem per Proverbs 8:35
He says Messiah Yeshua is the GOAL of His Torah, meaning without His Torah, Messiah cannot be known per Romans 10:4
He says if we had believed Moshe/Torah, we would have believed Messiah per John 5:46
He says His Torah makes us wiser than our enemies per Psalms 119:98
He says His salvation is far from the wicked for they sought not His Torah per Psalms 119:155
He says to hold fast to and guard His Torah, for it is our life per Proverbs 4:13
Matthew 22:36-40 says “Teacher, what is the great command in the Torah? And Yeshua said to him, ‘You shall love HaShem your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your being, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great command. And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commands hang all the Torah and the Prophets.'”
Was Yeshua just imparting something brand new to His Talmidim or was He reinforcing something His Talmidim would have instantly recognized and known? Yeshua was quoting the Torah and quoting a specific prayer which is recited by all those who follow HaShem morning and evening of every day, even to this day! He was quoting ‘The Shema’ prayer!
Where is The Shema prayer found in the Torah? The Shema is a scriptural prayer which is based upon three sections of the Torah:
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 6:4-9
Devarim 11:13-21
Bamidbar (Numbers) 15:37-41
What is the purpose of The Shema and why are we to recite it every morning and evening? Per the Artscroll Siddur discussing The Shema it says “The recitation of the three paragraphs of The Shema is required by the Torah, and one must have in mind that he is about to fulfill this commandment. Although one should try to concentrate on the meaning of all three paragraphs, one must concentrate at least on the meaning of the first verse and the second verse because the recitation of The Shema represents fulfilment of the paramount commandment of acceptance of HaShem’s absolute sovereignty. By declaring that HaShem is One, Unique and Indivisible, we subordinate every facet of our personalities, possessions, our very lives to His will.”
As you will shortly see, ‘The Shema’ prayer is in summary, acknowledging HaShem as King, Master of all of His Creation, Master of the Earth and we are willfully submitting ourselves to His Authority and acknowledge He is One and there is no other nor does He share His Authority with anyone else! In effect, The Shema, is absolute proof Replacement Theology is NOT from HaShem, and anyone claiming to be Messiah and teaches a doctrine where the Torah is now changed, rendered obsolete or irrelevant, is fully exposed as being a false Messiah! Keep this in mind!
The following is ‘The Shema’ prayer in English:
“Shema, O Israel! Adonai Eloheino, Adonai Echad.” “Hear, O Israel, the L-rd is our G‑d, the L-rd is One.Blessed be the Name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever.
You shall love the L-rd your G‑d with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command you today shall be upon your heart. You shall teach them thoroughly to your children, and you shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road, when you lie down and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for a reminder between your eyes. And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gates.
And it will be, if you will diligently obey My commandments which I enjoin upon you this day, to love the L-rd your G‑d and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, I will give rain for your land at the proper time, the early rain and the late rain, and you will gather in your grain, your wine and your oil. And I will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be sated. Take care lest your heart be lured away, and you turn astray and worship alien gods and bow down to them. For then the L-rd’s wrath will flare up against you, and He will close the heavens so that there will be no rain and the earth will not yield its produce, and you will swiftly perish from the good land which the L-rd gives you. Therefore, place these words of Mine upon your heart and upon your soul, and bind them for a sign on your hand, and they shall be for a reminder between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, to speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road, when you lie down and when you rise. And you shall inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates – so that your days and the days of your children may be prolonged on the land which the L-rd swore to your fathers to give to them for as long as the heavens are above the earth.
The L-rd spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the children of Israel and tell them to make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to attach a thread of blue on the fringe of each corner. They shall be to you as tzizit, and you shall look upon them and remember all the commandments of the L-rd and fulfill them, and you will not follow after your heart and after your eyes by which you go astray – so that you may remember and fulfill all My commandments and be holy to your G‑d. I am the L-rd your G‑d who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your G‑d; I, the L-rd, am your G‑d. True.”
Remember, this is what Yeshua Himself said in Matthew 22 was the greatest Command in the Torah! Why is this so significant? Because if Yeshua’s purpose was to free humanity from the Torah, then why was He reinforcing the Torah as being the only way to live in service to HaShem?
He then follows up in Matthew 22 and says “And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commands hang all the Torah and the Prophets.'” From where did He quote the second greatest command of the Torah? He was quoting Vayikra (Leviticus) 19:18 which says “Do not take revenge and do not bear a grudge against the members of your people; you shall love your fellow as yourself, I am HaShem.”
If you recall from many previous Ops of mine, I have highlighted the conflict going on at the time of Yeshua between the two main sects of Pharisees i.e. Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel, and that it was the Beit Shammai Pharisees Yeshua was in conflict with because of their staunch stance against teaching the Torah to the non-Jews, something Beit Hillel was totally against. In many cases, Yeshua and the Pharisees of Beit Hillel agreed on how to walk in the Torah of HaShem, therefore, when we see the confrontations between Yeshua and the Pharisees in the Apostolic Writings, they are always the Pharisees of Beit Shammai He was engaging with! Later on in Paul’s letters, it is the 18 Edicts enacted by Beit Shammai, who was in power at that time, which was the basis for many of his letters. These 18 Edicts enacted strict separations between Jews and the non-Jews i.e. the Middle Wall of Separation. It is these 18 Edicts which are the basis for Peter’s vision and the sheet. HaShem was fixing the problem! In fact, in the Talmud, it discusses how these 18 Edicts of Shammai were as ‘Troublesome for Israel as the incident with the Golden Calf was!’ To this day, these 18 Edicts have been so thoroughly scrubbed no one can find a list of them anymore.
This is important to remember because the commentary on Vayikra 19:18 says “Rabbi Akiva said that this (Love your fellow as yourself) is the PRIMARY RULE OF THE TORAH! Hillel paraphrased this rule saying, ‘What is hateful to you, do not do to others (Quoting Shabbos 31a from the Talmud Bavli).'” Point is, Yeshua is reiterating what was already well known back then, meaning He didn’t change anything!
HaShem used His Torah to create everything!
Now let’s examine some specific Mitzvot (Commandments) which are embedded within The Shema:
Mitzvot #417 – The obligation to believe in the Oneness of HaShem: Per the Book of the Mitzvos, the commentary says “We are commanded to believe that HaShem, blessed be He, Who brought about and continues to bring about the entirety of existence and is the Master of everything, is One, without any partnership, as it is stated in Devarim (Deuteronomy) 6:4 ‘Hear O Israel, HaShem is our Elohim, HaShem is the One and Only.’ The opening words of the verse, Shema Yisrael, ‘Hear O Israel’, seem to indicate that the statement that follows, ‘HaShem is our Elohim, HaShem is the One and Only,’ is merely a declaration by the Torah regarding the Oneness of HaShem. One might thus think that it does not constitute a commandment to actively internalize this belief. Chinuch emphasizes that this is not the case.
This verse is indeed an obligatory commandment; it is not merely a homily about the Oneness of HaShem, as might be understood from the words ‘Hear O Israel’. As to the meaning of ‘Hear O Israel,’ it is as if to say, ‘Accept this principle from me, know it and believe it, that HaShem, Who is our Elohim, is One, without peer.’ Thus, the words ‘Hear O Israel’ are instructive, commanding us to internalize a belief in HaShem’s Oneness without question. The term ‘Shema’ as three definitions: ‘Hear’ per Genesis 24:52 and Job 29:11, ‘Understand’ per Genesis 42:23 and I Kings 3:9, and ‘Obey’ or ‘Submit’ per Genesis 39:10 and Deuteronomy 11:13. The verse ‘Shema Yisrael’ means to convey all three ideas i.e. we will initially hear about the Oneness of HaShem as in receive the basic principle by tradition from our elders, then understand it as in study the concept and delve into it and finally submit to it i.e. internalize it as our unshakable belief.”
Mitzvot #418 – The obligation to love HaShem: Per the Book of the Mitzvos the commentary says “We are commanded to love HaShem, the Omnipresent Elohim, blessed is He, as it is stated in Deuteronomy 6:5 ‘You shall love HaShem, your Elohim.’ The manner in which this mitzvah is to be fulfilled is that we should contemplate and reflect on HaShem’s commandments and on His handiwork, until we attain a concept of Him i.e. of His Wisdom and Benevolence according to our ability, and in this state of perceiving Him, experience the ultimate delight. This is the love of HaShem that is mandated in the above verse.
The Mishnah Torah Hilchot Teshuvah 10:1-6 notes that one factor that can motivate a person to observe the mitzvos and engage in Torah study is that he seeks Divine reward and fears the retribution that he would incur for conducting himself otherwise. Although such observance is indeed worthy, it is not the optimal way to serve HaShem. The ultimate service of HaShem is one that is motivated by love for Him and a sincere desire to do His Will. To attain this level of service, however, one must first cultivate a love of HaShem.”
Yeshua reiterates this in John 14:15 when He says “If you love Me, keep My commandments!” And what did Yeshua teach? He taught nothing new, He taught the Torah of HaShem! He goes on in John 15:12-15 which says “This is My command, that you love one another, as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, that one should lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, for all teachings which I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
So we see again, Yeshua is NOT teaching anything new, nor is He teaching any form of Replacement Theology and on top of this, He only is teaching what HaShem has directed He teaches. Reiterates HaShem is One and shares His glory with no one! Meaning, Yeshua cannot be HaShem in the flesh! Remember from my past Ops the discussions concerning ‘The Agent’ of HaShem? It falls under the category of ‘The law of agency’ in which a man’s agent is as himself. Point is, the agent is sent by the sender and the agent can only speak, do, act and negotiate exactly as directed by the sender. Yeshua is The Agent of HaShem just like Moses was The Agent of HaShem! Very important to remember this especially when trying to put Replacement Theology Christendom into its proper place.
Yeshua says in John 5:30 “Of Myself I am unable to do any matter. As I hear, I judge, and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My Own desire, but the desire of the Father Who sent Me.” The Law of Agency in play!
Yeshua says in John 7:16 “Yeshua answered them and said, ‘My teaching is not Mine, but His Who sent Me.'” Again, the Law of Agency in play!
He also says in John 12:49 “Because I spoke not from Myself, but the Father Who sent Me has given Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.” The Law of Agency!
When Yeshua says in John 15:23 “He who hates Me hates My Father as well” is a perfect example of the Law of Agency in action. HaShem sent Yeshua to perform a task on His behalf thus to hate Yeshua is to hate the One Who sent Him.
So, with this said, how is it possible, HaShem, Whom does not and cannot change, His Torah is eternal and will never pass away, can suddenly now change His mind, do everything He said He would NOT do and send His Agent to teach a doctrine which replaces and supersedes everything He gave in the beginning and then still claim to be unchanging? It would make Him out to be a very confused liar and completely untrustworthy! This is again precisely why I so loathe and abhor Christian Replacement Theology because it teaches exactly this insanity! I digress.
Mitzvot #419 – The obligation to study Torah: Per the Book of the Mitzvos the commentary says “It is a mitzvah obligation to study the wisdom of the Torah and to teach it to others. That is to say, that we must study and teach others how to perform the mitzvos and how to avoid that which the Almighty prohibited us from doing, and we must also attain an accurate knowledge of all the Torah’s laws.
The underlying purpose of this mitzvah is obvious, for through the study of Torah, a person can attain knowledge of the ways of HaShem, blessed be He. By contrast, without Torah knowledge, one will neither know nor understand HaShem’s ways, and, as such, he will be likened to an animal.”
Mitzvot #420 – The obligation to recite The Shema every morning and evening: Per the Book of the Mitzvos the commentary says “Among the underlying purposes of this mitzvah is that it was the Will of HaShem to give His nation the merit of accepting His Sovereignty and His Oneness upon themselves every day and night, for all the days that they live. This matter is essential, for being that man is a corporeal being, and thus enticed by the futilities of the world and attracted to its pleasures, he needs, at the very least, a constant reminder of HaShem’s Sovereignty, to guard him from sin. Therefore, it was a manifestation of HaShem’s Kindness that He chose to make us meritorious, and He commanded us to remember His Sovereignty at these two times i.e. in the morning and evening, consistently, and with absolute concentration. We are commanded to do so once during the daytime, to have a positive effect on all our actions throughout the day. For when a person recalls HaShem’s Oneness and His Sovereignty in the morning, and that His Providence and Omnipotence apply to everything in existence, and when one is attentive to the fact that HaShem’s eyes, so to speak, are focused on all one’s ways and that He maintains a count of all one’s steps, to the extent that not a single one of his actions are hidden from HaShem, and that he is unable to conceal from Him even one of his thoughts, this thought, and his verbal acknowledgment of this matter, will certainly serve as a safeguard for him for that entire day, protecting him from sin. Similarly, the nightly acknowledgment of this matter will serve as a safeguard for him the entire night.”
Tallit with Tzitzit
Part of The Shema prayer is the command to put on a Tallit (Prayer shawl) which has Tzitzit (Fringes) on the corners. This is again foundational in the service of HaShem because not only are we to wear a Tallit with Tzitzit, but HaShem Himself wears a Tallit with Tzitzit!
The following is an excerpt discussing the significance of the Tallit and the Tzitzit from the book ‘The Aryeh Kaplan Anthology II’ pages 201-204 which says “The Tallit: We can now look into another question that people often ask. We know that the Torah contains 613 commandments, 248 do’s and 365 don’ts. But why? Why is it necessary to have so many laws? Isn’t it enough for people to have a general idea of what is right and then adhere to it?
There are many people today who argue that we should do away with laws completely. They say that all that is necessary is that people be good and love one another. They point out that at times laws can be harsh. Why then, did HaShem give so many laws in the Torah?
The answer, of course, is because there is evil in the world, if men were perfect, then we would need few, if any, laws. People would live in total peace with one another, without any rules or regulations. This is indeed true of animals, who live in total harmony with other members of their species, without anything remotely resembling formal law. It is all part of their intrinsic nature.
The same was true of Adam before he sinned. He was innocent of any evil, and therefore did not need a multitude of rules and laws. All that was required was that he obey his one commandment not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge. That one commandment was enough to give him free will and thus enable him to achieve perfection and a closeness to HaShem. It was only after man sinned that he needed an entire complex of law.
The commandments therefore serve as a safeguard against the forces of evil. They restrict man’s relationship with his neighbor so that one individual does not harm another. They constantly remind us of our obligation to HaShem, so that we do not become swallowed up in evil.
We therefore see that to a large degree, the commandments of the Torah serve to protect us from evil. They are, in this respect, the element of HaShem’s plan that serves as a barrier against the forces of evil. This is what HaShem meant when He said, ‘I have created the Evil Urge, but I have created the Torah as a remedy for it.’
The Torah’s commandments are the element in HaShem’s scheme that serve as a barrier against evil. But, as we have discussed earlier, this is also the concept of HaShem’s garment.
HaShem’s Tallit is therefore the sum total of all the commandments in the Torah. This is what our sages mean when they say, ‘He who keeps the commandments grabs the Divine Presence. This is the meaning of Tzitzit…’
As we shall see in the section on Gematria, the commandment of Tzitzit alludes to all 613 commandments. Our sages similarly teach us that, ‘The commandment of Tzitzit is equal to all the commandments.’
This is also what the Torah means when it speaks of the Tzitzit and says, ‘You shall see them and not stray after your heart and after your eyes.’ The commandment of Tzitzit alludes to HaShem’s Tallit, which in turn, represents the entire structure of the commandments, standing as a barrier against evil.
After Adam sinned, the Torah says that, ‘They knew that they were naked, and they sewed together fig leaves and made themselves loincloths.’ There is a tradition that what they actually made were Tzitzit. Rashi further more explains that when the Torah says, ‘They knew that they were naked,’ it means that they knew they were naked of the one commandment that HaShem had given them.
As soon as man sinned, he realized that he would need the entire structure of commandments alluded to in the Mitzvah of Tzitzit. As soon as he realized that he was naked of his original commandment, he made himself Tzitzit, the one commandment that includes all the others.
The Midrash tells us that the first time HaShem is said to have appeared wearing a Tallit was when He gave Moses the first commandment, the one involving the Jewish calendar. HaShem was beginning to teach Moses the way of the commandments, and when He started, he showed Moses the Tallit that alludes to them all.
As mentioned earlier, one place in the Bible where HaShem’s Tallit is alluded to is in the verse, ‘He covers Himself with light as a garment’ per Psalms 104:2. Here again, the allusion is to the light of the Torah and its commandments, as we find elsewhere, ‘A commandment is a lamp, and the Torah is light’ per Proverbs 6:23.
The main element of HaShem’s plan that serves as a barrier against evil is the array of commandments in the Torah. But even though the commandments are Divine in origin, they do not serve their purpose unless they are fulfilled by man. In this sense, HaShem’s Tallit is not whole unless it is completed by man.
Man’s role in completing HaShem’s garment of commandments is represented by the Tzitzit on the four corners of His Tallit.
In general, we know that the Tallit is only worn because of the Tzitzit that it contains. Without the Tzitzit, the Tallit is nothing more than a square piece of cloth. The same is true of HaShem’s Tallit. Unless fulfilled by man, the commandments do not serve their purpose.
In this sense, the Tzitzit, being loose threads, are like the unwoven portion of the Tallit. As such, they represent the incompleteness in HaShem’s garment. This unwoven part is left for man to complete.
The Tallit is therefore made in the form of a rectangle or square. Our sages teach us that a four sided figure is the archetype of something that is manmade. The square shape of the Tallit alludes to the fact that the main responsibility to complete HaShem’s Tallit lies in the hands of man.
The bond between HaShem and man involves all levels of creation. Man is the goal of HaShem’s creation, and all the spiritual worlds exist only for his sake. There are essentially four levels in the spiritual plane, alluded to by the four letters in HaShem’s ineffable Name (Yod Hey Vav Hey). The four corners of the Tallit allude to these levels, and thus, to the spiritual link between HaShem and man.
In Ezekiel’s vision, after he say the Chashmal, which was HaShem’s garment, he saw the four angels called Chayoth. These four angels are the four Tzitzit on the corners of HaShem’s Tallit. This is why the prophet saw them attached to the Chashmal, which represents HaShem’s Tallit. Our sages further more teach us that the Chashmal exists primarily for these angels, just as the Tallit is worn primarily for the Tzitzit that it contains. As we know, HaShem’s providence is directed primarily through these angels; therefore, they also represent the link between HaShem and man.
Since the Tzitzit represent the bond between HaShem and man, they hang down below the Tallit. HaShem’s Tallit is high above our reach, but His Tzitzit hang down like a lifeline that we can grasp hold of. They reach down to us so that we may complete HaShem’s Tallit, while at the same time perfecting ourselves.
The Tzitzit therefore have five knots, representing the five books of the Torah. The Tzitzit begin with the knots, since the first step in bringing the commandments within man’s reach is the Torah. These knots bind the Tzitzit to the Tallit, just as the Torah and its commandments bind man to HaShem.”
An amazing description of the significance of the Tallit and the Tzitzit! Consider now the prophecy about the end which says in Zechariah 8:23 “Thus said HaShem, Master of Legions: In those days (The end of days) it will happen that ten men (Non-Jews), of all the different languages of the nations, will take hold, they will take hold of the corner (Tzitzit) of the garment (Tallit) of a Jewish man, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that HaShem is with you!'” How much is this happening today when people are being awoken by HaShem and are realizing Christendom’s Replacement Theology doctrine is out of the pit and are running to the Torah of HaShem? It is happening in huge numbers now! Baruch HaShem!
All of this is encapsulated in ‘The Shema’ prayer! I will close this Op with the following music video below! In light of what we have discussed in this Op, you see how ‘The Shema’ applies today and if Yeshua said it is the greatest commandment in the Torah, then how is Replacement Theology correct?
Shalom!
SOURCE MATERIALS
The Book of the Mitzvos by Artscroll
The Scriptures by the Institute for Scripture Research
The Chumash with the Teachings of the Talmud by Artscroll
The Ashkenazi Siddur by Artscroll
The Aryeh Kaplan Anthology II by Mesorah Publications
“My child, do not forget My Torah, and let your heart guard My commandments, for they add to you length of days and years of life and peace.” Proverbs 3:1-2
In the midst of all that is transpiring in our day and time today in the world, we all have much to be concerned about! More than ever, we now must rely wholeheartedly upon HaShem to see us through the difficult times we are living in! It is not by our efforts do we have enough food, medicine and shelter, but solely through the kind and compassionate Hand of HaShem Who acts on our behalf solely for His Name’s sake!
This Op is part two of our Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs) study and will discuss all 17 verses of Shir HaShirim chapter two! I am hopeful you will be able to see just what HaShem thinks about His people and what He desires in a relationship with each of us, collectively and individually! One aspect of studying Shir HaShirim chapter two is we will need to delve deeply into understanding the Beit HaMikdash (Temple of HaShem) in Jerusalem as well as all the avodot (Temple Services) and the liturgy recited by the Kohanim and the people because all of it is a picture HaShem is painting for us to better understand not only Himself but also how He set things up in human history and eschatology.
One aspect of HaShem which I have over the years grown to greatly appreciate about Him is He does NOT play all the political games we see our national leaders play! HaShem does NOT manipulate people nor does He say one thing but mean something entirely opposite! What He says goes and our task is to either accept what He said or to reject it and go our own way! He is Holy and we must strive to understand what exactly this means.
The Holiness of HaShem is a topic which unfortunately has been either tossed out completely, so twisted up the meaning of holiness is now whatever one wishes or has been totally ignored for countless years and as such it has done enormous damage. Another reason why I absolutely abhor Replacement Theology Christian doctrine. This is why when studying and learning about the Beit HaMikdash (Temple of HaShem), we will very quickly begin to see and understand the concept of kedusha (Holiness) of HaShem and how very, very real it is and how very, very serious HaShem is!
For example, on Yom Kippur, the Kohen HaGadol (High Priest) is authorized to enter the Most Holy Place where the Ark sat in order to perform the Yom Kippur services. Tractate Yoma 5.2 from the Talmud Yerushalmi says “Scripture indicates (Leviticus 16:2,13) that one who enters the Holy of Holies without sanction, or who deviates from the proper procedure in offering the ketoret (Incense), shall die. Although the Kohen Gadol was permitted to enter on Yom Kippur, if he deviated, or he was wicked and thus unworthy of serving as Kohen Gadol and entering the Holy of Holies, he would die immediately, and this actually occurred numerous times. When the Kohen Gadol entered, all those assembled in the Temple would raise their hands in prayer that he exit safely. Moreover, a golden chain was tied around the Kohen Gadol’s leg, so that if he died in the Holy of Holies, they would be able to pull his body out.” HaShem is NOT kidding around nor is He being cavalier! He is unchanging and it is we who must change, not Him!
This is precisely why I always add this section in all my Ops discussing the eternal characteristics of HaShem! Now, more than ever, we need consistency and stability in a world of madness and where things come and go as quickly as a gust of wind! This said, always remember the following eternal characteristics of HaShem:
HaShem never changes per Num 23:19/Mal 3:6/Hebrews 13:8/James 1:17
His Word is firmly established per Psalm 119:89
He reveals the end out of the beginning per Is 46:10
He does nothing without first revealing it to His prophets per Amos 3:7
He says there is nothing new under the sun per Ecclesiastes 1:9
He says His Torah is the ONLY truth there is per Psalms 119:142
He says His Torah is a tree of life and eternal per Proverbs 3:18-19 and Psalm 119:160
He says His Torah is perfect and restores the soul per Psalm 19:7
He says His Torah makes the simple one wise per Psalm 19:7
He says His Torah Is freedom and liberty per Psalm 119:45 and James 1:25
He says His Torah is the only good doctrine there is Proverbs 4:2
He says His Torah will add length of days and years of life and peace per Proverbs 3:2
He says all of the ways of His Torah are ways of pleasantness and peace per Proverbs 3:17
He says His Torah is for our good and well-being per Deuteronomy 6:24
He says His Torah is health for our lives per Proverbs 3:8
He says His Torah is life to our soul and a graceful ornament for our neck per Prov 3:22
He says His Torah is better than pearls and all desires cannot compare to it per Prov 8:11
He says those who walk with His Torah are praiseworthy per Psalms 119:1
He says observing His Torah is how we purify our path per Psalms 119:9
He says His Torah is better than thousands in gold and silver per Psalms 119:72
He says His Torah brings abundant peace to those who love Him and His Torah per Psalms 119:165
He says there is one Torah for all per Exodus 12:49/Leviticus 24:22
He says those who hate His Torah love death per Proverbs 8:36
He says His Torah is the way of faith per Psalms 119:29-30
He says His Torah makes us wiser than our enemies per Psalms 119:98
He says His Torah is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path per Psalms 119:105
He says one who finds His Torah has found life per Proverbs 8:35
He says one who finds His Torah has found favor from HaShem per Proverbs 8:35
He says Messiah Yeshua is the GOAL of His Torah, meaning without His Torah, Messiah cannot be known per Romans 10:4
He says if we had believed Moshe/Torah, we would have believed Messiah per John 5:46
He says His Torah makes us wiser than our enemies per Psalms 119:98
He says His salvation is far from the wicked for they sought not His Torah per Psalms 119:155
He says to hold fast to and guard His Torah, for it is our life per Proverbs 4:13
Shir HaShirim 2:1 says “I am but a Rose of Sharon, evenan ever fresh rose of the valleys.” Shir HaShirim chapter two begins with Israel describing herself as a ‘Rose of Sharon’ and a ‘Rose of the Valleys’. What is the significance of this? Well, we have to remember Shir HaShirim is to be understood as an allegory and therefore everything in it has significance and meaning.
Additionally, we must see Shir HaShirim through the lens of the Temple of HaShem as well as through the Temple Services! To incorporate Christian Replacement Theology into this will absolutely, 100%, lead a person in the wrong direction. HaShem is unchanging, He reveals the end from the beginning and there is nothing new under the sun, therefore Christian Replacement Theology is automatically exposed for what it truly is. I digress.
Likening Israel to a rose in the Sharon or a rose in the Valley is being very specific in that per the commentary ‘The valley species of the flower retains its moistness because it is not exposed to the scorching sun, being of a more beautiful variety than the mountain species.’
Additionally, per the commentary, the reference to the ‘Sharon’ is ‘A common noun referring to a moist fertile area and coastal plains on the Mediterranean extending from Jaffa to Caesarea.’ Sharon is mentioned several times throughout the Tanakh and once in the Apostolic Writings. For example: Isaiah 33:9 says “The land is mournful and forlorn; Lebanon is shamed and cut down; Sharon has become a desert; Bashan and Carmel have become denuded.” This verse here in Isaiah 33 is in reference to Babylon and Rome who have destroyed the land to include Sharon and now HaShem will arise to rescue, redeem His people and destroy Babylon and Rome! Remember, He reveals the end from the beginning!!
Further, the commentary says this word ‘Sharon’ as used here in Shir HaShirim is related to the Hebrew word ‘Shir’ (Song) but not just any song, but the song which states “Tomorrow when HaShem will deliver me from the shadow of ruling powers I will blossom like a rose and sing a new song before Him!”
The commentary also interprets this verse as the following: “We are only like the rose of the moist plains and the rose of the valley which need much water and wither when the source of water is removed, unlike the hardier mountaintop roses which withstand aridity better. We cried ‘We will do and obey! (Shemot/Exodus 24:7) at Sinai, but as soon as our source of nourishment, Moses, went up to Heaven an was removed from us, our resolve withered and we succumbed to the allures of a Golden Calf.'”
This verse here should not be looked at as being a statement of self praise by Israel, but more importantly it is a statement as a combination of fear and hope. Other commentaries state the references to the Rose of Sharon and a rose of the valleys, should be understood as being a picture of Israel as it matures in HaShem. For example, the Rose of Sharon is a picture of Israel in its youth since it is always in danger of being uprooted by false teachings, idolatry and outside influences. The rose of the valleys reference is a picture of a mature Israel, secure in its commitment to HaShem and His Torah and will not walk away from HaShem again!
The Shir HaShirim Midrash Rabbah Parashah 2 commentary on this verse states “The Assembly of Israel states ‘I am she, and I am beloved before HaShem.’ I am she Whom the Holy One, blessed is He, loved more than the other seventy nations.'” The Midrash continues and says ‘HaSharon’ means ‘That I uttered before Him a song of praise at the Sea of Reeds through Moses, as it is written’, ‘Then Moses and the Children of Israel chose to sing this song to HaShem…(Shemot/Exodus 15): “Then Moshe and the Children of Israel chose to sing this song to HaShem, and they said the following: ‘I shall sing to HaShem for He is exalted above the arrogant, having hurled horse with its rider into the sea. The might and vengeance of Elohim was salvation for me. This is my Elohim and I will build Him a Sanctuary; the Elohim of my father and I will exalt Him. HaShem is Master of War, His Name is HaShem. Pharaoh’s chariots and army He threw in the sea, and the pick of his officers were mired in the Sea of Reeds. Deep waters covered them; they descended in the depths like stone. Your right hand, HaShem, is glorified with strength; Your right hand, HaShem smashes the enemy. In Your abundant grandeur You shatter Your opponents; You send forth Your wrath, it consumes them like straw. At a blast from Your nostrils the waters were heaped up; straight as a wall stood the running water; the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy declared, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide plunder; I will satisfy my lust with them. I will unsheathe my sword, my hand will impoverish them.’ You blew with Your wind, the sea enshrouded them; the mighty sank like lead in the water. Who is like You among the heavenly powers, HaShem! Who is like You, mighty in holiness, too awesome for praise, Doer of wonders! You stretched out Your right hand, the earth swallowed them. With Your kindness You guided this people that You redeemed; You led with Your might to Your holy abode. Peoples heard, they were agitated; terror gripped the dwellers of Philistia. Then the chieftains of Edom were confounded, trembling gripped the powers of Moav, all the dwellers of Canaan dissolved. May fear and terror befall them, at the greatness of Your arm may they be still as stone; until Your people passes through, HaShem, until this people You have acquired passes through. You will bring them and implant them on the mount of Your heritage, the foundation of Your dwelling place that You, HaShem, have made, the Sanctuary, my Master, that Your hand established. HaShem shall reign for all eternity! When Pharaoh’s cavalry came with his chariots and horsemen into the sea and HaShem turned back the waters of the sea upon them, the Children of Israel walked on the dry land amid the sea.'”
This song sung by Israel happened when HaShem miraculously rescued Israel out from the oppressing bondage in Egypt i.e. the Exodus, so it is very interesting this verse here in Shir HaShirim is being connected to the Exodus! This is very interesting because in the Shir HaShirim Midrash Rabbah another interpretation for understanding the statement ‘I am a rose of the Sharon’ is “I am she who was concealed in the shadow of the people of Egypt, but in a brief moment the Holy One, blessed is He, gathered me to Rameses, and I became saturated with good deeds like a rose, and uttered before Him a song of praise, as it is stated, ‘The song will be yours like the night of the festival’s consecration’ per Isaiah 30:29. This means that the song of praise Israel WILL sing upon the Messianic Redemption will resemble the song sung on the night of the festival of Passover in Egypt (Shemot/Exodus 15). We see, then, that the people of Israel sang a song of praise to HaShem on the night of the Exodus.” Again, we must understand and remember HaShem reveals the end out of the beginning and thus the future Messianic Redemption will be akin to the Redemption from Egypt!
During the Yom Kippur Temple Service performed by the Kohen HaGadol (High Priest), while in the Holy of Holies, he would utter the following prayer when he left the Holy of Holies: “May it be Your will HaShem, our Elohim and the Elohim of our forefathers, that a decree of exile not emerge from before You upon us, not on this day of Yom Kippur, nor during this entire year. And if a decree of exile did emerge upon us on this day or shall emerge during this year, then let our exile be to a place of Torah. And regarding Your people Israel, they should not elevate their authority one over the other. And concerning the inhabitants of Sharon, may it be Your will, HaShem, our Elohim and the Elohim of our forefathers, that their homes not become their graves.” The commentary from this tractate from the Talmud Yerushalmi says “The houses in the Sharon valley were subject to landslides and flash floods. Alternatively, the earth of the Sharon region was not suitable for construction, and houses had to be rebuilt there twice every seven years or else they would collapse.”
Can you see how much we have been able to pull out of just one single, simple verse from Shir HaShirim and why we MUST have the Oral Torah to supplement? This is just the beginning of this Op too!! Much more to come!
Shir HaShirim 2:2 says “Like the rose maintaining its beauty among the thorns, so is My faithful beloved among the nations.” This verse is HaShem’s response to what Israel said in verse 1! The commentary explains “Just as a rose retains its beauty and color although pricked by surrounding thorns, so does My beloved people maintain her faith despite the torments of her neighbors who try to sway her after their strange gods.”
The Shir HaShirim Midrash Rabbah Parashah 2 has a very interesting explanation and parable of this verse. It says “This can be compared to a king who had an orchard. The workers descended into it and planted a row of fig trees, a row of vines, a row of pomegranate trees, and a row of apple trees. Then the king entrusted it to a sharecropper and went away. After some days, the king came and peered at the orchard to see what it had produced, but he found it full of thorns and thistles. As a result, he brought choppers to chop it down. Then he saw in it a single rose. He took it and smelled it, and his soul was calmed. The king said, ‘On account of this rose, the entire orchard will be spared.”
“Similarly, the world was created for no purpose other than for the people of Israel. After twenty six generations from its creation, the Holy One, blessed is He, peered at His world to see what it had produced, but He found it to be full of water upon water. The generation of Enosh had been blotted out through water, the generation of the Flood had been blotted out through water; and the generation of the Dispersion was punished with water. Seeing that the inhabitants of the world had only brought devastation upon it, HaShem brought choppers to chop it down, as it is stated, HaShem sat at the Flood per Psalms 29:10. But then He saw a rose, these are a reference to the people of Israel; He took it and smelled it, this took place at the time when the people of Israel arranged the giving of the Ten Commandments; and His soul was calmed, this took place at the time when the people of Israel said ‘We will do and we will listen too!’ per Exodus 24:7. The Holy One, blessed is He, said, ‘On account of this rose, the entire orchard will be spared’; meaning in the merit of the Torah and those who study it, the entire universe will be spared.”
“And thus in Psalms 29:11 states, ‘HaShem will give might to His nation’, referring to the Torah, Elohim would have indeed destroyed the world as He did at the time of the Flood, but did not do so because His nation accepted the Torah. Here too, as in the above parable the others were spared in the merit of the people of Israel, since they rely on others for many of their necessities; or in the hope that the others would produce good offspring that would join the Jewish people.”
So, why didn’t HaShem just uproot the thorns and thistles in the parable? “Because the thorns were so close to the rose that uprooting them would inevitably destroy it as well. Alternatively, the thorns were spared in the hope that they would produce more roses.” This is why HaShem has given humanity 7,000 years to exist in this world and to either serve HaShem or serve other gods. 6,000 years for humanity and then 1,000 years to rest i.e. Shabbat before entering the Olam Haba i.e. the World to Come! I digress.
Another picture the Midrash uses says “Just as the rose, if heat comes out upon it, becomes withered, and if dew comes out upon it blossoms, so too, as long as the shelter of Esau endures, the people of Israel appear, so to speak, to be withering in this world; but once the shelter of Esau has passed, the people of Israel will be continuously saturated and blossoming. Thus it is written, ‘I will be to Israel like the dew, and he will blossom like a rosebush’ per Hosea 14:6. Just as the fragrance of the rose never ceases, rather, it constantly retains its fragrance, so too, the fragrance of the people of Israel never ceases; rather, they constantly retain their fragrance of commandments and good deeds.”
What is interesting is HaShem again is using a rose as a picture of prophecy and the Messianic Redemption of His people Israel yet to come. The Shir HaShirim Midrash Rabbah says “More so than other flowers, the rose is susceptible to sudden withering from heat, and, conversely, it blossoms more speedily than other flowers in response to dew. Similarly, the exile of the Jewish nation has always been more severe than those of other nations, and their redemption will be greater, and more sudden, than that of any of the other nations.”
This parable helps us understand why HaShem does things the way He does! Moving on!
Shir HaShirim 2:3 says “Like the fruitful, fragrant apple tree among the barren trees of the forest, so is my Beloved among the gods. In His shade I delighted and there I sat, and the fruit of His Torah was sweet to my palate.”
Right away we see HaShem compare His Torah to the sweetness of ripened fruit i.e. an apple! Replacement Theology Christian dogma, especially as of late, teaches HaShem and His Torah are bitter, rotten fruit designed to crush, deceive, enslave and destroy and have been removed, displaced and replaced. We will see who is correct shortly!
The commentary on this verse says “Just as an apple tree among fruitless trees is beloved by virtue of its excellent fruit and fragrance, so is HaShem superior to all the gods whom the heathen nations foolishly serve, and which are likened to insubstantial trees, simply wood of the forest. The apple tree or in Hebrew ‘The Esrog Tree’ is shunned by all people when the sun beats down because it provides no shadow. So did all the nations refuse to sit in the ‘shadow’ of HaShem on the day of the giving of the Torah. But the congregation of Israel longed for Him and sat; it was only Israel who longed, not the nations. It is Israel who perceived the eternal benefit of sitting in His shadow, unlike the others who saw only that there was no immediate glamor or benefit in accepting His Torah. For although the shade, i.e. reward, of Torah is not apparent, Israel acted from conviction and trust in His Redemption, unlike the heathen nations who were concerned only with ephemeral, existentialist recompense. ‘And His fruit is sweet to my palate.’ This refers to the twelve months which Israel spent before Mount Sinai regaling themselves with the words of the Torah, because its fruit was sweet to ‘my taste’. To my taste it was sweet, but to the taste of the other nations it was bitter like wormwood.”
Here are some interesting comparisons between Israel and the apple tree as stated from the Shir HaShirim Midrash Rabbah Parashah 2: “Just as is the case of the apple tree, its bud precedes its leaves, so did the people of Israel at Sinai commit to doing prior to listening, as it is stated ‘Everything that HaShem has said, we will do and we will listen to!’ per Exodus 24:7.”
“Just as the apple tree completes its fruit only in the month of Sivan, so did the people of Israel begin to yield a pleasant fragrance only in the month of Sivan, by their acceptance of the Torah.”
“Just as in the case of the apple tree, from the time that it produces its bud until the time that it completes its fruit there are fifty days, so too, from the time that the people of Israel left Egypt until the time that they accepted the Torah there were fifty days.”
Its interesting the Torah of HaShem is sweet to the taste to those who belong to Him, but to the nations, the Torah of HaShem is likened to ‘Wormwood’ i.e. ‘Bitterness’. My point is in all my years of having discussions with people concerning the validity of His Torah, the most common reaction is one of bitterness which leads to staunch rejection of HaShem and His Torah! Nothing changes in the world!
And why do the nations react to His Torah bitterly? Because His Torah is a tree of life to those who take hold of it, but it requires we surrender and submit ourselves to HaShem and to many in the nations, this just simply isn’t acceptable. This is why the Replacement Theology of Christendom can be so alluring and seductive because it promises the rewards of eternal life without the cumbersome Torah of HaShem to strive for. Now, for the record I am NOT implying eternal salvation is obtained via the Torah of HaShem, what I am saying is Torah is the evidence we are saved, after the fact. First we believe and it is accounted to us as righteousness and then we strive to learn and live out His Torah out of love, devotion and loyalty to HaShem. Can we do so perfectly? Sadly no, we cannot, but we strive for it because this is what Messiah Yeshua taught we are to strive for, imitate Him! Keep this in mind as we progress.
Shir HaShirim 2:4 says “He brought me to the chamber of Torah delights and clustered my encampments about Him in love.”
Literally this verse says per the commentary “He has brought me to the House of Wine or in other words the Tent of Meeting, in the Mishkan (Tabernacle) where the details and explanations of the Torah were expounded. Further, the Midrash says the House of Wine, refers to Sinai because the Torah was stored there in preparation for Revelation from the time of creation just as wine is stored in a cellar.” To help better understand what the Tent of Meeting is and where it was located, the following is an excerpt from the book ‘Measure The Pattern’ by Joseph Good page 146: “Originally the Ohel Moed (Tent of Meeting) was a tent set up outside the camp of Israel. When the Mishkan was built the Ohel Moed (Tent of Meeting) was transferred to the HaKodesh (The Holy Place), also known as the Heichal (Temple). According to halachah (How to walk in the Torah) any place within the Azarah (Courtyard before the Heichal) was ‘before the Ohel Moed (Tent of Meeting).'”
The encampments about HaShem in love are the tribes of Israel around the Mishkan. See the below image:
Likening HaShem’s Torah to a wine cellar is very important to understand. Per the Shir HaShirim Midrash Rabbah Parashah 2 states “The Torah is akin to a wine cellar in terms of its ability to fill the air with its enticing fragrance, its intoxicating vapor. Thus, when the Jews approached Mount Sinai, where the Torah was about to be introduced to the world, they became ‘drunk’ with love for it; they were swept over by a desire to receive the Torah and imbibe its teachings. Why was this important? Why did the Jewish people have to accept the Torah with love? Because love for the Torah is the key to opening our hearts to its wisdom. In our daily prayers we ask that HaShem open our hearts to His Torah, for when a person’s heart is truly opened, there is no limit to how much Torah it can absorb. The soul is never filled said the wisest of all men per Ecclesiastes 6:7. The difficulty lies in coaxing the heart open, so that the wealth of knowledge and insight waiting at its portals can find their way inside. Even today there is a concept of becoming drunk from the love of Torah. We see people with no background in Torah and mitzvos (Commandments) who, upon their first exposure to HaShem’s wisdom, are drawn to it with an unquenchable thirst. We, too, must strive to build up our appreciation for the Torah and our desire for its knowledge. If we would only open our hearts, even with an opening as small as the point of a needle, as long as it penetrates through and through, HaShem would step in and open it the rest of the way, lavishing His assistance upon us and giving us unforeseen success in Torah learning.”
I can personally attest that it is absolutely true how I was drawn to the Torah of HaShem when I left Christendom once and for all. His Torah truly is a tree of life to those who take hold of it and it is an unquenchable thirst! And why is this? Because the Torah of HaShem is the means to have a relationship with Him! If we want to know Who He is as well as know Who His Messiah truly is, we MUST grab hold of His Torah out of love!
The most difficult aspect of HaShem’s Torah that I see most people struggle with is how HaShem has commanded the Sanhedrin to be the ones to examine and rule on the ‘Halachah’ i.e. ‘The right rulings on how to walk in the Torah’ and then He commands we are to do exactly what the Sanhedrin rules on and to defy the Sanhedrin is to defy HaShem Himself! This is the basis for the legitimacy and validity of the Oral Torah, which we have discussed many times previously. Per Tractate Sanhedrin 4.2 from the Talmud Yerushalmi HaShem wants us to discuss and argue on how to walk in the Torah as it is a refining process!
Shir HaShirim 2:5 says “Sustain me in exile with dainty cakes, spread fragrant apples about me to comfort my dispersion, for bereft of Your Presence, I am sick with love.”
The commentary says “Poignantly wishing to demonstrate the profundity of her love, Israel depicts herself as a swooning, lovesick maiden in need of medicinal stimulants to help her revive herself, allegorically referring to exiled Israel’s love sickness for HaShem, while Israel suffers affliction and awaits His return, lovingly serving Him while anxious for Redemption.”
“What is the proper love for HaShem? It is to love HaShem and be constantly enraptured by it like a love sick individual, whose mind is at no time free from his passion for a particular woman, the thought of her filling his heart at all times, when sitting down or rising up, when eating or drinking.Even more intense should love of HaShem be in the hearts of those who love Him, and this love should constantly absorb him as commanded us in the phrase ‘With all your heart and with all your soul’ per Deuteronomy 6:5. Solomon expressed this allegorically in the verse ‘For I am sick with love.’ The entire Song of Songs is indeed an allegorical description of this love.”
The Shir HaShirim Midrash Rabbah Parashah 2 says “Sustain me with two fires i.e. The Written Torah and The Oral Torah, the Torah being called fire, as it says ‘Is not My Word like fire?’ per Jeremiah 23:29.”
The Perek Shirah on page 53 discussing apples says “The apple tree says: ‘When the patriarch Jacob came to receive the blessing of his father Isaac, the scent of a blessed field came into the room with him. It was the scent of an apple orchard, the Sages teach, the scent of the Garden of Eden before Adam and Eve sinned. A scent is not only a reflection of the person from whom it emanates, it deposits its fragrance on his neighbors, as well. This is why we eat an apple on Rosh HaShanah, to inspire ourselves not only to personal growth, but to have a positive influence on others.'”
Shir HaShirim 2:6 says“With memories of His loving support in the desert, of His left hand under my head, of His right hand enveloping me.”
The Shir HaShirim Midrash Rabbah Parashah 2 says “His left hand is under my head is interpreted to mean these are the Clouds of Glory that surrounded Israel in the Wilderness; and His right arm embraces me, this is the cloud of the Divine Presence in the Future World. Thus it is written with regard to the Future Era, the sun will no longer be for you the light of day, and for brightness, the moon will not illuminate for you per Isaiah 60:19. The Midrash interjects by way of elucidation. Who then will illuminate for you at that time? The verse continues, ‘HaShem will be an eternal light for you.’The Midrash understands this to mean that in the Future to Come, a Cloud of the Divine Presence will provide light for Jerusalem, just as in the Wilderness, the Clouds of Glory provided light for Israel.”
Shir HaShirim 2:7 says “I adjure you, O nations who are destined to ascend to Jerusalem, lest you become defenseless as gazelles or hinds of the field, if you dare cause hatred or disturb this love while it yet gratifies.”
This verse is a strong warning to the nations of the world who may attempt to take advantage of Israel’s exile and think HaShem is no longer continuing to watch over and protect His people i.e. dare to cause hatred or disturb this love between HaShem and Israel, while it yet gratifies!
Shir HaShirim 2:8 says “The Voice of my Beloved! Behold it came SUDDENLY to redeem me, as if leaping over mountains, skipping over hills.”
The commentary on this verse is very revealing: “This interpretation is a metaphorical image, if one may so express oneself, as if HaShem hurriedly leaped and skipped to redeem Israel BEFORE the pre-determined End.” Point is, this verse paints the picture of HaShem being very, very eager to redeem and rescue His Bride i.e. Israel.
The commentary from the Illuminated Shir HaShirim book says “The sound of my Beloved, behold, He has come BEFORE THE APPOINTED TIME TO REDEEM ME FROM EGYPT, skipping over the mountains in the merit of the Patriarchs, jumping over the hills in the merit of the Matriarchs.”
Another image being painted in the Midrash is that the reference to ‘mountains’ refers to Israel’s intentional transgressions which HaShem theoretically skipped over i.e. forgave and the reference to ‘hills’ refers to the less severe unintentional transgressions.
The Shir HaShirim Midrash Rabbah Parashah 2 says something very, very interesting. It says “When there’s a Divine Will….When Moshe came bearing news of the redemption, the Jewish people were incredulous. In their eyes, the obstacles before them, the 400 years of exile foretold to Abraham, the paucity of their good deeds, their past ardor for idolatry, seemed insurmountable. But Moshe brushed all the skeptics aside. ‘HaShem wants to redeem you,’ he told them, ‘And therefore will not be deterred by all these considerations about timing and merit.’ These timeless words should echo in our minds anytime we contemplate the state of our own spiritual lives. After all, we, too, seek redemption from past moral failures and enduring moral faults. And we, too, encounter serious obstacles on our path to repentance, craftily laid out by the yetzer hara, the evil inclination. Ever the cynic, he (Evil Inclination) mocks our thoughts of betterment as hopelessly naïve. ‘What makes you think that at this stage in your life, you can succeed where you have failed so often and so miserably? Your best days are behind you and you are still at square one, relatively unaccomplished in Torah learning and character development. After years of neglect, the bad habits you have formed are deeply ingrained and hardly reversible. It is simply too late. You cannot, at your age, hope to make a fresh start!’”
“Such arguments, reinforced by select quotations from unimpeachable sources, can be very convincing, and deeply discouraging. But Moshe’s rejoinder, conveyed by the righteous in every generation, tells a different story. ‘HaShem wants you back! He longs for your repentance.’ He says ‘I do not desire the death of the wicked one, but only the wicked one’s return from his evil way that he may live!’ He is therefore ready to overlook your past, even more, to free you from your past, if you will only resolve, firmly and sincerely, to strive from this point forward to reconnect with Him. Leaping over every hurdle to welcome your return, He will help you find the strength to carry out your plans and complete your redemption from a life of moral servitude into one of freedom and nobility!”
HaShem is ALL about life, living and being at peace! When we go our own way and reject and rebel against HaShem and His Torah, we end up in chaos and our lives are ruined and destroyed, ultimately, if we hold onto this rebellion, we will succumb to death both physical and spiritual death which is something HaShem does NOT desire for anyone! He desires true repentance, which is defined, biblically, as returning to HaShem and embracing His Torah as the means to live in this life! Messiah Yeshua renewed the Covenant of HaShem and secured our eternal redemption, but we must put that belief into action and live it out in our lives i.e. His Torah.
Shir HaShirim 2:9-10 says “In His swiftness to redeem me, my Beloved is like a gazelle or a young hart. I thought I would be forever alone, but behold! He was standing behind our wall, observing through the windows, peering through the lattices!”My Beloved called out and said to me: ‘Arise My love, My fair one, and go forth.’“
These two verses here, in my opinion, drive home the seriousness of HaShem and His desire to redeem and interact with each of us! We are not just waiting for Him, but He is eagerly awaiting the time when He can redeem us!!
The Shir HaShirim Midrash Rabbah Parashah 2 describes this very well: “Just as this gazelle leaps from mountain to mountain, from valley to valley, from tree to tree, and from hut to hut, and from stone fence to stone fence, so too, does the Holy One, blessed is He, leap from this synagogue to that synagogue, and from this study hall to that study hall. Why is it that HaShem goes to such an extent? So as to bless Israel!”
How many of us at times in our lives thought just as this verse says that we would be forever alone in this world? I would imagine we all have at one point or another had that thought! But, here in these verses, it shows us just how close HaShem is to each of us in that “He is standing behind our wall observing through the windows, peering through the lattices!” But, what does this mean?
The Shir HaShirim Midrash Rabbah Parashah 2 explains it as follows: “HaShem is standing, so to speak, behind the walls of the synagogue and study halls. Looking through the windows meaning HaShem is looking through the space between the shoulders of the Kohanim (Priests) when they stand together pronouncing the priestly blessing. Peering through the lattices, meaning, HaShem is peering through the space between the fingers of the Kohanim when they raise their hands to bless the people.”
The Midrash gives a parable to better understand these verses. It says “A father came from overseas to visit his son. To his dismay, he found the son deathly ill and oblivious to his surroundings. For weeks on end, the father remained with his son, watching, praying, conferring with the doctors, and managing his care. Finally, the day came when the young man’s fever broke. His condition began improving and one morning, he awakens and finds his father at his bedside. In amazement he exclaims weakly, ‘Oh, Father, what a surprise! How did you get here so quickly?’ To which the father responds, ‘What are you saying, my son? I have been here the entire time!”
We are currently in exile and our interaction with HaShem is not what He intended it to be, however, He is watching and protecting His Bride even if He does so via looking through a window or peering through lattices! This is precisely why He commands we are to learn about His Temple and all the Temple Services via Ezekiel 43:10-11, because when we do so, we begin to see just how much He is watching and peering through the lattices!!
Shir HaShirim 2:11 says “For the winter of bondage has passed, the deluge of suffering is over and gone.”
This verse refers to the 400 years of exile that had been decreed upon our forefathers in Egypt which HaShem delivered out of bondage BEFORE the total 400 years had been completed! Since He reveals the end out of the beginning, then is it possible this verse can be applied for the future Final Redemption we are still awaiting and longing for? May it be so very, very soon in our days!!
Shir HaShirim 2:12 says “The righteous blossoms are seen in the Land, the time of your song has arrived, and the voice of your guide is heard in the Land.”
The commentary on this verse says “The word ‘blossoms’ is a reference to Moses and Aaron who blossomed for all of Israel’s needs. The comparison of Moses and the prophets to blossoms is appropriate. Just as blossoms herald the imminent blooming flower, so do the prophets herald the oncoming Redemption!”
Moses and Joshua are both considered to be great Guides of Israel because “Each of whom made proclamations and guided the people during the process of Exodus and conquest. Alternately in consonance with the Midrashic interpretations attaching this verse to other epochs in Jewish history: Cyrus, who issued the Call to return from Babylonian captivity; and King Messiah.”
What is the purpose of King Messiah’s arrival? To complete the Final Redemption of all of Israel, bring everyone home into the Land and ultimately and eternally defeat the enemies of HaShem and Israel!
The time for singing praises to HaShem for His miraculous deliverance and salvation just as Israel sang the song of praise to HaShem at the Red Sea! He reveals the end out of the beginning which means we all will sing songs of praise to HaShem for His miraculous deliverance and salvation at the Final Redemption, may it be so very soon in our days!
Shir HaShirim 2:13 says “The fig tree has formed its first small figs, ready for ascent to the Temple. The vines are in blossom, their fragrance declaring they are ready for libation. Arise My love, My fair one and go forth!”
The commentary on this verse says “The time is drawing near for you (Israel) to enter the Land so that you can bring First Fruits to the Temple. The unripened first figs, are perceived by the Sages to refer to the wicked who are unripened in their actions. The fig tree drops her unripe figs, while the vines blossom give forth their fragrance. That is, the House of Israel drops her unripe figs i.e. her wicked. This refers to the wicked ones among the children of Israel who spurned redemption. Their lives were brought to an end by HaShem during the three days of darkness per Exodus 10:22. The rest of the verse refers to the others who repented and survived by the fragrance of their repentance which was accepted by HaShem. Thereupon Moses said to the Children of Israel: ‘So many good fragrances are within you, and yet you are still here in Egypt! Arise My beloved My fair one and come away!’”
One interesting statement in this commentary says “In the literal sense, the external signs which signal the propitiousness of Redemption, are among those very same signs which will signal the future Redemption!” In other words, HaShem reveals the end out of the beginning!!
The Shir HaShirim Midrash Rabbah Parashah 2 explains why the unrepentant are compared to unripe figs: “Repentance is possible only if one is prepared to recognize his flaws and shortcomings. There is then the hope that such a person will return to HaShem with heart and soul. Not so one who is blithely unaware that there is anything amiss with him. He strides confidently forward, unperturbed, in his path of sin, and mistakes it for a path of virtue. He cannot repent, for in his eyes he does no wrong. A fig is eaten in its entirety, skin, seeds, and all. There is no residue, all of it is fruit. The young fruit produced by the fig tree, then, is symbolic of the one who can do no wrong, the sinner who will not repent. The grape, however, is different. Inside and outside, there are elements of it that will be discarded. When crushed to yield its wine, the grape leaves an uneaten residue of skin and pits. The blossoming vine is thus the symbol of repentance. The one who can recognize his spiritual failings can arise from the shackles of misdeed and give forth the redemptive fragrance of teshuvah (Repentance).”
Can you see again how HaShem uses elements of His creation to teach us spiritual principles such as grapes, wine, figs, grain, water, etc,?
The Shir HaShrirm Midrash Rabbah Parashah 2 says “The events of the seven year period that will precede the coming of the Messiah. Ordinarily, change occurs in small increments. Children are born and slowly mature. A seedling sprouts and slowly grows. Not so with regard o the period of Israel’s redemption, which will see great changes take place in a relatively short amount of time. Before the redemption, Israel shall be in steepest decline, her Torah forgotten, her enemies triumphant. And then, with the sudden coming of the Messiah, she will quickly rise and shine forth again, brighter than before.
Why must the redemption be marked by such extremes? It is because the purpose of the Messiah is not merely to herald the redemption of a single oppressed nation, but to call into being a new paradigm for Creation. When the Messiah comes, the world that existed since the days of Creation will be no more. The current reality will be replaced with something entirely fresh and unfamiliar: The New Creation of the post Messiah period. The emergence of a new world demands the disappearance of the old. Perforce, the arrival of the Messiah must be preceded by a period of decline, when the earlier Creation falls, and the stage is set for a renewed world to appear.
The events of this great transformation are catalogued here, in the Midrash’s account of the seven years that precede the Messiah. The first three years will see the progression of a great and deadly famine, the consequent decimation of the pious, and the loss of their Torah. This represents the decline of the old world. The subsequent years will bring the first emanations of the new world, foreshadowed by the lessening of famine in the fourth year, the great plenty of the fifth, and the return of Torah to Israel in the sixth. In the sixth year, the signs of rebirth will grow stronger, and rumor of the Messiah will fill the land. In the seventh year, battle will be joined between the soon to be disenfranchised nations, who are rooted in the paradigm of the old Creation, and Israel, who shall find in the new world of the Messiah their natural milieu.
When the seventh year is complete, and the eighth begins, the scion of David comes. Arachin 13b (Talmud Bavli) teaches ‘The harp of the Holy Temple was one of seven strings, but that of the Messiah will be one of EIGHT strings. The number seven is symbolic of the natural world, which was created in seven days. The number eight represents the world of the Messiah, which exists on a more elevated plane than the world of seven and in which the seven notes of this world’s music will be brought into perfect harmony by a newly revealed eighth note, ethereal and pure. The seven years are the final ones of HaShem’s original Creation. The eighth year ushers in a new Creation, a spiritual existence, the new world of the Messianic age.”
Shir HaShirim 2:14 says “O My dove, trapped at sea as if in the cleft of the rock, concealment of the terrace. Show Me your prayerful gaze, let Me hear your supplicating voice, for your voice is sweet and your countenance comely.”
The commentary says “This verse refers to the time shortly after leaving Egypt, when Pharaoh was pursuing the Jews and found them encamped at the sea. The Jews were trapped, with the sea before and the Egyptian army behind them. What did they resemble? A dove which was fleeing a hawk. It flew into the cleft of a rock, and found a serpent lurking there. It could not enter because of the snake nor turn back because of the hawk. HaShem then said ‘Show Me your countenance i.e. to whom do you turn to when in trouble? Let Me hear your voice of despair which I had already heard in Egypt for your voice is sweet.”
HaShem reminding future generations of His constant hearing of the voice of His Bride Israel even while in exile. We can be assured He will hear our cries for help and come to rescue us!
Shir HaShirim 2:15 says “Seize for us the Egyptian foxes, even the small foxes who spoiled Israel’s vineyards while our vineyards had just began to blossom.”
HaShem is using the picture of an Egyptian Fox to describe the cunning of the Egyptians. The Midrash cites that “The Jewish women, to avoid Pharaoh’s harsh decree (To throw Jewish male children into the Nile River) would hide their infant sons in basements. The wicked Egyptians would take their own young children into the Jewish houses and pinch them to make them cry. In response to these cries, the Jewish children would commence crying and their hiding places would be discovered, resulting in their being cast into the river, as well as the adults, were implicated in murdering our children.”
Shir HaShirim 2:16 says “My Beloved is mine, He fills all my needs and I seek from Him and none other. He grazes me in rose like bounty.”
The commentary says “HaShem makes demands upon me, that He makes upon no other nation, for example to offer the Paschal (Pesach/Passover) sacrifice, sanctify the first born, construct the Tabernacle, and sacrifice burnt offerings and I in turn rely on none other but Him!”
“He is my Elohim and I am His nation; He is a father to me and I am His son; He is my shepherd, and I am his flock; He sang of me and I sang of Him; when I required something I sought it only from Him and when He required anything He sought it only from me.”
“HaShem is the One Who grazes His sheep amid scenes of tranquil beauty i.e. rose like bounty.”
Shir HaShirim 2:17 says “Until my sin blows His friendship away and sears me like the midday sun and His protection departs, my sin caused Him to turn away. My Beloved, You became like a gazelle or a young hart on the distant mountains.”
This verse connects with the previous verse in that HaShem’s blessings are abundant and the relationship is intimate, however, when sin comes onto the scene then the relationship is broken and His Divine Presence is removed and His protection is lost and He departs. The commentary ends this chapter of Shir HaShrim by saying “Until the day of redemption comes about and the shadows of oppression fade, we beseech You, Beloved Elohim, that You continue to cast Your providence upon us and like a gazelle or a hart skip over the mountains of transgressions separating us!”
May it be so very, very soon the Final Redemption comes about and we ALL can go home to the Land and live in His sight and engage in the intimate relationship with Him at the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem!
Hope this Op was a blessing.
Shalom!
SOURCE MATERIALS:
The Chumash with the Teachings of the Talmud by Artscroll
Shir HaShirim Artscroll Tanach Series
The Kleinman Edition The Midrash Rabbah Shir HaShirim by Artscroll
“With the trustworthy You act trustingly and with the crooked You act perversely. For You save the afflicted nation and haughty eyes You bring down low. For it is You Who will light my lamp, HaShem, my Elohim, will illuminate my darkness.” Psalms 18:27-29
As I put this Op together, it is Shabbat, 27 November 2021, the eve before Chanukah 2021 begins. I thought I would put together a very quick Op to discuss the importance of Chanukah, especially in light of now in the day and times we live in.
Before we jump into this, always remember the following eternal characteristics of HaShem:
HaShem never changes per Num 23:19/Mal 3:6/Hebrews 13:8/James 1:17
His Word is firmly established per Psalm 119:89
He reveals the end out of the beginning per Is 46:10
He does nothing without first revealing it to His prophets per Amos 3:7
He says there is nothing new under the sun per Ecclesiastes 1:9
He says His Torah is the ONLY truth there is per Psalms 119:142
He says His Torah is a tree of life and eternal per Proverbs 3:18-19 and Psalm 119:160
He says His Torah is perfect and restores the soul per Psalm 19:7
He says His Torah makes the simple one wise per Psalm 19:7
He says His Torah Is freedom and liberty per Psalm 119:45 and James 1:25
He says His Torah is the only good doctrine there is Proverbs 4:2
He says His Torah will add length of days and years of life and peace per Proverbs 3:2
He says all of the ways of His Torah are ways of pleasantness and peace per Proverbs 3:17
He says His Torah is for our good and well-being per Deuteronomy 6:24
He says His Torah is health for our lives per Proverbs 3:8
He says His Torah is life to our soul and a graceful ornament for our neck per Prov 3:22
He says His Torah is better than pearls and all desires cannot compare to it per Prov 8:11
He says those who walk with His Torah are praiseworthy per Psalms 119:1
He says observing His Torah is how we purify our path per Psalms 119:9
He says His Torah is better than thousands in gold and silver per Psalms 119:72
He says His Torah brings abundant peace to those who love Him and His Torah per Psalms 119:165
He says there is one Torah for all per Exodus 12:49/Leviticus 24:22
He says those who hate His Torah love death per Proverbs 8:36
He says His Torah is the way of faith per Psalms 119:29-30
He says His Torah makes us wiser than our enemies per Psalms 119:98
He says His Torah is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path per Psalms 119:105
He says one who finds His Torah has found life per Proverbs 8:35
He says one who finds His Torah has found favor from HaShem per Proverbs 8:35
He says Messiah Yeshua is the GOAL of His Torah, meaning without His Torah, Messiah cannot be known per Romans 10:4
He says if we had believed Moshe/Torah, we would have believed Messiah per John 5:46
He says His Torah makes us wiser than our enemies per Psalms 119:98
He says His salvation is far from the wicked for they sought not His Torah per Psalms 119:155
He says to hold fast to and guard His Torah, for it is our life per Proverbs 4:13
Chanukah, which means ‘Dedication’ in Hebrew, points too the dedication and re-dedication of the Temple of HaShem in Jerusalem. It is all about purity and service to HaShem. Biblically, Chanukah begins on the 25th day of the month of Kislev, and lasts for eight days. No, it is not in any way shape or form added too by the Rabbis, as is routinely accused of happening. It is from HaShem and the doing of Chanukah is prophesied in the very End of Days.
What separates Chanukah out from the Moedim (Feasts) of HaShem as listed in Vayikra (Leviticus) 23, is there is no level of Kedusha (Holiness/Separation) with Chanukah, meaning, we can still work as normal, eat as normal, as opposed to Pesach, Shavuot, Yom Kippur, etc.
Historically, the name ‘Chanukah’ was given in commemoration of the historical fact the Jewish fighters rested from their battles against the Syrian-Greeks on the 25th day of Kislev. Further, when the Altar was defiled by idolatry by the Greeks, it had to be rebuilt. We read in Tractate Avodah Zarah 52b in the Talmud Bavli, the Hasmoneans (Also known as the ‘Maccabees’) cleansed the Temple and rebuilt the Altar and dedicated it to the service of HaShem. The Hasmoneans completed the cleansing of the Temple and the dedication of the Altar to HaShem on the 25th of Kislev. The Chanukah festival commemorates the rededication of the Temple in the days of the Hasmoneans. As such, it is perceived as relating in many ways to the original dedication of the Tabernacle in the time of Moses.
Why is Chanukah a time which lasts for eight days? Since nothing new can be added too or subtracted from the Tanach (Torah, Nevaim and Ketuvim), Chanukah would be a time which lasts for eight days because the Moedim of Succot lasts for eight days. Chanukah and Succot are very closely related.
The light of the Menorah is very important and significant! The light of the candles are kindled to give inspiration, for the light of Messiah must burn brightly in our hearts…point is, the lights of the Menorah signify illuminating the light of Messiah. We are to let burn within us the light of Messiah so others can see that light. Further, the light symbolizes the Torah of HaShem. This is why Tractate Shabbos 23b in the Talmud Bavli says “One who scrupulously observes the kindling of the Chanukah light will have children who are Torah scholars.” Proverbs 6:23 says “For the lamp is a mitzvah and Torah is light…” As a result of the command to kindle the lights of Chanukah, the light of Torah follows.
The center candle of the Menorah is referred to as ‘Shemash’ branch or ‘The Servant Branch’. It is from this branch that the other candles receive their light from. This Shemash Branch is another picture of Messiah for the light of Chanukah is the Light of Messiah.
The summation of Chanukah can be stated as follows: It is a festival which the Temple and the Torah of HaShem are front and center! It commemorates standing strong in defiance against idolatry and Replacement Theology. It is about choosing to Whom and where will our loyalties lie! Do we choose to serve ourselves and embrace the idolatry of the world at this time of year i.e. Christmas, or do we choose to stand up for and with HaShem, the Sovereign of the Universe and His Torah in the face of all the idolatry and Replacement Theology?
Further significance of Chanukah signals the ultimate salvation, redemption and rededication of the entire world in service to HaShem, may it be so very, very soon in our days!
I have included a very good YouTube teaching from my teacher, Joseph Good, of HaTikvah Ministries, which he is discussing Chanukah and dispelling a lot of the common accusations thrown about by Christendom, Hebrew Roots and Messianic Christendom for those who may be interested. Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/HatikvaMinistries/videos/579712373327193/.
As I stated above this is intended to be a very quick Op.
“There is a time when HaShem will act, they voided Your Torah.” Psalms 119:126
As I put this Op together it is 8 October 2021, the eve of Shabbat, Baruch HaShem! The level of insanity we are witnessing consume our world, country and society as of late is truly astounding and disturbing! Despotic tyrants solidifying their power without so much as a whisper of resistance from the people. The embracing of truly abominable behavior and unspoken debaucheries is mind boggling! We have witnessed more and more acts of violence and tyranny, while truth is suppressed and the utterly wicked with their lies and deceptions are elevated as truth. It is truly the ‘Emperors new clothes’ scenario which is rapidly ascending as the new norm in society! How many times this week have I heard people from all over the country cry out to HaShem that can it now be time for Him to act?
Is it just a coincidence then that this weeks Torah portion is ‘Noach’ which is found in Genesis 6:9-11:32? Nothing is a coincidence with HaShem! This vitally important portion discusses Noach and his family but also discusses the state of the earth as well as the state of humanity and their wild, unrestrained embracing of sin and every abomination mankind can imagine. Further, it discusses the complete disregard by humanity for HaShem and His Ways and their living of their lives without any concern for HaShem. Why is this important for us to know today? Because Yeshua Himself warned in Matthew 24:37 “And as the days of Noah, so also shall the coming of the Son of Adam be.” Very interesting! So, if we want to know when we are approaching the Day of HaShem, He gave us a sign i.e. the Days of Noah. In other words, if we want to know when we are getting close, we better delve into the beginning of His Word and deeply study what His Word says about the generation of Noah and what was happening then because He reveals the end from the beginning (Is 46:10)!
Before we pour ourselves into this study, always remember the following eternal characteristics of HaShem because now more than ever they are vital and relevant to know in order to suppress and counter all the lies, deception and wicked attempts to silence HaShem and His Torah. The utter rage and hatred of HaShem and His Torah by the wicked as of late is truly astounding and just as fierce as it was against Noah and his family, nothing new under the sun:
HaShem never changes per Num 23:19/Mal 3:6/Hebrews 13:8/James 1:17
His Word is firmly established per Psalm 119:89
He reveals the end out of the beginning per Is 46:10
He does nothing without first revealing it to His prophets per Amos 3:7
He says there is nothing new under the sun per Ecclesiastes 1:9
He says His Torah is the ONLY truth there is per Psalms 119:142
He says His Torah is a tree of life and eternal per Proverbs 3:18-19 and Psalm 119:160
He says His Torah is perfect and restores the soul per Psalm 19:7
He says His Torah makes the simple one wise per Psalm 19:7
He says His Torah Is freedom and liberty per Psalm 119:45 and James 1:25
He says His Torah is the only good doctrine there is Proverbs 4:2
He says His Torah will add length of days and years of life and peace per Proverbs 3:2
He says all of the ways of His Torah are ways of pleasantness and peace per Proverbs 3:17
He says His Torah is for our good and well-being per Deuteronomy 6:24
He says His Torah is health for our lives per Proverbs 3:8
He says His Torah is life to our soul and a graceful ornament for our neck per Prov 3:22
He says His Torah is better than pearls and all desires cannot compare to it per Prov 8:11
He says those who walk with His Torah are praiseworthy per Psalms 119:1
He says observing His Torah is how we purify our path per Psalms 119:9
He says His Torah is better than thousands in gold and silver per Psalms 119:72
He says His Torah brings abundant peace to those who love Him and His Torah per Psalms 119:165
He says there is one Torah for all per Exodus 12:49/Leviticus 24:22
He says those who hate His Torah love death per Proverbs 8:36
He says His Torah is the way of faith per Psalms 119:29-30
He says His Torah makes us wiser than our enemies per Psalms 119:98
He says His Torah is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path per Psalms 119:105
He says one who finds His Torah has found life per Proverbs 8:35
He says one who finds His Torah has found favor from HaShem per Proverbs 8:35
He says Messiah Yeshua is the GOAL of His Torah, meaning without His Torah, Messiah cannot be known per Romans 10:4
He says if we had believed Moshe/Torah, we would have believed Messiah per John 5:46
He says His Torah makes us wiser than our enemies per Psalms 119:98
He says His salvation is far from the wicked for they sought not His Torah per Psalms 119:155
He says to hold fast to and guard His Torah, for it is our life per Proverbs 4:13
No doubt our world today is technologically savvy and to generations past those people would say we are akin to the Jetsons! The more technologically capable we become, the more those in power seek to unify the globe but in reality the more they seek to unify, the more divided we become and more wars and conflicts erupt. In other words, its nothing new! Man has attempted to unify the world under his rule since the Tower of Babel and in every attempt HaShem has thwarted those plans! Now it is true per the Word of HaShem, during the seven year Birth Pains, the False Messiah will unify Europe under his rule i.e. the Roman Empire reborn, but he will by no means unify the entire world as he will be fighting other powers during his entire reign until Messiah Yeshua finally defeats him once and for all. Point is, there is only one way this world will ever be truly unified and that is after the Birth Pains and Messiah Yeshua is ruling from Jerusalem and HaShem’s Torah will be going out from Jerusalem to the entire world, Baruch HaShem! May it be so very soon in our days!
So, with this said thus far, what was the state of the world in the time of Noah? Genesis 6:11 tells us. It says “Now the earth had become corrupt before Elohim; and the earth had become filled with robbery.” This word ‘Robbery’ in Hebrew is ‘Chamas’ (pronounced Hamas) and it implies ‘devious robbery’. The example used here in Tractate Bava Metzia 4:2 from the Yerushalmi Talmud says “When someone would come to the market with a container full of beans to sell, people would steal them from him, but in a cunning way; each person would steal only one bean, the value of which was too small for the person to be taken to court. Not only did they steal, they did so in a way that protected them from being held responsible.” Gee, does this not sound like our society today and especially those in government power?
Insights from the Midrash Rabbah Noach is very, very enlightening. It says “Robbery, says our Midrash, acts as rod against the wicked. How does this occur? First, the term ‘Chamas’ is translated here as ‘robbery’. The truth is that chamas is not just any robbery; as the Midrash states below, chamas refers specifically to robbery or other wrong doings that are too petty to be remedied through legal proceedings, but if committed repeatedly can gradually bring the victim to ruin. In a linguistic and conceptual sense, chamas is related to ‘chometz’ i.e. vinegar. Like chamas, the fermentation process does not cause wine to sour all at once, but slowly, gradually, turns it into vinegar.” So, we see this process of corruption is a slow process, something that grows and intensifies over time. Keep this in mind!
The Midrash goes on: “Where did all the chamas come from? How did this insidious practice develop and spread? The Torah itself describes the process. Now the earth became corrupt before HaShem, and the earth became filled with chamas. To begin with, there was a corruption of morals, a proliferation of sins that no one imagined would have any effect on civil society. People thought that even if the young are dissolute and marriage has lost its sanctity, trade and commerce can still flourish and business relationships can proceed honestly.” Can you see American society in this description thus far?
“But they were wrong. Once the world is corrupt before HaShem, manmade laws and institutions will be to no avail; all aspects of society will break down and go to ruin. Not through out right robbery, which society can fend off through penal codes and prison terms, but through chamas, evil done with devious cunning. Against such evil there can be no protection unless people develop a conscience that will hold them accountable to HaShem for their actions. This conscience is the inner core of humanity, and it is fatally undermined by immorality.”
“We have before us, then, the progression of evil. It begins with immorality, what the above verse terms corruption. Immoral behavior impairs man’s conscience; the lack of conscience promotes chamas; the uncontrolled chamas tears apart the social fabric; and a society is ruined. So inexorable is the process that HaShem declared before the Flood, ‘The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with chamas.’ In effect, HaShem was saying, ‘The world’s end is already before Me; if I do not intervene, it will all go completely to ruin by itself.”
“Thus, when Ezekiel said that chamas acts as a rod against the wicked (Ezekiel 7:11), he meant that the conscience free practice of chamas destroys the perpetrators own society and brings them down as well. The inevitable calamity does not come from the natural state of men; not from their multitudes, it does not come from over crowding; and not from social relationships. Neither does the misery lie in them, i.e. in men as such. Rather, the calamity springs from chamas. Because of chamas, human society becomes chometz, it turns sour and decays.”
Now, isn’t all this from the Midrash, a very accurate description of American society today? How far we have fallen and how much debauchery, wickedness and immorality have we as a society willingly embraced, a little bit at a time? How we have embraced the chamas and as a result it is destroying our country a little more each day! Keep all this in mind!
HaShem goes on in verse 12 and says “And Elohim saw the earth and behold it was corrupted, for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth.” This word ‘Corrupted’ in Hebrew is ‘Hash’chasah’ which is referring to sins involving prohibited relationships or idol worship. Yikes…..prohibited relationships is now the new normal in our society! Everything from homosexuality, homosexual marriage to pedophilia are now being encouraged as being ‘normal’ and those who resist and reject such relationships are labeled as being tyrannical bigots who should be excommunicated from society.
So, HaShem equates prohibited relationships to idolatry. But idolatry isn’t just defined as perverted prohibited relationships, it is also defined as worshiping forbidden images and doctrines! Tractate Sanhedrin 57a from the Talmud Bavli says the following: “Anywhere that the term corruption is stated, it is referring to nothing other than a matter of licentiousness and idol worship. The Gemara cites proofs for this claim: Corruption refers to a matter of licentiousness, as it is stated: “For all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth” (Genesis 6:12); the word “way” alludes to sexual intercourse. And corruption also refers to idol worship, as it is written: “Lest you deal corruptly, and make you a graven image” (Deuteronomy 4:16).”
It wasn’t just humans who had corrupted themselves, but that corruption extended to every other parts of Creation to include the animals! Tractate Sanhedrin 108a from the Talmud Bavli says “For all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth” (Genesis 6:12), Rabbi Yoĥanan says: This teaches that the people of the generation of the flood mated male domesticated animals with female undomesticated animals, and male undomesticated animals with female domesticated animals, and all male animals with human females, and human males with all female animals.” Good grief, how many articles have been published recently about how scientists are working hard to splice human DNA with those of pigs, cows, monkeys, etc? Again, this is nothing new!
Ultimately it was the robbery which sealed the fate of humanity but it was for the rampant promiscuity which warranted their obliteration by the Hand of HaShem! HaShem tells Noah in verse 13 “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with robbery through them; and behold, I am about to destroy them from the earth.” The commentary of verse 13 is very interesting and says “The Decree concerning man’s impending doom has reached this world from before Me in the uppermost heavens. Humanity has descended to such a state that I must bring it to an end. Unless I intervene, humanity will continue on a course that will inevitably result in its own ruination. The end was implicit in man’s behavior; had HaShem not intervened, even the spark of purity still alive in Noah would eventually have been extinguished.” So, we see HaShem acted yes out of judgment, but also out of mercy since He desired to preserve humanity!
How does HaShem preserve humanity? He instructs Noah in verse 14 to “Make for yourself an Ark of gopher wood; make the Ark with compartments and cover it inside and out with pitch.” The commentary on this verse says “There are numerous ways HaShem could have saved Noah. Why then did He burden him with the task of constructing an ark? So that when the curious would see him cutting down lumber and involved in building the ark for 120 years they would ask him why it was being made. He would answer, ‘Elohim is about to bring a flood on the world because of your sins, and they will be given an opportunity to repent. But Noah’s contemporaries paid no attention to him.” Even here HaShem is showing great mercy and compassion as He is giving humanity 120 more years to repent with a constant reminder of His impending judgment in front of them, and yet they do not take advantage of the opportunity! This is a very good reminder to all of us that HaShem is good, kind, merciful and compassionate, but He does have limits and red lines which are not to be crossed!
What is interesting about the ark HaShem commands Noah to build is this giant structure was not designed to glide through the waters, but to float on them. “This accentuates the fact that Noah’s deliverance was NOT dependent on navigating skills. The ark was a free floating vessel and as such HE WAS SAVED ENTIRELY BY HASHEM’S WILL!” Noah was completely incapable of steering the ark on the waters! Once more we see man is completely incapable of saving himself! He can only be saved by the will and desire of HaShem and HaShem alone! Point is, striving to walk in the Torah of HaShem does NOT save anyone. First we believe i.e. faith THEN we put that faith into action and learn and apply His Torah to our lives BECAUSE we are saved as His people!
What we see here is the ark which HaShem directs Noah to build in the midst of a brutally wicked and corrupt world, is a picture we can learn and apply to our lives in the brutally wicked and corrupt we live in today! The ark is a picture of the Torah of HaShem! Notice Noah didn’t build it all in one day but it took 120 years i.e. a lifetime to do so! So too is our Torah study where we learn, apply His Torah to our lives and then we fall followed by HaShem picking us up, dusting off the dirt and He sets us on the path to keep going. Remember, Torah isn’t for obtaining salvation, Torah is BECAUSE we are saved and we desire to learn how to live as His people in this world!
The ark is the same concept as the structures Israel stayed in on the night of the Exodus from Egypt. Noah remained in the ark as HaShem’s judgment fell and he and his family were protected. The same is true for those who remained in their structures with the blood of the lamb applied to their door lintels while outside HaShem’s judgment was falling and destroying Egypt! The same can be said of His Torah today! Remember He says we are to hold fast and guard His Torah for it is our life in Proverbs 4:13! Torah is our ark! Therefore, it is no wonder those who hate HaShem and His Torah are enraged in fury against Him and His people more so than I have witnessed as of late! He warns us in the end those who have the testimony of Yeshua and keep His Torah are the ones the adversary is specifically enraged with and targets for destruction via Revelation 12:17!
With all this said thus far, consider what Yeshua says when He continues in His description of the end in Matthew 24:38-39: “For as they (The generation of the flood) were in the days before the Flood, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, UNTIL THE DAY THAT NOAH ENTERED THE ARK, and they did not know until the Flood came and took them away, so also shall the coming of the Son of Adam be.”
We see, this generation was living life as normal, celebrating, engaging in every form of wickedness and abominations they could conceive of to include homosexuality and homosexual marriage, thinking they were getting away with it, not realizing the impending judgment which was about to fall on them by the Hand of HaShem! Further, remember HaShem gave them 120 years and Noah building the ark as a constant reminder and as a tool to hopefully spur them to repent, but their practice of chamas was so pervasive and so destructive, none of them repented and they all were destroyed!
Additionally, we see the example Yeshua is giving in that when HaShem commanded Noah to enter the ark, it was then the judgment began to fall and the people of that generation suddenly realized the warnings of impending judgment were all true and now it was too late to repent. No matter how hard they pounded or how loudly they screamed to be let into the ark, HaShem did not hear their cries and they were obliterated forever.
Are we today fast approaching the point of no return? I am not an authority on the subject but from the indicators I see around me in society and how people are reacting to HaShem and His Torah, I would surmise that yes, we are very, very near to the point of no return. Its time we all get very serious and strive to build our ark i.e. learn and walk in His Torah BECAUSE we are saved and in the covenant! Its a lifelong effort and no one does it perfectly! May He act so very, very soon and may His Great Name be honored and esteemed!
Shabbat Shalom!
SOURCE MATERIALS
The Scriptures by the Institute for Scripture Research
“Forever, HaShem, Your Word stands firm in heaven. Your faithfulness endures from generation to generation, You established the earth and it endures. To fulfill Your judgment they stand each day, for ALL are Your servants.” Psalms 119:89-91
As I put this Op together, it is 6 September 2021, the eve of Rosh HaShanah which begins at sundown tonight. Yes, I am aware there are those who are on separate calendars and thus for them Rosh HaShanah is on a completely different point on the calendar. I am NOT going to debate the calendar issue at all…period! Everyone is entitled to their opinions on the topic, but I do NOT want this Op to be buried under arguments about the calendar issue.
For those who are going ahead with observing HaShem’s Feast of Rosh HaShanah, some may be asking what is the significance of this Feast and why it is so important to the eschatological narrative? I will, in my very limited understanding attempt to answer some of these questions.
But, before we jump into this, always remember the following eternal characteristics of HaShem and never forget them, especially now in our day and time:
HaShem never changes per Num 23:19/Mal 3:6/Hebrews 13:8/James 1:17
His Word is firmly established per Psalm 119:89
He reveals the end out of the beginning per Is 46:10
He does nothing without first revealing it to His prophets per Amos 3:7
He says there is nothing new under the sun per Ecclesiastes 1:9
He says His Torah is the ONLY truth there is per Psalms 119:142
He says His Torah is a tree of life and eternal per Proverbs 3:18-19 and Psalm 119:160
He says His Torah is perfect and restores the soul per Psalm 19:7
He says His Torah makes the simple one wise per Psalm 19:7
He says His Torah Is freedom and liberty per Psalm 119:45 and James 1:25
He says His Torah is the only good doctrine there is Proverbs 4:2
He says His Torah will add length of days and years of life and peace per Proverbs 3:2
He says all of the ways of His Torah are ways of pleasantness and peace per Proverbs 3:17
He says His Torah is for our good and well-being per Deuteronomy 6:24
He says His Torah is health for our lives per Proverbs 3:8
He says His Torah is life to our soul and a graceful ornament for our neck per Prov 3:22
He says His Torah is better than pearls and all desires cannot compare to it per Prov 8:11
He says those who walk with His Torah are praiseworthy per Psalms 119:1
He says observing His Torah is how we purify our path per Psalms 119:9
He says His Torah is better than thousands in gold and silver per Psalms 119:72
He says His Torah brings abundant peace to those who love Him and His Torah per Psalms 119:165
He says there is one Torah for all per Exodus 12:49/Leviticus 24:22
He says those who hate His Torah love death per Proverbs 8:36
He says His Torah is the way of faith per Psalms 119:29-30
He says His Torah makes us wiser than our enemies per Psalms 119:98
He says His Torah is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path per Psalms 119:105
He says one who finds His Torah has found life per Proverbs 8:35
He says one who finds His Torah has found favor from HaShem per Proverbs 8:35
He says Messiah Yeshua is the GOAL of His Torah, meaning without His Torah, Messiah cannot be known per Romans 10:4
He says if we had believed Moshe/Torah, we would have believed Messiah per John 5:46
He says His Torah makes us wiser than our enemies per Psalms 119:98
He says His salvation is far from the wicked for they sought not His Torah per Psalms 119:155
He says to hold fast to and guard His Torah, for it is our life per Proverbs 4:13
There is SO much associated with HaShem’s Feasts and Rosh HaShanah is no different. Trying to encapsulate all that is contained in His Feast is going to be very challenging.
Rosh HaShanah, it not just solely about blowing a shofar and lighting candles, it far, far supersedes these important elements! As, we will shortly see, Rosh HaShanah is about recognizing not just our place in the world, but to Whom we choose to submit too. Will we submit to our own understanding according to our own desires or will we strive to submit to HaShem?
One quick side statement I want to insert. When I left Christendom almost 20 years ago now, at HaShem’s gentle guidance and direction, it was the absolute best decision thus far in my life. Has it been difficult…that’s an understatement! In doing so, one thing I was shocked to see, striving to walk in His Torah, HaShem is put in His rightful place in our lives i.e. He is front and center. What I guess I am trying to convey is walking in His Torah, keeps HaShem front and center as opposed to when I was in Christendom in which the message was always about me, myself and I i.e. the focus was about me and I never saw it until I got away from it and then could see it when I looked back. This is important because it ties directly into the theme of Rosh HaShanah. Keep this in mind. Now back on point.
The Torah readings for Rosh HaShanah are found in Bereishis (Genesis) 21:1-24 and Bamidbar (Numbers) 29:1-6. The key point to focus on from Bereishis is at the very end of the readings where it says “And there he (Avraham) PROCLAIMED THE NAME OF HASHEM, Elohim of the universe.” In essence, Avraham was proclaiming his acknowledgement HaShem, the Elohim of the universe, IS the One and Only True Sovereign of all creation! In other words, Avraham was acknowledging HaShem is THE King!
Further, the verbiage of the wording of this verse is very interesting as Tractate Sotah 10a-b says from the Talmud Bavli: “And he (Avraham) caused others to call. This teaches that Avraham our forefather caused the Name of the Holy One, Blessed be He, to be called out in the mouth of all passerby. How so? After the guests of Avraham ate and drank, they arose to bless him. He said to them, ‘But did you eat from what is mine? Rather, you ate from the food of the Elohim of the world. Therefore, you should thank and praise and bless the One Who spoke and the world was created. In this way, Avraham caused everyone to call out to HaShem!'” Can you see, Avraham was teaching people to acknowledge HaShem as the King and Creator of all things!
Bamidbar 29:1-6 describes the korbonot (Offerings) which are required to be brought and offered in the Temple of HaShem. It says “In the seventh month (Tishrei), on the first day of the month, there shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall not do any laborious work, it shall be a day of shofar sounding for you. You shall make an olah offering (Burnt Offering) for a satisfying aroma to HaShem; one young bull, one ram, seven male lambs in their first year, unblemished. And their minchah offering (Bread Offering) of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenth ephah for the bull; two tenth ephah for the ram; and one tenth ephah for each lamb of the seven lambs. One male of the goats for chatat offering (Sin Offering) to provide you atonement. Aside from the olah offering of the New Moon and its minchah offering, the continual olah offering and its minchah offering, and their libations (Wine Libations) according to their instruction, for a satisfying aroma, a fire offering to HaShem.”
Per Tractate Rosh HaShanah 1.1 from the Mishnah it states : “There are FOUR New Years: On the first of Nisan, the New Year for Kings and Festivals (Establishing the years of a kings reign and when the annual Feasts begin). On the first of Elul the New Year for the tithe of animals; on the first of Tishrei the New Year for years and for the shemitin (Sabbatical years) and for the Yovalot (Yovel/Jubilee) years, for the planting and for the vegetables; and on the first of Shevat the New Year for the tree…”
I point this out because this is how HaShem can refer to the seventh month i.e. Tishrei as being the beginning of the year, because there are four different calendars in His Kingdom and Tishrei is the one which establishes the years. It can get very confusing. Let’s continue.
The Book of the Mitzvot #405 discusses the underlying purpose for the command to the shofar on Rosh HaShanah. It says “The Torah teaches we are commanded to HEAR the sound of the shofar on the first day of the month of Tishrei, which is Rosh HaShanah.” The underlying purpose is “Since man is a physical being, he is stirred toward things only through some impetus that motivates him to act, and the sounding of the shofar serves as such impetus. This is similar to what people do during times of war, when they shout and even roar so as to be well motivated to engage in warfare. So, too, on the day of Rosh HaShanah, which is the day that was designated from the beginning of Creation as the time for judging all people who have come to the world, it is important that we be well motivated to repent from sins. On Rosh HaShanah ALL who have come to the world pass before HaShem like bnei maron, meaning, that His Providence i.e. supervision is focused on the deeds of each and every one of them individually. If one’s merits are determined to be greater than his sins, he will emerge from this judgment meritorious. If, on the other hand, his sins are greater than his merits, such that it is appropriate to deem him liable, they i.e. the Heavenly Court condemns him to die, or to one of the other forms of punitive sentences according to his degree of liability.”
I should note, our righteousness comes from faith in Him! First Avraham believed and it was accounted to him as righteousness. Point is, our salvation is by HaShem Alone via His Agent, Yeshua and is brought about solely because of His decision to do so. However, our deeds do in fact effect what happens in our lives in this world today. If I go and rob a bank, I can fully expect to face justice and go to jail. Same concept is with HaShem and how we live today. If I engage in idolatry or some form of immorality, I can fully expect His judgment to fall on me, which is His way of getting me to repent and return to His Ways i.e. His Torah. Have I lost my salvation for doing so, not necessarily. If I truly belong to Him, I will want to repent and return to Him. Does this imply we will walk perfectly in His Torah? Not a chance unfortunately. Our walk with HaShem is likened to the phases of the moon…we go from a full, bright, shining, moon i.e. walk with Him and then we unfortunately let the affairs of life get the better of us and we begin to fade. Then we begin to brighten up again in our walk…its just the way life is and He understands that.
So, the purpose of the shofar has several reasons, but one is to cause us to look inside ourselves and repent before Him as we approach Rosh HaShanah. Because, when Rosh HaShanah begins, the BOOKS ARE OPENED, i.e. HaShem begins to examine each and everyone of us for the next ten days and our fates are then sealed for the next year on Yom Kippur! I know this concept is completely foreign to Christendom, but that is because Christendom has tossed out just about everything left of Matthew and thus is completely ignorant of this reality, which is so very sad. I digress.
So, now that we have laid this foundation, let’s get to the heart of the meaning of Rosh HaShanah. Tractate Rosh HaShanah 16a from the Talmud Bavli, says it very well. It says “The Holy One, Blessed is He, said on Rosh HaShanah, ‘Recite before Me verses that speak of HaShem’s Sovereignty, Remembrance of all events and Shofar blasts – Sovereignty so that YOU SHOULD MAKE ME YOUR KING; Remembrance so that your remembrance should rise up before Me for your benefit. And through what? Through the shofar!'”
An excerpt from the Rosh HaShanah book published by Artscroll says it very well. It says “HaShem’s sovereignty is the PRIMARY theme of Rosh HaShanah and the Ten Days of Judgment (Between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur) it inaugurates. The service of the day is filled with references as HaShem as King and with prayers that His mastery be acknowledged by all human beings. The shofar service of the Mussaf Amidah begins with ten Scriptural verses speaking of HaShem’s Kingship and the Talmud teaches, we recite these verses so that we should proclaim Him as our King.”
Some may ask ‘Why would HaShem need to be proclaimed King? He is already Ruler over all His Creation!’ There is a difference between being a King and a Ruler. A Ruler refers to a sovereign who reigns against the wishes of his subjects, akin to being a dictator. A King on the other hand, rules with the consent and recognition of his subjects.
Further, excerpt from the Rosh HaShanah book, “HaShem lacked no power before the creation of man, but there was no one VOLUNTARILY to proclaim Him King. The key word being VOLUNTARILY. The angels had been created before man, and HaShem can create infinite numbers of them at will. But angels have no evil inclination. They are purely agents of HaShem’s will. To the angels, HaShem is a Ruler, a Creator, a Master, but not a King.”
“The purpose of Creation was so that there would be a species that was capable of freely choosing to recognize and obey HaShem. If this creature were so to choose, it would be worthy of Heavenly reward and HaShem wanted to confer His largesse on someone who had earned it by rising above temptation and choosing wisely. There had to be a being with the capacity to seek alternatives and be seduced, a being with physical drives and immoral temptations. That creature was man!”
“Everything in the universe, the sun, the moon and the stars, even the most sublime angels, had no value in the Divine scheme except as a PRELUDE to the creation of man. As the Sages put it, ‘The entire universe was created ONLY as a companionship for man’ because man could not survive alone without the entire infrastructure of the universe.”
“When was the world created? That depends what one considers its purpose. If it is an immense parcel of real estate whirling about its sun among untold galaxies, then it came into existence on the first day of creation and was shaped and filled in the succeeding days. But if the world exists in order to proclaim HaShem King, then it was created on the sixth day when Adam and Eve pointed and said, ‘This is our King!’ In this sense, Rosh HaShanah is the beginning of Your handiwork, and this is the only sense that really matters, for it is the reason for Creation.”
“This idea is expressed in the psalms chosen to be sung during the Temple Service. The Sages explain why the various psalms were chosen to be sung by the Levites on the respective days of the week. On the SIXTH DAY OF THE WEEK (Friday) they recite Psalms 93 ‘HaShem will have reigned, He will have donned grandeur, because He completed His labors and reigned over them.'”
“Clearly, HaShem’s power was no greater on day six than on day one, or in the infinity that existed before Creation. What happened on the sixth day was that man came into being; man with his free will and choice; man who can be blinded by his own intelligence; man who can respond to the grandeur of the sun, the vastness of space, and the promptings of his desires; man who can accept HaShem as his King or deny His existence; man who can even be fool enough to acknowledge that there is a G-d only on the condition that He is accommodating enough to be a mirror image of current fads in politics, morality, or progressive religious thought.”
“Man’s importance is not in his physical strength, any number of animals can outfight him; even an ant is relatively stronger than man. Nor is man unique in his spiritual perception, which cannot compare to that of the angels. Man’s greatness is in his power of CHOICE. Because he can deny HaShem, man’s recognition of His sovereignty has value. THAT IS WHY THE SIXTH DAY WAS THE CLIMAX OF CREATION, AND WHY ITS ANNIVERSARY IS ROSH HASHANAH!”
Can you see then why the Torah of HaShem is so hated by the world and sadly much of Christendom today? The Torah of HaShem is the heart of Who He is and is the proof He has given each of us the opportunity of choice! Do I submit to HaShem and proclaim Him as King of my life or do I reject Him and embrace a fashioned idol which teaches freedom from the Torah and replaces HaShem as King? I can remember the very distinct moment in my life when HaShem finally confronted me about embracing His Torah or staying with Christendom. I was standing in my kitchen, with a stack of Torah commentaries in front of me and I stood there and verbally proclaimed to HaShem I had made my decision and had chosen Him and His Torah…in effect I proclaimed Him King and my life has never been the same since!
How does Yeshua fit into this you may be asking? Yeshua is the AGENT of HaShem and if you remember from past Op’s discussing the concept of an agent, the agent sent by the principle, is in effect the principle! Yeshua is NOT HaShem in the flesh (For the record I wholeheartedly believe in the virgin birth), He is the Agent of HaShem and thus per this legal concept of agency, if we see Yeshua we see HaShem! How many times was Yeshua asked a question and He flat out said and I paraphrase ‘I don’t know, only the Father knows!’ If He is HaShem in the flesh and yet doesn’t know the answer to a question and points to HaShem i.e. Himself for the answer, then by definition He is either psychotic or a liar. Point is, His Word tells no man has ever seen Him. Even the Apostolic Writings restate this over and over again. Reinforces my point that Yeshua is the Agent of HaShem and NOT HaShem in the flesh.
So, to sum up this Op, consider what we read in Revelation 4 and how it connects to Rosh HaShanah as being the Feast in the future when Yeshua, as the Agent of HaShem, will be crowned King! Revelation 4:1 which says “After this I looked and saw a door having been opened in the heaven (Idiom for Rosh HaShanah akin to the books were opened). And the first voice which I heard was like a TRUMPET (SHOFAR) speaking (BLOWING), saying, ‘Come up here and I shall show you what has to take place after this’ (Again, Rosh HaShanah, the Feast when the Gathering takes place and all those are resurrected and taken to the Heavenly Temple).”
Revelation 4:2-3 says “And immediately I came to be in the Spirit and saw a THRONE set in the Heaven, and One sat on the THRONE. And He Who sat there was like a jasper and a ruby stone in appearance. And there was a rainbow around the THRONE, like an emerald in appearance.”
Now lets jump to Revelation 19:11-13 says “And I saw the heaven OPENED (Rosh HaShanah), and there was a white horse. And He Who sat on him was called ‘Trustworthy and True’, and in righteousness He judges and fights. And His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were MANY CROWNS, having a name that had been written, which no one had perceived except Himself and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His Name is called ‘The Word of HaShem.'”
Revelation 19:14-16 says “And the armies in the Heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it, He should smite the nations. And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron (Quoting Psalms 2:9). And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of HaShem. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a Name written – Sovereign of Sovereigns and Master of Masters.”
So, here we see Yeshua is coronated King on Rosh HaShanah, then He mobilizes the armies of Heaven and moves out on Yom Kippur, ten days later, to bring judgment to the nations i.e. the gentiles who fought against HaShem and Israel at the end of the seven year Birth Pangs and He utterly destroys them once and for all! Baruch HaShem!
In light of all this, I think we can say Rosh HaShanah IS a very, very important day of HaShem which should be observed, as best we can while in exile and no, this Feast nor the other Feasts of HaShem have been done away with, tossed aside and replaced as many in Christendom teach. I hope you can see how much is being lost by tossing out His Feasts! So, much to learn and apply to our lives!
Much to consider!
‘L’shanah tovah tikatev v’taihatem’, which means ‘May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year!’.
SOURCE MATERIALS
The Scriptures by the Institute for Scripture Research
Tehillim (Psalms) by Artscroll
The Book of the Mitzvot by Artscroll
Tractate Berakhot from the Talmud Bavli by Steinsaltz
Tractate Rosh HaShanah from the Talmud Bavli by Steinsaltz
“Hear the words of HaShem, O Children of Israel! For HaShem has a grievance with the inhabitants of the land, for there is no truth nor kindness nor knowledge of Elohim in the land. Rather, swearing, lying, murdering, robbing, and adultery; they have breached standards, and blood reaches more blood. Therefore, the land WILL BE DESTROYED and all who dwell in it will be enfeebled, along with the beast of the field and the bird of the heavens, and even the fish of the sea WILL BE ANNIHILATED. Indeed you say, ‘Let no one contend; let no one reprimand!’ Yet your people contends with the Kohen! You will stumble by day and the false prophet who is with you will also stumble, as if by night; and I will silence your mother.” Hosea 4:1-5
Yikes! The verses from Hosea above are not warm and fuzzy verses! So, why did I choose these to be the opening verses in this Op? Several reasons and I will explain:
It seems every week now there is some new incident which occurs in the world or to the United States, whether it be natural disasters, economic problems, terrorism, political turmoil and war. This week is no different. As I put this Op together, it is 27 August 2021, the Taliban have overrun Afghanistan, the US government is in turmoil over it. A terrorist attack in Afghanistan has killed hundreds to include 13 US military personnel and wounded countless others. A major destructive hurricane is currently forming and set to slam into Louisiana on 29 August 2021, the 16th anniversary, to the day, of the massive destruction brought about by Hurricane Katrina! Is this a coincidence? Why did we get hit with Katrina? Pres G. W. Bush had directed Israel to surrender Gaza and pull out all Israeli citizens. Israel complied, PM Sharon had a stroke and America was nailed by Katrina as a response from HaShem. Point is, don’t go dictating to Israel what to do with HaShem’s land! And what occurred today, 27 Aug 2021? Pres Biden met with Israeli PM Bennett in the White House and Biden has already been pressuring Israel to give up land in Judea and Samaria! Nothing is a coincidence as far as HaShem goes!
Further, the entire Western parts of the US are on fire with massive wildfires! Droughts, crop failures coupled with tyrannical edicts issued by local, state and federal government officials stripping away our freedoms more and more all in the name of ‘safety!’ And gee, what is the Torah portion this week? Torah Portion ‘Ki Tavo’ found in Devarim (Deuteronomy) 26:1-29:8 and what is the theme? The national and individual blessings for our demonstrating our true faith in HaShem, out of love, devotion and loyalty to Him, by submitting to Him and walking in His Torah, followed by the national and individual curses and repercussions which fall for willful rebellion against HaShem and the refusal to walk in His Torah! Again, is this a coincidence? Not a chance!
The verses above from Hosea states ‘Let no one contend; let no one reprimand!’‘ In my opinion, this perfectly describes the Social Justice, ‘Woke’ culture that is taking hold which seeks to allow for the flourishing of every abominable behavior while shame those who oppose this abysmal, destructive behavior into silence and submission.
This all said, I will be addressing a specific commandment from HaShem which is found in this Torah portion which will address once more the objections from Christendom and its Replacement Theology doctrine the Torah has been nullified and rendered obsolete. Why am I doing this again? Because the figurative shouting, screaming and chest thumping on the countless blogs by those in Christendom against HaShem and His Torah today is at levels I have rarely seen before and thus feel impressed by HaShem to put one more Op out just in case. For the record, and I have stated this many times before, my angst is NOT with the people in Christendom, my angst is with the doctrine of Christendom which is leading so many to their ruin.
Be advised, this is going to be a very long and very in-depth Op so take lots of notes and get ready!
But, before we jump into this, always remember the following eternal characteristics of HaShem and never forget them, especially now in our day and time:
HaShem never changes per Num 23:19/Mal 3:6/Hebrews 13:8/James 1:17
His Word is firmly established per Psalm 119:89
He reveals the end out of the beginning per Is 46:10
He does nothing without first revealing it to His prophets per Amos 3:7
He says there is nothing new under the sun per Ecclesiastes 1:9
He says His Torah is the ONLY truth there is per Psalms 119:142
He says His Torah is a tree of life and eternal per Proverbs 3:18-19 and Psalm 119:160
He says His Torah is perfect and restores the soul per Psalm 19:7
He says His Torah makes the simple one wise per Psalm 19:7
He says His Torah Is freedom and liberty per Psalm 119:45 and James 1:25
He says His Torah is the only good doctrine there is Proverbs 4:2
He says His Torah will add length of days and years of life and peace per Proverbs 3:2
He says all of the ways of His Torah are ways of pleasantness and peace per Proverbs 3:17
He says His Torah is for our good and well-being per Deuteronomy 6:24
He says His Torah is health for our lives per Proverbs 3:8
He says His Torah is life to our soul and a graceful ornament for our neck per Prov 3:22
He says His Torah is better than pearls and all desires cannot compare to it per Prov 8:11
He says those who walk with His Torah are praiseworthy per Psalms 119:1
He says observing His Torah is how we purify our path per Psalms 119:9
He says His Torah is better than thousands in gold and silver per Psalms 119:72
He says His Torah brings abundant peace to those who love Him and His Torah per Psalms 119:165
He says there is one Torah for all per Exodus 12:49/Leviticus 24:22
He says those who hate His Torah love death per Proverbs 8:36
He says His Torah is the way of faith per Psalms 119:29-30
He says His Torah makes us wiser than our enemies per Psalms 119:98
He says His Torah is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path per Psalms 119:105
He says one who finds His Torah has found life per Proverbs 8:35
He says one who finds His Torah has found favor from HaShem per Proverbs 8:35
He says Messiah Yeshua is the GOAL of His Torah, meaning without His Torah, Messiah cannot be known per Romans 10:4
He says if we had believed Moshe/Torah, we would have believed Messiah per John 5:46
This weeks Torah portion specifically discusses commandment #611 ‘The obligation to emulate the good and just ways of HaShem.’ We are commanded to imitate HaShem! Gee where have we heard something similar before? 1 Corinthians 11, Paul says to imitate him as he imitates Yeshua (Not Torah abolishing Jesus). As I have stated many times in previous ops, Yeshua MUSTobey and teach the entire Torah as the Agent of HaShem, in order to qualify as the Messiah of HaShem. So, if Paul says to imitate him as he imitated Yeshua and we know Paul, per his own letters, was a Hillel Pharisee and walked in the Torah (Acts 18, 21), then it must mean Yeshua kept the Torah as well! If not, then Yeshua just disqualified Himself as being the Messiah! Remember, what is the biblical definition of sin? Per 1 John 3:4 “Sin is the transgression of the Torah!” So, if Yeshua says not to sin, then that by default means to keep the Torah! I digress.
The commentary from the Book of the Mitzvot discussing #611 says “We are commanded to conduct all of our actions in accordance with the path of righteousness and goodness, to the utmost of our abilities, and to direct all our affairs with others in the way of kindness and compassion. For as we know from our Torah, this mode of conduct is known as ‘THE WAY OF HASHEM’, and it is what He desires from His creations i.e. MANKIND so that they will merit His goodness, which He wants to bestow upon them, since He desires kindness.” Very interesting! So, its HaShem’s desire ALL of mankind walk in His Way i.e. His Torah, so He can then shower mankind with His kindness and blessings. Point is, His Torah is NOT just for Israel! His Torah is for EVERYONE!
I should quickly re-state an important fact, salvation is by faith in HaShem only. But once a person has made that choice to follow HaShem, they then demonstrate that faith by striving and learning to walk as He said to walk in order to be separated to Him as His people i.e. His Torah! James says it so well, “I will show my faith by my works” i.e. Torah!
With this established, consider what Devarim (Deuteronomy) 28:9 says “HaShem will confirm you for Himself as a holy (Set apart) people, as He swore to you, IF you will observe the commandments of HaShem, your Elohim, and you will go in His ways.” See, per this one simple verse, HaShem is once more reiterating if we want to walk in righteousness and be set apart i.e. holy unto Him, walking in His Torah is the ONLY way to do so. It is a choice He leaves up to each of us. If we do so, not perfectly, as sadly that is not possible right now, He says He will confirm us to Himself as His set apart people. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of other verses throughout His Word which reiterates this fact. When we read in the Apostolic Writings about how someone is walking in righteousness or someone is righteous, it is a Hebrew idiom to mean they walk in TheWays of HaShem i.e. His Torah! Keep this in mind!
Now, the most common objection I encounter from most Christians is “The Law is not for the Gentiles, it is only for the Jews, plus Jesus rendered the Law obsolete and replaced it with a new and more holy Law! The days of Moses are long gone and are forever obliterated!”
I won’t go over them again, but to refute this common objection, just reference the above verses I post in each Op describing the ETERNAL characteristics of HaShem!
Further, this objection can be very easily refuted simply by quoting what HaShem says Himself in His Torah. Shemot (Exodus) 12:38 says “The Mixed Multitude went up with the Children of Israel.” Who are the Mixed Multitude? They are all the non-Jews who joined with Israel and came out of Egypt when HaShem delivered all of Israel from Egyptian slavery!
How about Shemot (Exodus) 12:49 which says “One Torah shall there be for the native (Israelite) and the proselyte (Non-Jew who wishes to serve HaShem) who lives among you.” This should pretty much end the argument, but sadly no, it doesn’t. The level of linguistic gymnastics many in Christendom go through to hold onto the Replacement Theology lie is truly astounding! They should all be multi-Gold Medal winners by now. I digress.
Now keep the following section in mind and compare it to what we see in America today and you decide if there are any similarities and thus can explain why the things we see are happening:
With this said thus far, HaShem tells us the blessings for walking in His Torah per Devarim (Deuteronomy) 28:10-14 which says “And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you (Israel) are called by the Name of HaShem, and they shall be afraid of you. And HaShem, your Elohim, will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your livestock and in the fruit of your ground, within the land that HaShem swore to your fathers to give you. HaShem, your Elohim, will open to you His good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And HaShem, your Elohim, will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, IF you obey the commandments of HaShem, your Elohim, which I command you today, being careful to do them, and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.”
Now, let’s see what He says when we refuse to walk in His Ways i.e. His Torah! Devarim 28:15-69 says “But if you will not obey the voice of HaShem, your Elohim, or be careful to do all His commandments and His statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field. Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.
“HaShem will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken Me. HaShem will make the pestilence stick to you until He has consumed you off the land that you are entering to take possession of it. HaShem will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish. And the heavens over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you shall be iron. HaShem will make the rain of your land powder. From heaven dust shall come down on you until you are destroyed.
“HaShem will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them. And you shall be a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth (The Taliban defeating the US military because of our leaders and now we are a horror to the whole earth?). And your dead body shall be food for all birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth, and there shall be no one to frighten them away. HaShem will strike you with the boils of Egypt, and with tumors and scabs and itch, of which you cannot be healed. HaShem will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of mind, and you shall grope at noonday, as the blind grope in darkness, and you shall not prosper in your ways. And you shall be only oppressed and robbed continually, and there shall be no one to help you. You shall betroth a wife, but another man shall ravish her. You shall build a house, but you shall not dwell in it. You shall plant a vineyard, but you shall not enjoy its fruit. Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, but you shall not eat any of it. Your donkey shall be seized before your face, but shall not be restored to you. Your sheep shall be given to your enemies, but there shall be no one to help you. Your sons and your daughters shall be given to another people, while your eyes look on and fail with longing for them all day long, but you shall be helpless. A nation that you have not known shall eat up the fruit of your ground and of all your labors, and you shall be only oppressed and crushed continually, so that you are driven mad by the sights that your eyes see. HaShem will strike you on the knees and on the legs with grievous boils of which you cannot be healed, from the sole of your foot to the crown of your head.
“HaShem will bring you and your king whom you set over you to a nation that neither you nor your fathers have known. And there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone. And you shall become a horror, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples where HaShem will lead you away. You shall carry much seed into the field and shall gather in little, for the locust shall consume it.You shall plant vineyards and dress them, but you shall neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes, for the worm shall eat them.You shall have olive trees throughout all your territory, but you shall not anoint yourself with the oil, for your olives shall drop off. You shall father sons and daughters, but they shall not be yours, for they shall go into captivity. The cricket shall possess all your trees and the fruit of your ground. The sojourner who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower (Illegals/refugees becoming more and more powerful in this country). He shall lend to you, and you shall not lend to him. He shall be the head, and you shall be the tail.
“All these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you till you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of HaShem, your Elohim, to keep His commandments and His statutes that He commanded you. They shall be a sign and a wonder against you and your offspring forever. Because you did not serve HaShem, your Elohim, with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom HaShem will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything. And He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you. HaShem will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, swooping down like the eagle, a nation whose language you do not understand,a hard-faced nation who shall not respect the old or show mercy to the young (Gee, sounds like China/Russia/North Korea/Iran/Cuba/Venezuela doesn’t it?).It shall eat the offspring of your cattle and the fruit of your ground, until you are destroyed; it also shall not leave you grain, wine, or oil, the increase of your herds or the young of your flock, until they have caused you to perish.
“They shall besiege you in all your towns, until your high and fortified walls, in which you trusted, come down throughout all your land. And they shall besiege you in all your towns throughout all your land, which the HaShem, your Elohim, has given you. And you shall eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of your sons and daughters, whom HaShem, your Elohim, has given you, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemies shall distress you. The man who is the most tender and refined among you will begrudge food to his brother, to the wife he embraces, and to the last of the children whom he has left, so that he will not give to any of them any of the flesh of his children whom he is eating, because he has nothing else left, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy shall distress you in all your towns. The most tender and refined woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because she is so delicate and tender, will begrudge to the husband she embraces, to her son and to her daughter, her afterbirth that comes out from between her feet and her children whom she bears, because lacking everything she will eat them secretly, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy shall distress you in your towns.
“If you are not careful to do all the words of this Torah that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, HaShem, your Elohim, then HaShem will bring on you and your offspring extraordinary afflictions, afflictions severe and lasting, and sicknesses grievous and lasting.And He will bring upon you again all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you. Every sickness also and every affliction that is not recorded in the book of this Torah, HaShem, will bring upon you, until you are destroyed. Whereas you were as numerous as the stars of heaven, you shall be left few in number, because you did not obey the voice of HaShem, your Elohim. And as HaShem, took delight in doing you good and multiplying you, so HaShem, will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you. And you shall be plucked off the land that you are entering to take possession of it.
“And HaShem will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known. And among these nations you shall find no respite, and there shall be no resting place for the sole of your foot, but HaShem will give you there a trembling heart and failing eyes and a languishing soul. Your life shall hang in doubt before you. Night and day you shall be in dread and have no assurance of your life. In the morning you shall say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and at evening you shall say, ‘If only it were morning!’ because of the dread that your heart shall feel, and the sights that your eyes shall see.And HaShem will bring you back in ships to Egypt, a journey that I promised that you should never make again; and there you shall offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer.”
WOW…can you see America in all what HaShem describes will happen to those who refuse to walk in His Torah? No wonder we are witnessing what is falling on the world and America! I don’t concern myself with what other people are doing in their religious systems, but Christendom on the other hand knows better! Christendom has the Torah in their hands and has refused it as a system. Now understand, I am NOT placing all the blame on Christendom, mostly I am just seeking to highlight what HaShem says as opposed to what Replacement Theology teaches and then we can see the effects it has on the world around us, very real, very physical effects! HaShem isn’t playing around, especially now.
At this point you are probably thinking this is a terribly depressing and an Op lacking any hope, however, I know a few people are asking why all of these things are happening now and according to what I currently understand of HaShem’s Word, this Op is hopefully answering some of those questions via His Word. Hang on though. It will get more encouraging!
So, with all this said, what are some of the prophecies concerning the End of Days and the Torah of HaShem? We are going to explore three specific ones!
Isaiah 2:1-4 says “The prophecy that Isaiah son of Amoz saw, concerning Judah and Jerusalem: ‘It will happen in the End of Days: The Mountain of the Temple of HaShem will be firmly established as the head of the mountains, and it will be exalted above the hills, and ALL THE NATIONS (Non-Jews) will stream to it. Many peoples will go and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the Mountain of HaShem, to the Temple of the Elohim of Jacob, and HE WILL TEACH US OF HIS WAYS AND WE WILL WALK IN HIS PATHS.’FOR FROM ZION WILLTHE TORAH COME FORTH, AND THE WORD OF HASHEM FROM JERUSALEM. He will judge among the nations, and will settle arguments of many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation will NOT lift sword against nation and they will no longer study warfare.” This prophecy is discussing the time when Yeshua will have returned and is ruling from the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem. What will be the standard the whole world will live by? The Torah of HaShem!
So, if according to Christendom the Torah has been rendered obsolete and irrelevant, then why prey tell is Yeshua ruling from the Temple in Jerusalem, after the seven year era of the Birth Pangs, and all the non-Jews are rushing to come up to the Temple in Jerusalem and are asking to be taught the Torah? Then at the same time HaShem is supposed to be remaining faithful to His Word in that He is unchanging and His Torah is eternal, yet somewhere along the way, He changed His mind and did away with His Torah, only then to re-establish it in the end! Either He is psychotic or Replacement Theology has it all grossly wrong! You decide! Moving on.
An interesting commentary from the Mishnah Torah, Hilchot Melachim 12.5 says concerning the time discussed above in the prophecy of Isaiah 2, “In that era (Messianic Era when Messiah is ruling from Jerusalem as King), there will be neither famine or war, envy or competition for good will flow in abundance and all the delights will be freely available as dust. The occupation of the entire world will be solely to know HaShem. Therefore, the Jews will be great sages and know the hidden matters of the Torah of HaShem, grasping the knowledge of their Creator according to the full extent of human potential, as Isaiah 11:9 states ‘The world will be filled with the knowledge of HaShem as the waters cover the ocean bed.'”
Again, we can see, when the Torah of HaShem is studied, learned and applied by society, THEN there is peace and shalom in the world. When there isn’t, then we see have chaos, rebellion, idolatry, violence, murder, war, etc. Its the same pattern from the beginning because as HaShem says time and again, there is nothing new under the sun and He reveals the end from the beginning!
Consider the following commentary from Isaiah 2 which says “According to the Talmud, Israel was exiled in order to gather sparks of holiness and BRING NON-JEWS TO THE TORAH. What would have happened to these sparks and potential converts if Israel had not sinned and been exiled? The answer is that if Israel had not fallen from its pedestal of holiness, they would have been like spiritual magnets, drawing seekers of holiness to Eretz Yisrael (The Land of Israel to learn the Torah).” So we see, HaShem can take something terrible and work it to the good! In this case, because Israel fell and was exiled out into the world, HaShem uses this to draw non-Jews to Himself and they are grafted into Israel!
Remember what Yeshua Himself said in Matthew 15:24 that He “Came ONLY for the lost sheep of the House of Israel!” By redeeming Israel, He redeems the world because Israel is scattered into all the world! And then according to Replacement Theology, HaShem has TWO standards, one for Israel and one for the non-Jews i.e. Israel is shackled to the crushing, oppressing and sin enhancing Torah while the non-Jews just confess the name ‘Jesus’ and He somehow blesses them for doing everything He told Israel NOT to do? Again this would make HaShem to be psychotic and a liar! I digress.
Now consider the prophecy from Micah 4:1-4 which says “In the End of Days that the mountain of the Temple of HaShem will be firmly established as the most prominent of the mountains, and it will be exalted up above the hills, and peoples (Non-Jews) will stream to it. Many nations will go and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the Mountain of HaShem and to the Temple of the Elohim of Jacob, and HE WILL TEACH US OF HIS WAYS AND WE WILL WALK IN HIS PATHS.’ For from Zion shall go forth the Torah, and the Word of HaShem from Jerusalem. He will judge between many peoples, and will settle the arguments of mighty nations from far away. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning knives; nation will not lift sword against nation, nor will they learn war anymore. They will sit, each man under his vine and under his fig tree, and none will make them afraid, for the mouth of HaShem, Master of Legions, has spoken.” This is describing a time of peace and shalom! Yeshua is ruling from Jerusalem, no one is afraid, no more war and everyone is learning and living out His Torah! On a side note, this now explains the significance of what we read in John 1:48 when Yeshua saw Phillip and told him He saw him ‘sitting under the fig tree’! It is a Hebrew idiom and as such He was telling Phillip he was in the Messianic Era in the future!
The commentary from the Mishnah Torah Hilchot Teshuvah 9.2 says “For these reasons, all Israel, in particular, their prophets and their sages, have yearned for the Messianic age so they can rest from the oppression of gentile kingdoms who do not allow them to occupy themselves with Torah and mitzvot properly. They will find rest and increase their knowledge in order to merit the world to come. In that era, knowledge, wisdom and truth will become abundant. Isaiah 11:9 states ‘The earth will be full of the knowledge of HaShem.’ Jeremiah 31:33 states ‘One man will no longer teach his brother, nor a man his colleague…for all will know Me!’ And Ezekiel 36:26 states ‘I will take away the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.’ These changes will come about because the king who will arise from David’s descendants will be a greater Master of Knowledge than Solomon and a great prophet, close to the level of Moshe, our teacher. Therefore, he will teach the entire nation and instruct them in THE PATH OF HASHEM (Way of HaShem). All the gentile nations will come to hear him, as Isaiah 2:2 states ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of HaShem’s House shall be established at the peak of the mountains…and all the nations shall flow to it.'”
For the record, Jeremiah 31 discusses the terms of the ‘New Covenant’ and what is at the heart of the so called ‘New Covenant?’ It is HaShem’s Torah! Nothing changes and He reveals the end from the beginning! I digress.
Now consider the prophecy in Zechariah 8:23 which says “Thus said HaShem, Master of Legions: ‘In those days (The Messianic era), it will happen that ten men, of all the different languages of the nations (Non-Jews), will take hold, they will take hold of the corner of the garment of a Jewish man, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that HaShem is with you!'” The garment of a Jewish man as spoken of here is the Tallit. These ten, non-Jewish men, see the tallit on a Jewish man, and run to him, realizing their various religious systems they have been involved in, and yes, dare I say to include Christendom and its Replacement Theology, are all lies and per the mercy of HaShem, Who has opened their eyes, realize salvation is of the Jews! Gee, why is that so familiar sounding? Because Yeshua says in John 4:22 when speaking to the woman from Shomeron, “You worship what you do not know (False religious systems). We (Israel) worship what we know, because the deliverance (Salvation) is of the Yehudim.” Point is, the world will finally realize, HaShem gave the true faith to Israel and from Israel the world must go to learn! Remember, HaShem commands Israel to be a light to the nations!
Isaiah 49:6 says “He said: ‘It was insufficient that you be a servant for Me only to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the ruins of Israel; I will make you A LIGHT FOR THE NATIONS, SO THAT MY SALVATION MAY EXTEND TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH.'” What is the Hebrew word for ‘Salvation?’ It is Yeshua! “So that My Yeshua may extend to the ends of the earth!”
I want to finish up this long Op with Proverbs chapter 3! After all we have discussed thus far, consider what HaShem is saying here in this very important and often overlooked chapter!
Proverbs 3:1-4 says “My child, do NOT forget My Torah, and let your heart guard My commandments, for they add to you length of days and years of life and peace. Kindness and truth should not forsake you; bind them on your neck; inscribe them on the tablet of your heart, and you WILL FIND FAVOR and goodly sense in the eyes of Elohim and man.” Does this sound like something HaShem is dissatisfied with and just itching to do away with it as Christendom teaches? Let’s keep going.
Megillah 27a from the Talmud Bavli says “Learning Torah brings one to the performance (Doing) of mitzvot (Commandments).” I connect this with James statement on faith i.e. ‘I will show you my faith BY my works i.e. keeping Torah!’
Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in HaShem with all your heart and do not rely upon your own understanding. In all your ways, know Him and He will smooth your paths.” Studying Torah is trusting in HaShem! Do not rely on your own understanding, but seek out HaShem and know Him i.e. have that intimate relationship with Him. This is interesting because if you recall, the Torah is the Marriage Contract between HaShem and Israel, His Bride! So to know HaShem can only be done by studying and living out His Torah i.e. Walking in His Ways!
Proverbs 3:7-8 says “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear HaShem and turn away from evil. It will be health to your navel and marrow to your bones.” Again, serve HaShem out of love, devotion and loyalty!
Proverbs 3:9-10 says “Honor HaShem with your wealth, and with the first of all your produce. Then your storehouses will be filled with plenty, and the wine of your vats will burst forth.” Recognize any success we may have comes from Him and Him alone and just as quickly as we received it, it can be removed if our pride and arrogance get in the way!
Proverbs 3:11-18 says “My, child, do not despise HaShem’s discipline, and do not be disgusted with His reproof. For HaShem admonishes the one He loves, and like a father He mollifies a child. Praiseworthy is a person who has found wisdom, and a person who gives forth understanding. For its commerce is better than the commerce of silver, and its produce is better than fine gold. It is more precious than pearls, and all of your desires cannot compare to it. Length of days is at its right, wealth and honor at its left. Its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its byways are peace. It is a tree of life to those who hold fast to it, and its supporters are praiseworthy.” What is the wisdom being spoken of here? It is HaShem’s Ways i.e. His Torah!
Proverbs 3:19-26 says “HaShem founded the earth with wisdom, He establishes heavens with understanding. Through His knowledge the depths were cleaved, and the heavens drip dew. My child, do not let them stray from your eyes; safeguard THE ETERNAL TORAH and its wise designs. They will be life to your soul and a graceful ornament for your neck. Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble. When you lie down you will not fear; you will lie down and your sleep will be pleasant. You will not fear sudden terror, nor the holocaust of the wicked when it comes. For HaShem will be your security, and He will guard your feet from entrapment.” HaShem says His Torah is eternal and life to our soul. How again I ask, could Replacement Theology be correct? Again, the only way would be for HaShem to change His Word which would make Him a liar!
Proverbs 3:27-35 says “Do not withhold good from its rightful recipient, when you have the power to do it. Do not tell your fellow, ‘Leave and come back; tomorrow I will give it,’ when it is already with you. Do not devise evil against your fellow, one who dwells securely with you. Do not quarrel with any man without cause, if he has done you no evil. Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways. For one who deviates is an abomination to HaShem; and His counsel is with the upright. HaShem’s blight is upon the house of the wicked, but He blesses the abode of the righteous. If one is drawn to the scoffers, he will scoff; but if one is drawn to the humble, one will find favor. The wise inherit honor, but fools generate disgrace.”
Can you see the continuous theme here? Proverbs 3 is best summed up with “A servant cannot love his master if he respects his master’s enemies and has a close relationship with those his master has distanced!”
With this all said, can it be possible HaShem would send a Messiah who teaches a message directly opposing the Ways of HaShem? Obviously not! So, the question must be asked, from where does Replacement Theology derive from? You will have to answer that for yourself!
One final thought….what were the first believers in Yeshua called? I can assure you they were NOT called ‘Christians’ as that didn’t come about centuries later. They were called ‘The Way!’ This is recorded for us in Acts 24:14 which says “And this I (Paul) confess to you, that according to The Way, which they call a sect (Of Judaism), so I worship the Elohim of my fathers, believing all that has been written in the Torah and the Prophets.” Paul was referencing Shemot (Exodus) 3:15 which says “Elohim said further to Moshe, ‘So shall you say to the Children of Israel, HaShem, the Elohim of your forefathers, the Elohim of Avraham, the Elohim of Yitzchak, and the Elohim of Yaakov, has dispatched me to you. This is My Name forever, and this is My remembrance from generation to generation.'” Paul was declaring his loyalty to HaShem and His Torah while acknowledging Yeshua as being the Messiah.
So, to sum this Op up, to go in the Ways of HaShem, is to learn and strive to live out His Torah, out of love, devotion and loyalty and as the expression of our faith in Him BECAUSE our salvation is secured! Nothing was rendered obsolete, nothing was replaced and nothing was displaced. I can attest personally, when you start learning His Torah, and you start asking Him to teach you, I can assure you He will and you will feel like you have just tasted pure, fresh, living water that is so refreshing, clean and life giving. You will want more and more and more. It won’t be easy though but it is absolutely worth it!
Shabbat Shalom!
SOURCE MATERIALS
The Scriptures by the Institute for Scripture Research
Devarim – The Chumash with the Teachings of the Talmud by Artscroll
Shemot – The Chumash with the Teachings of the Talmud by Artscroll
