It’s five priests for more than 2 million Israelites. That is, until it’s down to only three because Nadav and Avihu die for their rebellion against Father Yah. Even more socking, neither their father Aaron nor their brothers are allowed to bury them, because then the whole priesthood is at risk and, along with it, the fate of the entire nation. What Moshe and Aaron do now will literally determine the fate of an entire nation. No pressure guys, but whatever you do, you better do it soon!
Welcome to the ordination of the priests, where one mistake can cost you your life and put a nation of more than 2 million in jeopardy. But Tzav is about far more than just a series of regulations regarding purity and sacrifices. It reaches deep into the secrets of time and history that are embedded in its text. Enjoy the journey!
As the third book of Moshe opens, we are right back where we were at the end of Exodus. The Tabernacle is being erected and the detailed instructions for establishing the priesthood are being given. But there is so much else going on in this parsha than details on how to do burnt offerings! Our Messiah Y’shua is literally all over this text, sometimes in very surprising ways. Also find out about the latest calendar controversy literally just in time for Pesach and an counter missionary attack on Messiah that appeared to some so scary, that even a professional NT Greek scholar came to me for help on it. See the tricks and traps the counter missionaries use to twist the Torah and deny Messiah, from one who used to do that very thing (yes I mean me).
Now the book of Exodus (Shemot) wraps up with some of its most amazing secrets, but they don’t reveal themselves easily. How is the approach of this parsha sending a strong message of integrity that echoes straight into our daily headlines? How does Aaron anticipate the end of King David’s life when nearly five centuries separate the two men? And, perhaps most interesting of them all, how is the Renewed Covenant message tied to the colors of the Tabernacle? These and many other revelations await, as I actually show the real math behind all these connections. Enjoy!
They are the most mysterious and most fascinating objects ever built by the hand of man, and three and a half millennia later their blueprints survive in exacting detail and the history remains as powerful and fresh as when these events first happened. To explore the translation issues and versions around these descriptions is like interviewing a series of ancient witnesses to reconstruct what otherwise would seem hopelessly lost. Also explore with me the common thread behind a series of excellent member Q&A that I call “Found in Translation”. Enjoy!
It starts as a census and ends in one of the most terrifying idolatrous rebellions in history. This is the week the Israelites worship the golden calf and nearly destroy themselves in the process. Only the hope of Moshe’s intercession and the promise of Torah observance can save them. But will that help come in time or will Father Yah carry out His plans to start a new nation from Moshe? It all comes down to one remarkable conversation, between Father Yah and the distressed leader Moshe who seems closer to despair than he has ever been.
Chag Samayach and welcome to the 2018 Purim Special! From a prolonged preview and set up from Genesis and Exodus, to deep roots in the NT (from two Gospels) Purim is a feast not just of great joy but of surprise twists and turns. What historical roots from Genesis caused Hamam to want to destroy not just Mordechai but all of the Jewish people? And how did one of the most famous battles of the pagan world have a direct impact in paving the way for attempted genocide? And why is this the only book in the entire Tanakh to not be in the Dead Sea Scrolls–or is it the only one? Come and explore all this with us, and so much more, as we see that Purim is more than a carnival and Esther is more than a queen.
They say the best secrets are the ones that hide in plain sight. The ones in this parsha are no exception, as the most visible and prominent member of the Israelite community–the high priest–literally hides a universe worth of secrets both on and under his own clothes. The fabrics, the colors, the dimensions, not a single detail is without a deeper meaning. Also get a very special calendar update on the challenges that await us in 2019 and find out how one of the most familar parables of them all hides one of the greatest secrets of them all. And feast season returns…the Purim Special is next week!
It is literally the blueprint of the Universe itself. This is the parsha where we are told repeatedly “See that you make everything according to the pattern you saw on the mountain”. So every cubit, every talent of gold, every structure large or small is representing on earth what is in the heavens. And, as we will also see, ultimately that will also lead to the ultimate terumah, that Yeshua the Messiah Himself!
It is perhaps the most comprehensive collection of commands ever assembled for a single Torah portion. Mishpatim has a near encyclopedic reach of concerns, from knowing when to use deadly force to an intruder, to rules for proper agriculture and from the world’s first known worker’s compensation system to proper management of servants, Mishpatim seems to cover pretty much every major aspect of life from that time. And yet, embedded in this amazing body of laws, protections and regulations a stunning vision of the heavenly throne awaits with an especially powerful message. What will Moshe see this week that literally no one else before him ever did? Find out from the only account of the event that has survived: his own.
“And Elohim led Israel out with a mighty hand and with signs and wonders”. Nowhere are the words more true than this week, as Pharaoh’s entire army id destroyed in the Sea of Reeds. It’s the greatest chariot force to be destroyed by Israel—that is, until our Haftorah Portion in Judges 4-5, where Sisera’s fleet of 900 iron chariots is defeated by a woman with a glass of milk. You can’t make this stuff up. Also a special update on the latest Dead Sea Scrolls research that literally broke only a few days ago. Enjoy!