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Parasha B’reisheet 2023: Blessings in the Light!

Parasha B’reisheet Readings

Torah
B’reisheet (Genesis) 1:1-6:8
Haftarah
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 42:5-43:10
B'rit Chadasha
Yochanan (John) 1:1-18

Shalom, Rosh Hashanah, and welcome to this week’s Parasha B’reisheet. For those of you who do not know and may be wondering why we are celebrating Rosh Hashanah now (and not in the seventh month as most Messianics and Jews do); the reason for this is because we keep the Aviv barley calendar. I will not go into great detail about that and why we keep the calendar other than we believe it is the true biblical calendar according to what Scripture says and not any particular man-made doctrine or theory. If you would like to know more about the true biblical calendar that Yahweh wants us to observe, then please visit our website to read the studies and find numerous video studies about the calendar on our website or YouTube page.

In this week’s parasha, we are going to learn all about what happened in the beginning of creation. How Yahweh created us, what His plans were for us, and how rebellion caused us to be separated from Elohim. We will also see how it is this same rebellious spirit that causes pain in this life so it is important to know our history so that we can know why we are where we are currently and where we are headed in the future. With this new year upon us, just to say it because I know we have all heard the same before “new year, new me”.

There is some truth to that, and we should all be seeking to walk in the grace and mercy that Elohim extends to us because His mercies and grace are renewed to us daily.

For anyone out there who is new to this walk, or even if you have been in this walk for some time now, use this opportunity to get serious about your faith if you already have not. A new year is upon us. Let us use this blessing to live our life sold out from Messiah Yeshua. Let us use this opportunity to abandon the things of the world and walk in the renewed mind and heart that only Messiah can give us. Please join me as we study Yahweh’s word.

As we begin our study, we see in the first two verses of B’reisheet (Genesis) that Elohim created everything. The rest of chapter 1 goes into detail as to how and what He created, but the basic premise is that He created all things. It is in the details of creation that we see how much He loves us and His plan for redemption for us. He always knew that we would rebel against Him, but nevertheless He loves us fiercely.

We see that “the earth was without form, and it was void; and darkness was over the face of the deep”.

B’reisheet (Genesis) 1:2
2 “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of Elohim was hovering over the face of the waters.”

We are very much like this when we first encounter the truth about Elohim and His Son Yeshua. Our lives are without form. We are pushed around by every wind of doctrine (whether religious doctrine or worldly doctrine). We are lost and we have no purpose or direction. We have a void in our hearts and a void that we try to fill with vain and empty things of this world. Nothing from the world fills it and there is a darkness that resides in us. A darkness that is all-consuming. A darkness that our evil and rebellion likes to hide in.

Just like in the beginning of creation, Elohim said, “Let there be light; and there was light. And He called the light good and He separated the light from the darkness”.

B’reisheet (Genesis) 1:3-4
3 Then Elohim said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
4 And Elohim saw the light, that it was good; and Elohim divided the light from the darkness.

This is what happens to us when we come into repentance and in to light. Elohim did not call the darkness evil. He did not say it was bad and an important realization we must make is that apart from Elohim, there is no light. There is only darkness. There is no structure for our lives, and we will always have a void to fill apart from Him. If we are apart from Elohim and our lives are dark, cold, empty and we have no purpose, how can we expect anything we do in our lives to be good and loving?

Elohim is the one who provides us with the structure and the framework for us to operate in. He is the one who fills the void in our hearts, and He is the light that shines through us.

This is why Yeshua said, “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”.

Mattityahu (Matthew) 6:22-23
22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.
23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”

Notice again that Yeshua does not call the darkness bad or evil. Rather what Yeshua is saying is the same thing that Elohim is alluding to in Genesis; and that is the darkness is not what is evil, but it is those who reject the light of Elohim that are evil. He called the light good and He separated the light from the darkness. If we were arrogant enough to say, “no that is not good, I would rather remain in darkness”, then it is us who is evil. It is this rebellious nature that separates us from Elohim. It is this sort of evil that Elohim calls sin.

Now, I am going to jump back and forth between several verses here while we are on the topic of light and darkness but stay with me for a moment.

In John chapter 1 verses 1 through 5 we read. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was Elohim. All things were made through Him and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it”.

Yochanan (John) 1:1-5
1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Elohim, and the Word was Elohim.
2 He was in the beginning with Elohim.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

If Yeshua is the manifestation of Yahweh, then the word we read is Yeshua. Yeshua is the word manifested in the flesh, so it only makes sense to say it this way. We cannot claim to keep the Torah without having Yeshua and we cannot claim to have Yeshua and not keep Torah. It is Yeshua who gives us life. It is Yeshua who brings life to the Scriptures. Yeshua is the light in the Torah and let me explain what I mean by this.

In verse 16, Scripture says that “Elohim made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also”.

B’reisheet (Genesis) 1:16
16 “Then Elohim made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.”

We know that the greater light is the sun, and the lesser light is the moon along with the stars that He made. Again, He is showing us that it is not the darkness that is evil or the problem, it is the rejection of Elohim’s light. Elohim’s light is what guides us. If we have eyes and ears to see and hear, the moon is like the Torah in that the moon gives us light to be able to see what we are doing during the night. But the moon does not reflect its own light. Rather, it reflects the light of the sun and does not shine as bright as the sun so the sun would be like Yeshua.

The Torah gives us life so that we can walk our path and see what we are doing, but obviously without the sun it cannot shine as bright or shine at all. This is why it is so important to have the light of Yeshua in us. This is why it is so important to be connected in the vine to Yeshua and Yeshua in the Father, the Father in Him and Him in us.

When we look at verse 20 in Matthew chapter 5 when Yeshua says, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Mattityahu (Matthew) 5:20
20 “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

One way to look at this verse is that Yeshua is telling us that the Torah is good for us, and that Elohim made the Torah for us just like He made the moon for us to give us light during the night. What is greater than the moon if not the sun? Yeshua is saying that it is not the Torah that saves us, and it is not the Torah that fills us up with light.

What is greater than the Torah if not the Creator Himself? And what is greater than the Torah if not the Son who came to offer us redemption and teach us the correct way to live out the Torah?

If the sun is greater than the moon at offering light and the moon is like the Torah that offers us light for us to see on our darkened pathway, then Yeshua is the Son that is the greater light that casts out all darkness in us. Yeshua is the light shining in us. Yeshua is the one that saves us from our sin because Elohim is light. He is life and sin could not exist in His presence.

If we are governed by the greatest light there is and that is Yeshua, then we are forgiven and we are saved. We can clearly see where His light casts out all darkness.

This does not mean we can ignore the Torah like Christianity teaches, but we can only understand how to properly keep Elohim’s Torah (through the light of Yeshua) because unless we have the sun to illuminate the moon, we cannot see in the darkness. Unless we have Yeshua to illuminate Scripture for us, then we cannot see what it is that Yahweh desires for us. Here is an example in Scripture of what I mean by that.

Hosea chapter 6 verse 6 it reads, “For I desire mercy or steadfast love depending on your translation and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of Elohim more than burnt offerings”.

Hoshea (Hosea) 6:6
6 “For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of Elohim more than burnt offerings.”

This is what happens today with our brother Judah and why they cannot see that Yeshua is the prophesied Messiah spoken about all over Scripture. Our Christian and Messianic brothers and sisters are guilty of the same sin spoken of in Hosea 6:6. They cannot see that Yahweh desires that His people would be set-apart from the Nations and that we would love Him and our neighbor according to His commandments and not whatever we decide to make up along the way.

We know that without Yeshua, we cannot know who the Father is, and the Father will not be revealed to us unless we know His son.

In Hosea chapter 6 verse 6, the kingdom of Israel or the ten tribes in the north were following the Torah. They were offering up sacrifices whenever they sinned and they brought forth burnt offerings as gifts, but they were missing the point of why Yahweh gave us His Torah. The point of the Torah is to teach us how to love Elohim with all our heart and all our strength and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves by highlighting our sinful nature which then should cause us to run to the greater light and that is Yeshua (the manifestation of Yahweh). This is why Elohim said, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice and the knowledge of Elohim more than burnt offerings”.

Yahweh has always wanted us to have a personal relationship with Him more than just following His Torah as a list of do’s and do not’s. This is not a new concept that was introduced in the New Testament. The northern kingdom observed the Torah, but they also worshiped foreign elohim (something that Yahweh never said to do). This is what many Christians and Messianics do without realizing it.

When we do not do exactly as Scripture says to do and follow the guidance of Yahweh’s voice, we fall into the same trap that the northern kingdom did and eventually the southern kingdom as well. We place our own thoughts and opinions over that of Elohim and thus we end up rejecting the light of Elohim or in favor of the darkness.

As we jump down to verse 27 in Genesis chapter 1, we read, “Elohim created man in His own image; and the image of Elohim He created him; male and female He created them”.

B’reisheet (Genesis) 1:27
27 “So Elohim created man in His own image; in the image of Elohim He created him; male and female He created them.”

When we were created, we were created to worship Elohim. He made us in His image. Elohim is righteousness. He is light, He is love, He is mercy, He is grace. We were created to do all these things if we are connected to Him through His son Yeshua and if we are not, we are like the earth, one is without form, void, and darkness covered all the earth.

In verse 28 it says, “Then Elohim blessed them, and Elohim said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth’.

B’reisheet (Genesis) 1:28
28 Then Elohim blessed them, and Elohim said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Yahweh originally intended us to rule over the earth as He rules and reigns. To a certain extent, we do rule and reign over the earth, but we were created to rule the earth in righteousness and in love the way Elohim does which we do not currently do. We are to rule and reign over the earth, but sin currently rules and reigns over us.

This is why we are in the mess that we are in. This has always been mankind’s problem. They reject Elohim’s light, His love, and His righteousness in favor for the darkness. It is in the darkness where they think they can hide their sin. This is why Yeshua came to offer us redemption. What many do not realize is that apart from Elohim, we have no life in us.

We see in verse 7 of chapter 2 that, “Elohim breathed the breath of life in his nostrils and the man became a living being”.

B’reisheet (Genesis) 2:7
7 “And Yahweh Elohim formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”

Before that, we were just dust. Although we may be alive right now, at some point if we do not repent and receive eternal life, we will return to the dust of the ground and not have a second chance of redemption.

An important distinction that I think we should make in verse 25 that says, “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and they were not ashamed”.

B’reisheet (Genesis) 2:7
7 “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”

Originally in the garden, we had a childlike faith. We did not originally walk around with the weight of guilt and shame on our shoulders. We were like children in the garden and so I believe it was always Elohim’s intention to raise us like children into the maturity of adulthood, but we rebelled against Him and traded our innocence for greed and corruption. In a certain sense, our innocence was stolen.

In the natural world, when children have not been raised properly by guarding their innocence and slowly exposing them to the reality of life and taught the correct lessons according to Scripture, then it is easy for bad habits and incorrect teachings (doctrines) to take deep roots in a child’s mind. Their innocence is then traded for evil and corruption, and a child never truly grows up in a spiritual sense. They are very much like Adam and Havvah (Eve) in the garden. They were both full-grown adults but were spiritual infants. We can go our entire life not ever maturing in a spiritual sense. We can mature in our body and grow it to be adults and even go on to become elderly adults, but unless we are connected to Yahweh, we will always remain as spiritual infants.

Let us take a look at the root cause of all sin and why we are in the mess we are in today. And why so many of us are spiritual infants deceived into thinking we are mature adults.

In chapter 3, there are so many things to unpack. First we see that “the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field”. Is Satan not the same way with us today? We are separated from Elohim because of deception, and it is our own individual choice whether or not we fall for this deception. The serpent tells the woman, “Has Elohim indeed said You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

B’reisheet (Genesis) 3:1
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which Yahweh Elohim had made. And he said to the woman, “Has Elohim indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

First the serpent is crafty and begins to sow a seed of doubt in the woman’s mind by questioning the validity of Elohim. In other words, you can word it as is that really what Elohim said or was it something else? How do we know for sure that is what He said? Does any of this sound familiar today in the body of Messiah? The woman responds well but adds to what Elohim actually said. And therefore hurt herself by doing so and gave herself away to the serpent when she did that.

Elohim commanded back in chapter 2 and verse 16. “And Yahweh commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die”. Whereas the woman said, “we may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, Elohim said you shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.

B’reisheet (Genesis) 3:2-3
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;
3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, Elohim has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”

We must be careful not to add or to take away from what Yahweh has commanded because it could be used against us. If we do not truly understand what Yahweh has commanded us, it could lead us into making the incorrect decision.

This is why Yahweh says in Hosea chapter 4 verse 6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the Torah of your Elohim, I also will forget your children”.

Hoshea (Hosea) 4:6
6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your Elohim, I also will forget your children.”

This knowledge is more than just knowing what Scripture says word for word, it is about intimately knowing the character of Elohim. Let us take a look at what I mean. First the serpent questioned the validity of Elohim and what He said. Then the serpent questions the credibility of Elohim by saying, “You will not surely die. For Elohim knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like Elohim, knowing good and evil”.

B’reisheet (Genesis) 3:4-5
4 “Then the serpent said to the woman, You will not surely die.
5 For Elohim knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like Elohim, knowing good and evil.”

The serpent was testing the waters while simultaneously placing doubt in the woman’s mind. When she responded the way she did, she gave herself away. She demonstrated she did not truly understand what Elohim had commanded and she demonstrated she did not fully trust Elohim. Therefore, the serpent used this to his advantage and deceived the woman into rebellion against Yahweh. “The woman saw that the tree was good for food, and it was pleasant to the eyes and it was a tree desirable to make one wise.”

B’reisheet (Genesis) 3:6
6 “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.”

Why would someone not desire to be wise? Would that not be a good thing? However, are we seeking to become wise through Yahweh and His wisdom or through our own flesh? The serpent was not wrong in saying that in the day that we eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil we will become like Elohim knowing good and evil. We end up knowing what good and evil is, but we do not have the wisdom that Yahweh does. This is why it is so important to stay connected to Yahweh. In our own flesh, we are going to make mistakes, we are going to trip up, and we will be selfish, but in Yahweh, there is less likelihood of that happening. In Yahweh, He can lead us down the correct path. In Yahweh, He can lead us to do what is right.

It was in that very moment that Eve traded her innocence for greed and corruption, and her husband followed suit. He was created first and the command was originally given to him. It was his responsibility to lead his wife and instead, he abdicated his responsibility and chose to follow his wife in her sin. When they both did this, they traded their innocence for greed and corruption, and we have been this way ever since. This is why they were ashamed and were hiding from Yahweh when they heard Him walking in the midst of the garden.

From the moment we are born, our natural inclination is to sin just like Scripture says back in chapter one of Genesis Elohim said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to its kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to its kind and it was so”.

B’reisheet (Genesis) 1:24
24 “Then Elohim said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so.”

So Adam and Havvah (Eve) reproduced children according to their kind. Our ancestors Adam and Havvah were sinners and therefore when they had children, their children were sinners, and their children’s children all the way down to us today, so we are sinners. This is why we must be buried into death with Messiah and raised into new life with Him. This is why we must be born again of the Spirit and water because anything born into the flesh is flesh. The flesh is corrupted by evil, greed, and rebellion. Rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.

Let us take a look at the aftermath of the sin of our parents. When we look at the curses pronounced on the serpent, the serpent itself is cursed more than any beast of the field, but we know that this is really a reference to how cursed Satan is. He has brought his corruption, evil, and rebellion to Elohim’s Creation on earth.

When Elohim says, “I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her Seed”, there is a hate that exists between the devil and his children and the children of Elohim (which is the body of Messiah).

B’reisheet (Genesis) 3:15
15 “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”

Let us take a look at what Yeshua said about the Pharisees in John chapter 8. “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

Yochanan (John) 8:44
44 “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”

There is enmity between those who belong to the body of Messiah and those who belong to Satan so please remember, what makes us an enemy of Elohim is pride and rebellion.

Elohim goes on to say that “He (meaning Yeshua) shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel”. Satan goes on to bruise the heal of Yeshua by killing Him, but that is just the heal whereas when Yeshua conquers sin and death, He is crushing the head of the devil.

It is here where Yahweh prophesies the redemption of mankind through the seed of the woman, and this is why Yeshua refers to Himself as the son of man. As we look at the curses pronounced over the man and women, they are some heavy ones so let us dive in and take a closer look. “To the woman Elohim pronounces the curse of pain during childbirth.”

B’reisheet (Genesis) 3:16
16 “To the woman He said: I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.”

This one is pretty self-explanatory. The way I see it is that it is more than just a physical punishment but also a deep spiritual lesson because the path that leads to life is narrow. It is difficult if you find it just like it is difficult to bear children and give birth to new life. After all the pain is over with and you get to hold your new baby, it is truly a joyous moment for the parents. Just as it will be a struggle for us to fight our way through this life till we get to the end and we finally make it into heaven and we finally hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant”, it will be a truly joyous moment for us again.

Mattityahu (Matthew) 25:23
23 “His Master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Master.”

The origin of feminism really happened in the garden when Adam failed to lead his wife and when Eve failed to trust and put Elohim first. To the woman Elohim told her; “Your desire shall be for your husband [as in your desire in your flesh is to control and rule over your husband] but he shall rule over you”.

B’reisheet (Genesis) 3:16
16 “To the woman He said: I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”

To the man Elohim said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying you shall not eat of it: Cursed is the ground for your sake. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”

B’reisheet (Genesis) 3:17
17 “Then to Adam He said, ‘Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life.’ ”

B’reisheet (Genesis) 3:19
19 “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”

The problem that plagues most families today is Feminism. Feminism comes from the lack of leadership from men, when men walk in their flesh. When they walk in their carnal nature, they abandon responsibility and cast blame on others just as Adam did in the garden. When women walk in their flesh and in their carnal nature, they naturally rebel against any sort of male leadership. This is why it always seems like husbands and wives are in constant battle against each other. This is our curse for disobedience.

Have you ever wondered why it seems like there is no peace in your home? Have you ever wondered why the family is all broken apart and why you and your spouse cannot seem to get along? It is because we are products of sin. It is because not many men and women choose to submit to Elohim first and then turn around and love their spouses as Elohim loves them.

Ephesians 5 tells us, “Submitting to one another in the fear of Elohim. Wives, submit to your own husbands as to Yahweh.”

Ephesim (Ephesians) 5:21-22
21 “Submitting to one another in the fear of Elohim.
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Yahweh.”

Why would Scripture have to tell wives to submit if it was not a woman’s natural inclination to reject and rebel against her husband’s authority?

It goes on to say, “For the husband is the head of the wife, as also Messiah is head of the assembly; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the assembly is subject to Messiah, so let wives be to their own husbands in everything.”

Ephesim (Ephesians) 5:23-24
23 “For the husband is head of the wife, as also Mashiach is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.
24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Mashiach, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.”

So to all the wives out there, Scripture is very clear about who is in charge in the marriage. Scripture is very clear about the hierarchy between a husband and a wife. Again, your submission is not predicated on whether or not he deserves it, that is your role. You are there to help your husband succeed in his mission just as we (the body) are there to help out our husband Yeshua succeed in His mission (to build a global kingdom). No ifs and or buts about it.

Some wives might be asking, “What if my husband is not a man who fears and loves Elohim, then what are we supposed to do?

I think Peter (Kepha) answers this very question in his letter pretty well. Let us read what he wrote.

Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. Do not let your adornment be merely outward arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel, rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of Elohim. For in this manner, in former times, the set-apart women who trusted in Elohim also adorned themselves being submissive to their own husbands as Sarah obeyed Abraham calling him Lord (Master) whose daughter you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.”

Kepha Aleph (1 Peter) 3:1-6
1 “Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives,
2 when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.
3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel
4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of Elohim.
5 For in this manner, in former times, the set-apart women who trusted in Elohim also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands,
6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him master, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.”

The point of all this is that wives are to submit to their husbands even if their husband is not a man who fears and loves Elohim. If your husband were to ask you to sin, then you would not be obligated to obey him in that manner because we were to obey Elohim rather than men. In order to obey Elohim, wives are to submit to their husbands. They are not to obey any commands from their husbands that would cause them to sin.

As we go back to Ephesians, let us read what Scripture commands to the men. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Messiah also loved the assembly and gave Himself up for her.

Ephesim (Ephesians) 5:25
25 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Mashiach also loved the church and gave Himself for her.”

Why would Scripture command husbands to love their wives as Messiah loved the assembly and gave Himself up for her if it was not man’s natural inclination to abandon his duty and commitment to his wife and family, just as Adam did in the Garden?

It goes on to say, “That He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious assembly, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be set-apart and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Messiah does the assembly.”

Ephesim (Ephesians) 5:26-29
26 “That He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious assembly, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be set-apart and without blemish.
28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.
29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Master does the assembly.”

The point is for the husband to lead and guide their family. They are to lead and guide their wives. This is why I always say that the success or failure of a family rests upon the husband’s shoulders, just as our redemption rested upon the shoulders of Yeshua our Husband.

Yeshua never cast blame on others. He never took the easy way out. He never cowered in fear. He never backed down from speaking and living out the truth. He never abandoned those that He loved.

This is our example. This is who every believer should seek to emulate, but most importantly men should be seeking to emulate everything Yeshua said and did. As husbands, we might have been given a great authority, but with this great authority comes great responsibility. So let us be wise and diligent to seek after Yeshua, and model Him, and be like Him.

Some husbands might be asking the question, “What if I have a wife who refuses to submit to my authority and refuses to follow my leadership?” Again, Peter answers this question in his letter very well. Let us read what it says.

Husbands, likewise, dwell with them, meaning your wife, with understanding, giving honor to the wife as to the weaker vessel, and is being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.

Kepha Aleph (1 Peter) 3:7
7 “Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.”

As husbands, we are to deal with unsubmissive wives in patience and love in the same way that Yeshua gave His life up for the assembly (his wife) by washing her with the word. Elohim’s people have always been rebellious and stubborn. So as husbands, no matter how rebellious and stubborn your wife is, never back down from preaching the truth of Scripture; but do so in patience, love, and in an understanding way.

Never waver in your commitment to Elohim and always do what must be done. Step up and lead even when she does not want your leadership. It will be a long and exhausting battle, but remember the battle is not with your wife, the battle is not carnal, but it is spiritual.

As the husband, you are the priest and warrior for your family, so go to war with the evil and unclean spirits that seek to ravage your family.

Let us now take a look at what happened with Cain (Qayin) and Abel (Havel) and how it ties into the spiritual battle we all go through with sin. We see that Abel was a keeper of sheep and Cain was a tiller of the ground. Now let us read exactly what it says about the offering that Cain and Abel brought.

It says, “And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to Yahweh. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And Yahweh respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

B’reisheet (Genesis) 4:2-5
“2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to Yahweh.
4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And Yahweh respected Abel and his offering,
5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.”

Why did Yahweh respect Abel’s offering and not Cain’s? It is really simple when we pay attention to the wording of the sacrifices. Abel brought the firstborn and the fat of his flock while Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground. Meaning Abel brought his very best offering while Cain brought a mediocre offering. He essentially brought leftovers.

If Yahweh is the Creator, and is our redeemer, then do you think He deserves our leftovers or our very best offering?

So I ask, how many of us out there give Yahweh our leftovers and not our very best and then expect a blessing?

Let us look at what Yahweh tells Cain after He rejects his offering. “So Yahweh said to Cain, Why are you angry? Why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. Its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

B’reisheet (Genesis) 4:6-7
6 “So Yahweh said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

So what Yahweh tells Cain is very profound. Every believer should read these words and take them to heart. What Yahweh is saying to Cain and to every believer is this: If we do right by following after Yahweh wholeheartedly then will we not be accepted? But if we do not do well by following after the lusts of our flesh or by being double-minded; where we desire the things of heaven but focus on the lusts of the flesh, then that is where sin lies, at our door seeking to control us. Seeking to conquer us. But it is our responsibility to turn around and rule over sin by submitting ourselves to Yeshua, by embracing Elohim’s light, and not running to the darkness.

What Cain did was to offer up his leftovers to Yahweh. He was not seeking and pursuing Yahweh wholeheartedly. He was double-minded and in his lukewarm state, Yahweh rejected his offering. In this lukewarm state, sin crept into his mind and instead of submitting himself over to Yahweh for correction and strength, he turned inward to his flesh. The sin in his mind then gave birth to literal death. This is how and why he killed his brother Abel. This is the same struggle with sin we have today.

Sin is disobedience to Yahweh and His commands. If we think that somehow, we can offer up half-hearted offerings and not suffer the same fate as Cain, then we are severely deceived. So many believers today are so lukewarm and then we wonder why the body of Messiah is fragmented and broken the way it is.

Cain was not an unbeliever or an atheist, so I am not directing this message to the atheist or to the unbeliever. They have a whole category on their own.

Rather, this message is for the believer. This message is for the body of Messiah. It does not matter to me if you call yourself a Christian, Messianic, or a Nazarene, but now is the time to step up and be sold out for Yahweh. Now is the time to be on fire for Elohim.

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Complete List of Parashiot

Parashiot List
Suggested Torah Portion Schedule 2023-2024
Feast Chart 2024-2025
Recommended Feasts Reading
PARASHIOTWEEKPORTIONDATE (d/m/y)TORAHNAVI’IM / PROPHETSBESORAH / GOSPELS
B’reisheet
1B’reisheet06-03-2024Genesis 1:1-6:8Isaiah 42:5-43:10John 1:1-18
2Noach

23-06-2024

Genesis 6:9-11:32Isaiah 54:1-55:5Luke 1:5-80
3Lech Lecha30-03-2024Genesis 12:1-17:27Isaiah 40-41Matthew 1
4Vayeira06-04-2024Genesis 18:1-22:242 Kings 4Luke 2
5Chayei Sarah13-04-2024Genesis 23:1-25:181 Kings 1Matthew 2
6Toldot20-04-2024Genesis 25:19-28:9Malachi 1-2Matthew 6
Hebrews 12
7Vayetze27-04-2024Genesis 28:10-32:2Hosea 12-14Matthew 3-4
8Vayishelach04-05-2024Genesis 32:3-36:43Hosea 11-12
Obadiah 1
John 1-2
9Vayeshev11-05-2024Genesis 37:1-40:23Amos 2-3John 2-4
10Miketz18-05-2024Genesis 41:1-44:17Zechariah 3-4Luke 4
11Vayigash25-05-2024Genesis 44:18-47:27Ezekiel 37John 5
12Vayechi01-06-2024Genesis 47:28-50:261 Kings 2Luke 4:31-5:11
Shemote
13Shemote08-06-2024Exodus 1:1-6:1Isaiah 27-29Luke 9 (all)
14Va’era15-06-2024Exodus 6:2-9:35Isaiah 66Matthew 12 (all)
15Bo22-06-2024Exodus 10:1-13:16Jeremiah 46Mark 3 (all)
16B’shalach29-06-2024Exodus 13:17-17:16Judges 4-5Matthew 5
17Yitro06-07-2024Exodus 18:1-20:23Isaiah 6-9Matthew 6:1-8:1
18Mishpatim13-07-2024Exodus 21:1-24:18Jeremiah 33-34John 10 (all)
19Terumah20-07-2024Exodus 25:1-27:191 Kings 5-6John 15-17 (all)
20Tetzaveh27-07-2024Exodus 27:20-30:101 Samuel 15Mark 4:35-5:43
21Ki Tisa03-08-2024Exodus 30:11-34:35Ezekiel 36-37 (all)Matthew 15, 23 (all)
22Vayakhel/Pekudei10-08-2024Exodus 35-40 (all)2 Kings 22-23John 14
1 John 2, 5
Vayiqra
23Vayiqra17-08-2024Leviticus 1-5Jeremiah 7
Hosea 8
Romans 6
Hebrews 10
24Tzav24-08-2024Leviticus 6-8Malachi 3-4Matthew 25
25Shemini31-08-2024Leviticus 9-112 Samuel 6-7
Proverbs 23
Psalms 78
Acts 10
26Tazria/Metzora07-09-2024Leviticus 12-15Proverbs 6:16-19
Proverbs 31
Colossians 3
27Acharei Mot *14-09-2024Leviticus 16-18Ezekiel 22Ephesians 5
28Kedoshim *21-09-2024Leviticus 19-20Amos 91 Corinthians 6
Galatians 5
29Emor28-09-2024Leviticus 21-24Ezekiel 44Luke 11-12
30Behar05-10-2024Leviticus 25:1-26:2Jeremiah 32Luke 13
31Bechukotai12-10-2024Leviticus 26:3-27Jeremiah 16-17Luke 14-15
Bemidbar
32Bemidbar19-10-2024Numbers 1:1-4:20Hosea 2Luke 16-17
33Nasso26-10-2024Numbers 4:21-7:89Judges 13-15John 11
34Beha’alotcha02-11-2024Numbers 8:1-12:15Zechariah 2-4Luke 17-18
35Shelach09-11-2024Numbers 13:1-15:41Joshua 1-2Matthew 10
Acts 13
36Korach16-11-2024Numbers 16-181 Samuel 11-12John 19
37Chukat23-11-2024Numbers 19:1-22:1Judges 111 Peter 4
38Balak30-11-2024Numbers 22:2-25:92 Kings 5
Micah 5-6
Jude
39Pinchas07-12-2024Numbers 25:10-30:11 Kings 18-19
Psalms 106
Matthew 5
40Mattot/Massei14-12-2024Numbers 30:2-36:13Jeremiah 2-3Ephesians 5-6
Devarim
41Devarim21-12-2024Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22Isaiah 1Mark 14
42Va’etchanan28-12-2024Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11Isaiah 40Luke 22
43Ekev04-01-2025Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25Isaiah 49-51John 13-15
44Re’eh

11-01-2025

Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17Isaiah 66Ma’asei (Acts) 15
45Shoftim18-01-2025Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9Isaiah 51-52Matthew 26-27
46Ki Tetze25-01-2025Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19Isaiah 54Luke 22-23
47Ki Tavo01-02-2025Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8Isaiah 60Luke 22-23 (again)
48Nitzavim08-02-2025Deuteronomy 29:9-30:20Isaiah 61-63Luke 24 (all)
49Vayelech15-02-2025Deuteronomy 31:1-31:30Hosea 14
Micah 7
Joel 2
James 1-2 (all)
50Ha’azinu22-02-2025Deuteronomy 32:1-32:522 Samuel 221 Corinthians 1
51Vezot Haberakhah01-03-2025Deuteronomy 33:1-34:12 Matthew 5-7
 52Our Commission08-03-2025  Galatians 1-6
 53Month Thirteen15-03-2025  1 Timothy
Titus

First Month FeastsRosh Hashanah11-03-2024Ex.12:1-2, Num 28:11-151 Samuel 20 (all)Colossians 2:16-17
Moed Pesach25-03-2024Exodus 12-13Isaiah 45:21-25Luke 24 (all)
Moed 1 ULB

26-03-2024

Exodus 12:15-20Ezekiel 37 (all)John 15 (all)
Moed Omer31-03-2024Lev. 23:9-16, Num. 8Matthew 28 (all)
Moed 7 ULB01-04-2024Exodus 13:3-101 Corinthians 5 (all)
Shavuot19-05-2024Deuteronomy 9:17Ruth (all)Acts 1 & 2 (all)
Seventh Month FeastsYom Teruah04 (o 05)-09-2024Leviticus 23, Numbers 10, 29Nehemiah 8Matthew 24 (all)
Yom Kippur13 (o 14)-09-2024Leviticus 16 (all), Leviticus 23, Numbers 29Jonah (all)Acts 27:9-10, Hebrews 9:7
Sukkot 118 (o 19)-09-2024Exodus 12, 33-34, (Plus Devarim in a shemittah year, the next is 2029)Ezekiel 38-39, Nehemiah 8:13-18John 7
Shemini Atzeret25 (o 26)-09-2024   
FeastsPARASHA / PORTION / EVENT

Feast Date

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