Parashas Bamidbar
Numbers 1: 1 – 4:20
Haftarah Hosea 2:1 - 22
Brit Chadasha Revelation 7:1-17
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 34rd Torah Portion and first in the Book of Numbers. It is
usually read on the Sabbath before Shavout also known in English as Pentecost. Its
name is derived 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 was 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 were 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 Shabbat 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 Pentecost. Why you
may ask? Because Bamidbar is the Shabbat 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 Shabbat 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 are the Holy Place and the
Holy of Holies.
As we come close to Shavuot, the CREATOR gives us gifts according to the degree
off illumination we are ready to receive, and the strength to finish off the
negative side, the following year. The world depends on our spiritual work.
Fortunately, on the Shabbat 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.
Bamidbar
in Aramic means in the desert. We know that a desert is an abandoned place;
anyone can go there and do whatever he or she desires. Throughout the
generations, Kabbalists have gone into the desert for spiritual reasons.
It
was like going into exile for a while, going to a place where there was nothing
going on. So they could feel that they had nothing. The desert is the place
where Satan dwells, and so the desert is the place where we should build our
personal Tabernacle. Our Spiritual work is to bring Light to places where there
is no light.
The
word Bamidbar has the same numerical value of (248) at the name Avraham. Here,
in this Parasha of Bamidbar, the Torah is providing us with a tool to connect
to the Light of the Creator, through the knowledge that the more we are like
Abraham the Patriarch, the more we can draw light to dark places.
The
word Bamidbar in the desert, where the Torah and the Holy Spirit was revealed
on Mt Sinai because the desert is where Satan dwells. The Kabbalists of old use
to meditate there to conquer Satan on his own territory. It is important to
confront Satan where he is strongest; for it is only by doing so can we
experience real transformation. We must achieve victory over Satan when he is
strongest and we are weakest.
In
Bamidbar, we find the Yisraelites in the desert. The fourth Book of Moses is
probably the most dramatic of all the Books, at least from a very superficial
level. Why you may ask? Because whatever movie you want to write, whatever
topic, whether sexy, wild, or weird, there is excitement in this book.
This
is where a good film director or scrip writer would find his or her material.
No better place in the world, Bamidbar has everything. When we discuss
Bamidbar, this is Satan’s territory. . All day, and night we are always in his
field, meaning that as important as we think we are making decisions. Acquiring
money, prestige, or whether if we do not have what we find in this section and
the following section, then we are lost.
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 describes 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, - Moses was commanded
by Yahweh to count the people, although the Creator already knew how many
people there were. According to the Zohar, there was a spiritual purpose for
the census: at the time each person was counted, he was given the Light he
required.
In the desert, where Satan lives and is in control, we need that kind of
protection. Today, we receive this light once a year at Pentecost or Shavuot,
when we are given the out pouring of the word and the Holy Spirit. It is at
Purim when we are given an offering of half shekel, buy doing so; we receive
the same energy of protection against Satan that our ancestors received in the
desert.
We do not find any other census of Yisrael by which they received blessing
from it as in this count, in which they used the half-Shekel for the counting.
This counting was purposely meant for a blessing, and it was meant to perfect
the completeness of the world. This is the secret of the great perfection of unity
wisdom and righteousness. At the place where blessing emanate, they were
counted.
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 a 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. 1 Jo 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 abided in you, and ye have
overcome the wicked one. In the spiritual kingdom from one month to 5 years, you
are a child spiritually, from 5 to 20 a young man, from 20 – 60 a grown man. 60
and up, a very wise man, someone who have walk in the fullness off life.
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 experience a birthday it is imperative that
there is some resemblance of growth. Heb 5:12
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, you have need that one
teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of Yahweh; and are
become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13 For every one that
used milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a child. 14 But
strong meat belonged 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, young person 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.
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 Kabbalah, 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 everyone 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 constant 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.
(1.)
We
are given the 613 commandments, 248 positive, and 365 negative, the 248
positive is the sweetness, the 365 negative we experience the negative.
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 Deuteronomy
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.
