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.
“ Nasso” –to lift up or Make
an Accounting– is a very interesting Hebrew verb, it is
called an infinitive of emphasis or an infinitive absolute verb. This conveys
the idea of a command as well as an ongoing action.
“The
infinitive absolute is employed to emphasize the idea of the verb in the
abstract, i.e. it speaks of an action (or state) without any regard to the
agent or to the circumstances of time and mood under which it takes place. On
the whole it is rare.” Wilhelm Gesenius.
I
believe YHVH is showing us in this portion how significant and central the
Levitical priesthood is to our spiritual well-being. We are reminded that YHVH
Himself chooses and appoints (nasso) those who are to represent Him and we have
an enormous responsibility of sharing their burden and remaining accountable to
YHVH through them.
The
Ruach of YHVH is still calling and preparing a priesthood to carry the burden
of the Word and ministry of YHVH into the world. This Torah portion teaches us
once again how to yield to His mighty leading and allow Him to place us in that
set apart space where we find true and everlasting meaning and purpose for our
lives and so fulfil the calling He has upon each one of our lives.
The ministry given to the
Levites was a ministry until the end of this age.
Exo 29:9 ….
– Aharon and his sons – and put the turbans on them. And the priesthood shall
be theirs for an everlasting law. So you shall ordain Aharon and his sons.
Even
if the Levites are presently not a visibly appointed authority in the Kingdom
of YHVH they still have a voice. We need to pay careful attention to what it
would be that they would say to us if they were officially operating in our
time again.
General Overview: This week's
Torah portion, Naso, is the longest single portion in the Torah,
containing 176 verses, the same number of verses found in Psalm 119, reminding
us of the importance of the priestly responsibility and burden to carry the
Word of the Torah. The reading starts with a continuation of the Levite census and a discussion regarding their Tabernacle duties, and the preserving of purity in the camp. The laws of the “sotah” woman and
the Nazirite vow follow. The portion
concludes with the Priestly Blessing
and the offerings which the Tribal
leaders brought in honour of the Tabernacle inauguration.
The Levitical ministry will be restored when Messiah returns and the
Temple is rebuilt in Jerusalem.
What about Messiah’s Melchizedek ministry? It is most definitely
superior but does not replace the Levitical ministry. Both these ministries
work in harmony with each other and are required to bring us into purity and
perfection. We know and believe that Messiah accomplished a finished work in
terms of our salvation on the execution stake but we are still called to work
out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12)
The future ministry of the Levites when Messiah returns is found in
chapters 40 to 48 in the book of Ezekiel.
This Torah portion also points us to the temporary restricting and
removing from the camp those who bring defilement into the camp. The purpose is
for protection and restoration of Yisrael- (sotah – the law of the jealous
husband who suspects his wife of unfaithfulness).
Finally this Torah portion brings to our attention the responsibility of
the on- going material support required by the Levitical ministry.
Our Torah portion
begins:
Num 4:21 And יהוה spoke to
Mosheh, saying,
Num 4:22 “Take a
census(nasso) also of the sons of Gĕreshon, by their fathers’ house, by their
clans.
“Nasso” in its context stresses the importance that this
accounting of Levites should never ever be neglected. This same word is used in
describing the setting up of a register for the Kohathites, but not the
Merarites.
Num 4:23 “Register
them, from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who enter
to perform the service, to do the service in the Tent of Meeting.
Num 4:24 “This is
the service(“avodah” or burden) of the clans(“mishpachah” or families) of the Gĕreshonites,
in serving and in bearing burdens:
Num 4:25 “And they
shall bear the curtains of the Dwelling Place and the Tent of Meeting with its
covering, the covering of fine leather that is on it, the covering for the door
of the Tent of Meeting,
Num 4:26 and the
screens of the courtyard and the covering for the door of the gate of the
courtyard, which is around the Dwelling Place and altar, and their cords, all
the equipment for their service and all that is made for them – so shall they
serve.
Num 4:27 “Aharon
and his sons are to command all the service of the sons of the Gĕreshonites,
all their burden and all their service.
And you shall appoint to them all the duty of all their burden.
Num 4:28 “This is
the service of the clans of the sons of Gĕreshon in the Tent of Meeting. And let their duties be under the hand of
Ithamar, son of Aharon the priest.
Num 4:29 “As for
the sons of Merari, register them by their clans and by their fathers’ house.
The verb “muster or register”(tiphkod in Hebrew) is used
and implies being “called up” for duty – note the Hebrew verb “nasso” is not
used.
Num 4:30 “Register(tiphkod)
them, from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who enter
the service to do the work of the Tent of Meeting.
Num 4:31 “And this
is the duty of their burden,(Heb “massa”
connected to “nassah”) according to all their service for the Tent of
Meeting: the boards of the Dwelling Place, and its bars, and its columns, and
its sockets,
Num 4:32 and the
columns around the courtyard with their sockets, and their pegs, and their
cords, with all their equipment and all their service. And assign to each
by name the equipment of the duty of their burden.
Num 4:33 “This is
the service of the clans of the sons of Merari, as all their service for the Tent of Meeting, under the hand of Ithamar,
son of Aharon the priest.”
Why does it appear that some seemed to have had a nicer
job than some of the others. Merari which comes from the Hebrew word meaning
“bitter” seemed to have received the “wrong end of the stick.”
Maybe the answer lies in the fact that not all our
service to YHVH seems pleasant and inspiring. As the old adage goes “its 10%
inspiration and 90% perspiration.”
Shemot 12:8 during the Passover meal we eat bitter herbs
– maror – normally horse radish.
While Yahshua was been executed on the execution stake he
drank vinegar - Joh 19:28 After this, יהושע, knowing
that all had been accomplished, in order that the Scripture might be
accomplished, said, “I thirst!” (Ps 69:21)
Joh 19:29 A
bowl of sour wine stood there, and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it
on hyssop, and held it to His mouth.
Joh 19:30 So
when יהושע took the sour wine He said, “It has been
accomplished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
We see later on in chapter 16 that Korach(a Kohathite)
Moshes’ cousin felt that the system was unfair and incited a rebellion against
Moshe.
Num 4:34 So Mosheh
and Aharon and the leaders of the congregation registered the sons of the
Qehathites by their clans and by their fathers’ house,
Num 4:35 from
thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who entered the
service for work in the Tent of Meeting.
Num 4:36 And their
registered ones, by their clans, were two thousand seven hundred and fifty.
Num 4:37 These
were the registered ones of the clans of the Qehathites, all those serving in
the Tent of Meeting, whom Mosheh and Aharon registered according to the command
of יהוה by the hand of Mosheh.
Num 4:38 And those
registered ones of the sons of Gĕreshon, by their clans and by their fathers’
house,
Num 4:39 from
thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who entered the
service for work in the Tent of Meeting,
