Parashat Pin'has

(Numbers 25:10 - 29:40)

11. "Pin'has, the son of El'azar, the son of Aharon the priest, has turned away my fury from the descendants of Israel in being zealous for my jealousy among them, so that I did not finish off the descendants of Israel in my jealousy.

Zealous: from the same root as "jealousy", but it includes the concept of burning passion. We are not to be a slave to our emotions, but he burned with the same passion YHWH had. He stood up for what YHWH is passionate about. Jealousy has been given a bad name, but that is because it is often confused with envy. They are not the same. Envy is coveting—disobedience to the tenth commandment, wanting a specific thing someone else has been allotted. We have no right to do this. Jealousy, on the other hand, is our right and even our responsibility: it always pertains to something that does already, rightfully belong to us, which is being taken or threatened by another who does not have a right to it. Jealousy has to do with guarding the things dedicated to one and off limits to another. Another "man" had been brought into YHWH's "harem" (an enclosure off limits to anyone else), but Pin'has longed to be longed for by YHWH, and, now that his father was the high priest, he was assigned as the chief guard of the holiness of His Dwelling-Place, which is YHWH’s picture of perfection. He was just doing his job of making sure nothing there was mishandled, that nothing was touched that was not to be touched by the wrong people, and that everything was used as it was intended to be used. What made him heroic was that no one else seemed to be doing their jobs; no one else seemed concerned about what YHWH was passionate about. YHWH is passionate toward Israel; He told Pharaoh, “This is My people!”And He gives Israel a way to participate in His passion. But those who were whoring with Ba’al-Peor made a different aspect of His—and Pin’has’—passion flare. Ba’al means “husband”; they were becoming attached to another husband. This couple was acting out a wedding of Israel to Ba’al-Peor. They were wrecking YHWH’s home, so he had to put an immediate end to it. Zeal for YHWH’s house consumed him. (Psalm 69:9/10). He acted just when the last of the generation that needed to die off before they could enter the Land had died, so that no more were killed than needed to be. His motive was not so much to stop the plague as to restore the honor of YHWH’s Name and sanctuary that were being profaned. He was jealous about YHWH’s relationship with Israel, that they be connected to Him and not other things. The rest of this Torah portion gives us a remedy to prevent this kind of thing from occurring again, and a recipe for keeping the relationship intact.

13. "and it shall belong to him and to his seed after him, [that is] the covenant of an eternal priesthood, because he was provoked to jealous anger for his Elohim, and atoned for the descendants of Israel.'"

This is what Pin’has’ zeal earned him. YHWH was so impressed with one man’s zeal that He “forgot” how angry He was with the rest of the people. Never underestimate what one person can accomplish. What did this covenant of peace (or completeness) constitute? Pin'has was not originally in line to be High Priest; his uncle Nadav was. Since Nadav was killed, and the next in line, Avihu, with him, it fell to Pin'has' father, El'azar, to become the High Priest. But here YHWH promised that this kind of transfer would not occur again; the priesthood would remain in Pin'has' line, because he was the kind of high priest YHWH wanted. He had done even better than his grandfather Aharon. Imagine how people must have respected his position after what he did here. It was the Israelite man who was guilty; the woman was just acting normally for a Midyanite (see note on v. 15). YHWH had given special instructions about what to do when a husband was jealous for his wife in chapter 5. Israel, the wife of YHWH, had played the harlot, and she is the one being tested now. A priest administered the test, and here it was a priest who stopped the plague, keeping YHWH from having to be jealous any longer, because he was jealous for YHWH's reputation. When the woman tested was found guilty of adultery, her belly is what swelled, and her reproductive organs ceased to function. Here, Pin'has ran his spear through her reproductive organs.

Sallu's name means "weighed" or "made light of". His son was now "weighed and found wanting". Shim'onites were not to be in the Tabernacle compound anyway, unless they were bringing their sacrifices or offerings. (18:7) "My music" reminds us of haSatan. (cf. Y'chezq'el 28:13)

Pin'has made what we would consider a poor political move, because both of the people he killed were prominent citizens. Biblically, there is no marriage ceremony; rather, once one "took a wife", by Torah he was considered married to her. (Deut. 22:28ff) So in a way this was a political marriage--the very downfall of the later King Shlomo, which then precipitated the split in the Kingdom of Israel. Kozbi probably had a clear conscience. Moavite worship involved temple prostitution, so she was merely being a "missionary" for her religion; prostitutes there were considered very important and came from the highest classes--quite the opposite of modern society. The participants were trying to establish this as part of the official worship of YHWH. Artifacts have actually been found that had written on them, "To YHWH and His asherah". So people were taking pagan things and thought they were thereby worshipping YHWH, as in the case of the golden calf. But YHWH never accepted this as "kosher" worship. Rock: one title for Yahshua, but this Rock had a daughter who was a "lie" (a false bride) and a harlot--both biblical descriptions of the False Messiah and his congregation, which are built on "Jesus Christ"--a deceptive conceptual offshoot of the true Yahshua haMashiach; the counterfeit Messiah would not claim to be the little-known Yahshua, but Jesus, in order to deceive the many. Moshe's father-in-law was from Midyan, so he would not have expected trouble from that quarter, but the Midyanites shared the worship of Baal with Moav.

Cramp: harass, put in a "pinch", make things tight for them or hard to breathe; Aramaic, "engage in hostilities against". LXX, "plague". Killing them was not enough; they had to be made to feel pain for what they did to YHWH's people, costing Him 24,000 of them. If they could not fix what they had broken, forgiveness was out of the question. How un-Christian! But it was YHWH's will. We, too, are called to learn the Scriptures well so that we can show how ridiculous are the practices of those who worship the "lord of the underworld" without realizing it, then "kill off" the self in them so they can become more like they are meant to be.

A whole tribe was nearly lost because the son of its chief would have been only half-Israelite. Cramp you: put you in straits. By their "mission work", they nearly eliminated Israel, even as many who follow the Harlot have tried to swallow Israel up into the Church. Craftiness: Aramaic, "trickery"; LXX, "treachery". Beguiled: or deceived; LXX, "ensnared". Peor affair: when Bilaam suggested luring Israel away from YHWH by seduction, since he could not curse them directly. Though it began with the daughters of Moav (v. 1), somehow the Midyanites also became involved and took precedence over them, possibly because of the added weightiness of having defiled the holy area. This is "an eye for an eye". A severe response is called for when anyone uses deceptive techniques to lead YHWH's people away from faithfulness to Him and change the worship He prescribed to something just like is done everywhere else.

CHAPTER 26

2. "Take a census of the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their father's house--all who [are able to] go out to the army in Israel."

Just prior to this, there had been only one man willing to fight for Israel, instead of just crying about the crisis. The plague was the reason the census was requested. YHWH knew how many there were; Israel, instead, is who needs to know, and especially Moshe and El'azar, who must now select new leaders, since so many of them have recently died, not to mention the fact that they are about to lose Moshe. It is time to take a survey of who is still an Israelite after some went off to follow Ba'al-Peor instead. Who is still loyal? Which tribes are doing well? Which ones have lost many people because of weak leaders? Who supported the judges and killed the leaders who rebelled? Who can become the new leaders, especially after Moshe is no longer with them? The phrase "take a census" literally means "lift the heads". I.e., make sure they are all paying attention. Look into their eyes: Are they generous? Stingy? The latter cannot be leaders, for they will take more for themselves than they give. Whom can we trust? Who is committed? And have them look you in the eye as you remind them clearly, "You are not married to Ba'al-Peor. You are a part of Israel, not Moav, Midyan, or Egypt, so do not help them reach their goals. You belong to YHWH. Read my lips: serve one another. Get your focus back on being an army." In Israel, only those who fight are counted. And it is according to tribal identity that they are counted, not as individuals. Tribal identity is important, because Yaaqov had given particular blessings (and curses) to each tribe, indicating where their strengths and weaknesses lay. They must not be "citizens of the world", but loyal to a particular house. If they are, all Israel will be served, so they are judged by what they do in their father's household. Corps of different types of weaponry were grouped by tribe, largely because they possessed the same skills. (1 Chron. 8:40) By serving their ancestral household, they were serving all of Israel. The father is the leader, decision-maker, and authority in the household. Today, as we are still scattered, the temporary equivalent is the local congregation. If you are not in the one where you belong, find the one where YHWH has called you, then sink your tent pegs deep. You cannot go to war without a commander. Israel is not to be a people loosely organized, who each go their own way. YHWH's sheep are under His shepherds, or we are still lost sheep! With the Levitical system not yet intact and the tribes not yet organized, YHWH is also choosing leaders today based on their willingness to give up their oil at the first crushing, like the only olive oil fit for use in His sanctuary. Those who have been called in the first wave of the return of the Northern Kingdom must be especially ready to lead as the rest of Israel realizes their identity and follows us out. He holds His shepherds in high esteem, yet even Yahshua had only 11 real "sheep", who were to each have more sheep of their own. But He also holds the shepherds more accountable, as the prophets say so often. The Northern Kingdom's collapse was blamed on its shepherds. A leader is one who does more than he is capable of doing, who attacks his weaknesses by practicing until he becomes strong, because he will need to lead in many settings, not just those for which he is best suited. A true shepherd not only cares for his neighbors, but teachers others to do so as well--and enforces what YHWH has required.

This is the first time El'azar is called the cohen rather than the son of the cohen. By the time of this census, he has established his authority--perhaps by Pin'has' proving he had raised him properly--the prerequisite for one to be a leader in the Renewed Covenant congregations. (1 Tim. 3:5)

5. Reuven ["Look! A son!"] is Israel's firstborn. The sons of Reuven [are as follows]:
From Hanoch ["dedicated"] came the clan of the Hanochites; from Pallu ["distinguished"], the clan of the Palluites;

6. from Hetzron ["surrounded by a wall"], the clan of the Hetzronites; from Karmi ["my vineyard"], the clan of the Karmites;

7. these are the clans of the Reuvenites, and those who were mustered from them [numbered] 43,730.

Re'uven's numbers are down from 46,500 in the first census. He should have had every right of the firstborn, but he betrayed his father's trust, which is very hard to repair. And if one is not trustworthy, he loses the rights attached to being a firstborn. The children of Re'uven also rebelled along with Qorach (16:1), so this tribe has lost ground.

9. and Eliav's sons were Nemuel ["day of Elohim"], Dathan ["belonging to a fountain"], and Aviram ["my father is exalted"]. These were the [same] Dathan and Aviram who were acclaimed in the assembly, who struggled against Moshe and Aharon in the company of Qorach, when they struggled against YHWH,

These were the "big shots" of their tribe, who could be called on when someone had a problem. It must have gone to their heads. When one has accomplished a little, it is best to just thank YHWH rather than thinking we have accomplished a lot. Their struggle was, in today's terms, wanting Israel to be a democracy. They wanted everyone to have a vote, and called Moshe's leadership style nepotism. But Moshe did not feel a need to explain anything to them. He simply referred the question to YHWH, who made His will very clear. One can fight the Torah all he wants, but he is only fighting against YHWH, and that is the most foolish thing one can do.

11. but the children of Qorach did not die.

This must mean that, unlike Dathan and Aviram's children, Qorach's sons, though they had rebellion in their veins, had the wisdom to separate themselves from their own father, who started the rebellion, when YHWH told the whole congregation to get away from their tents. (16:24ff) They sided with Israel rather than their own family when this was necessary. (Mat. 10:37) They were appointed to guard one side of the tabernacle, so they may not have even have been present with him when he sinned. But just because our own fathers have misled many does not mean we have to follow in their footsteps. They knew their father wanted them to inherit lies and things that would not let Israel ascend. (Yirmeyahu 16:19) In fact, their father very quickly descended! However, no particular names of Qorach's sons are listed, so they might no longer have wanted to be identified as his sons. Today our fathers have passed on to us untruths about Yahshua that do not allow us to ascend closer to YHWH. If we see Yahshua as the end-all, we will not return all the way to His Father, which was His purpose. Tents are symbolic in Scripture of places of learning. As Qorach was swallowed up by the earth, the church is being swallowed up by the world, becoming hardly distinguishable from it (though there is nothing new about this; Rome did the same in the fourth century), so this is a "tent" that YHWH has now called anyone who wants to be a part of Israel to leave as well. But have we, like Rachel, brought anything with us out of that tent? Even "idols" that are only in our minds--extrabiblical morals, pagan names for YHWH, the interpretations of men? These will only prove to be baggage that keeps us from being able to ascend quickly. The traditions that we find in Torah are much better than those that originated outside it, anyway.

12. The sons of Shim'on ["hearing deeply"], according to their clans [were]:
for Nemuel ["day of Elohim"], the clan of the Nemuelites;
for Yamin [right hand], the clan of the Yaminites;
for Yachin ["he will establish"], the clan of the Yachinites;

13. for Zerach ["rising"], the clan of the Zarchites;
for Sha'ul ["desired, requested"], the clan of the Sha'ulites. 14. These are the clans of the Shim'onites--22,200.

When they were numbered at Sinai (ch. 1), there were nearly three times as many. When most of the tribes grew or maintained a relatively stable population between the first census and this one, why did Shim’on lose so many? One factor in their history is that this tribe’s ancestor, along with Levi, “killed a man in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased.” (Gen. 49:6) In other words, they followed their own hearts—the last thing a tribe whose name means “the great listening” should be listening to! Rashi speculated that all of the 24,000 who fell in chapter 25 were from that tribe, since it was their leader who was killed by Pin’has. There is another possible explanation: Steve Collins theorizes that because one of their leaders, Zimri, had been executed by Pin’has (25:14), a large contingent left the camp and went off and formed a nation of their own. The historical record turns up the Milesians (also called by the more telling name Simonii) who conquered Ireland around 500 B.C.E. after living for a while in Spain. They had come from further east, anddated their migration by the number of years after Israel’s exodus from Egypt. Why? Also, their flag represented the last major event in Israel’s history prior to that—the serpent on a pole. (ch. 21) There are also drops in the sizes of Efrayim, Re’uven, Gad, Yehudah, and Nafthali, possibly explained by the loss of the 24,000 who died in the plague after the Kozbi affair. (This was a one-day plague, showing how highly contagious selfishness is, even if it falls short of actually being classified as sin itself.) Shim'on and Levi had been partners in avenging sexual sin, but this time Shim'on was the perpetrator and Levi the avenger and righter of the wrong. Though the Levites were not to go to war, they were charged with guarding YHWH’s set-apart place. The Maccabees, who defended the faith from the Greeks’ attempt to taint it, also came from this tribe. While the tribe of Shim'on was decimated, Levi's numbers increased by 1,000.

17. for Arod ["I will subdue, I shall roam"], the clan of the Arodites; for Areli ["valiant one"], the clan of the Arelites.

18. These are the clans of the descendants of Gad those who were mustered from them, [which numbered] 40,500.

Gad is also reduced in number from 45,650 in the first census.

20. So the sons of Y'hudah, according to their clans, were:
for Shelah ["a petition"], the clan of the Shelanites;
for Peretz ["breach"], the clan of the Partzites;
for Zerach ["rising"], the clan of the Zarchites;

It was after Yehudah descended and lived alone that he visited an Adullamite--"the justice of the people"--and married his daughter, a Kanaanite. Her tendencies add to the way their sons turned out. SHelach, on the other hand, was born elsewhere, and his name tells us that he was requested from YHWH. After he asked, he was restored to his brothers, and later ended up with some sons (David and Yahshua) whom YHWH loved as much as or more than He hated Er and Onan. They were the reparation for these fruitless children in Kanaan.

22. These are the families of Y'hudah; those who were mustered from them [numbered] 76,500.

23. The sons of Issachar, according to their clans:
for Tola ["crimson worm"], the clan of the Tolaites;
for Puwa ["splendid, dasher to pieces"], the clan of the Punites;

24. for Yashuv ["he will return"], the clan of the Yashuvites;
for Shimron ["guardian"], the clan of the Shimronites.

25. These are the clans of Issachar; those who were mustered from them [numbered] 64,300.

26. The sons of Z'vulun, according to their clans:
for Sered ["fear"], the clan of the Sardites;
for Elon ["mighty oak"], the clan of the Elonites;
for Yachle'El ["El waits in expectation"], the clan of the Yachle'Elites.

27. These [have been] the clans of the Z'vulunites, according to those mustered for them: 60,500.

28. And the sons of Yoseyf, according to their clans: Menashe and Efrayim.

29. The sons of Menashe:
for Makhir ["highly valued"], the clan of the Makhirites, and Makhir fathered Gil'ad ["rocky region"]; for Gil'ad, the clan of the Gil'adites.

A different pattern is seen here, for Yoseyf gave a special honor to Makhir. Though Yaaqov had expressed a preference for Efrayim, Yoseyf still considered Menashe his firstborn, and honored him by naming Makhir's sons as his own, thus forming a sort of third tribe of Yoseyf. (Gen. 50:23) Gil'ad: ancestor of Eliyahu the prophet. But because Makhir was a man of war (a term otherwise used in Scripture only of YHWH and David) and conquered the land of Gil'ad, half of the territory added to Menashe east of the Yarden was given to Makhir's descendants. (Y'hoshua 13:29; 17:1) They were held in very high esteem. Moshe even called them the tribe of the sons of Yoseyf (36:1ff) when they were especially concerned that they might lose this land due to one family of their clan having no sons.

31. and for Asriel ["I shall be prince of El"], the clan of the Asrielites;
from Sh'chem ["shoulder-blade"], the clan of the Sh'chemites;

32. for Sh'mida ["wise"], the clan of the Sh'midaites;
for Chefer ["a dug well"], the clan of the Cheferites.

33. Now Tzilafchad ["first born"], Chefer's son, had no sons, but [only] daughters, and the names of Tzilafchad's daughters were Machlah ["disease"], Noah ["moving"], Choglah ["partridge"], Milkah ["queen"], and Tirtzah ["favorable"].

See chapter 36 for the solution to the fact that he had no sons.

35. These are the sons of Efrayim, by their clans: for Shuthelah ["noise of breaking"], the clan of the Sh'talhites; for Becher ["young camel"], the clan of the Bachrites; for Tachan ["pitching camp"], the clan of the Tachanites.

36. And these are the sons of Shuthelah:
for Eran ["watcher"], the clan of the Eranites.

37. These [have been] the clans of the sons of Efrayim according to those mustered from them: 32,500. These are the sons of Yoseyf according to their clans.

The tribe of Yoseyf is now the largest tribe, with 85,200. They are even larger than Yehudah, so it is clear that though Yehudah is back in the Land today, the majority of Israel is still in exile.

39. for Shifufam ["serpent"], the family of the Shifufamites; from Hufam ["coast-man"], the clan of the Hufamites.

40. And Bela's sons were Ard ["I shall subdue"] and Naaman ["pleasantness"]--the family of the Ardites, and for Naaman, the family of the Naamanites.

"For Ard" is notably missing from the pattern here. Such alterations in the text, if not to alert us to a purpose evident in the story itself, are often present so that the total of the numerical total of the words in the verse can come out to a number through which YHWH will reveal some truth on the deepest level.

42. These are the sons of Dan by their clans: for Shucham ["pit-digger"], the clans of the Shuchamites. These are the clans of Dan according to their families.

43. All the families of the Shuchamites by those who were mustered from them, [numbering] 64,400.

Dan had this many descendants through just one son!

45. For the sons of Beri'ah: for Chever ["comrade"], the clan of the Cheverites;
for Malchiel ["my king is Elohim"], the clan of the Malchielites.

46. Now Asher's daughter was named Serach ["my prince breathed"].

47. These [have been] the clans of the sons of Asher by those who were mustered from them, [numbering] 53,400.

48. The sons of Nafthali by their clans:
for Yachtz'El ["El divides"], the clan of the Yachtz'Elites;
for Guni ["my defender"], the clan of the Gunites;

49. for Yetzer ["purposeful framework"], the clan of the Yetzerites; for Shillem ["repaid"], the clan of the Shillemites.

50. These [have been] the clans of Nafthali by those who were mustered from them, [numbering] 45,400.

Nafthali, which had 53,400 in the first census, did not root all the Kanaanites out from their territory once they received it. But this was said of several other tribes. What was different about Nafthali is that they are said to have "dwelt among the Kanaanites". (Judges 1:33) It may have been this tendency that reduced their numbers so greatly.

Despite the loss of 250 people on one occasion, 14,700 on another, 24,000 another time, and those bitten by snakes who are not numbered, the whole congregation was only lessened by 1,820 people when the second generation was numbered. Moshe Harlan has noted, "What they lost in form of 1,820 men, they gained in the 1820 occurances of [YHWH]'s name in Torah."

53. "The Land shall be distributed to these as inherited property by the number of names.

Again, it is not the number of people, but the number of names. Perhaps it refers to arable land, because the actual territorial areas of the tribes do not correspond with the size of the tribes. However, some land was mountainous and some was wooded. Yoseyf's name means "he adds", and there are indeed more names listed under Yoseyf's than any other tribe. Deut. 32:8 tells us that the boundaries of all the nations were allotted according to the number of the sons of Israel. 70 nations are listed in Genesis 10, and 70 persons of Yaaqov's family were in Egypt after they all had arrived. (Ex. 1:5) Rashi counts 65 families mentioned in this chapter, and he points out that in Deut. 7:7, Israel is called "the least of the peoples". The phrase in Hebrew is jemh. Since the value of h is 5, he says this could also be read as "5 less than the peoples"--i.e., the 70 nations.

Mustered: literally, visited. They were thus called up individually, for each was to see himself as a warrior n Israel and to pay attention to the place he was put according to his strengths and propensities. This is not done from a distance, but soldier by soldier,"lifting their heads" (v. 2), looking into their eyes, and they are judged according to their mouth: What did they say when Moshe and El'azar came into their presence? And the Land is allotted according to the size of the tribes. Some of the tribes have had their numbers reduced greatly, and others had been enlarged. This, not the first census, is the time the count has a bearing on what the final division of the Land will be. Those who through the fruit they have borne have proven to have great leaders will be rewarded as a tribe with more land.

56. By the mouth of the lot, possession thereof shall be distributed between the many and the few.

Mouth of the lot: i.e., it will decide by its "word".

58. These are the clans of the Levites: the clan of the Livnites, the clan of the Hevronites, the clan of the Machlites, the clan of the Mushites, and the clan of the Q'hathites. And Q'hath fathered Amram,

59. and the name of Amram's wife was Yokheved, daughter of a Levite, who was born to Levi in Egypt. And she bore Aharon and Moshe to Amram, as well as their sister Miryam.

60. Then Nadav and Avihu, El'azar and Ithamar were born to Aharon,

61. but Nadav and Avihu died for bringing unauthorized fire near before [the face of] YHWH.

62. Now those mustered from them [were] 23,000, all males from a month old and upward, because they were not counted among the sons of Israel, since no inheritance was allotted to them among the sons of Israel.

Not counted among: They are a microcosm of how the nation of Israel at large relates to the whole world. Yet they were numbered from just after their birth, for they were born to do battle from the start by their unique calling to teach all of Israel to serve one another, for when we do, our enemies cannot stand.

64. Now among these there was not a man [left] of those numbered by Moshe and Aharon the priest, who had [previously] numbered the sons of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai,

65. because YHWH had told them they would certainly die in the desert, and not a man of them would be left except Kalev the son of Y'funeh and Y'hoshua the son of Nun.

The total number was very close to that of those numbered by Moshe earlier--only falling short by 1,820--though the comparative populations of the individual tribes shifted greatly, as YHWH redistributed the weight of each, possibly due to the merit of particular members of each tribe. Kalev means "like-hearted" and Y'hoshua means "YHWH is salvation". This should encourage us if we are among the number of Israel who are unified in heart and who follow the Y'hoshua who is still alive. If not, this verse should strike great fear in our hearts, for when it is time to return to the Land, we will not be among the remnant to enter.

CHAPTER 27

Note that Noah is a feminine name; Noakh is the actual masculine name commonly spelled "Noah".

This was the place where judgment is rendered, the equivalent of the gates of a city, into which or above which or beside which courts of justice would be built. One could not go there whenever one had a whim, but only when a suitable judge was available. With millions of people in Israel, how did they get an audience? They had to have gone through the leaders of 10, 50, 100, and 1,000 without any of them having felt he was able to make a ruling before it could be taken up to Moshe; Yithro had told him to only judge the most difficult cases, and apparently this was determined to be one of those. Each judge would probably, however, pass on to the next higher any insights into the issue that he had found.

Those who were alive at this time held the sin of Qorach to be much worse than ordinary sins. He had wanted authority YHWH had not given him, and led a national rebellion against the authority YHWH had put in place. He defiled the people of Israel with his selfishness. They wanted to be sure their father was not confused with them! Tz'lafkhad's sin was more likely that of accepting the evil report of the spies about the Land. Considering that others who had participated in this sin were still blessed with an inheritance, they may have decided they had nothing to lose.

They could understand why Qorach's name should be blotted out, but knew the importance of their father's name being carried on. Since he had paid for his sin, they did not think they should have to pay for it as well. (See Y'hezq'el/Ezkl. 18.) But since there was no male child, his name would not be "remembered" (the root word for "male" in Hebrew). Having no brothers, they would in essence be left with nothing. But they would inherit their husbands' land, and they themselves would do well enough. So it was not their own well-being that they were concerned for, but their father's honor. If their husbands should come from another tribe, some of the land of the tribe of Menashe would be transferred to another tribe. They wanted to ensure that this would not take place. They wanted a place among this tribe. There is a very clear parallel for our day. In the latter days, Yirmeyahu 16 tells us, the descendants of those who left the covenant of Israel would repudiate their fathers' defiling of the Land and recognize that their fathers, too, had left them nothing of substance to inherit. They had passed down no clue that they were connected to Israel in any physical sense, but rather gave the impression that, despite Yahshua's warning (Mat. 7:6), the holy things had after all been thrown to the dogs (an idiom for Gentiles), leaving the children with the assumption that they were nothing but Gentiles. The pearls of the New Yerushalayim's gates (each bearing the name of one of the tribes of Israel, Rev. 21:12, 21) had indeed been cast before swine. But now the truth is coming to light that our true brothers are not the nations, but those who recognize the Elohim of Israel as their own, and turn to His ways. It is becoming obvious that the global community's apparent alliance with the Church only applies where it advances their agenda, and will "dump" any apparent reverence for YHWH after they have milked it of any value it has for them. Israel's name, and YHWH's, would then be forgotten. Do we want our inheritance tied up in that sinking ship, or the one that will truly ride out the coming tidal waves? As we awaken to our true identity as Israelites and want to turn from the lies our fathers have given us as an inheritance to receive what does allow us to ascend (Yirm. 16:19), the precedent for our return rides on the outcome of this case. This is our cry too, for we, too, have no direct, unbroken line of inheritance left that we can prove. It was broken because of the lack of a son (for the Hebrew words for "son" and "building stone" share the same root). There is nothing left for us to continue to build a house with, so we must consider their approach very carefully. What did they not do? They did not whine or complain--an amazing thing for Israelites! They did not gossip about how unfair Moshe was, or go about whispering to try to win others to their point of view. They did not rebel against the men who held authority over them by going around them and deciding on their own. Rather, they approached them in the proper order--a rare example of how to do things rightly! They want their father's name established so they can be part of a covenant people in a covenant Land. If we are looking for any inheritance that differs from this, we need to stop and take stock of where we are. If we open our mouths too quickly or to the wrong person, we can quickly sabotage our case. Even trying to find consensus with others who are not in authority is already a form of rebellion. Democracy has taught us to expect to have oiur say rather than submitting to authority, but Israel cannot stand if we are not in the proper order. That is like vertigo to the equilibrium of the unified man. We cannot receive an inheritance in Israel unless we submit to the order that YHWH has set up. That is the first step in fighting to earn our inheritance back.

Again, they stayed in the proper order. Tz'lafkhad's daughters did not say, "We prayed about it and we felt YHWH was telling us that you need to give us an inheritance, so we demand it!" They would accept whatever ruling was given, even if it might sadden them. These were truly Israelites. Not that we should not pray for what we would like, but most cannot distinguish between YHWH's voice and what their own hearts want to hear, so we must pray that those in authority will be attuned to YHWH's spirit. This was a bold request, but Moshe could tell that they were not coming in rebellion. This request seemed different from the hostile ones that had preceded it, so He gave it the proper consideration. But Moshe had no precedent and felt his own wisdom was inadequate to know how this fit with the rest of Torah. So he brought it before the ultimate judge of what fits with the spirit of the Torah.

7. "[What] the daughters of Tz'lafkhad are saying [is] right: you shall indeed grant them hereditary property as an inheritance among their father's relatives, and you shall transfer their fathers' inheritance to them.

You shall grant them: Someone else is now given the responsibility to see that this is implemented. The oversight goes back to their father's brothers--the proper order again. Just because they received a ruling from higher up does not mean they are exempt from being under the normal authorities; that is precisely who is given this job. Whatever their father's sin was, it must have been comparatively small, because YHWH supported them in their audacity. Property: The term comes from a root word meaning "to seize" or "grasp", for indeed, though YHWH had designated it for them, Israel had to fight to take it from those who had forfeited their right to it but still inhabited it. The same is true in our day. The pearls have to be taken back from the swine, and the holy things from the dogs, for they are not to secure anyone's agenda but YHWH's. The "dust" of Avraham's children (Gen. 13:16) that makes up the Land in the spiritual sense needs to be brought back together too. But, like Yahshua, we need to be sure we do not grab for the wrong things as Adam and Chawwah did. In the context of telling us to be like-minded and put one another ahead of ourselves--essential buildingblocks in the restoration of Israel--he says we are to have the same attitude as Yahshua. (Phil. 2:2-11) The King James version says He "thought it not robbery to be equal with [Elohim]", but emptied Himself and became a servant. Yet this term for "robbery" is really the equivalent of this Hebrew term for inheritance--prized booty, something to be grasped, seized, and held onto. Why did Paul even suggest that such a temptation would appeal to Yahshua? Because it was the sin of our most ancient forefathers. (Genesis 3:5ff ) The serpent claimed that Adam and Chavvah, who were created in YHWH's image, could become "like Elohim". It was trying to seize this forbidden inheritance that put us all in exile from Eden. This was the same sin of setting one's heart on the throne of Elohim that had gotten haSatan cast out of heaven, as seen in the typology of the Prince of Tzur (Y'hezq'el28:2-9) In Philippians 2, Yahshua is also described as being in the image of Elohim, and indeed he was the first instance since prior to Adam's fall in which a man bore Elohim's image unmarred. Yet are we to then say that Yahshua, who was sent to restore what Adam lost and undo his error (1 Cor. 15:45; Rom. 5:15-19), was guilty of the same crime that Adam and haSatan had committed--and praise him for it? This is the ultimate contradiction, yet it is the foundation for a cherished Church doctrine that says Yahshua was equal with the Father--though he himself said the Father was his superior! (Yochanan 14:28; compare 13:16; 15:20) If he was not genuinely tempted as we are (Heb. 4:15), then his successful overcoming would be a cruel joke that we could never attain to, though he tells us we must if we are to receive the fullest inheritance that is within our rights. (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:12, 21) He is the firstborn among many brothers (Rom. 8:29), the Son of Elohim who came to allow us to become sons of Elohim (Hoshea 1:10; 1 Yochanan 3:1-2). As the firstborn, He receives double the inheritance that His fellows receive (Gen. 48:22; Psalm 45:7; Heb. 1:9), but note that we are indeed to be his fellows when his task of restoring us to his Father and ours (Yochanan 20:17) is complete. Indeed, it was specifically because He accomplished this that He was given a higher position and more authority, as the Philippians 2 passage itself says. (Compare also Yeshayahu 49:6; .Mat. 28:18) As such we are to do him the utmost homage, but not at the expense of obscuring the Father's supremacy.

This case set a legal precedent in Israel. The Torah is meant to be fluid like water--one of the problems the rabbis have often forgotten; that is why many rulings that were appropriate for 14th-century Poland are still followed in New York today. The Torah was frozen rather than allowed to flow. It is still water, but water can and often must take a variety of paths toward its goal.

10. "'And if he has no brothers, you shall give his inheritance to his father's brothers.

The spirit of the Torah already held this intent; this is just a clarification of the laws about the fiftieth year. (Lev. 25) Tribal identity is much downplayed today and "tribalism" is shunned at all costs in developing countries. But the New Yerushalayim will have twelve gates, each named for one of the tribes of Israel. Everyone who wishes to enter will need to enter through one of them. Each gate has a messenger--a judge--for each tribe will be under right ruling and will submit to the proper order.

YHWH carries the pattern over from just the daughters of Tz'lafchad to anyone in Israel in the same situation with this official "flowchart" by which the recipients of an inheritance in question are eliminated and narrowed down, so that the Land would remain in the same tribe perpetually, even when it reverted to its original owners' family every 50 years. (Lev. 25:10)

He is called to the "Mountains of the Avarim". This means the "places that are across, on the other side". Though they have not yet crossed, these hills are already named for the fact that they are still on the outside of the Land, even if they are just opposite them and afford a sight of the targeted soil. Yet mystically, Moshe is being called up to the mountains ON the other side from where he stands--the mountains that surround Yerushalayim, and most importantly, the Mountain of the House of YHWH. So at least in spirit he is taken to where he longs to be, and like Shim'on in the Temple who knew he couldn't live long enough to see the Messiah grow up and fulfill his mission, he consoles himself with the fact that he has at least seen with his own eyes what YHWH has in store for His people. Gaze upon: or "consider", "pay close attention to". This command can apply to us today as well, because the Land itself has much to teach us if we will "observe" it closely enough to "discern" what it holds.

He was telling Moshe, who is also symbolic of the Torah, that by having led the people to the border of the promised Land, his job was complete. (Ex. 32:34) The next task was not his. (See note on v. 18.) Yet we, too, will not go Home unless we are gathered, delivered, and led by the Torah. Then we must take over the fight. Moshe will cross over in a different way. He is going directly to the Kingdom, because the flaming sword of time will be taken out of the equation for him; the rest of the people must get there the slower way.

The account of the daughters of Tz'lafkhad shows us what we do have the right to take hold of--truth, the unity of Israel, the perpetuation of distinctions that allows some things to be kept holy. But Moshe was not allowed to partake of the inheritance of the Land, for he ruined a picture of Messiah being struck only once, and instead depicted him as crucified a second time. (Hebrews 6:6). Like the man who tried to steady the ark rather than letting the ark support him (2 Shmu'el 6), we must be careful what we do with YHWH's pictures. Even Moshe himself was not exempt.

16. "Let YHWH, the judge of the spirits belonging to all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation

Judge: literally, elohim. (Compare Yirm. 17:10; Luk. 12:5) He was searching the hearts of all men to find an appropriate shepherd to succeed him. (v. 17) It did not matter whether someone looked to men like he could handle the job, as was later the case with King Sha'ul. (1 Shmuel 9:2) If people were to elect a leader democratically, Moshe knew by experience that they would certainly do so according to the flesh. Only YHWH knew what was truly best for Israel. (1 Shmuel 16:7) He has to be the one to choose the leader.

Moshe had tried in the past to persuade YHWH to change His mind and relent concerning the seemingly disproportionate punishment He'd required for merely striking the rock instead of speaking to it. (Deut. 3:23-26) But the destruction of a picture was just too great, and Moshe must have finally understood this, or at least given up trying, because he was not going to waste his powers of persuasion with YHWH for something that would merely benefit himself. Like a tree that "shows its true colors" when it is about to "die" for the winter, so did Moshe reveal that when he is about to expend the last of his merit, he musters every ounce of authority that he has left on the protection of the "sheep" he has shepherded, as they prepare to enter a Land full of enemies. He turns all the weight of his prayer toward what is most on his mind--the great need of the people for a worthy leader. If he sees that they are in the right hands, he can die in peace. Sheep without a shepherd: After this did later come to be the nation's plight (1 Kings 22:17ff; Y'chezq'el 34:5ff), Yahshua picked up on this theme (Mark. 6:34; Mat. 9:36). This was the very reason he had compassion on the multitudes, even though he really didn't want to be bothered by fickle crowds whom he knew could celebrate him as king one moment and be persuaded to repudiate him a few days later. (Mark 6:34) These are YHWH's people, no matter how shortsighted and tunnel-visioned they might be. And he, like Moshe and like ourselves, exists to serve them. He made a way for the problem to be resolved. (Yirmeyahu 31:10; 1 Kefa/Peter 2:21ff) Here, the Torah is crying out for the Messiah. In fact, this is one reason His name had to be Yahshua, which is a shortened, Aramaic version of Y'hoshua:

Spirit: the spirit of shepherding the nation. He must be one who would lead his people to battle, not just send them while he stayed behind in safety. Y'hoshua had constantly been at Moshe's side, and had no share in the golden calf. He remained jealous for Moshe's reputation, and gave a favorable report about the Land. He was faithful to the one YHWH had set over him. The shepherd extablishes the next place for the sheep to settle. Lean your hand: a symbol of conferring authority (compare Mark 1:9-11, where the same thing is taking place in a different manner) and expressing identification of your cause with his (as was done with the offerings brought to the Tabernacle). Moshe in this sense made Y'hoshua his "son", and the later Y'hoshua (Yahshua the Messiah) was validated by the Torah as well. (Yochanan 1:45; 5:39) The Torah, as typified by Moshe, brought us out of Egypt, got us past our rebellion, and tutored us to the point of readiness to enter the Promised Land. (Gal. 3:24) Those not walking in the Torah will not be among those gathered to re-enter the Land. Yahshua's Kingdom will be established under the Torah's authority. But the Torah cannot take us all the way home. Keeping Torah alone cannot establish the Kingdom; only the one named Y'hoshua can precede us into the Land; we cannot go in unless we are also following him. (Yochanan 1:14) Any other way of entering the Land is only temporary and is not the Kingdom. The modern, secular government of Israel, which is not even Torah-observant, can certainly not grant us that right of return.

Present him before ...the priest: At His immersion, Yahshua was given a higher degree of authority by YHWH through a voice from heaven. But the man who validated Him on the human level (Mark 1:9-11) was from the priestly line (Luke 1:5ff), and many think it possible that he was actually in line to be the high priest, though by this time the position was granted by Rome to the highest bidder among Aharon's descendants rather than patrilineally as YHWH had mandated. Yet as Aharon never entered the Land, Yochanan the Immerser had to die before the Kingdom would come through Yahshua. (Luke 16:16)

At the end of the day, despite all their wavering, the people trust him, so YHWH tells him to make sure they know that Y'hoshua has his whole-hearted endorsement. Yet Y'hoshua was only given a portion of Moshe's authority. He did not hear directly from YHWH like Moshe had; he had to go to the priest for a word from YHWH, which though a bit harder for Y'hoshua personally, would be a step closer to the prominence that YHWH envisioned for the priests (even over kings)--what was supposed to be the norm once the transition into the Land and the conquering of the Kanaanites was over. Also, while Y'hoshua was given a "head start" so that the people would accept his leadership, he had to earn the rest of their respect through his experience and decisions. Honor: splendor, grandeur, dignity, majesty, or authority--something imposing in appearance. The term is usually used in relation to clothing (Psalm 45, Zech. 6:13) So it may have involved a special ceremony in which he placed some of his own clothing on Y'hoshua, just as Aharon had done with Pin'has, and as Eliyahu would later pass his mantle on to Elisha.

Go out and come in: idioms for going to war. So he is giving us a job description of the Messiah. Moshe was not a man of war, though he experienced a few battles and was victorious. Though he was an awesome shepherd, he was not THAT shepherd, who can leadan already-gathered Israel into the Land and conquer by means of battles. The Torah prepares us for the battles, but does not fight them for us. Urim: a lot or some other means of direct, specific revelation of YHWH's will using the components of Aharon's breastplate or its accessories. The recorded incidents of their use indeed related to whether--or how--Israel should go to war. According to tradition it would spell out His localized command by lighting up letter by letter from the names of the twelve tribes. An extra phrase was added below the tribal stones so that all 22 Hebrew letters would be present. Elsewhere "Urim" is usually mentioned in conjunction with the Thummim ("perfections"), but here only Urim are mentioned overtly. They are the part that is seen. Yahshua too said He could only do what He saw the Father doing. (Yochanan 5:19; compare 5:30.)

23. leaned hands on him, and put him in charge, as YHWH had commanded by the hand of Moshe.

His final reward is that he gets to see this: a people for whom he had fallen on his face many times, though they were stiff-necked and rebellious, are being left in capable, well-trained hands.

CHAPTER 28

2. "Give an order to the descendants of Israel, and tell them, 'My drawing-near [offering]--My bread for My [offering made by] fire, My soothing aroma--you must be careful to bring near to Me in its appointed season.'

In the context of chapter 25, YHWH is saying, “Make sure My wife cooks My dinner!” Moav led Israel astray by inviting them to a meal dedicated to their elohim. So YHWH brings the remedy for further temptation by telling Israel to be sure they are at His table at every mealtime. This time Moshe is told to not just speak to Israel, but to command them—i.e., make sure they carry it out. This is of higher-than-usual importance. The root word for “order” here is “army”; the Commander is speaking. And it does have military implications: if we are to be successful in the battles that are coming up, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, we must prepare to fight in the ways that will be detailed in this chapter. We can only win our battles if YHWH goes before us. We will not see Him physically fighting, but He prepares the victory. But if He is not with us, as we saw after the incident with the ten spies, we can only be routed. They had not been careful to do things at the right time. If we want to ensure that He is among us, we must pay special attention to these particular commands. They are the foundation for overcoming. Be careful: or guard, from a word meaning “build a hedge around or enclose with a fence”. He wants us to come close to Him, building a wall that defines a set-apart place which Semitic languages call a harem, and indeed this whole passage is full of wedding terminology, which is how the word is familiar even to those who do not speak Hebrew or Arabic. The bread of community coming together at the appointments He has set (rather than ones we have set ourselves) is what builds this wall that serves the same purpose as a wedding ring in the modern world—to keep other would-be lovers away from His bride. Yet if we just fulfill our duty in a rote manner rather than for the purpose of drawing near to Him, we will profane these set-apart days (make them just like any other common day) and will be no better off than if we were still marking the wrong days and thus actually missing His appointments. Yeshayahu 55:6 tells us to “seek YHWH while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.” This implies that there are times He is less available. Certainly this would include days others have substituted for His, as Yarav’am, the first king of Israel did (1 Kings 12:32). Constantine, too, wanted to change the times and laws (Dan. 7:25), a condition from which the majority of the House of Israel has not yet repented as long as it calls any day but the seventh the Sabbath. The dates listed below are those He has set on which to woo His bride; indeed, the root from which the Hebrew word for “appointed season” is derived can mean “to betrothe” as well. When we do these properly, He will say, “Now that’s what I’m talking about!” It will smell like his favorite food cooking. But the immediate context refers to more than just the festivals. Preparation for the festivals is not done at the time for the festivals, any more than a soldier would be sent to war before he had basic training. The festivals are more the battles themselves than the preparation for them. Many modern advances, even the re-establishment of the state of Israel, have taken place on YHWH’s appointed times when counted from the actual new moon sightings. (With those who report the sightings available, we can be even more careful to carry out the orders properly.) Our “weapons” are bread, shofars, lulavim, etc. When we fully enter into these days, He will win our battles. But preparing to keep an army fed and housed is a full-time job that must be under way well before the battles. Being careful means setting things in place in advance to make sure we can fully connect with His appointed days when they arrive—to get any obstacles out of the way to be sure that we can draw near at the same time He does. We need to keep His schedule, rather than expecting Him to keep ours. There are many logistics to prepare for in order to make Sukkoth a joyous occasion; we cannot expect Him to be pleased if we do not think about how to build a sukkah until the last minute, when all we can get are shoddy materials. One traditional way to build a wall around Yom Kippur, for example, has been to spend the 40 days prior to it in a greater degree of self-examination than usual. There is a day to prepare for the Sabbath as well. We must guard these rituals, for this is where we learn how to be intimate with YHWH. We cannot fully accomplish this without His dwelling place, and we cannot even properly rehearse them as individuals, but we can even be in the midst of His people and still be alone, if we are not participating or paying attention. Connecting with the gathering itself even helps ensure that He will be among us. Of course, if the wall is built so high that we cannot see what is behind it, that defeats the purposes as well. We cannot go into battle and then ask Him to come bail us out. We must prepare beforehand. How? By becoming more intimate with Him. If we know we are on the right terms with Him, there should be no anxiety in the battle, because if He is on our side, how can we but overcome? Don’t ask Him to send no battles, for how else could we improve our skills so we can accomplish greater things? These commands are also tests that allow us to find out more about what the Commander intends. The first step in building the hedge is actually to be done every day:

Pin’has’ passion did not just come as a sudden burst of inspiration; he earned it by being dedicated to his job. Now that Pin’has has proven that he is the kind of priest who can be trusted, the daily offering is first established. Yahshua told us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread”, but if we only ask Him for ours, we are no more than beggars. Here He is asking us to bring Him His daily bread! When Yahshua put in the line about “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors”, it is almost as if he is hinting that we should fill in the blank he left in the prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread, as we bring You Your daily bread.” This is why the righteous never need to beg for bread: YHWH feeds Pin’has because he feeds YHWH. As we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. Ascending: sometimes called a "whole burnt offering", since it all “goes up” in smoke, but literally it is a "stairway" or "means of ascent", for His ways are higher than ours. Hirsch renders it well as "elevating offering". It expresses the fact that one is being raised out of a lower state or condition and empowered to enter YHWH's presence again. That this is a daily offering teaches us that there should never be a day in which we do not strive to ascend closer to YHWH. The Temple later built in Yerushalayim vividly reflected this ascent in its architecture. Finding two perfect lambs each day requires having a large pool to draw from. So many sheep had to be raised close to the Temple. The Mishnah tells us that the perimeter for where they had to be raised was marked by a tower also mentioned in Mikha 4:8 as the place the Messiah would first appear. And indeed, it is very easy to see Beth Lechem from there, so the shepherds to whom Yahshua’s birth was announced would have been Levitical ones, occupied with deciding which ones were worthy of this offering. To them the perfect Lamb of Elohim was first shown. But how can we offer two perfect lambs without a Temple? As with everything else, we must take the command as far as we possibly can. We can do two Kingdom-related things perfectly each day. Identifying what they are is a challenge, but also an encouragement; here is something close at hand that can really change us and propel the Kingdom toward us more quickly. It might be prayer; there is much in the Scripture to teach us how to be perfect in it. Or study—often called the highest form of worship, and rightly so, for we can be like a lover reading a letter from a soldier overseas, reading it over and over to get just one more hint of what he was feeling when he wrote. Caring for YHWH’s sheep (Israel), encouraging them, helping with tasks at which we are more adept than the one in need, even doing things we don’t normally think of as Kingdom things—like sweeping the floor perfectly—all of these can create a sweet aroma that makes YHWH relax (v. 2). Then we can relax, too—not become slack, but be relieved of all of our fears, knowing He is really with us. But the ball is in our court; if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. (Yaaqov/James 4:8) A year-old lamb is new and fresh, full of life and just old enough to start butting its peers. It is fascinating to watch. The praises and thanks that we bring to YHWH should not be the same every day so that they become stale; He has enough of those already! His mercies are new every morning (Lam. 3:23), so we should stretch ourselves to sing to Him a new song (Psalm 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1; Yeshayahu 42:10), or thank Him for something we’ve never thanked Him for before, even something we see as negative. This does not diminish the fact that one day the lambs will literally be offered again—and the literal will not cancel the figurative; we will still need to give Him perfection in other ways as well.

The day begins at evening, but the first offering is not until the morning, because the gates of the Temple were shut at evening, and there would be no one to witness the offerings after dark. "Between the evenings" (literally, "between the transitional [time]s") means between the first perceptible dimming of daylight and the time when the last bit of light is still visible mingled with the darkness. It was usually done mid-afternoon. Wasn't this command already given in Exod. 29:38, 39? Rashi says, "That was an instruction for the days of the investitures [of the cohanim], whereas here He commanded it for all generations." Why one lamb in the morning and one in the evening? We might think it was to spread out the offerings in case someone sinned later in the day and needed covering then. But these are not sin offerings. Rashi (based on Yoma 62b) makes an interesting comment on these two lambs: "They should be slaughtered opposite the sun …the continual sacrifice of the morning to the west, and the one of the afternoon to the east of the rings [set in the floor of the Temple courtyard]." This way they would not even appear to be committing the sin of sun-worship. But the timing also teaches that our duty is not fulfilled by the middle of the day; we must give the Kingdom our attention both early and late.

One tenth of an eyfah is an omer, which represents a single person, for it was valued at half a sheqel, the price for the redemption of one person, especially a warrior. (Ex. 30:13) Why does it not just say an omer, then? Because the emphasis is that we are each only part of the whole. An eyfah represents a whole congregation. You are not His bride, and I am not, but when all of are together in unity, we are. As we draw near, we need to focus on the whole congregation. But this also teaches that we are to offer ourselves along with this offering, rather than just dropping off the food and saying, “See you later.” We stay and dine with Him, talking with Him and building the relationship. Pure oil represents the fact that the fine flour that makes up the loaf (1 Cor. 10:17) must be held together by the right spirit, for there are many others willing to usurp that position. The first crushing (in an olive press): that which is given willingly when there is just a hint that it is His will (2 Cor. 9:7), not when He has had to remind us over and over, or the obligation has already become obvious to all. The later crushing required considerable pressure to force the oil out, but it is not so clear or unmixed with pulp as the first.

What was done on Mt. Sinai: At this particular drawing near, Moshe told us to purify ourselves in advance to receive the Torah. This stance of readiness and departing from selfish motives is to be carried on into every day so we can continue to have open ears to receive His orders. We did not ascend Sinai when He wanted us to, but if we bring our perfect offering twice a day, it will be as if we had all ascended the mountain after all. It will be like being betrothed to YHWH all over again! Who would have thought that doing our best at sweeping a floor could accomplish that?

If wine is a symbol of joy, this beverage is a picture of jubilance over the fact that YHWH is our husband and that He wants us close to Him. Rabbinic writings therefore say that freshly-squeezed juice is therefore not acceptable for this offering; it must be prepared well in advance.

We cannot do this literally, but not so much because there is no Tabernacle, because offerings were made elsewhere even after the Tabernacle was built. The main reason is because we are not yet gathered as a people as we were at Sinai. But when there is again a corporate Israel, we will return to the physical practice. (See Y'hezq'el/Ezk. 40-46.) Though it is only a picture of the heart of the matter, the heart is only expressed through concrete actions which He has prescribed. (Eph. 2:10) The blood of bulls and goats never took away sin (Heb. 10:4) It is done for the cleansing of our conscience. So how do we begin to obey these commands meanwhile? By at the very least, giving thanks to YHWH. Male animals are offered, and the Hebrew word for "male" means to remember. So we need to remember His mercy as we start the day, and end the day by recounting what the true bread (Yahshua and the Torah) has done for us that day.

Now we move to the next step in the betrothal process, the first of the special appointments YHWH has with Israel. YHWH gave us a double portion on the day before the Sabbath, so we return a double portion of lambs to Him on the Sabbath. He made the load lighter, because on this day we gather with more of Israel and it is easier to serve one another.

So four lambs were actually offered on the Sabbath. While everything else was to shut down, the sanctuary's courts were actually a busier place on the Sabbath. Making His dwelling-place function properly should be our focus on the Sabbath too. As the double portion of manna was provided before the Sabbath, by tradition (and experience bears this out) we are given an additional soul--one with greater capacity to receive spiritual truth--on the Sabbath. We need to seek out the extra provision that we are to bring to the congregation in addition to giving ourselves completely. We are to bring all that we are and our increase.

Heads (beginnings) of your months: i.e., at the new moon. Note that there are more offerings brought at the new moon, for it is considered more important than the weekly Sabbaths, though work is not forbidden thereon, because it tells us when the other festivals are. The word for month actually means "renewing". Yahshua is the Head of the renewed Adam. (Eph. 2:15; Col. 1:18) But each month gives us the open door for renewal, and the attitude in which we bring the offerings sets the tone for where He is going to take us and what He will emphasize in that month. We should be filled with a sense of expectancy. The root word for "head" means "shaking", like an earthquake that removes everything else from our lives so the rebuilding can begin. There is an atmosphere of adventure associated with it, because we do not know exactly which day this appointment will fall until the moon is actually sighted in Israel. So as with those who waited for the cloud to move in the wilderness, we must be ready and watchful.

The ram is also more valuable than a lamb, but the bull is most valuable, so the other offerings that accompany each also increase in number. Three-tenths of an eyfah is approximately a seah, three of which make up an eyfah. Sarah was told to make bread from three seahs of flour (Gen. 18:6), and Yahshua said the Kingdom was like leaven that permeated the bread baked from three seahs. (Mat. 13:33) Bringing three measures correlates with doing our part to make up the three-stranded cord (made up of Yehudah, Israel, and Yahshua) that is not easily broken. (Eccles. 4:12)

The Hebrew word for "fire offering" is spelled exactly like the word for "woman" or "wife", only with different vowel pointings (which were not in the original text). "To YHWH" can also read "for YHWH". All of these elements together form a "bride for YHWH" and thus a satisfying aroma--completeness or satisfaction in the universe, a repair of the damage begun by Adam's disobedience-- a reconstitution of the paradise that was lost. "YHWH is a man of war" (Ex. 15:3), but when He smells the aroma of His people in unity and wanting to draw near to Him, it is like His wife cooking dinner, and He can rest in this, as He did at the first Sabbath. What other nation can say of their elohim that He wants to "kick back" and relax with us? So we can also read verse 2 as, "Be ever so careful to feed My bride at the right time--not too early and not too late! And in the right quantities." The phrase there, "My bread" is explained more precisely in Lev. 3:16, which specifies that the "food of the bride" is the fat portions that the priest burns on the altar. In other words, give her (His corporate people) the best.

The libations for the new moon (and the three pilgrim festivals, as seen below), when carried out to the least common denominator, add up to 13/12 of a hin--a cup running over, and enough for all the tribes of Israel, which are usually described as twelve, but with Yoseyf's double portion, there are actually 13. "Once the day [of the new moon] passes, its offering is canceled, and there is no way to make it up." (Sifrei Pinchas 43) These are a lot of offerings, which shows how important the New Moon is to YHWH, though today it has been downplayed even among Yehudah, and is totally ignored by most of Israel. And among Yehudah it is mainly practiced by women, though the priests were the primary participants in ancient times. If we want YHWH to go with us into battle, we must embrace this holy day as well.

This goat is the same type offered at Yom Kippur (se'ir), showing that there is a miniature Yom Kippur at every new moon. This makes sense, for we should be renewed like the moon. Yom Kippur is a day that magnifies repentance, but this does not means we should not repent at other times, and the day of the visible renewal is the perfect time for a renewal of our commitment to YHWH. Se'ir also reminds us of Esau, for that is the name of the mountains allotted to him. As Yaaqov's twin, he is the picture of our "left side"--our evil inclinataion. Though by tradition the "scapegoat" is actually thrown off a cliff to make sure it does not come back, the actual command only says to send it out into the wilderness--"the place of the word" in Hebrew. So as we mature to the point where our evil inclination is no longer such a temptation to us, we need to learn more and more how to bring it into subjection for YHWH's use, for we need both hands in battle. We need perfect balance, so that even our selfish propensities and the people who now would be a bad influence on us can also be harnessed for the benefit of the Kingdom. The word for sin here literally means mistakes or wanderings-away--an apt description of the northern tribes of Israel today. Its: that of the ascending offering; sin offerings have no libations, because the libation is a picture of joy. In addition to: or, to supplement.

Day: among other reasons, this simple detail clarifies that the sacrifice of the lamb begins as the light of the fourteenth is waning, for if it were on the evening as the fourteenth begins, the day it overlapped with would be the thirteenth, not the fourteenth, and unleavened bread would have to be eaten for eight days, contradicting verse 17. But the word for "month" is really the renewl again, and if we do not know when the actual renewal of the moon is, how can we be on schedule for Passover? He says to be careful to draw near at the right times. Not the nearest weekend when it is more convenient for us.

The fifteenth commences as the Passover meal is still in progress, so no leavened bread is eaten at the Passover seder either. Passover is the slaughter and eating of the lamb itself, not the whole feast as in common parlance, though it "kicks off" the feast. Elsewhere (Ex. 12:15-19 et al) we are told not to eat any leaven during this week, but this is not even mentioned here; the only emphasis jeer is on the positive command to eat unleavened bread on each of the seven days. Unleavened bread is a picture of the Body of the Messiah in unity and without corruption. (1 Cor. 5:6-8) This season gives us practice in partaking of one another in undefiled unity rather than of what the outside world offers us.

Holy calling-together: thus it cannot be celebrated properly alone. Hirsch, "an invitation to the Sanctuary". Servile labor: Hirsch, "work of world-service"--i.e., anything that belongs to a day that is unlike the Sabbath (Ex. 20:8), for this day is one of the "high Sabbaths"--that is, any work representing an employer. In anticipation of its fuller reality in the Kingdom, we are to celebrate our freedom from Egypt, the world system, and sin. The only way to ensure that we are not doing work for direct profit to self is to serve one another in ways for which we will not be paid on the earthly plane. As we gather for the convocation, we will found out the specifics of how our service is needed on that particular occasion.

Again, perfection is important to YHWH. These are the same offerings as on the new moon, showing equivalence on some level. The only differences are that attendance in Yerushalayim is not required of all Israelites nor is work forbidden on the new moon. But this shows that there should be an element of Passover--the release from our bonds--felt in every new moon celebration as well.

21. "'Prepare one tenth per lamb, for [each of] the seven lambs,

22. "'as well as one goat, a sin offering to effect a covering over you;

23. "'you shall prepare these in addition to the ascending offering of the morning--the perpetual ascending [offering].

24. "'In this manner you shall prepare bread for a fire offering every day for seven days--a satisfying aroma to YHWH. It shall be prepared in addition to the [usual] everyday ascending offering and its libation.

This is the way community is forged. There is a different spirit at work during these set-apart days, and even during the "ordinary" days in the middle of the festivals, we should be concentrating on practicing how to be a unified community. Sukkoth, when we dwell outdoors for eight days, is a rehearsal for the time we will again spend in the wilderness with the Messiah before He retakes the Land and the kingship of the entire earth. (Yeshayau 16; 26:20; Rev. 12:14, etc.)

But in the Temple, the offering is brought all seven days. And we still bring the offering of eating matzah even on the intermediate festival days when we can work if necessary. On these days, we should still be offering more of ourselves to Kingdom purposes than on ordinary work days.

Firstfruits: in this case, of the wheat harvest (that is, Shavuoth), because the firstfruits of the barley are brought while it is still the feast of unleavened bread. Renewed: or "new", but it renews the cycle of grain offerings, because it is fresh grain. New grain is a great cause for rejoicing! YHWH has brought a harvest! He wants us to stop our regular work so we can give adequate attention to the great significance of the fact of His provision. We will not starve! He is the one who has ensured this, not ultimately any other cause. He wants there to be nothing to distract us from meditating on this and sharing the joy with one another. It therefore deserves a whole day's focus, which He aims to guarantee by prohibiting other work--and a portion is given back to Him out of gratitude so there is no "bread of shame" involved in our partaking of His bounty.

28. "'and their [corresponding] grain offering: three tenths [of an eyfah] per bull, two tenths per ram,

29. "'one tenth per lamb, for [each of] the seven lambs,

30. "'one he-goat of the kids to make a covering over yourselves.

A covering: another way of describing the sin offering. It is a microcosm of Yom Kippur, a day entirely devoted to atonement.

In addition: Even in the midst of the special activities for the feasts, we cannot forget to bring the daily offering. While we should offer a perfectly attentive ear on the Day of the Awakening Blast, we still need to bring the everyday perfection as well. What should I be offering today? Something is appointed for every day, not just the big festival days when we have a "blowout". Ask yourself how you can present two perfect "lambs" today. Unimpaired for you: without blemish, but the range of meaning of this phrase can include "healings for you"--things to make you whole, complete, and innocent again, a people of integrity.

CHAPTER 29

Day of trumpet-blasts: Heb., Yom T'ruah. On the surface, this passage does not tell us the purpose of the trumpet-blasts, but the term encompasses everything from a shout of joy to a signal to wake up. Yoel 3:9 links this awakening to mighty men preparing for war. Psalm 57:7-12 says the reason to wake up is to praise and honor YHWH. This is the force behind battles being won. (2 Chron. 20:22) Psalm 59:5 speaks of YHWH waking up to judge the nations. Yeshayahu/Isaiah 52 links the call to awake with Tzion finally being rid of uncleanness and being freed from captivity. Seventh: symbolic of completion, but the cardinal term in Hebrew also signifies "an oath". Since this day begins a time of intense repentance, it is a time to let Scripture show us where we have been asleep and how to shake off the slumber and storm the strongholds with the promise to do better, then how to actually carry it out. The term for month actually relates to the renewal of the moon rather than the moon itself. So the seventh month can also be read as "a renewal of an oath". Thus this is one of the purposes of the day of trumpet-blasts. This sounds sweet and spiritual, but Hebraic perspective requires that we look for specifics: Which oath is to be renewed on this day? We can find it in Deut. 5:24-27 and also in Exodus 24:7. It was the promise, upon hearing the commandments of YHWH, to listen to them and carry them out. In the second-cited instance it was the oath to obey and then to listen--so the complete cycle of response to which we obligated ourselves is to listen, to do, and to listen again to what we learn from the doing--for His commands are not just hoops to jump through but handles He gives us on how to know Him better and have a more complete relationship with Him. And "first of the month" can also literally read "united for renewal". Seven also symbolizes completeness, so we could read "a complete renewal". So this renewal is as if we were going back to Mt. Sinai, yet this time it is not only the mediator who goes up to listen to YHWH, but the whole congregation in unity. It was one of the saddest days in our history when the people YHWH had gone to such lengths to redeem did not want to draw near to Him. They were afraid to hear from Him directly (which is why Christians prefer to read the apostles' commentary on the Torah rather than the Torah itself), for if we hear from Him directly, we cannot use the excuse that it was mediated through a man's understanding. This renewal is a reminder of the trumpet-blast at Sinai which signaled the proper time to draw near. (Ex. 19:11-13) Once we saw that Moshe had not been consumed, we were more willing to do so. But that time He provided the sound of the trump; this time we are to furnish the sound in order to renew our oath. Looking forward, the trumpet-blast is a foreshadowing of the resurrection of the dead (Yeshayahu 26:19) The renewal will not be truly complete until the dead are resurrected, but the resurrection has begun in Messiah, who became the "firstfruits of the dead" on the Feast of Firstfruits. (1 Cor. 15:23) Indeed, Yahshua fulfilled each of the first series of festivals in the earlier part of the year on their very day. Since trumpets and the resurrection of the dead accompany his return (1 Thess. 4:16-17), it appears that His return will be on a Yom T'ruah. Since it is on the new moon, it is on the only festival that falls on a "day that no man knows" in advance. Hence, it is called, the hidden day. No one knows when it will be until the new moon is actually sighted, and since the new moon of the new year is not known for sure until the green ears of barley are sighted as well, there is no way one could even guess precisely how many months it will be until this day until six months in advance. Thus, no one can set a date for Yahshua's return, though like the fig tree with budding leaves, we can tell it is drawing near. But the term for "calling-together" here also means "a rehearsal". With each year it draws nearer, and the more we focus on freeing ourselves from the aspects of death (selfishness, works of darkness, etc.) by laying down our selves in love for one another (Rom. 13:8ff), the sooner we will be ready (Luke 12:40), and thus the sooner He can return (2 Kefa/Peter 3:12).

At Sinai, YHWH took responsibility for us, but this time we are not to come empty-handed. Like the man who found strength to carry a heavy load to the top of a mountain when he found out it was diamonds and that he would be paid with some of them after he finished his task, we need to recognize that these commands only seem burdensome to us if we do not really believe that we will be rewarded with the Kingdom at the end. But if we need a reward to motivate us to give, we are not really giving, and our souls will rot away within us. We cannot simply give according to our own standards--what we have or what we want to give. Yahshua said not to give only to those who have something to give back to us; that is a real test of our motives. We must approach in His way. When He gave us a choice, we "screwed it up" and chose self, so here YHWH tells us what to bring if we want to draw near. He has drawn near to us; now it is our turn. And we cannot just say, "I will stop receiving from Him so I do not have to give anything back." The moment we stop receiving from Him, we cease to exist, because the very oxygen we breathe is His gift. Like a healthy heart, our souls are nourished by both receiving and giving. He has pumped so much into us; we must give as freely as we receive, and then we will receive it back full of fresh oxygen. But a heart that refuses to receive will also dry up and die. We must know how to receive--with the recognition that we will give. We cannot receive only what suits us, for then we deny an outlet to those who have something meaningful to give. In ancient Israel, even those who were blind or lame and could not work were given a designated place to stand and beg so that those who need to give will be able to find them. For Israel is a people that needs to give, and therefore it is a blessing to have someone to give to. What, then, does He want from us? A bull is representative of our security. If one has a bull he can ride it, use it to plow his field or increase his herd, then he can eat of it for a long time. False elohim such as Ba'al were worshipped in the form of bulls. Ba'al means "overlord", "husband", or "owner", for what we serve as security does indeed possess us. We need to corporately slay whatever we are serving as a husband instead of YHWH, and draw near with nothing less than our best, whether it be possessions, abilities, or attitudes. Or our attention; the idiom has it right in that it is something we need to "pay". Or time: He gave us 365 days per year; can we not give some of them back to Him? Whatever we treasure, we need to be willing to offer to YHWH. Year-old: literally, sons of a year. They have been through a full cycle of maturity, having passed through each of His festival appointments once. Rams and sheep symbolize the other things that are less than our best. The bull is the most expensive, but we are not to stop with bringing our best; we must offer the rest of our substance to YHWH as well. (Compare Mat. 23:23-27) And if we spend time in His word and serving His people, it will soon be proven to us that no one can outgive YHWH.

Grain offering: Heb., minkhah, which means gift, but with a specific connotation. Bread if a picture of community (1 Cor. 109:17), and our giving must be in this context. The Kingdom will be better served if you do your giving to the worthy within Israel rather than nebulously through the United Way, etc. Fine flour: used to bake the bread that represents the Messiah and His community.

The total is twelve tenths of an eyfah of flour, symbolizing the twelve tribes in community.

When all of Israel is joined together, the sin of one affects everyone, so in repenting we bring healing to the whole nation.

Yom T'ruah will always be on a new moon, so the offerings for three different occasions are all brought on this day. Again, we never diminish the regular offerings or even the regular new moon offerings when another occasion is added on the same day. (e.g., Yom Teruah) We always bring additional offerings. We can't use the everyday required offerings to substitute for special ones when special ones are required. The greater ones do not cancel or cover the lesser. There is a parallel with the duty of a man who takes a second wife (Ex. 21;10)--he cannot diminish the rights of the first--for these things are for the sake of providing YHWH with a wife--but we can't do less for His first "wife" if we want to offer Him a second, so to speak! Otherwise, it's like what Yahshua said about someone with limited resources who still wants to be seen as very generous toward YHWH in Mark 7:9-13. He said those who try to take what they should have used to provide for their aging parents and use it as a drawing-near offering would render the command to honor one's parents ineffective. These people were taking away from one obligation in order to have something to bring in addition to their ordinary tithes. They cheat somewhere in order to have enough to make themselves appear more generous than they are really capable of being. This is a big part of the "leaven" that we consider around the time of Pesakh. This forces us to ask: Can we count it as an offering when it is something we would have done anyway? Ideally, everything beyond the bare necessities of keeping body and soul together--and that too, really--should be done for the Kingdom, so sometimes it's hard to distinguish. But Yahshua's biggest beef with the Prushim was probably this--that they used their relationship with YHWH for the sake of improving men's opinions of them. That's really a form of prostitution--taking something holy and using it for another purpose that just benefits us. We have to watch out that we aren't nullifying its value by doing it for the wrong reason. What if we find that we do have questionable motives? Should we therefore stop? If doing our righteous deeds openly tempts us to pride, should we try to make it appear that we're really doing little so people don't think more of us than is realistic, so we don't lose our reward? Rabbi Gabriel Zaloshinsky writes, "If one follows this course for the sake of [one command], his loss is thousands of times greater than his reward." In other words, we are Israel; we have to be true to who we are, and that means doing righteous deeds, and often they can't help but be noticed publicly. Zaloshinsky therefore writes, "Look into yourself to see from whom you expect reward. If from the Almighty, the deed is perfect; if from others, it is not. When you do something in public, determine whether you would do it closeted in private in the same manner that you are doing it in public. If the answer is yes, then your deed is perfect." (The Ways of the Tzaddikim, p. 47) Truth is, none of us is ever doing enough to brag, when we compare ourselves with the perfection YHWH intended. (Luke 17:10) But people who read his other words about hypocrisy often conclude that "since it's really about loving one's neighbor, the spirit is more important than the letter, so it really doesn't matter whether we keep the letter; in fact, that letter often just gets in the way, because how will I have time or energy to love my neighbor if it's all spent in bringing those sacrifices or traveling to the Temple or being careful who I touch or what I can't eat?" But Yahshua himself says, precisely when talking to the hypocrites, "You pay tithe of mint and dill and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." (Mat. 23:23) In other words, just like our Torah passage, we need to do both, not one or the other. We have to both do the right things and do them for the right reason. If we can't seem to keep up with all the requirements, we have to ask ourselves whether some of the things we think are obligatory have come from other sources than the Torah. Have we somewhere added to the words which YHWH commanded, so that we are unable to keep the others? (Deut. 4:2) Because He makes it possible to do all that we really need to do; His commands are not up in heaven or beyond our reach, because He gives us handles by which to grasp them--most notably help from one another in the community. Together we can get the whole job done. If everyone did his part, the priests were able to afford all of the added offerings without it being a heavy burden. There is a yoke, but it's meant to be easy--that is, fit us well so it work to our advantage rather than choking us.

No work: that is, representative work for another in a way that profits us--the same rule as for the Sabbath. Humble yourselves: traditionally "afflict your souls", a quite valid translation, taken for centuries to mean a complete fast. (Yeshayahu 58:3ff) It can just as properly be translated "weaken your appetites", which fasting does indeed do, "suppress your desires", or "be busy with your souls" It is one day to focus inwardly, because the soul-searching for the purpose of repentance can bring about a clear conscience and changes in lifestyle that benefit all of Israel. Thus we are actually still serving one another, even while turning inward. It is called a Day of Atonements in Lev. 23:27-28. Traditionally this "humbling yourselves" is manifested in part by fasting, which in Hebrew comes from a word that means "to cover one's mouth"--not just to keep food from entering, but to guard against letting corrupt words against our brothers (or even just too many words) come out. And we need to cover up our own opinions--not just keep them to ourselves, but change them to line up with what YHWH says in His Torah. Our opinions do not count for anything if they are not also His! Yeshayahu 58 shows rather pointedly that the fast is not an end in itself; there must be results. It is a time to set things straight so that during the rest of the time the hungry are fed with the bread of community and a place worthy of living in is rebuilt with the proper defenses intact again. There are great promises that accompany the proper fulfillment of the intent of this fast. It is to incline us toward one another. This time it does not say "no work of service" as in verse 1, but only "no work", because it is a time to serve one another.

Healings: the same term as "perfect ones" in v. 2, but when YHWH is satisfied, we cannot but be healed too. These are brought on behalf of the whole nation, but someone had to contribute each one. What an honor if your bull was the one offered on Yom Kippur!

10. "'one tenth per lamb, for [each of] the seven lambs,

11. "'one he-goat of the kids to make atonement [a covering] for you, in addition to the sin offering of the Atonement and the customary ascending offering with its grain offering, and the libations for [both of] them.

These are the same offerings as on Yom T'ruah. If we add them up, there are twelve tenths of an eyfah of flour. Ten is a minyan (quorum) for many liturgical prayers, and thus represents a complete community. Twelve reminds us of all the tribes of Israel. These twelve tenths represent the next step in forming the unity of the twelve tribes. If our giving is not about this, it is not about YHWH.

No servile labor: This allows for cooking and necessary non-commercial activity. Lev. 23:29 clarifies that this only applies to the first and eighth days (see v. 35 below), which means buying, selling, etc. can be done on the intermediate days, but when the Temple exists, all able-bodied men are to be there for the whole week, so the ideal picture even in our exile is to spend all eight days together with at least your local community.

14. "'along with their grain offerings of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths [of an eyfah] per bull for the thirteen bulls, two tenths for each of the two rams,

15. "'and one tenth per lamb, for [each of] the fourteen lambs;

16. "'one he-goat of the kids as a sin offering, in addition to the customary ascending, its grain offering, and its libation.

Sukkoth is the firstfruits festival for grapes and any other crops not included in the earlier two firstfruits (for barley and wheat), though the firstfruits of these other crops were not necessarily brought as they were beginning to be harvested as the other two were, since they would no longer be fresh; payment for them was brought instead. During this festival, which foreshadows the Messianic Kingdom, there is much additional blood shed in the Temple--as there will be on earth at the commencement of the Kingdom (as per the book of Revelation).

18. "'along with their grain offerings and libations for the bulls, the rams, and lambs as is proper according to their numbers,

19. "'one he-goat of the kids as a sin offering, in addition to the customary ascending, its grain offering, and their libations.

20. "'And on the third day, eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen year-old lambs (flawless ones),

21. "'along with their grain offerings and libations for the bulls, the rams, and lambs as is proper according to their numbers,

22. "'one he-goat of the kids as a sin offering, in addition to the customary ascending, its grain offering, and its libation.

23. "'And on the fourth day, ten bulls, two rams, fourteen year-old lambs (flawless ones),

24. "'along with their grain offerings and libations for the bulls, the rams, and lambs as is proper according to their numbers,

25. "'one he-goat of the kids as a sin offering, in addition to the customary ascending, its grain offering, and its libation.

26. "On the fifth day, nine bulls, two rams, fourteen year-old lambs (flawless ones),

27. "'along with their grain offerings and libations for the bulls, the rams, and lambs as is proper according to their numbers,

28. "'one he-goat of the kids as a sin offering, in addition to the customary ascending, its grain offering, and its libation.

29. "'On the sixth day, eight bulls, two rams, fourteen year-old lambs (flawless ones),

30. "'along with their grain offerings and libations for the bulls, the rams, and lambs as is proper according to their numbers,

31. "'one he-goat of the kids as a sin offering, in addition to the customary ascending, its grain offering, and its libation.

32. "'On the seventh day, seven bulls, two rams, fourteen year-old lambs (flawless ones),

33. "'along with their grain offerings and libations for the bulls, the rams, and lambs as is proper according to their numbers,

34. "'one he-goat of the kids as a sin offering, in addition to the customary ascending, its grain offering, and its libation.

While the number of other animals remains the same each day, the number of bulls decreases by one each day. One thing this pictures is that we should have fewer and fewer things that possess us (see note on v. 2) to have to offer up to YHWH. The total number of bulls is 70, symbolizing both the 70 people in the clan of Yaaqov upon his arrival in Egypt, as well as the 70 nations listed in the "table of nations" of Noach's sons in Genesis 10. For this reason Sukkoth, alternately called "the season of our joy" is also nicknamed "the ingathering of the nations", symbolizing the time all nations will bring their treasures into the holy city. (Rev. 21:24) But the very best thing they bring will be the scattered exiles of Israel (Yeshayahu 49:22)--the fruit of the seeds He sowed into all nations. (Hos. 2:23; Z'kharyah 10:9) Yahshua was born in a sukkah, "tabernacling" temporarily among us (Yochanan 1:14) Angels announced to shepherds who were raising lambs for use in the Temple (as, according to the Mishnah, the Tower of the Flock near Beth Lechem was the terminus of the perimeter around Yerushalayim within which sacrificial lambs could be raised), "Behold, I bring you glad news of 'mega- joy' which shall be for all the people." (Luk. 2:10) YHWH gave His best--His only "bull"--so we could come back home. For now, Sukkoth is a rehearsal of that full regathering. But these verses also reveal the theme of the best being offered for every nation. When we completely give our best for seven days, the whole world will be redeemed. This is Israel's covenant purpose. It will not be accomplished by Christian missionaries, but by gathering the lost sheep of Israel back to Yehudah so we can again become one people who walk in the Torah. When the whole world sees that YHWH really does bless us, they will "want in" as well, and we will teach them about giving as well as receiving. Do we want to see the world improve? Do we want senseless murders to cease? Do we want to see true peace? We can accomplish this much more effectively by learning to love our neighbors within Israelite community than by volunteering for a soup kitchen. That may make you feel nice; this is real.

Holdover: sometimes translated "solemn or festive sacred assembly", the term actually denotes an encore, a layover, detention, restraining, or shutdown, with the added connotation of an affectionate farewell sendoff. In other words, an extra day is tacked onto the feast as a required holiday, because the symbolism is pregnant with significance. The root word means enclosing, which suggests an establishing and sealing of the unity that has been accomplished in the foregoing seven days. (Compare Lev. 23:36 and Deut. 16:8.) It is like the closing of a gate for the last time, for all the sheep that are going to come are in the fold. While still in exile, for us it is a sad reminder that we are not there yet. It is a day of "too late"--we are not going home this year. We have taken some steps and moved closer, but we are not yet where we need to be. All that is left is to reap what we have sown in the past year, and to prepare to be in a better position when the gate next opens, hoping this time may be the last. In ancient Hebrew lore, the week of seven days culminating in the Sabbath is taken as a prophecy that there will be six thousand years of difficult labor in the earth's history followed by a millennium of rest and peace under the Messiah's reign. The eighth day is not just another "first day" when things start over, as in the normal Sabbath pattern. The Hebrew word for "eight" (shmoni) comes from shemen, which means oil, fat, or to glisten. It is the "fattening" of the seventh day. It represents the time after the Millennial Kingdom when there will be a new creation--a new heaven and a new earth, but made possible by what was accomplished during the 7,000 years of YHWH's interaction with men. It is the best of the seven days continuing to last when all that was imperfect about them has passed away. Because of this buildup of joyful celebration, Sukkoth is considered the greatest of all feasts, and when a biblical account, including the New Testament, simply says something happened at "the feast", it is referring to Sukkoth, because it was so glorious that all others paled in significance beside it. Yahshua was born on the first day of Sukkoth, so the eighth day holds another significance: he was circumcised on the eighth day. This depicts the removal of the veil of his flesh (Heb. 10:20) so his true nature as the restored Adam could be seen, as at his transfiguration. An additional theme tacked onto the end of Sukkoth, sometimes on the eighth day, and sometimes the ninth, is "Simchat Torah"--rejoicing in the Torah. Like the "rolling off" of the uncircumcision (Yehoshua 5:8-9), Yahshua, the Torah or Word that was made flesh, "unrolled" the scroll in which "it is written of him" (Ps. 40:7; Luk. 24:27, 44; cf. Revelation 5:2ff).

37. "'their grain offerings and libations for the bull, the ram, and lambs, as is proper according to their numbers,

38. "'and one he-goat of the kids as a sin offering, in addition to the customary ascending, its grain offering, and its libation.

The Midrash Aggadah points out that the total of 98 lambs here counters the 98 curses in Deut. 28:15-68.

39. "'You shall prepare these in your appointed seasons, in addition to [any] vows and free-will [voluntary] offerings you [may bring] for your ascending [offerings], your grain offerings, your libations, or your peace offerings.'"

Again, we cannot take YHWH's tithes and call them gifts. Vows are in addition to things He has already said we owe. (More about these in the next chapter.) Every individual has responsibility for the whole nation. After what concerns the whole nation is brought, we can draw near individually, and even then we need to come with something in our hands, not because He needs anything from us, but because we need to give in order to restore our souls and purge the rot out of them. The more we give, the lighter our burden becomes. We have seen very clearly that the world's financial system cannot be trusted to provide a return on our investments. It may be hard to believe there is really an unseen reward in all that He asks of us, but has He ever lied to us? If you have any doubts, recall what He has already done for all of Israel and for yourself personally. He told us in Deut. 23:32 not to delay in paying our vows, but here He shows that in His mercy He allows us to be guiltless if we bring them during the feasts when we need to come up to Yerushalayim anyway. But how much better to bring them sooner than it is convenient for us?