Blessing
for the Torah:
Bar’chu
et YHVH ha-m’vorach, Baruch YHVH ha-m’vorach l’O’lam va-ed!
Baruch
ata YHVH Eloheinu melech ha-olam asher bachar banu m’kol ha-amim, v’na-tan lanu
eht Torah-to. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Bless YHVH the blessed One;
Blessed is YHVH, the blessed One for all eternity. 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.)
We are
still busy with “Parashat Shelach le cha.” Last week we looked at one of the
most darkest days in the history of Yisrael – Tisha B’Av- the ninth day of Av –
the day where Yisrael rejected YHVH because they failed to believe and obey His
command to enter into the promised land.
This
week’s teaching concludes with the instruction of a group of people who will
eventually return to the Promised Land. It is safe to say that only Yahshua
with his end-time Bride will finally enter into Yisrael, never to leave Yisrael
again.
May
YHVH find us worthy to be part of this end-time returning bride.
This
week’s Torah portion is laid out in a very systematic way:
1.Offerings
made when one enters the land – vs 1-12
2.Responsibilities
and duties regarding Converts – 13-16
3.Separation
of the bread or challah offering as a permanent practice – 17-21
4.Delineation
between intentional and unintentional transgressions, both corporately and
individually and the manner in which restitution may be made, or the penalty of
“karat” being cut off and when the death penalty is applied – 22 -31.
5.An
example of a specific case of how the death penalty is applied for intentional
sin – 32-36.
6.Mitzvah
or commandment of Ttzitziyot -(plural. Tzitzit- singular) or fringes is to be kept – 37-41
1. Offerings made when one enters the land – vs 1-12
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(moshavim), which I
am giving you, (see Josh 24:13)
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,
Israelites had a rich heritage
of building altars, pitching tents and digging wells.
Gen 26:24
And יהוה appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the Elohim of your father Aḇraham.
Do not fear, for I am with you, and shall bless you and increase your seed for
My servant Aḇraham’s sake.”
Gen 26:25 And he built an altar there, and called on
the Name of יהוה, and he
pitched his tent there, and the servants of Yitsḥaq dug
a well there.
Pagans
build altars out of bricks – Nimrod - manmade religion creates these bricks to
force as many as they can to conform to their idolatrous understanding of YHVH
and His Word, contrary to the teaching and instruction of Torah.
Let us
examine the kinds of offering presented on these altars:
ג וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אִשֶּׁה לַיהוָה, עֹלָה אוֹ-זֶבַח,
לְפַלֵּא-נֶדֶר אוֹ בִנְדָבָה, אוֹ בְּמֹעֲדֵיכֶם--לַעֲשׂוֹת רֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ,
לַיהוָה, מִן-הַבָּקָר, אוֹ מִן-הַצֹּאן.
|
3 and
will make an offering by fire unto YHVH, a burnt-offering (ascent offering),
or a slaughter offering, in fulfilment of a vow – “neder” an extra ordinary
vow (“pala”), or as a freewill-offering, or in your appointed seasons, to
make a tranquilizing (“nichoach”) fragrance (“reiach”) unto YHVH, of the
herd, or of the flock;
|
First of all the offerings
were to be burned by fire. The very nature of true spirituality is the
willingness to be totally consumed for the honour, esteem and love of YHVH and
His Truth.
Rom 12:1 I call upon you, therefore, brothers, through
the compassion of Elohim, to present your bodies a living offering – set-apart,
well-pleasing to Elohim – your reasonable worship.
Rom 12:2 And
do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind, so that you prove what is that good and well-pleasing and perfect desire
of Elohim
The “olah” was an ascent offering – This
seems to always be the first kind of slaughter offering mentioned in the Torah
and the other offerings flow from this burnt offering. While the burnt offering was been totally
consumed on the flames the worshipper bringing the offering must have had an
opportunity to deeply reflect on the presence and greatness of YHVH. This must
have made him aware of his desire to be closer to YHVH but also the great
distance that still needed to be overcome between himself and his Creator. This
realization could give rise to the next kind of offering – the vow offering.
The vow offering – appears at least 6 times in the Torah and is referred
to as the “lephale neder” or “the promise you make to YHVH that is beyond your
ability to keep.” The very nature of
this promise or vow that we make is that when we make it we confidently assume
that He has promised us that He will enable and empower us to keep it. So for
example we vow to YHVH that we will be right before Him because in Yahshua this
will happen. We will not make excuses for our disobedience because we are
confident that as we find our true identity and restoration in Messiah,
conformed to Torah, we will be enabled to keep all His commandments and walk in
a perfect manner before Him – Phil 1:6.
We are not saved by our perfect obedience
– we have been saved by the favour or
grace of YHVH through the blood of Messiah, to be enabled to walk perfectly
before Him.
Jud 1:24 Now
to Him being able to keep you without stumbling, and to set you before His
esteem without blemish, with unspeakable joy
This kind of perfection only comes
in our complete love and surrender to YHVH. YHVH has