2/27/2015

Parashat 41 Portion 119 B’Midbar 26:52 -27:23 Yehosh 17:1-6 Yoh 10:7-18


יח  גַּל-עֵינַי וְאַבִּיטָה--    נִפְלָאוֹת, מִתּוֹרָתֶךָ.

Ps 119:18 -Open my eyes, that I might see Wonders from Your Torah.

The tragedy of Pinchas is the tragedy of the end times. It seems that only in the midst of severe judgment and death do YHVH’s people obey and keep His Torah – His Eternal Word.
Baruch Ha Shem YHVH this is not true of His Bride. May He find us worthy to be invited to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

Isa 6:11  Then I said, “יהוה, until when?” And He answered, “Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant, and the houses are without a man, and the land is laid waste, a ruin,
Isa 6:12  and יהוה has removed men far away, and the forsaken places be many in the midst of the land.
Isa 6:13  “But still, there is a tenth part in it, and it shall again be for a burning, like a terebinth tree and like an oak, whose stump remains when it is cut down. The set-apart seed(Messiah) is its stump!”

Midrash on the “Zera Kodesh” a set apart seed:

Mankind on earth has not been able to produce a “set apart seed” a seed that produces the perfect righteousness of YHVH. This was only true of Messiah. However YHVH wants to bring us into the complete likeness of Messiah, in order that our oneness with Messiah will also eventually produce perfect righteousness.
This Torah portion “Pinchas” is referred to as the “zot chukat ha torah” (19:2) – “this is the “chok” of the Torah”, in other words this Torah portion sheds light and perspective on the meaning and purpose of the whole Torah.
The portion goes on to explain the instructions of the ‘parah aduma” or red heifer.

On a deeper level of Torah understanding we realize that in these 7 days or 7000 years of mankind’s existence on earth we are have to face the reality of our defilement caused by death. We believe the Bride of Messiah will be immortal, however even the Bride will need cleansing from time to time. The prophet says our righteousness can be compared to a woman’s soiled menstrual cloth.

Isa 64:6  And all of us have become as one unclean, and all our righteousnesses are as soiled rags. And all of us fade like a leaf, and our crookednesses, like the wind, have taken us away.
Of course this kind of message is vehemently opposed by the “grace and righteousness” preachers of our day.
But because they do not know Torah and have rejected its relevance they fall into serious error and heresy and are leading many astray in these days.

Heresy and destruction comes about when you mix a “pure seed with an impure seed.’
The Torah forbids the mixing of seeds (Lev 19:19).

We see in this Torah portion how the Yisraelites defiled themselves with perverse sexual practices. Now, sexuality is not impure. but when it is mixed with pagan practices. it becomes impure and produces bondage. In fact we see that pagan practices and beliefs are often associated with perverse sexuality.

Yisrael had a shocking history of introducing pagan practices into the temple and presence of  YHVH

(2Kings 21:7). Christians have had a similar shocking history. We see this in the pagan practices introduced with Sunday worship,  “Easter” and “Christmas” Christmas was taken from an ancient pagan festival where extreme sexual perversion was practiced.

     According to Tim Hegg and others it appears that in this parashah, Cozbi and Zimri were fornicating in the set apart place. Pinchas became so indignant that he executed both of them.
      It is interesting to note that in BMidbar 25:8 the place Pinchas executed the two fornicators is referred to as the “kubbah” This is the only place in the scriptures where this word is used. Strongs 6898 refers to a “kubbah” as a vaulted tent. In ancient middle eastern times this same word was used for a place of prostitutes. It was also referred to as an arch or dome shaped enclosure where prostitution took place.
      The so called Dome of the Rock built over the ancient temple mount is also referred to as the “ Qubbat As-Sakhrah” “qubbat” an arabic word is very similar to “kubbah” – “Dome of the Foundation(corner) Stone”

“ Arabic kubbah or Kibbeh means "ball". – Wikipedia.
It is also interesting the Hebrew word for “idols” in Hebrew is “gillulim”(1544), this also  refers  to a “rounded object.” Like a dome or maybe something like a ball …

Note today the rounded object on top of the ancient temple site.
Demonic forces are released into the spiritual realm when pagan mixture is introduced into YHVH’s Word and Worship.

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.

“Registered Ones” - “Pakad” “ BDB -6485 (Pual) to be passed in review, be caused to miss, be called, be called to account.’ The context seems to suggest that you can be counted to receive an inheritance or you can be counted as being disqualified to receive an inheritance. Once again a Hebrew word can have a paradoxical meaning.

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.
Num 27:6  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Num 27:7  “The daughters of Tselophḥaḏ speak what is right. You should certainly give them a possession of inheritance among their father’s brothers, and cause the inheritance of their father to pass to them.
Num 27:8  “And speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, ‘When a man dies and has no son, then you shall cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter.
Num 27:9  ‘And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers.
Num 27:10  ‘And if he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers.
Num 27:11  ‘And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, and he shall possess it.’ ” And it shall be to the children of Yisra’ĕl a law of right-ruling, as יהוה commanded Mosheh.

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.

The daughters of Zelophehad could be compared to a type of end time bride of Messiah:

“Machla” means afflicted, “Noah” means "wandering", Milcah means "queen", Tirzah means "pleasing", Hoglah can possibly mean celebrating or dancing, because the first part of her name is “Chag.”
Etymology of the name “Hoglah”. “The name Hoglah is ascribed to an unused root חגל, which occurs in Arabic with the meaning of to hobble or hop. The Arabic derived noun means partridge, so scholars conclude that the Hebrew name Hoglah does the same. There's nothing in the vocabulary of the Scriptures that comes close to the name “Hoglah.”
Could the meaning of these combined names be a hidden reference to the five wise virgins in the parable of the ten virgins – Matt 25?

The afflicted bride, weary from her wonderings will be crowned queen because she is pleasing to her king Messiah. She will dance and celebrate with her Messiah king at the marriage feast of the Lamb.”

“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 Erez 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)

Midrash:
The issue of the inheritance of the daughters of Tzelophad seems almost insignificant in the account of the other serious issues addressed in this parashah. However we need to consider the possibility that it was these righteous woman who came to help restore order in the camp.
We must assume that if the marriage relationships were healthy between the Yisraelites they may have never fallen to such a terrible moral depravity with the Midianite woman.
The restoration of marriages in the last days could be a key for the return and restoration of Yisrael in the land.

Set apart Torah woman who are not in competition with their husbands are being raised up by YHVH in these days – See Yermiyahu 31:22.

These web sites are about a Jewish woman called Anat Hoffman – a Jewish activist in Israel campaigning for Jewish woman to be included in following the Torah of the Allmighty without the host of man-made restrictions.

http://womenofthewall.org.il/2014/12/a-bat-mitzvah-about-justice-shayna-amster/ 
http://www.jpost.com/Features/In-Thespotlight/Anat-Hoffman-Fighting-on-holy-ground-313131 

Women have a sad history of been ill treated by religious men.

In Sota 21b it is written, “Rabbi Eliezer says: Whoever teaches his daughter Torah teaches her obscenity.” Women were not allowed to be educated in the same schools as men. They could not learn the Torah by themselves nor along with the men. In the Jewish daily prayer book there is a prayer that is prayed by the men – “thank God I’m not a dog, a gentile or a woman (-Menahoth 43b-44).

The scripture has many examples of the wonderful impact woman have had in YHVH’s redemptive plan for Yisrael. The impact of these examples is often overlooked or ignored.

“The Hebrew word “Tsava” is used to describe the women’s service in Exod 38:8 and 1 Sam 2:22. In the majority of other cases where “tsava’ appears in the Hebrew Scripture it means “to go forth, as a soldier, to war” (Num 31:7; Isa 29:7, 8; 31:4 and Zech 14:12), and along these lines  tsava’ is often attached to YHVH’s military name -YHWH “tsavaot” – meaning “YHVH of hosts”. But, in the context of Ex 38:8 this particular meaning does not fit. The women do not appear to be engaged in warfare or guarding the door of the Tabernacle. So is tsava’ used in another way in the Hebrew scriptures? Yes it is. Tsava’ is also used to describe the period of indentured service for the Levites in and around the tabernacle in Num 4:23, 35, 39, 43 and 8:24. It describes the duty performed by Aaron’s descendants, the Kohathites, Gershonites and Merarites who minister in the Tabernacle. Each of these groups had different tasks. This gives us a clear idea of how the serving women at the door of the Tabernacle ministered to do their service as a part of the set apart service to YHVH, in a unofficial and unnamed Levitical role”.

We see in Paul the apostles’ writing that He urges the Assembly to honour the true widows and women who serve humbly to be supported financially by the Assembly (1 Tim 5:3-16). We see in the past time that so many women of YHVH like Channah (Anna) the prophetess (Luke 2:36-38), Miryam the prophetess and the sister of Aaron led the women of Israel to praise and worship  with song, music and dance. Deborah was a prophetess and she was judging Israel; Prophet Isaiah himself married a prophetess (Isa 8:3) and Huldah was a prophetess who were all empowered by YHVH to do spiritual warfare in prayer and help the nation of Israel, and the same has happened in the Assembly for the devoted women to serve YHVH.
Yahshua allowed the women to support his ministry through their financial giving and caring, he did not feel ashamed because of receiving from them or stopped them from ministering  to Him (Luke 8:2-3).                                                                                                 
Women were able to consecrate themselves with the vow of a Nazarite (Num. 6:2), just like men. In the Tenach the office of priest was limited to men of the priestly line (Ex. 28:1; Num. 18:1-7). No women among the Levites were involved in the priesthood. However the office of prophet in the Tenach was not limited to men, there were a few women that were called to be “prophetesses,” YHVH’s spokesperson, as were the prophets. Miryam (ca. 1400 B.C. Exodus 15:20) was the first prophetess to the nation Israel, then Deborah (Judges 4:4-7); Isaiah’s wife was also a prophetess (725 B.C.) (Isaiah 8:3). There were female prophets in the early Apostolic times, we see this with Philip, “Now this man had four virgin daughters who were prophetesses” (Acts 21:9).

The women were present in services to hear the Word of YHVH (Neh. 8:2-3), and engaged in music ministry (Ex. 15:20-21; 1 Chron. 25:5), women sang and danced in worship and often celebrated before YHVH with singing, dancing, and tambourines (e.g., 1 Samuel 18:6; Psalm 68:25), and prophesy often included instruments (1 Chron.25:1-3); prophecy was also often sung as the Psalms were inspired words put to song. The “daughters of music” (Eccl.12:4) were singing women, but they were not included in the temple choir. In Exod.15:19-21 Israel’s first prophetess (Mariam) led the women in timbrel, dancing, and singing the same song of Moshe which is the most ancient praise song that we know of.
Huldah THE PROPHETESS (640 B.C.- 2 Kings 22:13-20). During the reformation of Yoshiyahu (Josiah), his workmen, who were repairing the temple, found a scroll of the Torah that was neglected during the previous generation under King Manasseh. Yoshiyahu directed five leaders to inquire of YHVH about the scroll. They went to the married prophetess to verify the Torah.
Yahshua’s attitude toward women in His ministry becomes a liberating factor against these types of religious practices that were accepted in his day. Yahshua often did the forbidden in the religious practice of the Pharisees by ministering to both women as well as men that were off limits. He conversed with the Samaritan woman at a well, (John 4:1-42 that was an unaccepted practice for a male and rabbi of His day.) Even his disciples in v:27 “came, and they marvelled that He talked with a woman”, as they were taught not to talk to a gentile woman in public.