Bemidbar/ Numbers 13:1 -15:41
“Thus
it came to pass that on the Ninth of Av
-- a day which was to bode many tragedies for the people of Israel YHVH
informed Moshe that the generation that received the Torah at Sinai was not fit
to enter the Land of Canaan. He decreed that they shall live out their lives as
wanderers in the desert until a new generation would take up the challenge of
conquering the land of Canaan and developing it as a "Set Apart land”
What Happened?
Virtually
all the commentaries pose the question: What happened? Where did they go wrong?
The
spies dispatched by Moshe were no ordinary individuals: "They were all men
of distinction, leaders of the children of Yisrael" (Bemidbar/Numbers
13:3). Furthermore, in all of history, it would be difficult to find a
generation whose lives were more saturated with miracles than theirs. Mitsrayim/
Egypt, the most powerful nation on earth at the time, was forced to free them
from slavery when "the mighty hand" of YHVH inflicted ten
supernatural plagues. When Pharaoh's armies pursued them, the sea split to let
them pass and then drowned their pursuers. In the desert, miracles were the
stuff of their daily lives: manna from heaven was their daily bread, "Miryam's
well" (a miraculous stone which travelled along with the Yisraelite camp)
provided them with water, and "clouds of esteem" sheltered them from
the desert heat and cold, kept them clothed and shod, destroyed the snakes and
scorpions in their path, and flattened the terrain before them to ease their
way.
For
these people to doubt YHVH's ability to conquer the "mighty
inhabitants" of Canaan seems nothing less than ludicrous. Yet these were
the people whose leaders said, "We cannot go up against these people, for
they are mightier than we" and even He!
Where did they go wrong?
Chassidic
master Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi explains that the problem was one of excess spirituality.
The
daily miracles experienced by the generation of the Exodus did more than
provide them with sustenance and protection -- they shielded them from any and
all involvement with the material world. For the first generation of our
existence as a people, they lived a wholly spiritual life, free of all material
concerns; the very food which nourished them was "bread from heaven."
Indeed,
it could not have been any other way. Our sages have said that, "The Torah
could have been given only to the eaters of the manna." To properly
receive and assimilate the divine wisdom, one must be utterly free of the
responsibilities and frustrations of physical life -- something that is
possible only in the kind of environment which our ancestors enjoyed during
their sojourn in the Sinai Desert.
This
is why, says Rabbi Schneur Zalman, the Spies and their generation were loath to
enter the land. Becoming a people with a land would entail plowing, sowing and
harvesting; it would mean engaging in commerce and levying taxes; it would
require a bureaucracy to run the land and an army to defend it. Their
underlying problem with the land was, as the spies expressed it, that "it
is a land that consumes its inhabitants" -- it consumes one's time and
energy with its corporeal demands and infringes on one's capacity to study the
divine wisdom of Torah and meditate upon its truths. They were unwilling to relinquish their spiritual utopia for the
entanglements of an earth-bound life.”
They would have to live
day by day bearing the yoke of the Torah (Matt 11:29)
“Based
on this, the Lubavitcher Rebbe explains the Spies' argument that "We
cannot go up against these people, for they are mightier than we,"
notwithstanding the tremendous miracles which YHVH had performed and was
performing for them. We cannot have it
both ways, argued the spies. Either we are to be a spiritual people engaged
exclusively in spiritual pursuits and sustained by supernatural means; or else
we are to enter the natural world of the farmer, merchant and soldier and
become subject to its laws. And under these laws -- which decree that the
numerous, mighty and well-fortified will defeat the few and the weak -- there
is no way we can defeat the inhabitants of Canaan.
They
even went so far as to extend this line of reasoning to the Almighty Himself.
If YHVH wishes for us to live a spiritual life, then, certainly, He can sustain
us with miracles. But if His desire is that we abandon our supra-natural
existence to enter the land and assume a natural life, then He Himself has
decreed that natural law (and Torah) will govern our fate. In that case, He
cannot empower us to miraculously conquer the land, since were He to do so,
this would defeat the entire purpose of entering the "land." So
"they are mightier than He" -- even YHVH cannot help us, if He
Himself has chosen to transform us into a material people!
If the
"generation of the desert" would have themselves been capable of
making the transition into a people of the land, the transformation of the
material world into a home for YHVH would have been fully and perfectly
achieved in that very generation. If they would have believed in their divinely
granted capacity to "have it both ways," their sanctification of the
land would have combined their ultimate apprehension of the divine truth with a
full involvement with the natural reality.
The
generation of the desert failed to actualize the unique opportunity which
presented itself at that particular juncture of our history: for there to be a
single generation which straddled both worlds, a single generation which first
inhabited a world of utter spirituality and then proceeded to apply it to a
life on the land. Instead, they fell prey to the tendency of man to
"compartmentalize" his life, to label his experiences and attainments
as "material," "spiritual," "sacred,"
"mundane," "natural" and "supernatural," thereby
delegating and confining them to their respective domains. (Christians cannot
stop speaking about heaven)
What was the reason that the
Spies, who were leaders of Yisrael and men of lofty stature, did not want to
enter the Land?
The
explanation of the matter is as follows:
A
great majority of the physical mitzvot can be implemented only in the Land of
Yisrael, especially the agricultural laws and the laws of the offerings brought
to the Beit Ha Mikdash (Temple)... The Spies, who were on a most lofty
spiritual level, did not wish to lower themselves to the level of physical
action, preferring to remain in the desert, where they received all their needs
from above, and related to YHVH by means of the loftier levels of thought and
speech (i.e., study of Torah and prayer). They desired to draw down all the
Divine emanations into the "Land of Yisrael" that exists in the realm
of Malchut, the world of Divine speech, where there also is a
"Yerushalayim" and a "Set Apart Temple." Regarding the
physical Land of Yisrael, they said: "It is a land that consumes its
inhabitants"--if the Divine light were to be drawn down into the physical
world, our entire existence would be nullified.
But
Yehoshua/Joshua and Calev/Caleb said, "The Land is very, very good."
It is specifically in the Land of Yisrael down below, and specifically by means
of the mitzvot implemented by physical action, that the truly infinite light of
YHVH is drawn down--a light that includes both the spiritual and the material,
which is why it is "very, very" good.
(Rabbi
Schneur Zalman of Liadi)
Based
on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Shneerson
Sadly in our modern era
Christianity has been defined as the “opiate of the masses” (Karl Marx). This
definition confirms the over spiritualizing our lives at the expense of walking
a Torah obedient kind of life. We see this illustrated in the dietary laws, today
many Christians believe the dietary laws have been done away with and now we
need to see food in a more spiritual
light and we are no longer subject to physical
dietary laws stipulated by YHVH.
A modern day prophetess
was recently quoted as saying that the church is totally unprepared for the
physical reality which is about to manifest itself on the earth in the coming
days. She went on to say that there was an increase in demonic activity that is
presently establishing itself on the earth in our days that would bring great
harm on many believers in the last days.
Rev 13:7 And
it was given to him(the anti messiah) to fight with the set-apart ones and to
overcome them. And authority was given to him over every tribe and tongue and
nation.
Blessing for the Torah:
Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-O’lam,
asher bachar banu m’kol ha-amim,
v’natan lanu eht Torah-to.
Baruch
atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim , King of the Universe,
(Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim , King of the Universe,
you have selected us
from among all the peoples,
and
have given us your Torah. Blessed are you, YHVH, giver of the Torah. Ameyn.)
Torah Readings:
1. 13:1-20
2. 13:21 – 14:7
3. 14:8-25
4. 14:26 – 15:7
5. 15:8-16
6. 15:17-26
7. 15:27-37
8. Maftir 15:38-41
Haftarah: Yehosahu/Joshua 2:1-24
Significance of Number 37
We cannot enter (stay) in the land with our flesh and
hearts uncircumcised.
37 times the words 'circumcision' and 'uncircumcision'
(Torah, first Writings and Prophets) appear in the Tenakh. YHVH made a covenant
with our father Avraham in B'reshith 17 involving circumcision. Those who were
circumcised became part of the covenant and those who refused were cut off from
the covenant. This is analogous to receiving the word of YHVH and your desire
to be part of the covenant. ‘Yehudah/Judah' where Yahshua was born appears
thirty seven times in the scriptures. The golden lampstands in the Tabernacle
appear thirty seven times in scripture as well.
Aliyah Rishon 13:1-20
Num 13:1 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Num
13:2 “Send – (“Shelach lecha” – send! You send) men to spy out the land of Kenaʽan, which I am
giving to the children of Yisra’ĕl. Send one man from each tribe of their
fathers, everyone a leader among them.” Num 13:3 And by the command of יהוה Mosheh sent them from the Wilderness of
Paran, all of them men who were heads of the children of Yisra’ĕl. (Paran is believed to be the same place as
modern day Petra)
Midrash – a Messianic scholar recently stated that this
verse implied that the spies were sent out to see how desperately overwhelming
the circumstances were in the land. The implication is that only a series of
major miraculous interventions from YHVH would be able to save them from being
completely destroyed by the inhabitants of the land. The inhabitants of the
land were not only physically intimidating but were also steeped in occultic
power and practices which caused great fear to come into any potential enemy.
Today we too need to trust YHVH to show us the true
reality of what is happening in our world and that only His miraculous powerful
intervention will be able to save us. I personally believe the situation in our
world is far more serious than what most of us realize.
Vs 4-15 give the names of the leaders of the tribes. The
tribe of Levi is excluded because YHVH was their inheritance. We must remember
that these leaders did not bring back false reports, what they saw was real,
they failed however to believe that YHVH would be able to deliver them, in
spite of all the miracles they had witnessed in the wilderness.
Num 13:16 These
are the names of the men whom Mosheh sent to spy out the land. And Mosheh
called Hoshĕa the son of Nun, Yehoshua.
This is the first time a “yud” is added to “Yoshua's/Joshua’s”
name. His name becomes “Yahoshua/Yehoshua” the same name Hebrew name was used
for our Messiah. This name means that “YHVH” will save or help.
Num 13:17 And
Mosheh sent them to spy out the land of Kenaʽan, and said to them, “Go up here
into the South, and go up to the mountains,
Num 13:18 and see
what the land is like, and the people who dwell in it, whether strong or weak,
whether few or many,
Num 13:19 and
whether the land they dwell in is good or evil, whether the cities they inhabit
are in camps or strongholds,
Num 13:20 and
whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are forests there or not.
And you shall be strong, and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time
was the season of the first-fruits of grapes.
Aliyah Sheni 13:21-14:7
The
scouts spent forty days spying the land. They returned to the Yisraelite
encampment with specimens of Canaan's produce, and with an ominous report. They
conceded that the land flowed with milk and honey, but they warned that its
population was mighty and the cities well- fortified and impossible to conquer.
Only Calev/ Caleb and Yehoshua/Joshua, the scouts representing the tribes of Yehudah/Judah
and Ephrayim/Ephraim, dissented. They argued that the land was magnificent, and
there was no reason for concern because YHVH could surely bring the Yisraelites
victory in battle. The Hebrew people
spent that entire night wailing, expressing their preference to return to Mitsrayim/Egypt
rather than be defeated in battle by the Canaanites.
Num 13:21 So they went up and spied out the land from
the Wilderness of Tsin as far as Reḥoḇ, near the entrance of Ḥamath.
Num 13:22
And they went up through the South and came to Ḥeḇron. And Aḥiman,
Shĕshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anaq, were there. Now Ḥeḇron had been
built seven years before Tsoʽan in Mitsrayim.
Num 13:23
And they came to the wadi Eshkol, and cut down from there a branch with
one cluster of grapes. And they bore it between two of them on a pole, also of
the pomegranates and of the figs.
Num 13:24
That place was called the wadi Eshkol, because of the cluster which the
men of Yisra’ĕl cut down from there.
Num 13:25
And they returned from spying out the land after forty days.
Num 13:26
And they went and came to Mosheh and Aharon and all the congregation of
the children of Yisra’ĕl in the Wilderness of Paran, at Qaḏĕsh. And they
brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the
fruit of the land.
Num 13:27
And they reported to him, and said, “We went to the land where you sent
us. And truly, it flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.
Num 13:28
“But the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are
walled, very great. And we saw the descendants of Anaq there too.
Num 13:29
“The Amalĕqites dwell in the land of the South, while the Ḥittites and
the Yeḇusites and the Amorites dwell in the mountains. And the Kenaʽanites
dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Yardĕn.”
Num 13:30 And Kalĕḇ silenced the people before Mosheh,
and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are certainly able
to overcome it.”
Num 13:31 But the men who had gone up with him said,
“We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”
Num 13:32 And they gave the children of Yisra’ĕl an
evil report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through
which we have gone as spies is a land eating up its inhabitants, and all the
people whom we saw in it are men of great size.
Midrash - “land eating up its inhabitants” implies that
there is not enough produce to support everyone.
Hag 1:5 And now, thus said יהוה of hosts,
“Consider your ways!
Hag 1:6 “You have
sown much, but brought in little; eat, but do not have enough; drink, but you
are not filled with drink; clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who
earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes.”
Hag 1:7 Thus said יהוה of hosts,
“Consider your ways!
Num 13:33 “And we saw there the Nephilim, sons of Anaq,
of the Nephilim. And we were like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and so we were
in their eyes.”
Num 14:1
Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the
people wept that night.
The Hebrew word “nephilim” means “giants” the root verb of this word is
“naphal” which means to fall. The Hebrew language kindly translates the word
for giants as ones that must and will fall.
Num 14:2 And all the children of Yisra’ĕl grumbled
against Mosheh and against Aharon, and all the congregation said to them, “If
only we had died in the land of Mitsrayim! Or if only we had died in this
wilderness!
Num 14:3 “And why is יהוה bringing us to this land to fall by the
sword, that our wives and children should become a prey? Would it not be better
for us to turn back to Mitsrayim?”
Num 14:4 And they
said to each other, “Let us appoint a leader, and let us turn back to
Mitsrayim.”
Num 14:5 Then Mosheh
and Aharon fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of
the children of Yisra’ĕl.
Num 14:6 And
Yehoshua son of Nun, and Kalĕv son of Yephunneh, who were among those who had
spied out the land, tore their garments,
Num 14:7 and they
spoke to all the congregation of the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, “The land we
passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.
Aliyah Shlishi 14:8 – 25
The Yisraelites
rejected the pleas of Yehoshua and Calev, and decided to stone them. YHVH intervened,
His Esteem appearing over the Tabernacle. YHVH informs Moshe of His decision to
instantaneously wipe out the Yisraelites in a massive plague due to their
persistent lack of faith. Moshe successfully invoked YHVH's mercy and pointed
out that this mass execution will cause a mammoth scandal on YHVH's name.
"People will assume that YHVH lacked the power to defeat the Canaanites in
battle, so He instead slaughtered His people," Moshe argued. Although YHVH
agreed not to immediately wipe out the Yisraelites, that generation would not
enter the Land. YHVH instructs Israel to reverse course, and to head back to
the desert.
Num 14:8 “If
יהוה has delighted in us, then He shall bring us into this land and
give it to us, ‘a land which is flowing with milk and honey.’
Num 14:9 “Only, do
not rebel against יהוה, nor fear the people of the
land, for they are our bread. Their defense has turned away from them, and יהוה is with us. Do not fear them.”
Num 14:10 But all
the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then the esteem of יהוה appeared in
the Tent of Meeting before all the children of Yisra’ĕl.
Num 14:11 And יהוה said to
Mosheh, “How long shall I be scorned by these people? And how long shall I not
be trusted by them, with all the signs which I have done in their midst?
Num 14:12 “Let Me
smite them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and make of you a nation
greater and mightier than they.”
Num 14:13 And
Mosheh said to יהוה, “Then the Mitsrites shall hear it, for by
Your power You brought these people up from their midst,
Num 14:14 and they
shall say to the inhabitants of this land they have heard that You, יהוה, are in the midst of these people, that You, יהוה, are seen eye to eye and that Your cloud stands above them, and
You go before them in a column of cloud by day and in a column of fire by
night.
Num 14:15 “Now if
You shall kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of
Your report shall speak, saying,
Num 14:16 ‘Because
יהוה was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to
give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.’
Num 14:17 “And
now, I pray, let the power of יהוה be great, as
You have spoken, saying,
Num 14:18 ‘יהוה is patient and
of great kindness, forgiving crookedness and transgression, but by no means
leaving unpunished1; visiting the crookedness of the fathers on the
children to the third and fourth generation.’ Footnote: 1This is
confirmed in Ex. 34:7 and in Jer. 30:11.
Num 14:19 “Please
forgive the crookedness of this people, according to the greatness of Your
kindness, as You have forgiven this people, from Mitsrayim even until now.”
Num14:20 And יהוה said, “I shall
forgive, according to your word,
Num 14:21 but truly, as I live and all the earth is
filled with the esteem of יהוה,
Num 14:22 for none
of these men who have seen My esteem and the signs which I did in Mitsrayim and
in the wilderness, and have tried Me now these ten times, and have disobeyed My
voice,
Num 14:23 shall
see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor any of those who scorned Me
see it.
Num 14:24 “But My
servant Kalv, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me
completely, I shall bring into the land where he went, and his seed shall
inherit it.
Num 14:25 “Since
the Amalĕqites and the Kenaʽanites are dwelling in the valley, turn back
tomorrow and set out into the wilderness by the Way of the Sea of Reeds.”
Personal Midrash:- I believe we more than ever before
need to have the same heart as Moshe, who fell on his face before YHVH and
pleaded for the people. We too need to be on our faces before YHVH pleading for
both Jew and Christian and anyone else who desires to draw close to YHVH that
they will come to an obedience of Torah and allow YHVH’s Ruach/Spirit to
conform them to the image if His Son – Messiah.
There remains an extremely solemn warning however that
those who persist in their rebellion to YHVH’s purpose will not enter into the Promised
Land when Yahshua returns.
Aliyah Reviee 14:26- 15:7
The
details of the punishment are now revealed. The Yisraelites will wander in the
desert for forty years. During that time, all males over the age of twenty --
with the exception of Yehoshua and Calev -- would perish. The next generation
would enter the Promised Land. The ten scouts who brought back the frightful
report died immediately. When the Hebrews were informed of YHVH's decision,
they lamented and grieved. A group of people awoke the next day and decide to
"go it alone," and enter the Land of Yisrael -- this despite Moshes'
warning that their plan would not succeed for it was not sanctioned by YHVH.
This group is cut down and massacred by the Amalekites and Canaanites.
The Yisraelites
are told that upon entering Yisrael an individual who pledges to bring an
offering must also bring an accompaniment consisting of a wine libation and a
flour offering mixed with olive oil.
Herein lies a stern
prophetic warning for us and our leaders. In the coming tribulation, there may
be no pre tribulation rapture and many believers may die in the wilderness of
the great tribulation (see book of Revelation).
Num 14:26 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, and to Aharon, saying,
Num 14:27 “How
long shall this evil congregation have this grumbling against Me? I have heard
the grumblings which the children of Yisra’ĕl are grumbling against Me.
Num 14:28 “Say to
them, ‘As I live,’ declares יהוה, ‘as you have spoken in My hearing, so I do
to you:
Num 14:29 ‘The
carcasses of you who have grumbled against Me are going to fall in this
wilderness, all of you who were registered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.
Num 14:30 ‘None of
you except Kalĕv son of Yephunneh, and Yehoshua son of Nun, shall enter the
land which I swore I would make you dwell in.
Num 14:31 ‘But
your little ones, whom you said would become a prey, I shall bring in, and they
shall know the land which you have rejected.
Num 14:32 ‘But as
for you, your carcasses are going to fall in this wilderness.
Num 14:33 ‘And
your sons shall be wanderers in the wilderness forty years, and shall bear your
whorings, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness.
Num 14:34
‘According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land,
forty days – a day for a year, a day for a year – you are to bear your
crookednesses forty years, and you shall know My breaking off.
Num 14:35 ‘I am יהוה, I have spoken, I shall do this to all this evil congregation
who are meeting against Me: In this wilderness they are consumed, and there
they die.’ ”
Num 14:36 And the
men whom Mosheh sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the
congregation grumble against him by bringing an evil report of the land,
Num 14:37 even
those men who brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before
יהוה.
Num 14:38 Of those
men who went to spy out the land, only Yehoshua son of Nun, and Kalĕv son of
Yephunneh remained alive.
Num 14:39 And when
Mosheh spoke these words to all the children of Yisra’ĕl, the people mourned
greatly.
Num 14:40 And they
rose up early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying,
“See, we have indeed sinned, but we shall go up to the place which יהוה had spoken of!”
Num 14:41 But
Mosheh said, “Why do you now transgress the command of יהוה, since it does
not prosper?
Num 14:42 “Do not
go up, lest you be smitten by your enemies, for יהוה is not in your
midst.
Num 14:43 “Because
the Amalĕqites and the Kenaʽanites are there before you, and you shall fall by
the sword. Because you have turned away from יהוה, יהוה is not with you.”
Num 14:44 But they
presumed to go up to the mountaintop, but neither the ark of the covenant of יהוה nor Mosheh
left the camp.
Num 14:45 So the
Amalĕqites and the Kenaʽanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and smote them,
and beat them down, even to Ḥormah.
Hormah means and speaks of a total destruction.
Num 15:1 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Num 15:2 “Speak to
the children of Yisra’ĕl, and say to them, ‘When you have come into the land of
your dwellings, which I am giving you,
Num 15:3 and you
make an offering by fire to יהוה, a burnt offering or a slaughtering, to
accomplish a vow or as a voluntary offering or in your appointed times, to make
a sweet fragrance to יהוה, from the herd or the flock,
Num 15:4 then he
who brings near his offering to יהוה shall bring near a grain offering of
one-tenth of an ĕphah of fine flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of
oil,
Num 15:5 and
one-fourth of a hin of wine as a drink offering you prepare with the burnt
offering or the slaughtering, for each lamb.
Num 15:6 ‘Or for a
ram you prepare as a grain offering two-tenths of an ĕphah of fine flour
mixed with one-third of a hin of oil,
Num 15:7 and as a
drink offering you bring one-third of a hin of wine as a sweet fragrance to יהוה.
Aliyah
Chamishi 15:8-16
This
section continues with the rules of the aforementioned offerings, detailing the
quantities of wine, flour and oil to be brought with various species of
livestock.
Num
15:13 ‘Let all who are native do so with
them, in bringing near an offering made by fire, a sweet fragrance to יהוה.
Num 15:14 ‘And
when a stranger sojourns with you, or whoever is among you throughout your
generations, and would make an offering made by fire, a sweet fragrance to יהוה, as you do, so he does.
Num 15:15 ‘One law
is for you of the assembly and for the stranger who sojourns with you – a law
forever throughout your generations. As you are, so is the stranger before יהוה.
Num 15:16 ‘One
Torah and one right-ruling is for you and for the stranger who sojourns with
you.’ ”
Aliyah
Shishi 15:17- 26
The
mitzvah of challah is contained in this section: when one kneads dough,
a portion must be taken and given to the priest. If the Sanhedrin
(rabbinic Supreme Court) erroneously permits an act of idolatry, and the
community acts upon this permission, the Sanhedrin must bring a special
sin-offering, detailed in this section.
Num 15:17 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Num 15:18 “Speak
to the children of Yisra’ĕl, and say to them, ‘When you come into the land to
which I bring you,
Num 15:19 then it
shall be, when you eat of the bread of the land, that you present a
contribution to יהוה.
Num 15:20 ‘Present
a cake of the first of your dough as a contribution – as a contribution of the
threshing-floor you present it.
This first cake is called a “challa” in Hebrew and means
a pierced bread. The Hebrew word “chalal” means to pierce and is also found in
Yeshayahu 53:5 ” he was pierced (chalal) for our transgressions and crushed for
our depravities”
This makes us continually mindful of our Messiah who is
the only one who can lead us and establish us in the Kingdom of YHVH.
Num 15:21 ‘Of the
first of your dough you are to give to יהוה a contribution
throughout your generations.
Num 15:22 ‘And
when you sin by mistake, and do not do all these commands which יהוה has spoken to Mosheh,
Num 15:23 all that
יהוה has commanded you by the hand of Mosheh, from the day יהוה gave command and onward throughout your generations,
Aliyah
Sheviee 15:27-41
We
now learn the rules regarding an individual who is guilty of an idolatrous
practice -- whether inadvertently or intentionally. A man is found violating the
Shabbat, and is executed. The last part of this week's reading discusses the
commandment of putting tzitzit (fringes) on four-cornered garments. When
looking at the fringes we remember all the commandments and refrain from following
the temptations of the heart. (See our article on Tzitzit (Tzitziyot-plural)
under the “Pages” on the right hand side of the BLOG)
Num 15:27 ‘And if a being sins by mistake, then he
shall bring a female goat a year old as a sin offering.
Num 15:28 ‘And the priest shall make atonement for the
being who strays by mistake, when he sins by mistake before יהוה, to make
atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him.
Num 15:29 ‘For him
who does whatever by mistake there is one Torah, both for him who is
native among the children of Yisra’ĕl and for the stranger who sojourns in
their midst.
Num 15:30 ‘But the
being who does whatever defiantly, whether he is native or a stranger,
he reviles יהוה, and that being shall be cut off from
among his people. (Heb 10:28)
Num 15:31 ‘Because
he has despised the word of יהוה, and has broken His command, that being
shall certainly be cut off, his crookedness is upon him.’ ”
Num 15:32 And
while the children of Yisra’ĕl were in the wilderness, they found a man
gathering sticks on the Sabbath day.
Num 15:33 And
those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Mosheh and to Aharon, and
to all the congregation.
Num 15:34 And they
put him in under guard, because it had not been declared what should be done to
him.
Num 15:35 And יהוה said to Mosheh, “The man shall certainly be put to death, all
the congregation stoning him with stones outside the camp.”
Num 15:36 And all
the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him with stones, as יהוה commanded Mosheh, and he died.
Num 15:37 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Num 15:38 “Speak
to the children of Yisra’ĕl, and you shall say to them to make tzitziyot1
on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a
blue cord in the tzitzit1 of the corners. Footnote: 1See
Explanatory notes - “Tzitzit” - plural Tzitziyot.
Num 15:39 “And it
shall be to you for a tzitzit, and you shall see it, and shall remember all the commands of יהוה and shall do
them, and not search after your
own heart and your own eyes after which you went whoring,
Num 15:40 so that
you remember, and shall do all My commands, and be
set-apart unto your Elohim.
Num 15:41 “I am יהוה your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim, to
be your Elohim. I am יהוה your Elohim.”
“Baruch atah YHVH,
Eloheynu, Melech ha-‘Olam
asher natan lanu
Toraht-emet,
v’chay-yeh o’lam
nata-b’tochenu.
Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn
ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Blessed are you YHVH,
our Elohim, King of the Universe,
you have given us your
Torah of truth,
and have planted
everlasting life within our midst.
Blessed are you, Yahweh
giver of the Torah.
Ameyn.)
Please note these notes
are under construction and are subject to correction and are in no way a
final
authority on any subject.
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