Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Noach (Noah) Beresheit (Genesis) 6:-11:32



Shalom and welcome to Hungry for Torah. This week’s portion Noach is one of the most exciting portions in all of Torah. Yeshua said that the days that precede His coming will be similar to how things were in the days of Noach.
“And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be, and what shall be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:3)
Yeshua explained to them the answer to their question and in the midst of the explanation He said;

As it was for our Fathers, so shall it be

“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour no man knows, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noach were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noach entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” (Matthew 24:35-40)

The Other Rapture

One of the ideas that stems from the above verses is that of a rapture. “Two will be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left.” The ‘taken one’ is considered ‘raptured’ according to an idea that cropped up in the 1800’s. But if we look at what Yeshua says, “The flood came and took them all away,” the taken one is taken by the flood. The taking, according to what these verses indicate is not a good thing. The flood didn’t deliver or save anyone, it killed them.
Since Yeshua paralleled His coming to the days of Noach, we can learn what to expect in the future by looking at what happened in the past. In this sense, our portion contains prophetic insight that we can mine.

The Unexpected Rest

To begin, let’s take a quick peek at last week’s portion to discover the meaning of Noach’s name. When Noach is born his father Lamech named him. In the Scriptures, the name given is sometimes followed by the definition of the name, the definition given by someone who knows their intent. Lamech said he named Noach because, “This one will provide us relief from our work.” (Beresheit 5:29)
Elohim cursed the ground when Adam ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Lamech believed that in Noach’s day, this curse would end, and people would no longer have to work so hard for food. The genealogy suggests that Noach was the first generation born after Adam’s death. Since the curse came upon the ground because of Adam, it made sense that after Adam died, the curse would be lifted.
There is a correlation here between then and now. As Lamech thought Noach would provide relief, so today many believe that this generation will witness relief from our work. People see signs that Messiah’s coming is near.

Whose Timeline?

I have heard many ‘prophecies’ about what is going to happen in our generation. When we look at Noach, we can see two things right off, the ‘rest’ Lamech prophesied didn’t come for six-hundred years, and it wasn’t what he expected.
I’m not saying that I know anything about what’s going to occur between now and Messiah’s return, or that those who prophecy about the end are incorrect, just that historically and Scripturally, end-time events don’t always play out the way we think we understand they will.
Almost every generation has believed they were the last one, and Yeshua would return in their day. There are indications in the New Testament that the disciples thought it would happen in their day. I do not believe, nor say, that all things continue as they have from the beginning, or that Yeshua delays His coming. I think He’s right on time, but that we as humans tend to misinterpret the Scriptures because we try to fit them into our timeline instead of Elohim’s.
Bottom line, Yeshua could return while we are alive. He might not. What do we do about it? Live Torah. What if He comes in 2015, what should we do now to prepare? Live Torah! What if our timelines are off by a hundred or five hundred years, and Yeshua won’t come back until 2115 or 2500 then what do we do? Live Torah.
We are not the first generation to look at world events and see what appears to be the fulfillment of end-times prophecies. Many preachers and teachers have built empires on prophesying when the end will come. But so far...they’ve all been wrong.
Don’t be deceived, and don’t be caught unaware, don’t let it sneak up on you like a thief in the night. Be prepared. How? Live Torah!

It's all about Love

When someone tells me “Nobody can keep all those Old Testament laws,” I realize they haven’t begun at the beginning. Yes, the instructions are difficult to keep in this age, and when we first start and are unfamiliar with them. But the beginning is found in the Shema (Devarim 6:4) “You shall love Yehovah your Elohim with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your strength.” When we have that, then the rest becomes easier.
It is when we are divided, and love earthly things that the instructions in the Torah become difficult. I talked with a person once who told me, “I could never keep all those food laws, I love bacon too much.” ?? There’s the problem. Divided love instead of loving Elohim with all your heart.

Shades of Gray

One of the first things we learn in our Torah portion Noach is that the earth was corrupted and filled with violence (chamas). I don’t think it is simply coincidence that one of the most violent Muhammadan groups calls itself hamas/chamas.
How often do we see in the news another incident of corruption? The reported incidents are just the ones that affect many people. How much corruption is going on that is not reported either because nobody knows about it, or it isn’t sensational enough?
Has corruption been going on before this age? Absolutely. The difference is that it used to be done in secret. Now much of it is openly displayed with a, “What are you going to do about it,” attitude. One that comes to mind is the, “We’re here and we’re queer,” blatantly open displays of what Elohim declares is an abomination punishable by death.
Elohim instructs Noach exactly how to build the ark. Perhaps we can glean some instructions on preparing for our time from them.

Noach's Box

Noach is to build an ark (taybaht, box). Although the English word, ark, is the same as the housing that Moshe has built for the Torah, the Hebrew is not the same. The ‘ark’ that housed the Torah is an aron, not a taybaht. It was also a taybaht that Moshe’s mother put him into to hide him when she set him afloat in the river so he could escape Pharaoh’s death decree for all Hebrew male infants.
Noach’s taybaht was to be constructed of gopher wood, and covered, Kaphar, with pitch, Kopher. All of the words associated with the taybaht are related. There is a sense of covering for protection. The ‘mercy seat’ in the tabernacle where Elohim met with Moshe and later the high priests is the Kapporet, the covering, also from the same root.
The aron with the kapporet that sat in the tabernacle (mishkan) provided a protective covering for all Israel. It still does. The word translated as tabernacle, mishkan, means ‘from dwelling.’ The mishkan was the dwelling place of the shekinyah, the dwelling of Yehovah. Literally, the tabernacle was the dwelling place of Yehovah on the earth.
We have Noach building the covering for those who would be delivered from death when the flood came to snatch up and take away all the wicked.
On one hand, we can look at the flood and see that only eight souls were saved from death. A small number. On the other hand, we can look at those eight and consider that in their loins were all the people who ever lived after the flood. A much larger number. That is the way Abraham was depicted, as the father of all who would come through his physical lineage and his spiritual lineage.

Fist, Second and Last Adam

In a way, Noach was the second Adam. He was the father of all who are alive today. He was righteous (tzadik) and perfect (tamim). If you were with me in earlier Torah portions, you will know that tamim doesn’t mean flawless perfection, but lacking prominent distinguishable defects and damage. In this picture, Noach foreshadows the Messiah whom Paul referred to as the last Adam. (1 Corinthians 15:45)
When we look at the shadow, we can see that all those who cling to their father will be rescued, and those who scoff and deride and carry on with all the prevalent sins will be taken away by the destruction to come.

Got a Light?

Elohim promised He would never again destroy all life with water, and Yochanan (John the baptizer) prophesied that Yeshua would baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire (Matthew 3:11). The next scheduled cleansing may be by fire, just as Kepha (Peter) prophesied.
“But the day of Yehovah will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” (2 Peter 3:10)
How can we prepare to be among those who are rescued if the destruction comes in the form of fire? Keep Torah, "These are not idle words, they are your life." "Your word is a light to my path."
There is so much more in this portion, but I’ve kept you long enough. Until we meet again next week for portion Lech Lecha, stay hungry for Torah and share your insights in the comments section below. Shalom and blessings.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Beresheit (in the beginning) (Genesis) 1:1 – 6:8



When you are hungry for Torah, you see a correlation between your spiritual hunger and your physical hunger. You don’t eat once and you’re done. Your hunger is a cycle. You eat and satisfy your hunger; after awhile, you are hungry again and you eat again. It is a cycle that lasts throughout your life.

The Cycle

The study of Torah is also a cycle. I am at the beginning of the annual cycle this week with Beresheit (in the beginning). I know there are a variety of cycle schedules, and if the one I am following is different from the one you use, I apologize. But the essential lesson here is that the study of Torah is a cycle. We begin, we study our way through each book, and we end, but the end is only the end in the same sense that a ring has an end.

 The Father's Heart

The last letter in the Torah is a lamed. It comes at the end of the last word, Israel. The first letter of the Torah is the bet. It comes at the beginning of the first word, beresheit. When we see the Torah as a cycle, ring, or circle, where the end connects with the beginning we have the word Lamed bet, lev, heart. The rabbinic teaching is that this shows that the Torah is the heart of the Father. I don’t think the rabbis get it all right all the time, but there are times such as this that I think they are right on track.

The Torah tells us more about who Elohim is and what He is like than any other book. Even when Yeshua was with us, He constantly referred back to the Torah. Yeshua said “I can do nothing but what the Father shows me.” Where did the Father show Yeshua what to do? If we look at how often Yeshua referred to the Torah, we can see that it is filled with instructions for living. I think Yeshua was saying that He followed the written instructions given in the Torah.

The encouraging news is that if we love Yehovah with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our strength, we can also do all that the Father shows us. I don’t mean to say we can do all that Yeshua did, He was the only begotten Son in the flesh, but we can still be obedient to Father’s instructions, just as Yeshua was. That was part of Yeshua’s message, “Follow me.”

Starting at the Beginning...of John

I am going to begin this study with Yochanan’s (John) explanation of beresheit.

In the beginning (beresheit) was the Word (ha Dvar), and the Word was with Elohim, and the Word was Elohim. The same was in the beginning with Elohim. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” (John 1:1-3)

We need to remember that in Yochanan’s day the Scriptures had not been divided into the chapters and verses we have today. He would have referred to a portion of text by its name; in this case, he pointed us to our current portion, beresheit. Now let’s return to beresheit and lay Yochanan’s explanation alongside the verse to which he referred.

In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)
And in Hebrew;
Beresheit bara elohim et haShamayim v’et haEretz. (Beresheit 1:1)

In Hebrew, can you see something that isn’t there in English? I see a balance of seven. Three words on one side and three words on the other side with the little word, et, aleph tav, in the middle. It balances the two sides. On one side, the verse says, “In the beginning created Elohim,” and on the other side of the balance it says, “The heavens and the earth.”

A Rabbi Trail to the End

Now, I’m going to take a little rabbi trail and bring up Yochanan’s vision as recorded in the book of Revelation.

“...Saying, “I am Alpha and Omega (Since both Yochanan and Yeshua were Hebrews, more than likely, that’s not what He said. He probably said (I am) “ani Aleph Tav”), the first and the last: and, What you see, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.” And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;” (Revelation 1:11-12)

What is the likely form that seven candlesticks would take for a first century Hebrew? The menorah! Imagine if you will a golden menorah. Got the picture in your mind? Now, in the middle is Yeshua and on each side are three arms of the menorah. On one side, in the beginning created Elohim, and on the other the heavens and the earth. After all, Yeshua has just said, “ani aleph tav,” and lo and behold, there He is, standing right where the aleph tav in our first verse of the Torah puts Him.

 The Trail Back to the Beginning

Okay, back from that rabbi trail excursion...and onto another.

“And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of Elohim moved upon the face of the waters. And Elohim said, Let there be light: and there was light.” (Beresheit 1:2-3)

According to Yochanan, the Word was with Elohim and the Word was Elohim. It says, Elohim said, what did He say? In the Hebrew it was “yahee ohr,” let there be Light. Words. And there was light.

“In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehended (seized, overtook) it not.”(John 1:4-5)

Do you see the correlation between the account Yochanan gives and the account in Beresheit? There was darkness, and Elohim said words, “Let there be light and there was light,” “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.”

Enough trails, let’s get into the portion.

Elohim is The Creator

This, the very first portion of Torah tells us some vital information. Elohim created the heavens, the earth, and everything that occurs naturally in them. He is the Creator. All that we see in nature is His. Since it is all His, He has the right to tell all of creation what to do and what not to do. As we progress through the instructions in the Torah, we need to keep that in mind. Elohim has the right to tell us what to do

He also has the right to correct us when we go astray, and to discipline us when we refuse to return, shuv to His instructions.

Skip down with me to Beresheit 1:14, 

“And Elohim said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years...” (Genesis 1:14)

Signs of What? Seasons?

Note the underlined signs and seasons. First signs, oht in Hebrew. What are they signs of? They are signs that Elohim is the Creator placed where man cannot monkey with them (Evolution/Monkey). The Gospel in the Stars, by Joseph Seiss, explains that the stars and constellations tell the story of the Gospel. If Seiss is correct, then the statement that the planets and stars are for signs is quite literal.

According to end time prophecy, the stars are going to fall from the heavens, as a sign of the coming of the Son of Man. We have the signs that explain the entire plan of Elohim before us nightly, and in the end, those same stars will become a sign that the end is here.

The second word, seasons, is the Hebrew word moedim, festivals. We have just completed the final festival of the year, Sukkoth, with its attendant days of Hoshana Rabbah and Simchat Torah. The moon is our guide for the festivals. Sukkoth began on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. 

How do we know the fifteenth day of the month? We watch for the new moon, and when it appears, we begin to count. The first day of the new moon is day one. We count to fifteen and we arrive at Sukkoth. It’s the same with the other festivals (except one but we will go into that when we get to that portion) they are attached to a day of the month, and the moon tells us when to start counting.

Elohim put the sun, the moon and the stars in the heavens for light and to show us the His story, and to give us a calendar so we can keep His festivals.

Each of the days of creation are numbered, but not as they appear to be in the English. They progress as, day one, day two and so on, until the sixth day and the seventh day. Perhaps the days of the two crowning events of creation are set apart from the other days. On the sixth day, Elohim created man, and on the seventh day, the Shabbat.

 Humans are Specially Formed, not Final Links on an Evolutionary Chain

As we look at the actions involved in creating man there is a difference from the other creations. Elohim forms man from the ground. In Hebrew, man (adam) is formed from the ground (adamah) and Elohim calls him adam (man). Once adam is formed, then Yehovah Elohim breathes into adam the neshama of life and adam becomes a living nephesh.

According to the creation account, all animals have a nephesh, but only adam has a neshama. Yehovah breathed into adam His neshama before adam became a living nephesh. All the other creatures were created as living nephesh. People are special creations

As a side note, evolution is a lie that attempts to remove Elohim and turn the world upside down. In creation people are a special creation, endowed by the Creator with something none of the animals have, a neshama. In evolution, people are just another animal descended along the same familial lines as all other animals, from a rock in a primordial soup.

So much more in this portion, but so little space, and I know that your time is valuable, so I will end with the thought that even though Elohim saw that all of creation was good, that it didn’t take long for people to pervert creation to the point that Elohim destroyed it to remove the evil. “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man.”

I look around at the world today and measure it against the Torah and I see that the thoughts of humans in general appear to be evil continually. Maybe we should examine ourselves and repent.

Until next week when we will feed our hunger for Torah and delve into portion Noach, shalom, keep Torah like your life depends on it, for Torah is not idle words, it is your life.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

HaBerachah (The Blessing) Devarim 33:1-34:12



“And this is the blessing that Moshe the man of Elohim blessed the Children of Israel before he died.” If you are hungry for Torah, you are really going to want to know what Moshe’s final blessing to Israel is.

He has led Israel through the wilderness for forty years. He has been with them day and night. Suffered when they suffered...and when they rebelled, he rejoiced when they rejoiced.

The Good News and the Bad

Imagine, the reason Moshe was sent to lead Israel, was because of Elohim’s commitment to the children of Jacob. Moshe had the opportunity to experience all of the things he saw because of the Israelites. He stood on Sinai and saw Elohim pass by. He had regular face to face encounters with Elohim. He saw miracles...and was the instrument Elohim used to make them happen. All because he was chosen to lead Israel.

“Because of you.” Moshe blamed the children of Israel for not being able to enter the Promised Land, but it was also because of them that he was so intimate with Elohim for so many years. It seems to me like a good news/bad news situation. ‘Hey, I can’t enter the land, but what a ride it’s been these past forty years.’

Remember What You Saw

Moshe begins his blessing with a brief recitation of what Israel experienced in receiving the Torah.
“And he said, Yehovah came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of holy ones: from his right hand went a fiery law (dat) for them. You loved the people; all holy ones are in your hand: and they sat down at your feet; every one shall receive of your words.” (Devarim 33:2-3)

Now and Later

I see two sides to this statement. A fulfilled and a prophetic. Yehovah did come to the Children of Israel in the wilderness at Sinai and give them a law from the midst of fire and smoke. He gave them the ten words. The prophetic side is keyed to the statement, “from his right hand.”
In many places in the Psalms, David refers to Yehovah’s right hand in a manner that makes it clear it refers to Yeshua. Devarim 33:2-3 may be saying that it was Yeshua who brought the law to Israel, and it may show that one day Israel would sit at the feet of Yeshua in the flesh and receive His words. We have record of a partial fulfillment of this in the Gospels.
Elohim warned Israel through Moshe, “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto you, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whoever will not listen to my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.” (Devarim 18:18-19)
You probably recognize this passage refers to Yeshua. Peter attached this prophecy to Yeshua;
“And he shall send Yeshua haMashiach, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which Elohim has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. For Moshe truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall Yehovah your Elohim raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days." (Acts 3:20-24)

The Law, The Torah, and Yeshua

So we have Yeshua giving the law at Sinai, and being the prophet like Moshe that we better listen to and do what he says. Then Moshe says something that may seem curious to some new students of the Torah.
“Moshe commanded us a Torah, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.” (Devarim 33:4)
Notice the shifts here. Moshe doesn’t call the recipients Israel, he calls them the ‘congregation of Jacob’, and he calls the Torah, the 'inheritance,' not the ‘law,’ as in the previous verses.

Inheritance and Heritage

Some rabbinic commentary explain that while the Hebrew word morasha is translated here as inheritance, it is translated in Shemot (Exodus) as heritage;
“And I will bring you into the land, concerning which I swore to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it to you for an heritage: I am Yehovah.” (Exodus 6:8)
The commentary explains the difference between inheritance and heritage as this. An heir has the right to spend, waste, and leave nothing behind of an inheritance. But a heritage is for the use of the direct heir, and the heir must maintain the heritage for the future generation intact, whole and pure for their use as well. The future generations must also preserve the heritage to pass on to their future generations in perpetuity.
The shift from Israel to Jacob shows the expansion of the heirs from the born descendants of Israelite parents to any who are grafted in and accept the covenant of Yehovah Elohim. If you have come into covenant with Elohim by accepting His offer, the Torah is your heritage, to listen to, to obey and to pass on pure and unchanged.

This is for You

Your responsibility becomes clearer as you read the words of the Shema. “These words which I command you today shall be on your heart, teach them diligently to your children, speak of them when you lie down and rise up, when you sit in your house and when you travel on the road.”
“...And he was king in Yeshurun, in the gathering of the heads of the people together with the tribes of Israel.” (Devarim 33:5 my modification to the text based on the Hebrew)
Allow us to take a short rabbi trail-
If the “heads of the people” refers to the people of the seventy nations, and they are gathered together with the tribes of Israel, then we are looking at a time in the future when the blessings invoked on the tribes of Israel will come to pass. As we look at the blessings, we can’t look back and see them fulfilled at any time so far. So we may be looking at a prophecy tied to Yeshua’s return, and perhaps to the time when all the nations of the earth must come up to Jerusalem for the feast of Sukkoth or they will receive no rain.
“And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, Yehovah of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, Yehovah of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.” (Zechariah 14:16-17)
Which, prophetically enough, we are celebrating the feast of tabernacles (Sukkoth) as you read this.

Yeshurun?

Who is Yeshurun? By definition, it is the straight or upright ones. The root is the word yasher, straight. If you question the honesty of a person and you ask “Is it yasher?”, you are implying you don’t trust them and you want to know if they are being honest. It is currently a somewhat offensive way of asking, but perhaps that demonstrates the moral decline of society that someone would be offended by being asked if they are dealing honestly.
Look around.
Is Yehovah Elohim the king of everyone?
No. But He is King of those who honestly accept Him as their Sovereign and willingly come under His covenant to live the Torah with all their heart all their mind and with all their strength. For the rest of the world, He is not King. Many who don’t believe in Him and follow Him actively oppose Him. Others are passively opposed to Him.
If you are reading this, especially if you have been here at Hungry for Torah before and came back, I imagine you have a desire to follow Yehovah, Elohim of Israel. If you have accepted His Kingship, then you have also obligated yourself to obey His Torah and pass it on to the next generation as your heritage and theirs. Take this responsibility seriously, He does.

This is Serious

If you have any doubt about how seriously Elohim takes your responsibility, look at the warnings He enumerates in our last portion, in the Song of Moshe, Devarim chapter 32:1-44. As a born or grafted-in member of the congregation of Jacob, these warnings are all for you.
As Moshe cautioned us at the end of the song;
“Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this Torah. For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life: and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither you go over Jordan to possess it.” (Devarim 32:46-47)
May you have a blessed festival of Sukkoth. Remember, this is an appointed time, and Elohim will keep His appointment. If you are celebrating this time with Him, listen intently to hear what He will share with you this year. Keep the festival with the expectation that He will show you something. Why else set up an appointment?
Please take a few moments to share in the comments box below what Elohim gives you this year. As we share together our pieces of the puzzle, we grow in our understanding of Elohim's overall plan. And come back again next week hungry for Torah.
Chag sameach Sukkoth (Rejoice in the festival of Sukkoth), Shalom.