Akdamut Millin (אַקְדָּמוּת מִלִּין)
This ancient Jewish prayer ‘’Akdamut’’ was written as
a defiance anthem meaning “Introductory Words" - the title of the prayer
is a direct reference to the Aseret HaDivrot (the Ten Commandments)
It was a way for a traumatised community to declare: "No
matter what you do to us; we will never betray the covenant of the Torah"
The poem consists of exactly 90 lines written in
ancient Jewish Babylonian Aramaic. It contains an intricate hidden
cryptographic signature.
We like to start Shavuot with the ‘’The
Shehecheyanu’’ (Blessing for Seasons) -we thank YHVH for sustaining us to
experience and witness another Shavuot.
Hebrew: בָּרוּךְ
אַתָּה ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ
מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ
וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה
Transliteration: Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu
Melech ha-olam, shehecheyanu v’kiy’manu v’higi’anu lazman hazeh.
English:
"Blessed are You, YHVH our Elohim, King of the Universe, who has granted
us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season."
The Hamotzi (Blessing over the Bread): Messianic
communities place immense emphasis on the two leavened loaves of Shavuot
(Leviticus 23:17). They pray over the bread, thanking YHVH for bringing Jew and
Gentile together as "one new man" through the Messiah
"Abba Father, we thank You for the Torah given at
Sinai, which is our ‘’tutor’’ joining us to Messiah Yahshua. We thank You that
Yahshua did not come to abolish the Torah but to give the Torah its full and
perfect meaning to enable its application to those whom You have called and set
apart, writing it upon the tablets of our hearts by Your Spirit’’
"YHVH Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, just as
You sent a mighty rushing wind and tongues of fire upon the first believers in
Jerusalem on this very day, we ask for a fresh outpouring and infilling of Your
Ruach HaKodesh upon us, and in us. Clothe us with power and wisdom to proclaim
Your Words and wonders to our generation."
"YHVH, we thank You for the story of Ruth, the Gentile
who cleaved to Israel. We thank You for Yahshua, our ultimate Kinsman-Redeemer,
who redeemed us out of poverty and brought us into the royal lineage of the
Kingdom -
"Father, we pray according to the Prophet Joel that You
will pour out Your Spirit upon all flesh in Israel. Remove the veil and let our
people look upon the One they have pierced, so that all Israel may know the
peace of Your salvation.
Our Shiur – our portion, our teaching for this Shavuot:
Lev 23:15 ‘And from the morrow after the Sabbath,
from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you shall count
for yourselves: seven completed Sabbaths.
Lev 23:16 ‘Until the morrow after the seventh
Sabbath you count fifty days, then you shall bring a new grain offering to יהוה.
Lev 23:17 ‘Bring from your dwellings for a wave
offering two loaves of bread of two-tenths of an ěphah of fine flour
they are, baked with leaven, first-fruits to יהוה.
"We know that on the 40th day Yahshua ascended into
the heavens and instructed his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the
outpouring of YHVH’s Spirit, which arrived exactly 10 days later on the Feast
of Shavuot."
The presence of exactly 120 people in the upper room
(Acts 1:15) waiting for the outpouring of the Set Apart Spirit carries immense legal,
historical, and prophetic significance.
While Yahshua appeared to over 500 people after His
resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:6), only 120 chose to wait in Jerusalem. This
precise number was not a random coincidence; it served a major structural
purpose.
1. The Jewish Legal Requirement for a Self-Governing Body
According to ancient Jewish law recorded in the Mishnah
(Sanhedrin 1:6), a community required a minimum of 120 Jewish men to
establish its own independent court or community council (a mini-Sanhedrin).
- The
Law: Below 120 people, a group was legally dependent on a larger
city's governance. At 120, they became an independent, self-governing body
capable of appointing leaders and enforcing laws.
- The
Practical Impact: By documenting exactly 120 people, the writer Luke
is showing that the early ‘’Kehelah’’ had the legal quorum required by
Jewish custom to officially choose an Apostle (Matthias) to replace Judas
and establish themselves as an independent community.
2. The Multiplier of Divine Government (10 x 12)
In biblical numerology, the number 120 is the product of two
numbers that represent divine order:
- 12:
Represents foundation and government (e.g., the 12 Tribes of Israel, the
12 Apostles).
- 10:
Represents complete divine order or a full cycle (e.g., the 10
Commandments).
- The
Result: 120 signifies a fully operational, perfectly structured
governmental nucleus ready to act on behalf of YHVH's Kingdom.
3. The Parallel to Solomon’s Temple Dedication
The upper room outpouring mirrors the dedication of the very
first Temple. In 2 Chronicles 5:12, when Solomon brought the Ark into the
Temple, there were exactly 120 priests sounding trumpets.
- Old
Covenant: 120 priests blew trumpets, the cloud of YHVH's esteem
descended, and YHVH’s Ruach filled a temple made of stone.
- Renewed
Old Covenant: 120 believers prayed with one voice, tongues of fire
descended, and the Set Apart Spirit filled the second temple made of
living people
4. The Sifting
of Obeyers vs. Believers
From a human
standpoint, the drop from 500 eyewitnesses down to 120 people in the upper room
highlights the difference between admiration and
obedience. Yahshua gave a strict instruction: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait
for the gift that my Father promised" (Acts
1:4).
The
remaining 380 people likely returned to their home regions (like Galilee),
their farms, or their businesses.
The
120 were the radical remnant willing to stay in an upper room for ten straight
days, risking persecution from the authorities, to wait on a promise they could
not yet see.
How the Feast of Pentecost (Shavuot) aligns
historically with this exact day in the month of Sivan.
The historical and theological alignment between the Feast
of Pentecost (Shavuot) and the event in the upper room is precise to the
exact day.
By pouring out the Set Apart Spirit on Shavuot, YHVH did not
create a random new ‘’Moed’’- or appointment; He chose the precise anniversary
of Mount Sinai to unveil the renewal of the ancient covenant – The Torah
– now to be internalized in our hearts.
Here is how the old and new eras align perfectly on this
specific day:
1. The Timeline Alignment
The word Pentecost comes from the Greek word for
"fiftieth day." In the Hebrew calendar, this set apart day is ‘’Shavuot’’
(the Feast of Weeks).
- The
Day: On day 50, they celebrated Shavuot – they counted from the 16th
of Aviv 50 days.
- The
New Testament Application: Jesus rose on the Feast of First fruits. He
spent 40 days teaching the disciples, ascended to heaven, and told them to
wait. They waited in the upper room for exactly 10 more days. This brings
the timeline to exactly 50 days—landing precisely on the morning of
Shavuot.
2. The Mirror of Mount Sinai
In Jewish tradition, Shavuot is celebrated as Zman Matan
Toratenu—the Season of the Giving of our Torah. It marks the exact
historical day YHVH descended onto Mount Sinai to give the Ten Commandments.
When you compare the two events, Acts 2 reads like an
intentional mirror of Exodus 19:
|
Mount Sinai (Exodus 19-20) |
The Upper Room (Acts 2) |
|
YHVH descends in a physical fire on the mountain. |
The Spirit of YHVH descends in tongues of fire on
individuals. |
|
The event is marked by a loud shofar (trumpet) blast. |
The event begins with the sound of a mighty rushing
wind. |
|
YHVH speaks in a supernatural voice all nations could
understand. Midrash - Shemot Rabbah 5:9 |
The believers speak in diverse languages all visiting
nations understand. |
|
The Torah is written on tablets of stone. |
The Torah is written on human hearts (fulfilling
Jeremiah 31:33). |
3. The Reversal of the Judgment (3,000 Lives)
The historical alignment features a striking numerical
reversal that directly addresses the concept of divine justice:
- At
Mount Sinai: While Moses was on the mountain receiving the Torah, the
people sinned with the Golden Calf. As a result of breaking the covenant
immediately, 3,000 men were killed by the Levites (Exodus 32:28).
- In
the Upper Room: Peter stands up on the exact anniversary of that day,
preaches the Gospel of the Renewed Covenant, and 3,000 souls are saved
and added to the ‘’Kehelah of the Moshiach’’ (Acts 2:41).
4. The Agricultural Mystery of the Two Loaves
On Shavuot, the high priest performed a unique harvest
ritual: he waved two loaves of bread baked with leaven (yeast) before YHVH
(Leviticus 23:17). In scripture, leaven almost always represents sin or
imperfection. This was the only offering where leaven was permitted.
- The
Prophetic Meaning: The two leavened loaves represented two groups of
humanity that YHVH was going to bring together as a single offering: Jews
and Gentiles – with leaven, but eventually without sin. This righteous
leaven would reach all the nations of the world.
- The
Alignment: The upper room was the birth of this reality. Because Jews
from all over the world were gathered in Jerusalem for the harvest day,
the message instantly spread across the globe, setting up the framework to
bring both groups into one spiritual house -Israel – not the Church not Rabbinic
Judaism – but one new man in Messiah.
The presence and role of the women among the 120 in the
upper room (Acts 1:14) was highly radical for the first century. In a
culture where women were typically excluded from formal religious governance
and legal public spheres, the early believers intentionally included them as
foundational pillars.
Here is how their role unfolded in the upper room and during
the Shavuot outpouring:
1. Certain women were present with the men in
Intercession and Waiting
The text explicitly notes that the eleven Apostles "joined
together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Yahshua,
and with his brothers" (Acts 1:14).
- Shared
Space: In ancient Jewish practice, women and men typically worshipped
in separate corporate spaces (such as the outer Court of Women in the
Temple). In the upper room, they broke this cultural boundary by praying
together in the same room as a singular community.
- Persistent
Faith: Many of these women—such as Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and
Susanna—had financially supported Yahshua’s' ministry (Luke 8:1-3) and
were the eyewitnesses to the resurrection. Their presence ensured that the
core community remained anchored to the historical reality of Yahshua'
life and ministry.
2. Mary's Transition from Mother to Disciple
This upper room account is the final time Mary, the mother
of Yahshua, is mentioned by name in the New Testament. Her presence reveals a
profound spiritual shift:
- No
Special Hierarchy: Mary did not sit above the disciples as a ruler;
she sat with them as a co-labourer in prayer. Acts 1:13-14
3. Equal Recipients of the Flaming Tongues
When the day of Pentecost fully arrived, the scripture
states, "They were all together in one place... and tongues of
fire separated and came to rest on each of them" (Acts 2:1-3).
- No
Gender Distinction: The Set Apart Spirit did not bypass the women. The
fire rested on the women just as it did on Peter, John, and the other
Apostles.
- Public
Proclamation: The women were among those who rushed out into the
streets of Jerusalem speaking in supernatural languages, proclaiming the
wonders of YHVH to the shocked crowds.
4. The Fulfillment of Joel’s "Daughters"
Prophecy
When the crowds accused the 120 of being drunk, Peter stood
up to clarify the theological reality of what just happened. He quoted the
Prophet Joel to prove that women were also an intentional part of YHVHs
strategic plan:
"In the last days, YHVH says, I will pour out my
Spirit on all people. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy... Even
on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those
days." (Acts 2:17-18).
By highlighting this prophecy, Peter validated that the
women in the 120 were now officially commissioned by YHVH as prophetesses and
messengers of the Renewed Covenant.
In Acts
2:9–11,
the Scriptures lists 15 distinct
regions or people groups representing Jews of
the Diaspora who had travelled to Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost.
The text notes that
the 120 were speaking in "other tongues" (Greek: dialektos,
meaning literal, known regional languages or dialects). Geographically, the
list forms a deliberate, massive counter-clockwise
loop around the known world,
placing Jerusalem
directly at the centre.
The list breaks
down by geographic origin and the specific languages spoken:
1.
The Far East (Beyond the Roman Empire)
These
groups came from the lands of the old Babylonian and Persian empires
(modern-day Iran
and Iraq). They were descendants of the original
Jewish exiles who chose to stay in the East
- Parthians:
From the Parthian Empire (northeastern Iran). They spoke Parthian
(a northwestern Iranian language).
- Medes:
From Media (northwestern Iran / Kurdistan). They spoke Median.
- Elamites:
From Elam (southwestern Iran). They spoke Elamite.
- Mesopotamians:
From the region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (Iraq/Syria).
Their primary language was eastern Aramaic.
2. The Mediterranean & Asia Minor (Modern Turkey)
Moving northwest into Asia Minor, this group represented
heavily Hellenized (Greek-influenced) trading hubs:
- Judeans:
Locals from Israel. They spoke Hebrew or western Aramaic.
- Cappadocians:
From central Turkey. They spoke a localized Anatolian dialect of Cappadocian
or Greek.
- Pontians:
From northern Turkey, bordering the Black Sea. They spoke Pontic Greek.
- Asians:
From the Roman province of Asia (western coast of Turkey). They
spoke Greek.
- Phrygians
& Pamphylians: From central and southern Turkey. They spoke
localized Phrygian/Pamphylian dialects alongside Greek.
3. North Africa
Moving southwest along the Mediterranean coast into the
vibrant centres of African Judaism:
- Egyptians:
Primarily from Alexandria, Egypt, which hosted the largest Jewish
community outside Israel. They spoke Greek and Coptic/Egyptian.
- Libyans
(Cyrene): From Cyrene (modern Libya). They spoke Greek
and local Berber dialects.
4. The Far West (The Heart of the Empire)
- Romans:
Traveling all the way from Italy, this group included native Jews and proselytes
(Gentiles who had fully converted to Judaism). They spoke Latin and
Greek.
5. The Southern Islands and Deserts
The loop closes by anchoring the southern boundaries of the
ancient world:
- Cretans:
Island dwellers from Crete (Greece). They spoke Greek.
- Arabians:
Nabataean Jews from the deserts of Jordan, Syria, and northern Saudi
Arabia. They spoke early Arabic dialects or Nabataean Aramaic
The Theological
Point: A Reversal of Babel
By listing this
massive geographical footprint, the Book of Acts frames Pentecost as the direct
reversal of the
Tower of Babel (Genesis 11).
·
At
Babel, humanity was united in pride, so YHVH scattered them by confusing their
languages.
·
At
Pentecost, humanity was scattered across the earth, but YHVH united them by
using their own local languages to preach a singular message.
While Pentecost featured known foreign languages
spoken to reach an international crowd, Paul introduces the concept of speaking
in "unknown" or spiritual tongues used for private prayer and
worship.
Paul speaks extensively about his own practice and the
guidelines for tongues in 1 Corinthians 14. The biblical breakdown
reveals how his experience compared to the Upper Room:
1. Paul’s Private Practice: "I Speak in Tongues More
Than All of You"
Paul was highly proficient in this spiritual gift. In 1
Corinthians 14:18, he boldly states:
"I thank Elohim that I speak in tongues more than
all of you."
However, Paul immediately clarifies the context of his
tongue-speaking. He did not do it to show off in public. He practiced it
primarily in his private prayer life for personal spiritual strength,
noting: "Anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to YHVH.
Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit"
(1 Corinthians 14:2).
2. "Unknown" vs. "Known" Tongues
The term "unknown" tongues are famous because the
King James Version (KJV) added the word unknown in italics to help
readers understand that the languages were unrecognizable to the people in the
room. This highlights the two distinct types of tongues in the Apostolic
scriptures:
- The
Pentecost Type (Acts 2): Earthly, human languages (dialektos).
The speakers did not know what they were saying, but the visiting nations
in the crowd understood them perfectly.
- The
Corinthian Type (1 Corinthians 14): A spiritual, heavenly tongue. Paul
calls these the "tongues of angels" (1 Corinthians 13:1).
No human understands it without a supernatural gift of interpretation.
3. Paul’s Strict Rules for Public Assembly Meetings
Because the assembly in Corinth was chaotic, Paul set strict
boundaries for using tongues in public gatherings:
- The
Order Rule: No more than two or three people should speak in a tongue
during a single service, and they must take turns.
- The
Interpretation Rule: If someone speaks in a tongue publicly, there must
be an interpreter so the whole church can understand and be
encouraged. If there is no interpreter, the speaker must keep quiet and
speak only to himself and to YHVH.
- The
Clarity Rule: Paul preferred understandable teaching (prophecy/shiur)
in public over uninterpreted tongues: "In the assembly I would
rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand
words in a tongue" (1 Corinthians 14:19).
The Full-Circle Connection
This brings your entire study of Acts, Shavuot, and prophecy
into focus:
- At
Sinai, YHVH spoke in a physical voice all nations could understand.
- At
Pentecost, the 120 (including Mary Magdalene and the women) spoke
in earthly languages the gathered nations could understand.
- In
Paul’s letters, the gift expands into a private, spiritual language
used to communicate directly with YHVH when human words fail
The Apostle Paul outlines a
distinct structural and functional difference between the public "gift
of tongues" and private "praying in the spirit" in 1
Corinthians 14.
While both originate from the Set
Apart Spirit, they serve completely different purposes, directions, and
audiences.
1. The Direction and Audience
- Praying
in the Spirit: Directed from the believer to YHVH. Paul notes, "For
anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to YHVH"
(1 Cor 14:2). It is a private expression of devotion.
- The
Gift of Tongues: Directed from YHVH to the believing community.
It functions as a prophetic message or sign intended for a group of
people, rather than an intimate, vertical prayer.
2. The Mental State (Intellect
vs. Spirit)
Paul specifically defines how
your human intellect operates during private spiritual prayer:
- The
Bypass:
When you pray in the spirit,
your human mind does not understand the words. Paul writes, "For if I
pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful" (1 Cor
14:14).
- The
Solution: To balance this, Paul chooses to use both: "I will
pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with
my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind" (1 Cor 14:15).
3. The Requirement for
Interpretation
- Praying
in the Spirit: Requires no interpretation. Because it is a
private conversation where you "utter mysteries by the Spirit"
directly to YHVH, no human needs to understand it.
- The
Gift of Tongues: Requires immediate interpretation. If used in an
assembly setting, Paul states it is completely useless to the listeners
unless someone translates it: "If there is no interpreter, the
speaker should keep quiet in the assembly and speak to himself and to YHVH"
(1 Cor 14:28).
4. The Spiritual Result
(Edification)
- Praying
in the Spirit: Edifies the individual. It functions like a
spiritual battery charger for the speaker: "Anyone who speaks in a
tongue edifies themselves" (1 Cor 14:4).
- The
Gift of Tongues: Edifies the whole assembly. When the public
tongue is combined with an interpretation, it carries the exact same value
as clear prophecy, building up everyone in the room.
Summary Comparison
|
Feature |
Praying in the Spirit |
The Gift of Tongues |
|
Primary Setting |
Private prayer closet |
Public believers’ assembly |
|
Target Audience |
YHVH |
The Congregation / Unbelievers |
|
Interpretation? |
Not required |
Mandatory |
|
Who is Built Up? |
The individual believer |
The entire corporate body |
The Book of Romans describes
the Spirit groaning when we do not know how to pray (Romans 8:26), or see
how the Book of Jude commands believers to build themselves up by
praying in the Set Apart Spirit?
Joh 16:13 “But when He comes, the Spirit
of the Truth, He shall guide you into all the truth. For He shall not speak
from Himself, but whatever He hears He shall speak, and He shall announce to
you what is to come.
"The Spirit of
Truth" vs. "Unknown Tongues"
This guiding ministry creates the
perfect balance for Paul's teachings on praying in the spirit and unknown
tongues:
- When
a believer speaks or prays in an unknown tongue, Paul says their human
intellect is entirely bypassed ("my mind is unfruitful").
- The
mechanism that keeps this from becoming chaotic or spiritually empty is
the Spirit of Truth. The Guide navigates the human spirit to utter
precise, divine mysteries directly to the Father, ensuring the believer is
deeply built up (edified) even when they do not understand the
vocabulary
The tragedy of Noah and Lot's generations was
their utter lack of a guide; they were spiritually blind, completely trapped by
religious routine and consumed by self-interest until judgment struck.
Yahshua promises that for those
who follow the Spirit of Truth, in the end times they will not be caught
in a surprise trap. John 16:13 concludes by saying: "And He will
declare to you what is to come." The Guide's ultimate job is to
prepare the community so they can fly on "eagles' wings" when the
final boundaries of history are reached
Joh
16:8 “And having come, He shall convict (a) the world concerning
sin,(b) and concerning righteousness, and concerning judgment –
Footnotes: (a)Or confute or prove wrong
The footnote choice of the word "confute"
hits the nail on the head.
To confute means to prove an argument to be completely
false, wrong, or invalid using overwhelming evidence.
The Greek word Yahshua used here is elenchō (ἐλέγχω), which is a legal
term from ancient courtrooms. It means to cross-examine a witness so thoroughly
that you completely expose their lies and bring the absolute truth to light.
Yahshua is stating that what the human world thinks
is sin, righteousness, and judgment is completely backwards, and the Set Apart
Spirit is coming to expose that error.
Yahshua immediately breaks down exactly how the Set Apart
Spirit "confutes" or corrects the world's false ideas in the very
next verses (John 16:9–11):
1. Concerning Sin: The World vs. The Spirit
- What
the World Thinks: The world thinks "sin" is just breaking a
moral checklist, committing bad actions, or breaking societal laws or violating man made religious
traditions.
- How
the Spirit Confutes It: Yahshua says, "concerning sin, because
they do not believe in Me" (John 16:9). The Spirit exposes that
the ultimate, root sin is rejecting Yeshua. You can be a "good
citizen" by the world's standards, but if you reject the Messiah, the
Spirit proves your entire moral foundation wrong – Paul goes on to say
that many who proclaim to have Yahshua – have the wrong Yahshua - 2 Cor 11:4
2.
Concerning Righteousness: The World vs. The Spirit
- What the World Thinks:
The world thinks "righteousness" is self-made goodness, looking and
acting ‘’holy’’, or doing enough good deeds to outweigh the bad.
- How the Spirit Confutes It:
Yahshua says, "concerning righteousness, because I go to the
Father and you see Me no more" (John 16:10). The Spirit proves
that humanity has zero righteousness of its own. The only true
standard of righteousness is Yahshua, who went back to the Father. True
righteousness is a gift imputed to us by faith, completely exploding the
world’s idea of earning your way to heaven.
3.
Concerning Judgment: The World vs. The Spirit
- What the World Thinks:
The world looks around and thinks that evil is winning, that YHVH is
passive, or that the powerful rulers of this earth are the final judges.
- How the Spirit Confutes It:
Yahshua says, "concerning judgment, because the ruler of this
world has been judged" (John 16:11). The Spirit exposes the
reality that Satan was already legally defeated at the cross. The world
thinks it is the one judging YHVH, but the Spirit proves that the world’s
system and its demonic ruler are the ones already standing condemned
The
Connection to our Torah portion – ‘’Miketz’’
The
careless generations in the Days of Noah and Lot were functioning on the
world's ideas of success, righteousness, and survival—ignoring the
coming divine separation - (miketz).
Yahshua is
showing that when the Set Apart Spirit arrived on Shavuot (Pentecost),
He acted like a celestial prosecuting attorney. He shattered the world's
illusions, flipped human logic upside down, and began guiding those who would
listen to "all the truth" of YHVH’s Messiah and of YHVH's Torah,
that they alone would stand in the last days and enter into His Kingdom.
Conclusion:
Isa
8:16
"Bind up this testimony, and seal up the Torah among my taught ones
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.
"If we keep
quiet, the stones will cry out" - Luke 19:40
Shalom