Feast Days - Major Festivals (Messianic)

Feast Days - Major Festivals (Messianic)

By Torah Teacher Ariel ben-Lyman HaNaviyReligion & SpiritualityJudaism
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Feast Days - Major Festivals (Messianic) episodes

  • MIKRA'EY KODESH "HOLY CONVOCATIONS": INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW – PART 1
    MIKRA'EY KODESH "HOLY CONVOCATIONS": INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW – PART 1
    Torah Teacher Ariel ben-Lyman HaNaviy
    Download
    pdf
    Mikra'ey Kodesh

    By Torah Teacher Ariel ben-Lyman

    HaNaviy

     

    (Note: all quotations

    are taken from the Complete Jewish Bible by David H. Stern. Copyright © 1998.
    All rights reserved. Used by permission of Messianic Jewish Publishers, 6120
    Day Long Lane, Clarksville, MD 21029. www.messianicjewish.net.)

     

    *Created: August 29, 1999

     

    Introduction and Overview – Part 1

     

    “Yeshua

    said to them, “This is what I meant when I was still
    alive with you and told you that everything written about me in the Torah of
    Moshe, the Prophets and the Psalms had to be fulfilled” (Luke 24:44,
    CJB).

     

    Next to Isaiah 53, nowhere else is

    this statement of Yeshua’s more vividly demonstrated than in the Holy
    Convocations of Leviticus Chapter 23.  The opening few lines of this
    chapter clearly teach that the Biblical Feasts, including Pesach (Passover) to
    Sukkot (Tabernacles), are “designated times of ADONAI “ (verse 4 below):

     

    וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃

    דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֤י
    יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם מוֹעֲדֵ֣י יְהוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־תִּקְרְא֥וּ אֹתָ֖ם
    מִקְרָאֵ֣י קֹ֑דֶשׁ אֵ֥לֶּה הֵ֖ם מוֹעֲדָֽי׃
    שֵׁ֣שֶׁת יָמִים֮
    תֵּעָשֶׂ֣ה מְלָאכָה֒ וּבַיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י שַׁבַּ֤ת שַׁבָּתוֹן֙
    מִקְרָא־קֹ֔דֶשׁ כָּל־מְלָאכָ֖ה לֹ֣א תַעֲשׂ֑וּ שַׁבָּ֥ת הִוא֙ לַֽיהוָ֔ה בְּכֹ֖ל
    מֽוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶֽם׃ פ
    אֵ֚לֶּה מוֹעֲדֵ֣י יְהוָ֔ה
    מִקְרָאֵ֖י קֹ֑דֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר־תִּקְרְא֥וּ אֹתָ֖ם בְּמוֹעֲדָֽם׃

     

    1 ADONAI said to

    Moshe, 2 "Tell the people of Isra'el: 'The designated times of
    ADONAI which you are to proclaim as holy convocations are my designated times. 3
    "'Work is to be done on six days; but the seventh day is a Shabbat of
    complete rest, a holy convocation; you are not to do any kind of work; it is a
    Shabbat for ADONAI, even in your homes. 4 "'These are the
    designated times of ADONAI, the holy convocations you are to proclaim at their
    designated times.”

     

    Historically, the Nation of Isra’el

    was to act as a repository of the wisdom and Word of HaShem.  With his
    Called-out Ones acting as a “fishbowl,” the surrounding nations were to learn
    about the Creator, the One True God of the Universe, from the everyday
    activities of the offspring of Avraham.  This is one of the primary
    reasons that the Torah was graciously given to Isra’el.

     

    In both Biblical[1]

    and Modern Hebrew[2],
    the word for “appointment” is מוֹעֵד “mo’eyd,” translated as “designated
    times” in Stern’s translation above.  Interestingly, the root of the related
    word מִקְרָא “mikra,”
    translated as “convocations” by Stern, is קָרָא
    “kara,” and this root
    word conveys the sense of “rehearsals.”[3] 
    I like to think that in this way, HaShem masterfully designed the mikra’ey
    kodesh to act as sort of dress rehearsals for his children.  “Of what?”
    you might ask.

     

    The Feasts of ADONAI are dress

    rehearsals of Messianic Redemption.

     

    Our LORD Yeshua has literally and

    prophetically fulfilled the first four of the seven feasts mentioned in
    Leviticus 23; it is my belief that the Torah teaches that he will, likewise,
    literally and prophetically fulfill the final three at his soon to be second
    arrival.  As the children of Avraham willingly and faithfully lived out
    HaShem’s yearly cycle of  “mo-eydeem,” the Spirit of the Holy One
    graciously opened their hearts to understand that, as his treasured possession,
    they were responsible to actively pursue a genuine, personal, loving
    relationship with their Heavenly Abba.  It is this type of personal
    relationship that HaShem has always desired from the nation of Isra'el, and
    through the grace poured out to Isra'el, the surrounding Gentile nations might
    also see the goodness and mercy of ADONAI, and seek to become one of his
    treasured possessions as well (read Deut. 4:5-8).  Today, our covenant responsibilities
    to our Holy God have not changed any more than the covenants made with his
    Treasured People have changed.  He is our God and we are his people!

     

    History has demonstrated that in the

    fullness of HaShem’s timetable he sent his Only Begotten Son Yeshua into the
    world, to redeem fallen man, and make it possible to have a right relationship
    with our Heavenly Abba.  This Messianic Redemption of ours, which was
    accomplished through the sacrificial death, burial, and miraculous resurrection
    of Yeshua our Savior, has been prophetically and historically displayed through
    the teachings of the Holy Convocations of Leviticus 23.  It is, therefore,
    HaShem’s desire that these teachings become an integral part of our everyday
    lives, as we walk out the truths of our new identification in Messiah.  To
    be sure, the Torah has demonstrated,

     

    “Then he opened their

    minds, so that they could understand the TaNaKH” (Luke 24:45)

     
    Introduction and Overview – Part 2

     

    “ADONAI

    said to Moshe, “Tell the people of Isra’el: ‘The designated times of ADONAI
    which you are to proclaim as holy convocations are my designated times.” (Leviticus
    23:1)

     

    The verse quoted above will act as our

    theme verse, as I take you on a Messianic understanding of the Feasts of
    HaShem.  The complete study will serve as a primer to the reader,
    encouraging and challenging him to study further into the pages of the Torah to
    mine the rich blessings that lay in store for him there. Perhaps the study
    might even pique your curiosity concerning the area of shomer mitzvot, that is,
    Torah-observance.[4]

     

    The time has now come for all of God’s

    children to begin to have a unified voice when it comes to the Torah.  For
    too long, we, HaShem’s olive tree (Romans Chapter 11), have been divided over
    this issue of “Who should follow the Torah?  And why?”  I’m not
    ashamed to answer authoritatively up front: the Torah details the lifestyle
    of a genuine follower of HaShem as correctly interpreted (fulfilled) by Yeshua
    HaMashiach!  This means that all genuine believers have been given a
    divine, covenant responsibility, as it were, to follow as much of God’s Word
    (‘Older’ Testament and ‘Newer’ Testament) as they can press into, empowered to
    walk, not by the flesh of course, but by the power of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy
    Spirit).

     

    But Ariel, if HaShem says to do

    something what room is left for arguing?  Are you suggesting that an
    individual wait for a “warm and fuzzy feeling” to come over them?  Not at
    all.  What exactly am I getting at?  Simply that God and God alone
    has the power to convince and convict a person in the area of sins of omission
    (I am suggesting that ultimately Torah disobedience, by default, can lead to
    sins of negligence).  I can teach you about Torah observance until I am
    blue in the face, but I can NEVER force, coerce, entrap, or otherwise intimidate
    anyone into following Torah commands.  Compulsion leads to legalism. 
    For the individual coming out of a “Torah-less lifestyle,” HaShem will often
    lovingly challenge them to mature by giving them opportunity to express their
    love for him in terms of Torah submissiveness, specifically in the area of
    rediscovering their Hebraic roots.  Either that or they will just plain
    read the objective Torah, apply Hebraic “s’bara”[5]
    (common sense), and then “just do it!”  This approach has been known to be
    effective as well.

     

    Because the feasts are found in the

    older portion of the Bible, many Christians simply neglect the study of
    them.  It is my wish that these commentaries will capture the attention of
    the average believer and ignite a spark of interest within him, spurning him on
    to further investigate the practical application of these wonderful
    Torah-truths.  I am not prepared to conduct a thorough study of the feasts
    in the space provided here.  I simply want to provide the readers with the
    Messianic framework necessary to properly appreciate the scope of HaShem’s
    historical handiwork, as expressed in the feasts.

     

    As we shall see, the feasts, which we

    will refer to as “mikra’ey kodesh” (holy convocations), were meant to
    serve as daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly reminders, of our identity and
    purpose, in the historical plans that HaShem has for all of mankind.  The
    Torah teaches us that they are the “rehearsals of Messianic redemption.” 
    Properly understood, they tell the story of the birth and life, atoning work,
    death, resurrection, promise of power, assurance of dedication, promise of
    return, and promise of eternal abiding, of the Messiah Yeshua, in relation to
    all genuine followers.  Surely it is in the mind of the Holy One, for his
    children to have an intimate knowledge of these aspects of his Son’s
    ministry!  Yet, for nearly two thousand years, our appreciation of these
    feasts has remained marginal at best and non-existent at worst.

     

    The reader needs to familiarize

    himself with our main body of text, Leviticus Chapter twenty-three.  Below
    is an outline and brief themes of the seven Festivals of the LORD  (not
    counting the Sabbath) that the Torah has for us (The following list and brief
    definitions was supplied by First Fruits of Zion Publications):

     

    Pesach

    (Passover) –
    redemption, salvation, deliverance, freedom

     

    Chag

    HaMazah (Unleavened Bread) – sanctification

     

    Bikkurim

    (Counting the Omer)
    – sanctification, deliverance

     

    Shavu’ot

    (Pentecost)
    – the giving of the Torah, the giving of the Ruach HaKodesh, firstfruits, ecclesiology

     

    Rosh

    HaShanah/Yom Teruah (New Year/Feast of Trumpets) - eschatology

     

    Yom

    Kippur (Day of Atonement) – atonement, forgiveness, blood sacrifices

     

    Succoth

    (Feast of Tabernacles/Ingathering) – worship, praise, redemption, eschatology,
    thanksgiving, celebrating the harvest of righteousness in our lives

     

    As we journey through our commentaries

    I will detail the times, dates and circumstances surrounding each feast. 
    This will provide the historical framework to which we can apply the Messianic
    fulfillment of each feast.  Ultimately, it is my intent to invite both
    Jews and Gentiles in Messiah to press into the covenant responsibilities and expectations
    of HaShem’s divine mandate to participate each year in his feasts.  Shomer
    mitzvot is a wonderful way to “walk out” the reality of the newness of life,
    found only in union with Yeshua HaMashiach!  A Godly desire to obey the
    Torah, as non-Jewish believers, is evidence of the Holy Spirit’s activity of “putting
    the Torah of HaShem within you, and writing it on your heart” (Jeremiah 31:33;
    Hebrews 8:10, paraphrase mine).

     

    May the Holy One richly bless you as

    you seek to be obedient to his Word!

     

    For

    further study, read: Genesis 1:14; Exodus 19:5, 6; 31:13; Leviticus ch. 23;
    Deuteronomy 4:5-10; Joshua 1:7, 8; Psalm 40:7; ch. 119; Isaiah 2:2, 3; ch. 62;
    Jeremiah 31:31-37; Ezekiel 36:26, 27; Micah 4:1-7; Zechariah 8:20-23; Malachi
    4:4; Matthew 5:17-19; Romans 10:4; Hebrews ch. 4; 10:7; James 1:22-25; 1 John 5:1-3

     

    Torah

    Teacher Ariel ben-Lyman HaNaviy [email protected]


    [1]

    Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT), מוֹעֵד

    [2]

    http://www.morfix.co.il/en/מוֹעֵד

    [3]

    http://biblehub.com/hebrew/4744.htm, citing Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance on קָרָא

    [4]

    I recommend my ongoing series called “Shomer Mitzvot,” available at my website.

    [5]

    S’bara is a term found in the book ‘Not In Heaven’ by Eliezer
    Berkovits, specifically within a discussion about halacha and easing the plight
    of the abandoned wife.

    19 min
  • MIKRA'EY KODESH "HOLY CONVOCATIONS": INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW – PART 2
    MIKRA'EY KODESH "HOLY CONVOCATIONS": INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW – PART 2
    Torah Teacher Ariel ben-Lyman HaNaviy
    Download
    pdf
    Mikra'ey Kodesh

    By Torah Teacher Ariel ben-Lyman

    HaNaviy

     

    (Note: all quotations

    are taken from the Complete Jewish Bible by David H. Stern. Copyright © 1998.
    All rights reserved. Used by permission of Messianic Jewish Publishers, 6120
    Day Long Lane, Clarksville, MD 21029. www.messianicjewish.net.)

     

    *Created: August 29, 1999

     

    Introduction and Overview – Part 1

     

    “Yeshua

    said to them, “This is what I meant when I was still
    alive with you and told you that everything written about me in the Torah of
    Moshe, the Prophets and the Psalms had to be fulfilled” (Luke 24:44,
    CJB).

     

    Next to Isaiah 53, nowhere else is

    this statement of Yeshua’s more vividly demonstrated than in the Holy
    Convocations of Leviticus Chapter 23.  The opening few lines of this
    chapter clearly teach that the Biblical Feasts, including Pesach (Passover) to
    Sukkot (Tabernacles), are “designated times of ADONAI “ (verse 4 below):

     

    וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃

    דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֤י
    יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם מוֹעֲדֵ֣י יְהוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־תִּקְרְא֥וּ אֹתָ֖ם
    מִקְרָאֵ֣י קֹ֑דֶשׁ אֵ֥לֶּה הֵ֖ם מוֹעֲדָֽי׃
    שֵׁ֣שֶׁת יָמִים֮
    תֵּעָשֶׂ֣ה מְלָאכָה֒ וּבַיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י שַׁבַּ֤ת שַׁבָּתוֹן֙
    מִקְרָא־קֹ֔דֶשׁ כָּל־מְלָאכָ֖ה לֹ֣א תַעֲשׂ֑וּ שַׁבָּ֥ת הִוא֙ לַֽיהוָ֔ה בְּכֹ֖ל
    מֽוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶֽם׃ פ
    אֵ֚לֶּה מוֹעֲדֵ֣י יְהוָ֔ה
    מִקְרָאֵ֖י קֹ֑דֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר־תִּקְרְא֥וּ אֹתָ֖ם בְּמוֹעֲדָֽם׃

     

    1 ADONAI said to

    Moshe, 2 "Tell the people of Isra'el: 'The designated times of
    ADONAI which you are to proclaim as holy convocations are my designated times. 3
    "'Work is to be done on six days; but the seventh day is a Shabbat of
    complete rest, a holy convocation; you are not to do any kind of work; it is a
    Shabbat for ADONAI, even in your homes. 4 "'These are the
    designated times of ADONAI, the holy convocations you are to proclaim at their
    designated times.”

     

    Historically, the Nation of Isra’el

    was to act as a repository of the wisdom and Word of HaShem.  With his
    Called-out Ones acting as a “fishbowl,” the surrounding nations were to learn
    about the Creator, the One True God of the Universe, from the everyday
    activities of the offspring of Avraham.  This is one of the primary
    reasons that the Torah was graciously given to Isra’el.

     

    In both Biblical[1]

    and Modern Hebrew[2],
    the word for “appointment” is מוֹעֵד “mo’eyd,” translated as “designated
    times” in Stern’s translation above.  Interestingly, the root of the related
    word מִקְרָא “mikra,”
    translated as “convocations” by Stern, is קָרָא
    “kara,” and this root
    word conveys the sense of “rehearsals.”[3] 
    I like to think that in this way, HaShem masterfully designed the mikra’ey
    kodesh to act as sort of dress rehearsals for his children.  “Of what?”
    you might ask.

     

    The Feasts of ADONAI are dress

    rehearsals of Messianic Redemption.

     

    Our LORD Yeshua has literally and

    prophetically fulfilled the first four of the seven feasts mentioned in
    Leviticus 23; it is my belief that the Torah teaches that he will, likewise,
    literally and prophetically fulfill the final three at his soon to be second
    arrival.  As the children of Avraham willingly and faithfully lived out
    HaShem’s yearly cycle of  “mo-eydeem,” the Spirit of the Holy One
    graciously opened their hearts to understand that, as his treasured possession,
    they were responsible to actively pursue a genuine, personal, loving
    relationship with their Heavenly Abba.  It is this type of personal
    relationship that HaShem has always desired from the nation of Isra'el, and
    through the grace poured out to Isra'el, the surrounding Gentile nations might
    also see the goodness and mercy of ADONAI, and seek to become one of his
    treasured possessions as well (read Deut. 4:5-8).  Today, our covenant responsibilities
    to our Holy God have not changed any more than the covenants made with his
    Treasured People have changed.  He is our God and we are his people!

     

    History has demonstrated that in the

    fullness of HaShem’s timetable he sent his Only Begotten Son Yeshua into the
    world, to redeem fallen man, and make it possible to have a right relationship
    with our Heavenly Abba.  This Messianic Redemption of ours, which was
    accomplished through the sacrificial death, burial, and miraculous resurrection
    of Yeshua our Savior, has been prophetically and historically displayed through
    the teachings of the Holy Convocations of Leviticus 23.  It is, therefore,
    HaShem’s desire that these teachings become an integral part of our everyday
    lives, as we walk out the truths of our new identification in Messiah.  To
    be sure, the Torah has demonstrated,

     

    “Then he opened their

    minds, so that they could understand the TaNaKH” (Luke 24:45)

     
    Introduction and Overview – Part 2

     

    “ADONAI

    said to Moshe, “Tell the people of Isra’el: ‘The designated times of ADONAI
    which you are to proclaim as holy convocations are my designated times.” (Leviticus
    23:1)

     

    The verse quoted above will act as our

    theme verse, as I take you on a Messianic understanding of the Feasts of
    HaShem.  The complete study will serve as a primer to the reader,
    encouraging and challenging him to study further into the pages of the Torah to
    mine the rich blessings that lay in store for him there. Perhaps the study
    might even pique your curiosity concerning the area of shomer mitzvot, that is,
    Torah-observance.[4]

     

    The time has now come for all of God’s

    children to begin to have a unified voice when it comes to the Torah.  For
    too long, we, HaShem’s olive tree (Romans Chapter 11), have been divided over
    this issue of “Who should follow the Torah?  And why?”  I’m not
    ashamed to answer authoritatively up front: the Torah details the lifestyle
    of a genuine follower of HaShem as correctly interpreted (fulfilled) by Yeshua
    HaMashiach!  This means that all genuine believers have been given a
    divine, covenant responsibility, as it were, to follow as much of God’s Word
    (‘Older’ Testament and ‘Newer’ Testament) as they can press into, empowered to
    walk, not by the flesh of course, but by the power of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy
    Spirit).

     

    But Ariel, if HaShem says to do

    something what room is left for arguing?  Are you suggesting that an
    individual wait for a “warm and fuzzy feeling” to come over them?  Not at
    all.  What exactly am I getting at?  Simply that God and God alone
    has the power to convince and convict a person in the area of sins of omission
    (I am suggesting that ultimately Torah disobedience, by default, can lead to
    sins of negligence).  I can teach you about Torah observance until I am
    blue in the face, but I can NEVER force, coerce, entrap, or otherwise intimidate
    anyone into following Torah commands.  Compulsion leads to legalism. 
    For the individual coming out of a “Torah-less lifestyle,” HaShem will often
    lovingly challenge them to mature by giving them opportunity to express their
    love for him in terms of Torah submissiveness, specifically in the area of
    rediscovering their Hebraic roots.  Either that or they will just plain
    read the objective Torah, apply Hebraic “s’bara”[5]
    (common sense), and then “just do it!”  This approach has been known to be
    effective as well.

     

    Because the feasts are found in the

    older portion of the Bible, many Christians simply neglect the study of
    them.  It is my wish that these commentaries will capture the attention of
    the average believer and ignite a spark of interest within him, spurning him on
    to further investigate the practical application of these wonderful
    Torah-truths.  I am not prepared to conduct a thorough study of the feasts
    in the space provided here.  I simply want to provide the readers with the
    Messianic framework necessary to properly appreciate the scope of HaShem’s
    historical handiwork, as expressed in the feasts.

     

    As we shall see, the feasts, which we

    will refer to as “mikra’ey kodesh” (holy convocations), were meant to
    serve as daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly reminders, of our identity and
    purpose, in the historical plans that HaShem has for all of mankind.  The
    Torah teaches us that they are the “rehearsals of Messianic redemption.” 
    Properly understood, they tell the story of the birth and life, atoning work,
    death, resurrection, promise of power, assurance of dedication, promise of
    return, and promise of eternal abiding, of the Messiah Yeshua, in relation to
    all genuine followers.  Surely it is in the mind of the Holy One, for his
    children to have an intimate knowledge of these aspects of his Son’s
    ministry!  Yet, for nearly two thousand years, our appreciation of these
    feasts has remained marginal at best and non-existent at worst.

     

    The reader needs to familiarize

    himself with our main body of text, Leviticus Chapter twenty-three.  Below
    is an outline and brief themes of the seven Festivals of the LORD  (not
    counting the Sabbath) that the Torah has for us (The following list and brief
    definitions was supplied by First Fruits of Zion Publications):

     

    Pesach

    (Passover) –
    redemption, salvation, deliverance, freedom

     

    Chag

    HaMazah (Unleavened Bread) – sanctification

     

    Bikkurim

    (Counting the Omer)
    – sanctification, deliverance

     

    Shavu’ot

    (Pentecost)
    – the giving of the Torah, the giving of the Ruach HaKodesh, firstfruits, ecclesiology

     

    Rosh

    HaShanah/Yom Teruah (New Year/Feast of Trumpets) - eschatology

     

    Yom

    Kippur (Day of Atonement) – atonement, forgiveness, blood sacrifices

     

    Succoth

    (Feast of Tabernacles/Ingathering) – worship, praise, redemption, eschatology,
    thanksgiving, celebrating the harvest of righteousness in our lives

     

    As we journey through our commentaries

    I will detail the times, dates and circumstances surrounding each feast. 
    This will provide the historical framework to which we can apply the Messianic
    fulfillment of each feast.  Ultimately, it is my intent to invite both
    Jews and Gentiles in Messiah to press into the covenant responsibilities and expectations
    of HaShem’s divine mandate to participate each year in his feasts.  Shomer
    mitzvot is a wonderful way to “walk out” the reality of the newness of life,
    found only in union with Yeshua HaMashiach!  A Godly desire to obey the
    Torah, as non-Jewish believers, is evidence of the Holy Spirit’s activity of “putting
    the Torah of HaShem within you, and writing it on your heart” (Jeremiah 31:33;
    Hebrews 8:10, paraphrase mine).

     

    May the Holy One richly bless you as

    you seek to be obedient to his Word!

     

    For

    further study, read: Genesis 1:14; Exodus 19:5, 6; 31:13; Leviticus ch. 23;
    Deuteronomy 4:5-10; Joshua 1:7, 8; Psalm 40:7; ch. 119; Isaiah 2:2, 3; ch. 62;
    Jeremiah 31:31-37; Ezekiel 36:26, 27; Micah 4:1-7; Zechariah 8:20-23; Malachi
    4:4; Matthew 5:17-19; Romans 10:4; Hebrews ch. 4; 10:7; James 1:22-25; 1 John 5:1-3

     

    Torah

    Teacher Ariel ben-Lyman HaNaviy [email protected]


    [1]

    Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT), מוֹעֵד

    [2]

    http://www.morfix.co.il/en/מוֹעֵד

    [3]

    http://biblehub.com/hebrew/4744.htm, citing Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance on קָרָא

    [4]

    I recommend my ongoing series called “Shomer Mitzvot,” available at my website.

    [5]

    S’bara is a term found in the book ‘Not In Heaven’ by Eliezer
    Berkovits, specifically within a discussion about halacha and easing the plight
    of the abandoned wife.

    34 min
  • Pesach 2016 "Passover" (Part A)
    Pesach 2016 "Passover" (Part A)
    Torah Teacher Ariel ben-Lyman HaNaviy
    Download

    *This commentary was updated on April 2016.  The archive version of my Passover commentary is here.

    pdf

    *Updated:

    April 15, 2016

     

    “ADONAI said to Moshe, “Tell the people of Isra’el: ‘The

    designated times of ADONAI which you are to proclaim as holy convocations are
    my designated times.” (Leviticus 23:1, 2)

     

    פֶּ֖סַח  Pesach - Season of our Deliverance

     

    "In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the

    month, between sundown and complete darkness, comes Pesach for ADONAI."
    (Leviticus 23:5)

     

    Shabbat

    notwithstanding, Pesach is the beginning of the biblical feasts of Leviticus
    chapter 23.  The actual feast known as Pesach spans three separate,
    yet inextricably-linked feasts: Pesach, observed on the fourteenth day
    of the Jewish month of Nisan, HaMatzah (Unleavened Bread), observed on
    the fifteenth day of Nisan, and Bikkurim (Firstfruits), observed the day
    after the Sabbath of HaMatzah.

     

    Commentary

    Contents:

     

    Introduction and

    English/Hebrew Liturgy (Exodus 13:1-16)

    Are Isra’el and the Church

    the same thing? Does God still have a plan for Isra’el?

    Should Christians celebrate

    Passover?

    What does Paul mean when he says

    to not let anyone judge us in regard to keeping the Sabbath?

    What does the Bible say about

    Christian liberty?

    What does it mean to be circumcised

    in Christ?

     
    Introduction and English/Hebrew Liturgy (Exodus 13:1-16)

     

    *As of April 2016 I have retired my original 2006

    Passover commentary.  It is currently available by written request only.

     

    The

    Festivals of the LORD are wonderful times of celebration, of joy, of worship, of
    getting together with family, and of recognizing the Messianic redemption found
    only in the Messiah Yeshua.  Indeed, Paul (Sha'ul) writes in Romans 10:4
    that the very goal of the Torah is the Messiah himself!  This explains to
    us that all of the Feasts of the LORD point to Christ and have their fullest
    expression and meaning in him alone.  Passover (Pesach) is no
    exception.  The Pesach story is quite well known, obviously among Jews,
    but equally among many Gentile Christians these days as well.  To be sure,
    most Christians are familiar with the Seder dinner with its plate full of symbols
    from the Passover story of Exodus.  Also, your average Gentile believer in
    Yeshua readily welcomes watching either The Ten Commandments movie (the one
    with Charleton Heston), or at the very least the animated Prince of Egypt story
    around this time of year in the Spring.

     

    For

    that reason, I do not wish to retell the story of the Exodus from Mitzrayim
    (Egypt) here in this commentary (newly updated especially for Pesach
    2016).  Instead, I simply wish to open by reading a relevant passage out
    of the book of Exodus so as to put us in the mindset of the events that formed
    the first Passover thousands of years ago.  This reading from both the
    English and the Hebrew will also serve as the liturgy of my commentary. 
    After the scriptural recitation, I have decided to treat you all to a look
    inside my weekly mailbag as a Torah Teacher.  Instead of midrashing on the
    Passover itself, and instead of a lengthy discussion on the challenging
    chronology of the Passover week as recorded for us in the Synoptic gospels as
    compared to that of John (see my older Passover commentary for that), I have
    decided to present and answer five questions that are related to Passover,
    Isra'el, the Church, Christian liberty, and even circumcision.  To be
    sure, the questions are real-life questions sent in by well-meaning readers
    over the years, and by showing you all the answers, I hope to build you up in
    Mashiach this Pesach season, as well as continue to serve the body of Jews and
    Gentiles as a teacher of Torah.

     

    For

    this rendition of the Exodus story the English will be the New American
    Standard (NAS) version of the Bible and the Hebrew will be the Biblia Hebraica
    Stuttgartensia (BHS) as preserved in the Leningrad Codex:

     

    Exodus 13:1 - NAS – Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

    Exodus 13:1 - BHS – וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה

    לֵּאמֹֽר׃

     

    Exodus 13:2 - NAS – "Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the

    first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast;
    it belongs to Me."

    Exodus 13:2 - BHS – קַדֶּשׁ־לִ֨י כָל־בְּכֹ֜ור פֶּ֤טֶר

    כָּל־רֶ֙חֶם֙ בִּבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בָּאָדָ֖ם וּבַבְּהֵמָ֑ה לִ֖י הֽוּא׃

     

    Exodus 13:3 - NAS – Moses said to the people, "Remember

    this day in which you went out from Egypt, from the house of slavery; for by a
    powerful hand the LORD brought you out from this place. And nothing leavened
    shall be eaten.

    Exodus 13:3 - BHS – וַיֹּ֨אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֜ה אֶל־הָעָ֗ם

    זָכֹ֞ור אֶת־הַיֹּ֤ום הַזֶּה֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְצָאתֶ֤ם מִמִּצְרַ֙יִם֙ מִבֵּ֣ית
    עֲבָדִ֔ים כִּ֚י בְּחֹ֣זֶק יָ֔ד הֹוצִ֧יא יְהֹוָ֛ה אֶתְכֶ֖ם מִזֶּ֑ה וְלֹ֥א
    יֵאָכֵ֖ל חָמֵֽץ׃

     

    Exodus 13:4 - NAS – "On this day in the month of Abib,

    you are about to go forth.

    Exodus 13:4 - BHS – הַיֹּ֖ום אַתֶּ֣ם יֹצְאִ֑ים

    בְּחֹ֖דֶשׁ הָאָבִֽיב׃

     

    Exodus 13:5 - NAS – "It shall be when the LORD brings you

    to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite and the
    Jebusite, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk
    and honey, that you shall observe this rite in this month.

    Exodus 13:5 - BHS – וְהָיָ֣ה כִֽי־יְבִֽיאֲךָ֣ יְהוָ֡ה

    אֶל־אֶ֣רֶץ הַֽ֠כְּנַעֲנִי וְהַחִתִּ֨י וְהָאֱמֹרִ֜י וְהַחִוִּ֣י וְהַיְבוּסִ֗י
    אֲשֶׁ֨ר נִשְׁבַּ֤ע לַאֲבֹתֶ֙יךָ֙ לָ֣תֶת לָ֔ךְ אֶ֛רֶץ זָבַ֥ת חָלָ֖ב וּדְבָ֑שׁ
    וְעָבַדְתָּ֛ אֶת־הָעֲבֹדָ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את בַּחֹ֥דֶשׁ הַזֶּֽה׃

     

    Exodus 13:6 - NAS – "For seven days you shall eat

    unleavened bread and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD.

    Exodus 13:6 - BHS – שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִ֖ים תֹּאכַ֣ל

    מַצֹּ֑ת וּבַיֹּום֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י חַ֖ג לַיהוָֽה׃

     

    Exodus 13:7 - NAS – "Unleavened bread shall be eaten

    throughout the seven days; and nothing leavened shall be seen among you, nor
    shall any leaven be seen among you in all your borders.

    Exodus 13:7 - BHS – מַצֹּות֙ יֵֽאָכֵ֔ל אֵ֖ת שִׁבְעַ֣ת

    הַיָּמִ֑ים וְלֹֽא־יֵרָאֶ֨ה לְךָ֜ חָמֵ֗ץ וְלֹֽא־יֵרָאֶ֥ה לְךָ֛ שְׂאֹ֖ר
    בְּכָל־גְּבֻלֶֽךָ׃

     

    Exodus 13:8 - NAS – "You shall tell your son on that day,

    saying, 'It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.'

    Exodus 13:8 - BHS – וְהִגַּדְתָּ֣ לְבִנְךָ֔ בַּיֹּ֥ום

    הַה֖וּא לֵאמֹ֑ר בַּעֲב֣וּר זֶ֗ה עָשָׂ֤ה יְהוָה֙ לִ֔י בְּצֵאתִ֖י מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃

     

    Exodus 13:9 - NAS – "And it shall serve as a sign to you

    on your hand, and as a reminder on your forehead *, that the law of the LORD
    may be in your mouth; for with a powerful hand the LORD brought you out of
    Egypt.

    Exodus 13:9 - BHS – וְהָיָה֩ לְךָ֨ לְאֹ֜ות עַל־יָדְךָ֗

    וּלְזִכָּרֹון֙ בֵּ֣ין עֵינֶ֔יךָ לְמַ֗עַן תִּהְיֶ֛ה תֹּורַ֥ת יְהוָ֖ה בְּפִ֑יךָ
    כִּ֚י בְּיָ֣ד חֲזָקָ֔ה הֹוצִֽאֲךָ֥ יְהֹוָ֖ה מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃

     

    Exodus 13:10 - NAS – "Therefore, you shall keep this

    ordinance at its appointed time from year to year.

    Exodus 13:10 - BHS – וְשָׁמַרְתָּ֛ אֶת־הַחֻקָּ֥ה

    הַזֹּ֖את לְמֹועֲדָ֑הּ מִיָּמִ֖ים יָמִֽימָה׃ ס

     

    Exodus 13:11 - NAS – "Now when the LORD brings you to the

    land of the Canaanite, as He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to
    you,

    Exodus 13:11 - BHS – וְהָיָ֞ה כִּֽי־יְבִֽאֲךָ֤ יְהוָה֙

    אֶל־אֶ֣רֶץ הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֔י כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר נִשְׁבַּ֥ע לְךָ֖ וְלַֽאֲבֹתֶ֑יךָ
    וּנְתָנָ֖הּ לָֽךְ׃

     

    Exodus 13:12 - NAS – you shall devote to the LORD the first

    offspring of every womb, and the first offspring of every beast that you own;
    the males belong to the LORD.

    Exodus 13:12 - BHS – וְהַעֲבַרְתָּ֥ כָל־פֶּֽטֶר־רֶ֖חֶם

    לַֽיהֹוָ֑ה וְכָל־פֶּ֣טֶר שֶׁ֣גֶר בְּהֵמָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִהְיֶ֥ה לְךָ֛ הַזְּכָרִ֖ים
    לַיהוָֽה׃

     

    Exodus 13:13 - NAS – "But every first offspring of a

    donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you
    shall break its neck and every firstborn of man among your sons you shall
    redeem.

    Exodus 13:13 - BHS – וְכָל־פֶּ֤טֶר חֲמֹר֙ תִּפְדֶּ֣ה

    בְשֶׂ֔ה וְאִם־לֹ֥א תִפְדֶּ֖ה וַעֲרַפְתֹּ֑ו וְכֹ֨ל בְּכֹ֥ור אָדָ֛ם בְּבָנֶ֖יךָ
    תִּפְדֶּֽה׃

     

    Exodus 13:14 - NAS – "And it shall be when your son asks

    you in time to come saying, 'What is this?' then you shall say to him, 'With a
    powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.

    Exodus 13:14 - BHS – וְהָיָ֞ה כִּֽי־יִשְׁאָלְךָ֥

    בִנְךָ֛ מָחָ֖ר לֵאמֹ֣ר מַה־זֹּ֑את וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֵלָ֔יו בְּחֹ֣זֶק יָ֗ד
    הֹוצִיאָ֧נוּ יְהוָ֛ה מִמִּצְרַ֖יִם מִבֵּ֥ית עֲבָדִֽים׃

    Exodus 13:15 - NAS –

    'It came about, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go that the LORD
    killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the
    firstborn of beast. Therefore *, I sacrifice to the LORD the males, the first
    offspring of every womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.'
    Exodus 13:15 - BHS – וַיְהִ֗י כִּֽי־הִקְשָׁ֣ה פַרְעֹה֮
    לְשַׁלְּחֵנוּ֒ וַיַּהֲרֹ֨ג יְהֹוָ֤ה כָּל־בְּכֹור֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם
    מִבְּכֹ֥ר אָדָ֖ם וְעַד־בְּכֹ֣ור בְּהֵמָ֑ה עַל־כֵּן֩ אֲנִ֨י זֹבֵ֜חַ לַֽיהוָ֗ה
    כָּל־פֶּ֤טֶר רֶ֙חֶם֙ הַזְּכָרִ֔ים וְכָל־בְּכֹ֥ור בָּנַ֖י אֶפְדֶּֽה׃

    Exodus 13:16 - NAS –

    "So it shall serve as a sign on your hand and as phylacteries on your
    forehead *, for with a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt."
    Exodus 13:16 - BHS – וְהָיָ֤ה לְאֹות֙
    עַל־יָ֣דְכָ֔ה וּלְטֹוטָפֹ֖ת בֵּ֣ין עֵינֶ֑יךָ כִּ֚י בְּחֹ֣זֶק יָ֔ד הֹוצִיאָ֥נוּ יְהוָ֖ה
    מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃ ס

    That

    will do it for our scripture reading in English and in Hebrew. 

     

    Okay,

    are you ready to tackle some possibly debatable Jewish-Christian topics related
    to Passover?  I personally love a good Bible debate/discussion, as long as
    the differing parties agree beforehand to keep things civil, professional, and
    bathed in the love of Yeshua.  For that reason, let us be careful to
    invite the Ruach HaKodesh into our Q/A session, with the conviction that all things
    should be done in order to exhort one another towards brotherly love and growth
    in the Body, amen?   I have laced the answers themselves with links
    to eBible.com and their wonderful scriptural resources.  In reality, all
    of the questions and answers in this commentary can be found on the eBible.com
    site itself; the questions were sent in by real people (they are not set-up
    questions), and the answers are my own.  Follow this link to read more
    questions and answers that I personally have addressed:

     

    https://ebible.com/users/492502/profile

     

    I

    believe this first question and answer—actually made of two separate questions—forms
    the foundation towards appreciating the importance of the subsequent Passover
    related questions and answers that will be presented in this commentary. 
    In my estimation, once we as Jews and Gentiles in Messiah begin to understand
    our place within salvation and election history, we will subsequently have a
    better chance at comprehending the oft-controversial topics of exactly who
    should be following Torah, who should be keeping the Feasts, is the Torah
    bondage, and what exactly the value of circumcision is from a biblical
    perspective.

     

    Are Isra’el and the Church the same thing? Does God still have a plan for Isra’el?

     

    It

    seems as if everyone has an opinion on “Who is Isra'el?” “Who is the Church?”
    “Are they the same thing?” “Does God still have a plan for Isra'el?” I am no
    different in that I also have a strongly-held opinion that drives my
    understanding of my identity, my responsibility to God’s covenant, and my place
    in God’s family.

     

    No

    one is perfected in his views. In truth, all of the differing views must
    logically carry some weight of truth to them, so I greatly appreciate a forum
    such as this where we can present our differing views in a Spirit of love and
    mutual respect, even in the midst of our disagreements. We all need each other.
    May God grant us grace as we continue to study his Word for greater and greater
    insights from the text.

     

    So

    here is what I hold to. I will try to be succinct:

     

    Short

    Answers:

    I

    will answer the two questions head on and then attempt to substantiate my
    answers from the text.

     

    Q:

    Are Isra'el and the Church the same thing?

    A:

    Well…yes…and no. Isra'el exists on two levels: National Isra'el, and Remnant
    Isra'el. The Church exists within Remnant Isra'el, and Remnant Isra'el exists
    within National Isra'el. I will flesh this out with verses below…

     

    Q:

    Does God still have a plan for Isra'el?

    A:

    Absolutely. Messiah is the head of Remnant Isra'el, and even though National
    Isra'el doesn't have faith in Yeshua yet, nevertheless, God the Father is still
    going to bring National Isra'el to her knees in repentance someday.

     

    Longer

    Answers:

    Paul

    sets up the Olive Tree example in Rom 11:11-24. In Rom 11:16, he teaches that
    if the root is holy then the branches are holy. I take the Olive Tree to be the
    family of Isra'el and the root to be the Patriarchs. The “holy” aspect is Paul
    teaching the set-apartness of the Patriarchs from the rest of the world unto God,
    making his offspring (all the tree’s branches) also set apart from the world
    unto God.

     

    Abraham

    the “nourishing root” is the exemplar of faith for all of his “branches,” but
    especially for the Remnant who live among the other “unsaved natural branches,”
    and for the grafted in branches, because of his faith in the Promised Word of
    the LORD (Gen 15:6). The root cannot be Yeshua (Jesus), because Paul teaches
    elsewhere in this book that we cannot be separated from the love of God in
    Messiah (Rom 8:38, 39), yet branches get broken off from this tree (Rom
    11:17-21). Also, Paul warns the Gentile Christians not to suppose that they
    support the root (Rom 11:18). This makes no sense if the root is Yeshua, for no
    Christian in history has ever made such a supposition.

     

    The

    branches being broken off are some of the members of National Isra'el, whom God
    prunes because of lack of faith in Yeshua (Rom 11:19, 20), in order to make way
    for Gentile Christians who demonstrate faith in Yeshua. IMPORTANT: these “wild olive
    branch” Gentiles are grafted among the Remnant of Isra'el, not into National
    Isra'el. Notice Paul does NOT say how the Remnant came to be in the tree. That
    is because, like Paul himself, they were born into their own Olive Tree.
    Remnant Isra'el are natural branches that graduated to faith in Yeshua—also a
    son of Abraham—making them the Remnant that still dwells in the same Olive Tree
    as National Isra'el.

     

    In

    the pruning of natural branches (some of the unsaved Jews), Paul doesn't say
    they are completely cut off from Isra'el, because if they, like believing Jews
    and Gentiles, place their faith in Yeshua, they too can be grafted back into
    their own Olive Tree, but this time it will be as Remnant Isra'el (Rom 11:23,
    24). In fact, Paul goes even further to suggest that since the gospel is
    essentially a culturally Hebrew concept engrained in the lives of the Hebrews
    and transmitted through the Scriptures they revere, then it is more natural for
    a Jew to believe in a Messiah than it is for a “wild olive branch” to believe
    in him (read Rom 11:24 and catch the meaning of the “wild by nature,” and
    “contrary to nature” illustrations).

     

    Should Christians celebrate Passover?

     

    The

    short answer is “yes,” Christians should celebrate Passover. After all, Paul
    explicitly tells us to in 1 Cor 5:8. He says, “Let us therefore celebrate the
    festival…” and then he goes on to tell us how to celebrate it. But the point I
    am making is that he actually TELLS us to keep it. Whoever says that the NT
    doesn't command Gentile believers to keep parts of the Torah (Law) has
    obviously missed this verse.

     

    Granted,

    the Passover as Traditional Judaism observes it down through the ages misses
    the Messiah, and thus does not have to simply become the default model for our
    own Messianic Passover observances. We can and should borrow traditions from
    Judaism that honor HaShem (God) and uphold his laws, but we must be careful to
    always take our final orders from the Master and the Apostolic Scriptures. This
    means our Torah observance is going to necessarily differ from Traditional
    Judaic Torah observance because we follow the True Rabbi named Yeshua (Jesus).
    When in doubt, side with Scripture instead of with tradition. Don't just do
    something just because it is Jewish.

     

    Besides,

    I believe the current LORD’s Supper is in fact a “mini Passover.” If my
    postulation is true, then (albeit in drastically reduced form) most Christians
    are already celebrating the Passover! They simply don't know they are
    celebrating the Passover. To be sure, Yeshua’s last supper with his disciples
    was a “fusion” of the traditional Passover with the institution of the LORD’s
    Supper, right? Communion didn't replace Passover, or else Paul’s instructions
    about celebrating the festival would make nonsense. Messianic Jews and Messianic
    Gentiles are expected to incorporate the LORD’s Supper into the Mosaic Passover
    in order to highlight what our Savior did for us on the cross.

     

    As

    Jews and Gentiles, Passover celebrates our freedom from Egypt (remember there
    was a mixed multitude that came out of Egypt…(Ex 12:38) …mixed in terms of
    ethnicities). The death of the lamb secured their escape from the Death Angel
    and their escape from Egypt. All then came to the foot of Sinai and were
    declared to be “Isra'el” by God (Ex 19:1-6). The exodus from Egypt as such
    forms the antecedent theology to understand that each one of us was set free
    from our own personal Egypt of sin and shame. Since the LORD’s Supper
    celebrates the death (not his resurrection) of the Spotless Lamb, read Matt
    26:28 and 1 Cor 11:26, and since Gentiles are grafted into Remnant Isra'el to
    take their place alongside believing Jews, it only makes sense to put the Torah
    Passover and the LORD’s Supper together as Paul no doubt did for his 1st
    century communities.

     

    What does Paul mean when he says to not let anyone judge us in regard to
    keeping the Sabbath?

     

    The

    seventh day Sabbath is not the only Sabbath in the bible.  Each of the
    Feasts of Leviticus 23 is considered a Sabbath as well.  When discussing
    the question of whether Gentile Christians should celebrate Passover or not,
    quite often Colossians 2:16 and 17 gets brought up in defense of why Passover
    should not be used as a point of judgment towards Christians who do not
    celebrate it like many Messianic Jews and a growing number of Messianic
    Gentiles do.  Truthfully, I do not think believers should be falsely
    judging one another over any issue.  However, we do have the
    responsibility to admonish one another towards an ever growing relationship
    with HaShem, through his Son Yeshua.  Allow me to address this question
    for us here in my Pesach commentary.  I want to offer an explanation that
    I don't hear too often in churches. Let me quote the verse in question:

     

    “Therefore

    let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard
    to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to
    come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” (Col 2:16, 17)

     

    Why

    do we have to translate the verse as if Paul were telling these Messianic
    Gentiles, “Don't let anyone (presumably Messianic Jews) judge you for NOT
    keeping kosher, feasts and Sabbaths just like they do. Those things are just
    shadows. You have the substance which is Christ…”? This interpretation does not
    fit with historic accounts of who was judging whom, and why.

     

    If

    we back up into the chapter, we can gain a better context in which to work
    from. We know from Col 2:6-15 that Paul is admonishing his readers about the
    wonderful forensic realities that they now possess in Messiah. They have truly
    been grafted into Isra'el (Rom 11), they have been brought near to God and to
    the Commonwealth of Isra'el as fellow heirs and fellow citizens (Eph 2), and
    they have received the more important circumcision—that of the heart (Col
    2:11).

     

    It

    is in this context that Paul comforts his readers with the famous passage in
    Col 2:16, 17. He tells them not to let anyone (outsiders, pagans, Jews and
    Gentiles outside of Messiah, etc.) judge you for who you really are and what
    you do in Yeshua (Jesus). You are the righteousness of God in Messiah! (read 2
    Cor 5:21) Hallelujah!

     

    Why

    would Gentile outsiders be judging Paul’s readers? History shows that pagans
    and Gentiles outside of Messiah would often judge Gentile Christians for no
    longer attending the state required emperor celebrations with all their vile
    lewdness, demon worship, blood rituals, nudity, sexual promiscuity, and
    all-purpose pagan pageantry. That this judgment would eventually fall upon them
    is a given and Paul challenges them to hold their ground and not return to the
    former life of debauchery that they have been graciously rescued from.

     

    However,

    Scripture likewise attests that Gentiles attracted to Isra'el’s God and
    Isra'el’s laws would attend the synagogue alongside Jews (read the numerous
    accounts in the book of Acts). After coming to faith in the Jewish Messiah, it
    was natural for these Messianic Gentile believers to begin walking out the
    Torah just like their Messianic Jewish brothers were doing. However, the
    unbelieving Jewish leaders would always become jealous and outraged that Paul
    was teaching these Messianic Gentiles about their equality to Jews in Messiah.
    Remember, the Judaisms of Paul’s day practiced a social class/caste system in
    which Gentiles were not worthy to be counted as genuine covenant members in
    Isra'el without going through a ceremony of the proselyte. Thus, in this
    imbalanced view of covenant membership, the Torah was seen as a Jewish-only
    document.

     

    In

    their eyes, the Gentiles had no right to keep the feasts of the Jews—even if
    they believed in the Jewish Messiah (recall in Acts 15:5 that even some
    believing Pharisees wanted these Gentile Christians to becomes Jews before they
    could be received in the community). Paul came to set the record straight: in
    Yeshua, the Messianic Gentiles have every right to keep kosher and keep the
    Feasts just like Messianic Jews, since both constitute the Remnant of Isra'el.

     

    So,

    the verse should be interpreted as Paul telling these Messianic Gentiles,
    “Don't worry if the unbelieving religious Jews judge you for KEEPING kosher,
    Feasts, New Moons, and Sabbath observances—without becoming legally recognized
    Jews first. You are grafted into Isra'el—as Gentiles—via your faith in the King
    of Isra'el. In the end, you will most likely get kicked out of their synagogues
    and out of their festive celebrations because you did not change your
    ethnicity, but don't worry, those things are a shadow nonetheless. You have the
    SUBSTANCE that those shadows point to—which is Messiah himself.”

     

    What does the Bible say about Christian liberty?

     

    One

    of the central themes associated with Passover is freedom.  Paul speaks
    prominently of freedom in the book of Galatians.  Although the bondage of
    Galatians is not quite the same as the bondage we read about in the Passover
    story, nevertheless, the topic of exclusive freedom in Christ is always a
    worthwhile topic for discussion on and around the time of Passover.  Let’s
    start with Paul’s admonition in Galatians and work from there.  “For
    freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again
    to a yoke of slavery.” (Gal 5:1)

     

    What

    exactly IS the slavery that Paul speaks of here? To be “in Messiah” is to be
    truly free (recall Yeshua’s (Jesus’) declaration from John 8:36, “If the Son
    therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (KJV). How is then that
    these Galatian Gentiles wish to return to the slavery that marked their former
    manner of life? Can’t they see that anything less than a complete commitment to
    the true Gospel is not good news at all, and will eventually result in slavery?

     

    As

    is to be expected, historic Christianity interprets the slavery of verse one as
    a return to Judaism, a return to living in the confines of Torah (Law)
    observance, a return to Sabbaths, keeping kosher, keeping the Feasts, and of course,
    circumcision. However, when we go back and study the historical and
    sociological context of the book of Galatians more closely, we will discover
    that the standard Christian interpretation of this verse does not fit with
    Paul’s view of Torah, and most importantly, it does it follow from the
    Scriptural view of Torah. The Torah is not bondage. However, if one places
    their trust in ethnicity and/or Torah obedience, then that person is truly a
    slave to their old nature—whether they know it or not.

     

    The battle

    lines were being drawn, not between the relevance of Torah vs. The relevance of
    Yeshua. The lines were being drawn between the necessity of Jewish identity for
    covenant inclusion vs. the necessity of falling on the mercy and grace of
    Messiah for genuine covenant membership and forgiveness of sins. Paul doesn't
    need to denigrate the Torah by calling it a yoke of slavery because that is not
    the focus of the argument in the first place. As we shall see in the next verse
    (needed to develop the context of verse one), circumcision is the fulcrum by
    which membership into 1st century Isra'el was being weighed.

     

    The

    Galatian Gentiles were at the crossroads of decision. Would they invest their
    faith in Jewish ethnicity? Or would they invest their faith in Jesus Christ—
    the one who died and rose again? In Gal 2:21, the contest in the mind of the
    Galatians used the verbiage of Christ vs. The Law. Here in Gal 5:2, the contest
    uses the verbiage of Christ vs. Circumcision. After studying the Jewish
    background to Paul’s life and knowing his propensity for carefully reasoned
    arguments, it should be amply clear that Paul did not mean Torah observance
    when he used the word “Law” in Gal 2:21. By the same token, it should be amply
    clear that he does not simply mean physical circumcision when he uses the word
    “circumcision” in Gal 5:2.

     

    Conclusions:

    In

    Gal 5:1, 2 (as well as Gal 2:21 from earlier), Paul states that if the
    Galatians wish to continue down the road constructed by those false
    teachers—the road described by the 1st century Judaisms as “the law,” “under
    the law,” works of the law,” and “circumcision,”—and reject the free offer of
    genuine and lasting covenant membership into Isra'el as offered by God and
    outlined in the TaNaKH (OT), then (using the language of Gal 5:1, 2) the work
    done by Yeshua’s cross will indeed have no value for them at all.

     

    Biblical

    freedom does not mean free from Law. Again, knowing that Yeshua set us free
    from sin, its proclivities, its bondage, and its ultimate penalty, helps us to
    understand Paul’s teachings on this subject. The paradigm set by the Exodus
    narrative teaches us that sin (bondage) prevents us from truly worshiping God
    the way he deserves to be worshipped. Speaking for God, Moses said, “Let my
    people go so that they may serve me!” Once Yeshua makes us alive in him and
    sets us free indeed, we are then free to worship God properly without the fear
    of condemnation or bondage to sin. This means we are free to walk into Torah
    the way God intended it to be walked out: in imitation of Messiah, by the
    Spirit, and to the glory of God the Father.

     

    What does it mean to be circumcised in Christ?

     

    This

    last question and answer will close out our commentary on Jewish-Christian
    Passover-related topics.

     

    When

    the Temple stood and sacrifices were a reality, the Torah commands regarding
    Passover required Jewish and Gentile males to be physically circumcised in
    order to eat of the meat of lambs slaughtered on the altar (cf. Ex 12:48,
    49).  This meant that if an uncircumcised Gentile believer lived in
    ancient Isra'el and was keeping the Passover in his local area because he was
    unable to make the journey to Jerusalem to slaughter a lamb, then this physical
    circumcision commandment was not as relevant for him because he would not be
    eating meat from lambs slaughtered in the Temple anyway.  To be sure, even
    though he may not have been physically circumcised, he knew from reading Paul's
    letters that he was circumcised in Messiah, and that it was this heart
    circumcision that was of primary importance anyway.  So let us talk about
    this heart circumcision.  What exactly is it and what is its significance?

     

    The

    short answer is that to be circumcised in Christ means one is saved, taking the
    word “circumcision” here to refer to “circumcision of the heart, indicative of
    genuine faith in Yeshua (Jesus).” To be sure, a few verses later we read,” For
    what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him
    as righteousness.”” (Rom 4:3) Circumcision implies cutting something away,
    whether it is physical foreskin, or spiritual unbelief. Circumcised in Christ
    means unbelief has been cut away from the heart so that one sees Messiah by
    faith, and such faith saves him.

     

    Background

    needed to understand and appreciate the context of Romans 4; and to substantiate
    my answer:

     

    The

    term “circumcision” in Paul’s day quite often implied Jewish identity by
    context. The entire chapter of Romans 4 is Paul’s exposition to combat the 1st
    century mistaken notion that Jews and only Jews were genuine covenant members
    in Isra'el. Recall that Jewish males were circumcised as eight-day-old baby
    boys (Lev 12:3). In effect, according to common Jewish reasoning, they were
    “born with covenant status.”

     

    The

    reason circumcision gets brought into Paul’s discussions so prominently (Rom
    2:25-29; Rom 3:1; 1 Cor 7:18, 19 Gal 2:12; Gal 5:2-11; Gal 6:15; Eph 2:11;
    Philippians 3:3; Titus 1:10) is because by the 1st century, Isra'el was using
    the term circumcision more as a sociological term that referred to Jewish
    status, than as a covenant sign that pointed to the Abrahamic promise of Gen
    17:9-14. In the eyes of these “ethnocentric” Jews, circumcision was the sign
    that guaranteed them covenant status and salvation (Acts 15:1).

     

    So

    if a Gentile wished to join Isra'el, a man-made ceremony of the proselyte was
    prescribed, in which one could ostensibly change their ethnicity and become
    Jewish. And because the same prevailing Jewish views believed the Torah to be a
    Jewish-only document, once a person earned their Jewish status, the Torah became
    their covenant possession and responsibility.

     

    We

    know this is the correct understanding of these opening verses because of
    Paul’s line of reasoning later on down in the passage in Rom 4:9, 10

     

    “Is

    this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For
    we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it
    counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not
    after, but before he was circumcised.”

     

    If I

    were to paraphrase these two verses and insert the implied historical,
    grammatical, and sociological meanings, they would sound something like this:

     

    “Is

    this blessing, that those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are
    covered because the LORD will not count his sin—in a word, salvation, only for
    those with legal Jewish status, or also for those who are not Jews, that is the
    Gentiles? For we state with certainty that salvation was counted by God to
    Abraham as righteousness in Gen 15:6 and the Scriptures are definitely
    reliable. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he became
    Jewish? It was not after, but before he became Jewish.”

     

    The

    notion of “Jewish-only Isra'el,” and a “Jewish-only Torah” is also corroborated
    from reading the surviving, non-inspired Pharisaic writings from before and
    after the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, namely, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the
    Talmud and other rabbinic writings, etc. They indeed help us to better
    understanding the historical, grammatical, and sociological background to our own
    inspired Apostolic Writings (viz, the NT).

     

    Lastly,

    “circumcised in Christ” does not necessarily mean that physical circumcision is
    no longer valuable. For what does Paul say?

     

    Rom

    2:25

    “For

    circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law,
    your circumcision becomes uncircumcision.”

     

    Rom

    3:1, 2

    “Then

    what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every
    way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.”

     

    (End

    of questions and answers)

     

    “Chag Pesach Sah-meach!”

    (Happy Festival of Passover!)

     

    For

    further study, read: Ex. 12:21-51, Num. 28:16-25, Josh. 3:5-7, 5:2-6:1. 6:27;
    Is. 52:13-53:12; Mt. 26-28; Mk. 14-16; Luke 22-24; John 13-21; 1 Cor. 5:6-8

     

    46 min
  • HaMatzah - Feast of Unleavened Bread
    HaMatzah - Feast of Unleavened Bread
    Torah Teacher Ariel ben-Lyman HaNaviy
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    *Updated:

    April 11, 2006

     

    “ADONAI said to Moshe, “Tell the people of Isra’el: ‘The

    designated times of ADONAI which you are to proclaim as holy convocations are
    my designated times.” (Leviticus 23:1, 2)

     

    חַג הַמַּצֹּות Chag HaMatzot – Feast of Unleavened Bread

     

    “On the fifteenth day of the same month is the festival of

    matzah; for seven days you are to eat matzah.” (Leviticus 23:6)

     

    The

    festival known as HaMatzah follows immediately after Pesach.  The
    fourteenth of the Jewish month Nisan is Pesach; the fifteenth is
    HaMatzah.  As the Torah so clearly instructed the offspring of Avraham,
    all bread eaten during this observance was to be matzah.  So what is
    matzah?  Matzah is the name of the bread eaten by our ancestors as they
    hastened to leave Egypt during the Passover deliverance.  This bread is
    known by its familiar flat shape, owing to the fact that no time was allowed to
    let it rise like ordinary bread (read Sh’mot 12:34).  Borrowing a few
    notes from my Pesach commentary I explain:

     

    The

    Encyclopedia Judaica explains that biblical yeast was not altogether different
    than the yeast of today. After all, yeast is a natural product, not something
    that modern science has created. Yeast consists of any of a group of minute,
    one-celled ascomycetous fungi, which produce alcoholic fermentation in
    saccharine fluids. As such, they grow very quickly in a liquid containing
    sugar. This speaks of HaShem's design not the scientology of synthetics. An
    informative article on leavening agents can be viewed at this link: http://homecooking.about.com/food/homecooking/library/weekly/aa072197.htm?iam=mt&terms=%2Bleaven.  The passages in question speak to one of the 5
    grains that could possibly “leaven” in the presence of water and time: wheat,
    barley, oats, rye, and spelt."

     

    The

    mitzvah primarily has to do with the baked goods. But the mitzvah does say to
    remove all leaven from your houses (Ex. 12:19-20).  In Deut. 16:3, 4 there
    are two Hebrew words used to describe “biblical leaven”: chametz #em'x=dough from one of the 5 grains that has been allowed
    to “ferment” and create yeast, from which bread may be baked, and s’or r{a.f=the standalone ingredient usually defined as
    “yeast.”  I believe that a sincere approach includes removing anything
    which will defile the conscience, which for biblical purists might only include
    the “grain” products, but for the ultra sensitive might also include the
    standalone product we now know as yeast."

     

    Those

    who know their way around the kitchen understand that it is the yeast in the
    bread dough that causes it to rise; this was the missing ingredient in our
    ancestor’s matzah; it is the very ingredient commanded to be left out during
    this feast to this very day.  Take time to read the additional passage in
    Sh’mot 12:14-20 and find out the biblical application of this ingredient.

     

    Why

    leaven?  Leaven is a word picture representing sin.  From the day
    that the people left Egypt they were on a divine intercept course with the Holy
    One, which would eventually culminate in the glorious giving of his Teaching
    (Torah) at Mount Sinai.  The former events (Passover and Unleavened bread)
    signified the putting off of the sin that separated them from fellowshipping
    with their soon to be husband; the latter event (the giving of the Torah)
    signified the new Spirit-led relationship which the people would learn to walk
    in.  It is timely therefore, that the second step in putting off of sin
    should occur AFTER deliverance (Passover), but BEFORE the spiritual wedding
    ceremony (Pentecost).  Let’s apply these principles to our everyday lives.

     

    While

    it is true that when a person comes to accept Yeshua the Messiah, HaShem
    accepts them as they are (i.e., with sin included), it is equally true that
    once the deliverance from sin takes place (i.e., our salvation), we should
    naturally begin the continuing process of “searching for and removing the
    leaven of sin” from our lives.  This leads to a genuine understanding of
    the subsequent indwelling and filling of the Ruach HaKodesh (the marriage)
    which should accompany our newborn freedom in Messiah.  Why would the
    expulsion of sin produce this spiritual effect?  Because the Torah teaches
    us in 1 Corinthians chapter 5,

     

    “Get rid of the old hametz

    [leaven], so that you can be a new batch of dough, because in reality you are
    unleavened bread.  For our Pesach lamb, the Messiah, has been sacrificed. 
    So let us celebrate the Seder not with leftover hametz, the hametz of
    wickedness and evil, but with the matzah of purity and truth.” (vv. 7-8)

     

    Here

    we learn that hametz (leaven) was interpreted by Sha’ul as a type of sin
    also.  The leaven of sin, like its culinary counterpart, has the capacity
    to work its way into the complete dough of our lives, expanding and rising,
    until the whole “loaf” is permeated with sin. This is why, with the guidance of
    the Ruach within us, we need to remove all of the leaven from ourselves. 
    Will this result in a sinless life?  No.  Yet, our efforts will
    surely be rewarded in the form of a renewed and strengthened walk with our
    LORD.  In other words, as long as we have these earthen vessels, our
    desire should be to flee from sin, until we finally reach that blessed time
    when our LORD Yeshua will return in Power and Glory to cleanse us
    completely!  Sin has a way of growing and growing until it results in a
    damaged relationship with our Heavenly Abba.  In his mercy and undeserved
    grace, he lovingly guides and allows us to perform our own “spring cleaning”
    before it is too late for us to turn back from the destructive road that sin
    leads down.  In other words, his gentle leading and divine foresight saves
    us from ourselves.  “Baruch HaShem!”

     

    The

    wonderful reality that is ours is that the above-mentioned passage directly
    associates us with “unleavened bread.”  This is our new identity in Yeshua
    HaMashiach!  This is our true identity!  His sacrifice redeemed us
    from the slavery of the sin of “spiritual Egypt,” and changed our very
    constitution!  We are actually a completely new batch of dough!  Sha’ul
    is therefore instructing us to start living as if this reality has been
    internalized already—for indeed it should be by now!  His further
    instructions in this passage act as an explicit teaching for the Messianic
    Community of the first century not to neglect the divine invitation to observe
    the Passover, complete with HaMatzah.  After all, is not the verse saying,
    “So let us celebrate the Seder….”?  These instructions can be applied to
    the Body of believers today, without falling into the trappings of legalism and
    the like.  I hope that each believer reading this article will at some
    time in his or her spiritual walk desire to attend a Passover Seder.  I
    encourage each one of you to expand your understanding of these biblical feast
    days.

     

    Finally,

    with the feast of HaMatzah comes the understanding that only the Messiah Yeshua
    is the sinless Lamb of God.  In my opening statement to the commentary on
    Pesach I stated that Yeshua literally fulfilled each of the first four feasts
    of Leviticus chapter 23.  How did he fulfill HaMatzah?

     

    Aside

    from celebrating this feast with his Torah-observant family year after year,
    his body—the True Bread from heaven, was without leaven in any sense of the
    word.  His sinless life represents the heavenly matzah offered on HaShem’s
    Passover plate.  During our earthly Seders, we partake of the middle piece
    of matzah, also known by its Greek name “afikomen.”  It is this middle
    piece that is hidden and redeemed during the ceremony.  Messianics
    understand this symbolism to represent Yeshua’s “unleavened body” being placed
    in the grave (hidden) for three days and nights, only to be redeemed (rise
    again) by his resurrection power from on high.  We believers so aptly
    capture this reality in our various “communion” services.  Let us
    celebrate the festival of HaMatzah with joy!

     

    Personal

    examination.  Take time to conduct a spiritual inspection of your walk
    with HaShem.  Allow this Spirit-led introspection to reveal where the
    leaven is hidden.  You just may be surprised to find out where the leaven
    in your life is hanging out!  I know that I always am.  In order to
    make this time period more effective, we need to use the most effective tool
    for this particular job!

     

    The

    Torah.

     

    Our

    sin nature makes us prone to disobedience.  The Torah of HaShem serves to
    remind us of how short we fall, when we try to measure up to God's
    righteousness.  While it is true that no one alive could have ever kept
    all of the commandments of God, it is also true that HaShem never expected
    anyone to be able to!  The Torah doesn’t demand perfection, else, there
    would be no need of the bulk of instructions outlined in the book of Leviticus,
    concerning sacrifices for sin.  Moreover, if we could ever achieve a state
    of total "sinlessness,” we would have no need of a Savior. 

     

    What the Torah

    expects from its followers is genuine trusting faithfulness to the giver of the
    Torah, who is the Holy One of Isra'el!  Today, that implies placing one's
    complete trust in his Only, Unique Son Yeshua, the True Unleavened Bread!

     

    “Chag HaMatzah Sah-meach!”

    (Happy Festival of Unleavened bread)

     

    For

    further study, read: Ex. 19:10, 14; 28:39-41; Lev. 8:30; 11:44; 20:7; Josh.
    24:14; 2 Chron. 30:15; 35:1, 6; John 17:17, 19; Acts 20:32; 22:16; 1 Cor. 1:2;
    5:7-8; 6:11; 10:1-2; Eph. 5:26; 6:24; Phil. 1:10; Heb. 10:10, 14; 1 Pet. 2:2

     

    Torah Ariel ben-Lyman HaNaviy [email protected]

    41 min
  • Omer Reisheet "First Sheaf" (Part A)
    Omer Reisheet "First Sheaf" (Part A)
    Torah Teacher Ariel ben-Lyman HaNaviy
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    *Updated:

    April 15, 2016

     

    “ADONAI said to Moshe, “Tell the people of Isra’el: ‘The

    designated times of ADONAI which you are to proclaim as holy convocations are
    my designated times.” (Leviticus 23:1, 2)

     

    tyivaer r,m{[ Omer Reisheet - First Sheaf

    *This festival is alternately known by the titles

    “Bikkurim=Firstfruits” and/or “Counting the Omer”

     

    "ADONAI said to Moshe, "Tell the people of

    Isra'el, 'After you enter the land I am giving you and harvest its ripe crops,
    you are to bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the cohen. 
    He is to wave the sheaf before ADONAI, so that you will be accepted; the cohen
    is to wave it on the day after the Shabbat.  On the day that you wave the
    sheaf, you are to offer a male lamb without defect, in its first year, as a
    burnt offering for ADONAI." (Leviticus 23:9-12)

     

    Commentary

    Contents:

     

    Issues Surrounding the

    “Timing” of Omer Reisheet

    Three Literal Days and Three

    Literal Nights?

    Summary

    Sunday Meeting?

     

    *2016 Update: This commentary is going to discuss

    the timing issues surrounding the Passion chronology of the week of Yeshua’s
    death and resurrection.  For years I asserted that Yeshua most likely died
    on the very same day as when the lambs were being sacrificed at the Temple,
    viz, on Nisan the 14th, which I was figuring was a Friday. 
    This put his Seder meal on the prior evening—the sunset of the 13th
    as it became the 14th, eaten of course without meat from the
    sacrificial lambs.  In this way, technically I had Yeshua keeping his
    Seder (I assumed it was a Chagigah) on the 14th while being able to
    die 21 or so hours later on the day part of the 14th as well. 
    However, after careful research, and as an update to my own understanding of
    the chronology of the week of Passover in which Yeshua was crucified, I have
    now come to understand that Yeshua was most likely crucified on Nisan the 15th,
    which as far as I can reckon, would still have been on a Friday as I maintained
    earlier.  This means he ate the Pesach meal with meat from lambs
    slaughtered the day before on Nisan the 14th—a Thursday. 
    Essentially, I now hold to Yeshua being crucified on Chag HaMatzah—the Day of
    Unleavened Bread.  So in conclusion, I still hold to a conjunction-like
    occurrence of Nisan 14, 15, and 16 all being back to back (i.e., Thursday,
    Friday, Saturday), with no days skipped in between.  The only major
    changes to my timetable are that I now hold to Yeshua eating his Seder on
    Thursday the 14th (previously I thought the 14th was a
    Friday), and being crucified on Friday the 15th (previously I had
    the Seder and the crucifixion both on Friday, the “Chagigah” Seder being on the
    evening part of the 14th and his death during the afternoon some 21
    or so hours later, viz, the day part of the 14th).  I hope this
    updated clarification does not cause too much confusion when following this
    commentary.

     

    The

    Feasts of the LORD are very important times on the calendar.  Accordingly,
    this third event of the Pesach Season would carry with it truths
    pertinent to the spiritual well being of the young Nation of Isra’el.  But
    this was not just any calendar—this was the calendar of the Creator of all
    men!  They are rightly called “Holy Convocations,” for
    intrinsically there is nothing special about one day against any other
    day.  Yet when the LORD of Holiness sanctifies a day—sets it apart as
    holy—the day becomes holy without question.  By divine decree it is
    holy.  Since God recognizes it as such, it is only a matter of obedience
    that we do likewise.

     

    Baruch

    A. Levine in his commentary to Leviticus by the Jewish Publication Society
    (JPS) outlines the logistics of this part of chapter twenty-three for us:

     

    In this section, two offerings

    taken from the new crop are prescribed: ‘omer and bikkurim. 
    The first, ‘omer, is the offering of a “sheaf” of new barley.  As
    originally intended, the priest was to offer it on the morrow of the first
    Sabbath subsequent to the seven-day festival.  New grain could not be
    eaten until this offering was made.  It constituted desacralization, a
    rite that gives God the first of the new crop, thus releasing the rest of it
    for ordinary human use.

     

    Beginning on the day of this

    offering, a period of counting is initiated.  Seven full “sabbaths,” or
    weeks, are counted off.  On the fiftieth day, the second offering of meal
    of new wheat, baked into leavened loaves, is offered in the sanctuary as bikkurim,
    “first fruits.”  It consists of grain furnished by the Israelite
    settlements.  That day is a sacred assembly on which work is
    forbidden.  Here, it is not designated [chag], “pilgrimage,” as it
    is in Deuteronomy 16:10, a significant difference.[1]

     

    As

    explained by Levine the Hebrew word for “sheaf” is “omer” rm[. 
    The omer counting leads to the well-known event called “Shavu’ot,” or Pentecost,
    as it is more widely recognized by many Christians.  To wit, we must
    understand from this passage that the days from Pesach to HaMatzah to Omer
    Reisheet to Shavuot are inextricably linked.  A biblical principal worth
    remembering, which carries significant truth down to this very day is that the “first” always belongs to HaShem.  This
    theme will play a prominent feature later on in this commentary.

     

    Issues Surrounding the “Timing” of Omer Reisheet

     

    Some

    readers will readily note that history has been generally “unkind” to this
    particular festival.  What do I mean by “unkind”?  I mean to draw
    your attention to the fact that no less than three prominent Jewish sects have
    come to interpret the timing associated with the start of this count in at
    least three respective, but differing ways.  Author Tim Hegg has
    brilliantly noted such differences in his short paper ‘Counting the Omer,’
    viewable from his web site http://www.torahresource.com/

     

    At least three different sects understood the

    chronology of the omer counting differently: a) the majority of the Jewish
    community, and perhaps particularly those in Judea, near Jerusalem, considered
    the phrase “the morrow after the Sabbath" to be the day following the
    opening sabbath of Chag HaMatzot, that is, the 16th of Nisan; b) a sub-group of
    the Sadducees, the Boethusians, took the Leviticus text to mean “the morrow
    after the (weekly) Sabbath," and thus commenced their counting on the day
    following the first weekly Sabbath within the festival week. c) the Qumran sect
    apparently understood the Sabbath in question to be the final day of Chag
    HaMatzot, and thus began their counting on the first day of the week following
    the completed festival.

     

    So,

    which view is correct and how does it impact you the reader?  Depending on
    which view you go with, the impact will determine the date you celebrate
    Shavu’ot fifty days later!  The difficulty lies in the interpretation of a
    key Hebrew phrase found in our text quoted at the onset of our commentary:

     

    "ADONAI said to Moshe,

    "Tell the people of Isra'el, 'After you enter the land I am giving you and
    harvest its ripe crops, you are to bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your
    harvest to the cohen.  He is to wave the sheaf before ADONAI, so that you
    will be accepted; the cohen is to wave it on the day after the Shabbat. 
    On the day that you wave the sheaf, you are to offer a male lamb without
    defect, in its first year, as a burnt offering for ADONAI." (Leviticus
    23:9-12)

     

    Levine

    provides what appears to be a “Boethusian” view:

     

    on the

    day after the sabbath  The
    Hebrew words mi-mochorat ha-shabbat, repeated in verse 15a, are
    problematic because it is not specified which Sabbath is intended. The accepted
    rabbinic interpretation is that here shabbat does not refer to the
    Sabbath day but means something similar to shabbaton in verse 39, that
    is, a time of resting. This characterization applies both to the Sabbath and to
    festivals. This interpretation is explained in the Sifra ' Emor 23:11, 15: mi-mochorat
    ha-shabbat-mi-­mochorat yom tov, "on the morrow of the Sabbath-on the
    morrow of the festival." Targum Onkelos explains mi-mochorat ha-shabbat
    in the same way, as does the Septuagint to 23:11: te epaurion tes protes,
    "on the morrow of the first day (i.e., the first day of the
    festival)."  Although this interpretation resolves a difficulty in
    the text, it does not convey its simple sense. It has been suggested that the
    words mi-mochorat ha-shabbat in verse 11 and in verse 15a represent an
    abbreviation of the phrase mi­mochorat ha-shabbat ha-shevi'it, literally
    "until the morrow of the seventh 'sabbath' of days" in verse 16
    below. Verses 15-16 use the term shabbat in the sense of
    "week"; verse 11 uses the abbreviation shabbat in its normal
    sense of a particular day, the Sabbath. This would require that seven
    "sabbaths" of days (shabbatot) would pass during the period of
    fifty days. It is therefore suggested that the words mi­mochorat ha-shabbat
    here and in verse 15a were glosses inserted to ensure that the period of
    counting the seven weeks would begin on the day after the Sabbath. If this
    analysis is accurate, the text of verse 11 should probably read as follows: vehenif
    'et ha-'omer lifne; YHVH li-retsonkhem yenifennu ha-­kohen, "He shall
    present the sheaf before the LORD; for acceptance on your behalf the priest
    shall present it."[2]

     

    And

    again, with relation to the date of Shavu’ot they make a distinctively
    “Boethusian” comment:

     

    And

    from the day on which you bring the sheaf. . . the day after the sabbath  Referring to the Comment to verse 11 above, it
    should be repeated here that the words mi-mochorat ha-­shabbat may be a
    gloss. The original text may have read: u-sefartem lakhem mi-yom havi' akhem,
    "And you shall count off, from the day on which you bring." This is
    how the text of the Temple Scroll from Qumran reads. The offering is known as 'omer
    ha-tenufah, "the sheaf for the presentation." In biblical usage,
    when the term shabbat refers to a week and not an occasion it probably
    always connotes a sabbatical week.  This is certain in chapter 23 and in
    the Holiness Code generally. In 25:8 sheva' shabbetot shanim means
    "seven septenaries," namely, seven cycles of seven years, each of
    which ends with a sabbatical year, when no planting or harvesting may be
    done.  On this basis, sheva’ shabbatot in verse 15 must mean “seven
    weeks of days.”  This indicates, in effect, that the period of
    counting begins on the day after the first Sabbath, the first Sunday subsequent
    to the beginning of the festival.[3]

     

    How

    are we to interpret the above-offered explanation?  How did the ancient
    Israelites understand the mitzvah to begin counting ‘on the morrow after the
    Shabbat.’  Perhaps the Torah gives us a valuable clue in the book of
    Joshua.  In an effort to help resolve the matter, I personally prefer to
    think of the following example as “authoritative enough for me, adding to this
    the fact that as Hegg noted above, the majority opinion (Pharisees) also must
    have been heavily influenced by the Y’hoshua passage.

     

    It

    reads:

     

    The people of Isra'el camped at Gilgal, and

    they observed Pesach on the fourteenth day of the month, there on the plains of
    Yericho.  The day after Pesach they ate what the land produced, matzah and
    roasted ears of grain that day.  The following day, after they had eaten
    food produced in the land, the man ended. From then on the people of Isra'el no
    longer had man; instead, that year, they ate the produce of the land of Kena'an
    (Y’hoshua 5:10-12).

     

    Notice

    carefully that verse 11 states that they ate the otherwise “forbidden” product
    on the day after Pesach (forbidden until waived [by the priests] before HaShem
    of course), and that in verse 12—the following day—that the heavenly food
    ended. The word Pesach in the above verse must include the Day of Unleavened
    Bread (HaMatzah), a Shabbat, for the verse to make sense.  Fascinating,
    huh?  It appears to be that the ancient Israelites understood ‘the morrow
    after the Shabbat’ to mean the day immediately following the feast of
    HaMatzah.  What is more, it even appears to indicate that HaShem “approved
    of their interpretation” by ceasing to provide manna in favor of what the Land
    would produce from then on out!

     

    With such a strong example provided for us by the events

    in Y’hoshua, is it no wonder that the Pharisees went with what I like to call a
    ”conjunction-like” interpretation of the Passover week: Pesach—Unleavened
    Bread—Firstfruits!  In this model, all of the feasts occur back-to-back
    with no days interrupting the chronology.  Even more interesting is that if
    one were to go with a Friday Pesach model, the Pharisaic interpretation would
    have fixed the waving of the omer as Sunday (the day on which Mashiach was
    reported to have already been risen by the Synoptic Gospels), corresponding
    with the Sadducees as well!  This means that for those who teach that the
    crucifixion took place on Nisan 14th instead of Nisan 15th (I used
    to believe the Nisan 14th crucifixion view) both Pharisees and
    Sadducees would have ended up recognizing “Resurrection Sunday” as the day of
    Omer Reisheet:

     

    Pharisees:         14

        Nisan=Pesach=Friday

                                15

        Nisan=Unleavened Bread=Shabbat/Saturday

    16 Nisan=Omer Reisheet (“the morrow after

    the [festival] Shabbat”=Sunday

     

    Sadducees:       14     Nisan=Pesach=Friday

                                15

        Nisan=Unleavened Bread=Shabbat/Saturday

    16 Nisan=Omer Reisheet (“the morrow after

    the [weekly] Shabbat”=Sunday

     

    God works in mysterious ways!

     

    Three Literal Days and Three Literal Nights?

     

    Even though I now hold to a Thursday, Nisan 14th

    Pesach meal (with meat from lambs, as opposed to a mere chagigah that may not
    have had lamb meat), I still hold to a Friday crucifixion and a very early
    Sunday morning resurrection.  Many have asked me, in light of the phrase
    “three days and three nights,” found in Matthew 12:40, how can I hold to a
    Friday crucifixion and a Sunday resurrection?  The math doesn’t seem to add
    up!  The (late) esteemed Seventh Day Adventist scholar Dr. Samuele
    Bacchiocchi provides us with an answer to this oft-asked question (quoted at
    length with permission):

     

    The literal interpretation of

    the phrase "three days and three nights" as representing an exact
    period of 72 hours ignores the abundant Biblical and Rabbinical evidence on the
    idiomatic use of the phrase "a day and a night," to refer not to an
    exact number of hours or of minutes, but simply to a calendrical day, whether
    complete or incomplete. Matthew, for example, writes that Yeshua "fasted
    forty days and forty nights" in the wilderness (Matt 4:2). The same period
    is given in Mark 1:13 and Luke 4:2 as "forty days," which does not
    necessarily require forty complete 24 hour days.

     

    It is important to note that in

    Biblical times a fraction of a day or of a night was reckoned inclusively as
    representing the whole day or night. This method of reckoning is known as
    "inclusive reckoning." A few examples from the Bible and from Rabbinic
    literature will suffice to demonstrate its usage.

     

    An Abandoned Egyptian

     

    1 Samuel 30:12 speaks of an

    abandoned Egyptian servant who "had not eaten bread or drunk water for
    three days and three nights." The idiomatic usage of this expression is
    shown by the following verse, where the servant states that his master had left
    him behind "three days ago" (v. 13). If the "three days and
    three nights" were meant to be taken literally, then the servant should
    have said that he had been left behind four days before.

     

    Esther’s Visit to the King

     

    Another explicit example of

    inclusive day reckoning is found in the story of Esther’s visit to the king.
    When Queen Esther was informed by Mordecai about the plan to exterminate the
    Jews, she sent this message to him: "Go, gather all the Jews to be found
    in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three
    days, night or day. I and my maids will also fast as you do. Then I will go to
    the King" (Esther 4:16).

     

    If Esther intended the three

    days and three nights to be taken literally as a 72-hour period of fasting,
    then she should have presented herself before the King on the fourth day.
    However, we are told a few verses later that Esther went before the king
    "on the third day" (Esther 5:1). Examples such as these clearly show
    that the expression "three days and three nights" is used in the
    Scriptures idiomatically to indicate not three complete 24-hour days, but three
    calendric days of which the first and the third could have consisted of only a
    fraction of a day.

     

    Rabbinical Literature

     

    Explicit examples for inclusive

    day reckoning are also found in Rabbinic literature. Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah,
    who lived about A.D. 100, stated: "A day and a night are an Onah [‘a
    portion of time’] and the portion of an Onah is as the whole of it." There
    are other instances in Rabbinic literature where the "three days and three
    nights" of Jonah 1:17 are combined with Old Testament passages which
    mention events that took place "on the third day." "It is in
    this light," writes Gerhard Dilling in the Theological Dictionary of the
    New Testament, "that we are to understand Matthew 12:40."

     

    Jewish Practice

     

    The practice of inclusive day

    reckoning, according to The Jewish Encyclopedia, a standard Jewish reference
    work, is still in vogue among the Jews today. "In Jewish communal life
    part of a day is at times reckoned as one day; e.g., the day of the funeral,
    even when the latter takes place late in the afternoon, is counted as the first
    of the seven days of mourning; a short time in the morning of the seventh day
    is counted as the seventh day; circumcision takes place on the eighth day, even
    though on the first day only a few minutes remained after the birth of the
    child, these being counted as one day."

     

    The examples cited above

    clearly indicate that in Biblical times the expression "a day and a
    night" simply meant a day, whether complete or incomplete. Thus, in the
    light of the prevailing usage, the expression "three days and three
    nights" of Matthew 12:40 does not require that Yeshua be entombed for 72
    hours, but for a full day and two partial days.[4]

     

    Chronology of “Passion”

    Weekend

     

    The chronology of the Passion

    weekend provides further evidence of the idiomatic usage of the phrase
    "three days and three nights." The days of the Crucifixion,
    entombment, and Resurrection are given in clear sequence and with considerable
    clarity in the Gospels as Preparation day, Sabbath, first day.

     

    Mark, who writes for a Gentile

    readership less familiar with Jewish terminology, explains with utmost clarity
    that Messiah was crucified on "the day of Preparation, that is, the day
    before the Sabbath" (Mark 15:42). In the following chapter it will be shown
    that both the term "preparation" (paraskeue) and
    "Sabbath-eve" (pro-sabbaton) are two technical terms used
    unmistakably to designate what we call "Friday."

     

    Mark, then, is most precise in

    explaining that the Crucifixion took place on what today we call
    "Friday." The next day is designated by Mark as "sabbath"
    (Mark 16:1) which in turn is followed by the "first day of the week"
    (Mark 16:2). Mark’s chronological sequence leaves absolutely no room for a
    two-day interval between the Crucifixion and Resurrection.

     

    Similarly Luke makes it clear

    that the day of Yeshua’s Crucifixion was followed, not by a Thursday or a
    Friday, but by a weekly Sabbath. He writes: "It was the day of
    Preparation, and the sabbath was beginning" (Luke 23:54). By linking the
    beginning of the Sabbath to the end of the day of Preparation, and the
    beginning of the "first day of the week" (Luke 24:1) to the
    termination of the Sabbath (Luke 23:56), Luke leaves absolutely no room for two
    full days to intervene between the Crucifixion and Resurrection.[5]

     

    No Two Sabbaths

     

    Some wish to make room for

    intervening days by arguing that between the Wednesday Crucifixion and Saturday
    afternoon resurrection there were two Sabbaths: the first, a Passover Sabbath
    which fell on a Thursday; the second, a weekly Sabbath which fell on the
    regular Saturday. Such an argument is based on pure speculation because nowhere
    do the Gospels suggest that two Sabbaths intervened between the day of the
    Crucifixion and that of the Resurrection.

     

    Support for the two-Sabbath

    view is sought in the plural form the Sabbath in Matthew 28:1 takes, which
    literally reads "at the end of the Sabbaths." This text is viewed as
    a vital text, “which” proves that there were TWO Sabbaths that week with a day
    in between." The first Sabbath, Thursday, allegedly was "the annual
    high-day Sabbath, the feast day of the days of Unleavened Bread," while
    the second was "the weekly Sabbath, Saturday."

     

    This conclusion is untenable,

    because, as Harold W. Hoehner points out, "The term Sabbath is frequently
    (one-third of all its New Testament occurrences) in the plural form in the New
    Testament when only one day is in view. For example, in Matthew 12:1-12 both
    the singular and plural forms are used (cf. esp. v. 5)." There is then no
    Biblical basis for a Passover Sabbath which occurred two days before the
    regular weekly Sabbath.

     

    The clear and uninterrupted

    chronological sequence of days given in the Gospels is: Preparation day,
    Sabbath day, and first day. This sequence leaves absolutely no room for a
    literal interpretation of the phrase "three days and three nights" as
    representing an exact period of 72 hours.

     

    Conclusion

     

    The foregoing considerations

    have shown, first, that the sign of Jonah given by Yeshua to prove His
    Messiahship consisted not in an exact 72-hour entombment, but in His
    Resurrection on the third day after His death. Second, the phrase "three
    days and three nights" (Matt 12:40) is an idiomatic expression which in
    Bible times meant not necessarily three complete 24-hour days (72 hours), but
    rather three calendric days, of which the first and the third could have
    consisted of only a few hours.

     

    The latter conclusion is

    supported by the prevailing inclusive method of day-reckoning, by the parallel
    usage of the phrases "after three days" and "on the third
    day," and by the uninterrupted chronological sequence of days which does
    not allow for three complete 24-hour days. A recognition of these facts
    adequately explains how Yeshua fulfilled His prediction of a "three days
    and three nights" entombment by being buried on Friday afternoon and
    rising early on Sunday morning.

     

    Summary

     

    Messiah rose while it was still dark (sometime after the

    sun went down on Shabbat, Nisan 16th, Omer Reisheet), reference: John
    20:1.  Messiah came up out of the grave and was spotted by his mother whom
    after recognizing him proceeded to cling to him (John 20:17).  He objected
    to her touching/clinging to him because, in his own words, he had not yet
    ascended to his Father.  What is the implication of his statement about
    ascension?  I believe he had to present himself to the Father exactly the
    same way the Omer Reisheet had to be presented before HaShem in the Torah:

     

    "He

    is to wave the sheaf before ADONAI, so that you will be accepted; the cohen is
    to wave it on the day after the Shabbat."  Lev. 23:11

     

    The midrash on this verse is that we, the believers, are

    the crop that is being represented on behalf of the first omer, who is Yeshua
    himself. Yeshua "waved" himself before the Father on our behalf (the
    rest of the crop) so that we, the resurrected ones to follow his resurrection,
    would be accepted.  Thus redemption was complete only after he presented
    himself to the father, fulfilling the fullest purposes behind Passover,
    Unleavened Bread, and Omer Reisheet.

     

    What is more, the Mishnah agrees that the omer was waived

    after the sun had set on the day of Unleavened Bread, which that year
    corresponded to sundown on Friday.  Observe this lengthy quote from the
    Mishnah:

     

    How did

    they do it? Agents of the court go forth on the eve of the afternoon before the
    festival of Passover. And they make it into sheaves while it is still attached
    to the ground, so that it will be easy to reap. And all the villagers nearby
    gather together there on the night after the first day of Passover, so that it
    will be reaped with great pomp. Once it gets dark on the night of the sixteenth
    of Nisan, he says to them, “has the sun set?” They say, “Yes.” “Has the sun
    set?” They say, “Yes.” “With this sickle?” They say, “Yes.” “With this sickle?”
    They say, “Yes.” “With this basket?” They say, “Yes.” “With this basket?” They
    say, “Yes.” On the Sabbath, he says to them, “Shall I reap on this Sabbath?”
    They say, “Yes.” “Shall l reap on this Sabbath?” They say, “Yes.” “Shall I
    reap?” They say, “Reap.” “Shall I reap?” They say, “Reap”- three times for each
    and every matter. And they say to him, “Yes, yes, yes.” All of this pomp for
    what purpose? Because of the Boethusians, for they maintain, “the reaping of
    the barley for the offering of the first sheaf of barley is not done at the
    conclusion of the festival.”[6]

     

    So for now, as of this writing, I choose to take the

    Pharisaic view.  Then again, with the plethora of data available on the
    differing views, we may never know for sure what the correct view is until
    Messiah comes to expound on the difficult parts of Torah for us.

     

    On

    to the rest of the commentary… 

     

    Sunday Meeting?

     

    Suppose

    the Sadducean/Boethusian view is correct?  Suppose that Omer Reisheet
    really starts on the morrow following the weekly Shabbat?  This would put
    the festival on a Sunday every year.  What is the impact on us now? 
    Allow me to midrash in a different direction this time.

     

    There

    are seven festivals mentioned on the biblical calendar of Leviticus 23. 
    Each festival carries a similar aspect that ties it into the complete cycle of
    yearly gatherings.  In every single feast except one, we can observe that
    the instructions to “have a holy convocation” are given (technically, Pesach
    does not bear this description but I safely assume that the historical example
    of the inaugural Pesach in Egypt covers the technicality).  The one that
    is singled out as not being identified as a convocation (gathering) is Omer
    Reisheet.  What could the Holy One possibly be conveying to us here? 
    The following explanation will serve as a personal drash (homiletic application)
    on the calendar and this day that follows the Shabbat.  It is not to be
    understood as the objective interpretation of the text rather, it is
    identifiably subjective.  I base my understanding, however, on the
    objective findings of the text itself.

     

    Isra'el

    was destined to be great among the surrounding nations.  Theirs was a call
    to holiness, vividly demonstrated by their unique, God-given calendar. 
    Surely, the many cultures and peoples that they interacted with had calendars
    of their own, identifying their various holy days and such.  Yet Isra'el
    was to showcase the heavenly reality, through earthly means, that there was
    only One, True God under heaven worthy to be identified and worshipped as
    Creator.  Isra'el was to teach the surrounding nations—by their own
    lifestyle—that “God is One” (Deut. 6:4).

     

    During

    this period of the TaNaKH God usually worked his truth out by means of
    object lessons.  His children would “do” things, which the surrounding
    nations were not “doing”; similarly, his children would also “abstain” from the
    things which the surrounding nations were “performing.”  In this way, the
    surrounding nations would catch a glimpse of the difference between what God
    identified as “clean and unclean,” “holy and profane,” “life and death.” 
    This was Isra'el’s "special call,” and as such, identified her unique
    “chosen-ness” (read Deut 4:1-20, specifically for this commentary, vv. 19-20).

     

    Sun

    worship has been rife in the earth since the days of the Tower of Bavel. 
    The ancient myths tell of a supernatural being—a messiah, born of a woman, and
    born of the very rays of the sun itself!  This supernal being was killed
    by his enemies during the Winter Solstice, only to be resurrected on the first
    day of the Spring Equinox.  This interpretation arose out of the belief
    that the sun was in fact a god, which slept in death during the cold winter
    months, and arose to new life at the start of spring.  Because its
    worshippers needed the sun’s vital, life-giving energy, they revered it as such
    in various pagan rituals and ceremonies.  Sun worship was therefore, in
    many pagan cultures, mandated for survival itself.

     

    One

    of the chief ceremonies involved “greeting” the sun as it made its way
    victoriously back from the underworld of the dead.  Its followers would
    meet their deity as he made his reappearance from the wintry death that held
    him captive for a season.  The day chosen to represent this glorious
    awakening would become known as the first day of the Spring Equinox.  And
    to ensure that the themes and symbols would forever be established among their
    adherents, an unforgettable name was granted to this very special day. 
    Thus, “Sun-day” was born.

     

    Now

    at this point in my commentary, it should be rather obvious by now that the
    event that I am describing bears a remarkable resemblance to our modern-day
    Easter celebration.  This should be no surprise, as the origins of Easter
    can indeed be traced back to this very legend!  Christianity in its
    infancy swelled to overflowing with former pagans, in an effort to establish
    itself as a viable religion in the 3rd and 4th
    centuries.  It was (mis)understood that Judaism had failed, in that its
    lack of recognition of the Messiah placed it in a place less-favored—nay
    rejected—by the Holy One himself!  Christianity would take its rightful
    place among believers as the True expression of Christ-worship.

     

    Now,

    looking back in 20/20 hindsight, we can understand that this paradigmatic shift
    was not entirely complete, nor would it be permanent.  It was, in fact, a
    shifting of responsibility of sharing the Good News with the surrounding
    nations, which placed Isra'el in this “less-favored” position.  The
    students should familiarize themselves with Romans chapter eleven.  But
    like Isra'el of old, the young Christian Church would make many significant
    mistakes, and mixing paganism with truth would become one of her errors that
    would permeate the very fabric of the Formalized Church like “tzara’at”
    (leprosy) down to this very day!

     

    The

    damage was done.

     

    The

    pagans brought their worship of the Sun into Christianity, and its traces can
    be observed even today.  Easter is rightly recognized as the “holiest”
    gathering within Christianity.  Billions of followers flock to sunrise
    services all over the world to pay homage to the True Son who was resurrected
    on this day—and rightfully so!  Were it not for the awesome resurrection
    of our LORD Yeshua from the power of death, we believers—Jew and Gentile, would
    have no hope in this world!

     

    Moreover,

    he did defeat death on that day, and we do have reason to celebrate!  But
    do we have a biblical injunction to gather on this particular day?  It is
    my premise that we do not.  Our theology seems to be correct, yet our
    methodology lacks authenticity.  Consider this example from the book of
    Ezekiel, chapter 8.

     

    “In the sixth

    year, in the sixth month on the fifth day, while I was sitting in my house and
    the elders of Judah were sitting before me, the hand of the Sovereign LORD came
    upon me there.  I looked, and I saw a figure like that of a man. 
    From what appeared to be his waist down he was like fire, and from there up his
    appearance was as bright as glowing metal.  He stretched out what looked
    like a hand and took me by the hair of my head.  The Spirit lifted me up
    between earth and heaven and in visions of God he took me to Jerusalem, to the
    entrance to the north gate of the inner court, where the idol that provokes to
    jealousy stood.  And there before me was the glory of the God of Israel,
    as in the vision I had seen in the plain.  Then he said to me, "Son
    of man, look toward the north." So I looked, and in the entrance north of
    the gate of the altar I saw this idol of jealousy.  And he said to me,
    "Son of man, do you see what they are doing—the utterly detestable things
    the house of Israel is doing here, things that will drive me far from my
    sanctuary? But you will see things that are even more detestable." 
    Then he brought me to the entrance to the court. I looked, and I saw a hole in
    the wall.  He said to me, "Son of man, now dig into the wall."
    So I dug into the wall and saw a doorway there.  And he said to me,
    "Go in and see the wicked and detestable things they are doing
    here."  So I went in and looked, and I saw portrayed all over the
    walls all kinds of crawling things and detestable animals and all the idols of
    the house of Israel.   In front of them stood seventy elders of the
    house of Israel, and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan was standing among them. Each had
    a censer in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense was rising.  He said
    to me, "Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel
    are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol?  They say,
    `The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.'"  Again,
    he said, "You will see them doing things that are even more detestable." 
    Then he brought me to the entrance to the north gate of the house of the LORD,
    and I saw women sitting there, mourning for Tammuz.  He said to me,
    "Do you see this, son of man? You will see things that are even more
    detestable than this."  He then brought me into the inner court of
    the house of the LORD, and there at the entrance to the temple, between the
    portico and the altar, were about twenty-five men. With their backs toward the
    temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to
    the sun in the east.  He said to me, "Have you seen this, son of man?
    Is it a trivial matter for the house of Judah to do the detestable things they
    are doing here? Must they also fill the land with violence and continually
    provoke me to anger? Look at them putting the branch to their nose! 
    Therefore I will deal with them in anger; I will not look on them with pity or
    spare them. Although they shout in my ears, I will not listen to them."

     

    What

    was the problem here?  Apparently Sun worship was even being practiced by
    ‘Am Isra'el!  Oy vey!  Exactly how low had God’s chosen people
    fallen?  The traceable pattern to disobedience and error looks like this:
    first man misunderstands God’s purposes, then man misunderstands God’s methods. 
    A lack of understanding of sanctification and true worship resulted in blatant
    disobedience of the Torah and eventually gross idolatrous practices (read vv.
    17-18 again).  This Torah Teacher believes that the Organized Body of
    Messiah of the 21st Century is not far behind the ‘Am Isra'el of
    this passage….!

     

    Yet

    the damage was done.

     

    Today,

    tradition still blinds us to the unchanging Truth of God’s Word—a Truth that
    should not be compromised!  The world is watching us believers.  They
    are observing whether or not we will make a difference between the clean and
    unclean, the holy and the profane, life and death!  HaShem did not tell
    ‘Am Isra'el to “gather” on Omer Reisheet—the day after the Shabbat—which,
    according to the Sadducees, is Sunday itself!—in order to separate his truth
    from the error of paganism (remember sun worship has existed since the days of
    Bavel).  I believe that the people of the TaNaKH set the biblical example
    NOT to gather on that special Sunday during the Passover Week for a true
    heavenly reason.  Why have we failed to grasp this truth?

     

    Surely

    Yeshua was raised from death to life on that morning following the
    Sabbath!  Surely he is the “firstfruits from the dead!”  He is the
    first person to be raised unto a resurrection of incorruptible flesh! 
    Although our flesh still houses sin, his flesh was sinless before his death on
    the execution stake; his resurrection demonstrates for us genuine believers
    what a resurrected body will be made like—raised to life everlasting!  Why
    then do we continue to confuse this wonderful truth with our man-made
    traditions?  Isn't it time we start demonstrating his holiness by the very
    days that we gather together on?

     

    The “first” always belongs to HaShem.  Why

    are we sharing it with paganism?

     

    Consider

    these words.

     

    “Chag Omer Reisheet Sah-meach!”

    (Happy Festival of the First Sheaf!)

     

    For

    further study, read: Ex. 23:16, 19; 34:26; Lev. 2:12, 14; 23:20; Num. 18:12-15,
    26; Deut. 18:1-5; 26:2-4, 10; 2 Chron. 31:5; Neh. 10:35-39; Prov. 3:9; Jer.
    2:3; Ezek. 44:30; 48:14; Mal. 3:8-14; Matt. 13:37-39; Mark 4:26-29; Heb. 6:20;
    7:1-8; 12:1; Jude 14; Rev. 1:7

     

    Torah Teacher Ariel ben-Lyman HaNaviy [email protected]


    [1]

    Baruch A. Levine, The JPS Torah Commentary to Leviticus (Jewish
    Publication Society, 1989), p. 157.

    [2]

    Ibid., p. 158.

    [3]

    Ibid., p. 158-159.

    [4]

    Samuele Bacchiocchi, The Time of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection
    (Biblical Perspectives, 2001), p. 15, 16.

    [5]

    Ibid., p. 18.

    [6]

    The Babylonian Talmud, Translation and Commentary by Jacob Neusner (Soncino
    CD-ROM Edition), XXXIX. Mishnah-Tractate Menahot 6:3, Hendrickson Publishers,
    2006.

    39 min
  • Shavu'ot/Pentecost "Feast of Weeks" (Part A)
    Shavu'ot/Pentecost "Feast of Weeks" (Part A)
    Torah Teacher Ariel ben-Lyman HaNaviy
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    SHAVU’OT

    *Updated:

    April 15, 2016

     

    “ADONAI said to Moshe, “Tell the people of Isra’el: ‘The

    designated times of ADONAI which you are to proclaim as holy convocations are
    my designated times.” (Leviticus 23:1)

     

    t{[Ub'v Shavu’ot - The Festival of Weeks

     

    “Observe the festival of Shavu’ot with the

    first-gathered produce of the wheat harvest….”  (Exodus 34:22)

     

    “From the day after the day of rest—that is, from the day

    you bring the sheaf for waving—you are to count seven full weeks, until the day
    after the seventh week; you are to count fifty days; and then you are to
    present a new grain offering to ADONAI.”  (Leviticus 23:15-16)

     

    “The festival of Shavu’ot arrived, and the believers

    all gathered together in one place.  Suddenly there came….”  (Acts
    2:1, 2a)

     

    Commentary

    Contents:

     

    “Not Skipping a Beat”

    Two Significant Scriptural

    Shavu’ots?

    The Ruach HaKodesh – The

    Power to Live a Changed Life!

    Controlled by Messiah

    The Spirit and the Word

    Conclusions

     

    *2016

    Update: This commentary is going to discuss the timing issues surrounding the
    Passion chronology of the week of Yeshua’s death and resurrection.  For
    years I asserted that Yeshua most likely died on the very same day as when the
    lambs were being sacrificed at the Temple, viz, on Nisan the 14th,
    which I was figuring was a Friday.  This put his Seder meal on the prior
    evening—the sunset of the 13th as it became the 14th,
    eaten of course without meat from the sacrificial lambs.  In this way,
    technically I had Yeshua keeping his Seder (I assumed it was a Chagigah) on the
    14th while being able to die 21 or so hours later on the day part of
    the 14th as well.  However, after careful research, and as an
    update to my own understanding of the chronology of the week of Passover in
    which Yeshua was crucified, I have now come to understand that Yeshua was most
    likely crucified on Nisan the 15th, which as far as I can reckon,
    would still have been on a Friday as I maintained earlier.  This means he
    ate the Pesach meal with meat from lambs slaughtered the day before on Nisan the
    14th—a Thursday.  Essentially, I now hold to Yeshua being
    crucified on Chag HaMatzah—the Day of Unleavened Bread.  So in conclusion,
    I still hold to a conjunction-like occurrence of Nisan 14, 15, and 16 all being
    back to back (i.e., Thursday, Friday, Saturday), with no days skipped in
    between.  The only major changes to my timetable are that I now hold to
    Yeshua eating his Seder on Thursday the 14th (previously I thought
    the 14th was a Friday), and being crucified on Friday the 15th
    (previously I had the Seder and the crucifixion both on Friday, the “Chagigah”
    Seder being on the evening part of the 14th and his death during the
    afternoon some 21 or so hours later, viz, the day part of the 14th). 
    I hope this updated clarification does not cause too much confusion when
    following this commentary.

     

    The

    Torah is full of wonderful, spiritual principles that are learned through
    everyday experiences.  In his infinite wisdom, HaShem (God) knew that
    frail man was likely to forget many of these important spiritual principles,
    which the teachings of the Torah freely offered to him; teachings designed to
    bless and help him in his everyday walk with his Creator.  That is why the
    Holy One, blessed be He, carefully designed the Biblical Calendar—maintained by
    the Jewish People—to remind mankind of his place in history, and to prompt him,
    to ever press closer in his relationship with his Heavenly Father.  Why,
    even the heavens and the earth themselves would serve as witnesses to remind
    him of the special place that he has in HaShem’s heart (Jeremiah 31:35-37). 
    Because ancient Isra’el was, and in many respects still is, primarily an
    agriculturally active piece of real estate, what better way for the Holy One to
    teach his children about his holy nature than through their annual harvest
    responsibilities?  As we shall see, the festival known as Shavu'ot
    (say “shah-voo-ote”) holds significant messianic truths that are pertinent to
    every believer today.

     

    The

    Hebrew word for week is “shavuah,” its plural is “shavu’ot.” 
    Both of these words come from the root word for “seven.”  This is where
    the festival gets its name.  Shavu'ot is the annual counting
    of seven weeks of days, hence forty-nine days.  This yearly count is
    listed in the Torah as a mitzvah, a command from HaShem himself. 
    The name “Pentecost,” from the Greek word “pentekoste,” means
    “fifty days,” as the Torah instructed Am Yisra’el (the people of
    Isra’el) to add the final day after the seventh week.  This festival is
    also known by a few other names, but we will primarily use Shavu'ot
    for this study.

     

    “Not Skipping a Beat”

     

    To

    create a seamless transition from Pesach to Pentecost—just as the Torah
    intended—I have decided to pick up the discussion about the timing of the
    Counting of the Omer from my Omer Reisheet commentary.  Many bible readers
    may not realize that HaShem intended Pesach to lead to Unleavened Bread to lead
    to Omer Reisheet to lead to Shavu’ot.  As we shall read later on into my
    commentary, Shavu'ot commemorates both the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai
    as well as the pouring out of the Ruach HaKodesh—the Holy Spirit.  Thus we
    see that the Torah is teaching us that justification (deliverance from sin as
    typified by the exodus from Egypt) is inextricably linked to sanctification
    (giving of the Torah and the Spirit as typified by Pentecost fifty days
    later).  In my commentary to Omer Reisheet, in a paragraph titled ‘Issues
    Surrounding the “Timing” of Omer Reisheet,’ we read the following:

     

    Some readers will readily note that history has been

    generally “unkind” to this particular festival.  What do I mean by
    “unkind”?  I mean to draw your attention to the fact that no less than
    three prominent Jewish sects have come to interpret the timing associated with
    the start of this count in at least three respective, but differing ways…So,
    which view is correct and how does it impact you the reader?  Depending on
    which view you go with, the impact will determine the date you celebrate
    Shavu’ot fifty days later![1]

     

    For

    the sake of clarification and, more importantly, a request for “unity within
    diversity” on the issue, Hegg makes these pertinent remarks in a recent
    commentary to Counting the Omer:

     

    While it is possible that some

    of the early Messianic communities the Sadducean calendar and thus began
    counting the omer on the day following the weekly Sabbath rather than the day
    following the Festival Sabbath, there is no clear evidence to prove that such
    occurred.  Yet if such a possibility must be allowed, we must be willing
    to allow variation in our own Messianic movement without causing dissension. 
    In our own communities, the method of counting the omer determined by the
    leadership should be followed by the community without making the issue a point
    of contention or division.[2]

     

    As

    we saw in my Omer Reisheet commentary we concluded that the Pharisaic view was
    most likely the more historically accurate of the competing calendars in use
    during the 1st century and as a result the majority of ancient
    Judaism would expectedly have been on the same sheet of music when Shavu'ot
    rolled around seven weeks after Pesach.  Considering the very likely
    spiritual reality that the particular Pesach and Shavu'ot the year Yeshua died were
    two of the most significant holy days in Isra'el’s history, I think it rather
    “ironic” of HaShem to have the two major views (the Pharisees and the Sadducees)
    lining up perfectly that year, according to our modest findings!

     

    Two Significant Scriptural Shavu’ots?

     

    Historically,

    the rabbis figure the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai to have occurred on
    this day, that is, in the third month after Am Yisra’el came out of
    Egypt.  Actually, the exact date of this familiar encounter, recorded for
    us in the book of Exodus, is not explicitly stated; the chronological evidence
    is convincing, however.  At any rate, the author of the book of Acts does
    testify of the precise timing of the festival of Shavu'ot, and he
    specifically relates this festival to the pouring out of the Ruach HaKodesh,
    that is, the Holy Spirit, unto the believers gathered there in Jerusalem.

     

    Matan Torah (Giving of the Torah)

     

    Rav

    Menachem Leibtag challenges us, “Ask any observant Jew, and he will tell you
    that Shavu’ot commemorates Matan Torah, just as Pesach commemorates Yetziat
    Mitzrayim (Departure from Egypt). Nevertheless, according to Torah, it appears
    that Shavu’ot is only an agricultural holiday, with no connection at all to
    'Matan Torah'! How could it be that the Torah 'neglects' the primary reason for
    Shavu’ot?”[3] 
    The insights of Ohr Somayach International,
    as prepared by Rabbi G. Rubin will help us to unravel this mystery…

     

    The chain of events surrounding

    the giving of the Torah is very difficult to follow, because, according to
    Rashi's understanding, the verses are not arranged chronologically, and a
    number of jumps must be made in order to reconstruct the sequence of events.
    The difficulties begin with the fifth aliya of Yisro (the sequence of events
    surrounding Yisro himself is a separate issue), and continue until the end of
    Ki Siso.

     

    The following outline should

    help to understand the order of events:

     

    1. On Rosh Chodesh Sivan the

    Jews arrive at the wilderness of Sinai. (19:1; cf. Rashi).

     

    2. Early the following morning,

    the 2nd of Sivan, Moshe goes up Mt. Sinai for the first time. He is instructed
    to offer the Jews the opportunity of accepting the Torah, and of becoming a
    holy people. (19:3-6).

     

    3. That same day Moshe descends

    and assembles the elders and passes on the message. The entire people respond
    in unison that whatever HaShem says, they will do. (19:7-8).

     

    4. On the morning of the 3rd of

    Sivan Moshe again ascends the mountain to bring the people's response to
    HaShem. (19:8; cf. Rashi).

     

    5. On this occasion he is told

    that on the day of Matan Torah HaShem will speak to him (i.e. to Moshe alone)
    from the midst of a thick cloud. The people will bear witness to this event,
    and this will establish the authenticity of Moshe's prophecy forever. (19:9;
    according to Lavush Ora, but see Gur Aryeh for a different understanding).

     

    6. `Moshe's descent, as well as

    his subsequent conversation with the people is not described in the verses, but
    is inferred by Rashi from HaShem's response in verse 10 (see paragraph 8
    below). The people seem to have protested against hearing Matan Torah second
    hand from Moshe, and insisted on hearing it from HaShem directly. (Rashi 19:9).

     

    7. On the 4th of Sivan Moshe

    returns to the mountain to bring the people's request to HaShem. (The latter
    half of 19:9).

     

    8. During this same encounter,

    HaShem informs Moshe that if the people insist on hearing for themselves, they
    must purify themselves on the 4th and 5th in order to receive the Torah on the
    6th. In addition, Moshe is to instruct the people how close they may approach
    the mountain during the revelation, and for how long the restriction is to
    last. (19:10-13; cf. Rashi).

     

    9. This is the same

    conversation with HaShem that is mentioned in Parashas Mishpatim (24:1-2; cf.
    Rashi ad loc), where Moshe is told that he, Aharon, Nadav, Avihu, and the
    elders are all to ascend on the day of the revelation, but that only Moshe will
    approach the cloud.

     

    10. Still on the 4th of Sivan,

    Moshe descends, and informs the people of the command to purify themselves on
    these days. According to Rabbi Yose, Moshe interpreted days mentioned in
    paragraph 8 as two complete days in addition to the 4th, the delaying Matan
    Torah until the 7th of Sivan. (19:14-15; cf. Rashi and Shabbos 87a).

     

    11. This is the same

    conversation with the people described in Mishpatim, when Moshe reminds the
    people of the Seven Noachide Laws, and the laws received at Mara. The people
    agree to keep all of HaShem's commandments. Moshe writes down all of the Torah
    from Bereishis until this point. (24:3-4; cf. Rashi).

     

    12. On the 5th of Sivan Moshe

    builds an altar at the base of the mountain. Offerings are made. Moshe reads
    the book he has written to the people, who respond, "We will do and we
    will hear." The blood of the sacrifices is sprinkled on the altar on
    behalf of the people. (24:4-8; Rashi ad loc. and cf. Rashi 19:11).

     

    13. On the 6th of Sivan, or the

    7th according to Rabbi Yose, Moshe leads the people to the base of the
    mountain. We are informed, parenthetically, that during Matan Torah the people
    are destined to hear only two commandments directly. As for the others, Moshe
    will speak and HaShem will amplify his voice. (19:16-19; Rashi).

     

    14. HaShem reveals his throne

    upon the mountain and summons Moshe. Moshe is told to warn the people again not
    to approach the mountain. Moshe protests that the people have already been
    warned. HaShem tells him that he must do so nevertheless. Then he is to return
    to the mountain. Aharon and the first born, who are the priests at this point,
    are to approach, each according to his level. (19:20-24: Rashi).

     

    15. Moshe descends and passes

    on the information. (19:25).

     

    16. Moshe's return to the

    mountain, together with Aharon, Nadav, Avihu and the elders, is described in
    Mishpatim (24:9). This is the assent foretold above, paragraph 9. During Matan
    Torah, Nadav, Avihu and the elders gaze inappropriately. Their punishment is
    postponed until another occasion, in order not to detract from Matan Torah.
    (24:10-11; Rashi).

     

    17. Matan Torah itself, the

    pronouncement of the 10 Statements, is in Yisro. All of the 10 were said in a
    single word, then HaShem repeated and explained each one individually.
    (20:1-14; Rashi).

     

    18. The people heard the first

    two explained, but then were overwhelmed and requested that Moshe hear the rest
    and relay them to the people. (20:15-17; Rashi ad loc. and cf. Rashi 19:19).

     

    19. At this point the people

    back off. Moshe alone enters into the thick cloud (20:18), just as HaShem had
    said would happen (see paragraph 5). (Moshe's descent after hearing the 10
    Statements is not described in the text).

     

    20. After Matan Torah, Moshe is

    commanded to approach HaShem, and to remain with him to receive the stone
    tablets. Moshe ascends, accompanied part way by his disciple, Yehoshua. Aharon
    and Chur are left in charge. (24:12-14).

     

    21. At this point, six days are

    mentioned, during which the cloud is present on the mountain, before Moshe is
    invited to enter. Rashi brings two opinions: a) These are the previous six
    days, the seventh being the day the 10 Statements were pronounced, after which
    he is invited to enter the cloud. Or b) These Six days begin after Matan Torah,
    and comprise the first six days out of the forty. (24:15-18; Rashi).

     

    22. This ascent takes place on

    the 7th of Sivan. (Rashi 32:1). Moshe remains on the mountain for 40 days and
    nights. (24:18).

     

    23. During these 40 days Moshe

    receives the laws commanded at the end of Yisro and the bulk of Mishpatim.
    (20:19 until 23:33; see Rashi on 31:18).

     

    24. The end of the 40 days is

    described in Ki Sisa. When he is finished speaking, HaShem gives Moshe the
    tablets. (31:18).

     

    25. On the 16th of Tammuz the

    people come to the mistaken conclusion that Moshe is overdue. The Golden Calf
    is made. Aharon declares a festival to HaShem for the next day. (32:1-5;
    Rashi).

     

    26. They get up early on the

    morning of the 17th of Tammuz to worship the Calf (32:6).

     

    27. HaShem tells Moshe to

    descend because of the Calf. Moshe descends. When he sees the Calf he casts
    down the tablets and breaks them. He grinds up the Calf and makes the people
    drink it. The Levites are ordered to kill the idolaters. (32:7-29).

     

    28. On the 18th of Tammuz Moshe

    ascends the mountain to seek atonement for the people (according to Rashi,
    Shemos 18:13 and Devarim 9:18, although in Shemos 33:11 he says that Moshe came
    down on the 17th of Tammuz, burnt the Calf on the 18th and went back up on the
    19th, see Gur Aryeh for an explanation). HaShem tells Moshe that from now on
    the Shechina will not be with them. (Shemos 32:31 until 33:3)

     

    29. Moshe descends on the 29th

    of Av (Rashi, Devarim 9:18). He informs the people that the Shechina will not
    be with them. The people mourn. (Shemos 33:4-6, Rashi).

     

    30. We are informed that from

    the time of the sin of the Calf, Moshe has moved his tent out of the camp
    (33:7-11). There in his tent Moshe now pleads with HaShem that the Shechina
    should go with them. HaShem agrees. Moshe asks to see HaShem's glory, and
    HaShem agrees. Moshe is instructed to carve two new tablets, and to prepare to
    return to the mountain the next morning. (33:12 until 34:3).

     

    31. On Rosh Chodesh Elul Moshe

    once more ascends the mountain. (Rashi Shemos 33:11 and Devarim 9:18) He is
    instructed in the 13 Attributes of Mercy, and warned that we must not make
    covenants with the Canaanites, but we must shatter their altars. (34:4-17)

     

    32. Rashi informs us that during this third period on

    the mountain the building of the tabernacle was commanded (Rashi 31:18), but he
    does not specify at what point. Perhaps he would place parshios Truma, Tetzavei
    and the beginning of Ki Sisa (25:1 until 31:17), between 34:17 and 34:18. Thus
    the discussion of what to do to the Canaanite altars (leading up to 34:17)
    would be followed by the instructions for making a tabernacle and altar for
    HaShem. And the discussion of Shabbos in verses 31:12-17, would be followed by
    the discussion of the festivals (the usual association), 34:18-26.

     

    33. In verse 34:27 Moshe is informed which parts of

    the Torah may be written down and which may not (Rashi). He remains on the
    mountain for forty days and nights, as he did before, by the end of which
    HaShem has rewritten the Ten Commandments on the tablets that Moshe has carved
    (see Rashi to 34:1). He descends with the second tablets on Yom Kippur, his
    face glowing with "rays of splendor.” (34:29-35; Rashi).[4]

     

    In

    the end it is Rav Menachem Leibtag of Yeshivat Har Etzion Alon Shvut, Isra’el,
    one of my personal favorites among contemporary rabbis, whom I will quote for
    an answer to the question posed above:

     

    In the Torah, we find numerous

    mitzvot (commandments) through which we commemorate Yetziat Mitzraim, both on
    the ANNIVERSARY of the Exodus: e.g. eating matzah, telling of the story of
    Yetziat Mitzraim, korban Pesach etc.; and even ALL YEAR ROUND: e.g.
    "mitzvat bikkurim" (bringing the first fruits to Yerushalayim),
    tfillin, shabbat, and the daily recital of "kriyat shma,” etc., all of
    which the Torah relates to the Exodus (i.e. "zecher l'yitziat
    mitzrayim").

     

    In contrast, the Torah's

    approach to Ma'amad Har Sinai is totally different. Nowhere in Chumash do we
    find a specific mitzvah whose purpose is to commemorate this event. [Sefer
    Dvarim does require that we not forget the events that transpired at Har Sinai
    (see 4:9-16), but that requirement is related to the prohibition to make any
    image of God. / See Hasagot HaRamban to Sefer HaMitzvot of the Rambam- Lo
    Ta'aseh #2.]

     

    Furthermore, the Torah does not

    even tell us the precise day on which Matan Torah took place. While the precise
    day (and even time of day) of the Exodus is mentioned numerous times, Chumash
    never reveals the precise day on which Matan Torah took place. We are only
    informed that Bnei Yisrael arrived at Har Sinai in the third month:

     

    "In the third month of

    Bnei Yisrael's departure from the land of Egypt, ON THIS DAY, they came to
    Midbar Sinai." (19:1)

     

    Not only is the phrase "on

    this day" ambiguous, it is quite difficult to determine how many days
    actually transpire between their arrival at Har Sinai and Matan Torah (see
    Shmot 19:3-16 & B.T. Shabbat 86b). Thus, even if we assume (see Rashi 19:1-
    "b'yom hazeh") that Bnei Yisrael arrived on the first day of the
    month, the lack of a clear chronology in the subsequent events still makes it
    impossible to pinpoint that date.

     

    Why does the Torah PURPOSELY

    obscure the date of Matan Torah? Why does it not leave us with any specific
    mitzvah to commemorate that event?

     

    The Torah's implicit message

    may be that Matan Torah is not an historically bound event. EVERY DAY we must
    feel as though the Torah was given TODAY. This concept is reflected in the
    Midrash:

     

    "... it should have been written: 'ON THAT DAY'.

    Why does the pasuk say: 'ON THIS DAY'? This comes to teach us that the words of
    the Torah should be considered new to you – as though they were given
    TODAY!" (quoted by Rashi Shmot 19:1)

     

    Every generation must feel that

    it has entered into a covenant with God (see Dvarim 5:1-3). Every generation
    must feel that God's words were spoken to them no less than to earlier
    generations. To celebrate the anniversary of Matan Torah as a single moment in
    our history would diminish from that meta-historical dimension.[5]

     

    Shavu’ot in the New Testament: Round Two

     

    According

    to the Scriptural account in the Apostolic Scriptures/B’rit Chadashah
    (New Covenant, a.k.a., New Testament), HaShem allowed his Spirit to be
    experienced by all of the believers, as well as by the other men gathered
    there.  The result was the disciples’ ability to speak in languages not
    yet personally learned.  To be sure, the text says that Jews from every
    nation under heaven heard in their respective language, the Good News! 
    This was amazing indeed!  In fact, Kefa (Peter) had to defend their state
    of sobriety, as they were accused of being drunk so early in the morning! 
    Were they indeed drunk?  Yes, drunk in the Spirit!  Tongues of fire
    and the sound of a violent wind also accompanied this magnificent display of
    the Spirit’s power.  Actually, the Hebrew word for “spirit,” “breath,” and
    “wind” are all the same—ruach!  Some believers today refer to this
    record as the birth of the Church although I do not hold to such a view
    personally.

     

    Now

    the display of the tongues of fire and the presence of great sounds is
    reminiscent of the Sinai encounter.  The rabbis also teach that when
    HaShem presented the Torah to the people, that it went forth in a multiple of
    fiery substance, inviting each individual Jew to accept the command to follow
    the whole of the Torah.  The account in Acts describes the tongues of fire
    alighting themselves upon each person.  In the Sinai delivery of the
    Torah, the account says “thunders and lightnings…” (KJV).  The actual
    Hebrew word rendered thunders is “voices”!  This strengthens the
    connection to the Acts account, with voices being heard.  But how does this
    festival teach us some spiritual importance that we should not forget?

     

    The Ruach HaKodesh – The Power to Live a Changed Life!

     

    A

    reader of mine sent in the following question.  I have used his question
    and my answers to develop the remainder of this commentary.

     

    Question

    1:

     

    What

    does it really mean to be baptized in Holy Spirit?  Is there really a
    second experience, even though I have been taught in church there is one I
    can't justify it by scripture as I think it has more to do with unity and
    membership within the believing community.  What exactly is the “in” vs.
    “on” debate about anyhow?

     

    Answer

    to Question 1:

     

    First

    allow me to quote our (Kehilat T’nuvah’s) core Statement of Beliefs:

     

    BAPTISM IN THE RUACH

    HAKODESH (HOLY SPIRIT) - We
    believe by perfect faith that the Holy One, Blessed be He, desires that all of
    his children appropriate and internalize the power and fullness of his gracious
    Spirit.  The Baptism in the Ruach HaKodesh and fire is a gift from HaShem
    as promised by Yeshua the Messiah to all believers and is received subsequent
    to the New Birth (Matt. 3:11; John 14:16, 17; Acts 1:8; 2:38, 39).  The
    gift of tongues is but one of the many manifestations of the Ruach HaKodesh
    (Acts 2:4; 19:1-7; 1 Cor. 12:1-13; ch. 14).  We believe in the operation
    of all of the gifts of the Ruach HaKodesh as enumerated in HaShem's Word. 
    We embrace the complete ministry of the Ruach HaKodesh (Rom. 12; 1 Cor.
    12:1-13).

     

    The

    very first mention of the Ruach in the Torah is in Genesis 1:2

     

    ~Iy'M;h yen.P-l;[ t,p,x;r.m ~yih{l/a

    ;x.Wr.w

    "…v’Ruach-Elohim

    m’rachefet al-paney ha-mayim"

    (…and the Spirit of

    God hovered over the surface of the water)

     

    Along

    with this reference, the Ruach is also mentioned in quite a few other
    surprising locations in the entire TaNaKH (Old Testament).  Some rather
    familiar references are found in the story of Shimshon (Samson), where we learn
    that he enjoyed a special anointing from the Ruach (read Judges
    13:24-14:20).  In these verses the Ruach is described as "coming upon
    him powerfully."  But was the Ruach within him?  I’ve heard it
    taught that the Ruach did not enter into men until the New Covenant. 
    However, concerning the construction of the Mishkan, B’tzal’el, the master
    craftsman, is said to have been “filled with the spirit of God…”[6] according to the 1917 JPS translation
    of the TaNaKH.

     

    The

    confusion stirred up within the debate of “IN” vs. “ON,” that is, a teaching
    which purports that “in the Old Testament the Spirit merely resided upon (on)
    folks, while in the New Testament the Spirit resides within (in) a person”
    firstly seems to ignore the fact that Scripture teaches us plainly that
    regeneration of a man cannot take place without the Ruach HaKodesh! 
    Observe the language of this pasuk from Sha'ul:

     

    1 But, brothers, I do not

    want you to go on being ignorant about the things of the Spirit. 2 You know
    that when you were pagans, no matter how you felt you were being led, you were
    being led astray to idols, which can't speak at all. 3 Therefore, I want to
    make it clear to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says,
    "Yeshua is cursed!" and no one can say, "Yeshua is Lord,"
    except by the Ruach HaKodesh. (1 Cor. 12:1-3)

     

    Verse

    one seems as relevant today as it was back then!  We believers seem to be
    ignorant concerning the work of the Spirit and as a result go about bickering
    and arguing about topics such as “IN” vs. “ON.”  Sha'ul’s wish is that
    with the help of the unified Word of HaShem and the witness of the genuine
    indwelling Spirit we should all come to the unifying knowledge that God has
    graciously granted unto us, as demonstrated by sending us gifted individuals
    capable of disseminating genuine Truth to the Body:

     

    12 Their task is to equip

    God's people for the work of service that builds the body of the Messiah, 13
    until we all arrive at the unity implied by trusting and knowing the Son of
    God, at full manhood, at the standard of maturity set by the Messiah's
    perfection. 14 We will then no longer be infants tossed about by the waves and
    blown along by every wind of teaching, at the mercy of people clever in
    devising ways to deceive. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in
    every respect grow up into him who is the head, the Messiah. 16 Under his
    control, the whole body is being fitted and held together by the support of
    every joint, with each part working to fulfill its function; this is how the
    body grows and builds itself up in love. (Eph. 4:12-16)

     

    What

    is it about the Spirit that will unite us as believers?  Simply and
    foundationally that: only the Spirit can regenerate a man so as to cause him to
    declare Jesus as LORD!  Verse two of our Corinthians passage above
    contrasts our former blindness and ignorance as “pagans being led by other than
    holy spirits” with now being led by the one and only Holy Spirit.  The
    Greek word ethnos e~qnh,
    often rendered as “Gentiles,” “pagans” must be understood within each
    individual context presented.  Here it connotes a foreigner from the
    nations devoid of true knowledge and worship of HaShem, i.e., a pagan. 
    Compare this now with the reality that we have in Messiah, viz, brought to life
    along with him through the gift of the Spirit.  In this sense, we are no
    longer “pagans.”  Did we come to this revelation on our own? 
    No.  Regeneration is accomplished solely by the divine fiat of God. 
    Man is incapable of calling God “Abba” without becoming “born again” first (cf.
    all of Romans chapter eight, but specifically verses 14-17).  The second
    clause of verse three of our Corinthian passage confirms this reality. 
    That the second clause is perhaps a lesson in ontology[7] is also a possibility, one that I
    will not explore in this particular study.

     

    What

    have we learned thus far?  Simply that a person must experience the
    genuine regeneration from the Spirit in order to be genuinely saved.  This
    truth is fundamentally applicable from Adam to today!  No man approaches
    the Father except through Yeshua, and no man may come unless the Father draws
    him (see John 6:30-71 where the primary discussion is eternal life offered
    exclusively through Yeshua)!

     

    Now

    let us turn to a discussion on Yeshua’s promise of the Spirit in Acts chapter
    one:

     

    6 When they were together,

    they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore self-rule to
    Isra'el?" 7 He answered, "You don't need to know the dates or the
    times; the Father has kept these under his own authority. 8 But you will
    receive power when the Ruach HaKodesh comes upon you; you will be my
    witnesses both in Yerushalayim and in all Y'hudah and Shomron, indeed to the
    ends of the earth!" (Acts 1:6-8)

     

    Amazingly,

    we find a “New Testament” passage utilizing the word “upon” instead of
    “in.”  The Greek word for “upon” above is epi ejpiv and it’s primary meaning is in fact “upon.”[8]  In fact, this word is never
    translated as “in” anywhere that I can find in the Apostolic Scriptures! 
    Clearly the work of the Spirit in these verses refers to taking the Gospel
    message beyond the confines of the city limits, into the foreign mission field
    of the non-Jews, something “unthinkable” for the ethnocentric Jewish 1st
    century Judaisms.  The Jewish core of the talmidim needed the empowering
    of the Ruach HaKodesh if they were going to overcome the social barriers
    created by the prevailing rabbinic halakhah that sought to separate Jew from
    non-Jew.  Acts chapter two, which cites Joel 3:1-5 (2:28-32), is proof
    positive that God was using Jewish believers to reach out to non-Jewish peoples
    everywhere.

     

    Another

    passage in the Apostolic Scriptures that uses the language of “on” where we
    would think it should read “in” is 1 Peter 4:12-16:

     

    12 Dear friends, don't

    regard as strange the fiery ordeal occurring among you to test you, as if
    something extraordinary were happening to you. 13 Rather, to the extent that
    you share the fellowship of the Messiah's sufferings, rejoice; so that you will
    rejoice even more when his Sh'khinah is revealed. 14 If you are being insulted
    because you bear the name of the Messiah, how blessed you are! For the Spirit
    of the Sh'khinah, that is, the Spirit of God, is resting on you! 15 Let
    none of you suffer for being a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or a meddler
    in other people's affairs. 16 But if anyone suffers for being Messianic, let
    him not be ashamed; but let him bring glory to God by the way he bears this
    name.

     

    Again,

    the Greek word for “on” in verse 14 is epi ejpiv.  Context again shows that an already
    genuine believer is receiving subsequent empowering to withstand the trails
    that come as a result of bearing the name of Yeshua in the first place! 
    Verse fourteen clearly shows the proper order in which to understand the “IN”
    vs. “ON” debate, namely, the Spirit saves an individual and then the Spirit
    subsequently empowers such an individual to witness for Yeshua.

     

    What

    then is the “work of the Spirit” taught throughout the Apostolic
    Scriptures?  Simply the subsequent empowering of an already saved
    individual to do things that he normally could not do under his own
    power.  The crucial key to unlocking the debate over “IN” vs. “ON” is
    knowing that the Ruach HaKodesh firstly works “IN” us to bring about
    regeneration and then works “ON” us to bring about empowerment to do the Will
    of God.  I personally think we should change our language from “IN” vs.
    “ON” to a more accurate depiction of “IN” as well as “ON.”  The Spirit
    saves and the Spirit empowers!  Why can’t we grasp these two important
    biblical truths simultaneously?  The “Old Testament saints” were saved
    exactly the same way as we in the 21st century are saved: by grace,
    through faith in the gift of God, namely, the Son of God and the Spirit of God
    within us.

     

    Yet,

    in a very real way, the presence and ministry of the Ruach HaKodesh, as we know
    him today, according to the times of the TaNaKH, would not be fully realized
    until the birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Yeshua (read
    entire chapter of John 14, specifically vv. 16-18, 26).  Of this ministry
    and individual power of the Spirit, Ezekiel prophesied about in 11:19, 20 and
    36:25-29.  Again, this is also the same individual "spirit"
    spoken about in Joel 2:28, 29, which is confirmed by Peter in Acts
    2:16-18.  The Ruach HaKodesh was indeed present in the days of the TaNaKH,
    empowering individuals such as B’tzal’el and Shimshon, yet his ministry was
    slightly different than that of today because of his unique role in what
    happened after Acts chapter two.  Perhaps it is best to think of his
    ministry in the TaNaKH as “less expansive” then as compared to today. 
    “Less expansive” is not to be equated with “non-existent.”  A survey of
    the passages and wording used in “both testaments” will show that the “Old”
    does not exclusively employ a “ON” reading as ostensibly compared to an
    exclusive “IN” reading in the “New.”  Rather, a survey of the passages and
    wording used in “both testaments” will demonstrate “ON” and “IN” being utilized
    interchangeably to teach that the Ruach HaKodesh both saves (“IN”) and empowers
    (“ON”), and that he does so consistently with the eternal plans and purposes of
    God the Father.

     

    Controlled by Messiah

    *These next two sections have been adapted from

    ‘Transferable Concepts,’ a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ.[9]

     

    To

    be filled with the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) is to be filled with Messiah
    (Christ). The Ruach HaKodesh came to glorify Messiah. Therefore, if I am filled
    with the Spirit, I am abiding in Messiah. I am walking in the light as he is
    the light, and the blood of Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) will cleanse and
    keep on cleansing me from all unrighteousness.  I am controlled by Messiah
    because the word "filling" means to be controlled. And if I am
    controlled - not as a robot but as one who is led and empowered by the Spirit -
    the LORD Yeshua will walk around in my body, as it were, and live his
    resurrection life in and through me.

     

    This

    amazing fact, that Messiah lives in you and expresses his love through you, is
    one of the most important truths in the Torah. The standards of the Torah life
    seem so high and so impossible to achieve at times.  To be sure, with our
    carnal flesh we cannot please God by attempting to follow Torah.  The
    Torah will always remind us of how short we fall if we submit to it in the
    flesh.  But if we walk in the Spirit then we will walk in the Power and
    Life of the Messiah himself!  It is the life of Yeshua living through us
    that enables us to keep the Torah as it was meant to be kept.  Does the
    Torah expect us to be sinless?  Of course not.  The Torah anticipates
    our shortcomings and graciously makes provision for them.  To be Torah submissive,
    to be led by the Spirit, is to avail ourselves of the sinless sacrifice of the
    Spotless Lamb.  Only this sacrifice can remove the stain of sin in our
    hearts.  Only one man was sinless.  That man was Yeshua of
    Natzeret.  Now, through his indwelling presence, he wants to enable all
    that place their trust in him to live this same supernatural life.  If you
    are willing for Yeshua the Messiah to live his resurrection life in and through
    you, you will bear spiritual fruit as naturally as a healthy vine will bear an abundance
    of fruit.

     

    Yeshua

    said, "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you
    will be My disciples." You can be a great preacher, a Christian scholar, a
    deacon or elder, attend church meetings daily, live a clean, moral life,
    memorize hundreds of verses of Scripture, direct a church choir, and teach
    Sunday school, but if you are not bearing fruit in the sense that you are
    drawing others to Messiah, you are not filled and controlled by the Ruach
    HaKodesh according to the Torah.

     

    Some

    people say, "I witness for Messiah by living a good life." But it is
    not enough to live a good life. Many non-believers live fine, moral, ethical
    lives. According to the LORD Yeshua, the only way to demonstrate that you are
    truly following Him is to produce fruit, which includes introducing others to
    our Savior as well as living holy lives. And the only way you can produce fruit
    is through the power of the Ruach HaKodesh.

     

    I

    attended Liberty University in the ‘80’s.  I asked one of the leading
    theologians of our time, the dean of faculty for a famous theological seminary,
    if he felt that one could be a Spirit-filled person with out sharing Messiah as
    a way of life. His answer was an emphatic, "No!"  On what basis
    could he make such a strong statement? The answer is obvious. Our Savior came
    to "seek and to save the lost," and he has "chosen and
    ordained" you to share the good news of his love and forgiveness with
    everyone, everywhere. To fail to witness for Messiah with your lips is to
    disobey this command just as much as to fail to witness for him by living a
    holy life is to disobey his command. In neither case can the disobedient
    believer expect God to control and empower his life, nor can he experience the
    reality of God's presence and blessing.

     

    In my

    position as a Torah Teacher I get to speak at various churches from time to
    time.  A very discouraged student came to me for counsel after one of my
    messages. For several months he had spent at least three hours each day reading
    his Bible, praying and sharing his faith with others. Yet, he had never
    introduced anyone to Messiah. After a time of discussion, his problem became
    apparent: he confessed that he was operating under his own power; he was not
    controlled and empowered by the Ruach HaKodesh, although he wanted to be. 
    So we prayed together, and by faith he appropriated the power of the Ruach
    HaKodesh on the authority of God's Word. His life was absolutely
    transformed.  This "appropriating" might be what many are
    referring to as the "second experience" of the Spirit, the move from
    the mental ascent that Yeshua is LORD to the spiritual affirmation that he is
    LORD. That very day he had his first experience of introducing a person to
    Messiah.  Baruch HaShem!  Not only do you receive a supernatural
    power for witnessing when you are filled with the Spirit, but your personality
    also begins to change. As you continue to walk in the control and power of the
    Ruach HaKodesh, the fruit of the Spirit becomes increasingly obvious in your
    life.

     

    In

    Galatians 5:22, 23, Sha’ul (Paul) explains, "When the Ruach HaKodesh
    controls our lives He will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace,
    patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self
    control..."

     

    The Spirit and the Word

     

    The

    believer's relationship with the Ruach HaKodesh is both critical and
    progressive: critical, in that one learns that the Torah life is a life
    of faith rather than a life of works and has little reference to emotions
    ("The just shall live by faith."); progressive, in that, as
    one walks consistently in the power and control of the Ruach HaKodesh, the
    fruit of the Spirit will be produced in his life.

     

    A

    word of caution is in order. Do not seek an emotional or mystical experience.
    Do not depend on mystical impressions.  That is not to say that when the
    Spirit comes upon an individual that emotions will not be involved.  To be
    sure, most people express experiencing quite an emotional outburst connected to
    an encounter with the Divine.  Yet, the objective Torah of God and the
    Fruit of the Spirit must be the basis of measuring and tracking our spiritual
    growth. There is an interesting parallel between Ephesians 5:18, which
    admonishes us to be constantly and continually directed and empowered by the
    Ruach HaKodesh, and Colossians 3:16, which admonishes us to "let the Word
    of Messiah richly dwell within you..."

     

    The

    Bible describes one of the end results of both letting the Word (Torah) of
    Messiah dwell in you and being filled with the Ruach HaKodesh: you will talk
    much about the LORD quoting psalms and hymns and making music in your heart to
    the LORD.

     

    It is very

    important to recognize the importance of the balance between the Torah and the
    Spirit of God. The Torah is closed to our understanding and has little meaning
    to us apart from the illumination given by the Ruach HaKodesh, and the Ruach
    HaKodesh is hindered in speaking clear and life changing truth apart from the
    Torah.

     

    It is crucial for

    us to understand theologically, that the primary purpose in HaShem's giving of the
    Torah, as a way of making someone righteous, only achieves its goal when the
    person, by faith, accepts that Yeshua is the promised Messiah spoken about
    therein.  Until the individual reaches this conclusion, his familiarity of
    the Torah is only so much intellectual nutrition.  Only by believing in
    Yeshua will the person be able to properly understand HaShem, and consequently,
    his Word.

     

    When

    the emphasis on the ministry of the Ruach HaKodesh and the Torah is in proper
    balance in your life, the result is a life of power and great fruitfulness in
    which our Savior, the LORD Yeshua The Messiah, is wonderfully honored and
    glorified. As you continue then to allow the Ruach HaKodesh to control and
    empower you, and as you meditate upon the Torah, hiding it in your heart, your
    life expresses more and more the beauty of Messiah and the fruit of the Spirit
    which Sha’ul lists in Galatians 5:22, 23. These attributes of our LORD Yeshua
    Himself—Torah submissiveness, plus fruitful witnessing, indicate that the LORD
    is actually living his life in and through you!

     

    Being

    filled with the Spirit results in an abundant and overflowing life. Jesus of
    Nazareth once cried out to the multitude, "If a man is thirsty, let him
    come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said,
    streams of living water will flow from within him." John adds, "By
    this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to
    receive."

     

    Truly,

    this is "the abundant life," yet most believers are experiencing
    little of it.

     

    Question

    2:

     

    What

    does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit?

     

    Answer

    to Question 2:

     

    The

    terms "baptized" and "filled" are synonyms for the same
    experience described above.  The first term simply connects the experience
    with the physical baptism that all believers are to undergo, as truthfully,
    many believers admit to feeling "filled with the Spirit" at the
    moment of their baptism.  The terms are indeed used synonymously.

     

    Question

    3:

     

    What

    does baptized with fire mean?

     

    Answer

    to Question 3:

     

    Once

    again, this term helps to describe the experience of being filled with the
    knowledge of Messiah.  Yet, this phrase seems to carry the connotation of
    a soldier receiving his marching orders.  The term "fire" in the
    Bible is used to convey the power of the Word of God.  To be sure, both
    the Sinai experience and the day of Pentecost were accompanied by great
    displays of fire.  This signifies the Word of God, the Torah, and the
    Apostolic Scriptures, going forth in power in the life of an individual. 
    To be baptized in fire means to appropriate the knowledge of Messiah with the
    knowledge of his Torah.  Indeed the two go hand in hand.  For without
    the Word of God firmly rooted in a believer how can the Spirit bring all things
    of Yeshua to his remembrance?

     

    Question

    4:

     

    What

    is the Spirit’s fire that can be quenched if we despise prophecy?

     

    Answer

    to Question 4:

     

    Quench

    Not the Spirit

     

    I

    Thessalonians 5:19

     

    In

    our study of the ministry of the Ruach HaKodesh we understand that the Spirit
    indwells every believer at the moment of salvation. We also find that there are
    several direct commands from the Torah concerning the Spirit of HaShem and
    believers. Let’s take a look at one of them. This command “Quench not the
    Spirit,” comes at the close of Sha’ul's first epistle to the Thessalonians.
    Notice chapter five and beginning with verse twelve. We see the apostle pulling
    together the final part of his letter. As he begins to close it seems that many
    exhortations came to mind as he completed the epistle. One of those closing
    exhortations is "Quench not the Spirit."

     

    What

    was Sha’ul talking about? Some would use this verse to try to prove that one
    can lose their salvation and that the Spirit of HaShem can be put out of their
    lives. We know that this is a misinterpretation as we compare Scripture with
    Scripture.  Yeshua himself promised never to leave us nor forsake us.
    Sha’ul wrote to the Ephesian believers admonishing them to be careful not to
    grieve the Ruach HaKodesh who has sealed them until the day of redemption.

     

    The

    dictionary gives four basic definitions of the word "quench.” It means to
    put out or extinguish; to suppress or squelch; to slake or satisfy one's thirst;
    and to cool by thrusting in water or some other liquid.

     

    Within

    the context of this verse we understand it to mean suppressing or squelching
    the influence of the Ruach HaKodesh of God in the life of a
    believer.  The following outline will help to report our conclusions to
    this question:

     

    I.

    Observations

     

    A.

    The Spirit of HaShem can be "quenched.”

     

                1.

    If it were not true then the Ruach HaKodesh would not have had Sha’ul include
    this admonition.

     

                2.

    This action is only attributed to the believer.  Unbelievers do not
    possess the Spirit as an inheritance.

     

                3.

    Primarily the Ruach HaKodesh is not quenched from without, but from within.

     

    B.

    What is it that the believer can do to quench the Spirit of HaShem in his life?

     

                1.

    It is not done merely by committing a single sinful act...for it is the Spirit
    of God who convicts us of our sin.  It is done by continually living in
    sin—repetitive disobedience to the Torah—even after the Spirit has convicted a
    person of such sin!  The emphasis here is on the “repeat offender,” the
    believer who expresses knowledge of objective Torah commands and yet refuses to
    repent.

     

                2.

    To understand how believers quench the Spirit in their life we have to remind
    ourselves of how the Spirit ministers to us individually.

     

                3.

    Note: John 16:13

     

                4.

    He is here to teach us, guide us, direct us, rebuke us, and to show us the way
    to unfold the Torah to give us joy, peace and love.

     

                5.

    His ministry is to transform our lives our character, and our experiences into
    those of the Messiah Yeshua.

     

    C.

    We quench the Spirit's influence in our lives when we resist his ministry to
    us.

     

                1.

    When we fail to yield ourselves to HaShem.

     

                2.

    Note: Romans 6:13

     

                3.

    We quench the Spirit when we say "NO" to HaShem.

     

                4.

    It has been stated quite aptly, “Nothing could be more misdirected than a
    self-directed life.”

     

                5.

    When HaShem created us he purposely made us with a “God-shaped hole” on the
    inside. Even unregenerate man innately recognizes the need for “higher
    direction” from without himself.  Simply put, man was divinely designed to
    be led by the Spirit of God instead of leading himself along without God. 
    The Scriptures testify to these truths:

     

                            a.

    "Man's goings are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own
    way?" cf. Pr. 20:24

     

                            b.

    "O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man
    that walketh to direct his steps." cf. Jer. 10:23

     

                            c.

    HaShem sent the Ruach HaKodesh into our lives that he might lead and direct us.

     

     

    II.

    Yeshua the Messiah is our Example.

     

    A.

    He was willing to GO where his Father chose.

     

                1.

    The Creator was willing to come to this earth.

     

                2.

    He left his glorified position in heaven to come and be rejected on Earth.

     

                3.

    He came into this world with a mission and message of grace.

     

                4.

    Are we willing to go wherever the LORD might choose to lead?

     

                5.

    If not, we quench the Spirit in our lives.

     

    B.

    He was willing to BE whatever his Father chose.

     

                1.

    Not only was he willing to lay aside the garments of glory...

     

                2.

    He was willing to be incarnate...become flesh...the Creator taking on the form
    of the creation.

     

                3.

    He "made Himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a
    servant, and was made in the likeness of men," cf. Ph. 2:7

     

                4.

    Are we willing to be what HaShem wants us to be?

     

                5.

    If not, we quench the Spirit of God in our lives.

     

    C.

    He was willing to DO whatever his Father chose.

     

                1.

    He became obedient unto death.

     

                2.

    He was willing to give his life on the execution stake that you and I might
    live eternally.

     

                3.

    He suffered the cruelest of deaths, not because he deserved to die, but because
    he chose to take our place that we might go free!

     

                4.

    Are we willing to be obedient to do what HaShem wants us to do with our lives?

     

                5.

    If not, we quench the Spirit of God.

     

     

    III.

    What does it mean to be yielded to HaShem?

     

    A.

    It means being willing to:

     

                1.

    Go anywhere the Father might choose to lead.

     

                2.

    Be anything that the Father might choose for us to be.

     

                3.

    Do whatever the Father might choose for us to do.

     

    B.

    It means being in HaShem's will.

     

                1.

    This is not a question of being willing to do some single thing one time
    only...

     

                2.

    It is a question of being willing to do anything, when, where, and how it may
    seem best to HaShem.

     

                3.

    God doesn't expect us to make promises to him about what we will or will not
    do.

     

                4.

    The believer in the flesh says, "If HaShem wants me to do something,
    let him tell me and I will decide whether or not I will do it."

     

                5.

    The yielded believer says, "I am willing to be made willing to do his
    will."

     

              

    6. Whatever it takes!

     

    Conclusions

     

    Quench

    not the Spirit. Don't say “no” to HaShem. Don't seek solutions apart from his
    leading or treat him with indifference. We must be willing to be led, be
    willing to go, to be, and to do whatever God might choose!

     

    We

    know that it was the Torah, the very same teachings that we have today, that
    was inscribed upon the stone tablets that day.  We also know that this
    same Torah is to be inscribed upon our hearts as we serve Yeshua (Jesus), to the
    glory of HaShem the Father.  How do we get the Torah into our
    hearts?  The Spirit of the Holy One makes real the fact that Yeshua the
    Messiah, in obedience to the Father, emptied himself on our behalf, and became
    as sin, that we might, consequently, become the righteousness of the
    Father!  In other words, because the Ruach HaKodesh makes the effectual,
    sacrificial death of Messiah, a living reality in our hearts, we are now free
    to walk in newness of life!  This act of faith on our part brings about
    the inscription of the Torah upon our hearts!  To be sure, the Torah says
    that HaShem himself does this (Ezekiel 36:26, 27; Jeremiah 31:33)! 
    We are free to pursue the Torah of Truth without condemnation (Romans
    8:1)!  This new identity in Messiah is the righteous relationship
    that our Heavenly Abba (Father) intended for us all along.  The details
    surrounding that eventful Shavu'ot in Jerusalem now serve to
    remind us of this present reality.

     

    If

    you have not yet experienced this wonderful truth, that HaShem desires to have
    a personal relationship with you, then I urge you to accept his Messiah
    today!  The Spirit of the Holy One will fill your life to overflowing,
    giving you a new and fresh purpose for living!  His Spirit will write the
    Torah upon your heart!  To be sure, he has promised to place within you a
    new voice and a new tongue!  Such a tongue sings praises to the Father of
    Mercies!  This very same Father is the one who sent his only and unique
    Son into the world to die for the sins of all men!

     

    “Chag Shavu’ot Sah-meach!”

    (Happy Festival of Weeks!)

     

    For further study, read: Ex. Chapter 19; Deut.

    10:12-16; 30:6; Josh. 1:8; Ps. 19:7-11; 32:1, 2; Prov. 2:5, 6; Isaiah 53:5;
    Jer. 31:33, 34; Ezek. 36:25-27; John 1:14; Rom. 8:16; Eph. 2:4-10; Phil. 2:10,
    11; Heb. 11:6.

     

    Torah Teacher Ariel ben-Lyman HaNaviy [email protected]


    [1]

    Ariel ben-Lyman HaNaviy, Omer Reisheet, (Tetze Torah Ministries, 2007),
    p. 2.

    [2]

    Tim Hegg, Counting the Omer (TorahResource.com, 2002, 2009), p. 16

    [3]

    http://www.vbm-torah.org/shavuot/shavuot4.htm

    [4]

    http://www.ohr.edu/

    [5]

    http://www.vbm-torah.org/shavuot/shavuot4.htm

    [6]

    The Hebrew of Exodus 35:31 reads, “~yih{l/a ;x.Wr w{t{a aeL;m.y;w
    …“

    [7]

    The Oxford American Dictionary defines ontology as, “the branch of
    metaphysics dealing with the nature of being.”

    [8]

    According to Thayer’s and Smith’s Bible Dictionary (TSBD) ejpiv also
    means “on, at, by, before, over, against, to, across.”

    [9]

    http://www.transferableconcepts.com/transconcepts/english/spirit/mean.html

    39 min

About Feast Days - Major Festivals (Messianic)

From the publisher's feed

The Feasts of ADONAI are dress rehearsals of Messianic Redemption. Our LORD Yeshua has literally and prophetically fulfilled the first four of the seven feasts mentioned in Leviticus 23; it is my…