Blessing of Torah.
Hebrew:
Baruch atah YHVH eloheinu melech
ha-olam, asher kideshanu b'mitzvotav, v'tzivanu la'asok b'divrei Torah.
V'ha'arev na YHVH eloheinu et divrei toratecha befinu uvfi amecha beit Yisrael.
V'niyeh anachnu v'tze'etze'einu v'tze'etza'ei amecha beit Yisrael kullanu yodei
sh'mecha v'lomdei toratecha lishmah. Baruch atah YHVH hamelamed Torah le'amo
Yisrael. Baruch atah YHVH Eloheinu melech ha-olam, asher bachar banu mikol
ha'amim venatan lanu et torato. Baruch atah YHVH, notein haTorah.
English
translation: Blessed are You, YHVH
our Elohim, King of the universe, who has made us set apart through His
commandments and commanded us to actively study Torah. Please YHVH, our Elohim,
sweeten the words of Your Torah in our mouths and in the mouths of all Your
people Israel. May we and our offspring, and the offspring of Your people, the
House of Israel, may we all, together, know Your Name and study Your Torah for
the sake of fulfilling Your desire. Blessed are You, YHVH, Who teaches Torah to
His people Israel. Blessed are You, YHVH our Elohim, King of the universe, ,
Who chose us from all the nations and gave us the Torah. Blessed are You, YHVH,
Giver of the Torah.
We are still busy
with Parashat 35“ Nasso” –to lift up or Make an Accounting– of what? A set apart priesthood. This week we are
dealing with the Nazarite vow. This was a voluntary act of service to YHVH.
YHVH will always have a
priesthood even if it is a very small remnant that will raise and keep the
banner high of His Righteousness as revealed through His Son Messiah – Yahshua.
This is true even in the light of a falling away and increasing unfaithfulness
of His people – Yisrael.
In fact this falling away
is one of the significant signs of the last days.
2Th 2:3 Let no one deceive you in any way, because
the falling away is to come first, and the man of lawlessness (Torahlessness)
is to be revealed, the son of destruction, Footnote: 1Some texts
read sin instead of lawlessness. This man might be the same one we read of in
the prophecy in Isa. 14:12 – Hĕlĕl (“Heileil”), meaning “the shining one,” the
sovereign of Baḇel.
2Th 2:4 who
opposes and exalts himself above all that is called Elohim or that is
worshipped, so that he sits as Elohim in the Dwelling Place of Elohim, showing
himself that he is Elohim.
2Th 2:5 Do
you not remember that I told you this while I was still with you?
2Th 2:6 And
now you know what restrains, for him to be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7 For
the secret of lawlessness is already at work – only until he who now restrains
comes out of the midst.
2Th 2:8 And
then the lawless one shall be revealed, whom the Master shall consume with the
Spirit of His mouth and bring to naught with the manifestation of His coming.
2Th 2:9 The
coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all
power and signs and wonders of falsehood,
2Th 2:10 and
with all deceit of unrighteousness in those perishing, because they did not
receive the love of the truth, in order for them to be saved.
2Th 2:11 And
for this reason Elohim sends them a working of delusion, for them to believe
the falsehood,1 Footnote: 1Eze. 20:25, John 9:39, John
12:40, Acts 7:42, Rom. 1:24-28.
2Th
2:12 in order that all should be judged
who did not believe the truth, but have delighted in the unrighteousness.
This Torah portion gives an
account of the Nazarite vow. The Nazarite vow is not a cure
for our unfaithfulness but a prevention of it. This portion followed the law of
a jealous husband and was considered by some sages to be the righteous response
of an aggrieved or suspicious husband towards his unfaithful wife.
Difference between Netzer and Nazir:
“A nazirite
(nazir) was a person consecrated (set apart) to YHVH either from birth,
such as Samson or Samuel; or for a limited time. A Nazarite
(נְזִיר ) was an Israelite who had taken
special vows of dedication to YHVH
whereby he abstained for a specified period of time from using alcohol and grape products, cutting his hair, and
approaching corpses. At the end of the period he was required to immerse
himself in water. Thus the baptism of Yahshua (Matthew 3:13-15) by John the
Immerser could have been done "to fulfil all righteousness" at the
ending of a nazirite vow. Following his immersion, the scriptures give no
reason to suppose Yahshua took another nazirite vow until the last Pesach seder
Yahshua shared with his
talmidim/disciples-see Mark 14:25.”Nazareth Heb. “Natsaret” the root verb
“natsar” means to guard. The same Hebrew letters “netser” means branch. The
Jews called the early followers of
Yahshua “Notsrim” or Nazarenes.
We can deduce from this Hebrew word usage that the true believers in Yahshua,
then and now were destined to guard and
protect the Truth or the Torah. This was the destiny of the “grafted in”
branches - Notzrim. Branches of a tree reveal that they are been sustained by a
root system which cannot be seen. “Branches” therefore reveal the deep
mysteries of YHVH and His Kingdom. See Rom 11:17-20.
“The second writings
(New Testament) uses "Nazarene" six times, while "Nazorean"
is used 13 times. In the Book of Acts, "Nazorean" is used to refer to
a follower of Yahshua, i.e. a follower of Yahshua rather than an inhabitant of
a town.” Act 24:5 “For having found this
man a plague, who stirs up dissension among all the Yehuḏim throughout the
world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Natsarenes,
Jer 31:6 “For there shall be a day when the
watchmen(Notzrim) cry on Mount Ephrayim, ‘Arise, and let us go up to Tsiyon, to
יהוה our Elohim.’ ”
Our Torah portion begins:
Num 6:1 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Num 6:2 “Speak to
the children of Yisra’ĕl, and say to them, ‘When a man or woman does separate,
by making a vow of a Nazirite, to be separate to יהוה,
Note a man or a woman could take a nazarite vow. The
sages suggest that we should understand this in the light of the law of sotah.
Others suggest that woman were given far greater roles of spiritual
responsibility than what is commonly accepted. We see for example in
Shemot/Exodus 38:8 that certain woman were placed as guards at the entrance of
the tabernacle (were these woman who had taken a nazarite vow?). I am certain
their roles were not just symbolic but that they exercised authority over what
the priests took into the set apart place, as well as which priests entered
into the set apart place. After all the priesthood were also representing them
before YHVH.
Num 6:3 he
separates himself from wine and strong drink – he drinks neither vinegar
of wine nor vinegar of strong drink, neither does he drink any grape juice, nor
eat grapes or raisins.
Num 6:4 ‘All the
days of his separation he does not eat whatever is made of the grapevine, from
seed to skin.
Num 6:5 ‘All the
days of the vow of his separation a razor does not come upon his head. Until
the days are completed for which he does separate himself to יהוה, he is
set-apart. He shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long.
Num 6:6 ‘All the
days of his separation to יהוה he does not go near a dead body.
Num 6:7 ‘He does
not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother or
his sister, when they die, because his separation to Elohim is on his head.
(requirements of high priest)
Num 6:8 ‘All the
days of his separation he is set-apart to יהוה.
Num 6:9 ‘And when
anyone dies beside him in an instant, suddenly, and he has defiled the head of
his separation, then he shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing – on
the seventh day he shaves it.
Num 6:10 ‘And on
the eighth day he brings two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to
the door of the Tent of Meeting,
Num 6:11 and the
priest shall prepare one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering,
and shall make atonement for him, because he sinned by reason of the dead body.
And he shall set apart his head on that day,
Num 6:12 and shall
separate to יהוה the days of his separation, and shall bring a male lamb a year
old, as a guilt offering. But the former days are not counted, because his
separation was defiled.
Num 6:13 ‘And this
is the Torah of the Nazirite: When the days of his separation are completed, he
is brought to the door of the Tent of Meeting, (Shemot 38:8)
Num 6:14 and he
shall bring his offering to יהוה: one male lamb a year old, a perfect one, as a burnt offering,
and one ewe lamb a year old, a perfect one, as a sin offering, and one ram, a
perfect one, as a peace offering,
Num 6:15 and a
basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened
thin cakes anointed with oil, and their grain offering with their drink
offerings.
Num 6:16 ‘And the
priest shall bring them before יהוה and prepare his sin offering and his burnt
offering.
Num 6:17 ‘And he
shall prepare the ram as a peace offering to יהוה, together with
the basket of unleavened bread. And the priest shall prepare its grain offering
and its drink offering.
Num 6:18 ‘And the
Nazirite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the Tent of
Meeting, and shall take the hair from the head of his separation and shall put
it on the fire which is under the slaughtering of the peace offering.
Num 6:19 ‘And the
priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake from
the basket, and one unleavened thin cake, and put them upon the hands of the
Nazirite after he has shaved his hair of separation.
Num 6:20 ‘Then the
priest shall wave them, a wave offering before יהוה. It is
set-apart for the priest, besides the breast of the wave offering and besides
the thigh of the contribution. And afterwards the Nazirite shall drink wine.’
Num 6:21 “This is
the Torah of the Nazirite who vows to יהוה the offering
for his separation, and besides that, whatever else his hand is able to
provide. According to the vow which he takes, so he shall do according to the
Torah of his separation.”
The
Nazir
“The Hebrew word for Nazarite is “Nazir”. It is
from the verb “nazar”, “Nazir” means a "separated one." The Nazarites
were under a peculiar vow of separation.
The three most famous Nazarites of the scriptures
are Samson, Samuel and John the Baptist. Yet these three are exceptional
because they were all set aside as Nazarites prior to birth. The normal
Nazarite vow was for a short term, from only a month to several years. Samson,
Samuel and John the Baptist all were conceived in otherwise barren wombs and
were dedicated by their grateful mothers into lives of separation under the
Nazarite vow. But according to Torah, the life of Nazarite was open to any and
all who desired it.
In the days of the Temple, if a man or woman
desired to take a special vow of separation to YHVH, he or she could take a
Nazarite vow. The specifications of the vow are found in Numbers 6. The vow
could be taken for any term of length, but the Mishnah(Hebrew)
a major ancient compilation of Jewish oral law; the foundational component of the
Talmud specifies a minimum duration of 30 days. While under the term of the
vow, the Nazir was prohibited from consuming any of the fruit of the vine,
whether raisins or grapes, new wine or old wine. In addition, the Nazir was
forbidden to drink any intoxicating drink. Aside from these consumption
restrictions, the Nazir was also to avoid corpse contamination. In Torah law,
contact with a dead body transmits ritual uncleanness. Because the Nazir was to
avoid uncleanness from death, he was to avoid corpse contamination while under
his vow, even in the death of close family members. Finally, while under the
vow, the Nazir could not cut his hair.
In the Apostolic scriptures, Paul takes a
Nazarite vow in Acts 18:18. It has
not always been recognized as a Nazarite vow because rather than say, "He
let his hair grow long," the text says, "He had his hair cut off
because of a vow he had taken." We would assume that if he were taking a
Nazarite vow, he certainly would not have his hair cut off. This mistake may
stem from a misunderstanding of the meaning of the Nazarite's hair. The hair of
the Nazarite both symbolically and literally represented the amount of time
that the Nazarite spent under the vow. When the term of the Nazarite's vow was
completed, he cut his hair and burned it in the Temple. Burning the hair was a
gesture symbolizing that the Nazarite was offering up to YHVH the amount of time he had dedicated to YHVH
as a Nazarite. If he had been a Nazarite for only a few months, it would only
be a few months' growth. If he had been a Nazarite for several years, it would
have been several feet of hair. But in order for the length of hair to
accurately represent the term of the vow, the vow must be begun with a shaved
head!
Regardless of which situation it is that Paul was
in, the terms of the Nazarite vow necessitated that he return to Jerusalem and
the Temple to make the necessary offerings and to have his hair shaved in the
Temple. Once he arrived in Jerusalem in Acts 21, he joined with four more
believers who had also taken Nazarite vows and they went to the Temple together
for haircuts and sacrifices. We must
remember that Paul did this to prove that he had not departed from the strict
observance of the Torah.
The Torah wants us to make a connection between
the high priest and Nazarite. Both High Priest and Nazarite enjoy a status of
separation called "nezer" which is theirs by virtue of a ritual
marking on their heads. For the High Priest it is the anointing oil poured out
on his head that grants him the nezer status. For the Nazarite it is the hair
on his head that grants him the nezer status.
Concerning Yaakov(Hebrew)
the Hebrew equivalent of Jacob, James HaTzaddik, James the righteous, the
Brother of the Yahshua. Eusebius quotes Hegesippus in his Ecclesiastical
History regarding the martyrdom of James. He writes, "James drank no wine
or intoxicating liquor and ate no animal food; no razor came near his head; he
did not smear himself with oil, and took no baths. He alone was permitted to
enter the Set apart Place, for his garments were not of wool but of linen. He
used to enter the Set apart place alone, and was often found on his knees
beseeching forgiveness for the people..." This text raises an intriguing
problem. We find here a very strong and early tradition about James that places
him inside the Temple Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is forbidden to all except for
the priesthood. How is it that James, a man descended from the House of David
and the tribe of Judah has access to the Sanctuary where only priests are
allowed? How is it that we find James clothed in linen garments? that is,
priestly garments? praying inside the Temple proper? Is it because James was a
Nazarite, and as a Nazarite, he obtained some kind of quasi-priestly status? We
must either accept it as so or reject the tradition of Hegesippus all-
together.
The astute reader of the Apostolic scriptures
will notice an unavoidable parallel between this Joseph midrash and the words
of the Master when he says to his disciples, "I tell you, I will not drink
from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew
with you in My Father's kingdom" (Matthew 26:27, NIV).
The Master states the term of his vow at the
outset. He will not drink of the fruit of the vine again "until that day
when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom."
Thus according to halachah (Hebrew)
literally, "walk"; traditional Jewish law concerning specific
application of the commandments., Yahshua binds himself to a Nazarite vow at
his last seder (Hebrew) literally, "order";
an ordered event, especially the meal eaten on Passover.
The good news accounts tell us that during the
execution, Yahshua was twice offered vinegar (literally sour wine). The first
time he refuses it. However, at the point of death and ultimate ritual
defilement through uncleanness, he accepted it. How is it possible that he
would break his vow to not drink of the fruit of the vine? If the vow was a
Nazarite vow this can be explained. His vow would be defunct at the point of
death because it would be temporarily terminated by his contact with death.
Hence he refuses the vinegar earlier, but receives it at the very moment of
death. The vinegar and the death are significantly linked. Both sever the vow.
Thus the vinegar is symbolic of death and corpse contamination. When the Master
accepts the vinegar, it symbolizes his accepting death. A vow severed by corpse
contact must be re-entered only after purification. The Master's resurrection
is his purification from death. Now our Master ever lives to make intercession
for us, while he is seated at the right hand of YHVH. (Heb 7:25)
So, what does this mean to us who are called
to lead worship in the assembly of set apart ones? Well, it was the
Levites who were tasked with the role of functioning as the singers, musicians
and the leaders of the singing in the Tabernacle of David. And, according to
Acts 15:16, that revelation of divine order of worship that YHVH gave to King
David, is our pattern. So, in the context of YHVH’s historical dealings
with them, we can see what the tribe of Levi has been called to and destined
to, from Moses, to David to the present. It is a high and noble calling to be a
helps minister to the priest. And to be successful in our calling and in our
destiny, we must understand our role and how it relates to the rest of the body
of Messiah. End quote.
It appears in our day that many believers have
allowed themselves to be fashioned after the spirit of this world.
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.
Sadly the word “nazir” in modern Hebrew means monk.
This too has given a wrong idea of what it really means to be set apart. YHVH
is not calling us out of this world but He is calling us to be the fragrance of
His Messiah in this world. (2Cor 2:15)
Believers need now more than ever to be separated
from everything that brings uncleanness into our lives. The Torah enlightened
by the Ruach Ha Kodesh will show us the difference between what is right in the
Eyes of YHVH and what is not right.
In the renewed temple the Levitical priesthood will
once again restore all truth.
Eze 44:23 “And they are to teach My people the difference
between the set-apart and the profane, and make them know what is unclean and
clean.
The Ruach Ha Kodesh will assist us in this
matter in the last days.
1Ti 4:1 But the Spirit distinctly says that in latter
times some shall fall away from the belief, paying attention to misleading
spirits, and teachings of demons,
1Ti 4:2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having been
branded on their own conscience,
1Ti 4:3 forbidding to marry, saying to abstain
from foods which Elohim created to be received with thanksgiving by those who
believe and know the truth.
The Ruach is calling us to be set apart according to the way Messiah
taught the Torah.
Isa 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways My ways,” declares יהוה.
Isa 55:9 “For as
the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways,
and My thoughts than your thoughts.
Isa 55:10 “For as
the rain comes down, and the snow from the heavens, and do not return there,
but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, and give seed to the
sower and bread to the eater,
Isa 55:11 so is My
Word that goes forth from My mouth – it does not return to Me empty, but shall
do what I please, and shall certainly accomplish what I sent it for.
Finally the Nazarite vows causes us to consider for what
reason one should abstain from wine or products containing grapes.
We are reminded that wine was taken in anticipation of
the covenant status we are to enjoy with YHVH one day.
Refraining from taking wine was perhaps a way of
expressing a longing to be in His presence enjoying the covenant blessing face
to face.
Rev 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the heaven
saying, “See, the Booth of Elohim is with men, and He shall dwell with them,
and they shall be His people, and Elohim Himself shall be with them and be
their Elohim.
Rev 21:4 “And Elohim shall wipe away every tear from
their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor mourning, nor crying. And there
shall be no more pain, for the former matters have passed away.”
Rev 22:14 “Blessed are those1 doing His
commands, (Torah) so that the authority shall be theirs unto the tree of life,
and to enter through the gates into the city.
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 Yahweh, 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)