The precariousness of life…
At 20 years old, this American nature lover was attacked by a tiger shark while surfing in Hawaii. He escaped by repeatedly punching the shark and then swimming as fast as he could back to the beach. The result: seven stitches in his thigh.
Probability of being attacked by a shark in the USA: one chance in 11.5 million.
A year later, Dylan was camping in the wild and, while sleeping in his tent, he was attacked by a brown bear that grabbed his head in its jaws… He escaped by digging his fingers into the bear’s eyes. The result: nine staples to close the wounds on his scalp.
Probability of being attacked by a bear in the USA: one chance in 2.1 million.
A year later, Dylan was hiking in Utah when he stepped on a rattlesnake that bit him. Since he was far from any hospital and wasn’t in too much pain, he decided to continue his hike. He felt unwell for two days but eventually recovered.
Probability of being bitten by a snake in the USA: one chance in 37,500.
The probability of being attacked by a shark, a bear, and a snake during one’s lifetime: one in 894,000 trillion…
However, the probability of the Lord’s soon return is no less than 100%! Are you ready?
NASO (lift up) Num 4:21–7:89; Judges 13:2–25; Jn. 11:1–54
By Raphael ben Levi
This parasha contains a variety of well-known passages in particular the Aaronic blessing, but let’s first focus on a passage in Num.7 that follows on from the Aaronic blessing.
Num.7 is a chapter that is easy to glance over because it is so repetitive! The Aaronic blessing in Num.6 contains one of the most loved passages in the Tanakh, but it’s immediately followed by a chapter that people can easily skip over and fail to afford it the proper attention it deserves. Are not the best treasures usually hidden just under the surface?
In ch.7 the offerings are presented by each of the 12 tribes for the dedication of the Tabernacle. Every day for 12 days, identical offerings were presented by a different tribe that would be brought on six wagons drawn by oxen. This all appears somewhat 3rd-worldish (oxen & wagons) for our modern senses in a world filled with AI and space-age technology! However, God’s word is God’s word, and when we begin to scrutinise things more closely in context within a Jewish cultural sense, we see how this particular segment is as beautiful and profound as any other of the Bible. It just takes a little more effort to unravel. The details surrounding the offerings are provided in minute detail which in itself signals something we should pay attention to So here we go!
The offerings brought by the 12 tribes were presented on,
- 1 silver plate (5lbs) and 1 silver bowl (3lbs). Both were filled with fine flour mixed with oil for the grain offering; (v13). Fine flour means that it was the best quality. We should never offer God second best – the crumbs under the table, unless we want to receive things from Him that are second best because everything we sow in life is what we will reap. Silver is used symbolically in Scripture to speak of redemption, and 5 (the weight of the silver plate) is the gematria for grace. The silver bowl was smaller and weighed 3 pounds, the gematria of Divine perfection. This offering was known as the meat offering although it actually contained no meat. The ingredients of fine flour + oil were used in making bread, and when we combine this with the understanding that Yeshua is the Bread of life things become clearer. The meat offering was a foreshadowing of Yeshua, the Lamb of God who voluntarily sacrificed His life for our sins.
- 1 gold ladle was presented to God by the priests that was filled with incense for the incense offering; v14. In Ps.141:2, David says: “May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice”) and in Rev. 8 John saw this portrayed as replicating the prayers of believers.
- 1 young bull, 1 ram and a male lamb in their first year were offered as a burnt offering; v15
- a he-goat without blemish as a sin offering; v16
- and 2 cattle, 5 rams, 5 he-goats and 5 sheep without blemish for peace offerings. v17
- And of course there were the freewill offerings which speaks for itself, but although there is much further depth we could get into here, the primary point I wish to share vis that through the continual sacrifice of animals, God was burning into the heart of every person an awareness of their own sin and their ongoing need for His forgiveness and redemption.
The descriptions of the offerings in the text are identical for each tribe and one may wonder what purpose Scripture has in repeating things 12 times over instead of just once? One is for emphasis. First, we know that the longer a narrative the Bible devotes to any particular section, the greater is its importance. For example, the Bible devotes only 34 verses to the origins of creation, but hundreds of verses for the building of the Tabernacle. The late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks put it this way. “The universe is vast. The Mishkan was small. So then why devote so much time to the construction of the Mishkan? The reason is profound. The Torah is not man’s book of God, it is God’s book of mankind. It is not difficult for an infinite, omnipotent creator to make a home for humanity, what is difficult is for human beings to make a home for God.”
When the tabernacle was being constructed, the whole community of Israel were invited to contribute a free-will offering according to whatever they could afford – and they gave generously until there was an overflow that was more than sufficient (Ex. 35:27 ) But it was here, after the tabernacle had been built, that the leaders of each tribe were commanded to obtain a collection from their own tribe for the dedication of the tabernacle. In both cases – with the building of the tabernacle and with its dedication – the manner of giving held greater significance to God than the amount – no different for us as believers whether we be millionaires or paupers!
God does not discriminate against us as His creation, or show favouritism, but each of us are equally valued and accountable in His sight. When we give our best to God it will gain eternal applause from the corridors of Heaven and God will always return His blessings to us 100-fold. Should we only offer Him the scraps under the table, we will also be blessed accordingly and our reward will be paltry in comparison. 1Cor.3 states that “…If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work.…”
The story of the widow’s mite in Mk.12 demonstrates our uniqueness and indispensability to God. Two mites were worth the value of the smallest Roman coin and equivalent to about 6 mins. of an average daily wage for an unskilled labourer. But to give our best has nothing to do with quantity but rather with the quality of our giving.
Did God need the Israelites to build a structure to serve as His dwelling place? Of course not! Rather, He gave the Israelites an opportunity to make something with their own hands under His direction that would be treasured because they took ownership of it in response to His instructions. This was in contrast to the Golden Calf that represented disobedience in its ugliest form.
Here is presented a picture of redemption. The Golden Calf represents the wages of sin; the tabernacle, a redeemed and fulfilled life. Cooperating with God is always the best investment we can make in life’s opposed to rebellion which Scripture defines as the sin of witchcraft! (1Sam.15:23)
So now let’s move on to the prayer known as the “Aaronic blessing” or “Brachah Ha Kohanim” that contains three stanzas:
The first stanza contains three words. יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה, וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ a blessing from the triune God.
In the second, we have five words, יָאֵר יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ, וִיחֻנֶּךָּ referring to God’s grace extended to us.
And the third stanza contains seven words: יִשָּׂא יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ, וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם referring to the promised blessing of God’s perfect peace offered to every true believer. In the Hebrew text, there is an increase in the number of letters: 3 in the first stanza – 5 in the second, and 7 in the third. This is because God’s intention is to bless us exponentially above all we can imagine, step by step, incrementally in the fullness of time that is a characteristic of first-love.
THREE is the gematria for something that’s substantial, complete and entire.
FIVE for Divine grace and mercy,
SEVEN in the Hebrew is the word “SHEVAH” representing Divine perfection derived from the root “SAVAH” meaning “to be full or satisfied.”
Let me share something here with regard to Yeshua’s genealogy. In the genealogy of Lk.3 there consists exactly 77 names, with GOD at the one end, and Yeshua at the other, stamping it with the number of spiritual perfection – the number seven is found in only two of the four Gospels purposefully. Without going into detail, the two lines were united and met completion, converging fully in Messiah Yeshua. Through His death and resurrection, both lines ended as Yeshua as the King of Kings legally by right – the Servant King who is declared to be, the Son of God and the conquering King!
Donald Trump’s catchphrase on “X” is “Thank you for your attention.” Little does he appreciate that God’s attention is upon us at all times with even the smallest details. He lifts up His countenance – never a moment passes without us being on His mind before our conception! Our eternal destiny is in His hands, where He gives us the choice to place our full and active trust in Him (Isa.26:3) so that His “…good work which He began in us (from birth) will be brought to completion through Yeshua.” (Phil.1:6)
The Aaronic blessing goes beyond prosperity, success or happiness, representing the fullness of God’s love expressed to us through Yeshua as our Abba Father – His own personal undivided attention upon each one of His beloved!
It is used by Jewish parents as they bless their children on Shabbat being descriptive of a bride and groom under the chupah during their wedding ceremony. It is the simplest and most beautiful of all blessings. What gives the priestly blessings their power is their simplicity and beauty.
The first verse, “May the Lord bless you and protect you” refers to material blessings. The second, “May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you” refers to moral blessing. The third is perhaps the best of all – His peace that passes all understanding that keeps our hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God. The Psalmist expressed it this way: “Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me” (Ps.131:2).
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks spoke of a story regarding a crowd of people who had gathered on a hill by the sea to watch a great ship pass by. A young child was waving furiously. One of the men in the crowd asks him why. He said, “I am waving so the captain of the ship can see me and wave back.” “But,” said the man, “the ship is far away, and there is a crowd of us here. What makes you think that the captain can see you?” “Because,” said the boy, “the captain of the ship is my father. He will be looking for me among the crowd.”
Rabbi Sacks explained how this is what we mean when we say, “May the Lord turn His face toward you”. There are over seven billion people now living on this earth. What makes any of us more than a face in the crowd, a wave in the ocean, a grain of sand on the seashore, or merely an arbitrary number? The fact is that we as born-again believers are God’s children. He is our parent – our “Abba.” He turns His face toward us. He cares for us beyond our wildest imaginations!.
The name used in the Aaronic Blessing speaks of God – Adonai – as He relates to us uniquely as individuals and listens intently to us when we speak to Him.
I stress the point that we matter to God who cares for us as a parent cares for a child. That is one reason why the priestly blessings are all in the singular rather than the plural, to emphasise that God’s blessing are intensely individual , as the sages say, “One life is like a universe to God.” We are more than just an impersonal number to Him and have always been!
I know that God is looking for me, waving to me as I wave to Him. The Book of Hebrews reminds us that “… He is able to save forever (completely, perfectly, for eternity) those who come to God through (Yeshua), since He always lives to intercede and intervene on (Our) behalf [with God].” (V.25) We do not need to prove ourselves in order to receive a Divine blessing from God. All we need to know is that His face is turned toward us.
So the Aaronic Blessing commences from the external blessing of material goods to the interpersonal blessing of grace between ourselves and others, to the greatest of them all, His shalom that passes understanding through Yeshua who embraces us in His everlasting arms. To bless, we must love, and to be blessed is to know that we are loved by the One who is vaster than the universe yet turns His face toward us as a parent would does their beloved child.
Many of the words in the Aaronic blessing are abstract words, including; bless, keep, gracious, countenance and shalom. This is how they are translated because modern Western thinkers are comfortable with abstract thought, unlike the Jewish people. The Hebrew language uses words that are filled with concrete imagery that is easily lost in translation. This is why we need to examine them from their original cultural and linguistic perspectives. For example, in the famous painting of the “Mona Lisa” we “read” how her face reflects her many different moods, emotions, and thoughts. She is described as being inscrutable. But which one of her characteristics is the most accurate?
When the Aaronic blessing ends, it follows with the words, “And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.” (Num.6:27). But, how does one “put a name” on another person? The priests spoke the Aaronic blessing over the people and within it is contained the character of Yahweh that unlike the Mona Lisa is in full view and defined throughout Scripture. The Hebrew word for “name” is “shem”, that literally means “character.” In fact, in Hebrew, the names of people and creatures are always related to their “character.” That’s why when we pray, we do so in the name Yeshua. When the priests spoke the words of the Aaronic blessing, they placed the character/name of YHVH upon them with a sign from the hands forming the Hebrew letter “Shin” for “Shaddai” – God Almighty, the One who meets all our needs. But it was not one-sided. They then, in return, were expected to represent God’s character and be a blessing to others.
The Hebrew word “paniym,” means “face,” but it is always written in the plural reflecting the multiple faces that constitute the uniqueness of each person. It embraces the “presence” or the “wholeness of being” of you and me. When we speak in the 6th month of ELUL, a time when traditionally in Jewish thought the King enters the Field of our lives, He meets us alone yet in His fullness, ‘’Face to Face” (“paneem l’paneem”) in the plural – yet another reference to the Trinity!
One last thing regarding the word “Gracious” a word contained in the Aaronic blessing – “…to make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you…” Jeff Benner wrote that, “Most theologians will define “grace” as “unmerited favour,” but notice the abstractness of these words. The Hebrew verb translated as gracious in the Aaronic blessing is the verb “hhanan” and is often paralleled with other Hebrew words meaning healing, help, being lifted up, finding refuge, strength and rescue.”
And in the Aaronic blessing it is employed to mean, “to be gracious.” In the song “Koli et Adonai et chanan…” (I cried out to the Lord to be gracious), the word is derived from the Hebraic perspective of “Divine protection.” Where does one run to for protection and who do we run to? The camp, which in Hebrew is the word “hanah”, is a word related to “chanan”. So who do we run to? It is the place and the person – “God is our refuge and our strength…” (Ps.46)
So in conclusion, the Aaronic blessing is understood from the Bible in Hebrew to be literally translated as:
Yahweh will kneel before you presenting gifts and will guard you with a hedge of protection.
Yahweh will illuminate the wholeness of his being toward you bringing order and he will give you comfort and sustenance.
Yahweh will lift up his wholeness of being and look upon you and he will set in place all you need to be whole and complete.
Some people may be concerned about the phrase to “kneel before you,” because they cannot perceive of God kneeling before us. We too often think of God as some impersonal tyrannical judge when in reality He is the “Abba” father of every true believer, One who cares about every detail of our lives and has our best in mind. So, if a young child comes to his father with a request, would he tower over him glaring, or kneel down to his level, eye to eye and gently say, “What is it my child that I can do for you?” The word for kneeling is purposeful, not intended as a literal kneeling down, but the common Hebrew way of expressing an abstract thought through concrete means.
