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July 2008 Updates
The Tenth Red Heifer - פרה אדומה  07.03.08 Jewish tradition says there were nine Red Heifers (parot hadumot) offered so far on behalf of the Jewish people. The first was offered by Moses and Eleazar; the second by Ezra the Scribe; two more were offered by Simon the Righteous and another two by Yochanan the High Priest; a seventh was offered by the prophet Elijah; the eighth by Hanamel the Egyptian, and the ninth by Yishmael the son of Piabi (15-16 AD). Jewish tradition says that the tenth (and final) Red Heifer will be burned by the Mashiach at the time of the rebuilding of the Temple (Mishnah, Parah 3:5). Many well-meaning Christians get excited over occasional reports that a new Red Heifer has been born, understanding this to be a sign from God that the time to rebuild the Jewish Temple is at hand. But should a Red Heifer be found and later sacrificed, how should we regard this -- especially in light of the Brit Chadashah and its clear teaching that Yeshua is the substance of the what the shadow of the Red Heifer represents? But when Messiah appeared as a High Priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. Since Yeshua the Mashiach is the Substance of the shadow of the Red Heifer (Heb. 9:24, 10:1-2), His sacrifice as our High Priest after the order of Malki-Tzedek indeed preceded the “rebuilding” of the Temple (John 2:19) - though this Temple is one made without human hands by the Holy Spirit (Matt. 26:26-28, 1 Cor. 12:27, Eph. 4:4,11-12, Col. 1:24, etc.). The followers of the Messiah are now part of the Temple of His Body (1 Cor. 3:16, 12:27) and are called "living stones" (1 Pet. 2:5). The sacrifice of the tenth Red Heifer -- Yeshua -- instituted a new priesthood after the order of Malki-Tzedek (Heb. 5:10 with 1 Pet. 2:5) that replaces the older Levitical priesthood of Aaron (Heb. 13:10). Beloved, we have been cleansed from our sins by a better sprinkling than that which the tent of Moses could afford (Matt. 26:28, Heb. 9:14, 12:24, Eph. 1:7, 1 Pet. 1:2,18-19, Rom. 5:9; Col. 1:14, 1 John 1:7, etc.).
Indeed, Yeshua is said to “uphold the universe by the word of his power” (Heb. 1:3) and is called the very Creator (John 1:1-3; Col. 1:16-19) who sits upon the throne of God Himself (Psalm 45:6-7; Heb. 1:8). Simply put, Moses stands in relation to Yeshua as the creature stands before the Creator and is accountable to Him.
Pirke Avot - פרקי אבות 07.02.08 Since I recently wrote about the role of oral Torah in Jewish thinking, I thought it would be worthwhile to look at Pirke Avot (“The Chapters of the Fathers”), a popular collection of ethical maxims found in the Mishnah (i.e., the core text of the Talmud). Though it is found in part of Seder Nezikin (a section of the Mishnah concerned with legal liabilities), some scholars believe Pirke Avot originally was intended to be a summary of the entire Mishnah itself. At any rate, the tractate consists of six chapters of statements attributed to various Jewish sages of the Mishnaic period. Famous declarations such as, "The world stands on three things: Torah, service, and acts of loving kindness" (1:2); "If I am only for myself, who am I?" (1:14), and "You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to cease from doing it" (2:21), all come from this tractate of the Mishnah. In Jewish tradition it is customary to study a chapter a week of Pirke Avot during the six weeks between Pesach and Shavuot.
Specific verses of Avot (called mishnahs) sometimes provide exegetical commentary for verses of Scripture that deal with practical godliness. For example, Avot 4:1 provides a quote from the sage Simon ben Zoma regarding Jeremiah 9:22-23[h]: Ben Zoma said: Who is wise? (ezehu chacham?) He who learns from all men (ha-lomed mikol adam), as it is written: "I have gained understanding from all my teachers" (Psalm 119:99). Such maxims of the Pirke Avot are often used as starting points for discussions about living a Jewish life, especially in the realm of personal ethics and godly living. For example, the mishnah above teaches us that in order to be wise we must be humble. We should recognize that every person, “no matter how small,” can be our teacher. An acronym for the word “ego” I once heard is “easing God out.” If we value our own thoughts more than the humble pursuit of wisdom, we are merely “rearranging our prejudices.” Pride blinds us to the miracle of the other person as an agent of God’s grace to our lives. The only acceptable role for pride is when we boast in the LORD and His glory (2 Cor. 10:17).
Today many churches (including the innumerable “Protestant” and “Evangelical” varieties) continue to stay rooted in Greek/Roman paganism through their customs and self-serving traditions. Theologically, many of these church practices are justified by means of the fallacious doctrine known as “replacement theology.” This institutionalized prejudice maintains that Jewish heritage and the promises made to ethnic Israel are irrelevant to the Christian, since “the Church” is now the true “Israel of God” (for more information, see this article). Consequently, promoting the Jewish literacy of practical godliness that Jesus’ followers all were familiar with is rarely heard among most of today’s Christian leaders. This is almost inexcusable for those who profess to be “clergy” of the Church, since God’s plan was always to incorporate the nations into the Olive Tree of Israel... But how many Christians today are ignorant of the heritage that Jesus came to give them? How many of them understand that they are now part of remnant Israel? How many understand that they made partakers of the covenants given to the Jewish Patriarchs by means of a Jewish Savior who lived a distinctively Jewish life? Please recall Jesus’ words spoken to the woman of Samaria: “Salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22). When the Mashiach physically returns to Jerusalem to establish the Kingdom of God on earth and fulfill the covenantal promises made to Israel, will our churches be ready?
Weariness of flesh 07.02.08 Much of my work here is done late at night, after my wife and child are asleep. There never is enough time to write, and I need a quiet place to intensely concentrate and pray when doing so. Often I go to bed near sunrise, sleep for a few hours, and then get up for my day job. I deal with chronic fatigue and pain... Near the end of the somber book of Ecclesiastes, Kohelet says: "The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no limit, and much study is a weariness of the flesh" (Eccl. 12:11-12).  Indeed, as some of you know, there is a real “weariness of the flesh” from much study. If we would simply take hold of what we have been given, we could move past much of the preliminaries... Nonetheless, I feel constrained to do this work, especially because I believe time is preciously short. We are surely living in acharit hayamim - the end of days... Some people have written to me and questioned my motives; some have asked why I don’t blast the gospel message in a “simplified” way; still others have written to encourage me to press on. Like many of you, I turn to the LORD every day and ask Him to guide me... I depend on His power to get me through each day. Sof davar ha-kol nishma, “the end of the matter, let us hear:” et-Elohim yera, v’et-mitzvotai shemor, ki-zeh kol-ha’adam (אֶת־הָאֱלהִים יְרָא וְאֶת־מִצְוֹתָיו שְׁמוֹר כִּי־זֶה כָּל־הָאָדָם): “Revere God and observe His commandments! For this is for all humanity” (Eccl. 12:13).
Parashat Chukat - פרשת חקת 07.01.08 This week’s Torah portion (Chukat) includes the unusual ritual law of the Red Heifer (parah adumah) whose ashes purify those contaminated by contact with death. This ritual is considered chok (חק) within the Jewish tradition, meaning that it makes no rational sense. The Talmud states that of all the taryag mitzvot (613 commandments) in the Torah, this is the only one that wise King Solomon could not fathom, causing him to exclaim: "I said I would be wise, but it is far from me" (אָמַרְתִּי אֶחְכָּמָה וְהִיא רְחוֹקָה מִמֶּנִּ, Eccl. 7:23). However, as you will see, the symbolism of the parah adumah is a clear foreshadowing of the sacrifice of the Mashiach Yeshua that delivers us the power of death. 
June 2008 Updates Spiritual Acoustics - avoiding esoteric nonsense  06.30.08 Over the past few years there has been an increasing interest in the Proto-Canaanite cuneiform that is surmised to predate and underlie ancient Hebrew. Is there any value in studying these ancient Proto-Canaanite symbols? Can we find “deep” or “esoteric” meaning in the Hebrew Scriptures by studying ancient Hebrew pictographs? In this brief article, I survey some of the linguistic and exegetical issues....
Messiah and New Creation 06.27.08 While adding some new entries to the Hebrew Glossary pages today, I read something in Midrash Rabbah (Exodus Rabbah 30) that provides additional textual evidence that the coming of Mashiach Yeshua would herald new creation for humanity. When God created the “generations” of the heavens and the earth, the Hebrew word toldot (תולדות) is used (Gen. 2:4). This refers to created order before the sin and fall of Adam and Eve. After the fall of Adam, however, the word is spelled differently in the Hebrew text, with a missing letter Vav (i.e., as תלדות). Thereafter, each time the phrase “these are the generations of” occurs in the Scriptures (a formulaic way of enumerating the generations of the heads of families), the word is spelled “defectively,” with the missing Vav (ו). The Vav was “lost.” However, when we come to Ruth 4:18 the phrase: 'These are the generations of Perez' is spelled with the missing Vav restored (i.e., as תולדות). In all of Scripture, the only two places where we see the restored spelling is in Genesis 2:4 and Ruth 4:18, which leads to the question as to what connection there might be between the creation of the heavens and the earth, the fall of mankind, and the creation of the family line of Perez?  The name “Perez” (פרץ) means “breach” (from paratz, meaning “to break through”). God was going to “break through” the families of mankind in order to restore creation back to its original intent. The letter Vav represents man, and the very first Vav in the Torah is associated with the “first and last man” as seen in Genesis 1:1:  The Restored Vav is a picture of the Mashiach who would would descend from the “generations” of the line of Perez. The genealogy of the descendants of Perez reveals that the promised abolition of death through the work of his descendant the Messiah was drawing near. Just as the original Vav was lost through the first Adam and his sin, so the Vav is restored the obedience of the “Second Adam,” the Mashiach Yeshua. Shabbat Shalom, chaverim.
Spiritual Freedom  06.27.08 Many people think of “freedom” as the ability to do what they want, when they want to, and according to their own immediate gratification. “Doing your own thing” is the catch phrase of those who want to be able to pursue their own desires (i.e., lusts) without resorting to any source of moral or spiritual authority... This worldly freedom is not true freedom, however. Yeshua told us that “whoever commits sin is the slave (δουλος) of sin” and went on to say that “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:34-36). True freedom is moral and spiritual rather than physical. Freedom has to do with the ability of the will to choose according to the light of moral and spiritual truth. This freedom, however, is constrained by the nature or quality of being itself. In other words, freedom is a product of heart that acts according to its nature. For more on this subject, click here.
Puzzles about Freedom 06.27.08 I added some additional information about logic, paradox and God’s omniscience as a postscript to my recent Hebrew meditation (Paradox and Presence) today... Click here for additional information. 
The Reciprocity of Prayer 06.26.07 One of the Names of God is El Rachum – the Compassionate God (the word rechem means womb, see Deut. 4:31, Isa. 49:15). Practicing compassion is therefore one of the middot ha-lev (qualities of heart) that should mark our lives -- especially in light of the rachamanut (compassion) given to us through Yeshua the Mashiach (Col. 3:13, Eph. 5:2).  Proverbs 11:27 states: “He who seeks good [for others] seeks [God’s] favor, but he who searches out evil [in others] upon him shall it come.” The sages remark that he who prays for another and is in need of the same thing is answered first (Talmud: Bava Kamma). For example, when the prophet Job prayed for his friends, God restored Job’s own fortunes (Job 42:10). There is always a shared blessing when we pray for others, as King David said in Psalm 35:13: “may what I prayed for happen to me!” (literally, “may it return upon my own breast” [תפִלָּתִי עַל־חֵיקִי תָשׁוּב]). This truth works both ways. When we seek the good of others, we find God’s favor, but when we show indifference or apathy, it likewise shall “return upon our own breast.”
Indeed, the very “law of Messiah” (תּוֹרַת הַמָּשִׁיחַ) is to bear one another’s burdens (the word for burden is βαρος (“weight,” from which we derive the word barometer). This same word is used in 2 Cor. 4:17 to refer to the “weight of glory” that we will experience in the world to come. Bearing one another’s burdens reveals the glory of the One who bore our sin and shame at Moriah (1 Pet. 2:24).
Parashat Korach - פרשת קורח 06.23.08 Last week’s Torah portion (Shelach) related the “sin of the ten spies” and the divine decree that the generation of Israelites rescued from Egypt was sentenced to die while in the desert. In this week’s portion (Korach), the hard truth of their condition began to sink in, and the people bemoaned their fate and rebelled further by attempting to overthrow the Lord’s designated leadership and return to Egypt. This rebellion was instigated and organized by Moses’ cousin Korach, who - along with co-conspirators from the tribe of Rueben - was swiftly judged and put to death, thereby vindicating the Aaronic priesthood and Moses’ leadership of Israel.  Note: I am currently rebuilding a large section of the web site due to problems with my web development software... You prayers are appreciated, since this will take me days of work to complete. Thank you, chaverim.
Reaping the Whirlwind of Postmodern Despair... 
Behold the storm of the LORD! Wrath has gone forth, a whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the wicked. The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intentions of his mind. In the latter days you will understand this (Jer. 30:23-24). Note: The following update is philosophical in perspective; ignore this entry if you do not find it helpful. 06.23.08 One of the key characteristics of the “postmodern world” (i.e., the spirit of this age) is a rejection of the idea that objective truth exists. Truth is now regarded as a function of (political/social) power, and the ulterior motive (“subtext”) for making a truth claim is simply the raw desire to control a set of outcomes... According to the disciples of postmodernism, “reality” is always more than the sum of its descriptions (regardless of how useful some of these might be), and there is therefore no final correspondence between a given description and a particular set of events in the world. In short, no one can claim that “transcendent, objective truth” exists which is binding on all people and cultures, especially in the realm of values and ethics (no one, that is, except these theorists themselves who excuse themselves from the implications of their own theory).
Tragically, the influence of postmodernism can also be seen in various expressions of the Christian Church. For example, the charismatic movement in the United States began at about the time that Kant’s legacy had percolated down through culture in the guise of American pragmatism. Each successive “wave” of the “spirit” (i.e., new trends within the charismatic movement) can likewise be correlated with other waves of postmodern despair. In the 1960’s, for example, atheistic existentialism became part of American pop culture and absurdism became the prevailing world spirit in the West. It’s not a coincidence that this is when irrationalism started to become more “mainstream” in the Christian world... It is important to remember that God doesn’t share His glory with those who profane His Name. The Name of God is not subject to the spirit of the age and its linguistic conventions but rather represents His character and reputation. He is looking for those to worship Him in the spirit of truth -- for those who want to share His heart and passion for a lost and dying world... The Father's business is to save the world through the ministry of His Son Yeshua the Mashiach (Matt. 28:19-20). The way of Yeshua is always hidden in this world -- it is a life of sacrifice, of struggle, and quiet confidence and joy. What man esteems and what God esteems are two different things. God invariably uses the lowly, the humble, and the weak to display His glory and power. God is not revealed by Cathedrals with ornate priesthoods and elaborate rituals any more than he is revealed by the hucksterism and nonsense shouted from televangelists or revivalists (nor, for that matter is He revealed in the convoluted music of J.S. Bach or in the arid theologizing found in many “Protestant” sermons). The Good Shepherd leads his sheep beside still waters... Signs and wonders are ALWAYS ambiguous. Yeshua pointed this out in His parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). Even if a person should encounter someone literally risen from the dead it wouldn't suffice to impart true faith. Indeed, Yeshua had stern words for those who wanted Him for the sake of "signs and wonders." He called them an "adulterous generation" -- because they were not interested in God's passion but rather in their own (Matt. 12:29; 16:4). Yeshua told us that the "great" in the Kingdom of God are those willing to be the servant of all (Mark 9:35). Those who truly give Him glory -- who do not profane His Name -- will live in humility and will habitually ascribe glory to the Person and work of Yeshua the Messiah. They will agree with Paul’s words: "God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Gal. 6:14). The Holy Spirit, whom Yeshua explicitly called the "Spirit of Truth," always brings glory to its right focal point (John 16:13-14). We are called to live the “crucified life” and be filled with truth, chaverim.
New Hebrew Meditation 06.22.08 I wrote a new Hebrew meditation (Paradox and Presence) that briefly looks at Psalm 139:4: “For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.” This great Psalm of David is essentially about searching -- God’s search for man and man’s search for God....  Unlike some other Hebrew Meditations I’ve written, I decided to add some theological reflection regarding the apparent dilemma between God’s foreknowledge (omniscience) and human freedom as a postscript on the page... Reflection on the doctrine of God’s omniscience (like other essential doctrines of our faith) leads to paradox and tension within our human understanding (by means of which we are deepened in our surrender to the LORD and His will for our lives). This paradox is restated in Philippians 2:12-13: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling (your part), for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (God's part). As Yeshayahu ha-navi (the prophet Isaiah) wrote: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:8-9).
Web Development Problems 06.18.08 Shalom Chaverim. Sometimes it seems like I never get a break from various technical problems I encounter while developing this site. I must spend half my time coding and fixing things rather than writing and sharing insights of Scripture with you. The software I am using to develop this site is having some database issues, probably because Hebrew4Christians has grown so large over the years. We now have literally thousands of pages of text, innumerable Hebrew graphics and audio clips, and countless free downloads. Sadly, I am getting database errors (and application crashes) whenever I try to update certain parts of the site -- in particular, the Scripture sections of the site.
So again I am earnestly asking for your prayers. This is undoubtedly a matter of spiritual warfare, so I humbly ask those of you who believe in this work to stand in the gap and call upon the L-rd Yeshua for grace and help. We are in this battle together... Thank you.
Parashat Shelach Lekha - פרשת שלח־לך 06.16.08 This week’s portion of Torah (Shelach Lekha) primarily concerns the “Sin of the Spies.” Instead of leaving Sinai to immediately take possession of the Promised Land, the Israelites first called for a “spying expedition” - a tragic error that would result in the LORD’s decree that the entire generation that was rescued from Egypt would die in the desert. Only Joshua and Caleb were spared this judgment from Heaven.  How did Joshua and Caleb escape this great national tragedy? A passage from the Talmud (Tractate Sotah 34b) states that Moses foresaw the treachery and faithlessness of the spies (meraglim) and therefore renamed Hoshea (הושׁע) to Yehoshua (יהושׁע) -- in order to remind him that YHVH (י) must always come first. Another passage from the Talmud (Sanhedrin 107a) states that the extra Yod came from Sarai (שׂרי), who had “given up” the Yod to form the name Sarah (שׂרה). In this story, the Yod appeared before the LORD and complained about being deleted from this righteous woman of valor. The LORD, however, reassured Yod that the day would come when it would become the first letter of a great tzaddik’s name (i.e., Yehoshua). Also according to the Talmud, Caleb, who did not receive a special blessing from Moses, separated himself from the spies and went to Chevron (Hebron) to the cave of Machpelah where he prayed for protection according to the merits of the Patriarchs who were buried there (Sotah 34b). Note that the singular verb is used in Num. 13:22: [ויבא עד־חברוֹן, “and he came to Hebron”], which the midrash says refers to God Himself who met Caleb there). The Torah sages further note that Caleb is called the “son of Yefuneh”, which means [a face] “turned away,” suggesting that he turned away from the evil schemes of the other spies. The Midrash (Tze’enah Urenah) notes that this Torah portion opens with God’s command to send spies: “Send for yourself men that they may spy” (Num. 13:2) and correlates this act of sending with Proverbs 21:31: “The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but salvation comes from the LORD.” The midrash goes on to say that a person should do as much as possible (in the realm of human effort) yet his heart should rely entirely upon God for the outcome (Prov. 16:9). Yet another Midrash states, however, that the sin of Israel was that they sent spies when they ought to have followed the Shekhinah cloud that was leading them in the desert. According to this account, Moses was afraid to speak out against the people, and the LORD answered, “Send for yourself” - in other words, “do what you want, Moses.” Yet some other sages note that “send for yourself” meant “send them for your own benefit.” Since Moses was decreed to die before entering the Promised Land, if the spies had sinned and Israel was turned back, Moses would live for additional years as Israel’s shepherd. Two sages, three opinions, chaverim....  Rashi notes that the sin of the spies essentially was one of lashon hara -- speaking evil by producing an evil report -- in this case, speaking against the nation of Israel (or more precisely, against God Himself, since His promise to give the land to the people was not held in sufficient esteem -- despite the miracles the Exodus generation had witnessed). The spies words terrified the people by referring to the “children of the giants” (יְלִדֵי הָעֲנָק) and the fortifications of the cities in the Promised Land. Essentially the spies claimed that “the people are stronger than God” (the phrase כִּי־חָזָק הוּא מִמֶּנּוּ can be understood in this sense), and the Israelites wept all that night and wished for death (Num. 14:2). The Midrash says that since the people wept for no reason that night, God would provide them with reason enough. It was the Ninth of Av, and God decreed this to be a night of perpetual weeping. “On this night you shall cry for your Temple, which shall be destroyed on this night” (Midrash Rabbah). The midrash goes on to comment that God did not immediately destroy the adult generation of the Israelites for the sake of His reputation, “lest the enemy say that the LORD does not have the power to bring them into the land.” Moses’ appeal on behalf of Israel was also based on avoiding chillul HaShem (desecration of God’s Name): Wouldn’t the Egyptians likewise think that God did not have the power to bring the people into the land if He should kill them in the desert? (Num. 14:12-14). A Story about the Power of the Tongue Regarding the power of the tongue, the story is told of a king whose son was very sick. The doctors told the king that only the milk from a lioness would save the prince, but how could such be had? A man approached the king and told him that if the king gave him ten goats, he would get the desired milk. The king agreed and promised the man great honor and riches if he succeeded. Thereafter, each day the man took one goat into the lion’s den and offered it to them for food. Day by day passed, and the lions began to trust the man’s presence. By the tenth day, the lions had gained enough trust in him enough to allow him to milk the lionesses. Later that night the man had a strange dream: An argument broke out as to which of his bodily organs was responsible for this great success. First the hands claimed credit, then the eyes, and so on. Finally, the tongue said, “I caused this, for I asked the king for ten goats.” The other body parts scorned the tongue’s suggestion, but it replied, “You shall soon learn that everything depends on me.” The following day, among great pomp and ceremony, the man presented the milk to the king. When he approached the throne, however the words tumbling from the man’s tongue were, "I present to you, O Majesty, the dog’s milk which you requested!" Infuriated, the king sentenced the man to die and threw him into prison. That night he dreamed yet again and the tongue said to the man’s organs, “You see now that I am greater then the rest of you? Because of me you shall all be punished.” The other organs all admitted that indeed the tongue was the greatest and appointed it their leader. “Just save us from death!” they implored. The next day, as the man was being lead out to be hanged, he insisted that he could indeed cure the king’s son. When he explained to the king that he had misspoken, the king tested the milk and gave it to his son, who then immediately recovered. The man was spared and was made a great noble (adapted from Midrash Shochar Tov).  A Note about Tzitzit This portion of Torah also gives the commandment regarding tzitzit or “fringes” (Num. 15:38ff; see also Deut 22:12; Matt. 9:20; 14:36; 23:5). Rashi notes that the word tzitzit (ציצת) has the numerical value of 600 (in its Mishnaic spelling - which adds another Yod to the Torah’s spelling) which, when combined with the five knots of eight threads yields a total of 613, the supposed number of the commandments (taryag mitzvot) listed in the Torah as enumerated by some of the Jewish sages:  But what about the Hebrew value of the word (ציצת) that adds only to 590? Some of the sages have said that since the word לציצת appears once, and since Lamed (ל) equals 30, it “makes up for” the three times in the Torah when tzitzit is spelled without the Yod... The four corners (of the tallit) represent the four expressions of redemption from Egypt: “I will take you out; I will save you; I will redeem you; and I will take you as my own.”
Are there Two Torahs? 06.13.08 During Shavuot we revisited the miracle of mattan Torah -- the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, but you might be surprised to know that Rabbinical Judaism believes that two Torahs were given to Moses at that time -- the written Torah and the oral Torah. To help us sort through some of the issues, I wrote a brief essay that considers aspects of the oral Torah and its potential significance to us as followers of Yeshua, the Mashiach (click here to read). 
Happy Shavuot! 06.10.08 I stayed up all night studying Torah and the miracle of revelation given to Israel at Sinai for Erev Shavuot. I also enjoyed seudat Shavuot and enjoyed a time of prayer and good fellowship with my in-laws.  Wishing you great joy in the truth and revelation of the Mashiach Yeshua and fulness of the Ruach Ha-Kodesh, chaverim.
Parashat Beha’alotekha - פרשת בהעלתך 06.09.08 I updated the weekly Torah portion for this coming Shabbat (Beha’alotekha).  The Hebrew word beha’alotekha comes from the root alah (עלה) meaning to ascend or “go up,” though in the causative stem (such as the hiphil, as in this case), it can also mean to “offer.” The olah offering (same root) is a whole burnt offering in which the sacrificial animal is turned to smoke that ascends heavenward. Midrash states that Aharon (Aaron) was completely humble in his office as the first Kohen Gadol (High Priest) of Israel. It is said that his task to light the lamps of the menorah was never routine for him, but he remained reverent every time he performed this avodah. This seemingly modest act of faithful service again indicates that what man esteems and what God esteems are very often two entirely different things. After all, the light of the menorah was not visible to those of the camp of Israel since it shined within the confines of sacred chamber of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). Only the priests who served could behold this light; otherwise it remained hidden from the eyes of man... There is a “transposition” of values, a “holy irony,” in the realm of the Spirit. From God’s perspective that which considered great in the eyes of men is considered of little account, and that which is considered insignificant in the eyes of men is considered of great importance (Luke 9:48). The wisdom of this world (i.e., the pragmatic, the self-promoting egotism, etc.) is folly before God (1 Cor. 1:20, 3:19). Even the Mashiach Yeshua emptied Himself and was disguised as a lowly servant (εαυτον εκενωσεν μορφην δουλου). Unlike those various systems of religion that attach merit and status to those who have attained respectable levels of personal sanctity, those who are called great in the Kingdom of Heaven (מלכוּת השׁמים) will be recognized as the servants of all (Mark 9:35; 10:44).
Z’man matan Torateinu 06.08.08 Shavuot celebrates z'man matan Torateinu: the "Time of the giving of our Torah." It is customary to attend services on Shavuot to hear the |
