Bamidbar

Parashas Bamidbar

Numbers 1: 1 – 4:20

Please Pray this

Prayer

First before reading.

In the name of Yahushua

Our Messiyah,

I pray for the Spirit of Understanding

The Spirit of Knowledge and

The Spirit of Wisdom

As I read through this Parashas

Bamidbar, which means “in the wilderness,” is the 34^rd Torah Portion and first in the Book of Numbers. Its name is derive from the beginning of the first verse, “then the CREATOR spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai….” The Book of Numbers tells the story of the Children of Yisrael’ journey through the wilderness on their journey to the Promise Land, their subsequent forty years of wondering.

The Book of Numbers end with the Yisraelites back at the borders of Canaan, ready again to take what the CREATOR had told them is their inheritance.

The Torah tell us that the CREATOR came to Moses in the Sinai desert and told him “take a census of all the congregation of the children of Yisrael, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the numbers of their name, every male in their polls.” The Creator were not asking Moses to count the people the way we usually do.

Our system is inaccurate; we see an individual as one person; we see a couple  as two; and so their souls. The spiritual number associate with a person could be very different. One person like Moses or Aaron or even King Davis or the Apostle paul, could be surrounded by  Thousands of other souls. While most of us may not see the souls attached to us, Men like Moses and Aaron could.

One way of assessing a person’s spiritual worth is by the number of people they bring to the various altars of the Tabernacle. The CREATOR told Moses and Aaron that they should count those who was over twenty years old, those who are in the spiritual realm of young men, or those who are spiritually in the Holy Place.

This Torah Portion Bamidbar is always read on the Sabbath prior to Shavuot “Passover.”

We read the Torah portion of Bamidbar before Passover “Shavuot” because it helps to prepare us to receive the Light of the Tree of Life on Passover. Why you may ask? Because Bamidbar is the Sabbath when the CREATOR told Moses and Aaron to go down and infuse sparks into the soul of those who truly awaken their desire for growth and change.

This is the Shabbat when we sow the seeds for an ibur on the Sabbath of Bamidbar, we are about to move one stage closer to the perfect Light of Shavuot, the removal of death from our world. It is the time for ABBA YAHWEH to see how many of HIS son has reached the second or final stage in their spiritual development, which is the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.

As we come close to Shavuot, the CREATOR gives us gifts according to degree we are ready to receive it, and the strength to finish off the negative side, the following year. The world depends on our spiritual work. Fortunately, on the Sabbath of Bimidbar, Messiyah Yahushua and the Ruach HaKodesh come to each of us and awaken a sense of how vitally important we are and our spiritual work really are.

The Book of Bamidbar/Numbers deals with the laws and history of the Tabernacle as it journey through the Wilderness. There are similarities between the journey of the Tabernacle and our own personal lives.

These comparisons suggest that the Tabernacle and later the Temple were to serve as substitute for the Heavenly presence that rested upon the Mount at Sinai. By making the Tabernacle central to the Hebrew people, not only geographically but conceptually, the people would keep the purpose of their existence among themselves.

Just as they were commanded to surround the Mountain at Sinai, keeping the Very Presence of יהוה in their midst, they were to strive comparatively to go up, to draw near to the mountain to fellowship with יהוה .

This Book contains the Commandments to safeguard the principles of the Tabernacle. The fact that the twelve tribes were to camp, to be arrayed around it, and for the conduct of the Kohanim and the Levites when it was dismantled and transported. All of these commands enhance the glory and prestige of the Sanctuary, both corporately and individually.

Verse 1 – 19 describe the census in the Wilderness. יהוה  Command Moses and Aaron, with the participation of the tribal leaders, to take a tribe by tribe census of all the males above the age of twenty.

Since it was יהוה Will for the Children of Yisrael to go directly into the Promise Land, it was essential for them to conduct a Census to determine the allotment of the Land and for any military campaign. However the sin of the twelve spies brought a quick end to that.     

Num 1:1  And יהוה  spoke to Mosheh in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Mitsrayim, saying, -  This second month is the month of Iyar, the Scriptural year begins with Nissan, the seventh month is Tishrei.

We know that this was the second year, or the second day of Creation, when יהוה is still trying to separate the waters above the Heavens and the water under the Heavens. We see the same spiritual parallel here. The establishing of the Tribal identity, what was the physical and spiritual capability of each tribe. What were the spiritual resources of the tribes, how much children were there? How much young men were there? and how much mature individual were there.

Num 1:2 “Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Yisra’ĕl, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, every male, head by head, - The literal interpretation of take a census, is to lift up the head. This has two possible meaning, one positive and one negative. It can mean that the people would be uplifted to a higher level spiritually, or it could mean that the head of the people would be removed, as in the instance when Joseph suggested to the baker he would be executed.

The suggested implication here implies that if the people were worthy, they would be uplifted spiritually; but if not, they could suffer greatly.

The earlier censuses in Exodus had counted the nation as a whole, without recognizing the tribal identity separately. Once it was established, that all the tribes would looked to the Tabernacle as their primary unifying force, the establishing of separate identities would be about to begin.

This example shows that when we corporately and individually make the Tabernacle the central point of our lives, we will begins to develop our tribal identity and our individual identity, whether we are a child, a young man or even a father spiritually.

In the Hebrew culture, the name of a person as the name of a Tribe has a Divine implication. There was a predominant spiritual characteristic that governs a tribe, as it is for an individual.

It is forbidden to count the people literally by the head, so they gave a half-shekel per head, and the coin was then counted.

Num 1:3 from twenty years old and above, everyone going out to the army in Yisra’ĕl. Number them by their divisions, you and Aharon. -  The minimum age to serve in the army was twenty. 1Jo 2:12…I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. 13  I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. 14  I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the Word of YAHWEH abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. From one month to 5 years, child spiritually, from 5 to 20 a young man, from 20 – 60 an grown man. 60 and up, a very wise man, someone who have walk in the fullness for a while.

The term “you shall count”, when it is used in Scripture, it has an implication of concern for, and taking cognizance of, the person under discussion. Every year on the first month, at Passover, we should move spiritually from one spiritual level to the next. Even as a child, it is imperative that there is some resemblance of growth. Heb 5:12  For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. - In Yisrael there are babes and persons of full age, as there are in the Gospel, milk and strong meat.

Those that are babes, are unskillful in the word of righteousness, they must be fed with milk; they must be entertained with the plainest truths, and the Word must be delivered in the plainest manner; there must be line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, and there a little, Isa. 28:10.

Yahushua despises not His babes; He provided suitable food for them. It is good to be babes in Messiyah, but not always to continue in that childish state; we should endeavor to pass the infant state; we should not always remain in malice as children, but in understanding, we should grow up to be a young person, the a Father.

2. There is strong meat for those that are of full age. The deeper mysteries of religion belong to those that are of a higher class in the knowledge of Messiyah, who have learned the first principles of truth and well improved them; so that by reason of use they have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil, duty and sin, truth and error. 

(1.) There have always been in Yisrael the state: children, young men, and fathers.

(2.) Every Yisraelite, having received a principle of spiritual life from YAHWEH, stands in need of nourishment to preserve that life.

(3.) The Word of YAHWEH is food and nourishment to the life of grace: As new-born babes desire the sincere milk of the truth of the Word that you may grow thereby.

(4.) It is the wisdom of ministers to rightly divide the word of truth, and to give to every one his portion-milk to babes, and strong meat to those of full age.

(5.) There are spiritual senses as well as those that are natural. There is a spiritual eye, a spiritual appetite, a spiritual taste; the soul has its sensations as well as the body; these are much depraved and lost by sin, but they are recovered by grace. Rev 5:6.

(6.) It is by use and exercise that these senses are improved, made more quick and strong to taste the sweetness of what is good and true, and the bitterness of what is false and evil. Not only reason and faith, but spiritual sense, will teach men to distinguish between what is pleasing and what is provoking to YAHWEH, between what is helpful and what is hurtful to our own souls.

Verse 4 – 15 discusses the tribal leaders. Moses and Aaron were instructed to count each tribe with the various tribal leaders present. They would be the one who would be most knowledge of the lineage of his tribal’s members.

Another reason for the participation of the leaders was that the census was for the purpose of preparing.

The first name on the list of leaders was Elizur from the tribe on Rueben, which means my Elohim is the protector. The last name on the list, the father of Ahira, Enan, which means eyes. These names recalled the verse in Duteronomy 32:10, an allusion to the Clouds of Glory that surrounded the nation in the wilderness. Therefore the order in which the names of the Tribal leaders were called alludes to the Children of Yisrael faith in EL YAHWEH was and would always remain its protector.

The list begins with the offspring of Leah, then Rachel, then Bilhah and Zilpah. Since Bilhah’s sons were older than Zilpah’s, they are listed first. However, Rachel sons were younger that all the other sons.

Num 1:4 “And a man from every tribe should be with you, each one the head of his father’s house. – For those of you who are strong supporters of women liberation, this verse goes against what you believe that the man is the head of the family. This also means that we should let our home be a meeting place for the wise. The wise are the Torah scholars among the tribes. When we study the Word with a righteous man, we can also receive a spark of wisdom from him.

When the Torah says, “let your home be a meeting place for the wise,” one way of interpret this is metaphysical. We should strive to be receptive, to be a meeting place for the spark from the soul of other righteous persons.

Num 1:5 “And these are the names of the men who stand with you. From Re’uḇĕn: Elitsur, son of Sheḏĕy’ur. – These men are strong spiritual, or they could not be leaders. For all those who require the position of leadership; please surround yourself with mature believers.

This will create an atmosphere in which one strives for spiritual maturity, if the leadership is all mature believers. Rarely does Scripture name the names of people who are not righteous. The names listed below are the most spiritual individual of the tribe, the one who everyone else must report to. It was this arrangement, Moses’ Father in Law Jethro, exposed Moses to one year earlier.

We must remember that the formation of the Children of Yisrael around the Tabernacle is similar to the makeup of our Solar System, were all the planets circle around the Sun, and our solar system is part of a much larger Galaxies.