Lesson date: 08/29/5860AA
Can anyone say “Safety Briefing”? Remember what happened in Leviticus Chapter 10 when Nadab and Abihu lit the golden incense altar with strange fire? They instantly died by fire. Now we see that the generation that came out of Egypt will die in the wilderness and the children younger than 20 years of age will be allowed into the promise land. Immediately, YHVH once again taught the people what they must do to compensate for their lack of faith in His Word.
Lesson date: 09/06/5860AA
I know we have always heard about, read about and talked about the rebellion of Qorah but as I study it I have to be careful how I address it. The reason I say this is that the meaning of the name Qorah: H7141 – קרח – qôrach – BDB Definition: Korah = “bald”. It comes from H7139 – qarach – to make oneself bald. This is talking about unnatural baldness. See why I might be in trouble?
Lev 21:4 ‘A leader does not defile himself among his people, to profane himself;
Lev 21:5 they do not make any bald place on their heads, and they do not shave the corner of their beard, and they do not make a cutting in their flesh.
Continue reading Bemidbar (Numbers) 16 — The Rebellion of Qorah
Lesson date: 09/13/5860AA
It is very ironic that we have this chapter shown to us not even two weeks since the November 5th presidential election. Over the past four years we have a leader that has grown so unpopular that it is estimated, by some who know a lot more than I do, that as many as 20 million members of the same party as the sitting president voted for the opposing presidential candidate. Some say a lot fewer than 20 million but whatever the case, a sizable number did.
Right now, today, the new Republican Senate Leader is trying to figure out how to block the President elect’s cabinet appointments before the new president is even sworn in. What was that? Oh, I thought I heard a grumble somewhere in the distance. In light of this, let’s look at Chapters 16(again) and 17.
Continue reading Bemidbar (Numbers) 17 — Time to Take Action
Lesson date: 09/19/5860AA
Have you ever felt that you have been assaulted by the Scripture? The last couple of weeks have been that for me. YHVH’s Word is Truth and Truth disintegrates lies, traditions and deceptions which cannot stand the test of time. So, after working on Matthew 9, I was looking forward to a nice “bland” chapter in Torah. Oh well, maybe next time.
Verses 1-2 – Stop! Hello! Say what? Wait a minute. There are thousands of Levitical priests. How is Aharon and his two sons supposed to be able to monitor everything that they do? Are Aharon and his sons being held to an impossibly high standard? No more so than Yeshu’a was and who is our High Priest.
Lesson date: 09/27/5860AA
The next 3 chapters are very exciting and all three point to Yeshu’a Messiah; Chapter 19 being the Red Heifer; Chapter 20 is the Rock; and 21 is Bronze serpent on the staff. Something I want to point out, which I usually do not, is the name of the Torah portion, that all 3 of these chapters fall within, is Huqqat which is taken from the first seven words of verse 2 (In English Scriptures). The Hebrew is חֻקַּת הַַַּתּוֹרָה. The word in red is Huqqat – H2708 – Huqqah. The noun “huqqah” ends with a “hey” and is in “construct” with Torah. The rule of two nouns in construct, which means that the first noun is joined to the second noun then the “Hey” is changed to a “Tav”. By doing this it highlights the fact that Huqqah is pertaining to Torah. All Semitic languages, that I am familiar with, have a “noun in construct” rule of one fashion or another. The construct rule in Arabic is much more involved and every part of speech, not just the noun must agree in number, masculine/feminine, verb and adjectives, all have to agree. Aramaic is similar to Hebrew with a few more rules. Farsi and Arabic are very similar.
Lesson date: 2/18/5857AA
As I mentioned last week Bemidbar 19, 20 and 21 leap off the pages as undeniable proof of Yeshu’a as our Messiah and are singled out as such in the B’rit Hadasha: 1Co 10:4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed, and the Rock was Messiah.
Verses 1-4 – We immediately see that Miryam dies in Qadesh during the month of Aviv in The Wilderness of Tsin. Remember, during this time Tsin is the Moon god and considered much more powerful than the Sun god in pagan religions of the area. No sooner than arriving there we also see that they people once again assemble before Mosheh and Aharon and contend with Mosheh. Once again they ask why Mosheh did not let them die somewhere else. This time everyone makes a mistake.The people make a huge mistake. The messenger in the column of cloud/fire has brought them there but they immediately begin complaining about a place YHVH has chosen form them and call it evil even though it is named Qadesh: H6946 – sanctuary, set-apart. Continue reading Bemidbar (Numbers) 20
Verses 1-3 – Chapter 21 is by its very construction an unusual chapter. After 30 days of mourning the death of Aharon Yisra’el is attacked by King Arad – H6166 – wild donkey – sovereign of the Kena’anites attacked Yisra’el because he had heard that they were coming on the way to Atharim and even took some captives. The interesting part of this story is “on the way to Atharim – אֲתַָרִים : the phrase should really read “the way of the spies”. This is alluding to “the way of the spies” when they went into the Promised Land to spy out the land. This probably relates to a military strategy of posting lookouts on the route that the spies took in case they ever returned by the same route. I am sure at this point that King Arad thought that the Yisra’elites had strengthened their army enough that they were now ready to invade Kena’an.
Lesson date: 03/02/5857AA
This chapter has a most unlikely hero and also an odd prophet and an even stranger villian but for me it is a beautiful tale of YHVH appearing to His servants in the most unlikely of ways.
Verses 1-4 – After the Children of Yisra’el’s run in with Sihon and Og they have camped along the Jorden River opposite Jericho and draw the attention of Balaq son of Tsippor: H1111 – בּלק – bâlâq -BDB Definition: Balak = “devastator”, waster. Now, with a really cool sobriqet like “devastator” you would expect him to be the son of Rambo or Terminator but unfortunately for him he is the son of sparrow: H6834 – צפּור – tsippôr – BDB Definition: Zippor = “sparrow”. This may be one of the reasons that he seems to be afraid of the Children of Yisra’el instead of sending messengers to go and speak with the leaders of Yisra’el. Here is little something very special: Pro 26:2 As a bird wanders, as a swallow flies about, So a curse without cause does not come. Continue reading Bemidbar (Numbers) 22
Lesson date: 03/07/5857AA
Before I started on this study guide I went back to the first study guide I printed for the qahal and it was this chapter. I began comparing what I wanted to say to what I had already written and thought, “Not too shabby”. The study guide was completed about Aviv 20, 5854AA. It’s been 3 years and roughly 2 months since I began writing study guides. I don’t know how to “judge” that. Is it an accomplishment? It is obvious I will not win an award for the most chapters of Torah read in a single year. On thinking back to where we were then and comparing that to where we are now I remembered 2016’s Sabbatical Year. I never felt prouder of being with any group of people in the world than I was with you guys at Sukkot that year, standing and sitting, on the Main Street corner and reading Torah to the whole town. We received a wide range of reactions, shock, dismay, curiousity, acceptance, yelling and rebuke to name just a few. We are now just 2 years away from the next Sabbatical year and I am looking forward to it. The world is changing so fast I have to ask, “Where will we be in 2 years?” “Will we still be able to openly read Scripture?” Next time it my gets us shot, stoned or arrested. No joke. Continue reading Bemidbar (Numbers) 23
Lesson date: 03/08/5857AA
Verse 1 – טוֹב בְעֵינֵי יהוה לְבָּרֵךְ אֶת־ ישְרָּאֵל This is a very important phrase and we need to remember it.
Toḇ b’ayney יהוה l’ḇareḵ et Yisra’ĕl – It is good in His, YHVH’s eyes to bless Yisra’el.
CahalTx 