Parashah Beha'alotecha “When you Kindle"

Torah: Bamidbar (Numbers) 8:1 – 12:16
Haftarah: Zechariah 2:14 - 4:7

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Kindled Obedience

This Parashah introduces beautiful concepts in the traditional Judaism: the kindling of the Menorah, the laying of hands as a form of consecration, the Second Passover as God's given second chance of repentance, and the blowing of the Shofarim on the day of one’s gladness including Rosh Chodesh and Shabbat. These can also be used as expressions of faith in the Messianic Judaism as we worship a God who is the same from eternity past, to present, and to eternity future. But the main theme of this Parashah is obedience to God, obedience in the spiritual issues as well as obedience in the physical issues.

After a long recitation of the offerings brought by the tribal leaders for the Tabernacle in the previous Parashah, the first aliyah of this week's Parashah starts with an interesting instruction:

Vaidaber Yehovah el Moshe lemor: Daber el Aharon ve’amarta elai beha’alotecha et hanerot,

"And Yehovah spoke to Moshe, saying, 'Speak to Aharon, and say to him, "When you kindle the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the Menorah."' And Aharon did so; he kindled its lamps to give light in front of the Menorah, as Yehovah commanded Moshe." Bamidbar (Numbers) 8:1-3

Why is this instruction regarding the kindling of the Menorah, placed immediately after the passage about the offerings brought by the leaders of each tribe? To signify that each person has his, or her, unique role in worshiping God. Each member of the body of believers is an important instrument for the Kingdom. Because Aharon did not bring an offering as the other leaders, he was given other tasks to perform.

The rabbis teach that the kindling of the Menorah in this passage alludes to another Menorah, that of Hanukkah. God was even alluding to Aharon that his role was greater than that of the other leaders, because there would be a time when the Temple service would stop and the Torah would be on the verge of being forgotten. Only the faith and heroism of the Hasmoneans, a family of Aharon's priestly descendants, would succeed in driving out the enemy, purifying the Temple, and once more kindling the Menorah. The offerings of the tribal leaders were great and impressive, but they were temporary. Aaron's contribution would be eternal.

To us, the Messianic believers, the kindling of the Menorah has a deeper meaning. The Menorah is the symbol of the Ekklesia, as Yochanan reveals in the book of Revelation:

"Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me, and, having turned, I saw seven golden Menorot and in the midst of the Menorot stood One like the Ben haAdam... And He had in the right hand seven stars and out of His mouth a sharp two-edged sword going forth and His face was like the sun shining in its power. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead, and he placed His right hand upon me saying, 'Do not fear; I am the First and the Last and the Living One, and I was dead, and—hinei!—I am alive forevermore and I have the keys of Death and of She'ol. Therefore, write down the things you saw and the things which are and the things which are about to happen after these things. The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand and the seven golden Menorot: the seven stars are the malachim (angels) of the Kehillot (Congregations) and the seven Menorot are the seven Kehillot.'" Revelation 1:12-20

Therefore, if the Menorah represents a congregation, the lights of the Menorah represent individual believers. The kindling of these lights symbolizes the fact that each believer can make a difference in the lives of others by letting his or her light shine brightly after being lit by our High Priest, the Author of light, Yeshua. Maintaining the place of worship is important but it must be followed by discipleship, not only by kindling the light that we have received and displaying it for all to see, but also share this light with others so they in turn become lights. May each of us be indeed a bright light in this increasingly darkening world and stimulate each other to study and worship with prayer, fellowship and mitzvot. Our contribution in kindling the Gospel’s light will be eternal as was Aharon’s.

With the completion of the Tabernacle, the Presence of the Lord was physically felt among the Israelis and here we have a beautiful example of obedience as everyone kept the commandments of God, albeit temporarily:

"And on the day that the Tabernacle was erected the cloud covered the Tabernacle, the Tent of the Testimony; and at the evening there was upon the Tabernacle like the appearance of fire, until the morning. So it was always; the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. And when the cloud was taken up from the Tabernacle, then after that the people of Israel journeyed; and in the place where the cloud abode, there the people of Israel pitched their tents. At the commandment of Yehovah the people of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of Yehovah they camped; as long as the cloud abode upon the Tabernacle they rested in their tents. And when the cloud remained long upon the Tabernacle many days, then the people of Israel kept the charge of Yehovah and did not journey. And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the Tabernacle; according to the commandment of Yehovah they abode in their tents, and according to the commandment of Yehovah they journeyed. Or whether it was two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud stayed upon the Tabernacle, remaining on it, the people of Israel abode in their tents, and did not journey; but when it was taken up, they journeyed. At the commandment of Yehovah they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of Yehovah they journeyed; they kept the charge of Yehovah, at the commandment of Yehovah by the hand of Moshe." Bamidbar (Numbers) 9:15-23

Unfortunately, this harmonious period – a glimpse of heaven – is interrupted by disobedience. When we remove our gaze from the heavenly and focus on the earthly matters the Adversary always finds a way to interrupt our relationship with our Heavenly Father. There are two incidents in this Parashah which from the human perspective could have an explanation, but they were attacks on the spiritual realm, and, since we are spiritual new creations, they serve as practical examples of our walk in obedience to our Lord Yeshua and God’s plan for salvation.

The first incident came right after the dedication of the Tabernacle. “The mixed multitude that was among them lusted exceedingly: and the children of Yisra'el also wept again, and said, ‘Who shall give us flesh to eat? ...but now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all save this manna to look on.’“ Bamidbar (Numbers) 11:4-6

After this spiritual high point, people complained about not having meat to eat. It was true then and it is true now, after an uplifting spiritual event such as we have experienced at Shavuot, our humanity is the most vulnerable to fall prey to the Adversary. God supplied to them manna from heaven, ”the bread of angels,” (Tehilim 78:25) a perfect food with all the vitamins, minerals, proteins, and calories needed to sustain life perfectly, but people's taste buds were not satisfied, the flesh wanted something else.

To parallel this with our Messianic life, God gave us the Manna from heaven, Yeshua haMoshiach - the Bread of Life, and He also gave us the Ruach haKodesh with an uplifting infilling event at Shavuot, but some of us are not satisfied – it is our flesh, it is our human nature that surfaces its ugly character. We want something else; we want to add to the pure message of salvation our own good works, or even foreign doctrine. But we are warned. In the second letter to the Corinthians the apostle Shaul writes:

“But I am afraid that, as the Serpent deceived Havah by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity {of devotion} to Moshiach. For if one comes and preaches another Yeshua, whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different Gospel which you have not accepted, you bear him well enough." 2 Corinthians 11:3-4

God was not pleased with the people of Israel's request for meat and He will not be pleased with us if we stray away from the purity of the Gospel. The many denominations that preach another Yeshua are a testimony that the Adversary is at work, and we must be on guard. The apostle not only warned us but also gave us the remedy in the letter to the Ephesians: "Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil." Ephesians 6:11

And that "full armor" is studying the Scriptures - both Tanakh and Brit Chadashah - not Talmud, nor Kabbalah, or the book of Mormons, or the writings of Ellen White - but prayer, fellowship, and mitzvoth centered around the teachings of Yeshua.

The next incident involves Moshe’s brother and sister. After God gave to the seventy zakenim, elders, who were chosen by Moshe to be spiritual leaders of the congregation of Israel and his helpers in leading the people, an additional spirit of discernment and prophecy, and they did so, there came the work of the flesh – why can't we all prophesy, didn’t God speak to us also? Continuing in the book of Bamidbar, Numbers:

"And Miriam and Aharon spoke against Moshe because of the Kushite woman whom he had married; for he had married a Kushite woman. And they said, 'Has Yehovah indeed spoken only by Moshe? Has He not spoken also by us?' And Yehovah heard it." Numbers 12:1-2

Moshe wife's origin had nothing to do with their grumbling; it was just an excuse for their envy for not receiving the same authority as the other elders. The sin of slandering Moshe their leader, though, was immediately punished with Miriam having been afflicted with a disease called "tzaraat," and she was confined outside the camp for seven days. Speaking against God’s anointed became a sign of rebellion against God and in the course of Israel’s history many prophets were rejected and even killed. Also, with time, the position of the seventy elders, the future Sanhedrin, became authoritarian and corrupt and, as Miriam, these leaders wanted to be the only ones to have authority over the religious matter.

By the time Yeshua came on the scene they could not even recognize God’s anointed, even though they were in charge with reading and preserving the Written Word and should have known better about their Messiah. Yeshua encountered opposition and lack of faith from these leaders just as the prophets of old were. It was the Sanhedrin who convicted Yeshua and gave Him up to the Romans to be crucified because they were more interested in maintaining their powerful status rather than in the truth.

But God’s plan of salvation was working all along, and the irony of this is that because these religious leaders rejected Yeshua, the good news of salvation spread to the entire world for we read in the book of Romans: “But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles.” But the apostle doesn’t stop there, he continues with an amazing prophecy: ”Now, if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be!... For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” Romans 11:11-15

The leaders may fail us, but the question for us is, are we walking with or against the plan of God? Even though the leaders were disobedient and failed to recognize the Messiah, God’s plan will be accomplished somehow through you and me because the comforting prophecy given by the apostle is that: ”all Israel will be saved.” May we be found working for God and may Yeshua back come speedily in our time and see this prophecy fulfilled.

Shabbat Shalom!

PURIM – THE LAST HOLIDAY

The story of Purim is the story of the preservation of Jewish life, and one day this holiday, which ends the biblical year, will be the last holiday celebrated in the world. All biblical holydays were given to us as images of the plan of God for the redemption of mankind, as shadows of the things to come. When a holyday is fulfilled it becomes the most important and significant holyday of its age, until the next holyday is fulfilled.

The book of Vayikra lists eight God-given Holydays called: “the appointed times of Yehovah, holy convocations” Eleh moadei Yehovah mikraei kodesh (Leviticus 23:4). Purim is not included in those eight because Purim is a later established historical holiday. Purim is the first to be called “a holiday for the Jews” (Esther 8:17), a Jewish Holiday, all other ones are called God’s Holydays. But Purim is the last holiday in the biblical calendar and within itself contains all the other holydays, which are: Passover (together with the Feast of Unleavened Bread - Hag haMatzoth and the first First Fruits - Hag haBikurim), Shavuot - second First Fruits, Rosh haShanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot.

Concerning Passover and its fulfillment, and how important it is for us during this age, Rav Shaul wrote in the Brit Chadashah: “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Yeshua on the night in which He was betrayed took matzah and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, 'This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.' In the same way He took the cup, after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.' For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.“ 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

During this age, between the first and the second coming of Messiah, for almost two thousand years, the most important and significant holiday to our Lord Yeshua, and therefore to us by His request, is Pesach. That is why the apostle Paul said in verse 26: “as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.” But notice the last three words, "until He comes." When He comes there will be something added, another dimension and something else to focus on. But during this age the most important thing that we can do is to observe Pesach. This is the age of the fulfillment of the Pesach. We have seen its fulfillment, and its message has been poured out in our hearts at the feast of Shavuot. Passover and Shavuot are together, they are speaking of the same time in history. They say Yeshua died for our sins, than He rose, ascended to the Father's right hand to make intercession for us, and returned to us in the Ruach haKodesh, the Holy Spirit. When He came into our hearts He said, “I will be with you and I will be present with you at all times; the world will not behold Me but you will behold Me.”

So Pesach is not just a holiday, Pesach is reality, it has happened in the physical as well in the spiritual realm. Yet, when Yeshua returns to Zion, Pesach will be incorporated into the celebration of Sukkot. And Sukkot will become the most important holiday for all people to observe. “Assuredly, a time is coming — declares Yehovah — when it shall no more be said, 'As Yehovah lives who brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.'” Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) 16:14

God has said through the prophet that there is coming a time when we will no longer read the Passover Haggadah commemorating the exodus from Egypt, but we will say instead: “'As Yehovah lives who brought the Israelites out of the northland, and out of all the lands to which He banished them.' For I will bring them back to their land, which I gave to their fathers.” Jer. 16:14

Certainly, we understand that the message of Pesach and Shavuot will be observed in the millennium in a different way. It will be observed by celebrating the fact that God has brought back all the sons and daughters of Israel from every country to which they were dispersed, specifically the land of the north, former Soviet Union, of which we have been witnessing that miracle already. Since 1948, the Jewish people have come out of many countries and are still coming out. God is going to do great and wondrous things and those will be remembered forever by the Jewish people and will cause the exodus from Egypt to pale in significance next to them. This time, God will be calling the Jewish people back into their Land. “Hineni, I am sending for many fishermen — declares Yehovah — and they shall haul them out; and after that I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them out of every mountain and out of every hill and out of the clefts of the rocks.” Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) 16:16

It will be a one-by-one, a personal in-gathering of the Jewish people to Eretz Yisrael, the land of Israel. At this time in history, it looks like the fishermen were already sent and many Jewish people made Aliyah (went up) for the lure of Zion, and now the hunters are coming. Anti-Semitism is rising, and the Jewish people will have no choice but to make Aliyah.

There are some Jews right now who are hiding from the world their Jewishness, just like Esther did. Or worst, they do not even know that they are Jewish. But God is going to gather them too because He knows who they are, and He is going to bring them back to Israel. He says that He will look on every mountain, and on every hill, and in the clefts of the rocks. He will look throughout this earth; He will turn every rock to find every Jew that is on the face of this earth, and bring him or her back to Zion, because He cares for every single Jewish person.

When this is fulfilled, the holydays that will come to pass are Rosh haShanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot — the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. And when these holidays will be fulfilled, they will also become reality, because they all speak of the return of the Jewish people, physically and then spiritually back to the land of Israel. Right now, these holidays are just holydays, but these biblical holydays are living events that will happen just as Passover and Shavuot did.

We know that when the great Shofar will sound, the gathering will begin for Israel and God will look for them on every mountain and on every hill. We also read about this gathering in Isaiah. What we read in Jeremiah is reiterated here and furthermore explained when this will take place: “And in that day, Yehovah will beat out [the peoples like grain] from the channel of the Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt; and you shall be picked up one by one, o children of Israel! And in that day, a great ram's horn (shofar) shall be sounded; and the strayed who are in the land of Assyria and the expelled who are in the land of Egypt shall come and worship Yehovah on the holy mountain, in Jerusalem.” Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 27:12,13

With the sound of the Shofar He begins His work here on earth to gather the unbelieving Jewish people back to Him and back to Zion, one by one. Rosh haShanah speaks of their gathering, Yom Kippur speaks of God's calling them to spiritual repentance, to receive Yeshua as the Messiah, to repent of having rejected Him and make teshuvah. And after this it is the great celebration called Sukkot, Chag haSukkot or the Feast of Tabernacles, which will cause all celebrations and holidays that went before it to pale in comparison to the fulfillment of this holyday. This will be the most wonderful holiday fulfillment on the face of this earth. It will be a great exultation on Sukkot, when the Jewish people will see the very presence of the Lord Yeshua, the King Messiah reigning in Zion. At that moment, they will have repented of their rejection of the One who suffered and was pierced for their transgressions, but whom they despised all these years.

So then, what is Purim all about?

The fulfillment of Purim is revealed in the book of Revelation. The millennium is a time or an age when people will be celebrating Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, as Zechariah 14:16 says, by all people throughout the earth. But, into the new heavens and new earth, after the millennium is over, the Feast of Tabernacles will not be celebrated as the main holiday, because it will be incorporated into the holiday of Purim: “And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison.” Revelation 20:7

After Yeshua's return on earth Satan will be bound and put in prison. But after one thousand years of Yeshua's reign from Mount Zion, Satan will be released. For one thousand years Satan will not be able to tempt anyone, to hurt anyone, or to do anything to deceive anyone. This will be ample proof that people sin on their own without Satan's help. But at the close of the millennium, Satan will be set free to lead the nations against Yeshua, Israel, and the saints. “... and he will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog [terms for the nations that had attacked Israel previously, before the coming of Yeshua] to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.” Revelation 20:8

Most people who will be born during the millennium will not really love Yeshua, they will stay in obedience to Him, or they will pretend to stay in obedience to Him, so that they will not have drought and other plagues upon them, but when Satan is let loose, he will lead them in an attack against Yeshua, Israel and the saints. The sand of the seashore is an idiom for numerous, they are uncountable, they may be billions of people. “And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city [Jerusalem, where Jewish people have been gathered and have been experiencing the glory of the Lord for a thousand years] and fire came down from heaven and devoured them.” Revelation 20:9

How did Haman get hanged on the gallows that he made for Mordecai? Just like that, it seems like fire came down from heaven and devoured him suddenly and he was hanged on the gallows quickly.

All these people will come up against the believers and the Jewish people and especially the King Messiah Yeshua and they will be devoured immediately. And that will bring about the greatest celebration of all times, because it will be over. No more of satanic business on earth; God is going to create a better world for all of us, where there will be no more evil. The book of Revelation gives us great hope for the future and for our eternity: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them, and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes.’“ Revelation 21:1-4

That means that during the millennium God is not going to wipe away all tears from our eyes; it is not at that time that it will happen. Right now, there is pain in the world and there is pain among believers, but He is going to wipe away every tear when we go into the new Jerusalem, in the new heavens and the new earth: ... and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.' And He who sits on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.' And He said, 'Write, for these words are faithful and true.'“ Revelation 21:4,5

There is going to come a time when we will never cry again over anything, when there will be no pain, there will be no sickness, there will be no assaults, no attacks, there will be no accidents happening, there will be no disease, there will be no death, and no one will have to mourn for anyone. There is coming a time in the New Jerusalem, the new heavens and the new earth, after the thousand-year reign of Messiah, when He will wipe away every tear from our eyes. Everything that God has done will be summed up in Purim, the final, ultimate and complete deliverance of all the people of God. And only after all is fulfilled in Purim can there be a true Shabbat.

For right now we celebrate Shabbat, yet we realize that when it is over, we will have problems. But in that day, when Shabbat comes, we will enter into it and never leave it. “'For as the new heaven and the new earth which I will make shall endure by My will,' declares Yehovah, 'so shall your seed and your name endure. And Rosh Chodesh after Rosh Chodesh, and Shabbat after Shabbat, all flesh shall come up to worship Me,' said Yehovah.“ Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 66:22

Rosh Chodesh, the New Moon is emphasizing the fulfillment of the old heaven and earth and the re-creation of the perfect world which happens right after Purim. Even as the first month of the year, Aviv/Nisan, which is the month of Passover, begins a new year, it will begin a new creation. It will bring with it eternal peace without sin, a true Shabbat, and it can only come after the fulfillment of Purim.

This is the fulfillment and the reality that Purim represents. What we are looking forward is actually to live Purim in the new heavens and the new earth.

Hag Purim Sameah — Happy Purim!

SHAVUOT - FEAST OF WEEKS

The Shavuot festival was celebrated primarily as a thanksgiving for the wheat harvest – the second First Fruits; it falls seven weeks after the barley harvest – the first First Fruits, when an Omer of the new produce was offered. The Torah refers to Shavuot as Hag haKatsir (the Feast of the Harvest) and Yom haBikkurim (the Day of First Fruits), observed by offerings of the best ripe produce of the fields. Beginning with the second day of Passover, seven weeks, or forty-nine days, were carefully counted, and the fiftieth day was celebrated as the festival of the First Fruits. In the course of time, as a result of the transformation of the agricultural festivals into historical commemorations, the additional significance of Shavuot, as the Festival of the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai completely overshadowed its original significance. Though the Bible does not identify Shavuot with the anniversary of the giving of the Torah, the tradition has been that it was given on the sixth day of Sivan, at Shavuot.

“You shall count seven weeks, from the day when the sickle is first put to the standing grain. You shall then keep the Feast of Weeks in honor of the Lord your God, and the measure of your freewill offering shall be in proportion to the blessing that the Lord your God bestowed on you. You shall rejoice before the Lord your God with your son and daughter, your male and female servants, and the Levite of your community, as well as the stranger and the fatherless and the widow among you." Deuteronomy 16:9-11.

Shavuot is called Atzereth (Assembly) in the Talmud, in the sense that it serves as a concluding festival to Pesach. In the observances of Shavuot, the traditional as well as the agricultural aspects are reflected. The Decalogue is read in the synagogue on the first day. Plants and flowers, reminiscent of the slopes of Sinai, decorate the bimah and the Aron haKodesh. The book of Ruth, for its description of a summer harvest in Israel, and the famous liturgical poem Akdamut are read before the reading of the Torah on the first day. Milk dishes are the customary foods, symbolizing the Torah which is likened to milk, according to the allegorical interpretation of the book of Song of Songs ("Honey and milk are under your tongue").

Shavuot reminds us of the contribution of the Torah to the world. Torah was the first mind-set to recognize the worth of ordinary people, to champion human rights, public education, environmental responsibility, freedom of information, medical ethics, and social action — the whole concept of progress and hope for the future. No other teaching has had a comparative impact on our way of thinking today. It reminds Israel of her obligation to be a "Kingdom of Priests" and a "Holy Nation."

But for the believers Shavuot is more than that. Shavuot is a picture of a spiritual harvest, a harvest of the first fruits imbued with spiritual power, with the outpouring of the Ruach haKodesh. The first century of the Common Era was God's first harvest of those redeemed in the blood of Yeshua haMoshiach - both Jewish and Gentile.

"And when the day of Shavuot was fulfilled, they were all together with one mind at the same place. And there was suddenly from Shomayim a sound like the rushing of a violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And tongues appeared to them, being divided as fire, resting on each one of them, and all were filled with the Ruach haKodesh." Acts 2:1-4

On Shavuot two loaves of fine flour baked with leaven were presented as offering of first fruits (Leviticus 23:17). The symbolism of these two loaves is revealed by Ya’akov (James 1:18) as representing the first fruits of believers. The two loaves are Jewish and Gentile believers that God brought together to form a new body, a new creation, the Ekklesia. God redeemed us from the world of sin, from the spiritual Egypt, through the shed blood of His Son. But then why are the two loaves with leaven, the symbol of sin? That is to symbolize that we cannot cleanse ourselves of sin before coming to Him - all our good intentions are but as filthy rags in His eyes. We come to Him with our sins and He is the One who cleanses and makes us holy.

“Having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Messiah Yeshua Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a Holy Temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit” Ephesians 2:20-22. God has built something else to take the place of the physical Temple in Yerushalayim destroyed in 70 CE - it is a spiritual Beth haMikdash, it is the Ekklesia. It is a Jewish Holy Temple, where Jews and Gentiles are fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Moshiach Yeshua. This passage tells us that the foundation of the Ekklesia is Jewish, Jewish, Jewish - Jewish apostles, Jewish prophets and Jewish Messiah. Therefore, Shavuot is the fulfillment of Torah-true Judaism, the hope of the Jewish people and the blessing of the Gentiles so that they might come together in faith as one.

It cost Yeshua a lot to bring us together, to form the Ekklesia. He died executed on a Roman cross shedding His blood and suffering agonizingly in order for us to be united as one Holy Temple in the Spirit. Because of that we owe it to Him to be holy and to love one another as He loved us.
Chag Shavuot Sameach!

— Saturday, September 19, was Rosh haShanah - Tishrei 1.

Talmud - Mas. Rosh haShana 2a reads:
“There are four New Years: On the first of Nisan is New Year for kings and for festivals.
On the first of Elul is New Year for the tithe of cattle.
On the first of Tishri is New Year for years, for release and jubilee years, for plantation and for [tithe of] vegetables.
On the first of Shevat is New Year for trees, according to the ruling of Beth Shammai; Beth Hillel, however, place it on the fifteenth of that month.” Talmud - Mas. Rosh haShana 2a

This first day Rosh haShanah Torah reading talks about the birth of Isaac, the promised son, and the Halftarah reading about the birth of Samuel, the prophet, both miraculous births. Traditionally, it is believed that on this day Sarah conceived Isaac. She was ninety years old and this is to show not only that the conception of life is in God’s hands, but also that the birth of the Jewish nation was not by accident but a sign from God with which He decreed that this nation would be His chosen messenger of His ethics to humanity.

Why is this day called Rosh haShanah? This designation of the holiday as Rosh haShanah (literally Head of the Year) is not Biblical but Talmudic. The words Rosh haShanah together appears only once in the Bible in Ezekiel 40:1 but it is not clear what “beginning of the year” is referring to. But in Mishnah the name is connected to the 1st of Tishrei. The rabbis have calculated that the world was created on Rosh haShanah and that there are four New Years as stated in the Talmud.

But in the Torah we read, Leviticus 23:23 "And Yehovah spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, you shall have a Shabbat, a memorial of blowing, Shabbaton Zikaron Teruah, a holy gathering. You shall do no labor in it.’"

The seventh month of the Biblical calendar is Tishrei, and God said to have a holy gathering, to do no work in it and to have a memorial of blowing of the Shofarim. Therefore, this holiday is also known as Yom haZikaron (memorial) Yom Teruah (blowing). Since the Torah is not clear what the word “memorial’ refers to, it may recall Israel's forebears as God's people, it may refer to the giving of the Torah, or it may refer to a public commemoration of the dead. Some interpret it as to recall one's deeds for personal introspection because this day is also known as Yom haDin, the Day of Judgment, based on the Biblical passage from Psalm 81:4 "Blow a Shofar at the new moon, at the full moon on our feast day. For this is a statute for Israel, a judgment of the God of Jacob." Tradition tells that the Book of Life is opened on Rosh haShanah and sealed on Yom Kippur. In this book the fate of the righteous, the wicked, and those uncertain are recorded. The first are inscribed for life, the second are blotted out from the book of the living, and the third are given respite to repent.

The period of forty days, from the first of Elul until the tenth day of Tishrei (the day of Atonement - Yom Kippur), commemorates the second stay of Moshe on Mount Sinai, to invoke God's abundant mercy for our complete atonement, in which God inscribed the second set of stone tablets. Since then, these days are marked as a special period of Divine grace, during which, the tradition says, the sincere prayers are sure to find favor in the eyes of God.

There are two traditions for these Selichot prayers:

According to the Sephardic Minhag, these prayers begin on the first of Elul and continue until first of Tishrei (the Feast of Trumpets - Yom Teruah) or Rosh haShanah.

In the Ashkenazic Minhag these penitential prayers begin on the Sunday before Rosh haShanah with a minimum of four days of Selichot. The first Selichot are said early Sunday morning after midnight. The preceding Shabbat is called Shabbat Selichot.

The Shabbat between Rosh haShannah and Yom Kippur is called Shabbat Shuva, the Shabbat of Return.

“Shuva - Return Yisra’el to Yehovah your God; for you have fallen because of your sin.
Take words with you, and return to Yehovah.
Tell Him, ‘Forgive all our sins, and accept that which is good.’” Hosea 14:2-3

These are times of turmoil and the only way to break down the walls of hatred is to believe and tell the world that there is a God and His word is the only true truth and that we need to obey His commandments. Blowing the Shofar is one of these commandments.

Yes, by blowing the Shofar we will also tell Israelis that we stand with them in these times of rising anti-Semitism, because Israel is the apple of God's eye and that those who bless Israel would be blessed.

Therefore, would you stand with me and blow the Shofar? Project Jericho is blowing the Shofar every day around the Globe in every time zone at 6:00pm - local time - starting with Rosh Chodesh - the first of Tishrei - for the duration of the Ten Days of Awe, culminating with Yom Kippur. Wouldn't be amazing if we can hear the sound of Teruah every hour in a chain reaction around the Globe? Please let me know where are you located and see if we can have someone blow the Shofar in every time zone.

Thank you for participating in this event - Project Jericho.

PLEASE NOTE: According to a rabbinical ruling it is prohibited to blow the Shofar on Shabbat, but not according to the Tanakh, therefore, how much more appropriate is to obey God's commandment to celebrate Yom Teruah with the blowing of the Shofar even if it falls on Shabbat.

Project Jericho - Blow the Shofar and Break Down the Walls of Hatred

— Wednesday, August 31, was Rosh Chodesh - Elul 1. Elul is the sixth month of the Biblical year. It is called the month of RACHAMIM — MERCY, in anticipation of God's Judgment, which, according to tradition, takes place in the following month of Tishrei. It is also called YEMAI HA-SELICHOT — DAYS OF PROPITIATORY PRAYERS or DAYS OF REPENTANCE.

The period of forty days, from the first of Elul until the tenth day of Tishrei (the day of Atonement - Yom Kippur), commemorates the second stay of Moshe on Mount Sinai, to invoke God's abundant mercy for our complete atonement, in which God inscribed the second set of stone tablets. Since then, these days are marked as a special period of Divine grace, during which, the tradition says, the sincere prayers are sure to find favor in the eyes of God.

There are two traditions for these Selichot prayers:

According to the Sephardic Minhag, these prayers begin on the first of Elul and continue until first of Tishrei (the Feast of Trumpets - Yom Teruah) or Rosh HaShanah.

In the Ashkenazic Minhag these penitential prayers begin on the Sunday before Rosh HaShanah with a minimum of four days of Selichot, thus September 25 this year. The first Selichot are said early Sunday morning after midnight. The preceding Shabbat is called Shabbat Selichot.

Elul is indeed an appropriate time to reflect on our actions and attitudes of the previous year, and resolve to correct our shortcomings. After prayers each morning, it is customary to blow the Shofar.

But I would like to do more than that. I would like to stand with all the believers around the world, resolve to change my attitude and show God's love and mercy in my life. I would like to break down the walls of hatred and tell the world that there is a God and His word is the only true truth and that we need to obey His commandments. Blowing the Shofar is one of these commandments ("Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a Shabbat, a reminder by blowing (Zikaron Teruah) [of Shofarim], a holy convocation.'" - Leviticus 23:24

Yes, by blowing the Shofar we will also tell Israel that we stand with them in these times of rising anti-Semitism, because Israel is the apple of God's eye and that those who bless Israel would be blessed. We can do that by each of us blowing the Shofar around the Globe.

Therefore, would you stand with me and blow the Shofar? Project Jericho is blowing the Shofar every day around the Globe in every time zone at 6:00pm - local time - starting with Rosh Chodesh - the first of Tishrei - Wednesday, September 28, for the duration of the Ten Days of Awe, culminating with Yom Kippur Saturday, October 8. Wouldn't be amazing if we can hear the sound of Teruah every hour in a chain reaction around the Globe? Please let me know where are you located and see if we can have a believer blowing the Shofar in every time zone.

Thank you for participating in this event - Project Jericho.

PLEASE NOTE: According to a rabbinical ruling it is prohibited to blow the Shofar on Shabbat, but not according to the Bible, therefore, how much more appropriate is to obey God's commandment to celebrate Yom Teruah with the blowing of the Shofar even if it falls on Shabbat.

There is only one true Jesus, the Jewish Yeshua

Parashah Beha'alotcha - “When you Kindle"

Torah: Numbers (Bamidbar) 8:1 – 12:16

Haftarah: Zechariah 2:14 – 4:7

Pirkei Avot: Chapter 1

Right after the dedication of the Tabernacle, after this spiritual high point, people complained about not having meat to eat. It was true then and it is true now, after an uplifting spiritual event - such as the infilling with the Holy Spirit at Shavuot - our humanity is the most vulnerable to fall pray to the Adversary. God supplied to them manna from heaven, a perfect food with all the vitamins, minerals, proteins and calories needed to sustain life perfectly, but people’s taste buds were not satisfied, the flesh wanted something else.

To parallel this with our Messianic life, God gave us the Manna from heaven, Yeshua HaMoshiach, the Bread of Life, and He also gave us the Ruach Hachodesh with an uplifting infilling event at Shavuot, but some of us are not satisfied – it is our flesh, it is our human nature that surfaces its ugly character. We want something else, but we are warned. In the second letter to the Corinthians the apostle Shaul writes, chapter 11:3-4: “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Havah by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity {of devotion} to Moshiach. For if one comes and preaches another Yeshua, whom we have not preached, or you receive a different Spirit which you have not received, or a different Gospel which you have not accepted, you bear him well enough.” 

God was not pleased with the people of Israel’s request and He will not be pleased with us if we stray away from the purity of the Gospel. The many denominations that preach another Yeshua are a testimony that the Adversary is at work and we must be on guard. The apostle not only warned us but also gave us the remedy, Ephesians 6:11: “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” And that “full armor” is study - both Tanakh and Brith Chadashah, prayer, fellowship and mitzvoth centered around the teachings of Yeshua.

Serve with Zeal, Reverence, and Joy

Parashah Nasso - "Elevate"
Torah: Bamidbar (Numbers) 4:21 – 7:89
Haftarah: Judges 13:2-25
Pirkei Avot: Chapter 6
The previous Parashah of Bamidbar ends with a census being taken from the tribe of Levi from the families of Kohath, ahead of the families of Gershon. But this should not be taken as an elevation of the families of Kohath over the families of Gershon, rather it signifies reverence to the Ark, for which the Kohathites were responsible. To emphasize the equality of the two families, the Scripture says in this second Parashah, Parashah Nasso, "Nasso gam-hem," "take also a census," literally "raise up as well," i.e., give honor as well to the families of Gershon. The Kohathites carried the most sacred parts of the Tabernacle, while the Gershonites carried the less sacred. But by saying, "as well," the Torah makes the point that both tasks are necessary for the Tabernacle and both should be done with equal zeal, reverence and joy. This is an implied message to people who may not have the ability of doing certain jobs for the Kingdom of God. It is easy for such people to be discouraged, but to this, God responds that whether one bears the exalted Ark or only the curtains, every role is significant, because each is a unique participant in the sacred service and worship of Yehovah.
Many centuries later, God conveys the same message through the apostle Shaul who writes in 1 Corinthians 12:
"To each is given the disclosure of the Ruach HaKodesh for the common benefit. To one, through the Ruach HaKodesh, is given a word of wisdom; to another, according to the same Ruach HaKodesh, a word of knowledge; to another, by the same Ruach HaKodesh, faith; to another, by the one Ruach HaKodesh, gifts of healing... All these things are activated by the one and same Ruach HaKodesh, distributing individually to each one as He determines. For even as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so is Moshiach. For also in one Ruach HaKodesh we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or freedman, and all were given to drink, as it were, from one Ruach HaKodesh. For the body is not one, but many members. But the members should have the same deeds of lovingkindness and caring for one another."The parallelism between the Scriptures describing the hearts of men in the process of building the Tabernacle and the hearts of men in the process of building the Ekklesia, the new spiritual Temple, is striking.
We further read in the Parashah: "It was on the day that Moshe had finished setting up the Tabernacle that he anointed it, and sanctified it, and all its instruments, both the Altar and all its utensils, and had anointed them, and sanctified them. The leaders of Israel, the heads of the house of their fathers, who were the leaders of the tribes, and who were those who were counted, brought offerings. And they brought their offering before the Lord." Bamidbar 7:1
Moshe finished erecting the Tabernacle and anointed it and sanctified it, so, too, our Messiah finished erecting the Ekklesia, the New Holy Tabernacle in His body, anointed it and sanctified it by sending the Holy Spirit, the Ruach HaKodesh. And just as the people of Israel responded to the awesomeness of the earthly Tabernacle bringing offerings from their overflowing hearts, so too the believers seeing the awesomeness of the new Tabernacle, the Ekklesia, brought gifts above and beyond their abilities with hearts overflowing with joy:
"And they were constantly devoting themselves to the Moshiach Shluchim's (apostles') teaching and to the Messianic Chavura (fellowship), to the shared meals with breaking bread and to prayer. All were filled with awe, and many wonders and signs through Moshiach's Shluchim were taking place. And all those who had believed were together and they were having all things in common. And they were selling properties and possessions and were distributing tzedakah to everyone as someone had need. And day by day, devoting themselves with one mind in the courts of the Beit Hamikdash, and from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart praising Yehovah, and having favor with all the people." Acts 2:42 As we approach Shavuot which commemorates the outpouring of the Ruach HaKodesh and, traditionally, the giving of the Torah, may God teach us to have again this awe of His Tabernacle, of His Ekklesia, and be together, Jews and Gentiles, two loaves of fine flower as the Shavuot offering, with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God for He had mercy on all of us, Jews and Gentiles, while we were sinners. And, as sanctified utensils of this New Tabernacle, spread the Good News to Jews and Gentiles alike, using with zeal, reverence, and joy the gifts that the Ruach HaKodesh gave to each, because each member of the body is an important instrument for the Kingdom.