Parasha Acharei Mot 5784 (2024) reading:
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 16:1-18:30
Yehezqel (Ezekiel) 22
Ephesim (Ephesians) 5
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The following text is a written version and may differ slightly from the video dialogue.
Shalom, and welcome to Nazarene Israel. My name is Norman Willis, and this is our parasha midrash for Acharei Mot.
Ramban cycles: deeds of the forefathers
Before we begin, let us give a quick tribute to the great Catalán Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman, or Nachmanides, also called the Ramban.
His famous maxim is translated in various ways. But in his commentary on B’reisheet (Genesis) 12:6, the Ramban says that everything that occurred to our forefathers is a portent (or a sign) for the children.
“It is indeed a great matter which our rabbis mentioned briefly, saying: “Whatever has happened to the patriarchs is a sign (or a portent) to the children!”
[“The Deeds of the Forefathers are Signs (or Portents) for their Descendants”, Ramban commentary on Genesis 12:6, Sefaria]
What this means is that Yahweh works in cyclical patterns. And therefore, history repeats itself. And that means when you see our forefathers doing something good in Scripture, then something like it will eventually recur.
But if you see our forefathers doing something bad, then what it means is that if we do not learn from our mistakes, and consciously change our ways, then we are going to suffer the same consequences as our forefathers did. And that will be bad, because the punishment will be déjà vu all over again.
And this principle is especially poignant this week, because of what happened two parashiot earlier, in Parasha Shemini.
Doing things our way
Back in Parasha Shemini, in Vayiqra (Leviticus) 10:1, we saw how two of Aharon’s sons, Nadav and Avihu, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before Yahweh, which He had not commanded them.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 10:2
2 So fire went out from Yahweh and devoured them, and they died before Yahweh.
And Nadav and Avihu were Levites. So, this makes us worried for the house of Levi (which presently manifests as the Talmudic rabbinical order). Because it seems that Levi does not want to understand that they were appointed to the priesthood by Elohim. And that as such, their job is to teach adherence and obedience to Elohim’s voice, and Elohim’s judgments and statutes.
They are the wait staff in Elohim’s portable Garden of Eden Tabernacle safe-date-space restaurant! And the wait staff does not have the authority to go busting into the owner’s office, so to speak. And they also do not have the authority to rewrite the owner’s rules to suit themselves!
And we will deal with Ephraim on other issues! But Levi and the rabbis usurping Elohim’s authority, and changing the rules to suit themselves is a huge problem all throughout the Tanach. (Which is maybe why Levi teaches all their people not to read the Tanach).
“We do not learn Tanach in our schools because it is very deep, and things can be misinterpreted. So, they do not teach us Tanach. We learn Talmud, we learn what we call “Oral Law”. So, if I want to go into Yeshayahu, what you call “Isaiah”, I would go to my Rabbi and I would ask him to teach it to me, like everything I do not understand and ask him to teach to me. But things I was not taught in school because I was told that it is deep to understand, I for sure would not just read texts…”
[Orthodox Jews REACT to Messianic Jews Sharing ISAIAH 53, So Be It, 1:24-1:30]
And did you ever see a rabbinical shiur where they quoted the Tanach to support their assertions? (I mean more than cherry picking one or two verses!)
You will never see that, because the Talmud is a Mystery Babylonian document, whose purpose is to get you to pay attention to the words of man, rather than the words of Elohim.
It becomes deadly when we start talking about replacing the words of Elohim with the words of men. And this applies not only to Judah and Levi, but also to Ephraim.
If we want to live, then we need to show Elohim respect by obeying His instructions, and not bringing strange or unauthorized fire before Elohim. And we bring this to the attention of both houses, because we want the remnant of both houses to live.
Torah Portion: After the deaths
Vayiqra 16:1 is one of those verses that is often not well translated into English.
For example, in the New King James Version, in Vayiqra 16:1, Yahweh spoke to Moshe after the deaths of Aharon’s two sons, Nadav and Avihu, when they offered profane fire before Yahweh, and died.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 16:1 NKJV
1 Now Yahweh spoke to Moshe after the death of the two sons of Aharon, when they offered profane fire before Yahweh, and died;
Only, that is not exactly what it says in the Hebrew Masoretic Text.
The Hebrew Masoretic Text says that they were killed when they ‘drew near’ (beh-karvatam) to Yahweh. And in the Hebrew, this is different than the reasons that were given to us in Vayiqra chapter 10:1.
Vayiqra 10:1 it says that they were killed for offering profane fire, that Yahweh had not commanded them.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 10:1
1 Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aharon, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before Yahweh, which He had not commanded them.
However, in contrast, here in Vayiqra 16:1 it says that they were killed because they came close to Yahweh, when Yahweh had not commanded it.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 16:1
1 Now Yahweh spoke to Moshe after the death of the two sons of Aharon, when they [drew near, beh-karvatam] before Yahweh, and died;
In other words, they entered before the ark, where they were not supposed to go, when they were not supposed to go there, in a way that Yahweh had not commanded.
Our concern is that this sets a Nachmanides pattern that plagues the house of Levi to this day, and we are very concerned about you!
And the Talmud goes into great detail about exactly what was done right and wrong, and there are all these opinions. But are we able to take a big step back, and see that the main problem was that Nadav and Avihu were not following Elohim’s program? And that they were not focusing on doing the things that Elohim said to do?
And that Instead of doing what Elohim said to do, these two representatives of the tribe of Levi got willful, and decided that they could do what they wanted, and that it would be okay (perhaps because they belong to the tribe of Levi)? (As in, Levi was chosen as the priesthood tribe, therefore, Levi can do no wrong?)
With all the respect, that is kind of what it looks like to the house of Joseph today, is that Levi wants to do whatever he wants to do, and he thinks it is okay, because he is the priesthood tribe.
And we need to drop a Ramban marker here, because we are going to see this kind of evil inclination play out over, and over, and over again with the house of Levi. (Meaning the rabbis.)
And when we get to Parasha Korach we are going to see a flareup. We are going to see Nadav and Avihu 2.0! And with respect, when we get to the chronology section in the documentaries, we are going to see another flareup called the Zugot pairs, which eventually turned into the Talmudic order.
And the problem is exactly the same. The problem is that the tribe of Levi thinks they have a special authorization to do what they want, including rewriting Elohim’s commandments for Him.
And Elohim does not go for that! He does not like that! He will kill for that, because it is kind of putting the branch to His nose.
Unintentional sin
Now, in Divre HaYamim Aleph (or 1 Chronicles) 13:9-10 we are going to see the same thing, but it takes on a different aspect. And I hate to lump Uzza in here, because Uzza did not set out to break Elohim’s commandments. Uzza set out to do something good.
But in verse 9, when they came to Chidon’s threshing floor, Uzza put out his hand to hold (or to steady) the ark, because the oxen stumbled. And the anger of Yahweh was aroused against Uzza, and He struck him because he put his hand to the ark; and he died there before Elohim.
Divre HaYamim Aleph (1 Chronicles) 13:9-10
9 And when they came to Chidon’s threshing floor, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen stumbled.
10 Then the anger of Yahweh was aroused against Uzza, and He struck him because he put his hand to the ark; and he died there before Elohim.
But notice, even though Uzza’s intentionality was very different, functionally, it was still the same thing. No matter whether intentionally, or unintentionally, if we are going to change, rewrite, or modify what Elohim says to do, then really, we are putting ourselves on an equal footing with Elohim. We are putting ourselves on His level (or maybe even above His level, because that is what it takes to rewrite His words)!
But for some reason brother Levi seems to think it is okay to do this with the Talmud. Levi codifies His thoughts, and then uses them to replace Elohim’s commandments, and he tells himself it is going to be okay. And that he can do what he wants.
But when we actually read the prophecies, we see that everything is not going to be okay like that! If we do not obey Elohim’s words, we are going to get zapped!
Azazel the [sent away] scapegoat
Now, we need to talk about Azazel, or the ‘sent goat’ (also called the ‘scapegoat’ in English.).
There are many opinions about where the name Azazel comes from, and what it means. And we do not have time to unpack everything here, but we will try to unpack the pertinent things.
The Greek Septuagint seems to have understood the term Az-azel as meaning “the goat that was sent away”. And Wikipedia tells us that when it is ‘la-azazel’ (to Az-azael), the goat was thought of as the goat for absolute removal (of sins). (לַעֲזָאזֵל)
We see this theme as being completely consistent with Yeshua as the atoning sacrifice.
Enoch and Divine Council theology
And while we are here, let us note, Yehudah (Jude) 1:14 refers to the book of 1 Enoch (also called the Book of the Watchers). That is a very important book that everyone should read, because it was read and respected during the second Temple era.
Yehudah (Jude) 1:14
14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, Yahweh comes with ten thousands of His saints,”
We do not have time to unpack it here, however, while it is not considered “inspired”, it is definitely important.
And because I know some people will wonder, just as a compression, the belief in academia is that the book of 1 Enoch is not itself inspired, but it is maybe one generation removed, that draws from the original book of Enoch, who was seventh from Adam.
And if you are interested in the subject, I can recommend the late Dr. Michael Heiser’s Reader’s Companion to the Book of Enoch (it is a two-volume set). (I am almost done with volume two, but I can already recommend it. And I have got several others of his books lined up next on the reading list.)
In 1 Enoch, Az-azel refers to what most people would probably call a “fallen angel” named Azazel. And Dr. Heiser’s research on 1 Enoch seems very credible to me, at least. But be prepared. It is kind of like seeing a photonegative in the spirit realm.
And it is a real mind opener, because it asks us to drop our anthropocentric view, and see things more from the 300,000 foot level, if you know what I am saying.
Just be prepared. It can be very disorienting at first, but Dr. Heiser’s research really makes sense of it. And at this rate it will be some years before I can get there, but for those who are interested, I can recommend Dr. Heiser’s research, with one respectful caveat.
Although his research seems very solid, you do have to be careful with some of his conclusions, because he is a Trinitarian, and therefore also antinomian (or anti-Torah).
So, any time you see a hard doctor in a ‘threes’ (as in the Trinity), just know that that is Mystery Babylon in disguise, showing it Red Horse Esavite face.
There are still many good people lost inside the Red Horse (or the Pink Horse as we like to call them), but the Trinity is of Mystery Babylon. And if you want to know more about that, please read our study on “Yeshua as a Manifestation of Elohim” in Nazarene Scripture Studies Volume 1.
Father willing, we hope to turn that into a video someday, but for now, that is our study resource on why Yeshua is the Messiah, but why the Trinity is a Red Horse, pagan concept masquerading as the worship of Elohim.
Just to make it easier, if you want an introductory video resource to Dr. Heiser’s work (and are not ready for books yet), there is a Faithlife video called The Unseen Realm, which is like a video summation of his introductory work by the same name. If you just want to stick your toes in the water, you that video.
And Dr. Heiser has many more videos all over the Internet, but if you really want to know, eventually you will end up in the books.
But just for everyone’s information, we are officially adopting the concept of Divine Council Theology. And it will take years to incorporate that, but just to be aware. In any case we will put the URL for a possible introductory video for your learning enjoyment in the notes, for those of you who are new to the Book of Enoch 1.
Elohim works with pairs (zugot)
I am doing a complete re-prayer and rethink on Az-azel, and Elohim is giving me a lot more light on this subject just this week. So, it is still an idea in formation, but I will share my notes with you now, because it might be years before I can get back to this.
One thing we see is that Elohim works a lot with pairs (or zugot, in Hebrew). (We will be talking a lot more about that in the future).
And these pairs also show up in siblings. And there can be good expressions of the parental genetics, and bad expressions of the parental genetics. And it does not sound nice to say, but the reality is, you can have good and bad brothers, and good and bad sisters.
Someone who we might think of as a righteous parent might have two different types of children, perhaps one righteous, perhaps one not so much. And talk about airing the family laundry, but we are going to have to talk about both good and bad in both Judah and Levi, and in Joseph.
And someone will eventually bring up the Zugot (pairs) and the bounds that they set with their opposing positions. And we do not have an issue with the concept of bracketing even with regards to offspring. We just believe that it is important not to negate the face value of the Tanach (which is what the Talmud does).
We love sode-level analysis, but it must remain consistent with Elohim’s word, or else it will invert or overthrow Elohim’s word. Do you know what I am saying?
Because if you change Elohim’s word, does not that mean that you consider yourself more powerful than Elohim, that you have the power to change His words?
So, let me see if I understand. Yahweh Elohim gave Levi the job of teaching His word to His people forever, like a divine restaurant wait staff. But now Levi thinks it is his job to rewrite the Torah, and teach his own words to the whole world? That is a wrong zugot!
Sibling pairs
Now, we do not have time to unpack this idea completely, but I hope you will get the idea, or at least the general drift. But the children often rise at the bounds of the father’s and mother’s personalities, if you know what I am saying.
Consider for example B’reisheet 46:20, which tells us that our forefather Joseph had both Ephraim and Manasseh by Asenath, the daughter of an Egyptian pagan priest.
B’reisheet (Genesis) 46:20
20 And to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him.
As far as the children go, both Manasseh and Ephraim were very spiritual. But Ephraim wants to come back home to the land someday (when Judah does not require us to deny Mashiach Nagid of Daniel 9:25, and there is no more Birkhat HaMinim death curse!). So, Ephraim seems to have received the more Hebraic spiritual component.
Daniel 9:25
25 “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.”
For his part, Manasseh is also very spiritual, but sometimes it seems a little difficult to distinguish him from Esav, in that he also does not seem to care so much about the Tanach.
B’reisheet 41:51 tells us that Manasseh’s name would have a prophetic significance related to forgetting his labor and his toil (meaning in the English Industrial Revolution), but they also forgot their Father Yahweh’s house in the land of Israel (like with the BBC.)
Manasseh can still be useful to the Genesis 35:11 Alliance during the Jewish Millennial Reign, but that is another study.
B’reisheet (Genesis) 41:51
51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: “For Elohim has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.“
We need to consider this concept of sibling pairs, because it shows us the bounds of the parents. For example, B’reisheet 38:29-30 tells us that Judah had Peretz and Zera by Tamar.
B’reisheet (Genesis) 38:29-30
29 Then it happened, as he drew back his hand, that his brother came out unexpectedly; and she said, “How did you break through? This breach be upon you!” Therefore his name was called Peretz.
30 Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand. And his name was called Zera.
Now, Peretz is the line of King David, and I have met some lovely Jewish people. (And I do not know, but I imagine that they were from the line of Peretz.)
Whereas in contrast, Zera is the spiritual father of secretive and incestuous groups such as the Mossad, who do the bidding of powerful Jewish financiers, whom many believe control the world from the shadows with a ‘hidden hand’, so to speak.
There are a great many good Jews from the line of Peretz. And then you have Zera, who does all kinds of things that are contrary to the Tanach.
(And if you want to know more about that you can refer to our midrash on ““Parasha Miketz for 5784”.)
It is also interesting to note that in verse 30, Zera was born with a scarlet thread on his wrist.
B’reisheet (Genesis) 38:30
30 Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand. And his name was called Zera.
Ritual healing
Now let us extend the idea of pairs to the healing rituals in the commandments of Yahweh.
In “Parasha Midrash Tazria Metzorah for 5784” we talked about Yahweh’s ritual for cleansing, for a leper. And we mentioned that on the Nazarene Israel website we have a study called “Yeshua Cleanses an Unclean World“, which you can find in Nazarene Scripture Studies Volume 4.
And it shows how the cleansing ritual for a leper witnesses of Yeshua, and also how the ritual involves bringing two birds. And one of the birds must die as a part of the ritual of purification, while the other bird will go free.
And we see a theme or a parallel with the teaching this week on the two goats, one of which is for Yahweh, and the other of which is allegedly to go free. And I do not have all the details worked out yet, but to me there seems a big parallel. So, if you have not yet read that study, please let me recommend it to you again.
(And if anyone is serious about becoming a disciple, I would recommend reading the entire website and watching all the videos at least twice. The point is not ‘twice’ per se. The point is to know the material and to think it through, ruminate on it, burp it up, and chew on it some more, until you can finally own it.)
And we want you to do that, because everything on the website pertains to the formation of the stick of Joseph in the hand of Ephraim, as foretold in Yehezqel (Ezekiel) 37:16, so that together Ephraim and Judah can form the Jewish Millennial reign of a restored twelve tribe Israel.
Yehezqel (Ezekiel) 37:16
16 “As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’”
And I thank you for your prayers that Yahweh will raise up real, dedicated servant leaders for this task in both houses, who want to enter into Elohim’s covenant.
The two zugot goats
Now, we see the ritual of the two goats as being symbolic of Yeshua, because atonement was the purpose of the two-goat ritual.
Let us start in Vayiqra 16:7
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 16:7-9
7 “He [Aharon] shall take the two goats and present them before Yahweh at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
8 Then Aharon shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for Yahweh and the other lot for the scapegoat.
9 And Aharon shall bring the goat on which Yahweh’s lot fell, and offer it as a sin offering.
10 But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before Yahweh, to make atonement upon it, and to let it go as the scapegoat [sent away goat] into the wilderness.”
Verses 15-16.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 16:15-16
15 “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering, which is for the people, bring its blood inside the veil, do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat.
16 So he shall make atonement for the Set-apart Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, for all their sins; and so he shall do for the tabernacle of meeting which remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness.”
Verses 20-22.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 16:20-22
20 “And when he has made an end of atoning for the Set-apart Place, the tabernacle of meeting, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat.
21 Aharon shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man.
22 The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.”
Not commanded to kill the scapegoat
Now, the Torah of Moshe does not command killing the live goat (the scapegoat). Rather, verse 21 just says to send it away. (Shelach.)
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 16:21
21 Aharon shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man.
It does not make sense that the “sent away goat” was intended to be a sacrifice offered to some demonic being named Azazel. Because as we will see in the next chapter, Vayiqra 17:5 tells us to offer our sacrifices at the door of the Tabernacle.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 17:5
5 to the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices which they offer in the open field, that they may bring them to Yahweh at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, to the priest, and offer them as peace offerings to Yahweh.
Further, Vayiqra 17:7 forbids us from making sacrifices to demons, as a statute forever throughout our generations.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 17:7
7 “They shall no more offer their sacrifices to demons [Seirim], after whom they have played the harlot. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations.”
And in light of the sibling pairs, it is very interesting. The word here for ‘demons’ is Sair-im, which is plural for goats.
H8163
שָׂעִר שָׂעִיר
śâ‛ı̂yr śâ‛ir
saw-eer’, saw-eer’
From H8175; shaggy; as noun, a he goat; by analogy a faun: – devil, goat, hairy, kid, rough, satyr.
[Strong’s Concordance]Vayiqra (Leviticus) 17:8
8 “Also you shall say to them: ‘Whatever man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice,
9 and does not bring it to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, to offer it to Yahweh, that man shall be cut off from among his people.”
The mountain of the goat
Now, along the lines of siblings, some commentators see a parallel with the twin brothers Yaakov (Israel), and Esav. If we go with that, the goat that was sacrificed for Yahweh would speak to those of Israel’s descendants who would one day return to Mount Tsion.
In contrast, B’reisheet 36:8 tells us that Esav is Edom, and that Esav dwelt in Mount Seir (or the mountain of the goat).
B’reisheet (Genesis) 36:8
8 So Esau dwelt in Mount Seir [the mountain of the goat]. Esau is Edom.
So, in one sense, the ‘sent away goat’ of Az-azel can refer to those of the seed of Yitzak who are presently still in exile, or ‘lost in Esav’, if you will.
And we still have a lot of people lost inside the house of Esav, so it is very difficult for us. We need to stay engaged with Esav to reach those of our people who are still presently lost inside of the Esavite system. But at the same time, we also need to sharply differentiate ourselves from his ways.
And we count the complete and total disorganization of the Messianic Ephraimite movement as part of Mystery Babylon, because it pretends to be what Scripture says to do, when it is not actually what Scripture says to do! Meaning, it is a deception. (And the more a deception looks like the true original without actually being the true original, the more Satan likes it!)
Why does Levi kill the scapegoat?
Now, if there is anything to this concept that Az-azel has to do with bringing home the lost inside of Esav, then we need to ask ourselves why brother Levi kills this goat, when Elohim only says to “send it away”.
Because in a very real sense, the house of Joseph spent 1260 years lost inside the house of Esav before we finally broke free in the Protestant Reformation of 5278 (or 1517).
And we needed atonement for our sins even while we were still lost inside the house of Esav. So why are we killing this goat? What is the purpose or the reason behind killing this goat?
Well, the idea was to put the sins on the head of the goat, and to send it away. And they had some logical reasons for adding to this commandment.
They did not want the goat to get sent off and wander around and starve to death. And they did not want it walking to some inhabited area to eat their crops, and then maybe they would receive the sins that were put on the head of the goat.
Who knows? Maybe the family receiving the sent-away-goat would count the goat as increase, and then maybe he might tithe on his increase, and so maybe that same goat would be brought back to the Temple at Pesach, as part of the man’s tithes? Can you imagine it?
So maybe the Zugotists asked themselves, “Who needs these kind of problems?” (And besides, Judah and Levi do not mind killing Joseph. So, why should Judah and Levi mind killing a goat?)
Now, Wikipedia tells us that the scapegoat was to be sent away into the wilderness, and then pushed down a steep ravine, where it died.
And then we track the footnote, which is their number 12. And that takes us to the 1933 Danby Talmud. (So, we will use that here, just for fun!) And you can find this also on Sefaria at Yoma 6:6. But just to break it up, here is page 169 of the Danby Talmud, (which I assume is Yoma 6:6).
It speaks of a tradition that Levi had established a series of booths and refreshment stations for the suitable man as he took the goat into the wilderness. And it says that “Certain of the eminent folk of Jerusalem used to go with him to the first booth”!
Baraita 5 (or verse 5).
“And the suitable man would get refreshed and go to the next booth!”
And then on page 170 it says that none went with him to the last booth, because they would not go with him to the ravine where the goat would be pushed off the cliff, but rather they stood at a distance and beheld what he did.
Baraita 6. “What did he do?”
Well, in Tractate Yoma 41b, the Mishna tells us that the high priest would tie a strip of crimson wool upon the head of the scapegoat, symbolic of the sins of the nation.
“MISHNA: The High Priest tied a strip of crimson wool upon the head of the scapegoat and positioned the goat opposite the place from which it was dispatched, i.e., near the gate through which it was taken; and the same was done to the goat that was to be slaughtered, opposite the place of its slaughter.”
[Tractate Yoma 41b, Sefaria]
(And forgive us house of Zera, but one cannot help but wonder if there is any relationship to the scarlet thread that was on the hand of your forefather Zera in B’reisheet 38:30.)
B’reisheet (Genesis) 38:30
30 Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand. And his name was called Zerah.
However, Baraita 6 tells us that according to tradition, the suitable man divided the thread of crimson wool, and tied 1/2 to the rock, and the other half between the horns of the sent-away-goat, and then he pushed the goat from behind.
And it went rolling down the hill, and before it had reached half the way down the hill, the goat was already broken in pieces.
Now according to tradition, if the sins of the nation had been completely sent away, the crimson wool thread would turn white, according to tradition based on Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 1:18.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 1:18
18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says Yahweh, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
Now, regarding our sweet cousin Esav, if the purpose of this goat is to atone for the sins of those who are presently still lost in the house of Esav, what is the purpose of killing the goat? (Why not gift it to Esav?)
And what is the purpose of adding to the commandment? Because even going all the way back to the garden of Eden, it has been a big problem when we seek to add or take away from His commandments.
Mashiach Nagid and the crimson thread
And it is a big problem if we cannot recognize Mashiach Nagid when He comes to the very year in fulfillment of Daniel 9:25.
Daniel 9:25
25 “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.”
And who else was cut off (but not for Himself) right before the destruction of the second temple, as is required by Daniel 9:26?
Daniel 9:26
26 “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined.”
Cyrus cannot be the Mashiach because he lived before the Second Temple was even built! (And so, Cyrus does not work!)
So, who do you have whose name is Mashiach Nagid, who was cut off (but not for Himself) right before the destruction of the Second Temple? And if you do not have anyone, then what do you have against Yeshua, seeing as He DID fulfill these requirements?
Maybe I am not such an impressive messenger, but what do you have against the one who fulfills the prophecies? Are you able to focus on the prophetic words of Elohim? Because that is where Levi’s focus is supposed to be, is on the words of Elohim!
So, someone will ask “What is the deal with the red cord tied on the horns of the sent-away-goat?”
And that is a good question. And if we go to Babylonian Talmud Tractate Yoma 39b (or the backside of “page” or leaf or folio 39), we read the following.
The Sages taught: During the tenure of Shimon HaTzaddik, the lot for God always arose in the High Priest’s right hand; after his death, it occurred only occasionally; but during the forty years prior to the destruction of the Second Temple [meaning from 3790 through 3830, or from 30 until 70 CE], the lot for God did not arise in the High Priest’s right hand at all. So too, the strip of crimson wool that was tied to the head of the goat that was sent to Azazel did not turn white [meaning Judah’s sins were not forgiven], and the westernmost lamp of the candelabrum did not burn continually.
[Tractate Yoma 39b, Sefaria]
And in context, these things are taken as very bad signs.
And what a coincidence that the starting point of those 40 years is 3790 (or 30 CE), which is the year Yeshua was killed! (?)
So we could read this instead:
“However, during the forty years from the time of Yeshua’s murder until the Second Temple was destroyed, the lot for Elohim did not arise in the High Priest’s right hand at all. So too, the strip of crimson wool that was tied to the head of the goat that was sent to Azazel did not turn white (meaning Judah’s sins were not forgiven), and the westernmost lamp of the candelabrum did not burn continually.”
Now, the Talmud is not our book. However, we see it as a very important historical reference of what brother Judah believed in the Mishnaic era. So, is anyone in brother Judah seeking a sign from the Talmud?
If you are a Talmudist, there are some signs for you right there in Talmud Tractate Yoma. The only question is, do you believe the Talmud? Or not believe the Talmud? Because if you believe the Talmud, then that is a sign!
And we are trying to make more time for progress on the documentaries, so that is all the time we have for this week.
Please pray that Elohim will send out dedicated and sincere servant-workers into His harvest.
I wanted to do Yehezqel (Ezekiel) 22, but it would take too long to unpack. So, I hope you enjoy reading it and getting the insights Elohim has for you.
And as always, try reading His word to see how it is that we are not yet measuring up, so that we can then learn how to measure up. And being honest and straight with ourselves is the very first and most important task.
Yaakov must be straight with Elohim, if we want Elohim to be straight with Yaakov. Because being real with Elohim, that is what is going to matter in the day of judgment.
Brit Chadasha
But let us make a quick stop in Ephesians chapter 5. And I want to show you the framework there, because I think most Messianics have never even seen it.
And this is hard for most people to stomach. But in context, he is writing to the people who are inside the assemblies in the dispersion.
Before the imposition of the Birkhat HaMinim the sect of the Nazarenes would have been inside the synagogues. And then after the imposition of the Birkhat HaMinim, the sect of the Nazarenes would have been forced outside of the synagogues, and then eventually we had to start making our own spaces.
“For the apostates [meaning anyone who has left Orthodox Judaism, such as Yeshua (or Jesus), and everyone who follows Him] let there be no hope! And uproot the kingdom of arrogance speedily and in our days! May the Nazarenes and [all] the [other] sectarians [or the other “minim”] perish, as in a moment! Let them be blotted out of the Book of Life, and not be written together with the righteous! You are praised, O Adonai, who subdues the arrogant!”
[Wikipedia, Jerusalem Talmud-Birkat haMinim]
But let us remember that in context, this is the same book with Ephesians 2:20, which talks about the need to unify on a single correct doctrine.
Ephesim (Ephesians) 2:20
20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Yeshua Mashiach Himself being the chief cornerstone,
And I know we have book and tape salesman, and disorganization salesman out there, but you are going to have to be smarter than the wolf. You are going to have to be smarter than the bear. Do you know what I am saying?
You cannot fix stupid, and if someone does not want to know, you cannot make them. And we know that 90% of Ephraim is not going to come home. So, you cannot afford the luxury of looking to your left and right, and seeing what other people are doing. Really, we all just need to keep our eyes and our ears on Elohim, and do what He says, and that is it.
And Ephesim chapter 5 also comes after Ephesim chapter 4, which gives us the mechanism and the protocol for fivefold unity.
And in context, what that means is that all the ministers who have the correct spirit (key requirement, have the correct spirit!) are supposed to work together to establish the single Foundation of Apostles and Prophets. (It is also called the Foundation of Apostles and Elders.)
And the reason this job goes to apostles and prophets is that those are the two classes of gifting that, by definition, hear and obey Elohim’s voice.
(It is like an anointed judge, except that there are more of them. We will talk about that more in the Abraham Accords mega series.)
And then according to Ephesians 4:11, all the ministers, no matter what their gifting, are supposed to work together according to the same doctrine that the council establishes.
Ephesim (Ephesians) 4:11
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
That was the whole point of Acts 15. That is why they held the council is so they could be continue to be only one doctrine.
Ephesians chapter 2:20 speaks about the foundation.
Ephesim (Ephesians) 2:20
20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Yeshua Mashiach Himself being the chief cornerstone,
And then Ephesians chapter 4:11–16 speak about how all five of the gifts are supposed to work together to put up the walls, and then eventually, cap it with a roof.
Ephesim (Ephesians) 4:11
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
And if you want to know more about this please check our studies on Torah Government (for the top-level analysis) and then Acts 15 Order covers matters more at a congregational level. And we also talk about this more in our video series on Set Apart Communities.
And if you want to know more about this please check our studies on Torah Government (for the top-level analysis) and then Acts 15 Order covers matters more at a congregational level. And we also talk about this more in our video series on Set Apart Communities.
But this whole business of establishing a body is the same as to say we are establishing a single nation in all countries, at this moment without a land.
Because we know the prophecies are going to be fulfilled, and we know that we do not get to come home until after Armageddon (which is what most people will call the grand finale of World War 4 (more than two decades from now). But there is this concept of providing shelter.
This and many more diagrams Torah government and in Acts 15 Order show the relationships between the parties in the order of Melchi-Tzedek.
But this is talking to people who want to get involved. This is not talking to spectator sport audience (like we have a lot more of today). This is talking to a participant audience.
Judah understands the need for organization. Judah understands the need to get involved, and to do things for your faith. Judah has already formed a stick (or an organization) as is required by Yehezqel (Ezekiel) 37:16.
Yehezqel (Ezekiel) 37:16-17
16 “As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’
17 Then join the two sticks one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand.”
What remains in Yehezqel (Ezekiel) 37:16 is for the house of Joseph to form a stick, in the hand of Ephraim. And once the house of Joseph is formed, then Ephraim (and those Jews who sojourn with him) can go home.
But again, forming a stick requires involvement. It requires participation, and dedication to what Scripture says to do.
So, what we see is that after the death of Yeshua, who died to atone for our sins, and to send our sins completely away, this is the kind of communities that Yeshua wants us to form.
Perhaps Judah can relate to the Shtetl. Each person in the community who participates and gets involved has a place in the community, and has a place in the nation. (And much more importantly, they also have a place in the world to come.)
And it may seem simple to overlook the fact that this is Elohim’s plan for the Messianic Age. This “umbrella diagram” shows us the kinds of participatory communities that He describes in Ephesians 5. But we must participate, and get involved, or it does not pertain to us.
This is how He wants us to finally establish the kind of global family of called-out believers that He always wanted, from the beginning in the garden.
Scapegoat for Esav?
We believe that both goats symbolize Yeshua because both goats are the pair of goats that are used for atonement. Both for those who are near, and for those perhaps who are in the house of Esav.
So, we need more time to do the study but is there a possibility of gifting the goat to Esav? And that way you are not guilty of breaking versus like Devarim (or Deuteronomy) 12:32, which tells us to be careful to observe His word exactly, not adding anything to it, nor taking anything away from it?
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 12:32
32 “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.”
Is it possible that by adding or taking away we can displease the face of the Almighty? And rather than displease the face of the almighty, why not give a goat to Him who lives on the mountain of goats, and who does not believe in the Tanach?
Shabbat shalom.
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We thank Yahweh Elohim for your love for His kingdom.
