Tetzaveh



Here is the portion I reaad this week, 

"Tetzaveh" תצוה "You Will Instruct"

Exodus 29:42-46



It's God's instruction to US (Moses name is never mentioned) about HOW TO BE TRULY JEWISH, TRULY A PERSON OF FAITH



I am going to say the same thing I said the last time I read this scripture in synagogue, which is 

Thank you for coming to my Bar Mitzvah”. 

 

That was 1968.   I was about 4’10, standing on the little platform to see over the pulpit.  (I grew 10 inches the next year).   In this portion is specific instruction for how to be Jewish, and how to be born a second time as a “son of the commandment, a bar mitzvah    


The context of the chapter is very specific instruction that God says to do FOREVER, true Judaism.     

  • animal sacrifices, 

  • a priesthood of direct blood descendants of Moses Brother Aaron, FOREVER.   

  • That we must meet GOD at a specific place: The tent of Meeting or later, in the Temple in Jerusalem, FOREVER.   


These requirements are impossible!  

People ask “how can you be Jewish and believe in Yeshua, Jesus”.   I read this chapter and say, “how can you even be Jewish”? According to this, you CAN'T even follow the basic "instruction" of how to live a life as God commanded.


But at the end of the chapter, which I just read, was a remarkable statement and a prediction that has been a guide to me for 50 years.    For me, this should be the heart of Judaism, it IS the heart of messianic Judaism: That God promises to meet with us personally, teach us one-on-one, and dwell within us, through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is summarized in the new covenant of Jeremiah 31:31 and is mirrored in this verse.

אועד לכם

I will MEET you   

  לדבר אליך

I will SPEAK WITH you

ושחנתי בתוך בני ישראל

I will live INSIDE * of you   

וידעו כי אני יהוה אלוהים

You will KNOW that I am YOUR God



* This line is mistranslated (IMHO) in every translation, including the one we used in our text today to say “God will dwell amongst you”.  .   The word “בתוך” batoch means “inside” or “within”.    It should be “I WILL DWELL WITHIN YOU”    

As a matter of fact, the blessing after the Toran that we all recite every week says


 - וחיי עולם בתוכינו - v’chai-yaiy olam btochainu.  “ 

He put eternal life WITHIN us”  (not “amongst”)


It means WITHIN!   


God is with us, speaks to us, lives IN us, and we KNOW him, that is our faith.  


Comments

  1. SteveMarch 8, 2023 at 4:23 AM

    Steve here, I am inviting you to comment with your thoughts.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Great Invasion

Image
  The Babylonian Captivity A tragedy of extraordinary proportion At a time when Israel has been invaded and a massacre against her has been perpetrated, it is a good time to revisit one of the great tragedies in Israel's history and God's plan for her restoration.   This Psalm, composer unknown, shows that the Captivity was a stain on the consciousness of the nation for generations.    By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down and wept, When we remembered Zion. Psalms 137:1 Tens of thousands of skilled people were taken prisoner in the first invasion (2 Kings 24:14,) and the second wave was far more violent and extensive in forced deportations.     Many were left behind as vassals.   There has always been a continuous presence of Jews in the Land.  Yet this Tragedy of forced immigration and bloodshed was a gigantic scar on the psyche of the people of Israel There are also similarities to the Oct 7th invasion which I can't help but note. ...
Read more

Shavuot, Sukkot, and the Joyful Widow

  God set the planets on a perfectly balanced course around the sun, establishing the ecosystems of the earth in balance.   When He wants to tell us the story of our salvation, the story is going to be a masterpiece.   The setting, the background, everything a master story teller could compose will be in order.   God makes that story a work of art     If God wants to end the hold of sin over man for eternity, would he just do so on a random day?    Or would He select Passover, when the blood of the sacrificed lamb is put on the doorpost of each person's house, causing death to “pass over” us.  That IS the message of Yeshua’s life on this earth, and being the suffering servant of Isaiah 53:  death passing over.   Several other holidays were specifically chosen to set the stage.     Understanding widows.   The word is “almanah”  אלמנה.  “Widows” in scripture are women.  In fact ha...
Read more

Timeline: The Babyloniian Captivity

  The Babylonian captivity, or Babylonian exile, lasted for several decades. Here is a general timeline of the major events: 605 BCE: The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II defeats the Egyptians at the Battle of Carchemish, establishing Babylonian dominance in the region. 597 BCE: Nebuchadnezzar II captures Jerusalem and deports the first wave of Israelite captives, including King Jehoiachin. This marks the beginning of the Babylonian captivity. 586 BCE: Nebuchadnezzar II destroys the city of Jerusalem and the First Temple. Many more Israelites are taken into captivity, and the majority of the population is exiled to Babylon. 562 BCE: Nebuchadnezzar II dies, and his son Amel-Marduk (also called Evil-Merodach) succeeds him as the king of Babylon. 560 BCE: Amel-Marduk is overthrown by his brother-in-law Neriglissar, who becomes the new king. 556 BCE: Neriglissar dies, and his young son Labashi-Marduk takes the throne, but his reign is short-lived. 555 BCE: Nabonidus seizes power an...
Read more