Parashat 20 – Tetzaveh-- you shall command

 

Shemot/ Exodus 27:20 – 30:10.

The use of the imperfect tense implies that this command has a future application as well. These commands must be carefully observed as they were given to all the generations of Yisrael – a law forever to their generations (vs 21). Obviously we wait for the rebuilding of the Temple in Yerushalayim for these commandments to once again be strictly guarded and obeyed by a willing and waiting priesthood.

The Name of Moshe.

Tetzaveh is the only Torah portion in the book of Shemot where the name of Moshe is conspicuously left out. Why? The sages believe one of the reasons is that this Torah portion normally falls on the week of the 7 th of Adar. This was the date believed to be the death and the birth of Moshe rabbeinu (Moses our rabbi)

It is also believed that Moshe’s name is left out because Moshe asked YHVH in the next Torah portion to blot out his name from the book of life (Shemot 32:32). The request came about because YHVH wanted to bring a complete destruction upon Yisrael after the incident of the golden calf.

So great was our rabbi Moshe that he was willing to be cursed for the sake of his brethren. We see there was another great sage called Shaul who had the same heart as Moshe rabbeinu.

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 Yisra’ĕlites, whose 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. Amĕn.

These men had the mind of our Messiah who took upon himself our curse caused by our disobedience to YHVH’s eternal Torah.

      Gal 3:13  Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the Torah, having become a curse for us – for it has been written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs upon a tree.”¹ – Footnote: ¹Dt. 21:23.

      Gal 3:14  in order that the blessing of Aḇraham might come upon the nations in Messiah יהושע, to receive the promise of the Spirit through belief.

Essence and definition of the good news.

Gal 3:8  And the Scripture, having foreseen that Elohim would declare right the nations by belief, announced the Good News to Aḇraham beforehand, saying, “All the nations shall be blessed in you,”

Note some believe that the word ”gospel” comes from an ancient Celtic word to be under the spell of a god.

We would do well to reconsider carefully what the church has called the ”gospel.”

We cannot divorce the good news from the Torah, for the good news originates in the Torah. Our disobedience and rebellion towards the Torah will bring about our destruction.

Just as tragic has been the evil reports ”la shon ha ra” committed by some Jews when the name of Yahshua is mentioned and the role he played in securing our redemption.

Some Jewish scholars refer to Yahshua as ”Yeshu” and use it as a mischievous acronym. "Yeshu" has been used as an acronym from the Hebrew words “ימח שמו וזכרו(נו (Y'mach Sh'mo V'Zichro(no)” meaning "may his name and memory be obliterated"

Baruch ha Shem like Moshe, the name of Yahshua will never be blotted out, in fact the second writings clearly proclaim:

Php 2:9  Elohim, therefore, has highly exalted Him and given Him the Name which is above every name,

Php 2:10  that at the Name of יהושע every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,

Php 2:11  and every tongue should confess that יהושע Messiah is Master, to the esteem of Elohim the Father.

Perhaps we should also consider the possibility that the name of Moshe is omitted in this Torah portion to remind us that without an intercessor and a dedicated priesthood that will stand in the gap for us, at any price, we will never be able to come and  dwell in the presence of the Almighty.

Heb 7:25  Therefore He is also able to save completely those who draw near to Elohim through Him, ever living to make intercession for them.

Many have been called to this priesthood but few will choose to truly walk in the footsteps of our fathers and of our Messiah BECAUSE THIS KIND OF LIFE REQUIRES GREAT DEDICATION AND COMES WITH A PRICE VERY FEW ARE WILLING TO PAY.

What makes this priestly ministry so important is that some of these priests have been in the very presence of YHVH and they and they alone can and will show us the way to come into and stay in the presence of YHVH. Many may claim to have been in the very presence of YHVH. If this were true there would be far more genuine repentance taking place in our and previous generations (we only need to consider the effect the day of Yom Kippur had on the nation of Yisrael).

Mat 22:14  “For many are called, but few are chosen."

We see a hidden reference to this cost in the opening instruction of this Torah portion where the command is given (tetzaveh) to bring oil to the place (mishkan) where the priests come before Yahveh to intercede for His people and the nations.

Blessing of Torah.

Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-O’lam, asher bachar banu m’kol ha-amim,

v’natan lanu eht Torah-to.
Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah.
Ameyn.”

(Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim , King of the Universe,
you have selected us from among all the peoples,
and have given us your Torah.
Blessed are you, YHVH, giver of the Torah.
Ameyn.)

Torah Readings:

1. 27:20 – 28:12
2. 28:13-30
3. 28:31-43
4. 29:1-18
5. 29:19-37
6. 29:38-46
7. 30:1-7
8. Maftir: 30:8-10

Haftarah: Ezekiel 43:10-27  -  Eze 43:12  “This is the Torah of the House:…..

Aliyah Rishon 27:20-28:12

      Shemot/Exo 27:20  “And you, you are to command the children of Yisra’ĕl to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually.

      Exo 27:21  “In the Tent of Meeting, outside the veil which is before the Witness, Aharon and his sons are to tend it from evening until morning before יהוה – a law forever to their generations, from the children of Yisra’ĕl.

“shemen zait zach” means pure olive oil. 

 An olive tree never dies. Neither does it ever cease giving fruit. When some branches become old and stop giving fruit, they are cut off so that new shoots can come up that will give fruit. The olive tree needs approximately 10 years in order to begin giving fruit, but the most fruitful time does not begin until 40 years have passed. The leaves are always green. It does not need a lot of water and can manage well in a warm and dry climate. The olives have three important ingredients, oil, water, and alpechin. Olive oil is very healthy for the body. It is used for cooking, among other things. It can be mixed with flour to bake cakes. It can be used on salads or directly on bread and can also be used as fuel for oil lamps, as in this case in the tabernacle. 

Olives are harvested during the winter. During the second temple period, there were three harvests per year. First the olives that were furthest out on the branches and were ripe first because of the sunshine were harvested. After that, the olives, which were further in on the branches were harvested. The third harvest close to the trunk were the olives that had ripened slowly.

There is a midrash that compares these three pressing to the outpouring of the Ruach Ha Kodesh (Set Apart Spirit) on the earth. (the word Messiah means one who is anointed – olive oil was used to anoint)

The first pressing came at Sinai – Shavuot – where the Torah was given to Moshe - Tehillim/Psa 119:105  Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. The Torah was given to a people that had come out of the bondage and suffering of Mitsrayim/Egypt for centuries.

The second pressing came after the suffering and death of Messiah on another “Feast of Shavuot” ("Feast of weeks in English". In Greek it was translated with Pentecoste which means "fifty" due to the 50 days counted between Pesach and Shavuot. The Greek word Pentecoste was transliterated to the word “Pentecost”). It was at this Shavuot after Yahshua's death, ressurrection and ascension where the Ruach (Spirit) was poured out in Yerushalyim on the Temple Mount – Yahshua the light of the world.

The third pressing of olives was made with great crushing stones that grinded over each other. This could be a picture of the outpouring of the Ruach during the time of the great tribulation, the coming together of Yisrael who will be a light to all the nations of the world. The olive tree was often beaten with rods to shake loose remaining olives that were situated close to the trunk of the tree.

YoEl/Joe 2:1  Blow a ram’s horn in Tsiyon, and sound an alarm in My set-apart mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the earth tremble, for the day of יהוה is coming, for it is near:

Joe 2:2  a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, like the morning clouds spread over the mountains – a people many and strong, the like of whom has never been, nor shall there ever be again after them, to the years of many generations.

Joe 2:27  “And you shall know that I am in the midst of Yisra’ĕl¹, and that I am יהוה your Elohim and there is no one else. And My people shall never be put to shame. Footnote: ¹See Isa. 24:23.

Joe 2:28  “And after this it shall be that I pour out My Spirit on all flesh. And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men dream dreams, your young men see visions.

Joe 2:29  “And also on the male servants and on the female servants I shall pour out My Spirit in those days.

Joe 2:30  “And I shall give signs in the heavens and upon the earth: blood and fire and columns of smoke,

Joe 2:31  the sun is turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of יהוה.

The first pressing was done by hand, the second by pressing weights and the third by was by a stone press.

“The word "Gethsemane" is derived from the Hebrew "gat shemanim" which means "oil press" - the implication being that the garden was in fact an olive grove...”

This stirs up within our hearts the image that the Father goes to a great deal of effort to bring the necessary forces to bear on the lives of those He has chosen to become like this precious olive oil used to bring life and light to His creation. When we submit to His processes and instruction we open our lives to receive the fullness of His Ruach. The same Rauch which was evident in and on the life of Messiah.

The true ministry of the Ruach can only take place as a result of crushing. We see this revealed in all the inner workings and material of the set apart place, the bread, wine, oil and spices for incense, each of these was subject to a process of crushing and burning before they were used to testify of and help usher in YHVH’s presence.

Shemot/Exo 28:1  “And you, bring near Aharon your brother and his sons with him, from among the children of Yisra’ĕl, for serving as priest to Me: Aharon, Naḏaḇ and Aḇihu, Elʽazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aharon.

Exo 28:2  “And you shall make set-apart garments for Aharon your brother, for esteem and for comeliness.

Exo 28:3  “And you, speak to all the wise of heart, whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, and they shall make the garments of Aharon, to set him apart, for him to serve as priest to Me.

The priestly garments remind us of the covering we lost in the garden and the restored covering that YHVH is in the process of restoring to us again.

Again we need to look into the deeper levels of Torah. When man was in the garden before he sinned, he was clothed with the esteem or the “shechinah” of YHVH, however when he sinned, he lost this covering of LIGHT and was aware of his nakedness. We see an interesting reference to this in the Hebrew words used for “light and skin”

The Hebrew word for "Light" is "OR"  spelled "aleph  vav  resh" - The Hebrew word for "Skin" is also "OR"  but is spelled "ayin  vav  resh" –

We know that man lost something very special when he sinned and became aware of his nakedness. He became aware of his own naked skin because he had lost the esteemed covering that came from YHVH.

The priestly garments represent the prophetic restoration of man’s original condition before YHVH.

Exo 28:4  “And these are the garments which they make: a breastplate, a shoulder garment, a robe, an embroidered long shirt, a turban, and a girdle. And they shall make set-apart garments for Aharon your brother and his sons, for him to serve as priest to Me.

Exo 28:5  “And they shall take the gold, and the blue and the purple and the scarlet material, and the fine linen,

Exo 28:6  and shall make the shoulder garment of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine woven linen, the work of a skilled workman.

Exo 28:7  “It is to have two shoulder pieces joined at its two edges, and so it is joined together.

Exo 28:8  “And the embroidered band of the shoulder garment, which is on it, is of the same workmanship, made of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine woven linen.

Exo 28:9  “And you shall take two shoham stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Yisra’ĕl,

Exo 28:10  six of their names on one stone, and the remaining six names on the other stone, according to their birth.

Exo 28:11  “With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Yisra’ĕl. Set them in settings of gold.

Exo 28:12  “And you shall put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the shoulder garment as stones of remembrance for the sons of Yisra’ĕl. And Aharon shall bear their names before יהוה on his two shoulders, for a remembrance.

Olive oil and the priestly garments have a connection - The Hebrew word for "oil" is shemen, which is the root of the Hebrew for "eight," shmoneh.

Parashat 19 – “Terumah” - an uplifted set apart offering.

Shemot/ Ex 25:1 – 27:19 

Yoch/Joh 12:32  “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, shall draw all (men) unto Myself.”

The suffering our Messiah endured through the cruelty of men who lifted him up (terumah) on an execution stake became the very act that reconciled us to YHVH.

There can be no greater gift – “terumah” ever given to mankind, for mankind, by YHVH than this one act.

From before the foundation of the world everything has pointed to this One Offering that Yahshua, himself would be that would cause him to become the only way truth and life to the Father,  the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth – YHVH.

The Lamb slain before the foundation of the world –Rev 13:8

The Torah points us to Messiah as the greatest gift – terumah- of all.

More information is given to us about the Tabernacle than any other subject in the Torah.

This is understandable if we realize the purpose of this Tabernacle or tent of meeting was so that Elohim could dwell in the midst of His people.

Some have referred to the Tabernacle (Mishkan) as a Royal Marriage Tent, a place where Yisrael/Israel the bride prepares and purifies herself to make herself ready for her Bridegroom.

The sages often teach about the Tabernacle in the context of the Song of Songs.

We need to ask ourselves, "How important is it for us to understand the building of the Tabernacle?"  YHVH only used six chapters of His precious Torah to explain His total creation.  In these six chapters, He also gave insight on the sons of Adam, how man fell, and the judgment upon His creation, man, at the time of Noach. 

     In contrast, YHVH used sixteen chapters in the Torah to give us understanding of the Tabernacle, its construction, and the services His people were to perform before Him. YHVH was making it very clear that He was seeking a presence amongst His people. He has never changed His mind. He is the same yesterday today and forever.

When the religious system of this world was about to stone Stephen, he spoke of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, if they understood what the tabernacle represented they would never have stoned him.

         "Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He had appointed, speaking unto Moshe, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen."   Acts 7:44

         Stephen spoke of the Tabernacle as the Tabernacle of Witness. You can kill the visionary but not the vision. The Tabernacle was given as a spiritual witness of YHVH's eternal redemption for man, when the Ruach (Spirit) of YHVH shows us the connection between the tabernacle with Messiah, the eternal counsel of YHVH’s redemptive wisdom becomes a very precious reality to us.

Blessing for the Torah:

Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-O’lam, asher bachar banu m’kol ha-amim,

v’natan lanu eht Torah-to. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”

(Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim , King of the Universe,

you have selected us from among all the peoples, and have given us your Torah.

Blessed are you, YHVH, giver of the Torah. Ameyn.)

Torah Readings:

1. 25:1-16
2. 25:17-30 (Sefardim); 25:17-40 (Ashkenazim)
3. 25:31 – 26:14 (S); 26:1-14 (A)
4. 26:15-30
5. 26:31-37
6. 27:1-8
7. 27:9-16
8. Maftir: 27:17-19

Haftarah: 1 Kings 5:12 (26 Heb.) – 6:13

 

Aliyah Rishon 25:1-16

Shemot/Exo 25:1  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

Exo 25:2  “Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, that they take up a contribution (terumah) for Me. From everyone whose heart moves him you shall take up My contribution.

We must pay special attention to the kind of giving our Father desires, the leaders were only to take those gifts that were given with a good heart (kavanah).

We are taught in the “shema” that we want to love YHVH with all of our hearts and beings and material possessions (might).

2Co 9:7  Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not of grief or of necessity, for Elohim loves a joyous giver.

2Co 9:8  And Elohim is able to make all favour overflow toward you, that you, always having all you need in every way, have plenty for every good work.

(Note: my own emphasis is added to text for emphasis)

Exo 25:3  “And this is the contribution which you take up from them: gold, and silver, and bronze,

Exo 25:4  and blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine linen, and goats’ hair,

Exo 25:5  and rams’ skins dyed red, and fine leather, and acacia wood,

Exo 25:6  oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense,

Exo 25:7  shoham stones, and stones to be set in the shoulder garment and in the breastplate.

Each one of these materials that was given as an uplifted set apart gift has significant instruction for bringing about a Messianic reality on earth and in our lives.

Gold represents Kingship, Yahshua is the king of kings; silver represents redemption; bronze represents judgment; Yahshua took our judgement upon himself; blue represents heaven, Yahshua came to bring heaven to earth.  Purple speaks of royality, Yahshua is preparing a “Royal Priesthood”. Linen speaks of Messiah’s purity and that of his bride. Goats hair speaks of the sin offering of Yom Kippur. The rams skin dyed red speaks of Messiah’s substitutionary offering of himself.

The Badger skin speaks of an unattractive outward appearance – “…He has no form or splendour that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should desire Him –

Yesh/Isa 53:3  despised and rejected by men, a man of pains and knowing sickness. And as one from whom the face is hidden, being despised, and we did not consider Him.

Acacia or “shittim” wood speaks of the execution stake. (It’s interesting that the gematria of “shittim” and “satan” are the same ie 359) . Yahshua came to undo the works of ha satan.

Oil represents anointing and beauty, The name Mashiach means anointed one or the Oiled One.

The spices would include Myrrh (stacte) frankincense, onycha and galbanum. These were harvested from trees that were either punctured or had branches broken and the sap that came out as the result of the trauma would be taken and crystalized and crushed.

The fine leather would also later be used for the making of the Torah scrolls.

The precious stones would come to represent the family of Yahshua the 12 tribes of Yisrael.

Shemot/Exo 25:8  “And they shall make Me a Set-apart Place, and I shall dwell in their midst.

The verse does not say, "and I will dwell within it," but "and I will dwell within them"--within each and every one of them (betocham) Midrash Tanchuma, Naso 16

Father has always wanted to dwell in His people. First He chose the tabernacle and then He chose His son Yahshua our Messiah.

There is an interesting progression of revelation given in the following Torah portions. After the giving of the Torah in parashat Yitro, we have parashat Mishpatim which speaks about how only a bondservant will feel welcome in YHVH’s family and how such a person will want to live their lives, in this week’s parashat Terumah the Torah instructs us on how we can draw closer to YHVH.

Shemot/Exo 25:9  “According to all that I show you – the pattern of the Dwelling Place and the pattern of all its furnishings – make it exactly so.

Exo 25:10  “And they shall make (ve asu aron) an ark of acacia wood two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. (Note the use of the plural – this is our joint inheritance – Eph 1:18)

Exo 25:11  “And you shall overlay it with clean gold, inside and outside you shall overlay it. And you shall make on it a moulding of gold all around.

Exo 25:12  “And you shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four corners, two rings on one side, and two rings on the other side.

Exo 25:13  “And you shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold,

Exo 25:14  and shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to lift up the ark by them.

Exo 25:15  “The poles are in the rings of the ark, they are not taken from it.

Exo 25:16  “And into the ark you shall put the Witness which I give you.

The central feature of the Tabernacle was the ark, which housed the two tablets containing the 10 sayings. The sages say Yisrael is only a nation by virtue of the Torah. Yisraelites carry the very presence and light of YHVH to the nations because the Torah has been hidden and treasured in their hearts.

The Hebrew word “ark” is “aron” which comes from the word “light” for the Torah is the light of the world. When Messiah, the Torah in the flesh came he was called the light of the world because the Torah was in him. Messiah’s so called “pre –existence” was in the form of the Torah and in the mind of YHVH before the foundation of the world.

The ark is the heart of the Tabernacle; this is where the presence of YHVH dwells. The total circumference of the ark is 8 cubits. Eight is the number of new beginnings. When the Father meets with us He always will touch and change our hearts first. This is the place where YHVH chose to speak to Moshe.

It is important to note that the staves and rings attached to the Ark of the Covenant were intended to remind us that the ark could be compared to a true follower who would be like a pilgrim on this earth always ready to go where YHVH directs and leads. We travel on the shoulders of a priesthood.

There is great mystery and controversy surrounding the disappearance and possible rediscovery of the ark. Who knows, it may well be found again before the return of Messiah.

Apocrypha: 2 Macabees Chapter 2

1 It is also found in the records, that Jeremy the prophet commanded them that were carried away to take of the fire, as it hath been signified:

2 And how that the prophet, having given them the law, charged them not to forget the commandments of the Lord, and that they should not err in their minds, when they see images of silver and gold, with their ornaments.

3 And with other such speeches exhorted he them, that the law should not depart from their hearts.

4 It was also contained in the same writing, that the prophet, being warned of God, commanded the tabernacle and the ark to go with him, as he went forth into the mountain, where Moses climbed up, and saw the heritage of God.

5 And when Jeremy came thither, he found an hollow cave, wherein he laid the tabernacle, and the ark, and the altar of incense, and so stopped the door.

6 And some of those that followed him came to mark the way, but they could not find it.

7 Which when Jeremy perceived, he blamed them, saying, As for that place, it shall be unknown until the time that God gather his people again together, and receive them unto mercy. (Emphasis added)

8 Then shall the Lord shew them these things, and the glory of the Lord shall appear, and the cloud also, as it was shewed under Moses, and as when Solomon desired that the place might be honourably sanctified.

Aliyah Sheni 25:17-30

Shemot/Exo 25:17  “And you shall make a lid of atonement of clean gold, two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide.

Exo 25:18  “And you shall make two keruḇim of gold, make them of beaten work, at the two ends of the lid of atonement.

Exo 25:19  “And make one keruḇ at one end, and the other keruḇ at the other end. Make the keruḇim from the lid of atonement, at its two ends.

Exo 25:20  “And the keruḇim shall be spreading out their wings above, covering the lid of atonement with their wings, with their faces toward each other, the faces of the keruḇim turned toward the lid of atonement.

Exo 25:21  “And you shall put the lid of atonement on top of the ark, and put into the ark the Witness which I give you.

The sages compare this lid to the “nefesh” or being of a man. We note how this whole lid was made from one piece of gold, the lid plus the two kerubim. This reminds us of our how closely linked the atonement of man is with the ministry of messengers.

Ivrim/Heb 1:14  Are they not all serving spirits sent out to attend those who are about to inherit deliverance?

Exo 25:22  “And I shall meet (Hebrew means to meet by appointment only) with you there, and from above the lid of atonement, from between the two keruḇim which are on the ark of the Witness, I shall speak to you all that which I command you concerning the children of Yisra’ĕl.

In the Song of Songs the lid of the ark can be compared to the “palanquin” A palanquin was an ancient portable room or enclosure carried on the shoulder of slaves. This was used to transport royalty.  The palanquin is where the king and his queen enjoyed each other’s company. There was only room for the two of them.

Song of Songs 3:9 and 10:  Sovereign Shelomoh made himself A litter (S668 palanquin) of the wood of Leḇanon;

He made its posts of silver, Its support of gold, its seat of purple, Within it was decked with love By the daughters of Yerushalayim.