You are on page 1of 25

Scroll to Scroll:

Todays Parsha #26: Shemini (On the 8th day)


PART 1: THE LAST AND CURRENT TORAH PORTIONS
ANSWERS TO STUDY QUESTIONS FROM LAST WEEK (Tzav)
1) How do some recent events and the book of Romans itself, part of which was our NT
portion, combine to threaten some key tenets of the Roman Catholic faith?
A few years ago we witnessed the resignation of one pope and the installation of his
replacement. The papacy of course derives its authority as coming from the apostle Keefa
or Peter. The story is that Peter ministered in Rome shortly before his being crucified
upside down, dismembered and having his body parts buried in the fill of some Roman
stairs. Of course, for Peter to have been the first pope, the church would have to prove he
went to Rome in the first place and, unfortunately for them, the evidence that such
happened is scant to non-existent. In fact, archaeology in Israel seems to prove that Peter
died in Jerusalem after returning from decades of ministry success in the Middle East,
including Babylon (1 Peter 5:13, Galatians 2:7-10). You can find out more about Peters
Tomb here: http://www.biblelight.net/peters-jerusalem-tomb.htm
But to really answer this question, lets get back to the NT itself. The NT tells us clearly
that, considering Peter and Paul, it was Paul who had the strong presence in Rome. It
was Paul, not Peter, who was a Roman citizen (Acts 22:28) who could travel freely to the
Italian capital back and forth at a time when Jews were expelled from that same place
(Acts 18:2), so Peter would not have been welcome there. It was Paul and not Peter that
wrote 2 letters at least to these same people (Romans, Philemon) and it was Paul and not
Peter that we know with 100% certainty was even imprisoned in Rome towards the end
of his life (Acts 24 and 28)!
And I wish you to know, my brothers, that I have many times wanted to come to you,
but was prevented up until now, that I might bear some fruit among you also; even as
among other Gentiles, Greeks and barbarians, the wise and the unwise: for to every
man I am required to preach. And so, I am eager to preach to you also who are at
Rome. (Romans 1:13-15 AENT)
And finally Catholic tradition not only has Peter as their first pope, they assign his papacy
to a 25 year reign, from 41 to 66 CE. This is clearly contradicting events in the book of
Acts:
And at that time some were laying on hands to those who were in the congregation.
But then, (in order to) harm them, (there was) Herodus the king, also known as
Agripus. And he killed Ya'akov the brother of Yochanan with a sword. And when he
saw this pleased the Yehudeans he was proceeding to capture Shimon Keefa also.
And these were the days of Unleavened Bread. (Act 12:1-3 AENT)
1|Page

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!

2|Page

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
3|Page

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
4|Page

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
5|Page

VAYITNU VEHEN SESH VAYASIMU ALEYHA KETORET VAYAKRIVU


LIFNEY YAHWEH ESH ZARA ASHER LO TSIVAH OTAM (10:1) = Aarons sons
Nadav and Abihu each took his fire pan, placed fire on it and then incense. They offered
it before Yahweh as strange fire which He had not instructed them to offer.
One Rabbinic opinion is interesting in that they supposed this was the PREVIOUS
procedurei.e. one done by the Patriarchs before Moshethat they reverted to.
However, because the details of Patriarchal ritual are sketchy, there is no way to know
what the actual offense was. Others supposed they were drunk and simply had no
respect for their office. My personal opinion is that they wanted to have status apart
from YHWH and simply offered fire up on a day and time He didnt sanction.
That would be very interesting if true, because other sources think they died on Yom
Kippur!
However, my recent research contradicts this tradition. I believe Nadav and Avihu died
on 8 Abib, and at that time the tribes were still offering their contributions for the
Tabernacle in Numbers 7. On that day, Manasseh gave his offering (Numbers 7:54) and
since Manasseh as we have seen means causing to forget Nadav and Avihu forgot
to follow Torah here.
The other piece of evidence that we have on this matter is the fact that the instructions
regarding priests not being drunk coincide exactly with the event of Aarons sons dying,
making me believe that the instruction was a reaction to their bad behavior in that
regard.
Finally, I believe the most likely explanation is the simplest in this case. It seems that,
per instructions in Exodus 29, that first sin offering at ordination was ONLY supposed
to be offered by Aaron on behalf of his sons, but instead they followed after him when
such was not allowed. It was fine for the sons to present offerings for the people of
Israel, but not specifically for their own final ordination (Exodus 29:20-34).
(Exo 29:35) And so you shall do to Aharon and his sons, according to all I have
commanded you. Seven days you shall ordain them, (Exo 29:36) and prepare
a bull each day as a sin offering for atonement. And you shall cleanse the altar
when you make atonement for it, and you shall anoint it to set it apart. (Exo
29:37) For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar, and set it apart.
And the altar shall be most set-apart whatever touches the altar is to be set-apart.
(The Scriptures 1998)
And so I think that Nadav and Avihu thought they could follow up with their own
ordination offering on the 8th day, and this was a violation either because there was
no such extra ordination offering intended for that day or, if there was, it could only
be done by Moshe or Aaron. Either way, it was unauthorized and earned them death.
MISHAEL...ELZAPHANUZZIEL (10:4) = These three names have very
interesting meanings. MishaelWho is what El is? ElzapahanEl has protected.
UzzielMy strength is El.
Sentence: Who is what El is (whom) El has protected (for) El is my strength!
6|Page

Uzziel is the brother Amram (Exodus 6:18).


VAYOMER MOSHE EL-AHARON ULE-ELAZAR ULEITAMAR BANAV
RASHEYCHEM (10:6) = Moshe said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar: Do
not bare your heads/go without a haircut. Rabbinic opinion seems very united on the
general principle that priests could not let their hair grow free for more than a month.
Other details though are in dispute.
UMIPETACH OHEL MOED LO TETSUPEN-TAMATU KI-SHEMEN MISHCHAT
YAHWEH ALEYCHEM (10:7) = Do not leave the entrance of the Tent of Meeting lest
you die, because YHWHs anointing oil is still upon you. Some rabbis think the use of
anointing oil would therefore prevent all future generations of priests from leaving the
Tabernacle or Temple even to mourn immediate family. Others think this was a harsh
lesson for Aarons surviving sonsthat they had to focus on their duties so they did not
fall into the sin of their dead brothers.
YAYIN VE-SHAKAR AL-TESHT ATAH U-VANEYCHA (10:9) = Wine or other
strong drink neither you nor your descendants may partake of. That is, to the degree that
you become drunk or impaired as many authorities believe. Others suggest that this was a
direct response to Nadav and Avihus deaths, giving rise to the belief that perhaps they
were drunk at the time they died, but there is no direct evidence for such an assertion.
ULEHOROT ET-BENEY YISRAEL ET-KOL HA-CHUKIM (10:11) = you will
therefore be able to render decisions for the children of Israel. This is a specific command
that, in context with the train of thought from the start of chapter 10, forbids drunkenness
for any Jewish authority when rendering a halachic judgment. The interesting thing is
these CHUKUM (enactments, prescriptions) are also said to be based on DIBER
YAHWEH ALEYHEM BEYAD MOSHE, or the words that YHWH has taught you
through the hand of Moshe. This means there should be no distinction between the
decisions made by the elders and what was written in the Torah. It is not a command to
set up a separate oral-based infrastructure but rather to apply the law that was already
written down. It is true however that the WORDS were spoken first, but other places in
the Torah tell us Moshe wrote down all the words of YHWH in a book.
VAYADABER YAHWEH EL-MOSHE VEEL-AHARON LEMOR ALEHEM (11:1) =
and Yahweh spoke to Moshe and to Aaron telling them
This series of instructions is meant to explain the seemingly out of nowhere prohibition
of Leviticus 7:21 that talks about not touching clean and unclean carcasses. Of course
Noah also could tell the difference between clean and unclean animals, indicating that
Sinai was not the introduction of the kosher laws but the RE-introduction of them since
they were captives in Egypt. The ancient Egyptians, as we saw with Joseph and Moshe,
hated sheep, which was a staple of the Hebrew diet, so it is not unreasonable to suppose
that the kosher laws that Noah and Abraham lived by got lost by the wayside while the
Israelites were in Egyptian bondage. And so it is now, 120 years after that bondage
began, that these laws are now being re-issued for a new generation.
7|Page

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.
8|Page

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

9|Page

PART 2: THE HAFTORAH


(Haftorah) 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?
Answer: The oxen wouldnt have nearly upset the cart had the people drawing that
cart been more careful. The prohibition against common folk touching the Ark was
well known and therefore required greater caution when going downhill. If
someone like Uzza who was part of this procession thought they could rush through
it, they literally took their lives into their hands. Or, Uzza could have tried steadying
the cart rather than touch the Ark. If by some happenstance the Ark fell, one can
only imagine that Abba YHWH would protect it either from hitting the ground or
suffering damage even if it did hit the ground. So the irreverence was the overly
casual attitude which put the entire procession at risk, as well as the Ark. Contrast
this treatment also with the next time the Ark is moved. That group is so careful,
that they make a sacrifice of thanksgiving having successfully moved it only 6 paces
forward!
1) Haftorah portion (English- 2 Samuel 6:1-7:17) and discuss common themes with
the Torah portion.
2) Our linguistic commentary
enthroned above the cherubim = This phrase is always associated with the Ark of
the Covenant, appears about two dozen times with the Ark directly mentioned
because of the mercy seat having the cherubims wings reaching out with Abba
YHWH supposedly dwelling in between the gap. There is only ONE time when this
phrase appears and the Ark is not mentioned directly, and thats in 2 Kings 19:15
when Hezekiah prays for deliverance from the Assyrian 186,000 strong army
invading Israel. He certainly gets that deliverance in Ark-like fashion, meaning it
still had to be there at the time of that invasion in 700 BCE!
house of Abinadab = in addition to being a proper name, means in Hebrew my
father is noblevery appropriate considering the Ark is housed there!
NATAH (stretched out) = We saw this last week with the meaning of incline your
ear/listen. Here is its other meaning, to stretch out a tent. In this case though the tent
is stretched out due to HEARING the commandments of YHWH!
8

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
10 | P a g e

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
11 | P a g e

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).

1) Apply these themes/issues to modern issues in the Netzari faith. (Understanding


what strangled meat meant in the book of Acts, how it related to the early
believers and how it relates to Biblical vs glatt kosher today. The core
requirement: Drain the blood from the animal and pour it on the ground!)
2) Relate to all or part of an Appendix portion of AENT or footnotes from a portion.
(Unity vs. Hierarchy, p. 1008-1010)
12 | P a g e

STUDY QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED NEXT WEEK FOR THIS


PORTION:
1) Why does the prophet Nathan appear to jump the gun and get a little overly
zealous?
2) If Genesis 49:11 and the scepter will not depart from Judah is in fact a prophecy
that only Judah can sit on the throne of Israel, why did Abba YHWH allow the
first king (Saul) to be from Benjamin?
3) Was Saul doomed to failure because he was of the wrong tribe or did he bring
disaster upon himself?
4) How is the name of one of Davids sons foretold in 2 Samuel 7:11-12 through
words that are SYNONYMS to the real name?
5) In this portion two sons of Aaron die for disobeying Abba YHWH. But my
question is, how did Abba YHWH also punish the two surviving sons and why,
when they had not disobeyed?
Torah Thought for the Week:
Mapping Out the Torah-A Beautiful Message
Note: Please see the additional PDF with the original text and additional charts for
more information. I have adapted the text here from that source.
Over the past few weeks, I have been looking at several places where the Torah narrative
clearly trumps chronological order in favor of spiritual themes. But frankly, a lot of the
skipping around is simply a bit jarring for most of us who are used to a more linear
format.
Nowhere is this struggle more apparent than at this particular time of year. With Pesach
just completed, I see the usual struggle many folks have when it comes to not
understanding how different instructions about the same moment in time need to be
brought together and synthesized in order to avoid confusion.
It may not manifest confusion of course right away, while folks are getting their literary
feet wet in parsha, but over time, the more detailed one gets into it, the more the
asynchronous storytelling becomes. Speaking for myself, I found that very challenging
because of the way my mind works, which prompted me to do my best to put the events
all in the right order.
A few years ago, I meticulously mapped out the Exodus year with a massive calendar and
commentary. From there, the next logical step was to put the rest of the Torah events

13 | P a g e

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.

14 | P a g e

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.
15 | P a g e

1) As we just explained, Year 0 (1447 BCE) is exclusively dealt with by Exodus


chapters 12 through 39.
2) Year 1 (1446 BCE) is recounted in Exodus 40, Leviticus chapters 1 through 10 and
Numbers chapters 7 and 8.
3) Year 2 (1445 BCE) is recorded in Leviticus chapters 11 through 27, since those
commands are all given while Israel is still at Sinai, which they leave after the first 7
weeks of the year (on the 20th day of the 2nd month). Also covering this year, the first
19 chapters of Numbers but these are out of order chronologically. The actual
historical order is as follows:
a)
b)
c)
d)

Events in Abib: Numbers 9:1-10:10.


Events in Iyar: Numbers 1:1-6:25, and Numbers 10:11-36.
Other spring events: Numbers 11:1-12:16.
Summer events to the close of the year: Numbers 13:1-19:22.

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

16 | P a g e

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:

17 | P a g e

Day #
1

Exodus 40

Leviticus 8-104

(Exo 40:1) And


spoke to Mosheh,
saying, (Exo 40:2) On
the first day of the first
month, you are to raise
up the Dwelling Place
of the Tent of Meeting,
(Exo 40:3) and shall put
in it the ark of the
Witness, and screen the
ark with the veil.

(Lev 8:1) And spoke


to Mosheh, saying, (Lev
8:2) Take Aharon and his
sons with him, and the
garments, and the anointing
oil, and the bull of the sin
offering, and the two rams,
and the basket of
unleavened bread, (Lev
8:3) and assemble all the
congregation at the door of
the Tent of Meeting.

(Exo 40:17) And it


came to be in the first
month of the second
year, on the first day of
the month, that the
Dwelling Place was
raised up.
(Exo 40:18) And
Mosheh raised up the
Dwelling Place and
placed its sockets, and
set up its boards, and put
in its bars, and raised up
its columns,

(Lev 8:4) And Mosheh


did as commanded
him, and the congregation
was assembled at the door
of the Tent of Meeting.
(Lev 8:5) And Mosheh
said to the congregation,
This is the word
commanded to be done.

(Lev 8:6) So Mosheh


brought Aharon and his
sons and washed them with
water, (Lev 8:7) and put
(Exo 40:19) and spread
the long shirt on him, and
the tent over the
girded him with the girdle,
Dwelling Place and put
and dressed him in the
the covering of the tent
robe, and put the shoulder
on top of it, as had
garment on him, and girded
commanded Mosheh.
him with the embroidered
band of the shoulder
(Exo 40:20) And he
garment, and with it tied
took the Witness and put the shoulder garment on
it into the ark, and he
him,
put the poles through the
rings of the ark, and put (Lev 8:8) and put the
the lid of atonement on
breastplate on him, and put
top of the ark,
the Urim and the Tummim
in the breastplate,(Lev 8:9)
(Exo 40:21) and
and put the turban on his
4

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.

18 | P a g e

brought the ark into the


Dwelling Place, and
placed the veil of the
covering to screen off
the ark of the Witness,
as had commanded
Mosheh.
(Exo 40:22) And he put
the table in the Tent of
Meeting, on the north
side of the Dwelling
Place, outside the veil,
(Exo 40:23) and set the
bread in order upon it
before , as had
commanded Mosheh.
(Exo 40:24) And he put
the lampstand in the
Tent of Meeting,
opposite the table, on
the south side of the
Dwelling Place,
(Exo 40:25) and lit the
lamps before , as
had commanded
Mosheh.
(Exo 40:26) And he put
the gold altar in the Tent
of Meeting in front of
the veil,
(Exo 40:27) and burned
sweet incense on it, as
had commanded
Mosheh.
(Exo 40:28) And he set
up the covering to the
door of the Dwelling
Place5.(Exo 40:29) And
he put the altar of burnt
offering before the door
of the Dwelling Place of
the Tent of Meeting, and
5

Compare to Leviticus 8:4.

19 | P a g e

head. And on the turban, on


its front, he put the golden
plate, the set-apart sign of
dedication, as had
commanded Mosheh.

the sons of Merari, according


to their service, under the
hand of Ithamar, son of
Aharon the priest.

(Lev 8:10) And Mosheh


took the anointing oil and
anointed the Dwelling
Place and all that was in it,
and set them apart.

(Num 7:9) But to the sons of


Qehath he gave none,
because theirs was the
service of the set-apart
objects, which they bore on
their shoulders.

(Lev 8:11) And he


sprinkled some of it on the
altar seven times, and
anointed the altar and all its
utensils, and the basin and
its base, to set them apart.

(Num 7:10) And the leaders


brought the dedication
offering of the altar in the
day it was anointed. So the
leaders brought their offering
before the altar.

(Lev 8:12) And he poured


some of the anointing oil
on Aharons head and
anointed him, to set him
apart.

(Num 7:11) And said to


Mosheh, Let them bring
their offering, one leader
each day, for the dedication
of the altar.

(Lev 8:13) And Mosheh


brought the sons of Aharon
and put long shirts on them,
and girded them with
girdles, and put turbans on
them, as had
commanded Mosheh.

(Num 7:12) And the one


who brought his offering
on the first day was
Nahshon, son of
Amminadab, from the tribe
of Yehudah.

(Lev 8:14) And he brought


the bull for the sin offering,
and Aharon and his sons
laid their hands on the head
of the bull for the sin
offering,
(Lev 8:15) and it was
slaughtered. And Mosheh
took the blood, and put
some on the horns of the
altar all around with his
finger, and cleansed the
altar. And he poured the
blood at the base of the
altar, and set it apart, to

(Num 7:13) And his offering


was one silver dish, the
weight of which was one
hundred and thirty sheqels,
one silver bowl of seventy
sheqels, according to the
sheqel of the set-apart place,
both of them filled with fine
flour mixed with oil as a
grain offering;
(Num 7:14) one gold ladle
of ten sheqels, filled with
incense;
(Num 7:15) one young bull,
one ram, one male lamb a

offered upon it the burnt


offering and the grain
offering, as had
commanded Mosheh.
(Exo 40:30) And he put
the basin between the
Tent of Meeting and the
altar, and put water
therein for washing.
(Exo 40:31) And
Mosheh, and Aharon,
and his sons washed
their hands and their feet
with water from it,
(Exo 40:32) as they
went into the Tent of
Meeting, and as they
came near the altar.
They would wash, as
had commanded
Mosheh.
(Exo 40:33) And he
raised up the courtyard
all around the Dwelling
Place and the altar, and
placed the covering of
the courtyard gate. And
Mosheh completed the
work.
(Exo 40:34) And the
cloud covered the Tent
of Meeting, and the
esteem of filled the
Dwelling Place.
(Exo 40:35) And
Mosheh was not able to
come into the Tent of
Meeting, because the
cloud dwelt on it, and
the esteem of filled
the Dwelling Place.

make atonement for it.

year old, as a burnt offering;

(Lev 8:16) And he took all


the fat that was on the
entrails, and the appendage
on the liver, and the two
kidneys with their fat, and
Mosheh burned them on
the altar.

(Num 7:16) one male goat


as a sin offering;

(Lev 8:17) And the bull,


and its skin, and its flesh,
and its dung, he burned
with fire outside the camp,
as had commanded
Mosheh.
(Lev 8:18) And he brought
the ram of the burnt
offering, and Aharon and
his sons laid their hands on
the head of the ram,
(Lev 8:19) and it was
slaughtered. And Mosheh
sprinkled the blood on the
altar all around,
(Lev 8:20) and he cut the
ram into pieces. And
Mosheh burned the head,
and the pieces, and the fat,
(Lev 8:21) and he washed
the entrails and the legs in
water. And Mosheh burned
the entire ram on the altar.
It was a burnt offering for a
sweet fragrance, and an
offering made by fire to
, as had
commanded Mosheh.
(Lev 8:22) And he brought
the second ram, the ram of
ordination, and Aharon and
his sons laid their hands on
the head of the ram,
(Lev 8:23) and it was
slaughtered. And Mosheh

20 | P a g e

(Num 7:17) and as a peace


offering: two cattle, five
rams, five male goats, five
male lambs a year old. This
was the offering of Nahshon,
son of Amminadab.

took some of its blood and


put it on the tip of Aharons
right ear, and on the thumb
of his right hand, and on
the big toe of his right foot.
(Lev 8:24) And he brought
near the sons of Aharon,
and Mosheh put some of
the blood on the tips of
their right ears, and on the
thumbs of their right hands,
and on the big toes of their
right feet. And Mosheh
sprinkled the blood on the
altar all around,
(Lev 8:25) and took the fat
and the fat tail, and all the
fat that was on the entrails,
and the appendage on the
liver, and the two kidneys
and their fat, and the right
thigh,
(Lev 8:26) and from the
basket of unleavened bread
that was before he took
one unleavened cake, and a
cake of bread anointed with
oil, and one thin cake, and
put them on the fat and on
the right thigh,
(Lev 8:27) and placed all
these in the hands of
Aharon and in the hands of
his sons, and waved them
as a wave offering before
.
(Lev 8:28) Mosheh then
took them from their hands
and burned them on the
altar, on the burnt offering.
They were ordinations for a
sweet fragrance. It was an
offering by fire to .
(Lev 8:29) And Mosheh
took the breast and waved

21 | P a g e

it, a wave offering before


. It was Moshehs
portion of the ram of
ordination, as had
commanded Mosheh.
(Lev 8:30) And Mosheh
took some of the anointing
oil and some of the blood
which was on the altar, and
sprinkled it on Aharon, on
his garments, and on his
sons, and on the garments
of his sons with him. And
he set apart Aharon, his
garments, and his sons, and
the garments of his sons
with him.
(Lev 8:31) And Mosheh
said to Aharon and his
sons, Cook the flesh at the
door of the Tent of
Meeting, and eat it there
with the bread that is in the
basket of the ordinations, as
I have commanded, saying,
Aharon and his sons are to
eat it.
(Lev 8:32) Then burn the
rest of the flesh and the
bread with fire.
(Lev 8:33) And do not go
outside the door of the Tent
of Meeting for seven days,
until the days of your
ordination are completed
for he fills your hands for
seven days.
(Lev 8:34) has
commanded to do, as he
has done this day, to make
atonement for you.
(Lev 8:35) And stay at
the door of the Tent of
Meeting day and night for
seven days. And you shall

22 | P a g e

guard the duty of , and


not die, for so I have been
commanded.
(Lev 8:36) And Aharon
and his sons did all the
words that had
commanded by the hand of
Mosheh.

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.

brought near. (Num 7:19)


He brought his offering, one
silver dish, the weight of
which was one hundred and
thirty sheqels, one silver
bowl of seventy sheqels,
according to the sheqel of the
set-apart place, both of them
filled with fine flour mixed
with oil as a grain offering;
(Num 7:20) one gold ladle
of ten sheqels, filled with
incense; (Num 7:21) one
young bull, one ram, one
male lamb a year old, as a
burnt offering;(Num 7:22)
one male goat as a sin
offering;(Num 7:23) and as
a peace offering: two cattle,
five rams, five male goats,
five male lambs a year old.
This was the offering of
Nethanl, son of Tsuar.

No activity recorded.

No activity recorded.

No activity recorded.

Sons of Aaron follow


their instructions given in
Leviticus 8.
Sons of Aaron follow
their instructions given in
Leviticus 8.

Eliab, son of Helon of the


tribe of Zebulon (7:24-29)
brings forth his offering.
Elitzur, son of Shadeur of
the tribe of Reuben (7:3035) brings forth his
offering.
Sons of Aaron follow
Sheleumiel son of
their instructions given in Tzurishaddai of the tribe
Leviticus 8.
of Shimeon (7:36-41)

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.

23 | P a g e

No activity recorded.

No activity recorded.

No activity recorded.

No events recorded.

10

No events recorded.

11

No events recorded.

12

No events recorded.

24 | P a g e

brings forth his offering.


Sons of Aaron follow
Eliasaph son of Deuel of
their instructions given in the tribe of Gad (7:42-47)
Leviticus 8.
brings forth his offering.
Sons of Aaron follow
Elishamma son of
their instructions given in Ammihud of the tribe of
Leviticus 8.
Ephraim (7:48-53) brings
forth his offering.
Events in Leviticus
Gamliel son of Pedahzur
chapters 9 and 10
of the tribe of Manasseh
happen. First Moshe and brings his offering (7:54Aaron complete
59)
blessings on Nadav,
Avihu, Eleazer and
Ithamar. Then they bless
the entire nation of
Israel. Right after this
happens, Nadav and
Avihu try to offer their
own fire, but it was not
according to Father
Yahs commandments
and they are killed,
ironically because they
forgot their place while
Manasseh, whose name
means causing to
forget offered their gifts
to the Tabernacle at the
same time!
No events recorded.
Abidan, son of Gideoni of
the tribe of Benjamin
(7:60-65) offers his gift.
No events recorded.
Ahiezar, son of
Ammishadai of the tribe of
Dan (7:66-71) offers his
gift.
No events recorded.
Pagiel, son Ochran of the
tribe of Asher (7:72-77)
offers his gift.
No events recorded.
Ahira, son of Enan of the
tribe of Naphtali (7:787:83) offers his gift.

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!

25 | P a g e

You might also like