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 Yisrael. 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 Yisrael. 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.
Num 32:1 And the children of Re’uḇĕn and the children
of Gaḏ had much livestock, a large number. And they saw the land of Yaʽzĕr (Heb
– helped surrounded protected) and the land of Gilʽaḏ (Heb – witness) and saw
that the place was a place for livestock.
Num
32:2 So the children of Gaḏ and the
children of Re’uḇĕn came and spoke to Mosheh, and to Elʽazar the priest, and
to the leaders of the congregation, saying,
Num
32:3 “Ataroth, and Diḇon, and Yaʽzĕr,
and Nimrah, and Ḥeshbon, and Elʽalĕh, and Seḇam, and Neḇo, and Beʽon,
Num
32:4 the land which יהוה had smitten
before the congregation of Yisra’ĕl, is a land for livestock, and your servants
have livestock.”
Num 32:5 And they said, “If we have found favour in
your eyes, let this land be given to your servants as a possession, and do not
let us pass over the Yardĕn.”
Num 32:6 And Mosheh said to the children of Gaḏ and
to the children of Re’uḇĕn, “Are your brothers to go into the battle while you
yourselves sit here?
Num 32:7 “Now why do you discourage the heart of the
children of Yisra’ĕl from passing over into the land which יהוה has given
them?
Num 32:8 “Thus your fathers did when I sent them away
from Qaḏĕsh Barnĕa to see the land.
Num 32:9 “For when they went up to the wadi Eshkol
(Heb – cluster of grapes) and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the
children of Yisra’ĕl, so that they did not go into the land which יהוה had given
them.
Num 32:10 “Then the displeasure of יהוה burned on that
day, and He swore an oath, saying,
Num 32:11 ‘Not one
of the men who came up from Mitsrayim, from twenty years old and above, is to
see the land of which I swore to Aḇraham, Yitsḥaq, and Yaʽaqoḇ, because they
did not follow Me completely, - (ci lo
milu acharai- they were not satisfied with Me)
Num 32:12 except Kalĕḇ son of Yephunneh, the
Qenizzite, and Yehoshua son of Nun, for they have followed יהוה completely.’ (ci
milu acharei YHVH)
Num 32:13 “So the displeasure of יהוה burned against
Yisra’ĕl, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the
generation that had done evil in the eyes of יהוה was destroyed.
Num 32:14 “And see, you have risen in your father’s
place, an increase of men, sinners, to add still more the burning displeasure
of יהוה against
Yisra’ĕl.
Num 32:15 “For if you turn away from following Him, He
shall once again leave them in the wilderness, and you shall destroy all these
people.”
Num 32:16 Then
they came near to him and said, “Let us build sheep-enclosures here for our
livestock, and cities for our little ones,
Num 32:17 but let us ourselves be armed, hastening
before the children of Yisra’ĕl until we have brought them to their place. And
our little ones shall dwell in the walled cities because of the inhabitants of
the land.
Num 32:18 “We shall not return to our homes until every
one of the children of Yisra’ĕl has received his inheritance.
Num 32:19 “For we shall not inherit with them on the other side of the Yardĕn and beyond, because our inheritance has fallen to us on this eastern side of the Yardĕn.
Aliyah
Reviee 32:20 – 33:49
Num 32:20
And Mosheh said to them, “If you make this promise: if you arm
yourselves before יהוה for battle,
Num 32:21 and all your armed ones pass over the Yardĕn
before יהוה until He has
driven out His enemies from before Him,
Num 32:22 and the land has been subdued before יהוה, then
afterward you shall return, and be guiltless before יהוה and before
Yisra’ĕl. And this land shall be your possession before יהוה.
Num 32:23 “But if you do not do so, then see, you shall
sin against יהוה, and know: your sin is going to find you out.
Num 32:24 “Build
cities for your little ones and enclosures for your sheep, and do what you have
promised.” (notice how Moshe changes the order around from vs 16)
Num 32:25 And the children of Gaḏ and the children of
Re’uḇĕn spoke to Mosheh, saying, “Your servants are going to do as my master
commands.
Num 32:26 “Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and
all our livestock are going to be there in the cities of Gilʽaḏ,
Num 32:27 but your servants are passing over, every
armed one of the army, before יהוה, to battle, as my master says.”
Num 32:28 And Mosheh gave command concerning them to
Elʽazar the priest, to Yehoshua son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers of
the tribes of the children of Yisra’ĕl.
Num 32:29 And Mosheh said to them, “If the children of
Gaḏ and the children of Re’uḇĕn pass over the Yardĕn with you, every man
armed for battle before יהוה, and the land has been subdued before you, then you shall give
them the land of Gilʽaḏ as a possession.
Num 32:30 “But if they do not pass over armed with you,
they shall have possessions among you in the land of Kenaʽan.”
Num 32:31 Then the children of Gaḏ and the children of
Re’uḇĕn answered, saying, “As יהוה has said to your servants, so we do.
Num 32:32 “We ourselves are passing over armed before יהוה into the land
of Kenaʽan, but the possession of our inheritance remains with us beyond the
Yardĕn.”
Num 32:33 So
Mosheh gave to the children of Gaḏ, to the children of Re’uḇĕn, and to half
the tribe of Menashsheh, son of Yosĕph, the reign of Siḥon sovereign of the Amorites and the
reign of Oḡ sovereign of Bashan, the land with its cities within the borders,
the cities of the land round about.
Moshe was initially not pleased with the request from Reuven and Gad, but later granted them their request because of their commitment to make sure that tribes would be established in the land of Yisrael. In hind sight it would seem that Moshe made sure half the tribe of Menasheh would stay with Reuven and Gad because Moshe knew how much Menasheh loved eretz Yisrael. (we see this love portrayed by the daughters of Tzelophad who came from the Menasheh). Moshe wanted to make sure that one day all 12 tribes would return and live in the land.
Num 32:34 And the children of Gaḏ built Diḇon and
Ataroth and Aroʽĕr,
Num 32:35 and Atroth, Shophan and Yaʽzĕr and Yoḡbehah,
Num 32:36 and Bĕyth Nimrah and Bĕyth Haran, walled
cities, and enclosures for sheep.
Num 32:37 And the children of Re’uḇĕn built Ḥeshbon
and Elʽalĕh and Qiryathayim,
Num 32:38 Neḇo and Baʽal Meʽon – the names being
changed – and Shiḇmah. And they gave other names to the cities which they
built.
Num 32:39 And the sons of Maḵir son of Menashsheh went
to Gilʽaḏ and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it.
Num 32:40 So Mosheh gave Gilʽaḏ to Maḵir, son of
Menashsheh, and he dwelt in it.
Num 32:41 And Ya’ir son of Menashsheh went and took its
small towns, and called them Ḥawoth Ya’ir.
Num 32:42 And Noḇaḥ went and took Qenath and its villages, and he called it Noḇaḥ, after his own name.
Midrash.
What’s going on here in
this portion?
It seems strange, even absurd, that after the 12 tribes of Israel spent 40 years wondering in the wilderness; two and a half tribes decided not to make their home in the Promised Land.
This was a historically
bad choice that has repeated itself several times in Yisrael’s history.
We think of Lot who also
chose to move eastward because of his livestock. The consequences were tragic.
We think of Esav, the twin
brother of Yitzchac, who became the nation of Edom who caused so much hardship
for Yakov and Yisrael. (Mal 1:2-3; Rom 9:13)
And now the tribes of
Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh also break away eastward from the
other tribes from their promised inheritance.
The church like Esav, has traded its birth right for a ‘’bowl of lentil soup’’ (Gen 25:34) The church has left the ancient Hebraic paths for an exchange of a ‘’strange mixture’’ of Christianity infused with paganism.
Yahshua did not die on an
execution stake and start a new religion called Christianity. Wicked men who
hated the Torah started this new religion called Christianity and spawned
generations of truth deniers.
What shall their end be?
Jer
5:31 The prophets have prophesied falsely,[b] and the priests rule by their own hand,(soul power) and My people have
loved it so.[c] And what are you going
to do at the end of it? Footnotes: bSee Jer_27:14-15. c Isa_30:10,
2Ti_4:3.
Rom
14:18 For he who is serving Messiah in these matters is
well-pleasing to Elohim and approved by men.
Pro
20:21 An inheritance obtained with greed at the beginning Is not blessed
at the end.
Gen
25:30 And Ěsaw said to Ya‛aqoḇ, “Please feed me with that same red stew,
for I am weary.” That is why his name was called Eḏom.
Gen
25:31 But Ya‛aqoḇ said, “Sell me your birthright today.”
Gen
25:32 And Ěsaw said, “Look, I am going to die, so why should I have
birthright?”
Gen
25:33 Then Ya‛aqoḇ said, “Swear to me today.” And he swore to him, and
sold his birthright to Ya‛aqoḇ.
Gen
25:34 Ya‛aqoḇ then gave Ěsaw bread and stew of lentils. And he ate and
drank, and rose up and left. Thus Ěsaw despised his birthright.
Mal 1:3 but I have hated Ěsaw, and have laid waste his mountains and his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.”
‘’All the three tribes on the east of Yardan at length fell into complete apostasy, and the time of retribution came. YHVH "stirred up the spirit of Pul, king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria," to carry them away, the first of the tribes, into captivity (1 Chr. 5:25, 26). - Easton's, The Tribe of Reuben’
The deception of these two and half tribes was deepened by their initial successes in conquering their enemies.
“Perhaps it is no coincidence that Og and Sihon, the last of the Rephaim , also connected to the Nephilim, also shrouded in mystery, dwelt in such a fortified city with a mysterious underground city as well. It is quite remarkable, when viewed in this context, that the Yisraelites, led by the men of the tribe of Manasseh, defeated the mighty King Og. These were giants, fierce warriors. The Jews, likely, were much, much smaller people. Edrei was a mighty capital for a mighty king. YHVH used the foolish, small, and insignificant of the earth to shame the mighty and proud”.
We must zealously guard our birth right and our inheritance. We have not earned it, but we must treasure and express to YHVH our deep gratitude and appreciation for allowing us to embrace it.
Rom 9:1 I speak the truth in Messiah, I do not lie, my
conscience also bearing me witness in the Set-apart Spirit,
Rom 9:2 that I have
great sadness and continual grief in my heart.
Rom 9:3 For I myself
could have wished to be banished from Messiah for the sake of my brothers, my
relatives according to the flesh,
Rom 9:4 who are the
children of Yisra’ěl, to whom is the adoption, and the esteem, and the
covenants, and the giving of the Torah, and the worship, and the
promises,
Rom 9:5 whose are
the fathers, and from whom is the Messiah according to the flesh, who is over
all, Elohim-blessed forever. Aměn.
Rom 9:6 However, it
is not as though the word of Elohim has failed. For they are not all Yisra’ěl
who are of Yisra’ěl,a Footnote: aA play on words. See Explanatory Note on
“Overcomers.”
Rom 9:7 neither are
they all children because they are the seed of Aḇraham, but, “In Yitsḥaq
your seed shall be called.” Gen_21:12.
Rom 9:8 That is,
those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of Elohim,
but the children of the promise are reckoned as the seed.
Rom 9:9 For this is
the word of promise, “At this time I shall come and Sarah shall have a son.”
Gen_18:10.
Rom 9:10 And not
only so, but Riḇqah having conceived by one, our father Yitsḥaq.
Rom 9:11 Yet, before
they were born or had done any good or evil – in order that the purpose of
Elohim, according to choice, might stand, not of works but of Him who calls
–
Rom 9:12 it was said
to her, “The greater shall serve the lesser,” Gen_25:23.
Rom 9:13 as it has
been written, “Ya‛aqoḇ I have loved, but Ěsaw I have hated.” Mal_1:2-3.
Rom 9:14 What, then,
shall we say? Is there unrighteousness with Elohim? Let it not be!
Rom 9:15 For He says
to Mosheh, “I shall favour whomever I favour, and I shall have compassion on
whomever I have compassion.” Exo_33:19.
Rom 9:16 So, then,
it is not of him who is wishing, nor of him who is running, but of Elohim who
shows favour.
Rom 9:17 For the
Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this same purpose I have raised you up, to show
My power in you, and that My Name be declared in all the earth.”
Exo_9:16.
Rom 9:18 So, then,
He favours whom He wishes, and He hardens whom He wishes.
Rom 9:19 Then you
shall say to me, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His
counsel?”
Rom 9:20 But who are
you, O man, to talk back to Elohim? Shall that which is formed say to him who
formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” Isa_29:16, Isa_45:9.
Rom 9:21 Does not
the potter have authority over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel
for value and another not for value?
Rom 9:22 And if
Elohim, desiring to show wrath, and to make His power known, with much patience
tolerated the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,
Rom 9:23 and that He
might make known the riches of His esteem on vessels of compassion, which He
had prepared beforehand for esteem,
Rom 9:24 even whom
He called, not only us of the Yehuḏim, but also of the nations?
Rom 9:25 As He says
in Hoshěa too, “I shall call them My people, who were not My people, and her
beloved, who was not beloved.” Hos_2:23.
Rom 9:26 “And it
shall be in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ there
they shall be called sons of the living Elohim.” Hos_1:10.
Rom 9:27 And
Yeshayahu cries out on behalf of Yisra’ěl, “Though the number of the children
of Yisra’ěl be as the sand of the sea, the remnant shall be saved. Isa_10:22,
Gen_22:17, Hos_1:10.
Rom 9:28 For He is
bringing a matter to an end, and is cutting it short in righteousness, because יהוה shall cut
short a matter on the earth.” Isa_10:23.
Rom 9:29 And as
Yeshayahu said before, “If יהוה of hosts
had not left us a seed, we would have become like Seḏom, and we would have been
made like Amorah.”b Isa_1:9, Deu_29:23. Footnote: bSee Jer_49:18, Jer_50:40,
Amo_4:11.
Yisrael's Unbelief
Rom 9:30 What shall
we say then? That nations not following after righteousness, have obtained
righteousness, even the righteousness of belief,
Rom 9:31 but
Yisra’ěl following after the Torah of righteousness, has not arrived at the
Torah of righteousness.
Rom 9:32 Why?
Because it was not of belief, but as by works of Torah. For they stumbled at
the Stone of stumbling. Isa_8:14.
Rom 9:33 As it has
been written, “See, I lay in Tsiyon a Stone of stumbling and a Rock that makes
for falling, and everyone who is believing on Him shall not be put to shame.”
Isa_8:14, Isa_28:16.
Isa 8:15 “And many among them shall stumble and fall, and be
broken and snared and taken.”
Isa 8:16 Bind up the witness, seal the Torah among my taught ones.
Isa 8:17 And I shall wait on יהוה, who hides His face from the house of Ya‛aqoḇ. And I shall look for Him.
Isa 8:20 To the Torah and to the witness! If they do not speak
according to this Word, it is because they have no daybreak.a Footnote: aOr light.
Rev 12:11 “And they overcame him because of the Blood of the Lamb, and because of the Word of their witness, and they did not love their lives to the death.
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went
to fight with the remnant of her seed, those guarding the commands of Elohim(Torah) and possessing
the witness of יהושע Messiah.
‘’It was YHVH who helped
the families of Avraham, Yitzchaq and Yakov transform their painful dysfunctional
family conflicts into a redemptive process that would eventually create His
chosen people, who would receive His Torah at Mt. Sinai and bring forth the
Messiah at the appointed time.
Ultimately
YHVH would pull together all the contrasting threads and weave for us a quilt
of redemption. This is the favour that He bestowed upon Yakov’s family, as they
developed, through intra-family conflict, to become His redemptive people and
bring His eternal redemption to the world.’’
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.)