7/13/2012

Parashat 41-- Pinchas - “snake mouth”



Bamidbar/Num 25:10-30:1

The rabbis say Pinchas is like Eliyahu (Elijah). 

     Mal 4:4  “Remember the Torah of Mosheh, My servant, which I commanded him in Ḥorĕv for all Yisra’ĕl – laws and right-rulings.
      Mal 4:5  “See, I am sending you Ěliyah1 the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of יהוה. Footnote: 1Lk. 1:17.
      Mal 4:6  “And he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with utter destruction1.” Footnote: 1Zech. 14:11.

There is an end time prophetic voice on the earth in our days urging those who call upon the name of YHVH to turn their hearts back to the ancient paths of Torah.

Why snake mouth? – Maybe the Father is speaking of a restoration of a prophetic priesthood in these days, the kind of restoration that might not go down to well with many of us. Many believers are going to hear and be exposed to a genuine end -time prophetic voice that most will find hard to accept and not willing to listen to. They will accuse such an unpopular “priesthood” of “speaking like the devil” – “Snake mouth”

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from the heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.1 Footnote: 1Jer. 51:6 & 45.

Rev 11:3  “And I shall give unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clad in sackcloth.”
Rev 11:4  These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that are standing before the Elohim of the earth.
Rev 11:5  And if anyone wishes to harm them, fire comes out from their mouth and consumes their enemies. And if anyone wishes to harm them, he has to be killed in that way.
Rev 11:6  These possess authority to shut the heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy. And they possess authority over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they wish.
Rev 11:7  And when they have ended their witness, the beast coming up out of the pit of the deep shall fight against them, and overcome them, and kill them,
Rev 11:8  and their dead bodies lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Seḏom and Mitsrayim, where also our Master was impaled,
Rev 11:9  and some of the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations see their dead bodies for three and a half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be placed into tombs,
Rev 11:10  and those dwelling on the earth rejoice over them and exult. And they shall send gifts to each other, because these two prophets tortured those dwelling on the earth.
Rev 11:11  And after the three and a half days a spirit of life from Elohim entered into them, and they stood upon their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.

 “The true greatness of Pinchas lay in that he acted in complete opposition to his nature, transcending his inborn instincts to bring peace between YHVH and Israel.”(The Lubavitcher Rebbe)
Pinchas did not enjoy bringing a harsh judgment but he knew that there was a great redemptive act in his actions.  The plague that came upon the people was stopped because of his actions. This may once again be the case in the last days that a “Pinchas” people will save many from the plague and destruction of the coming great tribulation.

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,
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.      25:10 – 26:4
2.      26:5-51
3.      26:52 – 27:5
4.      27:6-23
5.      28:1-15
6.      28:16 – 29:11
7.      29:12-34
8.      Maftir: 29:35 – 30:1
 
Haftarah: 1 Kings 18:46 – 19:21

Aliyah Rishon 25:10-26:4

Bemidbar/Num 25:10  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Num 25:11  “Pineḥas, son of El’azar, son of Aharon the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Yisra’ĕl, because he was ardent with My ardour in their midst, so that I did not consume the children of Yisra’ĕl in My ardour

“Pinchas” means “bronze mouth” or “serpent’s mouth.” The two mean essentially the same thing. The episode of the bronze serpent raised up for repentance and healing demonstrates a strong spiritual link between the metal and the creature. They are both symbols of judgment. In this incident, Pinchas acted as the teeth of the serpent, carrying out judgment against the worst perpetrators of rebellion in the camp. By publicly and violently enforcing YHVH’s standards of sexual purity, by preventing the corruption of Israel’s children, he brought YHVH’s blessing of peace on his own children for generations”.

It is possible that Kozbi and Zimri were fornicating in the most set apart place in the tabernacle.

Num 25:12  “Therefore say, ‘See, I am giving him My covenant of peace,
Num 25:13  and it shall be to him and to his seed after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was ardent for his Elohim, and made atonement for the children of Yisra’ĕl.’ ”
Num 25:14  And the name of the Yisra’ĕlite who was killed, who was killed with the Miḏyanite woman, was Zimri, son of Salu, a leader of a father’s house among the Shim’onites.
Num 25:15  And the name of the Miḏyanite woman who was killed was Kozbi the daughter of Tsur. He was head of the people of a father’s house in Miḏyan.

There are two jots or tittles in the opening verses of this parasha (Mat 5:18.). In verse 11 there is a tittle over the “yud” in “Pinchas” and there is a broken “vav” in the word “shalom” in verse 12. What do they mean?
There is much speculation as to the meaning of these marked words. Obviously Moshe was attempting to draw our attention to some important hidden truth in the text.

I believe these tittles always have some reference to the Messiah. Pinchas and his actions were a type of Messianic restoration. I believe this could be referring to an end time group of believers who have embraced a Torah observant Jewish Messiah that will bring a prophetic message of warning against many who have been proclaiming a false or broken peace (broken vav).  This small remnant has always existed.

1Th 5:1  Now, brothers, as to the times and the seasons, you do not need to be written to.
1Th 5:2  For you yourselves know very well that the day of יהוה comes as a thief in the night.
1Th 5:3  For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then suddenly destruction comes upon them, as labour pains upon a pregnant woman, and they shall not escape.
1Th 5:4  But you, brothers, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.

Num 25:16  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Num 25:17  “Distress the Miḏyanites! And you shall smite them,
Num 25:18  for they distressed you with their tricks with which they deceived you in the matter of Pe’or and in the matter of Kozbi, the daughter of a leader of Miḏyan, their sister, who was killed in the day of the plague because of Pe’or.”

Note there are two commandments is vs 17 – to “distress” or strongly oppose and “smite” or conquer and subjugate the enemy. How do we do this? We have been given the sword of the Ruach which is the word of YHVH.

Heb 4:12  For the Word of Elohim is living, and working, and sharper than any two-edged sword, cutting through even to the dividing of being and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

We take such strong action because Midyan which means “strife” causes strife between YHVH and His people when His people turn away from His Torah.

Rom 8:1  There is, then, now no condemnation to those who are in Messiah יהושע, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Rom 8:2  For the Torah of the Spirit of the life in Messiah יהושע has set me free from the law of sin and of death.
Rom 8:3  For the Torah being powerless, in that it was weak through the flesh, Elohim, having His own Son in the likeness of flesh of sin, and concerning sin, condemned sin in the flesh,

(That is why the Torah and the Ruach were both given on the day of Shavuot also knows as Pentecost, you cannot have one without the other)

Rom 8:4  so that the righteousness of the Torah should be completed in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Rom 8:5  For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the matters of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the matters of the Spirit.
Rom 8:6  For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace.
Rom 8:7  Because the mind of the flesh is enmity (strife) towards Elohim, for it does not subject itself1 to the Torah of Elohim2, neither indeed is it able, Footnotes: 1Or does not obey. 2John 15:5, 1 John 4:4, 1 John 3:9, 1 John 5:18.
Rom 8:8  and those who are in the flesh are unable to please Elohim.
Rom 8:9  But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of Elohim dwells in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Messiah, this one is not His.

Num 26:1  And it came to be, after the plague, that יהוה spoke to Mosheh and El’azar, son of Aharon the priest, saying,
Num 26:2  “Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Yisra’ĕl from twenty years old and above, by their fathers’ houses, everyone going out to the army in Yisra’ĕl.”
Num 26:3  So Mosheh and El’azar the priest spoke with them in the desert plains of Mo’aḇ by the Yardĕn of Yeriḥo, saying,
Num 26:4  “Take a census of the people from twenty years old and above, as יהוה commanded Mosheh and the children of Yisra’ĕl who came out of the land of Mitsrayim.”

Why did YHVH command a census at this time? (v. 1ff.)
Rashi: This could be compared to a shepherd whose flock was attacked by wolves and some sheep were killed, so he counted them to know how many were left. Earlier, at the end of Parshat Balak, we read how the Jewish people were punished for the sin of Ba'al Pe'or in two ways: i.) There was a plague which killed 24,000 people (25:9). ii.) "Moshe said to the judges of Israel, 'Each of you should kill men who became attached to Ba'al Pe'or'" (v. 5 ibid.). Rashi explains: "Each one of the Jewish judges executed two men, and there were 88,000 Jewish judges." From this it follows that 166,000 people were executed by the judges, a much greater loss than that which occurred through the plague.”
The term used for the first counting (census) that took place was “gulgoleth” or skull, the same word we use for “Golgotha” This second counting the word “adat” which means congregation is used. Could this possibly refer to the possibility that not all those who are “saved” or “born again” will be included in the final count of the Assembly of YHVH (the bride of Messiah) that are to enter into the promised land?  (see vs 26:63-65)

Num 26:63  These are the ones registered by Mosheh and El’azar the priest, who registered the sons of Yisra’ĕl in the desert plains of Mo’aḇ by the Yardĕn of Yeriḥo.
Num 26:64  But among these there was not a man of those registered by Mosheh and Aharon the priest when they registered the sons of Yisra’ĕl in the Wilderness of Sinai.
Num 26:65  For יהוה had said of them, “They shall certainly die in the wilderness.” And not a man was left of them, except Kalĕḇ son of Yephunneh, and Yehoshua son of Nun.

Aliyah Sheni 26:5-51

The Israelites are counted, and the totals are given for each of the twelve tribes. The grand total of all the tribes combined is 601,730. The tribe of Levi is not included in this census. The census total given in vs 51 is almost identical to the census taken shortly after the exodus (Num 1:46) Here it is 1820 fewer which is surprising given the amazing fertility of the nation in Mirstrayim/Egypt. Statisticians claim from the number of families given by the number of first borns, it is evident that most men must have had more than one wife (do the maths, if there are approximately 22 000 families and the census yields more than 600 000 men over 20 years old, the only conclusion is that the families must have been very large)

Aliyah Shlishi 26:52-27:5

Num 26:52  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Num 26:53  “The land is to be divided to these as an inheritance, according to the number of names.
Num 26:54  “To the large one you give a larger inheritance, and to the small one you give a smaller inheritance. Each shall be given its inheritance according to their registered ones.
Num 26:55  “But the land is divided by lot, they inherit according to the names of the tribes of their fathers.
Num 26:56  “According to the lot their inheritance is divided between the larger and the smaller.”
Num 26:57  And these are the registered ones of the Lĕwites according to their clans: of Gĕreshon, the clan of the Gĕreshonites; of Qehath, the clan of the Qehathites; of Merari, the clan of the Merarites.
Num 26:58  These are the clans of the Lĕwites: the clan of the Liḇnites, the clan of the Ḥeḇronites, the clan of the Maḥlites, the clan of the Mushites, and the clan of the Qorḥites. And Qehath brought forth Amram.
Num 26:59  And the name of Amram’s wife was Yoḵeḇeḏ the daughter of Lĕwi, who was born to Lĕwi in Mitsrayim. And to Amram she bore Aharon and Mosheh and their sister Miryam.
Num 26:60  And to Aharon were born Naḏaḇ and Aḇihu, El’azar and Ithamar.
Num 26:61  And Naḏaḇ and Aḇihu died when they brought strange fire before יהוה.
Num 26:62  And their registered ones were twenty-three thousand, every male from a month old and above. For they were not registered among the other children of Yisra’ĕl, because there was no inheritance given to them among the children of Yisra’ĕl. (Redeemed the first born of Yisrael)
Num 26:63  These are the ones registered by Mosheh and Elʽazar the priest, who registered the sons of Yisra’ĕl in the desert plains of Mo’aḇ by the Yardĕn of Yeriḥo.
Num 26:64  But among these there was not a man of those registered by Mosheh and Aharon the priest when they registered the sons of Yisra’ĕl in the Wilderness of Sinai.
Num 26:65  For יהוה had said of them, “They shall certainly die in the wilderness.” And not a man was left of them, except Kalĕḇ son of Yephunneh, and Yehoshua son of Nun.
Num 27:1  Then came the daughters of Tselophḥaḏ, son of Ḥĕpher, son of Gil’aḏ, son of Maḵir, son of Menashsheh, from the clans of Menashsheh, son of Yosĕph. And these were the names of his daughters: Maḥlah, Noʽah, and Ḥoḡlah, and Milkah, and Tirtsah.
Num 27:2  And they stood before Mosheh, and before El’azar the priest, and before the leaders and all the congregation, by the doorway of the Tent of Meeting, saying,
Num 27:3  “Our father died in the wilderness, yet he was not in the company of those who were met together against יהוה, in company with Qoraḥ, but he died in his own sin. And he had no sons.
Num 27:4  “Why should the name of our father be removed from among his clan because he had no son? Give us a possession among the brothers of our father.”
Num 27:5  Mosheh then brought their case before יהוה.

We see in the book of Ezekiel that those of us who have been grafted into the Olive tree as “wild olive branches”, also receive an inheritance.

Eze 47:22  “And it shall be that you divide it by lot as an inheritance for yourselves, and for the strangers who sojourn in your midst and who bear children among you. And they shall be to you as native-born among the children of Yisra’ĕl – with you they have an inheritance in the midst of the tribes of Yisra’ĕl1. Footnote: 1Isa. 14:1, Isa. 56:6-8, Rom. 11:17-26, Eph. 2:19, Eph. 3:6, Rev. 21:12.
Eze 47:23  “And it shall be that in whatever tribe the stranger sojourns, there you give him his inheritance,” declares the Master יהוה.

The daughters of Zelophehad:

“Machla” means afflicted, “Noah” means "wandering", Milcah means "queen", Tirzah means "pleasing", Hoglah means "dancing" (though for this reason it is also the word for partridge).

This could be a prophetic pointing to the five wise virgins. (Mat 25) The afflicted bride weary from her wonderings will rejoice and dance before her Messiah and he will find her exceedingly pleasing in His eyes.

“The five daughters of Zelophehad were mentioned six times in the Tenach (Numbers 26:33; Numbers 27:1; Numbers 36:6; Numbers 36:10; Numbers 36:11, and Yehoshua/Joshua 17:6). YHVH instructed that these women were to be given their portion of the land in Canaan, with the proviso they marry men from the same tribe. Thus the inheritance was complete for all rightful heirs of the tribe of Manasseh.
The women of the wilderness generation repaired the breaches committed by the men. Thus, when the men
asked their wives for their gold earrings to make the Golden Calf, the women refused, because they would have nothing to do with this sacrilege. Similarly, with regard to the sin of the spies sent to scout out  Etertz Yisrael (Land of Israel): the men slandered the land, while the women kept their peace. In contrast with the men who did not want to enter the land and gain possession of it, the daughters of Zelophehad arose to demand a portion in the land (Num. Rabbah 21:10), as the midrash learns from the juxtaposition of the episode of the daughters of Zelophehad with the description of the death of the wilderness generation for the sin of the spies in the preceding verse (Num. 26:65)”.

Archaeological discoveries in 1910 produced some very interesting historical evidence:

In a storehouse north of Shechem (in the land of the tribe of Manasseh) wine and olive oil jars (dated from the period of Jeroboam) bearing the following inscriptions on them were found:

 One with the city’s name “Noa” another with the city’s name “Hogla” and in the same region we find a city named “Tirza”. (1 Kings 15:21 “21 )

“They were virtuous, since they would marry only such men as were worthy of them.... Even the youngest among them was not married before forty years of age. (This is deduced from the fact that Tzelafchad died in the first year after Exodus, and his daughters' petition was in the 40th year; thus the youngest of them could have been less than 40 at the time. Yet this occurred before their marriage, as evidenced from Numbers 36).”
(Talmud, Bava Batra 119b)

Aliyah Reviee 27:6-23

YHVH agreed to Zelophehad's daughters' request. Moshe after seeking YHVH’s face introduces the laws of inheritance. Included in these laws is a daughter's right to her father's estate if he does not leave any sons. YHVH tells Moshe to climb to the top of Mount Abarim from where he would see the Promised Land before he died. Moshe asks YHVH to appoint a worthy individual to succeed him. YHVH instructs Moshe to endow Yehoshua with leadership anointing and publicly name him as his successor.


Aliyah Chamishi 28:1-15

From this point until the end of this week's reading, the Torah details the various communal offerings which were offered in the Tabernacle and Temple at designated times. This section discusses the twice-daily "Tamid" offering, as well as the additional offerings offered on Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh (the first day of the Hebrew month).
These feasts or appointments afford the true seeker and lover of YHVH the opportunity to enjoy special times of intimacy with Him. The Hebrew word for offering is “korban” and comes from the verb “karav” which means to draw near.

It is not by accident that these appointments have been repeated again here in sefer Bemidbar (book of Numbers) as the tragic incident of defilement in the tabernacle of YHVH with the Midianite woman occurred on one of the pagan festivals of the time. Commentators believe that these events took place during the harvest festival around Pesach/Passover at the same time the pagan feast of Easter would have been celebrated by these Midianites.

“A festival to Baal was a degrading, gluttonous orgy. Sacrificial meat, Wine, riotous music, and of course, gross fornication of all kinds was involved.”
Balaam taught the King of the Moabites to set up Altars to Baal at a place named "Baal Peor" (Master of the Opening). As the smell of freshly cooked meat, and the sound of the Music drifted into the camp of Israel, many of the men of Israel turned aside to see what was happening. Then the women of Moab were presented to them, and the unspeakably sensuous orgy commenced. But we are not merely told by YHVH that the children of Israel committed fornication, or drank and ate to excess, but rather  “Bem/Num 25:1  And Yisra’ĕl dwelt in Shittim, and the people began to whore with the daughters of Mo’aḇ, Num 25:2  and they invited the people to the slaughterings of their mighty ones, and the people ate and bowed down to their mighty ones. Num 25:3  Thus Yisra’ĕl was joined to Ba’al Pe’or, and the displeasure of יהוה burned against Yisra’ĕl.

Aliyah Shishi 28:16-29:11

This section discusses the offerings offered on Pesach/Passover, Shavuot/Feast of weeks, Yom Teruah/Day of the great awakening blast/Feast of Trumpets, and Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement. The Torah also discusses some of the laws related to these appointments.

Aliyah Sheviee 29:12-30:1

This section discusses the offerings offered during the Appointments (Feasts) of Sukkot (Sukkot is seven days) and Shemeni Atzereth (the Eighth day assembly at the end of Sukkot).

Num 29:39 "These you prepare to YHVH at your appointed times, besides your vowed offerings and your voluntary offerings, as your burbt offerings and your grain offerings, as your dr
Num 29:40  And Mosheh spoke to the children of Yisra’ĕl according to all יהוה had commanded Mosheh.
Num 30:1  And Mosheh spoke to the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, “This is the word which יהוה has commanded:

May this be a lesson to us for all time that you cannot combine the appointments of YHVH with pagan appointments, because it will inevitably lead you away from the truth.

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, YHVH 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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