One of the three last speeches Moshe will give before he dies ends while a second one begins. The “Farewell Tour” keeps rolling forward with Ten Commandments 2.0: The Next Generation, the giving of the Shema Prayer along with many other commandments to make sure “you will prolong your days and prosper and long remain in the land Yahweh your Elohim is giving you.”
One of the three last speeches Moshe will give before he dies ends while a second one begins. The “Farewell Tour” keeps rolling forward with Ten Commandments 2.0: The Next Generation, the giving of the Shema Prayer along with many other commandments to make sure “you will prolong your days and prosper and long remain in the land Yahweh your Elohim is giving you.”
It’s time for a 40 year recap. As we prepare to enter the last day of Moshe’s life, also known as Deuteronomy, Moshe is taking stock, literally, as his fourth book draws to a close. Legal cases are wrapped up and Moshe’s status with Father YHWH is confirmed as Moshe must face the twin challenges of marshaling for war and preparing for his own death. He also faces yet another quiet rebellion but one no less dangerous as two tribes ask to settle east of the Jordan before there brothers complete the war with Midian to enter the Jordan on the west. What Moshe decides here will literally change the fate of millions for all time.
It’s time for a 40 year recap. As we prepare to enter the last day of Moshe’s life, also known as Deuteronomy, Moshe is taking stock, literally, as his fourth book draws to a close. Legal cases are wrapped up and Moshe’s status with Father YHWH is confirmed as Moshe must face the twin challenges of marshaling for war and preparing for his own death. He also faces yet another quiet rebellion but one no less dangerous as two tribes ask to settle east of the Jordan before there brothers complete the war with Midian to enter the Jordan on the west. What Moshe decides here will literally change the fate of millions for all time.
Pinchus refers to the man whose righteous example of purging evil from Israel’s ranks moved Abba YHWH to stop a plague that would have otherwise destroyed all Israel. More than that, the portion starts with Pinchus getting a particularly high honor from Abba YHWH, the covenant of peace that rests on him alone and ensures his progeny the high priesthood.But with the population of Israel decimated by the plague, a new census had to be done in chapter 26. When that counting was concluded, Moshe is then given a very interesting issue to deliberate on: Should women be allowed to inherit their father’s estate under certain special circumstances? Abba YHWH’s answer back to Moshe and Israel then shows us literally the most progressive law regarding women’s rights in the entire ancient world!
Pinchus refers to the man whose righteous example of purging evil from Israel’s ranks moved Abba YHWH to stop a plague that would have otherwise destroyed all Israel. More than that, the portion starts with Pinchus getting a particularly high honor from Abba YHWH, the covenant of peace that rests on him alone and ensures his progeny the high priesthood.But with the population of Israel decimated by the plague, a new census had to be done in chapter 26. When that counting was concluded, Moshe is then given a very interesting issue to deliberate on: Should women be allowed to inherit their father’s estate under certain special circumstances? Abba YHWH’s answer back to Moshe and Israel then shows us literally the most progressive law regarding women’s rights in the entire ancient world!
A female donkey proves herself more righteous than the prophet Father Yah sent on a special mission. It’s not some kind of sit-com nor is is it a weird off-Broadway play. It’s our parsha this week, Balak, and there is so much more going on that just having that special beast of burden,. It is also the story of a king who, fearing he cannot destroy Israel militarily, engages in spiritual warfare that hilariously backfires, but those laughs don’t last as that same king will find a far more deadly weapon–a bunch of party ladies–that proves far more deadly than anything else he could have used. Stay tuned for what is by far one of the most eccentric yet essential sections of the Torah this week.
A female donkey proves herself more righteous than the prophet Father Yah sent on a special mission. It’s not some kind of sit-com nor is is it a weird off-Broadway play. It’s our parsha this week, Balak, and there is so much more going on that just having that special beast of burden,. It is also the story of a king who, fearing he cannot destroy Israel militarily, engages in spiritual warfare that hilariously backfires, but those laughs don’t last as that same king will find a far more deadly weapon–a bunch of party ladies–that proves far more deadly than anything else he could have used. Stay tuned for what is by far one of the most eccentric yet essential sections of the Torah this week.
This is a parsha with a stark study in contrasts. Here the red heifer instructions are given though they had clearly been in place previously and well understood, and it is in this parsha also that both Miriam and Aaron die. The other significant part of Chukkat is that within an instant of time in terms of the text, 38 years are skipped and we go from being at the start of the wilderness journey to almost its end. Here also Moshe makes his last tragic error–the one that directly guarantees he will not live to enter into the Promised Land. His story is nearing its end as Moshe prepares his people for some of the greatest challenges that lie in their immediate future.
This is a parsha with a stark study in contrasts. Here the red heifer instructions are given though they had clearly been in place previously and well understood, and it is in this parsha also that both Miriam and Aaron die. The other significant part of Chukkat is that within an instant of time in terms of the text, 38 years are skipped and we go from being at the start of the wilderness journey to almost its end. Here also Moshe makes his last tragic error–the one that directly guarantees he will not live to enter into the Promised Land. His story is nearing its end as Moshe prepares his people for some of the greatest challenges that lie in their immediate future.