10/16/2026

Parashat 15 Portion 59 ‘’Bo’’ Ex 13:1-14:14 Jer 31:8-16 + 19

 Please, YHVH, our Elohim, sweeten the words of Your Torah in our hearts and in the hearts of Your people, the family of Israel. May we and our offspring and the offspring of Your people, the household of Jacob – know Your Name and study Your Torah, for the sake of Your Torah- empowering us to sincerely love one another and to love You above all. Please uncover our eyes and open our hearts that we may carefully examine and understand the marvels and mysteries of Your Torah- Amein.

Shabbat Shalom.

קדשׁ־לי – '’Set apart for Me”

Consecration of the Firstborn

Exo 13:1  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying, 

Exo 13:2  “Set apart to Me (קדשׁ־לי) all the first-born, the one opening the womb among the children of Yisra’ěl, among man and among beast, it is Mine.” 

 Belonging to יהוה and being set apart to יהוה are related, but they are not identical concepts.

Everything belongs to Him because He is the Creator. Yet He can consecrate something from within His creation for a particular purpose.

This is also why Exodus 13:2 does not simply say, "The firstborn belong to Me."

It begins with an instruction:

קדשׁ־לי — Set apart to Me.

The emphasis is on consecration or dedicated for a specific purpose.

And perhaps the most important point is this: being specially chosen does not mean being more valuable than those who were not chosen. In Scripture, being set apart frequently carries additional responsibility rather than greater personal worth.

 We see this truth beautifully illustrated in Exo 13:13  “But every first-born of a donkey you are to ransom (redeem) with a lamb. And if you do not ransom it, then you shall break its neck. And every first-born of man among your sons you are to ransom – you are obliged to pay something for them.

 verse 13, He explains that not every firstborn is to be presented to Him in the same way.

Under the Torah, the donkey is classified as an unclean animal (Leviticus 11:3–8). It could not be presented as an acceptable sacrificial offering. A lamb was an acceptable sacrificial animal under the Torah and could be given in place of the firstborn donkey.

 There are Jewish and Christian interpretive traditions that connect the redemption of the firstborn donkey in Exodus 13:13 with a wider spiritual understanding of redemption, including the redemption of the nations (“Gentiles” – this may appear offensive to our gentile brothers in Yahshua)

 Isa 66:21  “And from them (Gentiles) too I shall take for priests – for Lěwites,” declares יהוה. 

 Isaiah 66:21 is arguably the most radical legal and prophetic border-crossing in the entire Hebrew Bible - “And from them to I shall take for priests – for Lěwites,” declares יהוה. 

It explicitly states that YHVH will select individuals from among the grafted in Gentile nations to serve as literal priests and Levites – Kohanim and Levim.

 A redeemed gentile could never become a normal gentile again.

YHVH will take some "unclean donkeys" (Gentiles) and transform some of them into Priests and "Levites"—consecrating them into having a permanently irreversible priestly and covenantal status

 1Pe 2:9  But you are a chosen race,b Deu_10:15 a royal priesthood,c Isa_61:6 a set-apart nation,d Exo_19:6 a people for a possession,e Isa_43:2 that you should proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light, Footnotes: bAlso see Isa_43:20. cAlso see Isa_66:21. dAlso see Deu_7:6. eAlso see Exo_19:5, Tit_2:14. 

This is not the Church or Christianity – these are people who have come out of that system.

 1 Pet 2:9 is connected to Is 66:21 - This is a minority view held by some scholars .

 There is another fascinating “donkey connection” in Zechariah 9:9  “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Tsiyon! Shout, O daughter of Yerushalayim! See, your Sovereign is coming to you, He is righteous and endowed with deliverance, humble and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey. 

 “Rabbi Alexandri said: Rabbi Joshua ben Levi opposed two verses... It is written: 'And behold, with the clouds of heaven came one like a son of man' (Daniel 7:13), and it is written: 'Lowly, and riding upon a donkey' (Zechariah 9:9). If they are worthy, [he will come] with the clouds of heaven; if they are not worthy, lowly and riding upon a donkey.” — Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b

 It may be gentile believers in Yahshua that introduce the Jewish world to their Jewish Messiah.

 Zech 9:9 riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey - על־חמור ועל־עיר בן־אתנות

Mat 21:5  “Say to the daughter of Tsiyon, ‘See, your Sovereign is coming to you, meek, and sitting on a donkey, even a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ על־חמור ועל־עיר בן־אתנות

 Note the context of vs 10 – “donkeys” could be referring to the gentiles – “And he shall speak peace unto the gentiles: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth – (Zech 9:10)

Addressing grafted in gentiles: Ephesians 2:11–19 - Eph 2:11 Therefore remember that you, once nations (gentiles) in the flesh, who are called ‘the uncircumcision’ by what is called ‘the circumcision’ made in the flesh by hands,

Eph 2:12  that at that time you were without Messiah, excluded from the citizenship of Yisra’ěl and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no expectation and without Elohim in the world. 

Eph 2:13  But now in Messiah יהושע you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah. 

Eph 2:19  So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens of the set-apart ones and members of the household of Elohim,e Footnote: eSee Rom_11:17-24, Isa_14:1. 

 The Messiah takes this metaphor even further:

 The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

Mat 15:21  And יהושע went out from there and withdrew to the parts of Tsor and Tsiḏon. 

Mat 15:22  And see, a woman of Kena‛an came from those borders and cried out to Him, saying, “Have compassion on me, O Master, Son of Dawiḏ! My daughter is badly demon-possessed.” 

Mat 15:23  But He did not answer her a word. And His taught ones came and asked Him, saying, “Send her away, because she cries after us.” 

Mat 15:24  And He answering, said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Yisra’ěl.”d Footnote: dSee Mat_10:6. –

Mat 15:25  But she came and was bowing to Him, saying, “Master, help me!” 

Mat 15:26  And He answering, said, “It is not good to take the children’s(Hebrew’s) bread (Torah) and throw it to the little dogs.” (gentiles)

Mat 15:27  But she said, “Yes Master, for even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” 

Mat 15:28  And יהושע answering, said to her, “O woman, your belief is great! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.

 When Yahshua speaks to the Syro-Phoenician woman, the Greek text reveals an incredibly important distinction that softens a raw ethnic slur into an illustrative parable:

The Pejorative Term (Kuon): The harsh, standard Greek word for a wild, vicious street dog or a direct insult is kuon.

The Diminutive Term (Kunarion): Yahshua deliberately does not use that word. Instead, he uses kunarion, which means a "little dog," a "puppy," or a "domesticated household pet".

 By switching the imagery from filthy street scavengers to indoor house pets, Yahshua changes the dynamic from hostility to a household pet. He is telling a parable about table etiquette: the Master’s children (Israel) must be fed the main meal first before the household pets (the Gentiles) receive their portion. (see also faith of the gentile centurion – Mat 8:5-13)

 Does this offend you, dear gentile brothers and sisters? -Mat 11:6  “And blessed is he who does not stumble in Me.”  - or is offended in me – after all our Messiah is a Rock of offence to many.

Rom 9:33  As it has been written, “See, I lay in Tsiyon a Stone of stumbling and a Rock that makes for falling,(offense) and everyone who is believing on Him shall not be put to shame.” Isa_8:14, Isa_28:16.

Mat 11:6  “And blessed is he who does not stumble (offended) in Me.” 

 Imagine worshipping and serving “Jesus” your whole life, only to find out at the that you had the wrong “Jesus” and the wrong Spirit and the wrong gospel - see 2 Cor 11:4

 Although the Book of Hebrews was probably originally addressed to a predominantly Jewish believing community, the assembly of the firstborn, Hebrews 12:23 can reasonably be understood as encompassing both Jewish and Gentile believers (“redeemed donkeys” who belong to Messiah.

 “There shall be one law (Torah achat) for the native and for the stranger (‘’the redeemed donkeys’’) who sojourns among you.” — Exodus 12:49

 Gal 3:28  There is not Yehuḏi nor Greek, there is not slave nor free, there is not male and female, for you are all one in Messiah יהושע. 

Gal 3:29  And if you are of Messiah, then you are seed of Aḇraham, and heirs according to promise. 

 The redemption commanded in Exodus 13:13 is the very foundation of the Hebrew practice known as Pidyon HaBen (פדיון הבן), meaning "Redemption of the Son."

 Numbers 18:16 is particularly important because it provides the practical instruction that became central to the “Pidyon HaBen” - the Redemption of the Firstborn Son, including “redeemed donkeys”.

 “When a father hands five silver coins to a priest during the Pidyon HaBen ceremony today, it is not a donation or a symbolic christening. It is a legal transaction. The father is saying:

"I recognize that this boy's life belongs to the Creator because of the blood of the Passover. I am handing over the legal silver ransom to discharge his debt of temple service, buying him out of the priesthood so he can live as a free citizen in the commonwealth of Israel."

 There is only one way a Jew or gentile can become joined to Messiah?

 Joh 3:36  “He who believes in the Son possesses everlasting life, but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of Elohim remains on him.” 

 Someone can intellectually "believe" in the Messiah but not be "born from above" because they lack the obedience that proves the seed (Torah) has taken root in their hearts.

 The source of spiritual rebirth is found in Jn 3:3 it is been “born from above” (Gk – “anothen”)

The evidence of been born from above is found  when the perfect imperishable seed of the Torah (1 Pet 1:23) has been planted and is flourishing in your life (see the parable of the sower (Mat 13)

 Every time the Torah is read publicly in a synagogue service, a specific blessing is recited upon its conclusion:

"...Who gave us the Torah of truth, and planted eternal life within us." (Chayei olam natah betochenu)

 This is the “renewed covenant reality” Heb 12:23 - the entire gathering and assembly (Kehelah) of the first-born which have received and nurtured the imperishable seed of the Torah in their hearts – 1 Pet 1:23.

Heb 12:22  But you have drawn near to Mount Tsiyon and to the city of the living Elohim, to the heavenly Yerushalayim, to myriads of messengers, Heb 12:23  to the entire gathering and assembly of the first-born having been enrolled in heaven, and to Elohim the Judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect,  

 The Greek word used for "made perfect" is teteleiōmenōn (from teleioō), which appears here as a perfect passive participle. [1]

The Perfect Tense in Greek denotes an action that was fully completed in the past, but has ongoing, permanent results in the present.

The Passive Voice means the action was done to the believer by an outside force (YHVH), not earned by the believer

The Book of Hebrews masterfully balances this "already" with the "not yet." While your standing is perfect, your earthly journey requires endurance.

 The most striking detail of [Hebrews 12:22] is the verb tense. It does not say "you will one day go" to the New Jerusalem. It states, "you have come" (Greek: proselēlythate—a past-tense action with ongoing, present consequences). [1, 2, 3, 4]

 1Jn 3:9  Everyone having been born of Elohim does not sin, because His seed stays in him, and he is powerless to sin, because he has been born of Elohim.

From a Hebraic Roots (HR) perspective, there is a profound connection between 1 John 3:9 and Romans 8:4.

In the Hebraic Roots paradigm, the "seed" (sperma) that remains inside the believer is directly equated with the Torah being written into the heart – Jer 31:33

 This week’s Torah portion confirms our teaching: Ex 13:1-14:14

Consecration of the Firstborn

Exo 13:1  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying, 

Exo 13:2  “Set apart to Me (קדשׁ־לי) all the first-born, the one opening the womb among the children of Yisra’ěl, among man and among beast, it is Mine.” 

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

Exo 13:3  And Mosheh said to the people, “Remember this day in which you went out of Mitsrayim, out of the house of slavery. For by strength of hand יהוה brought you out of this place, and whatever is leavened shall not be eaten. 

 In the Apostiolic scriptures, "leaven" (yeast) is used as a metaphor for Torah disobedience.

 1Jn 3:4  Everyone doing sin also does lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. (Torahlessness) ie an ongoing lifestyle of Torah disobedience – including sabbaths, appointments, dietary laws etc etc

 Because a tiny pinch of yeast (Torahlessness) silently permeates and transforms an entire batch of dough, the Apostolic scriptures warn that even a small amount of tolerated sin (Torahlessness) which defines false teaching will quickly defile an entire life in a believing community –

Gal 5:9  A little leaven leavens all the lump. 

 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. 

 Rom 7:13 – the Torah was given to show us the exceeding sinfulness of sin – and our desperate need of One who would redeem us from our sin and enable us to walk in the righteousness of the Torah - Rom 8:4 not by our flesh but by His Spirit.

 Exo 13:4  “Today you are going out, in the new moon Aḇiḇ. 

 “Understanding how the ancient Palestinian Torah cycle operated opens a fascinating window into the synagogue world of the Second Temple period and the New Testament era. When Yahshua stood up to read in the synagogues of Galilee (as described in Luke 4:16), he was almost certainly interacting with this multi-year Palestinian reading tradition.

The historical layout of the spring start in Aviv (Nisan) and the specific Sedarim (Torah portions) read during that season show a beautiful synchronization of scripture and the appoijntments.

 Exo 13:5  “And it shall be, when יהוה brings you into the land of the Kena‛anites, and the Ḥittites, and the Amorites, and the Ḥiwwites, and the Yeḇusites, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall keep this service in this new moon. 

Exo 13:6  “Seven days you eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day is a festival to יהוה. 

Exo 13:7  “Unleavened bread is to be eaten the seven days, and whatever is leavened is not to be seen with you, and leaven is not to be seen with you within all your border. 

Exo 13:8  “And you shall inform your son in that day, saying, ‘It is because of what יהוה did for me when I came up from Mitsrayim.’ 

 In a future Passover YHVH will deliver Israel – YHVH’s first born -  “Exo 4:22  “And you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus said יהוה, “Yisra’ěl is My son, My first-born” -  ועדת הבכורים those born from above, not by the will of man, but by the calling and choosing of YHVH, those grafted into Israel.

 Exo 13:9  “And it shall be as a sign to you on your hand and as a reminder between your eyes, that the Torah of יהוה is to be in your mouth, for with a strong hand יהוה has brought you out of Mitsrayim. 

Exo 13:10  “And you shall guard this law at its appointed time from year to year. 

Exo 13:11  “And it shall be, when יהוה brings you into the land of the Kena‛anites, as He swore to you and your fathers, and gives it to you, 

 Deu 6:8  and shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. Deu 6:9  “And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. 

 In last day studies, many scholars note a striking structural parallel between the placement of tefillin and the Mark of the Beast in Revelation 13:16.

The Right Hand and Forehead: The book of Revelation states that the enemy forces people to receive a mark on their right hand or their foreheads to buy, sell, or function in the global world system. (Commandments to wear “tefillin” (Deuteronomy 6:8 and 11:18) Ex 13 vs 9 and vs 16)

 Exo 13:12  that you shall give over to יהוה every one opening the womb, and every first-born that comes from your livestock, the males belong to יהוה. 

Exo 13:13  “But every first-born of a donkey you are to ransom with a lamb. And if you do not ransom it, then you shall break its neck. And every first-born of man among your sons you are to ransom. 

Exo 13:14  “And it shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ then you shall say to him, ‘By strength of hand יהוה brought us out of Mitsrayim, out of the house of bondage. 

Exo 13:15  ‘And it came to be, when Pharaoh was too hardened to let us go, that יהוה killed every first-born in the land of Mitsrayim, both the first-born of man and the first-born of beast. Therefore, I am slaughtering to יהוה every male that opens the womb, but every first-born of my sons I ransom.’ 

 In the “second exodus” YHVH will destroy every religious system that opposes His Renewed Covenant) Jer 31:33 – the Torah in our hearts.

 Exo 13:16  “And it shall be as a sign on your hand and as frontlets between your eyes, for by strength of hand יהוה brought us out of Mitsrayim.” 

Pillars of Cloud and Fire

Exo 13:17  And it came to be, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that Elohim did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, though that was nearer, for Elohim said, “Lest the people regret when they see fighting, and return to Mitsrayim.” 

 YHVH lovingly chooses the safer, indirect path for our lives instead of the shortest route because He anticipates unseen spiritual and physical battles that we are not yet ready to face

 According to widespread Rabbinic tradition (Midrash), a large clan from the Tribe of Ephraim attempted an armed escape from Egypt 30 years before the actual Exodus led by Moses

 Believing the time of exile had officially expired, tens of thousands of armed Ephraimites took matters into their own hands and broke out of Egypt without a divine mandate or a leader appointed by God

 They took the coastal route toward Canaan and encountered the Philistines near the city of Gath. Because they relied entirely on human calculations and physical strength rather than divine timing, they were overwhelmingly defeated. Rabbinic texts estimate that between 180 000 and 300 000 Ephraimite men of war were slaughtered, and their bones were left bleaching in the valley

 There are major theological and historical frameworks where the Tribe of Ephraim is equated with Christianity or the Gentile Church. This connection shows up across mainstream biblical typology, Eastern Orthodox theology, and modern fringe movements, though they interpret the connection very differently.

 Mainstream biblical theologians often view Ephraim as a prophetic prototype for the Church through the lens of redemptive history

In the Old Testament, the Northern Kingdom of Israel was frequently called simply "Ephraim" because it was the dominant tribe. Because of systemic idolatry, God eventually stripped Ephraim of its kingdom privileges and scattered the people among the nations

 A powerful linguistic bridge exists between Jacob's blessing over the historical Ephraim and the Apostle Paul's description of the Gentile church.

The Blessing: In Genesis 48:19, Jacob intentionally blesses the younger Ephraim over the older Manasseh, prophesying that Ephraim’s descendants would become a melo ha-goyim—literally translated as "the fullness of the nations" or "the fullness of the Gentiles

The New Testament Echo: In Romans 11:25, Paul uses this exact phrase, writing that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the "fullness of the Gentiles" (pleroma ton ethnon) has come in. [1]

 There is a distinct, specialized group of Messianic Jewish, Torah-Observant, and Hebrew Roots scholars who explicitly link the "fullness of the Gentiles" (Romans 11:25) to those who embrace what James 1:25 calls the "perfect law of liberty" (the Torah)

 When Jacob blessed Ephraim in Genesis 48:19, he prophesied that Ephraim's seed would become a melo ha-goyim—the fullness of the nations/Gentiles.

Torah-observant scholars argue that the Apostle Paul (a Pharisee trained under Gamaliel) was explicitly quoting Genesis 48 when he wrote Romans 11:25. [1]

Thus, "the fullness of the Gentiles" does not simply mean a generic headcount of non-Jews filling up a church bench. Instead, it refers to the scattered, global descendants of Israel (and the nations grafted in with them) finally returning to their ancestral roots. [1, 2]

The Ultimate Synthesis

When these two concepts are merged, this specific school of scholars concludes that:

The "Fullness of the Gentiles" is the prophetic realization of people from all nations abandoning pagan world systems.

They "come into" Israel's covenant, not by legalistically trying to earn salvation, but by discovering that the Torah is not a burden of legalism, but a lifestyle of perfect freedom and liberty when lived through the Set Apart Spirit.

 Exo 13:18  So Elohim led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Sea of Reeds. And the children of Yisra’ěl went up in fivesa from the land of Mitsrayim. Footnote: aMarching formation.

 Exo 13:19  And Mosheh took the bones of Yosěph with him, for he certainly made the children of Yisra’ěl swear, saying, “Elohim shall certainly visit you, and you shall bring my bones from here with you.” 

 "By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning his bones."Heb 11:22 connecting apostolic writings to the torah

To New Covenant Christians, this is a massive spiritual lesson: of all the grand achievements in Joseph's life—ruling Egypt, saving the world from famine, accumulating vast wealth—the Set Apart Spirit selects his refusal to be buried permanently in Egypt as his crowning act of faith.

 Exo 13:20  And they departed from Sukkoth and camped in Ětham at the edge of the wilderness. 

Exo 13:21  And יהוה went before them by day in a column of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a column of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. 

Exo 13:22  The column of cloud did not cease by day, nor the column of fire by night, before the people. 

Crossing the Red Sea

Exo 14:1  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying, 

Exo 14:2  “Speak to the children of Yisra’ěl, that they turn and camp before Pi Haḥiroth, between Miḡdol and the sea, opposite Ba‛al Tsephon – camp before it by the sea. 

Exo 14:3  “For Pharaoh shall say of the children of Yisra’ěl, ‘They are entangled in the land, the wilderness has closed them in.’ 

Exo 14:4  “And I shall strengthen the heart of Pharaoh, and he shall pursue them. But I am to be esteemed through Pharaoh and over all his army, and the Mitsrites shall know that I am יהוה.” And they did so. 

Exo 14:5  And it was reported to the sovereign of Mitsrayim that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people. And they said, “Why have we done this, that we have let Yisra’ěl go from serving us?” 

Exo 14:6  So he made his chariot ready and took his people with him. 

Exo 14:7  And he took six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Mitsrayim with officers over all of them. 

Exo 14:8  And יהוה strengthened the heart of Pharaoh sovereign of Mitsrayim, and he pursued the children of Yisra’ěl, but the children of Yisra’ěl went out defiantly. 

Exo 14:9  And the Mitsrites pursued them, and all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Haḥiroth, before Ba‛al Tsephon. 

Exo 14:10  And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Yisra’ěl lifted their eyes and saw the Mitsrites coming up after them. And they were greatly afraid, so the children of Yisra’ěl cried out to יהוה. 

Exo 14:11  And they said to Mosheh, “Did you take us away to die in the wilderness because there are no burial-sites in Mitsrayim? What is this you have done to us, to bring us up out of Mitsrayim? 

Exo 14:12  “Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Mitsrayim, saying, ‘Leave us alone and let us serve the Mitsrites?’ For it would have been better for us to serve the Mitsrites than to die in the wilderness.” 

Exo 14:13  And Mosheh said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the deliverance of יהוה, which He does for you today. For the Mitsrites whom you see today, you are never, never to see again. 

Exo 14:14  “יהוה does fight for you, and you keep silent.” 

 Amo 5:13  Therefore the wise keep silent at that time, for it is an evil time. 

 Blessed are you YHVH, 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 – Amein.

  

What Really Happened to Nicodemus After He Buried Jesus?

 

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