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Now after Herodus sought him and could not find him, he judged the guards and
commanded them that they should die and he departed from Yehud and was in
Caesarea. And because he was angry at the Tyrians and at the Sidonians, they
gathered and came to him as one and persuaded Blastus, the chamberlain of the king,
and asked of him that they might have cultivated land, because the provision of their
country was from the kingdom of Herodus. Now on a notable day, Herodus was
dressed in the clothing of the kingdom. And he sat upon the judgment seat and
was speaking with the crowds. And all the people were crying out and saying,
"These sayings are of Elohim and are not of the sons of men!" And because he
did not give glory to Elohim, at that moment the Messenger of Master YHWH
struck him, and he swarmed with worms and died! (Act 12:19-23 AENT)
The same event is recorded by the historian Josephus1 here:
Now when Agrippa had reigned three years over all Judea (44 CEAGR) he
came to the city of Caesarea, which was formerly called Strato's Tower; and there he
held shows in honor of Caesar, upon his being informed that there was a certain
festival celebrated to make vows for his safety. At which festival a great multitude
was gotten together of the principal persons, and such as were of dignity through his
province.
On the second day of these shows he put on a garment made wholly of silver, and of a
texture truly wonderful, and came into the theatre early in the morning; at which time
the silver of his garment being illuminated by the fresh reflection of the sun's rays
upon it, shone out after a surprising manner, and was so resplendent as to spread a
horror over those who looked intently upon him: and presently his flatterers cried
out, one from one place, and another from another, (though not for his good)
that he was a god; and they added, ``Be merciful to us; for although we have hereto
reverenced you only as a man, yet shall we henceforth own you as superior to mortal
nature2.''
Upon this the king did neither rebuke them, nor reject their impious flattery. But, as
he presently afterward looked up, he saw an owl {a} sitting on a certain rope over his
head, and immediately understood that this bird was the messenger of ill tidings, as it
had once been the messenger of good tidings to him; and fell into the deepest sorrow.
A severe pain also arose in his belly, and began in a most violent manner.
He therefore looked upon his friends, and said, ``I, whom you call a god, am
commanded presently to depart this life; while Providence thus reproves the lying
1
In Antiquities 17:268-270, Josephus records a very similar death with worms happening to Antipas
father, Herod the Great, and for the same reasons, great impiety.
2
In an interesting historical twist, the Talmud would appear to paint a totally different picture of Agrippas
reign. In one place it records Agrippa weeping at the commandment in Deuteronomy that Israel shall not let
a foreigner (the Herodians were half Arab or Edomite) rule over hem. The Rabbis reassure the sobbing
king saying, Dont worry Agrippa! You are our brother!
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words you just now said to me; and I, who was by you called immortal, am
immediately to be hurried away by death. But I am bound to accept what Providence
allots, as it pleases God: for we have by no means lived ill, but in a splendid and
happy manner.''
When he said this, his pain was become violent. Accordingly, he was carried into the
palace; and when he had been quite worn out by the pain in his belly for five days, he
departed this life, being in the fifty-fourth year of his age, and in the seventh year of
his reign. (Antiquities 19:343-350)
The overriding point of course in this case is that from 30-44 CE, the book of Acts puts Peter
squarely within Israels borders, and later references like 1 Peter 5:13 put Peter in Babylon.
In both cases, Peter is many hundreds of miles away from Rome during most, if not all, of
the time Catholic tradition ascribes to his alleged papacy.
2) If we could go back in time to the middle of the first century when Paul traveled
there, what would be the most surprising thing we would see about this original
Roman assembly of believers when compared to Catholic tradition about their
own origins?
While there is no question the overall majority of the population in Rome was pagan,
for the small group of rebels Paul is addressing, they were Torah observant. Such
is evident not just in Hebraic expressions like good and acceptable sacrifices but
interestingly enough from the words of Constantine himself. In the famous Edict of
Milan, Constantine forbad Torah observance throughout his Empire and was targeting
specifically Christians. This proves many of them were observing Torah then, or
there would be no need for Constantine to ban what they were doing. One need only
consider the centurion Cornelius who built a synagogue and was learning Torah in
synagogue alongside the Jewish believers.
3) What does the prophet Yiremeyahu (Jeremiah) have in common with a major debate
recorded in the Book of Acts?
Jeremiah, though not in the portion of him that we read today, came to the same
conclusion about circumcision that the elders did in Acts 15
24
'Look, the days are coming, Yahweh declares, when I shall punish all who are
circumcised only in the flesh: 25 Egypt, Judah, Edom, the Ammonites, Moab, and
all the men with shaven temples who live in the desert. For all those nations, and
the whole House of Israel too, are uncircumcised at heart.' (Jeremiah 9:24-25
NJB)
In other words, circumcising because its your culture isnt good enough. Egypt and
Moab do that, but are still wicked pagans. It is only when we do circumcision after
Torah study and understanding it as a command from YHWH that it is acceptable.
That is why Paul argued for and won with the idea of the Gentiles not being counted
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as saved only upon circumcision, but to study first and then do it when convicted
by the Ruach.
4) Where in this Torah portion do we see a veiled reference to Yshuas arrest?
(Leviticus 8:23) = He slaughtered it, and Moses took some of its blood and
placed it on Aaron's right ear lobe, on his right thumb, and on his right big toe.
Remember also that Peter cut off the right ear of MALKA (name means KING) the
servant of the High Priest. This may be a veiled threat to the sons of Aaron giving
way to Yshua as high priest.
5) Where in this Torah portion do we get a detail that helps solve a so-called
discrepancy in the nativity accounts in Matthew and Luke?
KOL ZACHAR (6:11) = every male. The terms covers of course males of all ages.
The same is used with respect to circumcision. While the Torah enjoins infants at 8
days old get circumcised, it also makes allowances for the fact that others come to
faith later in lifelike Abraham getting circumcised at age 99 for exampleso
males covers that. It may also explain something with respect to the Gospel texts
describing Yshua as an infant and as a child in varying Nativity accounts. The
word ZAKAR (and its Aramaic equivalent TALIA) covers both and the one time a
baby is considered a man (in a broader sense) is when he has been circumcised.
What this means in my chronology is that the shepherds came BEFORE Yshua was
circumcised and the Magi came AFTER this, thus explaining Yshua being called by
the other term.
AND NOW FOR THIS WEEKS PORTION
1) Meaning of this weeks Torah portion and summary of contents:
Shemini means on the 8th day deals with the end of the priests consecration period.
After this, they can then make expiation for all of Israel. Unfortunately however, two of
Aarons sons pay the ultimate price for not ministering properly to the people. The
portion then ends with the kosher list of what can and cannot be eaten, a perfect segue
into our Renewed Covenant reading which also discusses kosher food.
2) Read Parsha (English-Leviticus 9:1-11:47). This week, we will read the entire
portion together.
3) Play by Play commentary where appropriate.
4) Point out key Hebrew words/terms. Color Commentary:
VAYEHI BAYOM HASHMINI HARA MOSHE LE-AHARON ULEVANAV
th
ULEZIKNEY YISRAEL (9:1) = On the 8 day, Moshe summoned Aaron, his sons and
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the elders of Israel. Some Rabbinic authorities think these Eldersan early form of the
Sanhedrinwas called because they had the sole power to appoint the High Priest.
However, Torah strongly implies that Abba YHWH appointed Aaron directly. More than
likely, the Elders had to be consulted in these critical matters so they could carry the
word back to the rest of the nation.
VAYOMER MOSHE EL-AHARON KRAV EL-HAMIZBEACH VAASEH ETCHATATCHA VEET OLATECHA VECHAPER BAADCHA UVEAD HAAM
VECHAPER BAADAM KAASHER TSIVAH YAHWEH (9:7) = Moses then said to
Aaron, Come near the altar, and prepare your sin offering and burnt offering, thus
atoning for you and the people. Then prepare the peoples offering to atone for them as
Yahweh has commanded. I think this is a very useful moral lesson to draw from the
imagery here. First atone for yourself and then you can atone for others. Like Yshua
said, remove the blockage from your eye and then you may attempt to remove one from
your brothers eye.
VAYAKREV ET-KORBAN HAAM VAYIKACH ET-SEIR HA-CHATAT ASHER
LAAM VAYISHCHATEHU VAYACHATEHU KARISHOWN (9:15) = He brought
forth the peoples offering. He took the goat that was the peoples sin offering and
slaughtered it, preparing it as a sin offering, like the first one. The first one was the sin
offering Aaron offered for himself. If Aaron as high priest was truly and completely SetApart from all of Israel, we might expect that his procedure would be different than that
of the regular Israelite. The fact that it is the same process speaks against the idea of an
excessive elevation of the high priesthood beyond all human experience. True the priests
have a special calling and special access that others do not, but at the end of the day their
sin offerings are the same as everyone elses.
VAYISA AHARON ET-YADAV EL-HA-AM VA-YA-VARECHEM (9:23) = And
Aaron lifted up his hands and blessed the people. The commandment to do so is given in
Numbers 6:22-27, which is before the Israelites left Mount Sinai in Numbers 10 and
synchronizing with Leviticus 27:34 that every commandment in that book was given at
the 2 years they were at Mount Sinai. Therefore the priestly benediction could only have
been composed after Year 1 ended in Exodus 40 but before Year 2 concluded.
VATETSE-ESH MI-LIFNEY YAHWEH (9:24) = and fire came from before the Face of
Yahweh, which is to say that the fire came down from heaven to totally consume the
offering. This is exactly how Eliyahus offering to Abba YHWH is dealt with before the
false prophets of Baal. One can also infer that this fire is not exactly normal, because in
Eliyahus case it was able to consume wood that was completely drenched in water.
VAYIKCHU VENEY-AHARON NADAV VAAVIHU ISH MACHTATO
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VEET HA-SHAPHAN (11:5) = and of the hyrax (or daman). This is one of the most
mysterious animals to be prohibited as un-kosher. Some would translate the word as
rock badger and others rabbit, but it seems to have been a local creature to the
Negev, as bible.ort.org explains:
Hyrax syriacus or Procavia capens syriaca. Shafan in Hebrew; chiorogryllios in
Greek, (Septuagint); tafan in Arabic. The hyrax is a small mammal, around 20
inches long, living in the Negev mountains. It has short feet, covered with elastic,
a flexible tail-less body, and pads. It nests in the clefts of rocks (Psalms 104:18),
and lives in small groups (Proverbs 30:26). Since it has a maw like a ruminant, it
is considered to 'bring up its cud.'
ARNEVETH (11:7) = another more general species of rabbit that is also un-kosher.
ACH MAYAN UVOR MIKVEH MAYIM (11:36) = a spring or a cistern collecting
water shall be clean. The word to collect is MIKVEH, from where we get immersionbaptism. The first MIKVEH however was in Genesis 1:9 when the waters above the
firmament were gathered into one place!
Bonus Linguistics
QATAR and KETER = We saw previously that sometimes the substitution of two
letters that sound alike lead to deeper relationships between words. Example: alephwaw-resh (AUR) is light but substitute with an AYIN as the first letter and it
means blind. In this case though TWO letters are substituted with similar sounds.
QATAR (smoke) is spelled qoph-teth-resh whereas KETER (crown) is spelled kaphtaw-resh. To my mind this is a hint that to do these sacrifices correctly, to have them
accepted by YHWH as SMOKE leads to being given a CROWN of righteousness.
To me this imagery makes perfect sense because the sacrifice itself goes through a
transformation from one form to another, literally to be TURNED INTO SMOKE in
the Hebrew and therefore it is CHANGED into a CROWN, our reward!
KAVOD (glory) = Very special word! It can mean or suggest shining or
renown. YHWHs very name is said to be a name of KAVOD (Ps. 72:19)
which then fills the entire earth. Most interesting though is the reference that
KAVOD is where Mashiyach rests (Isaiah 11:10). The Aramaic cognate,
SHUBKHA, is used in the NT to designate that the Son came from the same
GLORY and resting place of the Father (John 1:14).
ZUR (strange as in strange fire in 10:1) = literally does mean foreign in
Hebrew. It is strange because it was fire NOT commanded by Abba YHWH!
Therefore, even fire can be sinful is a sense. If we offer our fire where it is not
commanded, we become strangers as well, and these two strangers died, so we
better be careful!
SHEKAR (strong drink) = can also mean drunkenness as a verb and also to lie.
We saw this in the Secret of the 50 Names teaching about the place (Sychar
=Shekar) that means Liar Town where, not surprisingly, Yshua encounters liars.
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The linkage though is also intended between getting drunk and being prone to
deceit because of that alcohol abuse.
YARA (teach) = technically derived from a root that means to bring out, bring
forth or even to hurl, throw. Its as if the teaching were a physical thing that
needed to be brought out, made to appear, and spread out before Israel! It is also
from where we get descriptions of the moon (yareach) which had been brought
forth and also the city of Jericho derived from that word for the moon. Of course we
also know well that YARA has a synonym SHALIA (to send out, teach) from
which we get SHLICHIM (apostles)!
Torah Question of the Week:
Why did Abba YHWH get angry at Uzza when all he was trying to do was keep the
Ark steady and safe? (Yes, thats a Haftorah Question of the Week, answered in
Part 2!)
END PART 1
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RAAH (shepherd, one who feeds) = In 2 Samuel 7:8 "Now therefore, thus you shall
say to My servant David, 'Thus says YHWH of hosts, "I took you from the pasture,
from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel.
Notice that David is TAKEN from being a shepherd in order to lead. The shepherd is
actually following after the sheep as if to suggest he isnt even really in charge of
thema humbling image indeed for those who think shepherds are always in high
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authority as pastors!
3) Renewed Covenant portion: (English) Mark 7:1-23 (all the way through with
applicable footnotes.)
4) Highlight common themes in Aramaic:
7:5- MESHELMANOTA DQASHISHEH (traditions of the elders) = Yshua is
asked why his disciples dont walk (halakh) according tonot the Torahbut the
TRADITIONS of the elders or Oral Law. Whats interesting about the Aramaic
though is it is NOT a cognate of what we might expect in HebrewMEZORA
(traditions). Instead, the word MESHELMANOTA (literally completions) is
derived from the root that means to fill up, perfect, complete, so what this is
actually saying is that the traditions complete the Torah, as if to suggest Torah by
it was incomplete. In Hebrew, these things become a technical term, TAKANOT
(literally, repairs) meant to FIX the Word.
7:5-The term QASHISHA or elders is a nice term for rabbis used because they
know Yshua will chide them for being great ones (Matthew 23:8).
7:7-YULPANEH DPOQDANEH DBANAY ANASHA (teachings of the
commandments of the son of men) = Very strong language indicating the traditions
Yshua is talking about in this instance have NO BASIS in Scripture even though other
practices of the Pharisees clearly do (Matthew 23:1). This is the opposite actually of
what Rav Shaul says about his own assembly. Whereas here Yshua says they
ABANDONED Torah to REPLACE it with un-scriptural traditions, in Romans
3:31 Rav Shaul says, Do we nullify the Torah by faith? Never! We ESTABLISH
the Torah! The same word for ESTABLISH in Romans 3:31 is used here to
ESTABLISH traditions instead of Torah. Thats tough love folks!
Also should point out that the root of establish is QM, from which we get
QUM/QUMI (arise) and QYAM (resurrection)! In fact resurrection day in Aramaic
is called QYAMTEH DMARAN (resurrection of our Master) by the Church of the
East.
7:8-9- Yshua still turns the discussion back from elders to rabbis with the
contrasting of the SINGULAR Commandment of Elohim (POQDANA DALAHA)
being left behind for the PLURAL commandments of men again with the Aramaic
term for TAKANOT (MESHELMANOTA).
7:9, 16- HEAR ME/HE WHO HAS EARS LET HIM HEAR = again SHEMA means
also to do, perform so Yshua is issuing a COMMAND not a plea to the Pharisees.
7:21- LEBA DBANAY ANASHA = heart of the sons of men. Yshua did not have
to use this precise phrase but did so to make a very cutting insult. LEBA DBANAY,
heart of the sons, can also remind them of the converse, SONS OF THE HEART, or
in Hebrew LEVI (my heart, so sons of the heart, LEVITES), so this is a clear shot
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against the power of the priests and Levites and look what he says comes out of those
hearts!
Mark 7:19
29) This chapter showcases one of the greatest discussions of oral versus written
Jewish law that exists in these writings of the Renewed Covenant. In many ways this
presages the heated exchanges that would be recorded in the Talmud some 200 years
later. However, a major misunderstanding of this verse found its way into the modern
translations with the parenthetical comment "in so doing Y'shua declared all foods
clean." It does not occur in any Aramaic mss or in early Greek manuscripts,
apparently an attempt was made by Gentile or Christian editors to abandon Torah's
dietary laws. The point being established is that if you plot things like murder, lies,
adulteries and so forth, then why be concerned about the food you eat, when
weightier things are making you much more unclean than your food? Even if a
person kept a perfectly kosher diet, but had such unclean thoughts, such a one would
rank among the most unkosher of people. See Luk_11:40.
Mark 7:21
30) The most imperative difference between religious duty and True Faith has to do
with always steering the intentions of our hearts towards righteous Set Apart conduct.
The Hebrew word for intention is kavanah. Yshua teaches us that the kavanah of
our heart is the nature of our soul, whether it is carnal or transformed (redeemed)
according to righteousness. From inside the heart our kavanah (intentions)
manifest as thoughts that turn into words, and then to actions. We have an inner
voice telling us what to think about ourselves, others, life, our Creator, the Word and
everything else. The empowerment to overcome bad habits, inconsistencies,
weaknesses, failings, insecurities, religiosity, sin, procrastination etc., is what Yshua
offers to all who will bear my yoke upon you (Mat_11:29). Through his many
teachings, examples and parables on kavanah, Yshua concretely established the
imperative of kavanah (intentions of the heart) as the foundation of true Jewish
spirituality. Regrettably, modern religions have replaced this vital necessity of
kavanah with things like theology, doctrine, statements of faith, meditation, works,
tradition, and religious identity, yet there are no substitutes for righteous kavanah and
obedience to the Word of YHWH. For the mouth speaks from the fullness of the
heart (Mat_12:34).
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into their original order. When you do that, I believe it also opens up a window on to
those times and challenges that otherwise would have been closed.
You see, the Torah books are not really separate stories in time, but one story told from
different viewpoints. It is roughly analogous to how the Gospels workMatthew, Mark,
Luke and John tell the same story about the same 3 year period with different details
and phases. Similarly, Moshes agenda in Leviticus is different than the one in Numbers
even as the same writer details the same period of time with different details.
As the book of Exodus opens, the first 11 chapters detail the 144 years (12 x 12, a really
deep math code and hint3) that pass from Josephs death, the last event in Genesis, until
the start of the Exodus drama with Moshe confronting Pharaoh and Egypt reeling from
devastating plagues. In the middle of that series of disasters, Abba YHWH tells Moshe
and Aaron that their calendar has changed, and they are now counting spring to spring.
Instructions for the Passover feast follow, because that is at the next full moon, and the
next thing we know the Israelites are freed from bondage. From Exodus 12-39 then we
have that narrative squarely focused on 1447 BCE, or what I also call Year 0 because
Abba YHWH has reset His clock.
Then in Exodus 40 the first day of the first month of Year 1 (1446 BCE) and then winds
its way through separate details in Leviticus and Numbers. Even so, it is the same day
with a fixed date: Friday, March 28th, 1446 BCE, also known as 1 Abib.
What also makes this day very, very special is what lead up to it. Up until now, there has
been no Tabernacle and therefore no priesthood. Therefore, Abba YHWH has in effect
been acting as High Priest for the Israelites, according to a very specific time frame
from vernal equinox in 1447 or Exodus year until the next vernal equinox in the
following year. I know that because, as we have seen, the Israelites were freed from
Egypt on Friday, March 22nd, the time when the VE had happened, adjusted for the
Hebrew day beginning at sunset. So from that Friday to the Friday at the start of spring
in 1446 (March 21st) Abba YHWH is High Priest. That very next Friday (the 28th) is in
Hebrew terms that particular year also 1 Abib, so the transition in solar and Hebrew terms
is seamless, but only if we get the right historical years to work with for that astronomy to
align!
So lets look at this day. After Moshe spent much of his time erecting the Tabernacle
probably with significant help from others though the text emphasizes Moshes
involvementthe main objective of that activity is revealed:
28
He then put the screen at the entrance to the Dwelling. 29 He put the altar of burnt
offerings at the entrance to the Dwelling, to the Tent of Meeting, and on it offered the
burnt offering and cereal offering, as Yahweh had ordered Moses. 30 He put the basin
3
The 12 x 12 or 12 to the 2nd power if you prefer, is indicative of a perfecting or refining process. It takes
12 x 12 for the 12 tribes to be perfected into a number that is worthy of being called a nation, hence they
went from 70 (7 x 10, the number of perfection x the number for witness, hence the perfect witness to
Father Yahs covenant) to the emergence of themselves as a nation in that sum of years.
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between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and put water in it for the ablutions, 31
where Moses, Aaron and his sons washed their hands and feet, 32 whenever they
entered the Tent of Meeting or approached the altar they washed, as Yahweh had
ordered Moses. 33 He then set up the court round the Dwelling and the altar and set up
the screen at the gate-way to the court. Thus Moses completed the work. 34 The cloud
then covered the Tent of Meeting and the glory of Yahweh filled the Dwelling. 35
Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting, since the cloud stayed over it and the
glory of Yahweh filled the Dwelling. (Exodus 40:28-35 NJB)
So now the 8 day ordination process begins, and this shifts us into Numbers 7 which tells
us exactly what else happened on this critical first day of Abib.
On the day Moses finished erecting the Dwelling (per Exodus 40-AGR), he anointed
and consecrated it and all its furniture, as well as the altar and all its equipment. When
he had anointed and consecrated it all, 2 the leaders of Israel made an offering; they
were the heads of their families, the tribal leaders who had presided over the census.
3
They brought their offering before Yahweh: six covered wagons and twelve oxen,
one wagon for every two leaders and one ox each. They brought them in front of the
Dwelling. 4 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 5 'Accept these from them, and let them
be set apart for the service of the Tent of Meeting. You will give them to the Levites,
to each as his duties require.' 6 Moses took the wagons and oxen, and gave them to the
Levites. 7 To the Gershonites he gave two wagons and four oxen for the duties they
had to perform. 8 To the Merarites he gave four wagons and eight oxen for the duties
they had to perform under the direction of Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest. 9 But to
the Kohathites he gave none at all, because the sacred charge entrusted to them had to
be carried on their shoulders. 10 The leaders then made an offering for the dedication
of the altar, on the day it was anointed. They brought their offering before the altar, 11
and Yahweh said to Moses, 'Each day one of the leaders must bring his offering for
the dedication of the altar.' 12 On the first day an offering was brought by Nahshon
son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah. 13 His offering consisted of: one silver bowl
weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy
shekels (sanctuary shekels), both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a cereal
offering, 14 one golden bowl weighing ten shekels, full of incense, 15 one young bull,
one ram and one male yearling lamb as a burnt offering, 16 one he-goat as a sacrifice
for sin, 17 and two bulls, five rams, five he-goats and five male yearling lambs as a
communion sacrifice. Such was the offering of Nahshon son of Amminadab.
(Numbers 7:1-17 NJB)
The next 6 days, or March 29-April 4 are dealt with in similar levels of details as 6 more
tribes (Issaacar, Zebulon, Reuben, Simeon, Gad and EphraimNumbers 7:18-53) each
present an offering. And this exact same period also has many regulations given that we
now call Leviticus, chapters 1-8.
At this point though it might be helpful to break out the first of two charts showing where
all the Torah chapters relate in terms of chronology. I have mostly excluded
Deuteronomy because the entire book is only about 1 actual day, 1 Shevat in 1406 BCE.
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4) Year 40 (1407 BCE) and therefore 38 years are skipped over except for the travel
stops given in Numbers 33, begins with Miriams death in the first month in Numbers
20 and continues to the end of the book covering events until the end of the 10th
month. All of Deuteronomy takes place on 1 Shevat, the first day of the 11th month,
except for the 30 days Israel mourns for Moshe after his death, which brings this year
to a close.
5) Year 41 (1406 BCE) has no events associated with it directly but is inferred from
other Scripture evidence. In the 2nd year after the Exodus (Numbers 9:1-2) the
Israelites send out spies into the land of Canaan (Numbers 13). When those spies
come back with a bad report (except Joshua and Caleb), Abba YHWH punishes Israel
with wandering a year in the wilderness for each of the 40 days they spent spying out
the land. Since it is already 2 years past the Exodus, that means it takes 42 years from
Exodus to the Jericho campaign. But by the time Moshe dies and is mourned for 30
days, only 39 years of wandering in the wilderness had been completed. This means
Joshua has to wait another full year before attacking Jericho. This waiting year I call
Jubilee Zero. In the Jubilee, land reverts to its original Owner, Abba YHWH. In
one place He warns Israel that the Canaanites are being expelled for their wickedness
and He will do the same to Israel if they also sin. So Abba YHWH hold the land in
trust for a year after taking it from the Canaanites and at the end of that year he will
give it to Israel. Joshua 1-3 covers this broad time frame.
6) Year 42 (1405 BCE) is dealt with in the first 10 chapters of the book of Joshua,
covering the Jericho, Ai and Gibeon campaigns.
But a wider and very beautiful pattern is revealed when we take the same data and
arrange it slightly differently. The gorgeous dual-pattern begins again with the 8 day
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ordination of the priests and the 12 day dedication ceremony for the Tabernacle both
starting on 1 Abib.
And it is here that the different emphases of Numbers and Leviticus are most apparent.
Numbers is clearly focused on the civilian leadership of the main 12 tribes of Israel.
Leviticus on the other hand is more focused on the requirements of priests and Levites,
hence its name in Greek which means pertaining to the Levites. This represents also
what I call a Double Witness pattern, where two sources are both talking about the same
moment in time, but from different perspectives.
But the real show stopper happens when we start matching the rules chapters of
Leviticus with each day for either the priestly ordination or the Tabernacle dedication,
because it is only at that point that we see the full design where theology trumps
chronology.
For example, while in historical time we have the Tabernacle being set up and the priestly
ordinations beginning (Exodus 40, Numbers 7), the matching regulations for that first
day, from Leviticus chapter 1, are all about rules for priestly offerings. This is a perfect
thematic fit to the historical events that are taking place!
The same thing happens throughout the next 6 days, where each day of priestly
ordination (mirrored by the offerings of the tribes for the Tabernacle) has a relevant series
of instructions for those same priests, a perfect match from day 2 to Leviticus 2, day 3 to
Leviticus 3 and so on, until the end of Leviticus 7.
At that point, Leviticus 8 details the rules for the end of ordination, and the next two
chapters after that seamlessly also relate events on that same 8th day. In the parallel
account in Numbers though, again that account being more focused on the other tribes,
Manasseh does his offering and this gives us a beautiful remez or hint.
Manasseh means causing to forget and when Manasseh does that offering, Nadav and
Abihu die because they have forgotten how to offer their fire appropriately unto Abba
YHWH. Now the 8 days of priestly ordination being concluded, the rest of Numbers 7
kicks in with the remaining 4 days of dedicating the Tabernacle, during which time the
tribes of Benjamin, Dan, Asher and Naphtali dedicate their offerings. Lets see the threefold account of this overall 12 day happening, from Exodus 40, Leviticus 8-10 and
Numbers 7:
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Day #
1
Exodus 40
Leviticus 8-104
Numbers 7
(Num 7:1) And it came to
be, when Mosheh finished
setting up the Dwelling
Place, that he anointed it
and set it apart and all its
furnishings, as well as the
altar and all its utensils.
Thus he anointed them and
set them apart.
(Num 7:2) And the leaders
of Yisral, heads of their
fathers houses who were the
leaders of the tribes and over
the ones registered, drew
near, (Num 7:3) and they
brought their offering before
: six covered wagons and
twelve cattle, a wagon for
every two of the leaders, and
for each one a bull. And they
brought them near before the
Dwelling Place.
(Num 7:4) And spoke to
Mosheh, saying, (Num 7:5)
Accept these from them,
and they shall be used in
doing the service of the Tent
of Meeting. And you shall
give them to the Lwites,
each one according to his
service.
(Num 7:6) And Mosheh
took the wagons and the
cattle, and gave them to the
Lwites. (Num 7:7) He gave
two wagons and four cattle to
the sons of Greshon,
according to their service.
(Num 7:8) And he gave four
wagons and eight cattle to
The instructions in Exodus 40 must have been accomplished in the morning of the 1st day of the 1st month
in 1446 BCE, because we see the same Tent of Meeting is standing when Moshe begins ordination of
Aaron and his sons later that exact same day. Therefore the first day of ordination probably occurred in the
late afternoon of Friday, March 28th (Gregorian). Also see Numbers 7:1.
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No activity recorded.
6
(Num 7:18) On the second
Sons of Aaron follow
their instructions given in day Nethanl, son of
Tsuar, leader of Yissaskar,
Leviticus 8.
No activity recorded.
No activity recorded.
No activity recorded.
Since the offerings of each tribal leader are identical, I will from here on out just put the name of the
leader, his family group and tribe for the rest of Numbers 7.
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No activity recorded.
No activity recorded.
No activity recorded.
No events recorded.
10
No events recorded.
11
No events recorded.
12
No events recorded.
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From that point on forwards, I simply continued applying one topic of Leviticus at a time
and matched it up to the historical events recorded in Numbers. What I found was that
the number of Leviticus topics/chapters very closely matched the number of historical
events, to the degree that topics of Leviticus ends just prior to the time that the Israelites
leave Sinai, which is recorded in Numbers 10.
In other words, each regulation in a chapter of Leviticus goes very well with each
day of chronological time given in Numbers, especially when we track the phrase
YHWH spoke to Moshe, speak to the Israelites saying___ as separating each days
instructions, which makes perfect sense. Then when Leviticus finishes all its regulations
which are tied to Sinai and the text literally runs out on that last day before they leave
Sinai, the text of Numbers basically agrees with it and says Okay, discussion at Sinai is
over, time to move out tomorrow!
So this is the true core of Moshes design in writing the Torah under the inspiration of the
Ruach haKodesh. Teach the history (Numbers) and then teach the regulations behind that
history (Leviticus), so that each side of the equation is reinforced by the other. And this
happens repeatedly throughout this process as it makes perfect sense that the bulk of
priestly instructions also end at the moment the 8 days of ordination do!
Therefore we have two witnesses to the time period, but each witness speaks to different
yet complementary details. First we are told the WHAT and then we are told the WHY,
and if telling the WHY takes 5 or 6 chapters to do while the narrative is on hold or the
narrative slightly cycles back to the beginning, so be it. It is far more important to see the
interconnected purpose of the text than to always think of it in terms of pure
chronological order, so that by the mouths of two witnesses HIS word might be
established (Deuteronomy 19:15)!
Im Andrew Gabriel Roth and thats your Torah Thought for the Week!
Next week, we will be exploring Tazria, or Leviticus 12:1 13:59. Our Haftorah portion
will be 2 Kings 4:42-5:19 and our Renewed Covenant portion will be Matthew 8:1-4 and
Luke 17:11-19. Stay tuned!
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