ARIEL

by Patrick Shannon  071214tpat  Our Torah portion this week is Pinechas. you might see it spelled Pinchas or Phineas. in our English translations, but its basically numbers 25 through 29.  and depending on your translation the last verse might be 30 verse 1.  The Torah portion covers several general topics.  Five (5) actually.  One (1) regarding Pinchas or Phineas, and Midyan, Yahwehs judgement of them favorable for Phineas and not so favorable for Midyan, Numbers 26 the entire chapter is a census of this new generation. Where we are is Israel is now a whole new generation from the ones who left Egypt for the most part, and they are camped– if this is Israel my left arm held up which is not Israel yet, the nation of Israel which has wandered around the wilderness has coming in around the right side of that about to cross the Jordan and they are on a plain called the plains of Moab, or Shittim, and it is actually a lowland part before you cross the river with mount Peor sort of behind them which they just came through.  Numbers 27 talks about the daughters of selafad, and its basically the tribe of Manassa, their father was killed, and they approached the elders- they approached Moshe, and they asked just because our dad died and he had no sons, shouldn’t we the daughters inherit the land.  Moses checked in with Yahweh and so the answer “yes” rubber stamped, Manassa a tribe.  Also in that chapter the second half of it, Yehoshua, the actual Hebrew name of Joshua, the star of the book of Joshua, is the succeed Moshe.  Yahweh says to him, you are not going in to the promised land, I am going to let you go up and look at it, but you are not going in.  Moshe renamed Joshua, Yehoshua which happens to be the same name as our Messiah, Yehoshua, Salvation of Yah.  Before that it was Joshua (Hosea)

Numbers 28 and 29, two whole chapters listing all the offerings and the appointed times which we are to keep.

We are going to zoom in on the part of Phineas or Pinchas.  It’s going to come back to one basic thing. What an example this guy was.  I’m going to read the entire chapter…

by Rabbi Paul Falk.   This weeks Torah portion is called Balak if you are reading the first few lines, they would translate Now Balak son of Zapor saw what Israel had done to the Ammorites.

This one Torah portion is special to me. Most of the Torah up to this point is a documentary, where the focus stays on one family.  The relationship of the people of Israel and Yahweh.  We don’t see the other three hundred and some degrees of what Yahweh is doing in the rest of the world.

What is intriguing is it starts off with this idea of the Ammorites.  If you didn’t read earlier, you would not know that the Ammorites had just had a war with Moab.  This was just talked about in regard to Heshban.  Heshban was stolen away from the Moab.  Israel comes in and they annihilate the Ammorites,  and take over Heshban.  So the opposing peoples to the Israelites were concerned about that annihilation.

Why do the mysteries of the secret things belong to Yahweh.  Why is the scripture a puzzle.  You have to look in different books and find them mixed throughout different books.  Why do that?

What if I told you that Balaam is one of the most notorious individuals in scripture.  Mentioned as one of the 3 most wanted, or most decrepit individuals that have come upon creation. He is a false prophet.  He leads people to idolatry.  He is the anti-Moses.  Someone who has a complete relationship with Yahweh, but uses it for his own purposes.  (more in audio)

by Rick Ortiz      The first thing we find in this Torah portion is the commandment we find regarding the red heifer, Miriam’s death is in this, Moses striking the rock instead of speaking to it.   If you look with more detail is it the act of him striking the rock that causes him to be punished.  Initially he was instructed to strike the rock to get water from it, but then he was told to speak to the rock, there had to be a vast difference in what happened there. Aaron’s death is also in this portion.  The thing that is interesting about Aaron’s death is that they mourned for him for 30 days.  Typically in Judaism when you mourn for that time it is reserved for family members.   So you gain an understanding about their regard for Aaron.  There is a lot more than this, but these [above] are the highlights.  The fiery serpents.  This is one of the first times we hear about serpents in their walk through the wilderness.  Undoubtedly serpents live in the wilderness.   Is it that God brought the serpents, or that God lifted the veil of protection and allowed the serpents.  But what I want to focus on is the red heifer.  Numbers 19:2 starts: this is the ordinance of the law that the Lord has commanded.  It is interesting the wording.  The Lord commanded speak to the children of Israel that they bring a red heifer, without spot, where there is no blemish upon which there has been no yoke.   1. Completely red.  No yoke to be laid on it.  In order for it to be completely red, even two hairs would have rendered it not acceptable for the sacrifice.   It takes time to make that determination, to find that animal.  No yoke, means if even a mat was placed on the animal that would have rendered it unacceptable.  From birth it would not have had to do any work.  And you shall give her to Eleazer the priest that he may bring her forth from without the camp and one shall slay her before his face.  And ….

explained by Patrick Shannon.

explained by Patrick Shannon.  (Summary) As the Israelites arrive adjacent to the promised land, spies are sent in to survey.  Caleb, comes back and reports that, truly it is filled with Milk and Honey.  And pommegranite fruit.  The people are strong.  The cities are walled.  We saw the sons of Anuk.  Giants.  So let’s go, now let’s take it.

But then other spies reported conversely, opposite perspective.  The people lifted up their voices, and they cried.  They grumbled against Yahweh’s leaders.  They were depressed and they were bitter.   They questioned the motives of Yahweh.  Why? To kill us. To give us as prey to our enemies.   Egypt is better than this.  They wanted to appoint a leader and turn back to Egypt.  Back to oppressive slavery, but at least we will live, and for food, leeks, onions, fish, and melons.

Joshua stood up and said.  No, no, no, this is an exceedingly good land, and if Yahweh is going to lead us, we can’t lose.  These people are bread, they are food for us.  It says that all the congregation wanted to stone him and kill him.  ,

No one except Joshua and Caleb would enter from the original group.

The people who Yahweh committed to 40 years in the desert, one year for each day the spies were in the land, till the generation that doubted were no longer.  However they were still his people.  Their children were not cursed, they entered the promised land.  But the spies who lied to the people and caused the rebellion, they were plagued and died.

More concepts that seem unrelated but have a common thread tying them together, not doubting Yahweh and remembering and following his commands.