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By Raphael ben Levi
We are looking forward to celebrating Purim in a few weeks during the 12th month
of ADAR in the Hebrew calendar.
This year is a leap year, sometimes referred to as shanah me’uberet (literally
“pregnant year”). In order to assure that the lunar months of the Jewish year stay in
sync with the solar calendar, an additional month of Adar is added.— so we have
ADAR 1 and ADAR 2. Why is it “shanah me’uberet?” Because it is a month of
double blessings filled with joy and anticipation! The the Talmud states that “when
the month of Adar arrives, we increase in joy” to welcome a season of miracles. The
12th month of Adar was the last month the Jewish people spent in Egypt before
the Exodus. So this month of ADAR 1 that we are currently in was designed by God
for us to be a season of great joy leading to even greater rejoicing as we draw ever
closer to Passover.
In addition, the Hebrew name “Adar” is related to the word “adir,” denotes strength
and power. So in this month we can expect to see the miraculous power of God that
will fill us with great joy as we see His miraculous hand displayed!
In biblical times, a leap year was determined by observation dependent upon the
early barley harvest. If the barley wasn’t in the green stage of ripeness, it would be
declared a leap year, delaying by one month the beginning of the new year known
as the month of Aviv (spring) or Nisan, and this ensured that Passover would fall in
its proper month. So, the month of Aviv/Nisan and the state of barley are closely
connected.“And you shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until
the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your Elohim: it shall be a
statute forever throughout your generations in all their dwellings. (Lev.23:14)
Around 350AD, the head of the Sanhedrin, Hillel HaNasi, noticed that the method of
determining leap years through observation wasn’t reliable any more following the
destruction of the Second Temple in 70AD mainly due to the fact that the majority of
Jews now lived in exile and were spread out across the nations and time zones.
Hillel was a mathematical genius and succeeded in establishing a calendar that2024 Purim Katan Terumah + Tetzaveh Page of
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designated leap months, and took barley and other signs of spring out of the
equation. His calendar became known as the Calculated calendar and these rules
and calculations kept the seasons and the solar year aligned without a single
observation of a new moon or a series of sunsets.
We haven’t time here to discuss the merits of the “Observable” calendar verses the
“Calculated” calendar but suffice it to say that since 350AD World Jewry has
followed the Calculated Calendar. (Cf., “Romance of the Hebrew Calendar”)
But as a passing observation the fact remains that the whole concept of time is a
human invention and although we as mortals are in time, He is timeless. When we
understand this it reminds us that even our most precise calculations are clumsy in
comparison with His absolute precision and perfection. This helps us to better
appreciate the absolute dependability of our God and the importance of trusting
Him in all things. He is always entirely faithful and His timings are perfect.
The Hebrew calendar (both observable and adapted) have provided Jewish people
throughout history with a precise framework to celebrate our Creator God revealed
through Yeshua who was,sent into the world at ‘just the right time.’
Adar I became known as ‘Purim Katan’ (“Little Purim”) marked only basically with a
festive meal. So, then, what spiritual significance does it hold for us? Purim Katan is
considered to be a time of preparation to reflect on the lessons of the Purim
story and apply them to our lives. This I believe is vital particularly due to the
current times we live in. One of the lessons of Purim relates to the intense spiritual
warfare waged against the Jewish people on multiple levels. This is why, for us as
believers, Scripture urges us to put on the whole armour of God that we would
engage the demonic forces in this world successfully and without compromise. A
good example can be found in Deut.25:17-19 where the Israelites were instructed
to utterly wipe out their mortal enemies, the Amalekites:
“Remember what the Amalekites did to you as you were coming out of Egypt? They
found you on the road when you were all worn out, and they attacked those who
had fallen behind and were isolated and defenceless. They showed no fear of2024 Purim Katan Terumah + Tetzaveh Page of
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God. When you’re in a position to punish them for this, when all of your other
enemies are defeated and you’re living peacefully in the land that the Eternal your
God is giving you to live in, then wipe out every trace of the Amalekites under the
sky. Don’t forget!”
The mistake of the Israelites when they first entered the wilderness was to initially
neglect to protect the weak and vulnerable (a sacred tenet in both Judaism and
Christianity) who lagged behind making them a prime target for the Amalekites.
Caring for the weak and vulnerable, the poor, the orphans and the persecuted is a
core feature in both Judaism and Christianity. James.1:27 states that “ …the
religious observance that God the Father considers pure and faultless is this: to
care for orphans and widows in their distress…”
The Amalekites were a nomadic people who have been described as, “The eternal
enemies of the Jewish people and the embodiment of pure evil. Just as the Nazis
were the 20th century’s version of Amalek, ISIS/Hamas has proved to be the
Amalek of today.” 1
Amalek is the enemy who is wholly dedicated to the destruction of Israel and
although this is a grievous thing it’s all in vain since “He who keeps Israel neither
slumber or sleeps. (Ps.121:4). Scripture makes it very clear that those who curse
Israel will themselves be cursed (utterly destroyed).
All the tragedies which Israel has suffered historically directly originate from this one
hostile act of Amalek we see here described in Deut.25 that’s rooted within the
demonic spirit of anti-Semitism.
So we see that Amalek is more than a physical people but is also a concept and a
spiritual reality. Different people can embody that concept. According to
the midrash after killing Jewish men, Amalek cut off the brit milah (circumcision) of
the male Jewish casualties and threw them up at heaven. They were saying that
there is no room in this world for a covenant with God.” Amalek is willing to kill
themselves in order to bring that about, spiritually, politically, and even physically.
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Israel is, quite simply, visual and undeniable proof that God rules the world. That is
why Amalek and those who follow in his footsteps cannot bear the sight of Israel.”
In respect to this we are mindful of the current plight of Israel against hostile
neighbours in addition to constant harassment and interference from the nations
who demand from Israel an immediate ceasefire with Hamas, an unconditional
withdrawal from Gaza plus the establishment of a 2-State solution with the
Palestinians, something of course that is unthinkable.
This, as Netanyahu stated, would be akin to committing suicide for reasons that are
too obvious to mention. And yet the world continues to support the seed of
Amalek and enthusiastically buys into all the lies and anti-Semitic rhetoric smeared
against Israel and World Jewry, who increasingly finds herself isolated and rejected.
But we should not be surprised as we see these things unfolding, for Scripture
prophesied thousands of years ago that they would occur before Yeshua’s return.
But, all the more so for true believers to stand alongside Israel and World Jewry.
The Amalekites’ hatred of the Jews and their attempt to destroy the Israelites in the
wilderness led to their ultimate doom as history has demonstrated. This is the
spirit of Amalek and their fate should be a warning to all.
Our response as believers is reflected in Isa.61:1 – “For Zion’s sake I will not keep
silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth
as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch.”
So in relation to all this, I now want to draw our attention to an event being held
tomorrow National day of prayer and fasting that will take place tomorrow at 16:00
in various parts of SA to take a stand against Amalek.
The organisers are encouraging people who cannot attend the venue in Durban to
meet individually or in small groups locally, and I strongly urge everyone to set
aside time to participate, taking just one hour out of our daily schedule. So this
would be an opportune time for us to pause and spend a short time in prayer and I
have selected a few things for us to focus on – (hostages; a speedy and successful
end to eliminate Hamas; protection against the looming storm clouds of an
impending all out war in the north; Divine intervention in SA especially with the 20242024 Purim Katan Terumah + Tetzaveh Page of
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election looming; Today Ramaphosa is set to launch the ANC’s manifesto at the
Moses Mabhide stadium in Durban around midday today with strong Palestinian
support)
Last week’s parasha was ‘Terumah’ meaning “a voluntary contribution,” but it
literally means something you lift up by dedicating it to a sacred cause – our time
energy and resources. You lift it up, then it lifts you up as with our prayers for Israel
and SA.
God doesn’t live in a house made of stones but in the hearts of those who give
generously and sacrificially, perfectly defined in Rom.12:1-2 whereby we as “living
sacrifices” define what the true meaning of generosity is in context to its fullest
meaning.
The beauty of the Terumah offering was that it ensured that everyone could
contribute something however small. God considers our best is always good
enough even when we may consider it to be insignificant. Better to give a little
whole-heartedly than much begrudgingly. Better to give a little sacrificially that much
out of an overflowing abundance. The Israelites clearly understood the principle that
we survive by what we are given, but we achieve dignity by what we give.
At the cross, we encounter God’s justice through the judgment of sin, God’s love
and mercy through the forgiveness of sinners, and God’s power through His defeat
of Satan (Rom.3:21–26;Colos.1:13). At the cross, Yeshua brings salvation to those
who believe, and judgment to those who refuse to believe. In God’s wisdom and
holiness, the cross opens the only way to the Father for sinful humanity (Jn.14:6).
At the cross, Yeshua sets us free from the chains of sin. The lifting up of Yeshua on
the cross is the greatest demonstration of Divine ‘terumah,’ as a model for
humanity for all time – the fact that whilst we were yet sinners, Yeshua died for us –
a Divine blessing brought to us on bended knee.
The Mishkan and Temple were the central focus for prayer, sacrifice and worship.
The Temple was filled with music. There were choirs of Levites worshipping God2024 Purim Katan Terumah + Tetzaveh Page of
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continually with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making music in their hearts
to the Lord even as we also are called to do. (Eph. 3:19).
All that remains of the 2nd Temple, this once great edifice, is the Temple Mount and
the Western or ‘Wailing’ Wall. And yet what many people mourn is not the loss of
access to the 2nd Temple made by human hands, destroyed for almost 2000 years
and as yet not rebuilt, but the failure to offer true worship at the altar of their hearts.
This ‘altar’ – the altar of our hearts can easily be placed under siege by all sorts of
“powers and principalities” that would seek to tempt us to betray God in order to
serve lesser interests without Him. They tempt us to find ways to preserve life in
this world as a substitute for living by faith. A true believer’s life entails the
willingness to forfeit everything we treasure on this earth for a living relationship
with the living God. As Paul declared in Phil.3:8-12,
“I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my
Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish,
that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness,
which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness
which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection,
and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any
means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.Not that I have
already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that
for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.”
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