The Binding of Isaac

The Binding of Isaac

We as believers know of the typology of Genesis 22

There are parallels:

He was begotten

He was promised

Genesis 22 is called the Akeidah in Hebrew

7 days a week it is read in morning prayer service

It is read on Rosh Ha Shanna

It is read once during regular reading cycle.

It is read 367 times a year

It is the most read and cherished chapter in the Bible to the Jews

(Hebrews 11:17-19, Hendrickson Literal Translation) "By faith, being tested, Abraham offered up Isaac . . . reckoning that God was able to raise him from the dead; from where indeed he obtained him in a parable."

What parable??

In what parable did Abraham obtain Isaac from the dead?

NIV render the passage as follows: "Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death."

Now lets look at rabbinic literature

R. Judah says: When the sword touched Isaac's throat his soul flew clean out of him. And when He let His voice be heard from between the cherubim, "Lay not thy hand upon the lad." The lad's soul was returned to his body. Then his father unbound him and Isaac rose, knowing that in this way the dead would come back to life in the future; whereupon he began to recite, "Blessed are You, LORD, who resurrects the dead." (Pirkei Rabbi Elieazer)

Because Jewish tradition and the Rabbinic writings treat Isaac as if he actually did die upon the altar, Isaac became an early symbol for resurrection.

The Midrash goes on to further emphasize the connection between Isaac, his Akeidah and resurrection, even going so far as to state that on Isaac's merit, all the dead will be resurrected in the future.

By virtue of Isaac who offered himself as a sacrifice on top of the altar, the Holy One blessed be He, will resurrect the dead in the future, as it is said, "To hear the groaning of him who is bound; to open up release for the offspring appointed to death." (Psalm 102:21) "Him who is bound" is interpreted as Isaac bound on top of the altar. "To open up release for the offspring appointed to death" [is interpreted] as the dead whose graves the Holy One, blessed be He, will open up so that He may set them on their feet in the Age to Come. (Mekilta Simeon)

The haftarah is II Kings 4:1-37

The story of the death of the Shunnamite's son and his miraculous resurrection at Elisha's hand.

Both stories were about boys prophetically promised to barren women who subsequently died and were miraculously restored.

But did Isaac really die?

Probably not, but it is definitely a concept well cemented in the early traditions and parables of Rabbinic Judaism.

The ram’s horns

It is believed that the left horn was used at Sinai at the giving of the Torah

The right horn will be used to herald the arrival of messiah

Slight problem though

"Was not the ram burnt as a burnt offering together with its horns, skin and flesh? How could this be the source of the shofar that was blown on Mount Sinai?"

Rabbi Bechaye says   "The answer is that God created a new ram out of the ashes." How can the horn from Isaac's ram be the horn that will herald the Messiah when that ram was completely burned? The answer is simple. The Ram was resurrected.

Genesis 22:8
And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

Speaking of Abraham's ram, there is an interesting textual problem around the description of this ram. It is an anomalous grammatical form in verse 13 which has caused many a Rabbi to scratch his head. The verse literally reads, "And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold a ram after caught in the thicket . . ." The Hebrew word "achar" is best translated as after. Its appearance in the text here seems somewhat clumsy and misplaced. In order to explain this, several possible interpretations have been made. The most widely accepted is the KJV, which renders the sentence, ". . . and behold, behind him, a ram caught in a thicket."

The sages struggle with the word. Does it mean the ram was behind Abraham? One commentator suggests that it means that the ram was caught in the thicket only after Abraham saw it. Another says that it was after the proceeding events that Abraham saw the ram. Still another opinion has it that Abraham saw the achareit yomim, "the last days." There are still other explanations, and all of them are possible, but none seem completely satisfactory. The question is, "Where and when did Abraham see the ram?" More literally, the construction of the sentence implies that he saw the lamb "afterwards." Some believers have suggested that perhaps it is a reference to a prophetic vision. Perhaps what is being implied is that when Abraham looked up, he saw not only this ram caught in the thicket, but he saw a future sacrifice, one that would come long after his day.

Where did and when did Abraham see the ram? Yeshua makes a statement about what Abraham saw. He says in the Gospel of John: "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad." (John 8:5-6) What did Abraham see? Perhaps he saw the Lamb provided by God.

It is recorded for us in the Mishnah (Avot 5:6) that this particular ram was created for this purpose since the first days of creation. In other words, Isaac's ram was prepared for sacrifice since the foundation of the world. In the same way, Peter described the Master as "a lamb without blemish or defect, chosen before the creation of the world." (1st Peter 1:19-20)

There are more parables and stories around the Akeidah. The Midrash is full of them. Some are well known and remembered even today. Some are more obscure. For example, consider the manner in which the midrash attempts to resolve the question of Isaac's absence at the end of the Genesis narrative. The Torah reads thus:

"So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba." (Genesis 22:19)

In the same stark, simple language with which it began, the Torah concludes the story of Akeidah by stating that Abraham returned to his servants and they went together to Beersheba. Conspicuously absent is Isaac. Why does the Torah not say, "Abraham and Isaac returned . . ." Twice previously the Torah emphatically stated that Abraham and Isaac went together. But here, at the conclusion of the passage, Abraham returns alone. Isaac is not seen in the Torah again until he meets his bride, Rebekah.

It is believed that Isaac remained in Salem to study under Melchizedek.

This being a Jewish book it sure sounds Christian

what does the word Akeidah mean? The word is actually derived from the Hebrew verb akod translated as "bound" in verse nine. It is an unusual word. Akod literally means "ringed" or "striped." Rashi explains that the use of this verb refers to the stripe-like marks left by ropes on the ankles and wrists of a person who is tied hand and foot. A person bound in this manner would bear the impression of the ropes on their skin. It is from this particular verb, akod, that we derive the word Akeidah. Therefore, the entire story is named after the marks left on Isaac's body.

Even the skeptic will have to admit that the Messianic foreshadowing, down to the choice of a single word, is astounding. Was it not Yeshua who was bound for sacrifice in such manner that his wrists and ankles were marked, even scarred for all eternity?

Stone Throwers

I have always been intrigued by the story of the woman caught in the act of adultery. This story has had many theologians wondering what Jesus was writing in the sand. Was it the Ten Commandments? Was it the sentence? Was he doodling? This was not the point. They were trying to catch Jesus.
If you go back just a few verses you will find that it was one day after the feast. Which feast? The feast of Sukkot. (tabernacles).
Everything that led to this point is important. It was a new year. Their sins were pushed forward. Time was spent in deep teshuvah (repentance). It was now time to begin anew. That morning they would have started their reading with, "In the beginning".
Not even 24 hours had passed and none of them could cast the first stone?
Jesus could have, but chose not to condemn. John Ortberg says Condemnation and judgement have become so deeply rooted in the human spirit that most of us can't imagine having to function without them.
Less than 24 hours before they were singing and drawing water from the wells of salvation.
Less than 24 hours before Jesus said, "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

Anoint

MASHACH - משח Anoint
In Hebrew, the term of an "anointed one" is mashiach, from which the term "Messiah" is derived. The Greek translation of this word gives us the English term "Christ." Jewish, Egyptian, and other ancient kings were often anointed, and in western history, anointing has been used as part of the royal coronation ceremonies, symbolizing a divine blessing upon the monarch.
The Hebrew mashach is a process of painting, besmearing, or anointing a person or an object with oil. The Hebrew anointing was in part a legal procedure implemented in conjunction with the ordination and consecration of a priest or king within Israel's tribal community. Ordination is represented by the Hebrew words [mileiat et yaddim] which means "to fill the hands." Academics define "fill the hand" within the context of the chosen receiving a staff, scepter, or some sort of hand held symbol in relation to their office. More than likely, the prophet was used a channel to transmit God's spirit to the chosen one in preparation for his new role as king or priest. Keep in mind the Hebrew word "meleit" means "to fill." We often hear the expression filled with anger or filled with joy, the body being analagous to a vessel that captures a spirit or emotion. In the anointing the "filling" is of God's spirit. The hands identified by the Hebrew "yaddim" expresses how man accomplishes any given work. The filling of God's spirit puts the anointed in a position to make the world a better place by directing his hands towards worldly endevors blessed by devine association. AHWW
Acts 8:17-19
 17Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.

 18And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,

 19Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.
Anointing cannot be bought.

Name Shem שם

When we see a name such as "King David" we see the word "King" as a title and "David" as a name. In our western mind a title describes a character trait while a name is simply an identifier. In the Hebrew language there is no such distinction between names and titles. Both words, King and David, are descriptions of character traits, King is "one who reigns" while David is "one who is loved". It is also common to identify the word "Elohiym" (God) as a title and YHWH (Yahweh, the LORD, Jehovah) as a name. What we do not realize is that both of these are character traits, YHWH meaning "the one who exists" and Elohiym is "one who has power and authority". The Hebrew word "shem" more literally means "character". When the Bible speaks of taking God's name to the nations, he is not talking about the name itself but his character. When the command to not take God's name in vain literally means not to represent his character in a false manner. It is similar to our expression of "having a good name" which is not about the name itself but the character of the one with that name. AHWW
Jesus is the sweetest name I know.
To be Christ like takes on a whole different meaning.

Jesus the Son of Joseph

The Torah commands the Children of Israel to dwell in booths for seven days. The commandment is in remembrance of the time when they and God dwelt in tabernacles in the wilderness of Sinai after He had delivered them from the harsh bondage of Egypt.

Oddly enough, this week-long celebration is called the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). The Torah requires that the Children of Israel dwell in booths for seven days. Later sages reduced this to taking at least one meal per day in the sukkah. A medieval Jewish book of mysticism, the Zohar (5: 103b), became the source for a peculiar custom of the Feast of Tabernacles. From it was derived the tradition of inviting one of seven great biblical figures to dine in the sukkah on each of the seven days of the festival. The European (Ashkenazi) Jewish community orders them thus: Abraham on day one, Isaac on day two, Jacob on day three, Joseph on day four, Moses on day five, Aaron on day six, and David on day seven.

Possible evidence for an ancient date for this custom come from the words of Jesus:

'..many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven...' (Matthew 8:11)

In the following passage, Jesus connects sitting down with the patriarchs with the appearance of the 'master of the house' (Messiah) in the Kingdom of Heaven:

There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. 29 And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. (Luke 13:28-29)

Such a banquet was envisioned by some of Israel's teachers:

In the future to come, the Holy One, blessed be He will make a banquet for the pious in the Garden of Eden... (Numbers Rabbah 13:2)

A Very Long Day

The Talmud (Rosh Hashanah 31a) contains another tradition that relates to this. The Sages noted that in Psalm 90:4, Moses stated that 'one thousand years' in God's sight 'is as yesterday when it has passed.' That is, one-thousand years is like a day. So they speculated that, just as God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh, the world would endure in its present condition for six-thousand years. This would be followed by one-thousand years of rest (Sanhedrin 97a-b.) This 'rest' was typified by the weekly Sabbath, an idea also found in Hebrews chapters 3 and 4. The idea of a thousand-year day is affirmed by the Apostle Peter:

But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (2 Peter 3:8)

Son of Joseph, Son of David

A third part of our prophetic picture relates to the Messiah.

The Jewish sages searched earnestly for the Messiah in the Scriptures. But the pictures they derived seemed contradictory. On the one hand Messiah seemed to be a triumphant conquering king who would bring Israel back from the four corners of the world, build another Temple to God, and crush the nations under his heel. This Messiah they called, 'Mashiach ben David,' or Messiah, Son of David. This title was applied to Jesus many times in the New Testament.

But, they also discerned another Messiah from Scripture as well. This Messiah would suffer and die for the sins of his people, would be mourned, and ultimately be resurrected. He was called Mashiach ben Yosef, Messiah, son of Joseph (also referred to as Ephraim who was the son of the patriarch Joseph. See the article Messiah in the Encyclopedia Judaica.) It is fascinating to remember that Jesus was also 'the son of Joseph:'

Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. (John 1:45)

A Cord of Three Strands

From these seemingly disconnected ideas emerges a fascinating picture:

Jesus was born about the year 3760 on the Jewish calendar (the Jewish year is supposed to relate to the time from the creation of Adam.) This places His life (according to the traditional Jewish reckoning) within the fourth millennia after creation, or 'the fourth day' from God's perspective. His appearance at that time as the 'son of Joseph' corresponds to the invitation extended to Joseph on the fourth day of the Feast of Tabernacles.

Just before His execution Jesus sat down with His disciples for the festive meal of Passover. He said these words:

But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. (Matthew 26:29)

Jesus' next appearance as the 'son of David' will assuredly be at the seventh millennia, corresponding to the invitation extended to David on the seventh day, of Tabernacles.
KSS

HOW WILL WE REACH OUR DESTINATION?

(Deu 1:1): We all know that the end and aim of

life is not in this world. If we are to arrive at the right destination we must

have help and guidance. (10-14-11)






As Deuteronomy opens Israel was still in the wilderness.

It was eleven days journey from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea yet it took them forty

years to accomplish it. What takes the shortest time is not always the best

path. Desert


wandering was a preparation for the destined goal.







Life is but a preparation. Man's true destiny is

immortality. Two things are necessary for the man who would reach his true

destiny.






First of all we must have a guide that will take hold on

us and bring us through.






Several forces in society are laying hold of mankind

today, such as ambition, avarice, lust, pleasure, pride, superstition. One or

more, perhaps all, grasp and hold mankind. They extend around them like some

dense poisoning fog, robbing them of both light and strength. While environed

with such, or indeed any form of sin, Christ would break His way into us with

help, " I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance,"

(Luk 5:32; 1Ti 1:14-16; 1Pe 2:3; Act 10:36; Act 13:38-39; Col 2:13).






Secondly, just as He takes hold on us to bring us to our

destination we must also take hold on Him as our guide.






We begin by believing on Him in obedience to His Word.



He said we were to keep His commandments (Joh 14:15; Joh

15:10; Jam 2:17; Gal 5:6). We take refuge in the blood of His atonement. We are

baptized in Jesus Name and filled with His Spirit (Act 2:38; Joh 3:3-5).
Kelsey Griffin

Pour Out Your Heart

“I am worn out from groaning;
all night long I flood my bed with weeping
and drench my couch with tears.”—Psalm 6:6

Sometimes when we are at our lowest moments, in our deepest despair, we tend to withdraw from others. When asked, “How are you doing?” we stoically answer, “Just fine.” We don’t want to admit to others, even those who care most about us, that we’re struggling, whether it’s with despair, loneliness, or depression. So we put on a brave front and do our best to carry on.

During those periods in our life when we are reluctant to share our struggles, we need to remember that there is Someone with whom we can be completely honest — God. We can bring to him our anger, our despair, our doubts, our disappointments, and our weaknesses, without fear of rejection or judgment.

David models this for us in Psalm 6. As he comes before God, David pours out his heart. He is weary from groaning; his bed is drenched in tears; his vision is blurred from his grief; he is wasting away from the strain. In anguish, David cries out, “Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am weak” (v. 2, NKJV)

David is completely honest with God. He tells God exactly what he is feeling, and in doing so, David is able to turn his inward grief toward God. He concludes this short prayer for deliverance by stating in verses 8-9, “the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping. The LORD has heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer.” David had complete trust that God would take care of him in this situation.

We, too, can be honest with God even when we’re filled with anger or despair, because God knows us thoroughly and desires the very best for us. He knows our situation and He alone can guide us through those valleys. As we pour out our hearts to God, we will also find ourselves, as David did, turning from a focus on ourselves to a focus on our all-powerful, all-loving, merciful Father.

And isn’t that a better place to be looking?
HLM

A Tabernacle of Glory over Jerusalem

The Apostle John uses a verb form of the same Greek word that is used to translate the Hebrew word for booth (sukkah) when he wrote, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt [tabernacled] among us." (John 1:14) He tabernacled among us, and He will tabernacle among us again in the messianic future. The celebration of the Festival of Booths (Sukkot) celebrates the Messiah who once tabernacled among us, now tabernacles within us, and in the future will again tabernacle among us.

The last appointment on God's Leviticus 23 calendar is the Feast of Booths, a seven-day harvest celebration. The Hebrew name of the festival is Sukkot, a word that means "shelters, stables or huts." These temporary, tent-like structures are often translated as "tabernacles" in our English Bibles. The festival is so named because Israel is commanded to annually build such dwelling places as a reminder of the post-exodus years when they lived in huts and booths, following God in the wilderness.1 Sukkot is a time of joy and celebration, a time to celebrate the harvest and revel in God's goodness.
Many beautiful traditions are attached to the annual Festival of Booths. For example, it is traditional to invite guests into one's booth for a festive meal each night of Sukkot. Among the list of invitees are some auspicious names: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron and David. Each are specially invited to come into the booth and pull up a chair at the table. Obviously, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron and David are unlikely to actually attend the meal, since they are all dead. That, however, is the point of the ritual. The Feast of Booths anticipates the Messianic Age, when the dead will be raised to life again and we will all sit at the table with the aforementioned in the kingdom of heaven.
When Messiah comes, He will bring in the final harvest of God's kingdom and institute an age of peace and prosperity upon the earth. The prophets relate that day to the festival of Sukkot, a day when every man will sit beneath his own vine and fig tree.2 Isaiah 4:6 tells us that God will spread a tabernacle of glory over Jerusalem.
According to the prophets, the Feast of Booths celebrates a time when all nations will ascend to Jerusalem bearing tribute to King Messiah and celebrating the festival. In that day, all nations will ascend to His throne in Jerusalem in order to celebrate the Festival of Booths (Tabernacles). Obviously, this is a very important festival for disciples of Messiah today.
Sukkot is the great festival, the culmination of all the appointed times. Sukkot is to the other festivals what the Sabbath is to the other six days of the week. As such it is a fitting foreshadowing of that great celebration of creation when the entire world will live in peace and brotherhood under the reign and rule of the righteous Messiah King. Just as the weekly Sabbath foreshadows the millennium, Sukkot also looks forward to that great age. Therefore, the festival of Sukkot, like all the festivals, foreshadows Messiah.
FFOZ
1. Leviticus 23:42-43
2. Micah 4:4; Zechariah 3:10

True Messiah

I came across a rabbinical statement that I had never heard before. The following article is in part a conversation with Jay Weisburd about it.

Roy:
What do you make of this statement?
We have seen on other occasions that had Moses entered into the Land of Israel, the Temple never would have been destroyed, and Moses would have been the Messiah. The only problem was that the people were unworthy.

Jay:
This flies right smack into the reason why Moshe was denied entrance into the Promised land in the first place.
Exodus 20: 6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. 7 The LORD said to Moses, 8 “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”

9 So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence, just as he commanded him. 10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”

God tells Moses to SPEAK to the rock, and the water would come out. Why would He want him to speak to a rock and not do as he did? Answer: Because God wanted the people to see He was the one with the powers, the one who had the power to bring water from a rock.

What would the people think when Moses says "must WE" bring you water from this rock? How sure would they be that the person with the power was God, and not Moses? When water comes from that rock, was it because God listened to the prayer or because Moses drew it out by hitting it?

So, it was hardly that the people were unworthy...Moses was too proud, too consumed with his abilities, which is also why the Rabbinic Jews are so wrong to expect the Meshiach to be a conquering King on the first coming...

Yeshua was humble, and while He intimated on more than one occasion that he was God, it was because HE WAS, but He NEVER exalted Himself, He always accredited what was being done to Father. Moshe did not do that with the rock.

Roy: Excellent

Jay: Secondly, Moses was a Levite. Paul has written extensively in Hebrews about why the Meshiach would not come from the Levitical tribe, because Moshe's lineage had something to do with his being chosen, as he was a descendant of Levi. I think God always intended for the Meshiach to be in the order of Melchizedek-chosen because of his characteristics, not his blood line. Besides, if we look at Gen 1:26, where God says "Let US make man in OUR image," He already knew His Son, who was there before mankind existed---I mean, who else was God talking to if man had not been created yet but the person in whose PHYSICAL IMAGE we were cast--so if we look at that, we see that God's plan was always to have Yeshua step forward--He was ALWAYS, from ALPHA to Omega, the anointed one...But first God had to give us His lessons, His commandments, his Laws..and establish a priesthood that would teach it to us, then He would come and as the master show His apprentices how to apply what we had learned, truly apply it, so as adults in the faith, we could use it on our own merits,.
God just had to wait UNTIL IT WAS TIME.

Roy: Thank you. Good info.

Jay Weisburd is a Messianic Jew from Levitown New York

The Prayer of Moses

Despite God's refusal to allow Moses to enter the land of Israel, God gives Moses a gentle death and a loving burial.
The Sages teach that Moses had offered 515 different prayers, but one and all were rejected.
I beseeched God at that time Deut.(3:23)

Moses prayed 515 prayers -- the numerical value (gematria) of va'etchanan, "and I beseeched" -- to be allowed to enter the land.

Prayers can only be effective until the final judgment has been decreed; at that point prayers cannot cancel the decree.
Moses' prayers were rejected, because his judgment had been finalized.
Judgement Day is coming!!
'Go on top of the peak and lift up your eyes, westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold with your eyes, for you will not cross this Jordan.' (Deut. 3:27)
Rabbi Eliezer taught: "Prayer is greater than good deeds, for there was never a man who had better deeds than Moses our Master, nonetheless, Moses was only answered as a result of his prayer, for it says, 'Enough for you! Speak no more to me on this matter' and right afterward it says 'Go on top of the peak...' (Talmud Brachot 32b)

If this is the case, then why would God have told Moses that he need not pray? Rashi in his comments to the Torah addresses the point in the Torah narrative when God says Rav Lach! "Enough for you!" Rashi translates rav lach literally -- rav "a lot," lach, "awaits you" -- and then goes on to explain:

[This means] "there is a lot of good awaiting you," therefore Moses need not pray anymore for his share in the other world.
The answer is subtle, yet simple. God does not change. Man does.
In order for Moses to have a chance to enter Israel, he did not need to fix anything in his relationship with God, his prayers were not necessary. For Moses to enter the land, and more importantly for the people to stay in the land, the people needed to change, to grow closer to the Shechina.
Therefore, Moses is told by God to cease his prayers, and instead Moses is told to take up what he does best: teach.

Moses gives a phenomenal "lecture" in the hope that this will lead his students, his followers, back to God. Moses attempts to fix that which was severed.

In the end, Moses' efforts fell short, but the "lecture" which he left us remains.

Red Heifer

We have learned that the sages gave a hint for understanding the red heifer: it is related to the sin of the golden calf. "To what can this be likened? To a maid who worked in the palace of the king. One day her child came and soiled the palace with his filth. The king said, Ôlet the mother come, and clean her child's filth'." This is the concept of atonement for the golden calf, for the Holy One said, "Let the red heifer come, and atone for the golden calf."

If we examine the concepts of red heifer and the golden calf, we can find many parallels and connections. For example:

Why must the heifer be red? To rectify the infamous idol which shone with a reddish hue... it is an atonement for Israel's "red" sin. And in general, Scripture likens sin to red: "Though your sins be like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be white as wool" (Isaiah 1:18). Says the Holy One: Since Israel's sins are red, let the heifer also be red - and when it is burned, its ashes are white... thus the prophet assures his people in the Creator's name that God promises "they shall whiten as snow."

In order for the heifer to be fit, it must never have carried a yoke. This is an allusion to Israel, who threw off the yoke of Heaven in insubordination when they worshipped the golden calf.

Why must the heifer be given to Eleazar, and assistant, and not to the High Priest himself? Because Aaron oversaw the creation of the golden calf, and therefore it would not seem proper for him to officiate with the heifer. There is a principle, "the same one who was prosecutor, cannot become a defense attorney."

The heifer is burned, an allusion to the calf that was burned: "And he took the calf which they had made, and burned it in the fire... " (Ex. 32:20)

Three species are used: hyssop, cedar, and scarlet wool, which are reminiscent of the 3,000 who fell at the sin of the calf. And why these three? The cedar is the highest, and the hyssop is the lowest... and whoever is haughty (equal to the sin of idolatry) must become like a worm (from which the red dye is obtained) in his own eyes, as King David prayed: "I am a worm and not a man" (Psalms 22:7). If he will lower himself, his sins will be atoned.

Just as the sin of the golden calf exerts its influence forever, as it states "and on the day that I will remember you and I will remember your sin" (Ex. 32:34), so too the Holy One commanded that the ashes of the red heifer be kept as a remembrance for all generations: "and they shall be for the congregation of the Children of Israel for a remembrance."

And just as the golden calf rendered all those who participated in it impure - for idolatry causes impurity, as it is written: "You shall cast it away as a thing impure... " (Isaiah 30:22), so the heifer renders all those who come in contact with it impure.

And: As Israel became pure through the ashes of the golden calf, which Moses burned and ground into a dust - "... and he burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and scattered it upon the water... " So Israel becomes pure through the ashes of the red heifer.

But why must the heifer be free from all blemish?

... Because at their spiritual source, according to their true exalted nature, Israel is perfect and free from blemish.

All the Heifer's Requirements are a Metaphor to Israel

On still an entirely different level, the entire precept can be seen as an affectionate allegory to Israel herself - the Holy One compares His nation with the secret of that which cleanses her.

How fitting that the heifer which figures so importantly in the process of Israel's purification, must be completely red, perfect and without blemish.

Israel is red, as it is written (Lamentations 4:7) "... they were more ruddy in body than rubies."

Israel is perfect - so the verse states (Song of Songs 5:2) "... open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect... "

Israel has no blemish, as it is written (ibid. 4:7), "You are all fair, my love, there is no blemish in you."

Moses said to Korech, "The red heifer will atone for their gold which is red. As it is perfect and without blemish, let it atone for the nation which is perfect. Israel was perfect but became blemished through this sin; the sprinkling of the ashes will restore their perfection and cleanse them of their blemish. And just as it has had no yoke - let it atone for our insubordination."

True Religion?

What is True Religion? Many people avoid that word religion like a plague. With so many sects of Christianity it is no wonder the world is confused.
Why does God allow this? Like so many things, we have the write to choose, and God hopes you will choose Him. 2 Peter 3:9 >>
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
At this time of the year are the "Days of Awe" a time of repentance for the Jews. Shouldn't any "True Religion" have repentance? It's what the Apostles did. Unfortunately so many eyes are blind to what is boldly written in front of them in the Bible. People want security, they want to be saved. I have heard people say that this is "churchy"
We have church, we attend church, we are the church, we are the bride, we are the chosen ones for whom the Savior died. We are the church, we've been redeemed, we are the soldiers of the cross, We Are The Church!
This business of the Bible doesn't mean this or that is wrong. Jesus chose 12 disciples and gave them explicit instructions. This is where the Hebrew Perspective comes in. Peter and the others were not ignorant of scriptures. All Hebrew children were taught Torah. Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
The Apostles were taught by Jesus who He was and where He was in the Scripture. He taught them God's plan that was from the beginning.
You cannot err in following what the Apostles preached.
What is "True Religion?" We know that the Apostles knew and obeyed Jesus' command. When Peter stood at Pentecost and said, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Acts 2:38.
Was Peter wrong? How come the other 119 with him didn't say anything? No one whispered into his ear and said, "your saying it wrong".
Baptism in Jesus name is a commandment. At this time of year many Jews also take a ritual bath (mikveh) they fully immerse (tevelah) themselves. This is also what they did in Exodus 19 before receiving the law.
The infilling of the Holy Ghost is what Jeremiah talked about. Jeremiah 31:33 >>
But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
It seems so simple yet many struggle with it. tim Mahoney said, "Perhaps we all should have a sign in front of our church that reads, "Understanding Spoken Here".

Preaching

In preaching, the heart is poured out and every fiber of the being screams forth the holiness of God. Preaching, for the preacher, is worship.
Acceptable worship is impossible without preaching, for preaching is making known the Lord's name, and worship is praising the name made known.
People have the faulty idea that the PREACHER is an actor on stage and they are the critics, evaluating him. What they don’t know is that THEY are the actors on stage! The preacher is merely a prompter in the wings, reminding them of their lost lines, and GOD is the audience!
We cannot make much of ourselves and of God simultaneously. If people say "Amazing preaching!" we have failed. They must say "Awesome God!"
Raymond Woodward