Rabbi’s Reflections – Friday, February 12, 2021
(Early) Shabbat Shalom,
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Fri 12-Feb-2021 30th of Sh’vat, 5781 Rosh Chodesh Adar Day 1
Ex 23:20-24:18 2 Ki 15-16 Ps 140 Jn 13 (Titus 2)
This is a long reading in the Aliyah for today. A total of 34 verses of Scripture from the last half of chapter 23 and all of chapter 24. In chapter 23, God speaks of the benefits of obeying Him (and His angel). Then, in chapter 24 Moses takes Aaron, his sons and 70 elders from the tribes of Israel to meet with God at the foot of the mountain, then Moses (by himself) goes up onto the mountain to receive the Commandments of God.
Things are going perfectly! Exodus 24:9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up. 10 They saw the God of Israel, and under His feet was something like a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the very heavens. 11 Yet He did not raise His hand against the nobles of Bnei-Yisrael. So they beheld God, and ate and drank.
Who did these 74 men see? The answer is at the beginning of verse 11. “Yet He did not raise His hand against the nobles of Bnei-Yisrael.” Why would it be notable that God did “not raise His hand?” Because God has a principle that had not yet been shared fully with Moses… Exodus 33:20 But He also said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live.”
How can Exodus 24:10 and Exodus 33:20 both be true? I’ll tell you, His name is Yeshua. Colossians 1:15a He is the image of the invisible God. The image is what we see, the invisible is what we cannot see.
Exodus 24:11b So they beheld God, and ate and drank. Now for the other question, what did they eat and drink? I don’t know and the Bible doesn’t say, but there is every reason to believe they were having matzah and wine. I believe they were having communion at the foot of the mountain with Yeshua.
Without regard for if they were having communion or not, it is clear that these 74 men both saw God and ate and drank with Him. My issue is what will soon happen. In the short future, 73 of these men will sin a great sin. They will sin by making and worshipping a golden calf. As with every experience of the children of Israel, we must be vigilant not to fall into the same errors.
Colossians 1:21 Once you were alienated from God and hostile in your attitude by wicked deeds. 22 But now He has reconciled you in Messiah’s physical body through death, in order to present you holy, spotless and blameless in His eyes—23a if indeed you continue in the faith, established and firm, not budging from the hope of the Good News that you have heard.
Week 7
Memory Verse: Hebrews 9:22 And nearly everything is purified in blood according to the Torah, and apart from the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
31 2/8 Monday: Exodus 8-9
32 2/9 Tuesday: Exodus 10-11
33 2/10 Wednesday: Exodus 12
34 2/11 Thursday: Exodus 13:17-14
* 35 2/12 Friday: Exodus 16-17
Question of the day: What would you like to complain about?
Answer: Let me offer a “word to the wise.” Don’t complain. One month after leaving Egypt the people began to complain about Moses and Aaron. Exodus 16:2 But the whole congregation of Bnei-Yisrael murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. After one month in the wilderness, the people were hungry. But God made manna rain down from heaven. So God satisfied their hunger. And the people continued to complain (because they were thirsty). This puts Jewish people in a very bad light.
Rabbi Trail: I feel like I should teach you a new Yiddish word (that some of you may already know, because it has been borrowed into English), “K’vetch.” To k’vetch is to complain or whine. It’s very popular among spoiled brats. End RT.
Many Jewish people don’t relate well to the New Testament because the story of the Passion of Yeshua puts Jewish people in a bad light. And then there is also so much trouble on account of the scribes and Pharisees. However; I believe most of the Old Testament puts Jewish people in a (even worse) very bad light. But I have good news. God takes those “bad light” people and uses them mightily for His purposes (in both the Old and the New Testaments), which means there is hope for you and me too.
Keep the faith, refrain from complaining and Shabbat Shalom.