2023. Parasha 8 When you set out Page of 1 6 B’ha-alotecha Num 8:1–12:16; Zech 2:14–4:7; Lk.17:11–18:14 By Raphael ben Levi Here, in this parsha, after a lengthy stay in the Sinai desert, the Israelites prepared for the next stage in their journey to the Promised land. The focus is no longer travelling from but travelling to. The tribes are counted in a census and gathered around the Mishkan, in marching order with silver trumpets being used to gather to give them the signal when move on. And so, finally the journey begins but as in life, nothing ever seems to be plain sailing! In this second phase of their journey, rather than being filled with excitement everything turns out to be a great anti-climax. Instead, we read that the Israelites started to complain about a lack of creature comforts and start to crave other food in place of the manna which God had provided them with. They lamented with the words, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost – also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” Num.11:4-6 It was a distorted yearning for something they should have been grateful for but instead fantasised about their quality of life when they were slaves. They had forgotten that in Egypt they had been oppressed, their male children killed, and had desperately cried out to God for deliverance. Instead of the manna provided by God they had eaten the bread of affliction and tasted bitterness, not meat and fish. There was something so illogical and monstrous about their behaviour that it caused Moses to have a meltdown as we see him at the end of his tether. Until that point he had been in full control of everything no matter how great the crisis but now he cried out in despair words that we would not have associated with such a great and strong leader: “Why have You brought this trouble on Your servant? What have I done to displease You that You put the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I give birth to them?… I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. If this is how You are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me – if I have found favour in Your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin.” Num.11:11-15 This was perhaps the lowest points in Moses’ life. Without any human companionship to find solace, he felt isolated, lonely, misunderstood and rejected even by Aaron and Miriam his brother and sister. He had become the “lonely man of faith.” And yet, it was this very sense of isolation and despair that forced him into a deeper relationship with God. “Whom do I have in heaven but You….” Ps.73:25 Many believers today are experiencing this same type of acute loneliness and isolation perhaps not so different than what Moses felt at this stage in his life. It did not reflect his walk of faith and trust in God – he was just tired and emotionally drained from all his many disappointments from the community of Israelites and now he just experienced one disappointment too many. Had God miscalculated things and given him too great a load to bear? Why didn’t God intervene instead of allowing him to lose his grip on things like grains of sand through one’s fingers? 2023. Parasha 8 When you set out Page of 2 6 For those who can relate, God’s provision for Moses was not the same whereby the solution would be to instantly as it were wave a magic wand and manna or quail would suddenly miraculously fall from the sky. This time the situation was far more serious than previously whereby the Israelites now despised all that God had provided them with and, therefore, their accountability was far greater. And Moses appeared helpless and at a loss what to do. He had come to the end of his tether. And things had become intensely personal. What was God’s response to Moses’ desperate cry to God: “…15 If this is how You are treating me, kill me now! If I have found favor in Your eyes, kill me please—don’t let me see my own misery!” How did God respond? Immediately, with immense compassion, yet without removing the challenges that Moses was facing He said in the following verse: “16 …Bring me 70 of the elders of Israel whom you know to be elders of the people and their leaders. Take them to the Tent of Meeting, so they may stand with you there. 17 Then I will come down and speak with you there, and, I will take some of the Ruach that is on you and will place it on them. They will carry with you the burden of the people, so you will not be carrying it alone.” (Ch.11) It was such a simple and almost obvious solution that Jethro his father-in-law had already suggested at an earlier time but clearly there was something still lacking. It was to supply him with human companionship and support that he so much needed. “…Bring me 70 of the elders of Israel whom you know to be elders of the people and their leaders. Take them to the Tent of Meeting, so they may stand with you there.” God knows the smallest details of our lives, our needs, what is best for us and provides for us in His perfect timings. Whether it be a sovereign act of raining down manna from Heaven, or other sovereign act, He always operates out of the magnificence of His infinite mercy, compassion and generosity. When we choose to accept this, our lives will not necessarily become any easier but they will be transformed as God’s promises never fail and He undertakes to supply all our needs according to His riches through Messiah Yeshua. That demonstrates the extent to which He loves us and His willingness to go the extra mile for us as individuals to bring us ultimately safely the destination he has planned for our lives. Above all of this is the incredible fact that at the moment of Moses’ crisis, God Himself spoke to Moses as a friend. He didn’t use a representative. God takes us through seasons and whether you are currently in the valley or in the mountain tops, God’s love and faithfulness never changes and will always bring us to a spacious place even as He did with Moses. God worked in Moses that which was pleasing in His sight, but first needed to bring him to his knees in utter desperation and despair. And so, Moses is described as the humblest person who walked the earth. Moses became known as the ‘eved Hashem,’ God’s servant. Only one other person, Joshua, his successor, earned this title until we come to the prophecy in Isaiah 42 concerning the Messiah who is also referred to in this way: “Here is my servant, (eved) whom I support, my chosen one, in whom I take pleasure!” 2023. Parasha 8 When you set out Page of 3 6 Rabbi Yochanan said, “Wherever you find the greatness of the Holy One, there you find His humility.” Greatness is humility, for God and for those who seek to walk in His ways. It is also the greatest single source of strength, for if we do not place ourselves in the centre, we cannot be injured by those who criticise or demean us. They are shooting at a target that no longer exists.” Moses learned to reject all betrayal, even when it originated from his immediate family (Aaron and Miriam). We may not always have the strength to do likewise, but God never takes us through any situation that He has not first equipped us to deal with even though sometimes we may muddle through with flailing arms and legs as He drags through the mud to the safety of green pastures! One of the focuses of our parasha this week relates to setting up the Menorah (lampstand) in the Tabernacle. The priests would ‘ascend’ to the Menorah and kindle (set up) the lights to keep them burning 24/7 symbolising God’s continuous care for us who is a “lamp to our feet and a light to our path.” (Ps.119:105) In Rev.2-3 we read about the ‘Seven congregations of Asia.’ Each one was represented by the Menorah. These were literal churches. Each one holds an historical profile and also a personal application for us. Only two were commended but what is interesting is that all seven were surprised at their evaluation. 70 times throughout this book it uses the phrase, “I looked and beheld” referring to what John saw, because there are many people who see yet remain spiritually blind as there are those who hear but do not hear. There are over 800 references to the OT in the Book of Revelation, more so than in any other NT book and 18 of the 22 chapters refer specifically to God’s wrath in the end times. Only two congregations were commended. Smyrna was encouraged to remain strong through great persecution and the Philadelphian congregation remained faithful and true even though they outwardly appeared weak and fragile. The other five were warned that their Menorah would be removed unless they made necessary adjustments. What could be a worse thing than for God to remove His presence from us? In Judaism, the Menorah is a symbol of the Jewish people who are called to be ‘a light to the nations’ (Is 42:6). For most Jews their light remains unlit because it can only be rekindled through Yeshua, who is the Light of the world and a “lamp (menorah) for our feet and light to our path.” He is the true light as prophesied in Scripture: (Is.60:1-5) “Arise, shine, for your light has come! The glory of Adonai has risen on you…Nations will come to your light, kings to the brilliance of your rising.” Yeshua urges every believer in Matt:5:16 to “Let your light so shine before men, {i.e., God in Us} that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” The Menorah was positioned so that it cast light forwards not behind God always reveals the way forward giving light to our pathways. “In Him there is no change nor shadow of turning.” James1:17 It was the only source of light in the Holy Place reminding us that God is the true source of spiritual light that leads us into all truth 2023. Parasha 8 When you set out Page of 4 6 and all other “lights’ are counterfeit. In 2 Cor11:14 the Bible says Satan can present himself as an angel of light and he does so with great subtlety and effectiveness to deceive many. He presents sin as something to be desired, and false teaching as enlightening and life-changing but it has a sting to it that ends in death. Some more things about the Menorah: The 7 branches cast their light forwards and the wicks on both sides were directed to the central stem which concentrated the light in the middle instead of being spread out. A Ner Tamid, (eternal light) is always placed in the front of every synagogue because it reminds us that God is the source of all light. The Torah reveals that the Menorah was made from one piece of hammered gold (Num.8:4) weighing 45 kg and worth $3 million. Gold and fire represented by the Menorah reveal God’s absolute purity. It is a fearful thing to stand in the presence of the Living God! But, it reminds us that we become holy through being fashioned into His likeness – by being hammered. “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. ” (Mal 3:3) God reserves a special blessing for those who walk in holiness: “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” To “see” God in the biblical sense is to know Him intimately. But, it is also a literal promise for every believer who will see Him face to face, “panim el panim” in the world to come. The Levites serving God in the Tabernacle purified themselves before serving in the tabernacle. Num 8:5–7 Every detail connected to them: body, soul, spirit, even down to their clothing, was fully consecrated. This is the measure of holiness that God also demands from us: “…You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Messiah Yeshua” 1 Pet. 2:5. [cf also Rev.1:6 and 5:12] We also read in this parsha of God’s light, His manifest glory, which shone in the Israelite camp called the Shekinah Glory that covered the Tabernacle during the day as a pillar of cloud and as a pillar of fire during the night (9:15). The Shekinah led the Israelites through the desert and they travelled according to when it moved from the camp. (9:18-23). There was never a time when the Israelites failed to follow the leading of the Shekinah despite their failings and shortcomings. The Shekinah glory, God’s Divine presence, reminds us of a future time when He will come in the clouds in all His glory to gather us to Himself for those who walk in obedience to His calling: “16 For the Lord Himself shall come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the blast of God’s shofar, and the dead in Messiah shall rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left behind, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air—and so we shall always be with the Lord.” Although it was only one year since God had delivered the Israelites from Egypt, the Shekinah glory incredibly did not stop them from murmuring and complaining even to the point of rebellion. God in His infinite mercy and compassion gave them 2023. Parasha 8 When you set out Page of 5 6 chance after chance until finally His judgement broke out in their midst: “ 11 The people griped about life in the wilderness, how hard they felt things were for them, and these evil complaints came up to the ears of the Eternal One. He was furious about this ingratitude, faithlessness, and lack of vision. His anger was kindled, and His fire raged among them and devoured some of the camp’s perimeter.” (11:1-3) Whenever a believer allows himself to drift to the outskirts of God’s presence, he will become vulnerable to the lies of the enemy. And those who lust after the things of the flesh are in effect trampling underfoot the eternal sacrifice He has made for us through Yeshua. And, if that was not enough, shortly afterwards Aaron’s own family, Miriam and Aaron, slandered Moses for marrying a Cushite woman, and demanded a higher status and greater recognition than they already possessed—pride. For speaking lashon harah (slander, gossip) and for pride, God temporarily struck Miriam with leprosy for 7 days. Lashon hara is a type of spiritual leprosy. A godly person refuses to gossip and only speaks good of others or maintains his peace. In traditional Judaism we are cautioned not to confuse lashon hara with motzei shem ra (pure slander), which is speaking derisive things which are not true. As the rabbis teach, if speaking that which is true (but is negative, divisive, and/or derisive) is one of the worst of all sins, then how much so the fabrication of a complete lie against another person? There is a Hassidic tale about a man who went around telling malicious lies about his rabbi. Later, he felt remorse and went to the rabbi begging for his forgiveness. The rabbi replied, “Take a feather pillow, cut it open, and scatter the feathers to the winds.” When he returned the rabbi told him, “Now, go and gather the feathers. Because you can no more make amends for the damage your words have done than you can recollect the feathers.” Speech has been compared to an arrow: once the words are released, like an arrow, they cannot be recalled, the harm they do cannot be stopped, and the harm they do cannot always be predicted, for words like arrows often go astray. Spreading gossip will always create a bad scent and it only takes one person to contaminate a whole city. The prime ingredients are lies and half-truths, but even even when it contains truth it still causes untold destruction. The Sages say (Bab. Erchin 15b) that for three transgressions one forfeits his portion in the life hereafter: murder, adultery, and idol worship, but lashon hara is equivalent to all three combined. Spiritual tzara’ot (leprosy) emanates from slanderous speech as we saw with Miriam. Yet, in all of this, why is slandering others so enticing? Why do some believers speak evil about others? We see how lashon hara is being used as a tool in the enemies hands very effectively in this day especially in social media in preparation for the coming of the Anti-Christ. Here is an illustration of the character of God. “One of the beautiful things about Him is that He keeps secrets. He has a million ways of telling everybody all about 2023. Parasha 8 When you set out Page of 6 6 my negatives, but He keeps it all secret. He only boasts to others about the good things!” (Rabbi Carl Carlebach) In other words, God covers and protects us rather than exposing our faults and weaknesses to everyone else. He even covered for Judas Iscariot when he betrayed Him at His last supper. In our Torah portion we notice that the leaders were to serve the people, not the reverse. Moses became known as the ‘eved Hashem’ (servant of God). He interceded on behalf of those who slandered him. Instead of seeking revenge he blessed them. In Isa 42 this was also prophesied about the coming Messiah: “Here is my servant, (eved) whom I support, my chosen one, in whom I take pleasure!” It is interesting how the Tower of Babel and the pyramids of Egypt symbolising the carnal world, represented a ‘top-down’ society that was broad at the base and narrow at the top. However, the Jewish symbol of the menorah is the very opposite: broad at the top, narrow at the base. This reveals how in God’s Kingdom, the leader serves the people, not vice versa. Yeshua made this point very clear throughout His teachings, (e.g., John 13). Rabbi Yochanan said, “Wherever you find the greatness of the Holy One, there you find His humility.” Greatness is humility, for God and for those who seek to walk in His ways. It is also the greatest single source of strength, for if we do not place ourselves in the centre, we cannot be injured by those who criticise or demean us. They are shooting at a target that no longer exists.” www.mekudeshet.co.za
