RECOGNITION

2. RECOGNITION THE MESSIANIC PROPHECY BIBLE PROJECT http://www.messianicbible.com HEAR O ISRAEL www.hearoisrael.org SHEEPFOLD GLEANINGS WRITTEN BY JULIE PARKER www.sheepfoldgleanings.com MESSIANIC ISRAEL ALLIANCE http://www.messianicisrael.com AZAMRA TORAH FOR OUR TIME – RABBI AVRAHAM GREENBAUM http://www.azamra.org

3. PINCHAS – “PHINEAS” TORAH: Numbers 25:10-29:40 HAFTORAH: 1 Kings 18:46-19:21 B’RIT CHADASHAH: Matthew 26:1-30; Mark 14:1-26; Luke 22:1-20; John 2:13-22; 7:1-13,37-39;11:55-12:1; 13:1; 18:28, 39; 19:14; Acts 2:1-21; 12:3-4; 20:5-6, 16; 27:9-11; 1 Corinthians 5:6-8; Hebrews 11:28 All references: The Scripture 1998+ unless otherwise noted

4. THE LEGENDS OF THE JEWS - 1 When the people’s shamelessness became more and more widespread, God commanded Moses to appoint judges to punish the sinners, and as it was difficult to discover these through the agency of witnesses, God marked them by causing the cloud of glory that lay spread over the camp of Israel to disappear from the sinners. Those that were not covered by the cloud of glory were thus clearly marked as sinners. God appointed as judges and executioners the seven myriads eight thousand six hundred officers of the people, giving them the order that each of them execute two sinners. These carried out Moses’ command and stoned the sinners, whose corpses then hung upon the gallows for a few minutes. This was the legal punishment, for these sinners had not only committed whoredom with the women of Moab, but had worshipped the Moabit idol Peor; and idolatry is punishable with death by stoning.

5. THE LEGENDS OF THE JEWS - 2 While the judges administered their stern offices, the tribe of Simeon approached their prince, Zimri, and said to him, “People are being executed, and thou sittest still as if nothing were going on.” He thereupon took with him twenty-four thousand men, and betook himself to Cozbi, Balak’s daughter, and without considering God or men, he requested her in the presence of many people to yield herself to him, to satisfy his evil desires. Now Balak had ordered his daughter Cozbi to employ her beauty only for the sake of enticing Moses, thinking, “Whatever evil may be decreed by God against Israel, Moses will be brought to naught, but if my daughter should succeed in seducing him to sin, then all Israel will be in my hand.” Hence Cozbi said to Zimri: “My father ordered me to be obedient to the wishes of Moses alone, and to none other; for he is a king, and so is my father, and a king’s daughter is fit for none but a king.”

6. THE LEGENDS OF THE JEWS -3 Zimri, however, replied: “I am a greater man the Moses, for he is chief only of the third tribe of Israel, whereas I am prince of the tribe of Simeon, the second of the Israelite tribes, and if thou wilt, I will convince thee that I am a greater man than Moses, for I will take thee to myself in his presence, without paying attention to his prohibition.” Zimri then seized Cozbi by the locks of her hair, and brought her before Moses, whom he then addressed as follows: “Tell me, son of Amram, is this woman permitted me, or is she forbidden me?” Moses said, “She is forbidden to thee.” Zimri answered: “Art thou really the faithful expounder of the Torah, whose reliability God praised with the words, ‘He is faithful in all Mine house?’ How then canst thou assert that she is forbidden me, for then thy wife would be forbidden to thee, for she is a Midianite like this woman, and this one is a noble woman of a noble family, whereas thy wife is the daughter of an idolatrous priest.”

7. THE LEGENDS OF THE JEWS - 4 At those words, Moses, Eleazar, and the elders began to weep, for they knew not how to make answer to Zimri’s insolent words, nor what they could do to restrain this sinner from the accomplishment of his sin. God said to Moses: “Where is thy wisdom? Thou didst need to utter only one word, and Korah and all his company were swallowed by the earth. Canst thou now do nothing better than to weep?” The Holy Spirit exclaimed at Moses’ perplexity and silence, “The stouthearted are spoiled, they have slept their sleep.” God, who calls the pious to strict account, punished Moses for the lack of decision that he displayed on this occasion, by leaving his burial-place unknown to mankind. While Moses and other pious men were irresolute and deliberated whether or not Zimri deserved death, Phinehas said to Moses: “O my great-uncle, didst thou not teach me, when thou didst return from Mount Sinai, that is was the zealot’s task for the sake of God’s law to slay those who commit unchastity with non-Jewish women?”

8. THE LEGENDS OF THE JEWS - 5 Phinehas took the liberty of pointing out the law to his teacher Moses who had forgotten it, because, “when God’s name is profaned, no man should consider the respect due to a teacher,” wherefore Phinehas thought now only of establishing God’s law, and in doing this it was necessary to recall it to Moses’ mind. Moses indeed did not take it all amiss, but said to Phinehas, “Let the reader of the letter be its bearer also,” words by which he called upon Phinehas himself to visit punishment upon the sinners. Phinehas was now for a time in doubt whether he should dare to punish the sinners, for it was to be expected that he would eventually meet his death in this way, being one against two, Zimri and his mistress Cozbi. When, however, the plague that God had sent upon Israel on account of their sins spread more and more rapidly, Phinehas determined to risk his life in trying to kill the sinners.

9. THE LEGENDS OF THE JEWS - 6 “For,” said he to himself, “the horse goes willingly into battle, and is ready to be slain only to be of service to its master. How much more does it behoove me to expose myself to death in order to sanctify God’s name!” He found himself all the more impelled to act thus because he could not well leave the punishment of the sinners to others. He said: “The tribe of Reuben can effect nothing in this instance, because their grandsire Reuben was himself suspected of an unchaste action; nothing is to be expected from the tribe of Simeon, for it follows the sinful example of its prince Zimri; the tribe of Judah cannot well be of use in this matter, because their grandsire Judah committed unchastity with his daughter-in-law Tamar; Moses himself is doomed to impotence because his wife Zipporah is a Midianite woman. Hence there remains nothing but for me to interpose.”

10. SHITTIM And Yisra’ĕl dwelt in Shittim, ...(Numbers 25:1) Now the Children of Israel camped in Shittim. “Shittim” (shin-tet-yud-mem) means “acacia tree”. It was shittim, or acacia wood that was used for the Ark of the Covenant, Incense Altar, the Table of Showbread and in the Great Altar, as well as in the structural members of the OhelMo’ed (Tent of Meeting). This wood, can be as small as limbs and branches, represents people, you and me; because, this wood often needed to be fitted together, or joined, in order to be used in making the Mishkan and the various elements the furniture that was used in and with the Tabernacle. The numeric value of the letters “shin-tet-yud-mem” “is 359, as 359 also equals “chamesh” which is “five” and is where we get the word “Chumash” for the “Book of the Torah”, as it is made up of five books. In this way “acacia wood” is a picture of Torah. And so, the Tent of Meeting, Ark of the Covenant, the Altar, etc. are all built from and on Torah.

11. JOINED TO BAAL ...and the people began to whore with the daughters of Mo’aḇ, and they invited the people to the slaughterings of their mighty ones, and the people ate and bowed down to their mighty ones. Thus Yisra’ĕl was joined to BaʽalPeʽor, and the displeasure of יהוה burned against Yisra’ĕl. (Numbers 25:1-3) The Hebrew word here is “tsamad”, Strong‟s #6775, which means “bound to” and is spelled the same as “tseemeed”, Strong‟s #6776, which means “pair” or “yoke” as in a “yoke”, “pair” of “team” or oxen, horses, etc. Baal Pe’or means “lord most high” or “lord of the cleft” or “gap”. And translates as, “lord speaking light”, or truth. Israel made offerings; they ate and bowed down to the Midianite mighty ones. They committed “na’aph”, a Hebrew word for both adultery and idolatry. NOTE: This is what many of the rabbis equate with the giving away of the Land, Eretz Israel, even a part of it. The Land is יהוה gift to His Bride. When men give away even a piece of that wedding gift, we are committing adultery or idolatry.

12. HANG THEM FACING THE SUN And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Take all the leaders of the people and hang them up before יהוה, before the sun, so that the burning displeasure of יהוה turns away from Yisra’ĕl.” And Mosheh said to the judges of Yisra’ĕl, “Each one of you slay his men who were joined to BaʽalPeʽor.” (Numbers 25:4-5) The word used for “hang” is “yaqa” (Strong‟s #3363), which means “to hang”, “impale”, “dislocate ones joints”, “torn away” and “alienated” The same word as used in Matthew 27:35 And having impaled Him, they divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be filled what was spoken by the prophet, “They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” יהושע bore our sin. What sin? “Na’aph” adultery/ idolatry, יהושע was “yaqa”, “impaled”, “before the sun”, “negedshemesh”, or “openly”, “in public”.

13. ZIMRI And see, one of the children of Yisra’ĕl came and brought to his brothers a Miḏyanite woman before the eyes of Mosheh and before the eyes of all the congregation of the children of Yisra’ĕl, who were weeping at the door of the Tent of Meeting. (Numbers 25:6) Zimri, the prince of the tribe of Shim’on was publicly belittling Moshe’s' authority by taking a Midianite princess for himself in front of his brothers, Moshe and the whole Assembly of Israel. Zimri’s claim was that if Moshe could marry the daughter of the Priest of Midyan, speaking of Tzipporah, why could he not? The Torah prohibiting inter-marriage was given after Moses married. “And when יהוה your Elohim gives them over to you, you shall smite them and put them under the ban, completely. Make no covenant with them, and show them no favour. “And do not intermarry with them – you do not give your daughter to his son, and you do not take his daughter for your son, for he turns your sons away from following Me, to serve other mighty ones. .. (Deuteronomy 7:2-4)

14. MIDIANITES “Distress the Miḏyanites! And you shall smite them, (Numbers 25:17) Midian is symbolic of the immoral pleasures of the society that surrounds the people of יהוה and that will subvert and overtake the righteous if left unchecked. יהוה commanded Israel to constantly harass and attack the Midianites for their subversion of Israel sexually. The best defence is a strong offense. As The Art Scroll Stone Edition Chumash points out, harassing the Midianites was to be an on-going state of mind (p. 877). Likewise, fighting the sin that would attempt to gain entrance into our lives must be a constant state of mind. Balaam and Midian co-conspired at engineering the demise of Israel through sensual enticements. Sex is a very powerful motivating force in the affairs of humans. Some will do anything (including murder or denying Yeshua) for a few moments of sensual gratification.

15. PINCHAS And when Pineḥas, son of Elʽazar, son of Aharon the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation and took a spear in his hand, and he went after the man of Yisra’ĕl into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Yisra’ĕl, and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague among the children of Yisra’ĕl came to a stop. (Numbers 25:7-8) His name in the Strong’s means “mouth of brass”. His name is actually a contraction of two words, and it always points to a picture. The word “pei” which is “mouth” or “here, now” and the word “nachash” which means “serpent” or “image of the serpent”. The same word used for the serpent in Numbers 21:8-9 And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole. ... The Hebrew, word translated as bronze is “nekhoshet” which can be copper, “brass” or bronze. Instead of “mouth of brass”, what we have is “here” (Pei) the “image of the brass serpent” (Nachash), or Pe’nachash (Pinchas) ended the plague of death using the same remedy.

16. PINCHAS RISES UP The word used is “qumah” also used by Moshe when the Ark would travel, “Rise up, O יהוה! And let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee before You.” (Numbers 10:35) Pinchas rises up, in strength, and takes a spear and goes after the man into the tent. The word “ohel” means tent, but, the word used is “qubah”, Strong‟s #6898 and it literally means, “bed chamber”. Pinchas rises up and delivers his people; all because of his “ardor” or “zealousness” for Elohim. The Hebrew word used for “zealously” verse 11 is “chemati” also means “passionate”. And for “avenged” or “vengeance” Torah uses the word “qin’ah” three times in this one verse. “Qin’ah” means “jealous anger”, “jealous retribution” and the letters have the numeric value of 151, which equals “qumah” or “rise up”. Pinchas in his “jealousy” for יהוה and His Torah, “rises up” and avenged Elohim. Rabbi Chaim Richman points out that, “out of an overwhelming love for his fellow Israelites. For by avenging God he removed God's wrath from the children of Israel, a wrath that would have proven far more difficult to endure”.

17. WHAT IS A ZEALOT? How do we know if a person is motivated to quenchיהוה 's wrath, or driven by personal issues for his own purposes? Biblically, a zealot is an entirely selfless person who is motivated only by the preservation of the purity and quality of the holy relationship between יהוה and His people, without regard for himself, his reputation, or other interests. Once a zealot's personal interests or prejudices become involved, or even influential, he is no longer a zealot. A zealot does not stop to evaluate the moral and spiritual implications of his act on his own personal life and self interests--he doesn't even care if what he is doing is legal or not. He is simply determined to put an end to any situation/any cause that incurs the divine wrath against Israel [and thus bring peace between Elohim. Love is the basis for biblical zealotry: In brotherly love, tenderly loving towards one another, in appreciation, giving preference to each other; not idle in duty, ardent in spirit, serving the Master; (Romans 12:10-11)

18. TWELVE MIRACLES - 1 Legends of the Jews Phinehas's fear that these two might attack him was not realized, for God performed no less than twelve miracles for Phinehas, which not only made it impossible for the sinners to attack him, but also showed the people that his action found favor in the sight of the Lord. 1. An angel would not allow the sinful couple to separate when Phinehas surprised them; 2. The angel stopped their mouths so that they could not cry out for help; 3. Phinehas's lance struck the man's and the woman's pudenda (private parts); 4. The upper, iron part of the lance extended, so that Phinehas could at one thrust pierce the man as well as the woman; 5. Phinehas's arm was sufficiently strong to lift both upon the point of his lance; 6. The wooden shaft of the lance sustained the weight of two persons;

19. TWELVE MIRACLES - 2 Legends of the Jews 7. The two bodies remained poised upon the lance and did not fall off; 8. The angel turned the shameless pair around, so that all might see that Phinehas had surprised them in flagranti (disregard of the law); 9. No blood flowed from them although they had been thrust through, or else Phinehas would have been polluted; 10. The shameless couple did not give up the ghost so long as Phinehas bore them upon the point of his lance, as he would otherwise have been polluted by their corpses; 11. The angel raised the doorposts of the room so that Phinehas might pass through with the sinners upon the point of his lance, and 12. When the tribe of Simeon prepared to avenge Prince Zimri's death upon Phinehas, the angel sent a plague upon them, so that they were impotent against him.

20. COVENANT “Therefore say, ‘See, I am giving him My covenant of peace, and it shall be to him and to his seed after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was ardent for his Elohim, and made atonement for the children of Yisra’ĕl.’ ” (Numbers 25:12-13) Shalom means “completeness in number”, “soundness”, “health”, “prosperity” and “contentment”. “For יהוה has called you like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when you were refused,” declares your Elohim. “For a little while I have forsaken you, but with great compassion I shall gather you. “In an overflow of wrath I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I shall have compassion on you,” said יהוה, your Redeemer..in that I have sworn that the waters of Noaḥ would never again cover the earth, so have I sworn not to be wroth with you, nor to rebuke you. “For though the mountains be removed and the hills be shaken, My kindness is not removed from you, nor is My covenant of peace shaken,” said יהוה, who has compassion on you. (Isaiah 54:6-10)

21. COVENANT OF PEACE שׁלוםThe word shalom is written like this normally : However, in the Hebrew Torah scrolls, this is the only time in the Scriptures that the vav in this word and letter appears like this: The numerical equivalent of the vav is six. Six is the Biblical number of man who was created on the 6th day. Man will spend 6 millenniums on earth before the return of Messiah. יהושע, the Son of man, was “broken” for us that we might have peace. Also, each of us must be “broken”… this is what brings us to wholeness, shalom …when this is completed, we will be sanctified and He will be in our midst forever!

22. ETERNAL PRIESTHOOD While Pinchas is a Levite and of the line of his grandfather Aharon; Elohim ties his priesthood to the first one we read about in Torah, that of “Malkitsedeq” (King of Righteousness) from Genesis 14:18, to whom Abraham gave a tithe. The Book of Yasher, which follows the oral histories, explains the MelekTzaddik to be Shem. Jasher 16:11 And Adonizedek king of Jerusalem, the same was Shem, went out with his men to meet Abram and his people, with bread and wine, and they remained together in the valley of Melech. It says that he is the one who slew Nimrod and cut him into pieces to be sent throughout the 70 nations, because Elohim and the MelekTzaddik could no longer stand the sins Nimrod committed and encouraged others to commit against Elohim. He literally chose, and taught his subjects to choose, that which is profane, over that which is sanctified (set-apart). Now, Pinchas and his “zera”, because of his zealous love for יהוה and B’nei Israel, would be the foundation of this eternal priesthood.

23. יהושע So also the Messiah did not extol Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him, “You are My Son, today I have brought You forth.” As He also says in another place, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Malkitseḏeq,” who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and petitions with strong crying and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His reverent fear, though being a Son, He learned obedience by what He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the Causer of everlasting deliverance to all those obeying Him, having been designated by Elohim a High Priest “according to the order of Malkitseḏeq,” concerning whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For indeed, although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first elements of the Words of Elohim. And you have become such as need milk and not solid food. For everyone partaking of milk is inexperienced in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food is for the mature whose senses have been trained by practice to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews 5:5-14)

24. PROMISE OF יהושע David wrote: יהוה said to my Master, “Sit at My right hand, Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” יהוה sends Your mighty sceptre out of Tsiyon. Rule in the midst of Your enemies! Your people volunteer in the day of Your might, In the splendours of set-apartness! From the womb, from the morning, You have the dew of Your youth! יהוה has sworn and does not relent, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Malkitseḏeq.” יהוה at Your right hand Shall smite sovereigns in the day of His wrath. He judges among the nations, He shall fill the nations with dead bodies, He shall crush the Head over the mighty earth! He drinks of the stream by the wayside, Therefore He does lift up the head! (Psalms 110:1-7) Here, we have Hashem declaring Mashiach to be a Priest after the order of the MelekTzaddik. We have the phrase “smite the sovereigns” which uses the word “machats” for “smite”, which is Strong‟s #4272 and means to “pierce through” with a spear, “stab through” with a sword or “smites with arrows” as in Numbers 24:8. Again, we see the same imagery as with Pinchas and the MelekTzaddik.

25. APOSTLE PAUL Apostle Paul went on to rebuke the Israelite believers studying to understand the weightier matters of the Kingdom without understanding the basics. It’s so important for us to understand we have become “dull of hearing”. We may have thought we knew things, big lofty spiritual things, but, we need to learn the “first elements of the Words of Elohim”. We are babes until we begin to understand and walk in the “elemental things”, the mitzvot of Elohim. And we will not begin to grasp the truly higher things, until we have a firm hold on the basic things. We need to be experienced in discerning “good from evil” in order to partake of the “meat”. Also, we need to realize, as we move through the elemental things, the milk of Torah; that a little knowledge does not make us sages. Before we go telling others, like those rabbinical types that live by “traditions of men”; before we go telling them how wrong they are, we had better make sure that we understand Yah’s Word, and, understand it from the context in which it was given, and the history behind it.

26. ZIMRI AND COZBI And the name of the Yisra’ĕlite who was killed, who was killed with the Miḏyanite woman, was Zimri, son of Salu, a leader of a father’s house among the Shimʽonites. And the name of the Miḏyanite woman who was killed was Kozbi the daughter of Tsur. He was head of the people of a father’s house in Miḏyan. (Numbers 25:14-15) Zimri’s name means “my music.” Instead of seeking the heavenly harmony of worship and obedience to יהוה, Zimri was dancing to his own melody. His father’s name was Salu, meaning “weighed.” as in: “TEQĚL – You have been weighed on the scales, and found lacking. (Daniel 5:27) Cozbi was the daughter of a leader in Midian. Her name means “my lie,” and her father’s name means “rock.” יהושע is referred to as a rock, but this “rock” had a daughter who was “a lie.” She was a false bride and a harlot.

27. COZBI Cozbi probably had a clear conscience. The worship of Ba’al included temple prostitution. She may have even considered herself a missionary among a foreign people. Temple prostitution was only for the upper classes and the elite. There is even archaeological evidence of this mixing, as artefacts have been found which are inscribed with “To יהוה and His Asherah” (goddess of fertility). Cozbi and Zimri purposely chose the Tent of Meeting as the location for their sex act. It was to be a public display of outright rebellion. They were leaders, and they were attempting to teach the Israelites how to be freed from the rituals and the holiness that was a part of the teaching of Moses.

28. CENSUS AND ALLOTMENT ..יהוה spoke to Mosheh and Elʽazar, son of Aharon the priest, saying, “Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Yisra’ĕl from twenty years old and above, by their fathers’ houses, everyone going out to the army in Yisra’ĕl.” ... “But the land is divided by lot, they inherit according to the names of the tribes of their fathers.... (Numbers 26:1-65) Smaller tribes inherited smaller plots of land that would support them and larger families inherited land the size that would support their needs. The first census, ordered in Numbers 1:2, thirty-nine years earlier, produced a total of 603,550 men of war, twenty years old and upward. After the second census we discover that the total number of men was 601,730, which represented a decline of 1,820 people, or a -0.3% decrease. Despite the judicial deaths of the original fighting generation added to the sum of natural deaths, יהוה had preserved His Israel throughout the long years of marching.

29. DECENDANTS OF SIMEON It is not as easy to trace the behavior of the descendents of Simeon. We do have some clues, however. The result of the mixing of the Israelites with the daughters of Moab was the death of 24,000 Israelites by the plague. Numbers 26 gives us the current census number of Simeonites and NUmbers 1 gives us the census number from the beginning of the exodus: These are the clans of the Shimʽonites: twenty-two thousand two hundred. (Numbers 26:14) those who were registered of the tribe of Shimʽon were fifty-nine thousand three hundred. (Numbers 1:23) The tribe of Simeon has lost 37,100 people, and it is easy to conclude that perhaps nearly all of the 24,000 who died from the plague were from the tribe of Simeon (Rashi). But there is a promise for the tribe: And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed out of all the tribes of the children of Yisra’ĕl: .. of the tribe of Shimʽon twelve thousand were sealed, ..(Revelation 7:4-7)

30. 70 CLANS Numbers 26 lists 70 clans within Israel. Each clan was given a land apportionment within the land of Israel. POINTS TO PONDER: There were 70 nations among the sons of Noah (Gen 10), 70 members of the Sanhedrin (the Jewish ­ruling body) and יהושע had 70 additional disciples (Luke 10:1). Significance of the number 70: The 70 clans and 70 disciples were to evangelize the 70 nations with the Word of Elohim.

31. DAUGHTERS OF TZ’LOF’CHAD Then came the daughters of Tselophḥaḏ, son of Ḥĕpher, son of Gilʽaḏ, son of Maḵir, son of Menashsheh, from the clans of Menashsheh, son of Yosĕph. And these were the names of his daughters: Maḥlah, Noʽah, and Ḥoḡlah, and Milkah, and Tirtsah. And they stood before Mosheh, and before Elʽazar the priest, and before the leaders and all the congregation, by the doorway of the Tent of Meeting, saying, “Our father died in the wilderness, yet he was not in the company of those who were met together against יהוה, in company with Qoraḥ, but he died in his own sin. And he had no sons. “Why should the name of our father be removed from among his clan because he had no son? Give us a possession among the brothers of our father.” (Numbers 27:1-4) “The daughters of Tselophḥaḏ speak what is right. You should certainly give them a possession of inheritance among their father’s brothers, and cause the inheritance of their father to pass to them. (Numbers 27:7)

32. RECEIVING THEIR INHERITANCE The girls received the inheritance by faith. Their words were well spoken. They did not express or reveal any element of doubt whatsoever that יהוה's people, everyone, would receive his/her portion in the Promised Land, even though they were still in Moab. " Let those who delight in my righteous cause Shout for joy and be glad, And let them always say, “Let יהוה be made great, Who is desiring the peace of His servant.” (Psalms 35:27) The women were brave, and received the reward of their courage. They had no male protectors or intermediaries, yet openly brought their cause before Moses and Elohim. Therefore, let us come boldly to the throne of favour, in order to receive compassion, and find favour for timely help. (Hebrews 4:16)Everyone is important in His sight! No one is rejected “All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I shall by no means cast out. (John 6:37)

33. LAW OF INHERITANCE “And speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, ‘When a man dies and has no son, then you shall cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter. ‘And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. ‘And if he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. ‘And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, and he shall possess it.’ ” And it shall be to the children of Yisra’ĕl a law of right-ruling, as יהוה commanded Mosheh. (Numbers 27:8-11)

34. HEBREWS PLACE OF REST And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Go up into this Mount Aḇarim, and see the land which I have given to the children of Yisra’ĕl. (Numbers 27:12) The meaning of “Abarim” from Strong’s, was a literal definition of “regions beyond” and references to it being a mountain range of which Mt. Nebo was the highest peak. The word “Abarim” in Hebrew means “Hebrews” (Eberim or Ibrim). Hashem told Moshe to ascend the “Mount of the Hebrews”. Rabbi Chaimibn Attar stated in his commentary of 1742, titled “Or HaChaim”, that the phrase “you shall see the land” means that Moshe would “see the Land of Israel as in a revelation, to gain the deeper vision and see its spiritual essence”. Not to show Moshe what he was going to miss but rather, יהוה loved him so much that He wanted Moshe to see with his earthly eyes the secret of the Land. Moshe had already witnessed a generation that would not enter Elohim’sMenuwchah, His “Place of Rest”.

35. FINAL WORDS This week’s reading in Numbers contains the final conversation between Moshe and יהוה. As we continue through the remaining chapters of Torah, we will not find another instance where Moshe is quoted as saying anything to יהוה. In Deuteronomy, we will read of instances where Moshe will speak of past conversations he had with the Almighty. These are his final words to יהוה: And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Take Yehoshua son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit. And you shall lay your hand on him, and shall set him before Elʽazar the priest and before all the congregation, and give him charge before their eyes, and shall put some of your esteem upon him, so that all the congregation of the children of Yisra’ĕl obey him. (Numbers 27:18-20)

36. INHERITORS Previously we read of the death of Moshe’s brother, Aaron, and saw how he had the privilege of knowing that his son would follow in his footsteps as High Priest: “Take Aharon and Elʽazar his son, and bring them up to Mount Hor, and strip Aharon of his garments and put them on Elʽazar his son, for Aharon is to be gathered to his people and die there.” (Numbers 20:25-26) We are not told if Moshe longed to see one of his sons, Gershom or Eliezer, appointed as leader over Israel. We also do not know what happened to Moshe’s children and why the information about Moshe’s children is not pertinent to יהוה’s Torah message? Who then is inheritors of his legacy?

37. PARENTS/TEACHERS Ancient commentators speak to us of two great roles necessary for Israel’s continuity: • horim – parents • morim – teachers Aaron epitomized the role of parent as his son inherited his position. Moshe was the great example of a teacher; in fact today we call him – Moshe Rabbenu, “Moshe our teacher”. A teacher sets the example for his disciples. It would be Moshe’s disciple, Joshua, who would be elevated to rule over, care for, and lead Israel. It would be incorrect to say that Joshua replaced Moshe. Moshe’s most important role as mediator for Israel was not passed on. יהוה had direct communication with Moshe. This would not be so with Joshua. We would not see another mediator like Moshe until several centuries later when יהושע entered the scene. If we read Numbers 27:15-17 again, we will see that the man Moshe was asking for was the Messiah! Neither Moshe nor יהושע were replaced, and both left disciples to continue on with their teaching.

38. TEACHERS As a teacher, what Moshe left for his disciples to inherit was knowledge. A disciple never became greater than his master: “A taught one is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. (Matthew 10:24) Moshe was a great teacher of Torah, but he was still considered a servant of the Most High: And Mosheh the servant of יהוה died there in the land of Mo’aḇ, according to the mouth of יהוה. (Deuteronomy 34:5) יהושע was the greatest teacher of Torah, and was often called upon to expound: “Teacher, which is the great command in the Torah?” (Matthew 22:36)

39. FAMILY Not only was יהושע a great Teacher with disciples, but He considered all who DO the will of the Father to be His mother, brothers, sisters,….i.e., His family. Moshe’s inheritance did not just pass on to his physical children, Moshe would pass on his inheritance (Torah) to HIS FAMILY. The only difference is that Moshe’s family (as יהושע said) includes all who DO the will of the Father: But He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?” And looking about on those sitting round Him, He said, “See My mother and My brothers! “For whoever does the desire of Elohim is My brother and My sister and mother.” (Mark 3:33-35) No one was simply handed Torah on a platter as an inheritance. The potential was there for everyone to have a share in the inheritance of Torah….that is, all who would attach themselves to the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Included within the Torah inheritance was the knowledge and expectation of how to live.

40. “CHILDREN OF YAH”. RAMBAM: “A duty rests on every scholar in Israel to teach all disciples who seek instruction from him, even if they are not his children, as it is said, ‘And you shall teach them diligently to your children’. According to traditional authority, the term ‘your children’ includes disciples, for disciples are called children, as it is said, ‘And the sons of the prophets [meaning, the disciples of the prophets] came forth’ (2 Kings 2:3).” In the Gospel of John, we read that those who receivedיהושע became not only “His disciples”, but were also seen as “children of Yah”: But as many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of Elohim, to those believing in His Name, who were born, not of blood nor of the desire of flesh nor of the desire of man, but of Elohim. (John 1:12-13) Believing in יהושע gives us the right to become “children of Yah”.

41. TEACHING יהושע commission to us is to make “disciples” by continuing to “teach” His commandments: “Therefore, go and make taught ones of all the nations, immersing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Set-apart Spirit, teaching them to guard all that I have commanded you. And see, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Amĕn. (Matthew 28:19-20) RAMBAM CONCERNING “TEACHING”: “Just as a person is commanded to honour and revere his father, so he is under an obligation to honour and revere his teacher, even to a greater extent than his father, for his father gave him life in this world, while his teacher who instructs him in wisdom secures for him life in the world to come.” Rambam’s comment fits in with the question of a rich ruler who came to יהושע as a teacher: And a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit everlasting life?” (Luke 18:18)

42. TEACHING OF CHILDREN Over and over again throughout the Gospels, יהושע was referred to as a teacher (rabbi). A teacher taught his disciples, but a parent was also defined in terms of teaching and instruction: “And these Words which I am commanding you today shall be in your heart, and you shall impress them upon your children, and shall speak of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up, (Deuteronomy 6:6-7) Education of your children was such an important Torah concept that it is even given as the reason why Abraham was chosen as the father of the Hebrew faith: since Aḇraham is certainly going to become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? “For I have known him, so that he commands his children and his household after him, to guard the way of יהוה, to do righteousness and right-ruling, so that יהוה brings to Aḇraham what He has spoken to him.” (Genesis 18:18-19)

43. ABRAHAM (Side note) Abraham was therefore both a father and a teacher of righteousness. We know from reading his story that he taught more than just his biological children. He is spoken of by Paul as the “father of all those who believe” (believe what is taught by the teacher): And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the belief while in uncircumcision, for him to be a father of all those believing through uncircumcision, for righteousness to be reckoned to them also, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the belief which our father Aḇraham had in uncircumcision. (Romans 4:11-12)

44. INHERITANCE We understand now that Torah does not focus on an inheritance for “biological children” because it is actually passed down to those “children of the faith” (who can be biological children) who would be “disciples of Torah”: And this is the blessing with which Mosheh the man of Elohim blessed the children of Yisra’ĕl before his death. And he said, “יהוה came from Sinai, and rose from Sĕʽir for them. He shone forth from Mount Paran, and came with ten thousands of set-apart ones – at His right hand a law of fire for them. Indeed, He loves the peoples, all His set-apart ones are in Your hand. And they, they sat down at Your feet, receiving Your Words. Mosheh commanded us a Torah, an inheritance of the assembly of Yaʽaqoḇ. (Deuteronomy 33:1-4) In Deuteronomy 33:4, Moshe describes Torah as an “inheritance” (morashah) passed down to the “congregation of Jacob”. To understand this inheritance, we will first take a look at the more common Hebrew word for inheritance – “nachalah”. “nachalah”. Is related to “nachal”, a word for a “river” or a “stream”. It signifies something passed down automatically across the generations, as a river’s water flows downstream.

45. INHERITANCE CON’T The word used in Deuteronomy 33:3 “morashah” to describe the inheritance of Torah, describes something to which you have legitimate title, but which you need to react to in order to acquire. The inherited position “nachalah” of High Priest was handed down from father to son. As a teacher, Moshe was able to hand down the promise of the inheritance “morashah” to those who chose to become disciples of Torah. The sages make a beautiful observation. They point out that by a simple change in pronunciation – turning a shin (“sh”) into a sin (“s”), “inheritance” becomes “betrothal”. Thus Deuteronomy 33:4 could be read: Moshe commanded a Torah for us, a betrothal “morasah” of the congregation of Jacob. As a side note, this is not a change in the ancient Torah scrolls, as these markings were added much later.

46. יהושע Now to tie this to יהושע who is of the same essence as the Torah. He is the Word of יהוה, made flesh. It is to Him that we are betrothed “morasah” and made ready for the marriage through the acceptance and practice of His Word (Torah): Husbands, love your wives, as Messiah also did love the assembly and gave Himself for it, in order to set it apart and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, in order to present it to Himself a splendid assembly, not having spot or wrinkle or any of this sort, but that it might be set-apart and blameless. (Ephesians 5:25-27) What is the “physical inheritance” of Torah? The acceptance of Torah included the acquisition of a Promised Land. This promise also went all the way back to Abraham, the father of our faith: And He said to him, “I am יהוה, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit (yarash) it.” (Genesis 15:7)

47. PROPHETICALLY Obadiah speaks of the fulfilment of this inheritance (morashah): “For the day of יהוה is near upon all the gentiles. As you have done, it shall be done to you, your reward shall come back on your own head. “For as you have drunk on my set-apart mountain, so do all the gentiles drink continually. And they shall drink and shall swallow, and they shall be as though they had never been. “But on Mount Tsiyon there shall be an escape, and they shall be set-apart. And the house of Yaʽaqoḇ shall possess their possessions. (Obadiah 1:15-17) As Moshe passed on the inheritance to all of Jacob who were willing to be disciples of Torah, יהוה answers Moshe’s plea and chooses Joshua (a shadow of יהושע) to bring His people into their physical inheritance: ..“Take Yehoshua son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit. And you shall lay your hand on him, (Numbers 27:18) The physical inheritance has a final fulfilment for the one betrothed: .. a renewed heaven and a renewed earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more. .. the set-apart city, renewedYerushalayim, .. out of the heaven from Elohim, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Revelation 21:1-2)

48. A SHEPHERD Moshe’s request for a replacement: And Mosheh spoke to יהוה, saying, “Let יהוה, the Elohim of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, who goes out before them and comes in before them, who leads them out and brings them in, so that the congregation of יהוה be not like sheep without a shepherd.” (Numbers 27:15-17) Remember that when הוה first called Moshe, he was a shepherd “tending the flock”: And Mosheh was shepherding the flock of Yithro his father-in-law, ... And the Messenger of יהוה appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. .. and Elohim called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Mosheh! Mosheh!” And he said, “Here I am.” (Exodus 3:1-4) Moshe is looking for another shepherd to lead the flock, but not just any shepherd?

49. MILITARY LEADER יהוה’s reason for calling Moshe was to become a military leader (Numbers 27:17 – who goes out before them and comes in before them) who would rescue Israel from their oppressors and take them to the Promised Land: And יהוה said, “I have indeed seen the oppression of My people who are in Mitsrayim, and have heard their cry because of their slave-drivers, for I know their sorrows. “And I have come down to deliver them from the hand of the Mitsrites, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, .. “And now, come, I am sending you to Pharaoh, to bring My people, the children of Yisra’ĕl, out of Mitsrayim.” (Exodus 3:7-10) Now that Moshe is about to die, he wants to make sure that יהוה will appoint an appropriate shepherd to succeed him. As mentioned before, the ultimate answer to Moshe’s request will be יהושע, but for now יהוה will choose a man to shadow the coming Messiah.

50. GOOD AND BAD SHEPHERD The Almighty often saw within the characteristics of a good shepherd the kind of traits that make for a good leader of His people. Jeremiah speaks of bad shepherds, but also declares that good shepherds will be raised up to feed the flock: “Woe to the shepherds destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture!” declares יהוה. Therefore thus said יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl against the shepherds who feed My people, “You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and have not tended them. See, I am punishing you for the evil of your deeds,” declares יהוה. “Therefore I shall gather the remnant of My flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and shall bring them back to their fold. And they shall bear and increase. “And I shall raise up shepherds over them, and they shall feed them. And they shall fear no more, nor be discouraged, nor shall they be lacking,” declares יהוה. (Jeremiah 23:1-4)